After Apple filed its countersuit against Nokia following the latter’s patent infringement suit against Apple, we all knew this was leading to a long drawn legal battle. In the latest update, Nokia has moved to the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) to investigate into Apple’s infringement of Nokia’s patents in all of its phones, computers and music players. This is an entirely new case and the patents involved this time round are different from those in contention earlier.

According to Nokia, the patents infringed upon include parts of the the user interface, camera, antenna and power management technologies. While we knew that Nokia had already sued Apple over patent infringements, this latest move by Nokia is for an entirely different set of patents. Additionally, these patents apply to a wide range of Apple’s products.

The Press release from Nokia says, “Apple infringes Nokia patents in virtually all of its mobile phones, portable music players, and computers. The seven Nokia patents in this complaint relate to Nokia’s pioneering innovations that are now being used by Apple to create key features in its products in the area of user interface, as well as camera, antenna and power management technologies. These patented technologies are important to Nokia’s success as they allow better user experience, lower manufacturing costs, smaller size and longer battery life for Nokia products.”

It has been noticed that cases solved via the ITC have, on average, seen a faster resolution time compared with mainstream courts of justice. Will this be any different in case of this high profile legal battle? Only time will tell.

www.techtree.com

Nintendo Wii and Play Station (PS series) these are words that all gamers today can relate themselves. But add some diamond and gold craftsmanship to the various models and we have with us an exciting gaming zone which also symbolizes class and style.

This is the principle on which the house of Stuart Hughes excels in. How can we forget the uproar his earlier product the diamond-studded Nintendo Wii had created and now we have another of his masterpiece the new golden Sony PS3 Supreme which is all set to create and even more huge sensation in the gaming industry.

This console is designed in Liverpool UK and comprises of circa 1,600 grams of solid 22 carat gold and its disc loading entrance is encrusted with as many as 58 superbly cut 0.5 carat diamonds. Altogether with the excellent workmanship this latest model of the PS series is priced at 199,995 pounds.

This is truly an exclusive collection of 3 models only, and is set to capture the hearts of one and all, so be quick to place your orders before it is too late.

www.thefirstreporter.com

Seagate Technology has launched the Momentus Thin drive, 2.5-inch hard disk drive for ultra-portable and entry-level laptops, high-end netbooks, backup devices and consumer electronics.It is 7mm in height and claims to be 25 percent slimmer than traditional laptop hard drives. This thin drive gives original equipment manufacturers (OEM) and system integrators significantly lower cost-per-gigabyte storage than solid state and 1.8-inch drives, enabling a new breed of entry-level thin laptops.

We contacted Seagate for the pricing but the company refused to disclose it.

www.techtree.com

Thanks to updated privacy settings, Facebook users now have to fear everyone — literally.Starting Wednesday, Facebook users who logged into the site were treated to a prompt requesting that they review and update their privacy settings. Users had choice of sharing their profile and status updates with “friends,” “friends of friends” or “everyone.”

Facebook’s new privacy updates were accomplished via new transition tool, which directed users to update old privacy settings, while offering suggested new settings. Ignoring the prompts automatically defaulted privacy settings to “everyone” mode — meaning that everyone on the Internet could potentially have access to information shared on the site.

Ostensibly, the idea behind the privacy changes was to give users direct control over what information they share and with whom. For example, users may want to post a status update promoting a project or business to their larger Facebook network, but share personal information with a much smaller community. The privacy settings enable users to determine — profile by profile and post by post — which members of their network have access to what.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced last week in a company blog post that the social networking giant was undergoing a privacy policy overhaul, with the elimination of regional networks and revamped user privacy settings. Facebook began implementing sweeping privacy changes at the beginning of 2009, and began beta testing its updated privacy settings in July.

“We’ve worked hard to build controls that we think will be better for you, but we also understand that everyone’s needs are different,” Zuckerberg said in a blog. “We’ll suggest settings for you based on your current level of privacy, but the best way for you to find the right settings is to read through all your options and customize them for yourself. I encourage you to do this and consider who you’re sharing with online.”

