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French court slaps Google and Apple in separate cases; Apple and AT&T face yet more suits over iPhone 3G connections; and Rambus may keep loosing in court over destruction of evidence.
When the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued patent number 7,479,949 to "Jobs, et. al." for a "touch screen device, method, and graphical user interface for determining commands by applying heuristics," eyebrows shot up throughout the industry. At first glance, it seemed that Apple had locked down the concept of a multi-touch interface, posing problems for Palm and anyone else who might want to compete with the iPhone, iTouch, and future products. But some more careful consideration suggests that the patent may not be as broad as it seems -- and Apple may have missed including some seminal prior art, at least some of which was known to the inventors. That could cause spell problems in trying to enforce the patent.
Back in October we had the report that MySQL co-founder David Axmark was leaving Sun Microsystems because, according to his resignation letter, "I HATE all the rules that I need to follow, and I also HATE breaking them." At the time there were rumors that the other MySQL co-founder, Monty Widenius, was considering leaving. Now it's official.
As of late there has been considerable turmoil in the memory semiconductor industry. Spansion, the leading NOR memory manufacturer, saw its CEO resign in the wake of trying to restructure its balance sheet and sell itself to another maker of flash memory. SanDisk took a big financial hit last quarter. DRAM vendor Qimonda, over three-quarters of whose shares are owned by Infineon, is shutting its U.S. plant. It's a rough time in the industry. For some clarity I spoke with memory expert Jim Handy of Objective Analysis.
A typical knee-jerk reaction of companies to bad financial conditions is to lay off workers. From one view, you can understand the managerial logic. When revenues drop enough, you lower expenses or lose money. But it turns out that companies are opening a veritable Pandora's box of issues and problems when they show enough people the door, and the total cost might well exceed the savings.
Apple gets a big multi-touch patent; Microsoft accueses an ex-employee of trade secret theft; EU refuses to give Intel any more time on antitrust action; IBM and Apple settle over Mark Papermaster joining the latter; yet another class action targets iPhone performance; and China says it really does plan to get more serious over copyright and trademark protections.
In the wake of layoffs, people wring their hands and think that the sky is falling. Sometimes historical perspective can be useful, and as a report from outsourcing firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas notes, as bad as it seems now, it's been far worse.
Nintendo's latest results show that it continues to dominate its gaming competition, in units. But net income is down and a modified forecast shows that even the Wii will face challenges. [caption id="attachment_711" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Nintendo goes Wii, Wii, Wii, all the way h...
Sony has just released its unaudited results for its third quarter ending December 31. While PS3 software unit sales was a slight bright spot, overall the news is pretty bad, due to worldwide PS3 sales trailing Nintendo's Wii and Microsoft's Xbox, decreasing sales of PS2 and PSP hardware and software, and the strengthening of the yen against the euro and U.S. dollar.
Last week I mentioned how Cisco was entering the server market and how this was just the continuation of a diversification trend we've already been seeing. I also mentioned how more examples would be popping up. Another already has: HP is coming out with data switches built for datacenter applicatio...
In recent earnings announcements, the eyes have been on revenues and profits. Who has managed to keep ahead despite economic conditions, and whose star seems to have been waning? But given those very conditions, it may be that there's too much attention on earnings and not enough on cash, which is, after all, supposed to be king in bad times. But check a number of leading high tech companies and you'll find that more often than not they're already down on the money on hand from the same period last year.
T3 files EU complaint against IBM; Microsoft led a PR coalition to scuttle the Google-Yahoo deal; IP litigation drops in 2008, but anti-trust actions go up; Apple and Palm rattle sabers; Apple faces SEC probe; Apple agrees to settle iPod Nano scratch class action; and Limelight successfully defends Level 3 patent infringement suit.
A number of people criticized my previous piece on Sony's PS3 because I didn't have worldwide unit sales numbers. And that was fair (though some of those commenting clearly needed some warm milk and a rest), because you can't reasonable take U.S. sales to represent what the rest of the world might do. So I did some digging and found some numbers for Sony itself. Given that the company has also forecast overall unit sales through March 31, 2009, I think I've got a reasonable handle on just how many game consoles the company is selling. And I also came across some information that helps triangulate, and bring in to question, the spin Microsoft has recently put on the Xbox 360 unit sales.
By now you've probably already heard that Microsoft missed analysts' expectations and will cut up to 5,000 jobs. That's painful, though less severe than had been rumored. But when you look at the financial results, they suggest that Microsoft's real problem is on the desktop and online. Look at the...
