MS to pay Alcatel-Lucent $368m in touch suit...

Microsoft late on Friday was asked by a US federal court to pay $368 million in compensation to Alcatel-Lucent over alleged infringement of two patents relating to touchscreen form and stylus technologies. Although the plaintiff had demanded $1.75 billion and initially accused Microsoft of infringing four patents, a jury in the San Diego courtroom has reduced the amount after deciding that Microsoft is not culpable of violating two video control-related patents.

USBfever adds Bluetooth transmitter, cases, more...

USBfever today unveiled three new products for the iPhone and iPod: a Bluetooth stereo dongle, an iPhone stone-grain silicone case, and an iPhone car charger with an included dashboard mount. Rather than transferring audio over common FM frequencies – which can be problematic in high-density residential areas – the Bluetooth dongle transfers stereo A2DP signals to a music system. The Bluetooth adapter is available for $30.

Houdini 3D tool coming to Mac OS X...

Architosh reports that the Windows-based 3D software package, Houdini, is coming to the Mac OS X platform and Houdini for Mac Beta has been announced. The company is looking for beta testers and to get their Mac version in the hands of as many 3D professionals as possible. The developer says "With the recent redesign of the Houdini user-interface (UI), the program has become much more artist-friendly, claims the company, making it a great fit for the Mac. Apple's switch to Intel processors has also been a factor in developing a native Mac version."

Desktop Transporter 2.6 gets live overview...

DEVONtechnologies has released Desktop Transporter 2.6 a new version of its remote maintenance and management solution for users who administrate multiple Macs across a network. The new release shows constantly updated thumbnails of all shared desktops on the local network. The update frequency can be adjusted and the list of shared desktops filtered. Desktop Transporter 2.6 also uses server-side scaling and clipping for reducing network load and for increasing responsiveness. Keychain support makes it unnecessary to remember all the passwords for the shared machines. Desktop Transporter 2.6 requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 later and a fast LAN and/or Internet connection is strongly recommended. It is immediately available and is priced at $30.

2008 MacBook Pros show modest speed gains...

Primate Labs has published new benchmarks for MacBooks and MacBook Pros released in early 2008. The models show marginal speed gains over their predecessors, in some cases exhibiting performance slower or roughly equal to previous models. The MacBook Pro Early 2008, for instance, shows a gain of just under three percent over the Mid 2007 MacBook Pro -- scores of 3323 and 3236 respectively. The Early 2008 model uses a Intel Core 2 Duo T9500 2.6 GHz, while the Mid 2007 model uses a Intel Core 2 Duo T7800 2.6 GHz (2 cores)

BannerZest Flash animation tool released...

Aquafadas has released BannerZest 1.0, a new Flash presentation application for Mac OS X. The tool allows creators to turn images into a gallery, a navigation banner, or a slideshow in a series of steps. BannerZest ships as both a standard edition and a pro version. The pro edition adds advanced publishing options, workflow enhancements, and specific Pro templates. The tool integrates with popular javascript media viewer applications that let the user visualize high resolution versions of each of the banner images.

MacSpeech Dictate, mic selection now available...

MacSpeech today announced that MacSpeech Dictate is now available for purchase directly from the company's website. In addition, potential customers can choose from a variety of specialized microphones, including desktop mounted ones or wireless versions. When purchased inside the United States, MacSpeech Dictate starts at $200 when purchased with a basic USB headset, while users can opt to pay $30 to $150 for a microphone more suitable to their needs.

Deliver2Mac: Ankh 2, Brain Jogging digital downloads...

Deliver2Mac today announced Ankh 2 and Brain Jogging as digital downloads. Ankh 2: Heart of Osiris puts players once again in the shoes of Assil, who warded off a death curse prior to the sequel, only to lose the Ankh and his girlfriend Thara. In addition, the Pharaoh was overthrown by Osiris and sent to work in his own quarry. Assil must travel through locations both new and familiar to recover all that he's lost. Ankh 2: Heart of Osiris is available for $40.

GizMac ships DuraSport for 3G Nano...

GizMac today began shipping orders for its DuraSport silicone case for the 3G iPod nano, which offers users a shock absorbent material to protect their Nano. The case includes a clear polycarbonate shield for the front of the case, providing protection for the screen, while the silicone skin protects the rest of the iPod, including the scroll wheel. GizMac is currently shipping the DuraSport for 3G Nano for $30, which comes with two colors of silicone skins.

Apple sets out sessions, labs for WWDC 08...

Apple has revealed the list of sessions and labs for its WWDC 08 conference, scheduled for June 9th to the 13th in San Francisco. Over 60 events are planned, and people can now register for the conference at a standard cost of $1,295, or $1,694 with an ADC Select membership. Sessions are divided into iPhone, Mac and IT categories: some iPhone programs include "3D Graphics for iPhone using OpenGL ES," "Introduction to the iPhone Development Tools," and "Utilizing Offline Data in Safari."

Gates: Windows 7 sometime in 2009...

Microsoft chief Bill Gates said in a seminar today that he expects Windows 7 to appear sometime in 2009, potentially hinting at an accelerated release. The company has to date suggested that it would maintain a three-year development cycle between Vista and the new operating system but will now allegedly see the software "sometime in the next year or so," according to the company co-founder. He declines to provide a more specific timeframe.

Windows 7 to sport Mac-like Classic layer?...

