Blackmagic Computers

A federal court has reversed an earlier ruling that Microsoft’s product activation technology infringed on software maker Uniloc’s patent, overturning a record $388 million verdict.

Judge William Smith of the US District Court for the District of Rhode Island has overturned a $388 million patent-infringement verdict against Microsoft. A jury had found the company had infringed on a patent held by software maker Uniloc, a Singapore-based security company, sticking Microsoft with the largest patent penalty on record, but the court has now ruled in the software giant’s favor. “We are pleased that the court has vacated the jury verdict and entered judgment in favor of Microsoft,” a Microsoft spokesperson told Ars.

In April 2009, a US grand jury in Providence, Rhode Island ordered Microsoft to pay Uniloc a patent-law record $388 million for infringing an antipiracy software patent, concluding that Redmond intentionally infringed on Uniloc’s patented technology as part of the product activation methods in Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and Office XP.

Uniloc makes antipiracy tools that require user registration to prevent the same copy of software from being installed on more than one computer. Uniloc claimed that Australian Ric Richardson, who received the patent over 11 years ago, showed his program to Microsoft in 1993 under a pledge that the company would not duplicate it, but that Microsoft did. Microsoft argued that it used a different method for registering software because it found Richardson’s software to be useless and that Uniloc’s patent (No. 5,490,216) was obvious.

The case goes all the way back to September 2003; this week’s ruling is the latest twist in a case that has spanned six years. Uniloc originally sought $560 million in damages. Microsoft initially won a summary judgment ruling in October 2007, which would have ended the case in its favor, but Uniloc appealed that ruling, and eventually won the $388 million verdict, which Microsoft decided to appeal. Now Microsoft is back on top again.

If you are in need of computer repair please visit our website.

• Computer Repair Website
• Computer Repair Blog
• Computer Repair Twitter

An iPhone user in New York who got frustrated with dropped calls recently discovered that his problems are not as bad as the average iPhone-toting New Yorker. While Geniuses at his local Apple Store were able to verify from logs that his dropped call rate was about 22 percent, he was told that the average in the city is actually 30 percent.

The user, who shared his story with Gizmodo, said he had been experiencing what he felt was an unusually high rate of dropped calls. He tried to get help from AT&T first, but the mobile carrier said everything was just fine on their end. He then took his iPhone in to the Genius Bar at a local Apple Store. They verified that calls were being dropped at a rate of 22 percent, though the phone itself checked out fine. This is when he learned that “the problem is consistent with service provided by AT&T”—the Genius even told him that the average rate is about 30 percent. Ouch.

If you are in need of computer repair please visit our website.

• Computer Repair Website
• Computer Repair Blog
• Computer Repair Twitter

Rumor has it that Microsoft’s courier booklet will be powered by Windows 7, and is set to arrive somewhere in mid-2010. Details continue to leak, but Redmond has yet to confirm anything.

Microsoft’s Courier booklet is reportedly currently running on top of Windows 7 (remember the emphasis Redmond put on Windows Touch during the operating system’s development), much like how the Microsoft Surface runs on top of Windows Vista, according to ZDNet. On the flip side, however, you won’t be able to install Windows 7 apps on the device.

Furthermore, the rumor goes on to say that Microsoft will actually be making the booklet hardware, much like it does for its Zune portable media players and its Xbox gaming consoles. Finally, the device is currently slated for a “mid-2010″ release (translation: don’t expect it before Christmas 2010), but it’s still not in the commercialization pipeline. ZDNet’s tipster explained that Courier builds on Microsoft Office OneNote, used especially on current tablet PCs: “The concept started as a software idea on how one would really build OneNote from scratch if you could for the Tablet form factor. That then morphed into building a tablet.”

Gizmodo has more details on Courier. Apparently the device is being developed around the term “infinite journal,” a continuous (and searchable—again, think OneNote) document that can be used to collect together snippets of text, diagrams, webpages, contacts, and so on. The journal can be published in whole or in part online, it seems, in either a native Courier format, as a PowerPoint presentation, or as a PDF. There’s also a library where things like subscriptions, notebooks, and apps, can be stored.

Multitouch finger gestures are used to navigate between pages, move images, and drag contacts/appointments around, but for data entry, handwritten text is the name of the game. Gizmodo also posted a video, produced by the same firm that collaborated with Microsoft’s Pioneer Studios on the first leaked video, which further shows how Microsoft thinks we’ll use Courier. The video makes us think a later iteration is being shown, compared to last time.

Microsoft is still refusing to comment on anything Courier-related since as far as the software giant is concerned, it’s still all “rumors and speculation.” Speculation around pricing continues to be all over the place

If you are in need of computer repair please visit our website.

• Computer Repair Website
• Computer Repair Blog
• Computer Repair Twitter

Apple tablet hopefuls may be disappointed by what Apple has in store for its first tablet if the latest rumors are to be believed. In its current form, the tablet is said to be a jumbo iPhone, and will focus on media, games, and “light communications.”

