The mobile phone patent punch-up

23 October 2011 Last updated at 16:31 GMT By Leo Kelion Business reporter Google came to HTC's aid in its patent disputes with Apple The patent system was created to spur on innovation. But over recent years it has sparked an arms war between some of the world's leading mobile phone companies.The likes of Apple and Microsoft do not only sue their rivals to protect their own inventions, but go on...

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Mobile firms vs the patent trolls

24 October 2011 Last updated at 22:46 GMT By Leo Kelion Technology reporter A recent study claimed "patent trolls" cost industry billions of dollars a year Patent litigation among the world's leading mobile phone companies is on the rise. Barely a week goes by without a development, whether it is Apple and Samsung trying to prevent each others' products from going on sale, or Microsoft forcing another...

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Cloud control crucial for firms

26 October 2011 Last updated at 23:12 GMT Are storm clouds coming? Cloud computing is cost-effective in many ways, but its security needs must be taken seriously Each week we ask high-profile technology decision-makers three questions. Mark Darvill sees the cloud as one of the biggest security threats facing businesses AEP Networks specialise in providing high-end IT security for companies and organisations...

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South Korea's virtual grocery

20 October 2011 Last updated at 23:01 GMT By Jason Strother PRI's The World A young woman shops at Seoul's Seolleung station, using her smartphone Online shopping is nothing new, especially in plugged-in South Korea. But one company says it's going further. It's testing out a virtual supermarket in a public place. At Seolleung underground station in Seoul, there's a row of brightly lit billboards...

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Blackberry PlayBook update delay

26 October 2011 Last updated at 20:38 GMT RIM had hoped the update would help drive sales of the PlayBook over the holiday season The maker of the Blackberry PlayBook has delayed an update to the tablet computer's operating system until next year.Research In Motion said it expects to deliver the software in February. It had been due this month.RIM has admitted that sales of the device are lower...

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Nokia bets on Windows Phone

26 October 2011 Last updated at 09:29 GMT By Tim Weber Business editor, BBC News website, at Nokia World Nokia unveiled its new Lumia phones at a London event Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia has launched two new smartphones based on Microsoft's new Windows Phone 7.5 operating system.The Lumia 800 and the Lumia 710 mark the beginning of Nokia's fightback against Apple's iPhone and rivals using...

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Anti-piracy firm back in business

25 October 2011 Last updated at 11:35 GMT French web users may be fined and get their internet disconnected if found guilty of illegal file-sharing The firm responsible for tracking down illegal file-sharers in France is back at full speed, after an enforced suspension of some of its work.Trident Media Guard (TMG) was told to send details of alleged net pirates to the French government via posted...

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Golden Joystick Awards unveiled

By Dan WhitworthNewsbeat technology reporter GT5, Fallout: New Vegas and Portal 2 were all among the winners Portal 2 has been crowned the ultimate game of the year at the Golden Joystick video game awards.It beat competition for the top prize from the likes of LA Noire, Call of Duty: Black Ops and Gran Turismo 5.With more than two million votes cast across 14 categories, organisers claim it is...

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iPod creator unveils thermostat

25 October 2011 Last updated at 12:49 GMT The thermostat is able to "learn" and adjust itself The man known as the "godfather" of the iPod has invested his energy in a home appliance: a thermostat. Tony Fadell caused surprise when he quit Apple in 2008 after heading its music player division. Fortune magazine once tipped him as a successor to former chief executive, Steve Jobs.Mr Fadell has now...

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Robot wars ‘still a long way off’

The similarities between robots used for cleaning and those used by soldiers in AfghanistanDespite the US Department of Defense once predicting that a third of US fighting strength would be composed of robots by 2015, experts warn that the machine wars seen in the movies will remain science fiction for quite some time yet."I'll be back" said Arnold Schwarzenegger as cyborg-assassin the Terminator,...

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Apple patents touchscreen unlock

26 October 2011 Last updated at 13:58 GMT Apple will likely argue that Android's pattern unlock violates its patent. Apple has been granted a patent on unlocking a smartphone or tablet using a touchscreen gesture.The application, which was filed in June 2009, covers a range of commonly used techniques including swiping and pattern entry.As well as on the iPhone and iPad, such systems are built into...

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YouTube boosted by music videos

By Dan WhitworthNewsbeat technology reporter Florence Welch performed at a concert in east London on Tuesday night Visits to video-sharing websites by UK users have gone up by more than a third in the last year.The biggest driver of traffic to those sites is music videos (33%), followed by TV shows (17%), film (11%), gaming (10%) and news (9%).The figures, from internet research company Experian...