Microsoft's next version of Windows will represent a large enough break from the codebase of Vista that the company will have to implement a backwards compatibility layer similar to earlier versions of Mac OS X, according to reports from a user familiar with the early versions of the new software. As many of the application programming interfaces will be fundamentally incompatible with the earlier OS, Microsoft will reportedly no longer support programs from earlier Windows versions; as a result, the company will need to introduce a distinct compatibility layer to support earlier programs.

Analyst: iPhone price cut portends 3G model...

Piper Jaffray Senior Analyst Gene Munster is reiterating his theory that Apple will soon introduce new iPhones capable of operating on 3G networks, using T-Mobile's recent price cut on 8GB phones as his latest evidence. First confirming that T-Mobile cut the price of the 8GB iPhone to EUR99 from EUR399 ($156 from $624) while the price of the 16GB model remains at EUR499, Munster notes that the promotion runs through June 30, and requires a two-year contract and the high end data plan. Munster says this is "a sign T-Mobile is draining its channel ahead of a new iPhone launch."

Net4Mac, Mac social networking app debuts...

App4Mac, the company behind RapidoWrite, CheckUp and other Mac OS X tools, has announced net4mac, a new, free social networking service built exclusively for Mac users. Users can create a profile including your location, job, activities, skills and the type of Macs, iPhone, iPod, etc. owned, then add friends to your profile and manage them. Users can also create their own groups of interest and invite friends to join them (people using the same application, in your same location, sharing the same passions, etc) and create events and invite Mac users. Registered users can search members using different of criteria and discover local Mac users..

16GB iPhone leading Apple Store sales...

The 16GB iPhone was the best seller last week at the online Apple Store, according to a new report. As part of a regular update on the storefront's 10 most popular products, I4U claims that Apple's biggest-capacity iPhone surpassed any other offering during the final week of March, beating out other common choices such as MacBooks or the iPod nano. Second place was in fact taken by the 8GB iPhone, helping to cement its iconic status.

Intel "Cliffside" to simplify Wi-Fi players ...

Intel has developed a technology for future computers that will greatly simplify synchronizing Wi-Fi devices, the company has revealed at its Developer Forum in Shanghai. So far nicknamed only "Cliffside," the technique effectively splits a Wi-Fi connection into public and private links. One connects to the local network for Internet access and other typical services; the other creates a Personal Area Network similar to Bluetooth or Wireless USB meant solely to connect the user's nearby devices.

PandoraJam 1.3 updates Web radio service...

Bitcartel has released the v1.3 update to PandoraJam, its multi-purpose client for the Web-based radio service. Users can stream music wirelessly, record tracks and copy them to iPods, and send track data to the Last.fm social networking site. Program information can be delivered through Growl, as well as instant messaging apps including Adium, iChat and Skype. Owners of Apple Remotes can control Pandora at a distance.

HighPoint claims first 'Intelli-VRM' for Mac...

RAID specialist HighPoint Technlogies says it has released the first virtualized RAID management option for the Mac, RocketRAID Intelli-VRMT. This provides an independent RAID module combined with an "Early Warning System," which tracks storage and generates warnings and information. Part of this includes event logging, out-of-range condition detection, and the ability to run automatic rebuilds. Warnings and other updates sent either through SMTP e-mail or SNMP traps.

Runtime ships Revolution 2.9...

Runtime has released v2.9 of Revolution, its media and application development software. Users can compile code for a variety of platforms, including Intel and PowerPC Macs, as well as Linux, Solaris, and several editions of Windows. The v2.9 update is said to have some 500 improvements, among these optimization for Mac OS X Tiger and Leopard, such as matching aesthetic touches.

NVIDIA drivers reveal full GeForce 9M line...

NVIDIA's planned replacements for the rest of the GeForce 9M notebook graphics line have been leaked, courtesy of driver information surfacing in the latest beta of the company's ForceWare graphics drivers. While some early versions of the mobile video hardware are already in use by ASUS and others, the new leak shows several new models that are likely to replace the majority of 8M graphics chipsets in current portables. Significantly, the lineup includes mid-range GeForce 9600M GS and GT chipsets, which are most likely to surface in replacements for systems that already use 8600M parts, such as the Dell XPS M1530 and Apple's MacBook Pro.

Mariner absorbs Advenio's MacGourmet, goes Deluxe...

Mariner Software has announced a deal with Advenio Software, under which it will republish the latter's MacGourmet software under its own name. The software is used to manage both recipe and wine information, and is said to operate like iTunes, with the ability to create custom lists such as a collection of all appetizers. Recipes can be both imported and exported, and sent in directions such as the web, index cards or smartphones.

MS, Yahoo still at impasse?...

Microsoft and Yahoo have held meetings this week over the former's takeover bid but still have not moved towards a deal, according to tips provided to the Wall Street Journal. Those reportedly familiar with the talks claim that neither side is willing to leave its existing position, with Microsoft unwilling to raise its initial bid of $31 per share and Yahoo's executive staff refusing to consider any current offers. The search engine firm sees no reason to accept Microsoft's terms when it formally rejected the offer weeks before, the Journal says.

Jajah to publish iPhone internet telephony software

Jajah today announced it is in the process of expanding its iPhone call-back service into a full-blown global Voice over IP application, in addition to its current web-only client. According to Pocket-lint.co.uk, the iPhone application will be available in the summer, following shortly after the impending iPhone 2.0 firmware version and the app store. The VoIP application will allow both incoming and outgoing calls over WiFi, and will be either free or a low-cost service, depending on the call destination or source.