Marketplace

Case of stolen MP3s

Or not as it turns out. A U.S. district judge reversed a $1.5 billion verdict against Microsoft in a patent dispute over MP3 technology. Believe it or not, before every other person had an iPod (or one of those other MP3 players) the music format did not exist. Alcatel co-owns the copyright to the MP3 encoding and claims that Microsoft started using it without paying. Microsoft says it did pay up — not to Alcatel, but to a German research organization which co-owns the patent.

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Who says eBayers can get away with anything?

eBay has a warning for sellers posting items that have been recalled: Stop doing it or we'll kick you off our site. eBay's also providing links to the government's database of recalled goods and asking shoppers to be more careful about what they're bidding on. A random check of the site today shows more than a hundred listings for a product recalled late last month for excessive levels of lead. eBay's call for more diligence comes after several high-profile recalls over recent months involving at least 21 million toys.

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If only it got rid of morning breath, too.

If you've ever slept in the same room with someone who snores, you know there's only so many times you can gently tap the person to stop. Now, there's a pillow that can do the work for you. A German scientist has invented a computerized pillow that shifts the head's sleeping position until the noise stops. There's a computer about the size of a book that's attached to the pillow. It senses snores, then changes nasal airflow by reducing or enlarging air compartments within the pillow. Several U.S. companies are said to be interested in manufacturing it. The ergonomic pillow also has another use: neck massages.

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Tech market has double the Crackberries

We know e-mail can be monitored too, especially at work. The must-have gadget for mobile e-mailing is the Blackberry. It's been dubbed the "Crackberry" because of its addictive nature. Seems the addiction is spreading. Last night, Research in Motion, the Canadian maker of the Blackberry, reported sales and profit in the latest quarter more than doubled from last year. There's been strong demand for the Blackberry Curve. It's got a music and video player, and a camera of similar quality to the iPhone.

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Stop a car thief in action

General Motors will soon be able to tell stolen cars to "freeze." Some 2009 models with the GM OnStar service will feature new technology that can bring a car to a halt. If a vehicle is stolen, OnStar's GPS system will be used to find it. That actually already happens up to 800 times a month with cars that have OnStar. But with the new version, if police see the stolen car moving and think it can be stopped safely, they can tell OnStar operators to slow it to a complete stop.

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I can't find my boarding pass. Will you text it to me?

Instead of fumbling through your bag to find your boarding pass at the airport, soon you may be able to just reach for your cell phone instead. The International Air Transport Association has announced a new bar code standard that would allow passengers to register their mobile numbers with an airline and receive a text message that would be scanned by check-in staff. Carriers like Continental and Southwest say they're interested in making the switch, but first feds handling airport security need to decide if it's OK.

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The new competition goes wireless-less

Here's one more way to get video from your computer to your TV. SanDisk is entering the competition today. But unlike Apple or TiVo, no wireless home networks involved here. SanDisk will offer an online video service and a USB flash drive that will do the trick. You plug the USB drive in your computer, drag the videos you want into it, and walk over to the TV. The drive connects to the TV through a small dock. Sort of like the way you may carry documents form work to home on a USB stick? The only little problem: for now, the SanDisk service only offers about 85 TV tittles.

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Sometimes, you just gotta go . . .

Looking for a new accessory for your car? How about a toilet? A Japanese company just unveiled one. I mean, a car toilet. "Very handy during major disasters such as earthquakes or when you are caught in a traffic jam." That's what the company says. Not sure about earthquakes but… I can see how someone might get desperate in a traffic jam. The product is basically a cardboard toilet bowl, with a water-absorbent sheet inside. And a curtain. You can also take it with you if you wish, the thing fits inside a suitcase.

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If you're out of excuses, just buy some more

Do you really want to go into work today? An Oklahoma company called the Excused Absence Network sells notes that just might get you out of that big presentation. For around $25, the company sells a fake jury summons, funeral service authentication or a note that appears to come from a doctor's office -- even an emergency room. Be careful how you use them though -- a New Jersey woman was arrested after using one of company's excuses to skip a traffic court hearing.

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A greener France by 2020

France has been accused of not being as green as its European neighbors. But French President Nicolas Sarkozy seems to want get rid of that reputation. Yesterday, he promised a green revolution -- with Al Gore by his side, Sarkozy said that by 2020, all new buildings would be required to produce more energy than they consume. He talked about taxing trucks carrying freight across France, and he even played with the idea of imposing higher taxes on products from countries that did not sign the Kyoto Protocol.

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I'd like 3 gallons of Google

Nevermind stopping at a gas station and asking the clerk for directions -- go to the pump instead.
A new partnership is being unveiled today between Google and gas-pump maker Gilbarco Veeder-Root. It will allow Google to dispense driving directions at thousands of gasoline pumps across the U.S. starting early next month. After a driver selects a destination, the pump will print out the route. The Internet-equipped pumps will also suggest local landmarks, hotels and restaurants picked by the gas station's owner.

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Calling all androids

Google announced recently with great fanfare the development of its "Android" cell phone operating system. One of the perks of this system is that anyone will be able to design software to run on it.
And now, Google is encouraging people to do so by offering $10 million in prizes for the best program designs. All options are accepted, from simple improvements to the look of the system to more complicated social networking software. The top prizes will be 10 awards of $100,000 and another 10 of $275,000.

