Cody Taylor

nandemoari writes “The long-running “Vista Capable” lawsuit challenging Microsoft’s marketing of PCs capable of running only the most basic version of the Windows Vista operating system has reportedly lost its class-action status. Federal judge Marsha Pechman decertified the class-action lawsuit, saying that plaintiffs had failed to show that consumers paid more for PCs with the “Vista Capable” label than they would have otherwise.”

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Jeffrey Breen writes “Like Monty Python’s Killer Rabbit, cheap indoor antennas seem harmless to satellite and cable providers. But with the digital TV transition in the US, rabbit ears can suddenly provide digital-perfect pictures, many more channels, and even on-screen program guides. Already feeling pressure as suddenly budget-conscious consumers shed premium channels, providers must now get creative to protect their low-end as well.”

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Stickster writes “Back in 2007, IP Innovation filed a lawsuit against Red Hat and Novell. IP Innovation is a subsidiary of Acacia Technologies. You may have heard of them — they’re reported to be the most litigious patent troll in the USA, meaning they produce nothing of value other than money from those whom they sue (or threaten to sue) over patent issues. They’re alleging infringement of patents on a user interface that has multiple workspaces. Hard to say just what they mean (which is often a problem in software patents), but it sounds a lot like functionality that pretty much all programmers and consumers use. That patent was filed back on March 25, 1987 by some folks at Xerox/PARC, which means that prior art dated before then is helpful — and art dated before March 25, 1986 is the most useful. (That means art found in a Linux distribution may not help, seeing as how Linus Torvalds first began the Linux kernel in 1991.) Red Hat has invited the community to join in the fight against the patent trolls by identifying prior art. They are coordinating efforts through the Post Issue Peer to Patent site, which is administered by the Center for Patent Innovations at the New York Law School, in conjunction with the US Patent and Trademark Office.”

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Krojack writes with this excerpt from Computerworld: “Los Angeles resident Emma Alvarado charged Microsoft with multiple violations of Washington state’s unfair business practices and consumer protection laws over its policy of barring computer makers from continuing to offer XP on new PCs after Vista’s early-2007 launch. Alvarado is seeking compensatory damages and wants the case declared a class-action suit. … Irked at having to pay a fee for downgrading a new Lenovo notebook to XP, Alvarado said that Microsoft had used its position as the dominant operating system maker to ‘require consumers to purchase computers pre-installed with the Vista operating system and to pay additional sums to “downgrade” to the Windows XP operating system.'”

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Vigile writes “Intel recently announced that it was moving up the production of 32nm processors in place of many 45nm CPUs that have been on the company’s roadmap for some time. Though spun as good news (and sure to be tough on AMD), the fact is that the current economy is forcing Intel’s hand as they are unwilling to invest much more in 45nm technologies that will surely be outdated by the time the market cycles back up and consumers and businesses start buying PCs again. By focusing on 32nm products, like Westmere, the first CPU with integrated graphics, Intel is basically putting a billion bet on a turnaround in the economy for 2010.”

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Google Inc. and two nonprofit partners Wednesday launched a Web site that lets consumers test their Internet connections to reveal possible interference and traffic management by service providers.