News about what is happening in technology today!

DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - It’s not the sub-zero temperatures that have the corporate kingpins shivering in Davos this year but the prospect of life without their “BlackBerry.”

After Angelina Jolie, the wireless portable e-mail device is the thing every business leader wants by his side at the annual World Economic Forum, where hundreds of chief executives, dozens of heads of state and the odd celebrity couple gather to discuss world woes and corporate trends.

The hi-tech gadgets are an essential tool for staying in touch with the office and the world while negotiating the waves of interviews and meetings held during the five-day jamboree.

But the chance of a BlackBerry-less future at next year’s Davos summit loomed large this week when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review a major patent infringement ruling against maker Research In Motion Ltd. (down $0.12 to $64.97, Research)

Now, a federal judge could issue an injunction to block RIM’s U.S. business.

“It’s just nuts. The idea that someone is just going to switch it off in three or four weeks, even if it’s only in the United States, is crazy,” Peter Levene, chairman of the Lloyd’s of London insurance market, told Reuters.

“Everybody has adapted their working habits to it. If you close it off at a stroke the damage could be colossal.”

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JANUARY 26, 2006 (COMPUTERWORLD) - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has imposed a $10 million civil penalty against data aggregator ChoicePoint Inc. for a massive data security breach that resulted in the compromise of nearly 160,000 consumer records last year (see “ChoicePoint to tighten data access after ID theft”).

In addition to the penalty, which FTC Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras described as the largest ever levied by the agency, ChoicePoint has been asked to set up a $5 million trust fund for individuals who might have become victims of identity theft as a result of the breach.

As part of its agreement with the FTC, Alpharetta, Ga.-based ChoicePoint will also have to submit to comprehensive security audits every two years for the next 20 years.

“This is an important victory for consumers,” Majoras said. “This tells companies that they must protect sensitive consumer information. They must guard the front door as well as guard the back door against hackers.”

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The software giant is mulling its own digital device that adds gaming to music and video, in an effort to compete with Apple’s iPod empire

After getting trounced for four years in the digital music business by Apple Computer (AAPL), Microsoft (MSFT) finally seems poised to do something about it. BusinessWeek has learned that the software giant is working on plans to develop its own portable digital media device to rival the iPod, rather than just providing technology to partners. Microsoft hasn’t decided if it will go ahead. But sources inside the company and at its partners say Microsoft has put together a team that’s considering the business end of such an initiative.

Going forward with it would be an acknowledgement that the current strategy isn’t working. Chairman William H. Gates III has argued that consumers would prefer a vast choice of devices to the limited selection from Apple. That’s why Microsoft has relied on dozens of partners to come up with sleek devices and clever online-music services that use its software

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Nintendo just emailed us the following announcement of the redesign of the Nintendo DS (dual screen) handheld.

“Nintendo President Satoru Iwata today announced Nintendo DS Lite, a slimmer version of the best-selling Nintendo DS™. Also featuring brighter screens, Nintendo DS Lite will launch in Japan in March. Nintendo DS Lite will be less than two-thirds the size of the original Nintendo DS and more than 20 percent lighter.

Nintendo DS has enjoyed extremely strong sales in Japan and around the world, selling more than 14.4 million units worldwide. The Japanese sell-through of the existing Nintendo DS hardware exceeded 5 million within 13 months, which made Nintendo DS the fastest-selling video game system there.

Nintendo will announce more information about the availability of Nintendo DS Lite in North America and other territories in the future.”

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On Webmonkey radio, we get the Web’s most interesting and influential people to talk about who they are, what they do, and what they think. In this podcast, Michael Calore explores videoblogging.

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