The news that Cisco will push into the server market might seem like a big surprise -- and a big departure from its traditional base of networking equipment. But if you think about the direction computing is moving, it's not really surprising, and probably only one of a number of examples of radical diversification that will be coming in the next year or two.
Savannah Guthrie released a new video on Saturday, saying her family is willing to pay for the safe return of their mother.
Skier Chris Lillis said he was "heartbroken about what's happened in the United States," while skater Amber Glenn said she "will not just be quiet."
Nexstar's acquisition of Tegna would bring together two companies with significant holdings in local broadcast media.
"Just because it seems impossible to you doesn't mean it's not possible," Vonn says.
The footage is included in a video that promotes false claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged against Mr. Trump.
Brad Arnold, the founder and lead singer of the 3 Doors Down has died following "his courageous battle with cancer," the rock band announced Saturday on social media.
Will Lewis, CEO and publisher of the Washington Post, has resigned just three days after the storied newspaper laid off about one-third of its staff.
U.S. speed skater Greta Myers learned about her Olympic debut in the 3000m three hours before the race was due to begin.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to endorse Jack Schlossberg, John F. Kennedy's grandson, a source familiar confirmed to CBS News.
Connor Hilton, 17, said that after taking Accutane, a prescribed acne medication, he began to have suicidal and homicidal thoughts – thoughts that, his defense argued, led him to shoot two friends in the head at his Friendswood, Texas, home. Prosecutors weren't convinced.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to endorse Jack Schlossberg, John F. Kennedy's grandson, a source familiar confirmed to CBS News.
Savannah Guthrie released a new video on Saturday, saying her family is willing to pay for the safe return of their mother.
Will Lewis, CEO and publisher of the Washington Post, has resigned just three days after the storied newspaper laid off about one-third of its staff.
Bad Bunny is set to take the stage at halftime for the 2026 Super Bowl. Here's who else is performing at Super Bowl 60.
Will Lewis, CEO and publisher of the Washington Post, has resigned just three days after the storied newspaper laid off about one-third of its staff.
Nexstar's acquisition of Tegna would bring together two companies with significant holdings in local broadcast media.
Though the commerce secretary has called his interactions with Epstein as "limited," the two were in business together four years after Epstein's 2008 guilty plea.
Resurgent technology stocks drove the rebound after a volatile week, while bitcoin also recouped losses.
Cryptocurrency transactions are often thought to be anonymous and untraceable. That's a misconception, experts tell CBS News.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to endorse Jack Schlossberg, John F. Kennedy's grandson, a source familiar confirmed to CBS News.
Nexstar's acquisition of Tegna would bring together two companies with significant holdings in local broadcast media.
Skier Chris Lillis said he was "heartbroken about what's happened in the United States," while skater Amber Glenn said she "will not just be quiet."
If the June deadline is not met, the Trump administration will likely put pressure on both sides to meet it, Zelenskyy told reporters.
A federal appeals court on Friday endorsed the Trump administration's policy of holding broad groups of immigration detainees without access to bond hearings, a major legal victory for President Trump.
Becca Valle, then 37, enrolled in a cutting-edge clinical trial after surgery removed an aggressive tumor from her brain.
More than three dozen cases of death cap mushroom poisonings have been reported in California since November, health officials said.
Here's what to know about TrumpRx, including how it works, who can use it, and how much money it can save.
The Trump administration launched its new TrumpRx direct-to-consumer prescription drug listing site late Thursday, part of a push to offer medication at steep discounts.
The New Mexico Department of Health said officials believe the baby contracted listeria after their mother drank raw milk during pregnancy.
The U.S. ended Saturday in first place with 44 points. Japan was five points back going into the men's, women's and pairs free skates to decide the medals Sunday.
The U.S. women's hockey team eased to a 5-0 win over Finland on Saturday afternoon.
Francesca Lollobrigida set a new Olympic record of 3 minutes, 54.28 seconds, shaving more than two-and-a-half seconds off the mark set by Dutch legend Irene Schouten four years earlier in Beijing.
Friday's attack was the deadliest suicide bombing in Islamabad in nearly 20 years.
U.S. speed skater Greta Myers learned about her Olympic debut in the 3000m three hours before the race was due to begin.
Brad Arnold, the founder and lead singer of the 3 Doors Down has died following "his courageous battle with cancer," the rock band announced Saturday on social media.
Bad Bunny is set to take the stage at halftime for the 2026 Super Bowl. Here's who else is performing at Super Bowl 60.
Lead singer and frontman Dee Snider said he suffers from degenerative arthritis and has had several surgeries over the years.
Sarah Gelman, editorial director at Amazon Books, joins "CBS Saturday Morning" to recommend some of the best books to read around Valentine's Day.