However, what wasn’t made immediately clear is what exactly the ‘everyone’ setting means. In actuality, “everyone” could mean the entirety of the Internet. The “everyone’ setting makes users’ Facebook information and possibly status updates fair game for Google and other search engine pages, as well as some third-party Facebook-enhanced apps, which are not subjected to the site’s privacy policy.

Facebook’s privacy redesign was intended to make it more competitive with micro-blogging site Twitter, which touts simplicity and ease of user as major assets. Additionally, Microsoft (NSDQ:MSFT) recently announced a deal that would funnel some Twitter tweets onto the pages of its new search engine, Bing. Microsoft said that it was also currently negotiating a deal with Facebook that would allow status updates content to be incorporated on its search pages.

Microsoft, however, failed to disclose exactly how Facebook posts and updates were to be incorporated into Bing. While not all Facebook updates will be included, The New York Times reported that Bing would likely only publish updates users choose to make available to the public — which could be a simple as enabling the default “everyone” privacy setting.

By Stefanie Hoffman

www.crn.com

There’ve been some dictation apps before, but now Nuance, maker of the world’s most popular desktop dictation software, is invading the App Store with its own.

Dragon Dictation (link opens iTunes), which is based on the desktop Dragon NaturallySpeaking software, lets you do pretty much everything you’d use the iPhone’s keyboard for, but with your voice.

That includes using the iPhone’s clipboard for cutting and pasting, as well as saying your latest Twitter or Facebook update aloud (warning: Saying “Just ate a sandwich LOL roast beef LOL” aloud may frighten those around you). The app’s still pending approval, but it should be out very soon, at which point it’ll be free for a limited time. LOL!

CNET editors’ note: Some people have expressed concern about a passage in the app’s end-user license agreement that states that Nuance “collects and uses: the names of individuals and companies that appear in your address book in order to improve the quality of service.” Nuance responds to the worries here.

by Dan Nosowitz

news.cnet.com

Amid all the hubbub over Google DNS on Thursday, the search giant also released two more helpful tools to help you get a richer search experience and improve your language skills. Google launched its dictionary project, offering a feature-rich resource that goes beyond simple definitions of words; and its new translated Web search makes it easier to find Web pages written in more than 40 languages.

Dictionary

Google dictionary puts a full-service resource right at your fingertips that can be accessed through Google’s Dictionary page or through a regular Web search. To access words through regular search, click on the “definitions” link on the top right of your results page next to where it says how many results Google has returned for your query (click to enlarge the screen cap). Google dictionary isn’t just for English. The project contains 27 other languages, including the major Western European languages, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Korean, Arabic, Hebrew, and many more. Notable languages currently missing from the project include Japanese and Persian. Google Dictionary also has an English-to-foreign language component, allowing you to translate single words from English into a foreign language or vice versa. This is similar to what you can do in Google Translate.Rich Definitions Page

Google’s word definitions page is full of useful information including an International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) pronunciation guide, synonyms, standard definitions, and usage examples. You can also find external links to Princeton University, Wikipedia, and elsewhere to see to further definitions and usages of the word in question; however, it should be noted this collection of aggregated links on Google’s dictionary page has been around for some time, according to The Los Angeles Times.

If the word you’re searching for is found in another language, Google provides a link to that dictionary as well, and particularly difficult or unusual words include an audio file to let you hear how the word is pronounced. Try searching in English for words such as schadenfreude or Zoroastrianism to see this in action. Some words may also trigger image results; search for winceyette to see an example of this. You can also bookmark particular words for easier access at another time.From what I can tell, Google’s dictionary project has not been merged with the spell check on Google Docs.

TIP: Google’s dictionary is very comprehensive, so for all you juveniles out there: Yes, you can find your favorite dirty words and their definitions in Google Dictionary. And no, these words don’t have pronunciation sound files.

