|
AP Technology NewsBrief at 12:08 a.m. EST
(AP Online Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) National Geographic getting into video gamesNEW YORK (AP) _ National Geographic, best known for its yellow-framed magazine and often breathtaking nature shows, is getting into video games. National Geographic Ventures, a unit of the nonprofit National Geographic Society, was set to announce Tuesday it will work with game publishers to turn its material into games for PCs, consoles and handheld devices.
Yahoo to replace Yang as CEO, ending rocky reignSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Yahoo Inc. co-founder Jerry Yang is stepping down as chief executive, ending a rocky reign marked by his refusal to sell the Internet company to Microsoft Corp. for $47.5 billion _ more than triple Yahoo's current market value. The change in command announced Monday won't be completed until Yahoo finds his replacement. The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company said it is interviewing candidates inside and outside Yahoo in a search led by its chairman, Roy Bostock, and the executive recruitment firm Heidrick & Struggles.
Spammers sent packing _ for now _ by Web shutdownSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ E-mailers, enjoy the early holiday gift: Spam volume has been cut by more than half because Internet providers pulled the plug on a Web hosting firm that was allegedly helping some of the world's most dastardly junk e-mail gangs. The break won't last long. Garbage e-mail levels are already swelling again, and are expected to return to normal in a matter of days.
Zune could lend Microsoft a rare rhythm infusionSEATTLE (AP) _ A video for the title track on hip-hop veteran Common's forthcoming album, "Universal Mind Control," begins with a digital music player pulsing to the beat. The viewer is pulled through the screen into the gadget's guts, where the cool, collected rapper lets loose an easy stream of lyrics. It takes hitting rewind a few times to notice that the music player isn't one of Apple's slim new iPods. It's a Zune, and it's made by Microsoft Corp.
NY judge tentatively OKs Google copyright dealNEW YORK (AP) _ A judge has tentatively approved a settlement of lawsuits between Google and book authors and publishers that may put millions of out-of-print texts online. The settlement was announced by Google and the publishing industry in October. Final court approval is still needed.
Spansion sues Samsung over flash memory patentsSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Spansion Inc. wants to block U.S. sales of iPods, BlackBerry gadgets and other devices because memory chips made by Samsung Electronics Co. and used in those products allegedly violate Spansion patents. Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Spansion, the world's No. 3 maker of flash memory chips by revenue, sued South Korea's Samsung on Monday. Spansion claims more than "100 million mp3 players, cell phones, digital cameras and other consumer electronic devices" are made with Samsung flash memory chips that violate Spansion patents.
Gadget survey finds many bugs can't be fixedNEW YORK (AP) _ Gadget makers love to sell us on all the things their devices can do, whether it's letting us chat with distant friends at any time or watch movies on our commute. But can anyone fix this stuff when it breaks? That's a question raised by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, which discovered in a survey released Sunday that 15 percent of people who had some piece of technology break down in the previous year were never able to get it repaired.
Law professor fires back at song-swapping lawsuitsBOSTON (AP) _ The music industry's courtroom campaign against people who share songs online is coming under counterattack. A Harvard Law School professor has launched a constitutional assault against a federal copyright law at the heart of the industry's aggressive strategy, which has wrung payments from thousands of song-swappers since 2003.
Green at the heart of Panasonic's bid for SanyoTOKYO (AP) _ Panasonic Corp.'s plans to take over rival Sanyo Electric Co. would create the world's second-largest electronics maker. But Panasonic already has plenty of gadgets. Instead, the crown jewels Panasonic wants from Sanyo are green. The ability to acquire Sanyo's two green-energy pillars, solar cell technology and rechargeable batteries, are what drove Panasonic to announce this month it would negotiate a deal with Sanyo's main stockholders, Goldman Sachs Inc., Daiwa Securities SMBC and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Co. Analysts expect the price to be 500 billion to 850 billion yen ($5 billion to $8.5 billion).
Online startup aims to improve patent qualityWASHINGTON (AP) _ A new startup company wants to have a say in the high-stakes patent disputes that loom over many industries. In the drug business, for instance, Pfizer Inc. is suing generics maker Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, accusing it of infringing on a patent covering Pfizer's top-selling cholesterol medicine.
Copyright ? 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
|
INDUSTRIES
Activate Email 
Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs & Service Providers at the INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference and EXPO East, January 20-22, 2010. Miami, FL.
