Judge slams 'cavalier' SCO

The federal Judge presiding in the case between SCO and IBM has released an order in which he reveals the extent of his frustration at SCO's continued inability to produce any hard evidence of copying. IBM had put in several attempts at having the case moved to a summary judgement - where the judge can rule on the case without a full trial. In his order, Judge Kimball granted none of these, saying that until all the facts were in front of the court, it was too early to do so. ...more

Pentax offers entry-level digital offering

Pentax's new EI-100 camera is designed to be an entry-level offering for first-time digital buyers. It's designed to be as easy to operate as a conventional compact camera, with a number of auto features and selectable modes - for example, auto-flash and a red-eye reduction mode. The technical spec for the EI-100 includes 8Mb of built-in flash memory (capable of storing up to 50 JPEG images at 1280 x 960 pixels), a 1. ...more

Gowers considered cutting copyright lifespan

Andrew Gowers has revealed that he considered cutting the 50-year copyright limit on sound recordings in his government-sponsored review of UK intellectual property laws and only decided to recommend that the status quo be retained because it was 'politically prudent' to do so. Gowers told the Out-law podcast that, rather than concede the music industry's demand for longer protection up to 95 years, evidence submitted to the review suggested that there was a strong case for deciding that 50 years is too long. 'We certainly considered it, and if you look at the report that came from the academics that we commissioned to examine the arguments and examine the evidence they also argued very robustly that 50 years could be arguably more than enough,' Gowers said. ...more

Media to go at CES

Microsoft unveiled the first fruit of its Portable Media Center project at CES, with devices from the likes of Creative debuting the system. Creative, along with iRiver, Sanyo, Samsung and ViewSonic all had devices for the announcement, which at 40GB can hold up to 100,000 images or 175 hours of video. Rob Enderle, principal analyst for the Enderle Group, said: 'Portable Media Centers, particularly when they are coupled with PC-based Media Centers, download services, personal video recorders and digital still/movie cameras, will change the way people acquire, use and share their multimedia experiences. ...more

HP reveals five new notebooks but keeps quiet on Microsoft's Ultra Mobile PC

HP today announced a broad swathe of notebooks and mobile technologies at its second annual Mobility Summit in San Francisco. But it was notable that amidst all the glitz and glamour of HP's new marketing campaign, Microsoft's Ultra Mobile PC initiative - codenamed Origami - didn't get a mention. In the UK, the most notable new products are five business notebooks, and it was the lightweight tc2400 that stole most of the limelight. ...more