Super Bowl chefs spend an entire year developing the menu for the big game, and "CBS Saturday Morning" gets a sneak peek at some of the mouth-watering options.
The FAA says it is collaborating with the FBI to detect, track and assess unauthorized drone activity at the Super Bowl.
Gamers across the world can now recreate drone strikes in Ukraine from the comfort of their own home, with this newly released game.
From labor shortages to environmental impacts, farmers are looking to AI to help revolutionize the agriculture industry. One California startup, Farm-ng, is tapping into the power of AI and robotics to perform a wide range of tasks, including seeding, weeding and harvesting.
CBS News business analyst Jill Schlesinger talks about how companies are using artificial intelligence, the discussion around the technology and how it's impacting the workforce.
Executives from Waymo and Tesla defended their self-driving vehicle technology in testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday. CBS News' Kris Van Cleave reports and Ian Krietzberg, an AI correspondent at the digital media company Puck, has more.
After decades monitoring polar bears in Norway's far north, researchers say the animals have proven incredibly adaptable, but there are no guarantees for the future.
Dark matter doesn't absorb or give off light so scientists can't study it directly. But they can observe how its gravity warps and bends the star stuff around it.
"CBS Saturday Morning" learns more about Veronika, the clever cow who figured out multiple ways to scratch herself with a broom. It was the first time a cow was seen using a tool.
"Sunday Morning" looks back at historical events on this date.
The Dinosaur National Monument, which is located on the border between Colorado and Utah, was last excavated in 1924.
Connor Hilton, 17, said that after taking Accutane, a prescribed acne medication, he began to have suicidal and homicidal thoughts – thoughts that, his defense argued, led him to shoot two friends in the head at his Friendswood, Texas, home. Prosecutors weren't convinced.
Authorities said Friday they were inspecting an apparent new message relating to the disappearance of "Today" host Savannah Guthrie's mom, Nancy, after the family reported her missing from her home on Sunday.
Luigi Mangione had an outburst after a hearing on Friday in which the judge announced that his New York State trial will begin on June 8. CBS News legal reporter Katrina Kaufman is following the case.
Local and federal authorities said "investigators are actively inspecting the information provided in the message for its authenticity" regarding the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie.
Friday marked six days since Nancy Guthrie's apparent abduction, and Guthrie's three children have been posting on social media hoping to reach whoever may have taken her. CBS News' Andres Gutierrez reports and former FBI counterintelligence operative Eric O'Neill has more.
NASA's first crewed moon mission in more than 50 years has been delayed until March at the earliest. During a routine dress rehearsal of the launch, persistent liquid hydrogen leaks were discovered in the Artemis II rocket. CBS News space consultant Bill Harwood breaks it down.
NASA plans to test the planned leak repair with a second dress rehearsal fueling test later this month.
NASA delayed the Artemis II moon rocket launch after a hydrogen leak was found during a wet dress rehearsal, the agency announced Tuesday. CBS News senior space consultant Bill Harwood has the latest.
A NASA mission is underway to map the heliosphere, which is a huge protective bubble around the solar system that was created by the sun.
NASA says it can't try until March at the earliest to send a crewed spacecraft on a flight around the moon and back, due to hydrogen leaks during testing of the Artemis II rocket.
A look back at the esteemed personalities who've left us this year, who'd touched us with their innovation, creativity and humanity.
Does the evidence show a cover-up, or was Todd Kendhammer wrongfully convicted for the murder of his wife?
Christy Salters-Martin dominated in the boxing ring but faced her toughest challenger at home.
Family seeks answers in death of newlywed who disappeared in 2005 while on Mediterranean honeymoon cruise.
Meet the tattooed beauty charged in the death of Google executive Forrest Hayes.
A Texas teenager shoots two of his friends. He says a popular acne medication made him do it. "48 Hours" correspondent Tracy Smith reports.
Ice hockey forward Hilary Knight showed the world why she's one of the greatest players ever. With her 14th goal, the captain of Team USA moved into a tie for the most goals scored by a U.S. Women's hockey player at the Winter Olympics. Andres Gutierrez reports on her career and her last Olympic run.
The countdown is on for the big game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. Kris Van Kleave is outside what's been called the Field of Jeans.
Saturday marked the first full day of the Olympic Winter Games in Italy. Switzerland took the first gold medal in men's downhill skiing. In all, five medal events were held, but no gold yet for Team USA. Seth Doane has the latest details from Cortina, Italy.
The political fallout in Britain following the latest Epstein documents release became so intense that on Saturday, there were growing calls for the U.K.'s prime minister to step down.