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BT readies Newzbin piracy block

26 October 2011 Last updated at 11:25 GMT After going into administration, Newzbin was sold to new owners who resurrected it BT has 14 days to block access to a site that links to pirated movies, a judge has said.It follows a High Court ruling in July, ordering the internet service provider (ISP) to block access to Newzbin 2.Newzbin 2 is a members-only site which aggregates a large amount of the...

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UN sets global broadband targets

25 October 2011 Last updated at 14:15 GMT Net users account for just 20% of the world's population according to the ITU The United Nations has set "ambitious" new targets for broadband uptake around the world.It calls on all countries to put in place broadband strategies by 2015.By that time it wants to see 60% of people in the developed world online, with a slightly lower target of 50% for people...

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Kindle sparks Amazon profit fall

25 October 2011 Last updated at 22:40 GMT Amazon boss Jeff Bezos unveils the Kindle Fire last monthProfits at the online retailer Amazon have dropped 73% after the company invested heavily in the Kindle tablet computer.The company, the world's largest online internet retailer, said third quarter net income was $63m (£40m, 45m euros). During the period it launched the Kindle "Fire" model, which runs apps and streams films and other non-text content.The results left Amazon shares down 12% in after...

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AI computing pioneer dies aged 84

25 October 2011 Last updated at 17:45 GMT Artificial intelligence researcher, John McCarthy, has died. He was 84.The American scientist invented the computer language LISP. It went on to become the programming language of choice for the AI community, and is still used today.Professor McCarthy is also credited with coining the term "Artificial Intelligence" in 1955 when he detailed plans for the...

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IBM names female chief executive

26 October 2011 Last updated at 06:41 GMT IBM is seen as a bellwether for the technology sector Technology giant IBM has appointed its first ever female chief executive. Virginia Rometty, currently a senior vice president, will take over from the current chief executive, Sam Palmisano, in January.Mr Palmisano, who took the top job in 2002, will step aside whilst remaining chairman of IBM. Both executives...

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Camera can snap now, focus later

20 October 2011 Last updated at 11:29 GMT Users can choose what they want to focus on after the image is taken A digital camera that allows photographers to focus their pictures after taking them has gone on sale.Rather than recording a single version of an image, the Lytro captures data about the intensity and direction of all the light entering its lenses.That information can be reorganised later...

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Mid-East eyes social media

25 October 2011 Last updated at 08:46 GMT By Simon Atkinson Business reporter, BBC News, Dubai WATCH: Egyptian protesters used social networks like Facebook to organise demonstrationsFrom the bursts of electric violin to the furtive bodyguards accompanying Russian oil oligarchs, you could not accuse the Middle East launch of Godudu.com of being low key.But whether the site makes as much of an impact...

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Rise in Google removal requests

26 October 2011 Last updated at 11:58 GMT The rise in UK content removal requests outpaced many other European countries Google said it experienced a 71% jump in UK government and court requests to remove content from its web search, YouTube and other services.The figure relates to the period between January and June this year compared to the previous six months. The search site said it received...

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Writer hails 'genius' Steve Jobs

24 October 2011 Last updated at 18:09 GMT Steve Jobs' biographer Walter Isaacson, talks about Jobs' battle with cancerThe genius of Apple founder Steve Jobs lay in his ability to connect poetry to technology, Steve Jobs' biographer Walter Isaacson has said.Isaacson's book Steve Jobs, released on Monday, is based on over 40 interviews, some of which took place in the Apple co-founder's living room.Speaking...

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UK urged to build pilot-free jets

25 October 2011 Last updated at 17:30 GMT Researchers say formation flying could cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25% Investment in new aeroplane technologies is the key to the UK maintaining its status as an aerospace leader, according to a report.The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) said the country's research and development spending has "flat-lined" since the 2008 financial crisis.It...

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Is it worth reinventing the wheel?

Click's Peter Price looks at the evolution of driverless podsRail transport has not fundamentally changed in the 200 years since the invention of metal rails but a new wave of transport ideas - from ones already in development to "concept" contraptions - could change the way we commute forever.A personal car that drives itself automatically to your destination may sound like science fiction but new...

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Space tourists could fly by 2013

26 October 2011 Last updated at 11:19 GMT The first commercial flight may take off in 2013 if all the tests go well Virgin Galactic said its first passenger flights will not occur before 2013.Sir Richard Branson's space tourism venture said it hopes to launch the service in two years time, but even that date is not fixed.The firm's commercial director, Stephen Attenborough, told the BBC that its...

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