Gizmodo

It’s not that the Intertubes aren’t stuffed with rumors of a magical Apple tablet that will rain down on consumers like wireless mana from heaven, because they are. But the latest rumor suggests that what Apple currently has under wraps will be focused more on media playback and “light communications” than serious mobile computing.

According to a source for iLounge, which in the past was spot on about the iPod nano and sort of right about the iPhone 3GS and its Chinese variant, the current form factor for the tablet is a lot like a large iPhone 3G/3GS. It will come complete with a curved back, 3G networking option, and will have a 10.7″ touchscreen with “720p or thereabouts” resolution. The focus of the device will be on consuming media, much like current iPhones and iPod touches, though it’s suggested that it will also serve as a replacement for books and magazines (i.e. an e-book reader). The device is not meant to compete directly with netbooks—along with media playback, it will also serve “light” communications and Web browsing duties.

Apple is said to be preparing to announce the device on or before January 19 next year, but won’t ship the device until mid-year to allow time to build up “iPhone-like hype.” Since the tablet is claimed to run iPhone OS, not Mac OS X or a touch-enabled variant, the time would also be useful for developers to prepare or modify apps to run on the device and its higher resolution. However, the rumored device is still waiting for final approval from Steve Jobs, and it’s only 80 percent certain that the current form will make it to market.

The supposed screen resolution and focus on media tie in squarely with previous rumors that the new iTunes LP (aka “Cocktail”) format would coincide with a tablet that would be “fabulous for watching movies.” It just so happens that iTunes LP content is hard coded for a screen size of 720×1280 pixels—in other words, 720p HD resolution. However, a 10.7″ size seems a little odd, since it would result in the screen having about 135ppi. The previously-rumored size of around 9.6″ would be much closer to the 160ppi of the current iPhone screen. Either way, developers will certainly have some work cut out for them to make apps that work well with different sized displays, especially since a widescreen tablet cries out for a horizontal orientation while most iPhone apps are primarily vertically oriented.

Of course, all this is purely academic until Apple does indeed announce something. Still, we question whether a device that is merely a larger iPhone will prove enticing to consumers. An iPhone or iPod touch fits in the pocket—a tablet with a 10.7″ display is far less mobile. It seems that the majority of users looking forward to an Apple tablet would be more inclined to carry a 13″ MacBook Pro or MacBook Air if they need more functionality than an iPhone could provide, and would pass on a jumbo 10.7″ iPhone.

If you are in need of computer repair please visit our website.

• Computer Repair Website
• Computer Repair Blog
• Computer Repair Twitter

We’ve begun the journey through the single-player portion of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, and bowing to the pressure we’re spilling the (very limited) beans on what we saw. Is it as good as they say? We have some thoughts on the matter.

Don’t go into Uncharted 2: Honor Among Thieves expecting to play the game of the year; no title deserves that level of expectation. Go into it quietly, and try to dial down the noise about how great the game is. Invite some friends over if they’re interested; I played the first five chapters with one of the my best friends and his wife watching, and at different times we all remarked that the game was better scripted and acted than most action films we’ve seen in recent years. This is also one of the few games where the dialog is laugh-out-loud funny.

In other words, get ready to enjoy something rare and worthy of respect: a game that moves its entire genre forward. Looking at it through the lens of other games or as a weapon in a console war is just going to diminish your enjoyment of the game.

Also, if you’re new to the PlayStation 3 and want to play the first game, do so now. It’s a great title that still stands up now, almost two years later, but if you try to play it after you pick up this game you’re going to feel like you took a step back instead of a wonderful jump up. Because no matter how good you thought Uncharted was—and we thought it was pretty damn wonderful—Uncharted 2 is much, much better.

The less said, the better

It’s going to be hard to do the full review of the game without giving away plot elements or talking about the characters; this is an experience that you’ll enjoy much more if you go into it as blind as possible. We’ll go deeper in-depth with the game as we get closer to launch, but for now it’s worth the time to talk about how Uncharted 2 begins so strongly and keeps the pacing going through the first five chapters. The vocal talent is way above average, but even better, the writing, pacing, and flow of the story and the gameplay is maintained to perfection.

The game opens with a short scene explaining the controls, and even this is breathtaking, and takes place in a life or death struggle. The game doesn’t require any knowledge of its predecessor; all you need to know is that Nathan Drake is a man who has bad things happen to him. To be fair, he puts himself in these situations, but that’s beside the point. The character of Nathan Drake is one you’ve seen before: he’s Indiana Jones, he’s Han Solo, he’s whoever Nicholas Cage plays in those National Treasure films. A lovable rogue with just enough charm and luck to get out of the last scrape and into the next one.

