Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen has essentially sued the Internet today, chasing after 11 massive IT companies for patent infringement. Allen has opened suit against Apple, Facebook, Google (and its subsidiary YouTube), AOL, eBay, Netflix, Office Depot, OfficeMax, Staples, and Yahoo, alleging that they use technology created by his firm in the 90s.
The four patents in question cover "obvious" features used by countless sites today.They mostly describe ways to present related information to customers while they browse the web.For instance, one patent allows a site to offer suggestions for items related to what a person is currently viewing. Another allows readers of an article to locate related posts.
Those are pretty broad descriptions, so there's no telling how successful the suit will be. Most of the defendants haven't responded, but a Google spokesperson has said the suit "reflects an unfortunate trend of people trying to compete in the courtroom instead of the marketplace."
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Lenovo releasing a game console
Lenovo, the company known for computer manufacturing, has created a game company named "Beijing Eedoo Technology." The idea behind the new game company is motivated by Lenovo viewing game consoles as a lucrative area. The company has been hard at work on creating a controller-free console, much like Microsoft's Kinect, called the eBox.
A China Daily interview with Jack Luo, the president of Beijing Eedoo Technology, explains the eBox in further detail. The console will use a webcam to watch and interpret the movements a player makes. Eedoo also makes sure to mention how you do not need a controller, unlike the Playstation Move or Wii. Pricing on the unit is reported to be higher than the Wii and less than an Xbox 360, however it will also come with 30 free games. Providing these perks and still keeping a relatively low price will help many families' ability to afford the console.
The console will first debut in China sometime in November, then later the global market. Lenovo is focusing heavily on the Chinese market with this device, mentioning how they are a China-based company and that they understand the culture and Chinese games better than other game developers. Many of the games will have Chinese cultural elements to try and win over the domestic market.
16 global video game developers have agreed to create content for the eBox. Jack Luo envisions more than one million eBoxes to be sold annually after the first two to three years on the market. Full details are not out for the eBox, but this will be first in China, and they hope to bring this to the consumer by the end of 2010, but possibly not until 2011.
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