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Grokster, the peer-to-peer network that was heir apparent to the original Napster, has gone the way of its infamous predecessor, agreeing to shut down the distribution of its software and pay US$50 million to settle copyright infringement claims brought by record and movie studios The surprising development is another victory for the entertainment ...

Two television networks have struck a deal with a cable provider to offer on-demand downloads of some of their most popular shows, providing perhaps the clearest glimpse yet of the choices consumers will soon have as cable and the Internet converge In separate announcements, NBC and CBS each said they would begin offering content for download, CBS ...

As the potential of that indefinitely defined technology called Web 2.0 becomes more and more apparent, new applications seem to be appearing on an almost daily basis But for users forced to hop from site to site for their Web services, the new social Net can be a drag....

Recently, my seven-year-old daughter decided to add a doll to her Christmas wish list. Not just any doll. An "American Girl" doll. For those of you without daughters or those of you who, like me, do not keep up with trends in toys, "American Girl" is the rage among young girls aged 4 - 12 years old, and they are an outrageous success What is stunni...

Network security was a big issue a decade ago. Now, ten years of technology later, it continues to be a top priority and it appears that it will be so ten years from now as well. That's because as IT security firms learn more about the tactics of hackers, crackers and malicious code writers, the latter group just continues to devise more clever schemes. It's a cat-and-mouse game of sorts in which both creatures continue growing smarter -- but the mouse ultimately keeps steps ahead with the cat feverishly chasing after it...

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office was to publish the world's first "storyline patent" application yesterday According to Georgetown University law professor Jay Thomas, "The case law of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has established that virtually any subject matter is potentially patentable," and Andrew Knight extols the idea in a...

Making big moves to extend the portal wars to the wireless Web, Yahoo and Google are launching major pushes to have their extensive menu of Web services available on users' mobile phones The Wall Street Journal reported that Yahoo is poised to announce a partnership with SBC Communications in which the two companies will co-market a Yahoo-branded c...

Microsoft introduced new Windows server software this week, including a new SQL Server 2005 database that is aimed at challenging dominant database vendors and fellow software giants Oracle and IBM Microsoft unveiled SQL Server 2005, Visual Studio 2005 for developers and enhanced BizTalk Server 2006, claiming the new software delivered "unprecedent...

Some unlikely candidates have been launching record labels lately Last week, online social networking player MySpace.com debuted its new record label. Now video game maker Electronic Arts is planning to launch a recording label of its own....

Further blurring the increasingly hard-to-find line between television and the Web, Yahoo and digital video recorder (DVR) maker TiVo said they would team up to offer TiVo's online scheduling features on Yahoo TV The hookup will enable users of Yahoo TV to use TiVo's scheduling technology to set their DVRs to record a show, using any Web connection...

In a move to replicate the success of its mobile search engine technology, Google today launched Local for mobile. The application attempts to take mapping to the cellular level Google bills Local for mobile as "a free download that lets you find local hangouts and businesses across town or across the country -- right from your phone."

Last week Microsoft announced its new online extensions to Windows and Office called, coincidently, Windows Live and Office Live. These say a great deal about both Microsoft's direction and the future of desktop software in general. In addition, HP announced an intent to eliminate the concept of the "IBM" PC and take Dell out in the process Micros...

The technology battle between data and voice communications is intensifying, and data appears to have the momentum now. But, experts say, voice may be making a comeback someday soon as industry's favorite application A new survey, released mid-October by J.D. Power and Associates, indicates that e-mail addresses have become today's equivalent of y...

Google announced yesterday that its Desktop 2 computer search software was out of beta with new sidebar panels, more customization and bolstered support for enterprise use The search leader, which made the release a day after Yahoo upgraded its own map service, said the new Google Desktop 2 would improve Google's Personalized Maps and includes a gr...

An alleged "botmaster" who authorities say had 400,000 machines under his control was arrested in Los Angeles yesterday Jeanson Ancheta, 20, installed pop-up adware on the commandeered computers and rented his "botnet" -- or network of computers compromised by Trojan horses that allow remote control of the infected machine -- to other hackers for p...

EBay founder Pierre Omidyar became the latest Internet billionaire to make a major philanthropic push, donating US$100 million to Tufts University with the stipulation that it be used for so-called microfinancing Omidyar and his wife, Pam, are hoping the donation -- the largest in the history of the university, which is located outside of Boston --...

Social networking Web site MySpace.com is doing what no other social networking Web site has ever done before -- launched its own record label MySpace Records is a joint venture with Interscope Records, one of the many recording labels under the Universal Music Group umbrella. MySpace Records will target independent and unsigned artists along with ...

Signaling its intention to be a major player in the online music segment, America Online has purchased MusicNow, a digital music site that specializes in subscription packages AOL said it reached the deal to buy the firm from electronics retailer Circuit City in late September and closed the purchase this week. Specific financial terms were not dis...

On the heels of an initiative to offer complimentary access to Nintendo WiFi Connection in thousands of McDonald's restaurants in the United States, the video game giant announced today it will also offer its new wireless gaming service for DS handheld game console users in Europe and Asia Gamers will have free access to more than 7,500 hot spots i...

The controversy over the Federal Communications Commission's proposal to allow wiretapping of Internet telephone calls continues -- as experts on both sides of the question battle it out in federal court and in the court of public opinion Last week, an alliance of Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) telephony providers and technology makers -- incl...