Intel plans WiMAX cameras by 2009

Intel says we can expect to see WiMAX built into devices such as digital cameras and handheld games consoles as soon as 2009. At a London briefing this morning, the company outlined its roadmap for the long-range wireless technology, which it claims will complement existing Wi-Fi and 3G services. Whereas Wi-Fi offers a maximum range of only a few hundred metres, WiMAX can be beamed from base stations several miles away, potentially reaching areas that are outside of 3G coverage. ...more

Adobe threatens China withdrawal

Adobe may stop localising its products for China and other Asian countries due to the high rates of piracy in the region. Speaking in San Francisco this week - and quoted in the South China Morning Post - Adobe chief executive Bruce Chizen said, 'It is a simple business decision. It costs $750,000 to localise an application for the Chinese language and if we are only going to make $500,000 in revenue it does not make sense for us to go ahead. ...more

The Linux Year [part 2] - a look back at 2005

[Read Part 1 here] As we entered the latter half of the year, the European CII directive was finally dealt the killer blow when the European Parliament decided it couldn't accept the proposed draft. For those in opposition and promoting the directive, the decision was a mixed blessing, denying both sides the legislative framework they desired, but leaving them with the current national patent law as practised in respective member states. SCO was in for a battering, too, with the revelation that a code comparison project between Unix and Linux carried out in 1999 concluded there was 'no evidence of any copyright infringement'. ...more

NTP hits Palm with patent suit

Patent firm NTP says it filed a patent infringement suit against Palm, maker of Treo smartphones. The company claims Palm's mobile devices and services infringe seven NTP patents and seeks uspecified monetary damages arising from that infringement. The infringement claims are around the mechanisms used within email services where they use wireless communications to supply services to mobile processors. ...more

Creative snaps at Apple's heels with photo player

Creative continues to pursue Apple with the launch of its latest MP3 player, the Zen Sleek Photo. The MP3 player manufacturer has announced a 20GB rival to the iPod, which comes with a photo viewer and is designed to support music download and subscription services. Featuring a 160 x 128 pixel OLED colour screen, the Zen Sleek Photo holds up to 10,000 songs and offers up to 19 hours playback. ...more