Sony and Target Technology will battle in court over Sony's alleged patent violations
Target Technology is suing three divisions of Sony over alleged patent violations dealing with metallic layers that are used to reflect light in Blu-ray technology. The suit was filed in a Southern Indiana U.S. District Court, with Target Technology (TT) hoping to win a permanent injunction against Sony.
Instead of using gold alloys, the Target Technology patent enables the use of a silver-based reflective layer of optical discs. The silver-based material is reportedly more corrosive-resistant.
Target Technology claims it filed for patent no. 7,018,696 in April 2004, and was approved in March 2006 -- Sony deliberately and willfully infringed on the patent. While the company did not clearly state how Blu-ray technology infringes on Target Technology's patents, it claims that all Blu-ray discs created, sold and marketed by Sony are infringing.
Sony and TT did not disclose the amount in monetary damages TT hopes to win.
If the lawsuit success, Sony Computer Entertainment America, Sony DADC, and Sony Pictures would likely have to find an alternative material, or agree to a licensing deal with Target Technology.
Lawsuits are nothing new to Sony. The company faced a patent lawsuit from Immersion Corporation over the Dual Shock rumble technology used by the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 controllers. Sony paid $97 million in punitive damages. Sony also settled a patent-infringement lawsuit with Kodak, a lawsuit that dealt with 10 Kodak patents.
It is unknown what affect, if any, this will have on the ongoing Blu-ray and HD DVD high-definition content battle.
Reference:Michael Hoffman,dailytech
5/29/07
Sony Faces Blu-ray Patent Challenge
5/28/07
Apple Patches 17 Mac OS X Vulnerabilities
On Thursday, Apple released its fifth major security update for Mac OS X. The release fixes 17 vulnerabilities, about one-third of which leave the door open for hackers to commandeer a Mac remotely.
Unlike other 2007 security updates, Apple's Thursday release did not patch any vulnerabilities stemming from the Month of Apple Bugs project. And most of the bugs were ranked less than critical on Apple's rating scale.
About half of the vulnerabilities identified in Security Update 2007-005, for example, do little more than lead to possible attacks that cause the affected component to crash. Only five of the flaws would let attackers put malicious code on a victim's computer.
Dangerous Bugs
The CoreGraphics bug is among the most serious vulnerabilities patched in the latest security release. By enticing a user to open a maliciously crafted PDF, an attacker could trigger an overflow that might lead to an unexpected application crash or arbitrary code execution. The Apple security update addresses the issue by performing additional validation of PDF files.
Also of note is a dangerous flaw in iChat, Apple's instant-messaging service. A buffer-overflow vulnerability exists in the code used to create iChat port mappings on home NAT gateways.
By sending a maliciously crafted packet, an attacker on the local network could trigger an overflow that could lead to an unexpected application crash or arbitrary code execution. The update addresses the issue by performing additional validation when processing data packets in iChat.
More Back Doors
In certain circumstances, an implementation issue in Alias Manager will not show identically named files contained in identically named mounted disk images. This can leave some wiggle room for attackers.
By enticing a user to mount two identically named disk images, an attacker could mislead the user into opening a malicious program. The update addresses the issue by performing additional validation.
In other flaws, a cryptographic weakness in fetchmail could lead to the disclosure of fetchmail passwords. Meanwile, a local user might obtain system privileges through a format string vulnerability in VPN, and a file-handling issue that exists in texinfo might allow a local user to create or overwrite files with the privileges of the user running texinfo.
Mac users can download the security updates from Apple's site or by using the Mac's built-in update tool. Read More......5/27/07
UPS Adds 50 Next-generation Hybrids to Its Delivery Fleet
The hybrid news continues to flood in this week. On Tuesday, we learned of Wal-Mart's new hybrid addition to its trucking fleet, then New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the city's decision to make all yellow cabs hybrid by 2012. Today, UPS announced that it is adding 50 hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) to its delivery fleet in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Phoenix. The stop and go nature of deliveries to commercial and residential addresses make hybrid technology a perfect fit for UPS trucks. Hybrid vehicles are most efficient in stop-and-go city traffic where the electric motor can be called upon to handle a majority of the propulsion duties. "We're excited to be among the first to deploy the latest in HEV UPS says that the 50 new HEVs improve fuel efficiency by 45 percent, will save the company 44,000 gallons of fuel per year and reduce carbon emissions by 457 metric tons per year. The HEV trucks feature a smaller capacity diesel engine, lithium-ion battery pack and an electric motor/generator. Regenerative braking is also used to capture energy normally lost with conventional brakes and converts it to charge the onboard battery pack. The hybrid system being used is from Eaton Corporation -- the same company that provides hybrid power for Wal-Mart's new Peterbilt Model 386 Hybrid. UPS' new HEV trucks look nearly identical to the existing "brownies" that can be seen scurrying through city streets. What will tip you off to their hybrid functionality are "Low Emission, Hybrid Electric Vehicle" scripting on the side of the truck and an overall quieter demeanor. UPS currently operates over 20,000 low-emission and alternative-fuel vehicles in the United States.
