Stefania Spagnuolo

At the Stanford Summit in Palo Alto, California, IT heavyweights such as Google and Apple discussed the U.S. patent system -- and not everyone was thrilled with the its current state. Google's head of patents, Michelle Lee, described the U.S. patent ... system as being "in crisis." She explained that there are too many businesses that use patents mostly as a means of making money. These businesses, called trolls, have proven profitable for many tech companies, but the large number of patents is backing up the system. "The Patent Office is overburdened," she said. "The volume of patents going in ... (view more)

Anyone who has heard one of Eminem's songs knows that making nice isn't his top priority. Now that Eminem has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against Apple for selling his music on iTunes, it appears that the technology giant is no exception. ... On Monday, Eminem's producer Eight Mile Style and his copyright manager Martin Affiliated filed a suit which claims that Universal Music Group was never authorized to permit the rapper's songs to be downloaded from iTunes. Allegedly, Apple is not complying with the lawsuit's requests. "Eight Mile and Martin have demanded that Apple cease and desist ... (view more)

iPhone users have flooded the Apple support site, as well as numerous other sites, complaining about problematic iPhone screens. Consumers are angry that the screens labelled as LCD panel ID "7" display a faint grid of dots and are dimmer than those ... with a panel ID of 5. (Source: realtechnews.com ) Entering *3001#12345#* (including the asterisks) on an iPhone and hitting the Call button puts the phone into Field Test Mode. From this mode, users can view information about the iPhone's hardware, such as the firmware versions and the LCD panel ID number. The panel IDs that start with a 7 are ... (view more)

The Copyright Board of Canada has given the OK to a tax being placed on iPods and other removable storage memory cards that could be used for private copying. The approval comes despite strong oppositions from both the Canadian Storage Media ... Alliance and the Retail Council of Canada. Kim Furlong, Director of Federal Government Relations with the Retail Council, said that the tax is a dangerous approach. "It's like going into Best Buy and learning the computer is a hundred dollars more just because the government thinks you might download music. It's effectively a hidden tax," she said. ... (view more)

The European Union's executive branch has approved a grant of 120 million euros (about $166 million US) to help fund the German government's next-generation Internet search engine, code-named Theseus. (Source: arstechnica.com ) The grant will be ... distributed among different companies, including SAP AG and Siemens AG, as they begin research on the Theseus project. The project aims to develop "new search technologies for the next generation Internet," including "semantic technologies which try to recognize the meaning of content and place it in its proper context." Semantic technologies are ... (view more)

Microsoft has announced that it will be offering a subscription-based version of Office 2007 in South Africa. The announcement signifies an extension in Microsoft's current operations. The company has already been offering a pay-as-you-go option for ... Office 2003 in South Africa, as well as Mexico and Romania. (Source: betanews.com ) A three month subscription of Office 2007 will cost 199 rand, which equates to about $28.54 US. First time users are also given an additional three months free of charge. The subscriptions work in a way similar to Office trials; when the subscription expires, users ... (view more)

Wal-Mart has created an empire by becoming the one-stop superstore for budget-conscious consumers. However, the retail giant has taken this mantra one step further by releasing a PC that sells for a mere $298. The Everex IMPACT GC3502 comes with ... Windows Vista Home Basic and OpenOffice.org 2.2. The system includes a 1.5GHz VIA C7 CPU, 1GB of DDR-2 SDRAM, an 80GB hard drive, a DVD burner, and integrated graphics. While the device does come with a keyboard, mouse, and speakers, the monitor is sold separately. (Source: arstechnica.com ) Interestingly, the $298 computer will not contain any " ... (view more)

In a move that will surely please many privacy campaigners, Google has changed its cookie policy dramatically. How so? Instead of having cookies expire in the year 2038, they will expire two years after the page has last been viewed. (Source: ... betanews.com ) The announcement comes shortly after the search engine giant revealed that it will erase search logs after 18 months, a reduction from the previously uncapped time limit. The cookie reduction announcement came via an official Google blog entitled "Cookies: Expiring Sooner to Improve Privacy." In the post, Global Privacy Counsel Peter ... (view more)

Not long after Microsoft announced that it would be extending the warranty on Xbox 360 consoles to three years, system owners served up a class action lawsuit against the company, seeking $5 million in damages for scratched discs. The lawsuit, filed ... in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, claims that the plaintiffs "have been damaged in that their game discs were destroyed by the Xbox 360 during reasonable, foreseeable, normal, and intended use." The lawsuit maintains that Microsoft is responsible since "the Xbox 360 was negligently designed and manufactured in that the console's laser disc reading ... (view more)

Just what is the cost of wireless service exclusivity on the iPhone? Last Wednesday marked the first day in the hearing of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, where representatives called for a more open wireless system. ... Both Democrats and Republicans spoke out against the hostage-type contracts, in what's been dubbed the "iPhone hearing." Being discussed is the fact that the iPhone will only work on AT ... (view more)