Translated Search

Google has added a feature to its search options panel that allows you to search in English across Web sites in other languages. Google has had a similar feature for some time that allows you to automatically translate foreign language Web sites appearing in Google’s regular search results. But this newest feature searches only foreign language Web sites.

To activate the feature, choose a search term like “Beethoven” and then click on “Show Options” on the top left of the results page. Then click on “Translated Search” at the bottom of the options panel on the left side. (Click on the screen cap for a closer look.)Once you’ve got your translated search, a box at the top of the results page tells you what language the results are being translated into and what language the results are being translated from. You have the option to add other languages to expand your search; Google supports 42 choices.

TIP: If you installed the javascript uncovered by Gizmodo that gives you the rumored visual revamp of Google, you won’t be able to access translated search or Google Dictionary from the search results page. To get this functionality you either have to delete your Google cookie or use another Web browser.

www.pcworld.com

Verizon Wireless’ attack on the iPhone has devolved into chest-beating, with a Droid ad that vaguely slams Apple’s “beauty” and any phone that’s a “tiara-wearing, digitally clueless beauty pageant queen.”The ad is full of little quips like that: “It’s not a princess, it’s a robot. A phone that trades hairdo for can-do.” Though the iPhone isn’t directly mentioned, there appears to be a white phone that kind of looks like it.I’m lamenting the days when Droid ads actually mentioned some features. This commercial is all about image, and the message is clear: Guys, this phone is for you.

The ad essentially admits that the Droid isn’t pretty. And that’s true. The phone is a plain, rectangular block that’s bigger and heavier than the iPhone and, to quote Computerworld’s Matt Hamblen, geared towards “guys, especially.”

Not to say that appreciating beauty is a gender thing, but there’s a certain testosterone in lines like “racehorse duct-taped to a SCUD missile fast” and “does dig through the Web like a circular saw through a ripe banana.” An earlier Droid ad showed stealth bombers blasting the phone into the rural countryside like meteorites.That angle appears to be paying off. According to a mid-November snapshot of brand loyalty by YouGov Brand Index, loyalty to Motorola spiked among men ages 18 and up after the Droid launched.But is the shock and awe really necessary? Though I’m not a fan of the Apple smugness, what I like about iPhone ads is how they demonstrate the product. Seriously, look at a few of them.

By obsessing over image, Verizon is just as guilty of what it appears to be mocking.

by Jared Newman

www.pcworld.com

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Friendster, one of the world’s earliest social networking sites, will be sold to an Asian buyer by the end of December for at least $100 million, a source familiar with the matter said.

Friendster, which predates Facebook and MySpace in the social networking space was founded in 2002. But it quickly lost ground to other social networking sites in the United States. Friendster is now mostly used in Asia where more than half of its registered 100 million users are from.

Friendster will be sold to an Asian listed firm for more than $100 million in a deal set to be announced by the end of the month, said a source who declined to be identified as the information was not yet public.

TechCrunch, an industry blog, said in July it valued Friendster at $210 million, a fraction of Facebook’s estimated $10 billion valuation.

Friendster chief executive Richard Kimber told Reuters that Morgan Stanley had been hired to handle the deal.

“We have a shortlist at this point that we are negotiating with,” Kimber said.

Friendster, like Facebook, has been struggling to find an effective monetisation strategy. The firm rebranded its main website on Friday targeting a younger audience and said it will shift its revenue focus from advertising to micro-transaction.

Headquartered in California, Friendster had turned down a $30 million buyout offer from Google Inc six years ago, according to newspaper reports.

Tencent Holdings, China’s largest Internet firm by market value at $35 billion, was among the short-listed bidders, while Facebook also showed interest but was turned down due to competition and intellectual property issues, the source said.

Friendster holds five U.S. patents related to social networking according to the United States Patents and Trademarks Office.

By Melanie Lee

www.reuters.com