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AP Technology NewsBrief at 12:10 p.m. EDT(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Red-letter day for ailing photo pioneer?ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) _ Innovation turned Eastman Kodak Co. into one of the world's most recognizable brands. Imitation by its rivals might help keep the picture-taking pioneer from fading into history. The 131-year-old company, which popularized photography beginning with the Brownie box camera in 1900, is looking for a lucrative patent-infringement triumph this week over iPhone behemoth Apple Inc. and BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. Co-founder Biz Stone leaving TwitterLOS ANGELES (AP) _ Isaac "Biz" Stone is moving on from Twitter, just five years after co-founding the microblogging site that has become integral to the social media scene around the globe. Stone, 37, said Tuesday on his blog that he will work with the company "for many years to come," but that the most effective use of his time now is to "get out of the way" of Twitter's crew and leadership team until he's called upon to be of some specific use. Sony names Andrew House as head of games unitNEW YORK (AP) _ Still reeling from a series of high-profile hacker attacks, Sony has named Andrew House as the president and group CEO of its video game unit, Sony Computer Entertainment. House, who's been heading Sony's games business in Europe, replaces Kazuo Hirai, who will now serve as chairman of Sony Computer Entertainment. Google unveils latest social networking featNEW YORK (AP) _ Online search leader Google Inc. is taking yet another stab at social networking, as it tries to go up against Facebook in this wildly popular and lucrative segment of the Internet. This time the project is called Google+ and it aims to make online sharing more like real life. "We think people communicate in very rich ways," said Vic Gundotra, senior vice president of engineering at Google. "The online tools we have to choose from give us very rigid services." AP Source: News Corp. to sell MySpace this weekLOS ANGELES (AP) _ News Corp. is aiming to sell struggling social network site MySpace this week after three years of massive losses, according to a person familiar with the matter. The move will likely result in the layoff of more than half of the site's remaining 500 workers. It's a jarring goodbye for a once-hot Internet property, which News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch predicted four years ago would eventually make $1 billion in annual revenue. MySpace never reached that goal. This year, MySpace is expected to make less than a fifth of that as ad sales plummet, according to research firm eMarketer. Microsoft launches Web-based Office, rivals GoogleNEW YORK (AP) _ Microsoft has officially launched its Web-based email and Office services, part of its ongoing effort to keep Google at bay when it comes to business software. "Office 365" has been available in a test version since last year. It combines Web-based versions of Word, Excel and other Office applications. It also includes the Exchange e-mail system, SharePoint online collaboration technology and Microsoft's instant messaging, Internet phone and video conferencing system. Obama 2012 campaign to go beyond email, textCHICAGO (AP) _ Call him the Digital Candidate: President Barack Obama is asking supporters to use Facebook to declare "I'm In!" for his re-election campaign and is using Twitter to personally blast out messages to his nearly 9 million followers. Emails to supporters seek small-dollar donations in exchange for campaign coffee mugs or a chance to win dinner with the president. The campaign's website helps supporters find local events, plan meetings and raise money while its digital team develops the next big thing. High court to rule on TV indecency, GPS trackingWASHINGTON (AP) _ The Supreme Court has added a couple of high-profile constitutional challenges to its lineup of cases for next term: One looking at governmental regulation of television content and the other dealing with the authority of police to use a GPS device to track a suspect's movements without a warrant. The court's action Monday agreeing to review the two cases foreshadows what could be an extraordinary year for the justices. Gay marriage, immigration and the health care overhaul all are working their way to the court and could arrive in the term that begins on the first Monday in October. Can't ban violent video sales to kids, court saysWASHINGTON (AP) _ States cannot ban the sale or rental of ultraviolent video games to children, the Supreme Court ruled Monday, rejecting such limits as a violation of young people's First Amendment rights and leaving it up to parents and the multibillion-dollar gaming industry to decide what kids can buy. The high court, on a 7-2 vote, threw out California's 2005 law covering games sold or rented to those under 18, calling it an unconstitutional violation of free-speech rights. Writing for the majority, Justice Antonin Scalia, said, "Even where the protection of children is the object, the constitutional limits on governmental action apply." French Internet company seeks $419 mln from GooglePARIS (AP) _ Google faces a new, multimillion-dollar challenge in Europe after a French Internet company filed a lawsuit Tuesday saying the search engine giant unfairly squeezed out competitors in France. The company, 1plusV, says it is mounting the largest single claim of its kind in Europe against Google. It comes soon after the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, following the lead of European regulators, started investigating claims that Google has abused its dominance of Internet search and advertising to stifle competition. (c) 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |