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Latest by Geoff Duncan

Founders Looking to Buy Back Skype VoIP Service?

Three and a half years ago, eBay bought Skype for $2.6 billion; now, reports are surfacing that Skype's founders might be looking to buy it back.

eBay Buys Into South Korea’s Gmarket

Online auction giant eBay has bought a controlling share of South Korean online retailer Gmarket, essentially taking over South Korea's customer-to-customer market.

Fraud-plagued Satyam Finds a Buyer

India's giant fraud-hit technology firm Satyam has managed to find a buyer: Tech Mahindra will pay over $500 million for a controlling stake in the company.

Shure ES115 Earphones Block Out the World

Shure's new ES115 earphones feature noise isolating technology that blocks outside noise...and they're available in fashion friendly blue, pink, red, and black.

Strike One: French Parliament Defeats Proposed Internet Piracy Law

France's parliament has rejects a proposed law that would have unplugged Internet users who download copyright-violating music or movies.

AT&T Offers Bounty for Fiber Vandalism

Two fiber cuts in San Jose and San Carlos disrupted phone and data services in the San Francisco Bay area...and AT&T is offering $100,000 reward to catch the perpetrators.

New Fusion Media Explorer Social Media Sharing Tool…for AMD Only

Hey, have you heard about Fusion Media Explorer? Drag-and-drop media sharing with YouTube and Facebook and a built-in media search? Oh - it's for AMD processors only.

Conficker Starts Waking Up

After a nearly silent Doomsday on April 1, Conficker's creators have started seeding new updates...and, oddly, these expire in early May.

YouTube and Universal: Livin’ La Vida Vevo

It's official: Universal Music Group and YouTube are planning to launch a premium music video Web site dubbed Vevo...and try to make some money off all those people using YouTube.

Virgin Mobile Adds $50 Unlimited Calling

Virgin Mobile has joined the ranks of mobile operators offering $50 unlimited calling - now the question is, how low will prices go?

Acer Timelines Notebooks Promise Long Life, Cool Laps

Acer's new flagship Timeline notebooks aim to revolutionize notebook computing with long run times...and cooling technology that makes them usable on (gasp!) laps.

Jury Dings Microsoft $388 Mln in Anti-Piracy Patent Infringement Case

A Rhode Island jury has found Microsoft violated anti-piracy technology patents held by Uniloc...to the tune of $388 million.

Got Flash? Super Talent Intros 512 GB 2.5-inch SSD

If money is no object, solid-state drive capacity is catching up with traditional hard drives: Super Talents is offering a 512 GB 2.-5inch SSD for under $1,500.

Now on Sale at Amazon: Downloadable Xbox Live Games

Amazon has launched its own Xbox Live Store, becoming the first retailer to offer digital access codes for downloading Xbox Live games.

Most Popular iPhone Apps? Games.

Media metrics firm comScore has confirmed what everyone already knows: the most popular applications for Apple's iPhone and iPod touch are games.

Mitsubishi Unisen Flat-Panel HDTVs Pack 16 Speakers

Mitsubishi's new Unisen flat-panel LCD HDTVs feature a 16-speaker Dolby 5.1 surround sound system and sizes from 40 to 52 inches.

An Atom with Oomph? Acer Announces AspireRevo Ion-Powered Mini Desktop

Acer has announced what may be the first Atom-based computer with Nvidia's Ion graphics platform to reach consumers: the AspireRevo mini-desktop.

Blockbuster May Shut Some Retail Stores

In a filing with the SEC, Blockbuster admits times are tough and it may have to close some of its retail stores in an effort to make ends meet.

Microsoft Trumpets 96 Pct of Netbooks Run Windows…Just Not Vista

Microsoft has noted with pride that 96 percent of netbooks run Windows: nevermind that's Windows XP, an operating system Microsoft has been trying to kill for years.

Time Warner Getting Ready to Spin Off AOL?

Time Warner is asking some of its bondholders to change the terms of their credit in regards to its AOL subsidiary...possibly preparing the company for a spinoff.

GM and Segway to Team on Two-Wheeled, Two-Seater P.U.M.A.

Personal transporter pioneer Segway is partnering with beleaguered automaker GM on Project P.U.M.A., a two-wheeled, two-seat electric vehicle.

Yahoo Music Relaunches with Ties to iTunes, YouTube, and Amazon

Yahoo has relaunched Yahoo Music - but instead of running its own music store, Yahoo's new effort ties outwards to the likes of iTunes, Amazon, and YouTube.

Free Press Asks FCC to Apply Net Neutrality to Wireless

The Free Press - the same folks who took on Comcast over blocking P2P traffic - have asked the FCC to apply its principles of openness to wireless Internet service.

LG Smart Monitors Feature Auto-Adjusting Brightness, Proximity Sensors

LG's new Smart Monitor series feature a notebook-like auto brightness feature, a cinema mode, and proximity sensor that light up controls only when users reach for them.

Not April Fools: Sony PS3 Outsells the Wii in Japan

No, it doesn't seem to be an April Fools prank: new titles propelled sales of the PlayStation 3 past the Nintendo Wii for the first time...in Japan.

Break Out Those Styli: Nintendo DSi Handheld Launches in U.S.

Nintendo's new DSi handheld gaming platform is now on sale in the United States for $170...and many say its competition is not the PSP, but the iPod touch.

Second Life Looks to Offer Enterprises Their Own Virtual Worlds

Linden Labs has announced its working on a "behind the firewall" server product that will let enterprises and corporations have their own private virtual worlds.

iPhone SDK Looks to Keep Programmers’ Wares in the App Store

Apple has revised the terms of its iPhone software development kit to restrict programmers from distributing applications anywhere but the iTunes App Store.

Need Some Photo Gear? Ritz Camera is Closing Over 300 Stores

Ritz Camera is closing over 300 store locations as part of a bankruptcy reorganization...and the closing sales kick off on April 4.

Sanyo Brings Dual Camera Xacti Camcorders to the U.S.

Sanyo has started shipping four Dual Camera Xacti camcorders in the U.S. and Mexico, including a model that can operate for up to an hour ten feet underwater.

Verizon Turns Up Its Online Media Store with MP3s

Mobile operators have been offering music to cell phone users for years...but Verizon Wireless is the first to roll out MP3s.

Personal Internet Use at Work…Increases Productivity?

An Australian study has found that folks who use the Internet at work for personal reasons are nine percent more productive than folks who don't.

April 1 Comes and Goes…With Nary a Peep from Conficker

Media hype aside, April 1 seems to have come and gone with barely a murmur from the dreaded Conficker PC worm. Or maybe it's just lying in wait?

MSI Unleashes AMD-powered GX733 Gamer Notebook

MSI's new GX733 17-inch gaming notebook features an AMD Turion X2 Ultra Dual-Core CPU, ATI Mobility Radeon 4670 3D graphics...and a one-touch CPU boost.

Nvidia: Get Ready for Ion to Rock Low-Priced PCs

Nvidia has been promoting its Ion platform as a way to add graphics juice to Atom-powered PCs and netbooks...and products should start hitting retails soon.

Palm Shows Its Mojo, Opens Up Palm pre Developer Program

Palm has opened up access to its palm pre developer kit to a wider range of programmers, hoping to jump start application development for its forthcoming Palm pre.

Greenpeace Thumps HP, Dell, and Lenovo in Latest E-Waste Ratings

Greenpeace has released its latest update on toxic materials in consumer electronics products...and HP, Dell, and Lenovo get failing grades.

Despite IE8, Firefox Continues to Grab Browser Share

Microsoft has pushed Internet Explorer 8 out the door, but Firefox continues to gain ground - and one firm even has it leading Internet Explorer 7 in Europe.