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A phone tower that reaches the Gods

China state media reported Wednesday that the nation had successfully tested a mobile phone station atop Mt. Everest ahead of Olympics. It was "incredibly difficult" to build as oxygen levels at the site were only 38 percent of those at sea level, the carrier's general manager Wang Jianzhou was quoted by Xinhua as saying. State media says the station at 21,450 feet was built to help climbers as well as facilitate communications for the bearers of the Olympic torch, which Beijing 2008 Games organizers plan to carry to Everest's summit. The station, the world's highest cell phone base, is run by China Mobile, the country's largest mobile phone service provider. The station's key equipment was immediately packed away after the test for the harsh Tibetan winter and will be reassembled in time for the torch visit expected in May next year, Xinhua news agency reported.

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Passengers bare all on a flight to the Baltic

A German travel agency is baring new vacation possibilities. Starting Friday, you can book a seat on a nudist flight to a resort on the Baltic Sea. OssiUrlaub.de product manager Sandra Koehler says so-called "free body culture" is popular especially in East Germany, but the agency's been getting calls and e-mails about the service from all over the world. The crew will be clothed for safety reasons. The day trip will cost 499 euros -- about $735 U.S. If the 55-passenger flight sells out, the agency says it may plan more naked outings.

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Wii gonna get in shape

Why join a gym or go outside when you can play a video game? Nintendo hopes to grab some new customers with that mentality. The company will announce a new product today that will ship in the U.S. this spring. The Wii Fit includes the Wii Balance Board, a white rectangle you stand or put your hands on that senses weight and motion. Nintendo has sold almost 1.5 million copies of Wii Fit since it went on sale in Japan last year. The game will sell for less than $100 in the U.S.

Other items showing at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco include a headset that lets you control what you're doing in a game by thinking about it. The $300 device comes from a company called Emotiv.

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Microsoft gives Yahoo a deadline

Microsoft drew a line in the sand this weekend.

The company is offering nearly $41 billion to buy out Yahoo. Now, it's issued a warning to Yahoo. A deal must be reached by April 26. If not, Microsoft said it would launch a hostile takeover at a less attractive price. Yahoo has rejected Microsoft's overtures. Yahoo's stock has been falling since the bid was first announced in January. (at that time the deal was worth 44.6 billion.)

Today, Yahoo says it doesn't oppose a deal -- it just wants a better one.

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Starbucks and a free cup of (Pike Place) joe

Get your free coffee!

Starbucks is toasting a new roast today by giving away eight ounce cups of coffee. The brew will be called Pike Place Roast -- named for a destination street in Seattle. The free coffees will last only 30 minutes, starting at 9 a.m. today. If you don't like your sample, find a new coffeehouse.

This will be the coffee company's standard everyday brew nationwide. Starbucks had been rotating its blends, which it says was confusing customers. This is all part of a plan to reinvigorate growth as market share has been chipped away by fast food chains that have been dipping into gourmet coffee.

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Microsoft wants to yank XP

Windows XP may be six years old, but it has some serious fans. Microsoft released the new operating system Vista last January and is planning to pull XP in June. But not if supporters of the old system have anything to say about it. They've covered the internet with blog posts, cartoons and petitions. One such cyberpetition -- SaveXP.com -- drew 100,0000 signatures and thousands of comments. XP users say Vista just doesn't work as well. But Microsoft remains dogged in its attempts to switch to the new system.

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DIY Hallmark cards for Mother's Day

I guess since people started using e-cards, Hallmark has been having a hard time selling old-fashioned cards. So, here's the company's new answer to those moving and flashy electronic cards -- recordable real cards.

You can record your own voice or anything else you want -- 10 seconds of it. Then send it to your loved ones along with 15 seconds of music. You don't get to record that though.
Six bucks per card. You'll find them on Monday, just on time for Mother's Day.

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Rebates to be offered on (rumored) new iPhone

Rumors about a new iPhone have been circling the blogosphere for a while. Supposedly it would arrive this summer. Now Forbes magazine is reporting that AT&T is going to try to attract new customers by slashing the price of the upcoming new iPhone. The cell phone provider would offer rebates of $200. That would bring the price of gadget down to -- $200.
That, of course, is if you sign a two-year contract. AT&T would expect the move to attract a whole new group of potential customers from other providers.

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The home phone's becoming an endangered species

Who needs a home telephone line when every member of your family has a cell phone? Federal numbers show that three in 10 households either don't have a land line or don't bother picking it up when it rings. In the second half of last year, 16 percent of households only had cell phones. And another 13 percent had landlines as well, but mainly for Internet connection purposes.

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What would the world be without Velcro?

It's hard to think about Velcro as something with a birth date. But yes, there was a time, when Velcro did not exist. It was invented by as Swiss engineer in the 1940s. And then, just 50 years ago, he named the invention "Velcro," a combination of the French words "velour" and "crochet": velvet and hook. After 1978, Velcro's patent expired and other companies were able to start using the ingenuous invention. Today Velcro USA employees 600 workers.

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