Google and Yahoo! settle patent dispute

Google has settled a patent dispute with Yahoo! which threatened to damage the company's forthcoming IPO. In return for a licence to a disputed Overture patent, Google will give ]Yahoo 2.7 million Class A shares - about 1 per cent of its stock. ...more

Students put the iTunes rating system to use

Students at the University of Illinois have developed software that recommends music based on the ratings you have given to tracks in iTunes. The recommendations are generated by comparing your ratings to those of others who are using the software. It even works if you haven't rated your songs, by creating an approximate rating based on the number of times a track has been played. ...more

Linux riddled with almost 300 potential patent infringements, claim experts

The Linux kernel contains 283 patents that could be used against end-users of the software, according to the Open Source Risk Management (OSRM) group. OSRM conducted a study of the kernel program at the heart of the Open Source operating system and discovered that although the software did not infringe any US patent that had previously been validated through the courts, it trod on the toes of 283 patents that are as yet untested. Dan Ravichner, who carried out the kernel review and is the founder and executive director of the Public Patent Foundation and senior counsel to the Free Software Foundation, said: 'This patent risk is in line with what we expected to find, and likely comparable to the level of risk you would find in comparable proprietary software; the only difference with open source software being that proprietary software vendors typically provide legal backing for their customers. ...more

Lycos dials up VoIP

Lycos is taking on eBay's Skype with its entrance into the voice market courtesy of Lycos Phone. Initially a beta service in the US, Lycos Phone could prove a popular rival to Skype if its call quality matches that of its bigger rival. It might also give the lie to Skype's business plan, as some of the services that Skype is counting on to provide it with revenue streams are free on Lycos. ...more

Microsoft touches the Surface

Microsoft has unveiled a coffee-table-shaped 'surface computer' in a major step towards co-founder Bill Gates's view of a future where the mouse and keyboard are replaced by more natural interaction using voice, pen and touch. Microsoft Surface, which has a 30in display under a hard-plastic tabletop, allows people to touch and move objects on screen for everything from digital finger painting and jigsaw puzzles to ordering off a virtual menu in a restaurant. It also recognises and interacts with devices placed on its surface, so cell phone users can easily buy ringtones or change payment plans by placing their handsets on in-store displays, or a group of people gathered round the table can check out the photos on a digital camera placed on top. ...more