What’s interesting is that so far there isn’t much new here. You’ve seen gunfights like this before, you’ve thrown grenades like this before, and the climbing and jumping mechanics almost feel like Prince of Persia in places. What elevates Uncharted 2 above its peers is how well everything works together to create a whole. While the levels are linear, many areas offer multiple ways to pass through them. It’s not all wine and roses, however; one early section where you have to sneak past a set of guards is way more trial and error than skill—does anyone enjoy forced stealth sections in games?—but after that the action picks up dramatically and never settles back down.

What works?

The controls are smoother, the animations are more polished, and the graphics are simply… well, better. I’ll remind you of what I asked in the first paragraph; for a game with such high expectations I was a little disappointed in the graphics for the first few moments, but the level of detail and beauty spread throughout the game is hard to describe. There are so many little moments that make you realize just how bland and poor most other games look in comparison.

The mark of a truly great game is the ability to make you wonder why other games aren’t better, and this is something Uncharted 2, so far, has accomplished. The mixture of story scenes, action set pieces, and exploration is blended in such a way that there hasn’t been a down portion of the game, and it was incredibly hard to put the controller down and walk away.

It’s hard to block out the deafening amount of noise and chatter about this game on the forums and the blogs and the gaming sites, but once you’re able to sit down and experience it for yourself you’ll see something amazing: a game that truly loves both its characters and the gameplay elements used to tell their story. If things are this good after the first five chapters, I can’t imagine what the next 21 are going to be like.

We’ll be running our feature-length review of the game closer to launch, so keep your eyes peeled. Uncharted 2 comes out exclusively for the PlayStation 3 on October 13.

If you are in need of computer repair please visit our website.

• Computer Repair Website
• Computer Repair Blog
• Computer Repair Twitter

A claim seen commonly online is that only peer-to-peer uploads break the law, but it’s not true—in the US, downloading copyrighted music is infringement. The Canadian situation, though, is significantly more murky.

Downloading copyrighted music over peer-to-peer networks—is it legal in the US? Judging by the comments and e-mails that we received while covering the two federal file-swapping trials of 2009, it’s clear that some minority of our readership believed that these lawsuits were only about uploading files; some also believed that downloading music was in fact legal as well, and that one was within the law so long as no further sharing took place.

Neither position, however, is accurate.

First up: the question of what exactly was at issue in the trials of Jammie Thomas-Rasset (Minnesota) and Joel Tenenbaum (Massachusetts). RIAA legal complaints are generally boilerplate documents, and the charges against each defendant are largely identical. The Jammie Thomas-Rasset complaint is typical:

Plaintiffs are informed and believe that Defendant, without the permission or consent of Plaintiffs, has used, and continues to use, an online media distribution system to download the Copyrighted Recordings, to distribute the Copyrighted Recordings to the public, and/or to make the Copyrighted Recordings available for distribution to others. In doing so, Defendant has violated Plaintiffs’ exclusive rights of reproduction and distribution.

The Copyright Act provides several specific rights to copyright owners, including the right to distribute the work and the right to make copies of the work (the “distribution” and “reproduction” rights). Uploading files on P2P networks can infringe a record company’s distribution right, while downloading a file necessarily makes a copy of that file and therefore can infringe the reproduction right. Both rights are mentioned in the recording industry complaints.

In case that language isn’t clear enough, the complaints spell it out even more plainly toward the end, when they demand an injunction against the defendant in question. Such an injunction would “ban Thomas from using the Internet or any online media distribution system to reproduce (i.e., download) and of Plaintiffs’ Recordings [or] to distribute (i.e., upload) any of Plaintiffs’ Recordings.”

The industry has always been concerned about both downloads and uploads, and indeed spent a fair bit of time at trial attempting to show that much of the music in a user’s share folder was downloaded from P2P networks. In the Thomas-Rasset trial, for instance, record industry lawyers showed that many of the music files in Thomas-Rasset’s “share” folder contained metadata showing that they were made by ripping crews—and had presumably been downloaded via P2P.

As for uploading, record industry investigators tried to show this more directly by putting MediaSentry on the witness stand. MediaSentry had identified the IP addresses assigned to Thomas-Rasset and Tenenbaum in the first place and had then downloaded several complete tracks from each user in an attempt to prove that they were distributing files.

The record industry position is clear: both uploads and downloads are illegal, and both can result in lawsuits. We checked in with Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Fred von Lohmann to see if he agreed with the music business legal position.

“Does it infringe US copyright law to download music without authorization from a P2P network?” he said. “It depends. If you’re a teacher who needs a clip for use in a class presentation, I think there’s a good chance it’s a fair use. But if you’re downloading just because you don’t want to pay for the song, then you’re probably an infringer. Intermediate cases can be imagined, but that gives a pretty good idea of the two poles.”

(When it comes to appropriate penalty for infringement, though, von Lohmann parts ways with the record industry.)

