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The Topics:

Apple's Biggest Macworld Surprise Isn't a Product
With a single quick press release, Apple was able to stop the steady stream of rumors about its Macworld 2009 product announcements. January's Macworld Expo will be Apple's last; and, perhaps more consequently, it will no long have Steve Jobs as CEO. Why such extreme moves?

$99 Netbooks at Radio Shack?
Acer, AT&T and RadioShack have collaborated to offer a deal that brings the Acer Aspire One netbook to sell for only $99. The Acer Aspire, with integrated 3G wireless technology, usually sells for $500. AT&T is subsidizing the cost of the device, however customers must agree to a two-year AT&T DataConnect mobile-broadband service, which start at $60 a month.

Beware the Netbook Hype
 In a new column, Lance Ulanoff  says, "I get a big kick out of the way everyone is falling all over themselves to anoint 'netbooks' as the next big thing," . Ulanoff agrees that the economic downturn is positive news for these $350 stripped down portable computers, but thinks their success is largely coming from  good marketing. Is a pricier laptop a wiser choice?

Will Microsoft Buy RIM?
Even though Tim Bajarin dubs the prediction outrageous, the notable analyst is predicting that Microsoft may make a bid for RIM in 2009. "BlackBerry customers are almost as fanatical as Apple users," he argues, and Microsoft's Windows Mobile strategy is growing unstable.

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The Topics:

 Corrupted Youth

The Josephson Institute's Center for Youth Ethics released a survey saying that American youth are becoming completely unethical in all possible ways. Fully 40 percent thought that you cannot succeed in the U.S.A. without lying, cheating, or stealing. A lot of stealing goes on on the Internet. I say that kids should be allowed to take information from the Net, but include proper citations..

Cybe-Bullying Can't Stop Net Anonymity

Lori Drew was recently convicted of computer fraud in a cyber-bullying case. The Missouri mother used Myspace to make a fake persona for a teenage boy, leading a teenage girl to believe that persona, and ultimately engaging in cruel behavior that led to the girl's suicide. "The reality is that many, many people lie about their identities online," says PCMag editor-in-chief Lance Ulanoff. This will not change, and whether Drew committed "computer fraud" is questionable..

The Netbook Hype Machine
"I get a big kick out of the way everyone is falling all over themselves to anoint "netbooks" as the next big thing," says Lance Ulanoff in another recent column. Ulanoff agrees that the economic downturn is good news for these $350 stripped down portable computers, but thinks their success is largely coming from marketing. Is a slightly more expensive laptop a better choice?

Sex v. Internet
According to a study commissioned and released by Intel, close to half of the women questioned by Harris Interactive said they'd be willing to give up sex for two weeks rather than give up their Internet access. Only 30 percent of the men surveyed were willing to do the same. For women 35 to 44 years old, the figure jumped to 52 percent. Are these numbers believable?

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The Topics:

iPhone Hackers Boot Linux
A new opportunity was discovered in the ongoing battle between Apple and iPhone hackers, now that a hacker group has created an iPhone boot with a Linux 2.6 kernel. The announcement of the successful kernel porting was made on the "Linux on the iPhone" blog, complete with thorough instructions and source code.

SCO's days over?
Though SCO still has the option to appeal, federal district court judge Dale Kimball has now officially written its death sentence in the form of a somewhat fierce final verdict. Judge Kimball decided that SCO was subject to a contract with Novell, which it infringed upon by revoking SVRX confidentiality provisions in a licensing agreement with Sun. Many bloggers praised the judge's decision, calling SCO officials "patent trolls."

Sling.com: Like Hulu, With a Twist
Video-streaming site Hulu has become a popular place to catch TV shows, video clips and movies for free on the Web, since its launch in March. This week, Sling Media, which makes the Slingbox device that lets you watch your home TV remotely, created a "beta" version of its own video-streaming site, Sling.com. If you have a Slingbox device, which lets you control and view your TV from any Mac- or Windows-based computer with high-speed Internet access, you can also use the site to control your Slingbox.

More Yahoo! Speculations
The Sunday Times of UK reported, or speculated, last weekend that Microsoft is going to buy Yahoo's search business for $20 billion in a very complicated way. The story states that Jonathan Miller, formerly chief executive of AOL, and Ross Levinsohn, a former president of Fox Interactive Media, are going to direct the new management team. Is this justifiable a rumor?

Interpol Increases Use of YouTube
Interpol, the "world police" is boosting up its social networking efforts. Utilizing sites such as  YouTube, Interpol has been able to thus far, arrest two pedophiles and collect video clips of Rwandan war criminals through the user-video site and other social networking platforms.

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The Topics:

Microsoft CEO Must Testify in Vista Capable Debacle
Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, has been mandated by a federal judge to testify in a class action lawsuit over the "Vista Capable" fiasco. US District Judge Marsha Pechman gave consumers approval in February to file a class action lawsuit against Microsoft for giving false information about Windows XP computers being able to run Vista. Plaintiffs in the case allege that Microsoft artificially inflated demand in the run-up to Christmas 2006, by advertising that PCs would be capable of running the full version of the firm's delayed Vista operating system.

eBooks Are Now Thriving!
Random House announced Monday that it is making thousands of additional eBooks available in digital form, now that sales are exploding, even in the currently sluggish market. Products include novels by John Updike and Harlan Coben, as well as several volumes of the children's series, "Magic Treehouse".

Obama's Cell Phone Privacy Violation
After some nosey employees took a peek at President-Elect Obama's cell-phone records, Verizon Wireless had to apologize however privacy advocates say what happened to Obama is just an example of what is happening to the broader whole of the American public.

Facebook Wins $873 Million Judgment Against Spammer
In a recent court case against Adam Guerbuez of Montreal, Facebook has won a $873 million. The  Canadian, who bombarded users with millions of unsolicited messages about drugs and sex, was targeted his business, Atlantis Blue Capital. Facebook claimed that Guerbuez had tricked users into giving their passwords so he could send out over 4 million messages that included promos for marijuana.

The Pentagon Bans Flash Drives
Due to a serious virus threat officials detected on Defense Department networks, the Pentagon has temporarily banned the use of external computer flash drives. Friday, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman provided no details on the virus, but he described it as a "global virus" that has been the subject of several public alerts.

Bill Schmelzer, Tech Analyst, Ziff Davis Media

The Virginia Supreme Court declared the state's anti-spam law unconstitutional Friday and reversed the conviction of a man once considered one of the world's most prolific spammers. The court unanimously agreed with Jeremy Jaynes' argument that the law violates free-speech protections because it does not just restrict commercial e-mails -- it restricts other unsolicited messages as well