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Apple still reviewing Google Voice iphone app
Apple is still reviewing the Google Voice iPhone application, and AT&T has not played any role in that review process, the companies told the U.S. Federal Communications Commission on Friday.
Google Voice has not been approved for distribution to the iPhone, and on July 31, the FCC questioned Apple and AT&T about their treatment of that and other proposed iPhone applications.
Apple said it has not rejected the Google Voice iPhone application but is still studying it.
In response to pointed questions, both Apple and AT&T said the iPhone maker did not consult AT&T about Google Voice and that the carrier has not been involved in evaluating it.
They said Apple typically does not consult AT&T about decisions on what applications can be offered in the iPhone App Store.
Intel has acquired software company RapidMind in an effort to push development of programs that can exploit the power of Intel’s multicore processors, the company said Friday.
The chip maker plans to integrate RapidMind’s data-parallelism products into Intel offerings. Intel already offers compilers, middleware and other tools that enable programmers to execute tasks across multiple threads and cores.
RapidMind, based in Waterloo, Ontario, offers a platform that allows developers to scale application performance in processors from Intel and Advanced Micro Devices.
The platform also taps into the power of multiple cores in graphics processing units. Intel declined to comment about the acquisition price, but said it plans to retain much of RapidMind’s staff.
A Chinese court has sentenced four people to jail for pirating Microsoft’s Windows XP operating system, China’s state-owned media reported on Friday.
The four people were convicted of copyright infringement last Thursday for selling a modified version of Windows XP, called Tomato Garden, which was downloaded by 10 million people, the Shanghai Daily newspaper reported on its Web site. Tomato Garden stripped out anti-piracy protections built into Windows XP.
The heaviest penalties in the case were levied against Hong Lei, the chief developer and distributor of the software, and Sun Xiansheng, who managed the online marketing efforts for Tomato Garden, the report said. Both were given three and a half year sentences and a fine of 1 million yuan (or US$146,150).
A Chinese company is developing an e-reader it hopes will emulate the success of the Amazon Kindle and may market the device outside China.
Hanwang Technology is aiming for an October launch of the e-reader, which will have a 6-inch screen and support China’s homegrown 3G mobile standard. The company is cooperating on the device with China Mobile, a state-run carrier charged with promoting the Chinese standard, TD-SCDMA.
Hanwang, best known for its handwriting recognition systems, so far only offers e-readers that plug into a PC to load books and other content. Its 3G reader and another upcoming model that supports Wi-Fi will be its first that allow wireless downloads.
…And those are the top stories from the IDG Global IT News Update, brought to you by the IDG News Service. I’m Sumner Lemon in Singapore. Join us again later for more news from the world of technology.