Yahoo! News: Technology News

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• Sony hopes online service will build brand loyalty (AP)

  AP - Sony's new online service connecting the whole range of its gadgets to downloadable content like movies and games should help build brand loyalty, a top executive said Friday.

  
  
• 200 Web sites spread al-Qaida's message in English (AP)

  AP - Increasing numbers of English-language Web sites are spreading al-Qaida's message to Muslims in the West. They translate writings and sermons once largely out of reach of English readers and often feature charismatic clerics like Anwar al-Awlaki, who exchanged dozens of e-mails with the Army psychiatrist accused of the Fort Hood shootings.

  
  
• Lester leads Hofstra past Yale 68-63 (AP) AP - Nathaniel Lester scored 19 points and Hofstra held off Yale 68-63 in the first round of the NIT Season Tip-Off on Monday night.
• Yahoo jumps on Twitter bandwagon to improve search (AP) AP - Yahoo Inc. is jumping on the Twitter bandwagon in its latest attempt to get people to use its Internet search engine more frequently.
• Google adding automatic captions to YouTube videos (AP) AP - Think of it as closed captioning for the new media world.
• Google's Chrome OS to be ready for 2010 holidays (AP) AP - Consumers will have to wait until next year's holiday shopping season to find out if Google Inc.'s new operating system can deliver on its promise to make low-cost computers run faster.
• Husband of Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez attacked (Reuters)

  Reuters - The husband of Cuban dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez said he was attacked by government supporters as he waited on Friday to confront state security agents accused of detaining and beating his wife two weeks ago.

  
  
• Ruby shining on Java, Windows, and Mac OS (InfoWorld) InfoWorld - Ruby, the popular open source dynamic language, is making headway not only on Java but also on the Windows and Mac platforms.
• Qualcomm's Updated 3G Chipset Coming to ThinkPads (PC World) PC World - Lenovo will offer Qualcomm's latest Gobi multimode 3G (third-generation) mobile data chipset on ThinkPad laptops, allowing users to connect to the world's two major types of 3G networks and use assisted GPS for location-based services.
• Moody's downgrades Liberty Media LLC ratings (AP) AP - Moody's Investors Service downgraded ratings for Liberty Media Corp. subsidiary Liberty Media LLC on Friday. The changes come shortly after shareholders approved the formation of a new company out of DirecTV Group Inc. and some of Liberty's entertainment businesses.
• Xbox LIVE Gold Free Today Through Monday (PC World) PC World - Microsoft wants you on Xbox LIVE for the weekend with, of course, a view toward forever, and it's prepared to temporarily waive the cover fee to grab your attention.
• Gameloft to cut back on Android development (Macworld.com) Macworld.com - Though you may think us to be iPhone fans all the time, we really do want to root for the underdog. Whether it's Google's Android or Palm's webOS, the smartphone industry could really use a David to the iPhone's Goliath to promote competition and better products all around.
• Google Chrome OS: A Simple FAQ (PC World) PC World - Everyone's all a-twitter over Google's newly announced operating system, Google Chrome OS. Some swear it'll be a hit; others are convinced it's destined for failure. Love it or hate it, though, this puppy's one tough piece of software to ignore.
• Sun-Times Media names John Barron group publisher (AP) AP - Sun-Times Media Group, which was recently sold out of bankruptcy to an investor group, said Friday it named John Barron to the newly created group publisher position and as senior vice president of news and editorial operations.
• Security Pro Says New SSL Attack Can Hit Many Sites (PC World) PC World - A Seattle computer security consultant says he's developed a new way to exploit a recently disclosed bug in the SSL protocol, used to secure communications on the Internet. The attack, while difficult to execute, could give attackers a very powerful phishing attack.
• Get Chrome OS Now (PC World) PC World - The open source version of Google Chrome OS was released on Thursday, and tech wizards didn't waste any time turning the code into a workable test version of the new operating system. If you don't want to wait until next year to see what's going on with Chrome OS, then follow this handy guide to find all the information you need to get the new system up and running on almost any computer.
• Mac OS X 10.6.2 Hack Gets Atom Support Back (PC World) PC World - Early last week, Apple released the 10.6.2 update to Snow Leopard loaded mostly with welcome, but unsurprising bug fixes, including a patch for the uncommon but extremely harmful user account deletion bug.