Microsoft enters the robotics market ... IEEE suspends mobile broadband group

Today's IT news audio update
IEEE suspends standards group over Qualcomm influence ... EC giving iTunes a pass, for now ... Microsoft aims to spur robot market

HIGHLIGHTS

News: Microsoft enters the robotics market
News: IEEE suspends mobile broadband group
News: Yahoo opens IM to external developers
News: Microsoft offers guidance on Excel bug
Opinion: A megabyte, by any other name, would sound as sweet
ITwhirled: Behold the power of the blogosphere


NEWS UPDATES

Microsoft enters the robotics market
Microsoft Corp. released the preview version of a software toolkit for building robot applications on Tuesday, pledging to ignite the robot market in the same way it did the PC market some 20 years ago.

IEEE suspends mobile broadband group
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE) has suspended the working group developing 802.20, a wireless broadband standard expected to challenge WiMax, following accusations that Qualcomm was improperly influencing the group's decision-making process.

Spansion puts mobile phone security right in with data
Spansion Inc., a flash memory chip maker, plans to fight mobile phone viruses and data theft with new security technology it puts right into its chips, the company said Tuesday.

Yahoo opens IM to external developers
Yahoo Inc. is opening up its IM (instant-messaging) network so that external developers can extend its functionality with new applications.

Microsoft offers guidance on Excel bug
Microsoft on Monday offered users a few tips on how to avoid falling victim to a critical bug in its Excel spreadsheet software.

RFID rules
Companies using radio frequency identification (RFID) tags on products should always tell their customers and make sure they know whether they can deactivate the tags, according to a set of best practices for RFID deployment proposed by a group of IT vendors, RFID users and consumer advocates.

iPod kerfuffle highlights China issues
Just when you thought outsourcing issues and government relations were sufficiently challenging, companies serious about a China presence must make corporate social responsibility as high a priority as any other marketing or public relations function.


OPINION

A megabyte, by any other name, would sound as sweet
By Sean McGrath

A young child of my acquaintance is very fond of ice pops. I have recently been explaining the basics of money to the aforementioned child. The conversation went like this...


ITWHIRLED

'Snakes on a Plane': Behold the power of the blogosphere
'Snakes on a Plane' was just another b-movie in the making until a few bloggers got wind of it and it became a full-blown Internet meme. The producers have even let fan anticipation guide the production of the movie. The process may be one that other filmmakers will want to imitate -- but reproducing spontaneity is notoriously difficult.