So much for the legality of downloading. Practically speaking, though, mere downloading has not been enough to trigger RIAA attention, due largely to the difficulty of detecting it. MediaSentry and other RIAA investigators can see the files that they download from others, and the IP addresses of those offering the files, but seeing what files those people are themselves downloading can be difficult or impossible.

Canada, a downloader’s haven?

Note that the law applies only to a “medium,” not a device. Furthermore, it applies only to music; downloading video games or movies remains infringement, since those industries don’t receive money from the levy system.

The situation is less clear in other countries, like Canada, where the recording industry has apparently shot itself in the foot… by getting exactly what it wanted. Uploading files in Canada is infringement, just as in the US, but downloading files might not be.

That’s because the music business long ago convinced the government to slap a levy on various recording media, like blank CDs, to cover “private copying.” The levy was not extended to “devices” like the iPod or the PC, however, even though they were certainly able to carry around copies of musical works. The distinction between “media” and “devices” is crucial here, since Canadian courts have ruled that downloads are legal so long as the copies are made onto media that is covered by the private copying levy—not what the record industry envisioned when it had the levy passed.

Perhaps the most famous such decision was made back in 2004 by a federal appellate judge named Konrad von Finckenstein—who now happens to run Canada’s top telecoms regulator.

In a 2004 case on file-sharing, von Finckenstein ruled that “the downloading of a song for a person’s private use does not constitute infringement.” He cited a section of Canada’s copyright law which says that copies of musical works downloaded “onto an audio recording medium for the private use of the person who makes the copy does not constitute an infringement of the copyright in the musical work, the performer’s performance or the sound recording.”

Note that the law applies only to a “medium,” not a device. Furthermore, it applies only to music; downloading video games or movies remains infringement, since those industries don’t receive money from the levy system.

Not that the major labels in Canada see it this way. “Downloading pirated music is not legal in Canada,” wrote Richard Pfohl, the top lawyer for the Canadian Recording Industry Association, to a newspaper in June 2009. “The copyright law conclusions in the case he cites were overturned on appeal. In fact, the Federal Court of Appeal has subsequently twice ruled that the private copying regime doesn’t apply to downloads made to hard drives.”

But as copyright lawyer Howard Knopf points out, the issue really remains the old “devices” vs. “media” distinction. “The consistent thread of what the Copyright Board said in 2003 and the Federal Court of Appeal said in 2004 and 2008 is that downloading sound recordings onto something that is not an ‘audio recording medium’ may be infringing,” he wrote.

So downloading music to an iPod or a computer’s internal hard drive might well be infringement, but Knopf argues that “an external plug and play hard drive that is clearly not in any sense ‘embedded’ in anything and serves no function other than to be a large memory medium may very well be ‘audio recording media.’ In that case, downloading any sound recording onto them obtained in any way from any source for private use would be legal in Canada, regardless of whether a levy has ever been sought from the Copyright Board.”

All clear?

If you are in need of computer repair please visit our website.

• Computer Repair Website
• Computer Repair Blog
• Computer Repair Twitter

Major Nelson sends word that gamers looking to test drive new games of the Rockin’ and Racin’ variety can rejoice over the fact that demos for both Brutal Legend and Forza Motorspot 3 are now awaiting download on Xbox Live. That’s pretty much all you need to know so if you’re interested in either or both of these titles then, uh, go download the demo:)

If you are in need of computer repair please visit our website.

• Computer Repair Website
• Computer Repair Blog
• Computer Repair Twitter

Splinter Cell fans anxiously awaiting the next installment in the franchise can now circle February 23, 2010 as the release date for Splinter Cell Conviction. The game, which has had a rather long and difficult road to completion, is certainly of the “highly-anticipated” variety, and to celebrate today’s news, Ubisoft released a new trailer showcasing the type of action series fans have been longing for. The trailer also reveals that an “exclusive in-game shotgun” will be available to those that pre-order the game through Gamestop, which is totally awesome or completely stupid depending on how you look at it.

We’ll let you know if any other game details emerge, but FINALLY having a solid release date for Conviction is pretty much the biggest detail you’re gonna get.

If you are in need of computer repair please visit our website.

• Computer Repair Website
• Computer Repair Blog
• Computer Repair Twitter

We are giving away a free Halo ODST: Video game to the 100th registered person on our Computer Repair Blog. All you have to do is go to our Blog and register. If you are the 100th person we will email you to get your shipping information and ship the video game to you! As a company we are devoted to bringing the best computer repair experience to our customers as possible. Please check out our website. Click Here

Please remember to leave a comment on our blog. We value your in site on what we can do to make this experience a better one for our customers!

If you are in need of computer repair please visit our website.

• Computer Repair Website
• Computer Repair Blog
• Computer Repair Twitter

Thank You

Blackmagic Computers