Nicholas Kolakowski

Research In Motion and the Saudi Arabian government are engaged in “last-ditch” talks to avoid a planned Aug. 6 shutdown of BlackBerry text messaging in the country, according to reports. “[The ban] is only for the Messenger. Negotiations are still going on, the deadline is final,” Sultan al-Malik, a member of Saudi Arabia’s CITC (Communications […]

Microsoft announced Aug. 4 that it has settled its patent-infringement cases with Salesforce.com, marking the end of what promised to be a protracted legal affair and a symbolic battle over the future of the cloud. Earlier this summer, the companies had filed intellectual-property lawsuits against each other. With regard to the intellectual property at stake, […]

Microsoft has integrated a handful of new features into Bing Maps, in yet another salvo in the application’s long-running battle with Google Maps. The additions include a Taxi Fare Calculator and a World of Football app that displays soccer scores from around the world and zooms into stadiums. In addition, Bing Maps is now rendered […]

When executives from Research In Motion took the stage in New York City on Aug. 3 to introduce the BlackBerry Torch 9800, the company’s first sliding-keyboard smartphone with a capacitive touch screen, they emphasized all the things designed to make the device particularly appealing to consumers: the way its Universal Search could scan Websites such […]

BlackBerry Torch 9800 Smartphone Bright Spots: Media, Video, Messaging by Nicholas Kolakowski No Title Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO of AT&T’s Mobility and Consumer Markets, told the audience that RIM and AT&T had worked closely together to develop the BlackBerry Torch 9800. No Title Mike Lazaridis, co-CEO of RIM, detailed the BlackBerry Torch’s […]

Apple and Amazon could be engaged in anticompetitive practices with regard to e-book pricing, says Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who has sent letters to the companies’ lead attorneys. Blumenthal plans on investigating whether Apple’s and Amazon’s deals with publishers unfairly block smaller competitors from offering e-books at lower prices. Amazon’s Kindle e-reader and the […]

Amazon.com’s Kindle may be in fierce competition against the Apple iPad and other e-readers, but that apparently hasn’t dampened consumer enthusiasm for the latest version of the device: Amazon now lists the Kindle as “temporarily sold out,” with orders expected to ship “on or before September 4th.” The cheaper Kindle WiFi, which lacks a 3G […]

Microsoft has finally washed the taste of Windows Vista out of its mouth, at least according to analysis firm Net Applications, which estimated that Windows 7’s market share for July passed that of its much-maligned predecessor. Windows 7’s market share for July reached 14.46 percent, according to the firm, compared to 14.34 percent for Windows […]

Microsoft will release Office for Mac 2011 in late October, in three different editions and in 13 different languages. Microsoft is offering the productivity suite in three editions: Academic, Home & Business and Home & Student. Office for Mac Home & Student Edition 2011 will retail for $119 for one install, along with a three-install […]

Microsoft released an out-of-band patch to address a “critical” vulnerability in how Windows handles shortcuts, as outlined in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS10-046. “This security update addresses a vulnerability in the handling of shortcuts that affects all currently supported versions of Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2,” Christopher Budd, […]

BlackBerry 6 Appeals to Business Users, Media Junkies by Nicholas Kolakowski Home Screen RIM wanted to retain the BlackBerry home screens familiar look, but also update it with sleeker-looking icons and a somewhat more streamlined interface. Interface The BlackBerry 6 interface has been designed for easy access to the Connections, Alarm and Options screens. Notification […]

Microsoft saw market share for Internet Explorer climb in July, even as questions arose about the browser’s privacy settings. Net Applications has estimated Internet Explorer’s July market-share at 60.74 percent, an increase from June’s 60.32 percent, followed by Firefox with 22.91 percent, Chrome with 7.16 percent, Safari with 5.09 percent, and Opera with 2.45 percent. […]