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Nintendo is enforcing its dominance in the portable gaming world with the launch of its wireless Nintendo DS, a handheld double-screen console that will allow players to control games with touch or voice, monitor two-screen action and even compete wirelessly with others Nintendo DS will launch in the United States on November 21 for about US$150, j...

Moving to shut down alleged purveyors of spyware before a slew of legislation aimed at curbing the practice can become law, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has targeted a New Hampshire man it says ran a spyware and pop-up advertising ring The FTC filed a complaint in federal court in New Hampshire against Sanford Wallace and two of his companies...

Microsoft's chairman and chief software architect Bill Gates tomorrow will officially launch the latest version of Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 operating system, complete with extensions that play or record video, music and other media The update to Windows XP Professional will offer users an all-in-one system designed to take the place of ...

Bidding to advance an emerging technology by putting widely supported standards into place, a coalition led by Microsoft, Intel and Sun Microsystems released specifications for using Web services to remotely manage far-flung data networks, handheld devices, PCs and servers Known as WS-Management, the specification -- developed by Sun, Microsoft, De...

Consumer and business product manufacturers are challenged to form and maintain relationships with their end users. One-off promotions like contests or sweepstakes can help to supply manufacturers with some contact information for their customers, but most times, not much else Unless there is a point-of-sale system in place that refreshes point acc...

The Fall Processor Forum was held last week in the Silicon Valley. This show has become the counter to Intel's Developer Forum (IDF), and it probably should now be called "The Everything but Intel Microprocessor Forum." It kind of feels like the rebuttal in a presidential debate. Intel, as the incumbent, got to argue a few weeks ago at IDF that th...

Antivirus software is a required component for safe computing. Security experts warn that an unprotected computer straight out of the box and connected to the Internet will catch multiple virus infections in its first 20 minutes online Antivirus software programs, however, are only reliable if they are regularly updated with the latest detection si...

Dell has announced a massive recall of notebook computer power adapters, saying the components -- made by a company whose products prompted a similar recall by IBM last month -- could overheat and cause fires or electrical shock Dell said it arrived at the decision to voluntarily recall some 4.4 million adapters after consulting with the U.S. Consu...

In lieu of facing a court judgment, Sun Microsystems has agreed to pay US$92 million to settle a long-running patent infringement case with Eastman Kodak. Now, observers are perusing the details to get a handle on what it means for the companies and the Internet Kodak won the jury trial October 1 and was seeking $1.06 billion in licensing fees and ...

For the second time this week, U.S. lawmakers have approved a bill aimed at stamping out the spread of spyware, malicious software that is installed onto the computers of unsuspecting users and can track their online activities However, the flurry of activity might actually have a downside for those hoping the legislation would come quickly. With s...

Search superstar Google rolled out a new short message service (SMS) thisweek, delivering its search and other Internet data to mobile phones ofseveral major vendors through text messaging The Mountain View, California-based company indicated it will be testing a beta version ofthe free service in the U.S., where text messaging has beenmuch slower...

Computer Associates (CA) has introduced a usage-based pricing model for its portfolio of mainframe management software products. The overhauled pricing strategy is called Measured Workload Pricing and moves the software industry another step closer to utility computing "Our FlexSelect licensing program has introduced a lot of new innovation," Mark ...

Siebel Systems launched what it calls an "end-to-end enterprise business intelligence (BI) solution." The product recognizes a need for analytics that can compile many sources of information into a single data warehouse At its "User Week" in Los Angeles, Siebel announced BI applications for financials, the supply chain, the workforce and customer a...

California, a state that prides itself on experimentation and rebelliousness, has recently turned its attention to stem cell research issues On the November ballot is Proposition 71, which proposes to create a new and expensive government-funded stem-cell research apparatus. While finding cures to disease is a priority, government programs such as ...

One of the greatest challenges facing small businesses today is the acquisition of capital. In a previous article, "Finding Dollars for Small-Cap Companies," I explored the non-underwritten IPO as a source of capital for the small business. This article addresses two other sources of capital for the small business -- the Angel Investor and the Venture Capitalist...

Call it the Pleasure PC. Digital Living Space. Or, as Microsoft would like you to think of it, Media Center. Vendors and analysts have been flagging a new era for home PCs, and there is more than just talk in the air Dell, Gateway, and other computer makers are busy touting PCs optimized for entertainment. Intel has developed chipsets with the new ...

Sun Microsystems has settled its long-fought patent infringement case with Eastman Kodak, heading off a jury decision on the penalty Faced with the prospect of paying damages of more than US$1 billion in federal court, the software giant reached an out-of-court agreement late last night, according to court papers filed this morning....

The fate of the controversial Induce Act that would restrict file-sharing technology that can be used to illegally download and share copyrighted material was in question today after negotiations between the music and electronics industries broke down as the current Congressional session nears an end, possibly by this weekend The bill, formally kno...

Satellite radio got a bolt of energy with the announcement that shock jockHoward Stern will be delivering his controversy-stirring show over the Sirius satellite radio network starting in 2006 While the company remains number two in satellite radio to XM -- whichearlier this year added former NPR voice BobEdwards to its roster -- Sirius hopes to ga...

Firing the latest salvo in the war over next-generation DVD formats, electronics companies Sony, Matsushita Electric and Sharp plan to release camcorders using the Blu-ray DVD format in 2005 The companies are working on a rewritable, 3-inch (8-centimeter) disc. Currently available discs are 12 cm, but they also have 25 GB of memory compared to the...