What can brown do for you?
technology because it promises a 45% increase in fuel economy in addition to a dramatic decrease in vehicle emissions," said Robert Hall, Director of UPS Ground Fleet Engineering.
All NYC Yellow Cabs to be Hybrids by 2012
Given the stop and go nature of traffic in New York City, the promise of increased fuel efficiency from hybrids is too good to pass up. Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced yesterday on the "Today" show that every yellow cab will be a hybrid by the year 2012. There are roughly 13,000 taxis roaming city streets (90 percent of which are gas guzzling Ford Crown Victorias). According to Bloomberg, 20 percent of the existing yellow cab fleet will be replaced each year until all are running on hybrid power. Currently, there are only 375 hybrid taxis on the road in NYC. "There's an awful lot of taxicabs on the streets of New York City obviously, so it makes a real big difference," said Bloomberg. "These cars just sit there in traffic sometimes, belching fumes; this does a lot less. It's a lot better for all of us." There are currently eight vehicles on the city's "approved" list when it comes to hybrid vehicles to be used as yellow cabs: the Ford Escape Hybrid; the Honda Accord Hybrid and Civic Hybrid; the Lexus RX400h; the Saturn Vue Green Line; and the Toyota Highlander Hybrid, Camry Hybrid and Prius. As more manufacturers roll out fuel efficient hybrids, the number of possible candidates is sure to increase. Vehicles like the Saturn Aura Green Line and rumored Ford Fusion hybrid are likely to join the list. Ford Crown Victorias are rated at 15 MPG in city driving. A Ford Escape Hybrid, however, is rated at 31 MPG in the city according to the new 2008 EPA estimates. Hybrids like the Camry and Prius are even more fuel efficient at 33 MPG and 48 MPG respectively. The Ford Escape Hybrid has already seen extensive use in San Francisco. Taxi operators reported on their vehicles once the 100,000 mile mark was surpassed. According to the operators, fuel savings compared to the Crown Victoria were between $20 to $31 per shift. Air conditioning costs were also roughly half that of Crown Victorias. Another plus was that the brakes lasted twice as long due to the hybrid system's regenerative braking feature taking a load off the traditional braking system. Most importantly, there were no complaints of poor rear legroom from passengers. Yahoo Inc. has already committed to donate 10 Ford Escape Hybrid taxis according to Bloomberg. When all is said and done, the switch to a completely hybrid yellow cab fleet will save each taxi operator over $10,000 USD per year in fuel costs while also cutting total carbon emissions by 200,000 tons per year.
Hybrid fever strikes New York City
Reference:Brandon Hill,dailytech
Wal-Mart to Get Hybrid Big Rig
We have hybrid cars, SUVs, pickups and school buses, so it makes sense that hybrid technology would start filtering into other areas of the automotive segment. Wal-Mart understands the benefits of hybrid technology and is adding a hybrid-diesel Class 8 truck to its stable of transport vehicles. "The implementation of Hybrid trucks is an encouraging step towards environmental sustainability and the reduction of emissions throughout the industry," said The Pete Store President John Arscott. "Wal-Mart is proving to be a leader in this arena, and The Pete Store is pleased to play a part in such a landmark event within the transportation industry." A single Peterbilt Model 386 Hybrid will join Wal-Mart's fleet of 230 existing diesel Peterbilts. The Model 306 Hybrid uses an Eaton Hybrid Power System. The hybrid system takes full advantage of regenerative braking and used a motor/generator to complement the existing diesel engine for improved performance. Also, under certain circumstances, the rig can travel solely on battery power. In addition; heating, air conditioning and the rig's electrical system can also be powered solely by batteries. The Eaton Hybrid Power system is said to improve driving efficiency by five to seven percent -- an estimated $9,000 USD will be saved annually in fuel costs. Wal-Mart will add more of the vehicles to its fleet in an effort to improve its overall fuel efficiency. "Wal-Mart is careful to consider the civic and environmental impact its operations have in the communities it serves around the world. We are continually looking for new, innovative ways to improve the fuel economy and reduce the emissions of our fleet,” said Tim Yatsko, Wal-Mart senior VP of Transportation. “We currently operate the Peterbilt Model 386, and we anticipate that the hybrid version will help us move toward our goal to increase our fleet efficiency by 25 percent over the next few years.
The Peterbilt Model 386 Hybrid will save an estimated $9,000 USD per year in fuel costs
Reference:Brandon Hill,dailytech"
