licensing

Mad Catz and Microsoft in cahoots on new Primer headset

LAS VEGAS--Wireless headsets for consoles are nothing new, but one that's officially licensed by Microsoft for the Xbox 360 is totally unheard of.

Today Mad Catz introduced the very first of its kind under its newly acquired Tritton division, and it's shipping immediately. Dubbed The Primer, the wireless stereo headset was developed closely with Microsoft to "look and sound superb." Mad Catz claims it's the best value at its price ($100), but I'll be weighing in with what I think when I review the cans in the coming weeks.

Information is still vague on how exactly The Primer will connect to a 360, but a base station is still part of the setup. I'm not sure if the rig will bypass the annoying controller tether that all of these wireless headsets have historically required, but one would hope the codevelopment with Microsoft resulted in perks that go beyond just a seal of approval.

The rest of the headset's specs seem par for the course, including separate game and chat volume controls and an adjustable boom mic all operating on a 5.8GHz wireless spectrum.… Read more

Apple yanks fake driver's license app

Despite the existence of apps that pour digital beers, make e-fart noises, and load and fire virtual guns, Apple has decided that creating a fake driver's license is over the line and has thus pulled it from the App Store.

The decision, though, was not entirely unprovoked. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., requested the app be removed via a letter to Apple's newly appointed CEO, Tim Cook. Cook, and Apple, have obliged and the app is no longer available.

The concept of the app is a simple one. Using templates of driver's licenses from all 50 states, users … Read more

EC opens Samsung patent investigation

European regulators have begun scrutinizing whether Samsung was fair in matters concerning the overlap of standards and patents, the latest development in a global legal battle with Apple over smartphone technology.

Lawsuit watcher Florian Mueller of FOSS Patents spotted the move in an Apple court filing. The Apple filing said, "Samsung's litigation campaign and other conduct related to its declared-essential patents is so egregious that the European Commission recently has opened an investigation to determine whether Samsung's behavior violates EU competition laws."

And the EC confirmed the move in a statement to CNET: "The Commission … Read more

Jobs reportedly wanted Compaq to license Mac OS

Steve Jobs was still interested in licensing Mac OS even after terminating the Mac clone contracts, according to recollections shared yesterday by a veteran Silicon Valley executive.

Ben Rosen, former chairman and chief executive officer of Compaq, said in a blog post that Jobs approached him in 1999 about licensing the Mac operating system. He recounts how he agreed to meet Jobs at a Menlo Park, Calif., restaurant after Jobs called him and suggested they meet to discuss an "important matter:"

After we finished with the amenities and reminiscences, we got to the purpose of the meeting. Steve … Read more

Microsoft signs Compal to Android-Chrome licensing deal

Microsoft announced today it had signed another hardware maker to a patent-protection deal, marking the milestone of having half the world's original design manufacturers on board with its Android-Chrome licensing effort.

China-based Compal Electronics will pay undisclosed royalties to the software giant for use of Google's Android and Chrome operating systems used in smartphones, tablet, and other consumer electronics, the company said.

"We are pleased to have reached this agreement with Compal, one of the leaders in the original design manufacturing, or ODM, industry," Horacio Gutierrez, corporate vice president and deputy general counsel, Intellectual Property Group … Read more

Qualcomm promotes its own

Qualcomm said today that it will promote three of its top executives in a reshuffling of the management responsibilities.

The San Diego wireless technology company will move Steve Altman over to vice chairman from president. Steve Mollenkopf, who runs the CDMA technologies business, will take over as president and chief operating officer. Derek Aberle, who runs the licensing business, was promoted to executive vice president and group president.

The changes take effect on November 12. Altman and Mollenkopf will continue to report to CEO Paul Jacobs, while Aberle will report to Mollenkopf.

Mollenkopf and Aberle will get expanded roles in … Read more

Twitter tries to come to terms with Microsoft's Bing

After failing to strike an agreement to re-up its "fire hose" data stream licensing deal with Google, Twitter is now trying to make sure the same thing doesn't happen to a similar arrangement with Microsoft's Bing search service, said sources close to the situation.

The outcome could mean a lot to both Twitter and Bing. Without a deal, the San Francisco microblogging service would be without two major paid distribution outlets for its full live stream of user tweets, a significant source of its revenue to date.

Meanwhile, Microsoft's Bing--which is waging an expensive battle … Read more

New Windows 8 build reveals virtual keyboard, SMS

The latest build for Windows 8, known as Build 7989, has leaked onto the Web, reportedly revealing a batch of potential new features.

Windows has long offered a virtual keyboard. But with Windows 8 destined for tablets and other mobile devices, Microsoft has reportedly revamped the keyboard with a new look and feel. Unlike the current keyboard, which requires mouse clicks to operate, the new keyboard will offer touch friendly buttons along with a split keyboard option, according to WinRumors, which has posted a video demo of the new virtual keyboard.

The Win 8 keyboard will reportedly provide built-in support … Read more

The open-source license landscape is changing

There's no such thing as "the" open-source license. There are lots of them. Sixty-nine to be precise if one accepts the Open Source Initiative (OSI) as the definitive arbiter of what is open source and what is not.

Some are essentially legacy licenses; in general, the continued proliferation of licenses has abated in recent years but it's often more trouble than it's worth to fully retire licenses that are still in use by active software. Others won't be relevant to a specific type of copyrighted material, such as software programs. (Material under an open-source … Read more