Datamation Staff

eWeek: Mozilla has renewed its contract with Google that makes Google the default search engine on the Firefox home page. In exchange, Mozilla gets a cut of the ad revenues from Firefox-based searches. The deal, which expired in November, was tremendously import to Mozilla. In 2010, the arrangement with Google accounted for approximately $100 million […]

SlashGear: Google chairman Erich Schmidt reportedly told an Italian newspaper that the company plans to release a tablet to compete with Apple’s iPad. “In the next six months we plan to market a tablet of the highest quality,” said Schmidt. Schmidt also said that the new device would be the latest stage in the “brutal […]

The Guardian: British Telecom (BT) has filed a lawsuit in Delaware claiming that Google Android products, including Google Maps, Google Music, location-based advertising and the Android Market, infringe on six of its patents. According to a BT spokesperson, “The patents in question relate to technologies which underpin location-based services, navigation and guidance information and personalized […]

Financial Times: Facebook had asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit related to its “sponsored stories,” but the judge refused, allowing the lawsuit to proceed. The plaintiffs in the case contend that Facebook’s practice of publishing users’ “likes” violates California’s right to publicity law. The law says that people have the right to determine how […]

Cnet: IBM has released its annual “5 in 5” report, the company’s predictions about five ways that technology will dramatically alter our lives in the next five years. In the report, the company predicts the following will happen in the near future: Mind reading is no longer science fiction. You will be able to power […]

Bloomberg BusinessWeek: Novell’s WordPerfect-related lawsuit against Microsoft ended in a mistrial after jurors failed to agree on a verdict. The jurors voted 11-1 against Microsoft, but after the trial, several jurors said they would not have awarded any damages to Novell. Novell was seeking $1.3 billion in damages in the antitrust case. It alleged that […]

Reuters: Korean-based Samsung has filed four new patent-infringement complaints against Apple in Germany. According to a spokesperson, “two [of the complaints] are standard-related patents, and the other two are utility patents.” One of the patents in question covers the use of emoticons. Samsung and Apple are currently embroiled in a patent war that spans courts […]

eWeek: On Thursday, Amazon revealed that it has been selling more than a million of its Kindle tablets and e-readers every week–and sales have been steadily increasing. “We’ve already sold millions of units, and we’re building millions more to meet the high demand,” said Amazon’s Dave Limp. “Kindle Fire sales increased week-over-week for each of […]

DigiTimes: Unnamed sources associated with Apple’s suppliers have leaked two pieces of news about the company’s plans for the iPad. First, beginning in the second quarter of next year, Apple reportedly will purchase 7.85-inch display panels from LG Display and AU Optronics. The panels will be used for a new, smaller iPad designed to compete […]

InfoWorld: Two separate pieces of data indicate that software makers are improving the security of their products. First, the number of critical vulnerabilities in Microsoft software has hit the lowest point in six years. “The fact that we’re seeing lower percentages of critical issues and bulletins year-over-year demonstrates the progress made by the product groups […]

Computerworld: More bad news for RIM: the Canadian mobile device manufacturer won’t release its new line of smartphones in the first quarter of next year. Instead, RIM has delayed launch until the “later part” of the year. In addition, the company reported just $265 million in net income for the most recent quarter, down from […]

ZDNet: VMware has announced that its VMware View desktop virtualization client now supports Linux and OS X, as well as Windows. According to the company, desktop virtualization can help large organizations centralize management of their desktop systems, for lower overall costs and better security. The offering has particular benefits for educational institutions. VMware View also […]