New Zealand Geek - news page 42

The United States Congress waded into the escalating fight over the future of Yahoo yesterday, demanding to know whether the internet company's advertising partnership with Google, intended to keep Yahoo out of the clutches of Microsoft, raises antitrust concerns.

Testifying before the Senate and House Judiciary Committees yesterday, executives from the three companies painted very different pictures of an agreement that will allow Google to sell some of the ads displayed alongside search results on Yahoo's website. While Microsoft said the deal would limit competition and raise prices in the online advertising market, Yahoo and Google insisted it would benefit consumers and advertisers.
July 18, 2008

Intel, the world's biggest chipmaker, reported a 25 per cent increase in second-quarter profit and gave a sales forecast that topped analysts' estimates after demand grew worldwide for personal computer processors.

Net income climbed to US$1.6 billion ($2.07 billion), or 28c a share, from US$1.28 billion, or 22c, a year earlier, Intel said. Sales rose 9.1 per cent to US$9.47 billion.
July 18, 2008

SYDNEY - To help kick off the Pope's public tour of Sydney today the pontiff has sent a message of inspiration to World Youth (WYD) pilgrims.

Pope Benedict XVI has gone high-tech, using the advances of mobile phones to SMS thousands of young pilgrims with a daily message.
July 18, 2008

LOS ANGELES - One word sums up the announcements made by the Big Three gaming companies at the E3 this week: more.

During their flashy press conferences, Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony all announced plans for more games, more sequels, more exclusives, more connectivity and more ways for gamers to use their systems for stuff other than gaming.
July 18, 2008

SEATTLE - A sanctioned version of Scrabble for Facebook, released this week by video game maker Electronic Arts, boasts animated graphics and true-to-the-board-game design.

But underneath its flashy exterior, the new Scrabble's features are very similar to those of its wildly popular but unauthorised competitor, Scrabulous, created by Rajat and Jayant Agarwalla, from Calcutta, India.
July 18, 2008

Nintendo unveiled Wii MotionPlus at the E3 Media and Business summit yesterday.

The accessory plugs into the base of the Wii Remote and will provide more intuitive motion controls.
July 18, 2008

GPS chip maker Rakon said today it would form a joint venture with the owners of Chinese based Timemaker Crystal Technology Limited (Timemaker).

Rakon will hold a 70 per cent share in the JV and will also take a 40 per cent share in Timemaker for an undisclosed sum.
July 18, 2008

LOS ANGELES - A tough little blob must splash colour over a town wallowing in gray. Bug-eyed rabbits do a dance routine. And then there's the "perfect equine farm" of wild horses for little girls to tame and train.

These video games don't sound like anything that would grab a teenage boy's attention, and that's the point. They are part of an important expansion of the video game industry as it works to pull in women, girls and other demographics and cement its place as mainstream entertainment.
July 18, 2008

Vodafone has sold out its first shipment of the new iPhone 3G.

Controversial pricing plans for the phone, which went on sale in New Zealand before other countries at midnight last Thursday, did not put off thousands who paid up to $1129 to be among the first to get their hands on the desirable device.
July 18, 2008

Facebook users were exposed to possible identity theft this week when the social networking site accidentally published THEIR personal information.

IT security specialist Sophos says that information belonging to many of Facebook's active users was inadvertently publically revealed as the site rolled out its new profile design.
July 18, 2008

SUNNYVALE - Yahoo has sent a letter to shareholders in which it called Microsoft's actions in its dance to acquire all or part of the internet company "stupefying."

The letter from Yahoo Chairman Roy Bostock and Chief Executive Jerry Yang also hammered investor Carl Icahn, Microsoft's partner in the latest acquisition offer, for his lack of knowledge about the internet business. It said the latest offer from "the odd couple" serves "only their very narrow special interests."
July 18, 2008

BRUSSELS - European Union regulators sent more antitrust charges to chip maker Intel yesterday, claiming the company has deliberately squeezed rival AMD out of the market.

The European Commission said it added three new charges to its case against Intel, and warned it may order Intel to change its behaviour under threat of large fines that can total 10 per cent of yearly global revenue. Intel's 2007 sales were US$38 billion.
July 18, 2008

BRUSSELS - Eight out of 10 websites selling mobile phone ring tones and graphics are tricking consumers with hidden fees or false advertising for free products, the EU said.

The EU's consumer affairs commissioner, Meglena Kuneva, said a Europe-wide investigation showed up shoddy sales practices such as hiding the true cost of downloads or not telling customers they are signing up for a subscription.
July 18, 2008

LOS ANGELES - Consider it 'Star Wars III and a Half' - complete with a pivotal plot twist.

When LucasArts releases Star Wars: The Force Unleashed in September, the video game will serve as George Lucas' official medium between 2005's Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith and 1977's Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. In the game, players become Darth Vader's secret apprentice and use The Force to hunt the remaining Jedi.
July 18, 2008

A San Francisco computer engineer has pleaded not guilty to charges of taking over a city computer network that stores payroll files, police records and other confidential information.

Forty-three-year-old Terry Childs entered his plea Thursday to four felony counts of computer tampering.
July 18, 2008