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NBC Acquires Majority Stake in MSNBC (AP)
 AP - NBC is acquiring a majority stake in MSNBC from Microsoft Corp., giving NBC greater control over the struggling all-news cable channel and further scaling back the software giant's media ambitions.
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Gartner Warns About Vista Metadata Problem (NewsFactor)
NewsFactor - Windows Vista, the next version of Microsoft's Windows client operating system, will give users the ability to search for files by looking for information in the file's metadata tags. However, a report by I.T. research firm Gartner warned that allowing users to search for metadata tags in this manner could result in private information being inadvertently disclosed.
NBC to take control of MSNBC network from Microsoft (AFP)
 AFP - Media group NBC Universal said it was to take control of 24-hour US cable channel MSNBC under an overhaul of its 10-year-old alliance with software giant Microsoft.
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Microsoft, Google settle legal wrangle in China (AFP)
 AFP - Google and Microsoft have ended a bitter legal wrangle over the Internet search king's July hiring of a former Microsoft vice president to head its China operations.
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Microsoft Seeks Online Partner (PC World)
PC World - After Google buys into AOL, software giant is apparently seeking a rival deal.
Windows Vista: Beware of Metadata Slips (PC Magazine)
PC Magazine - The keyword tagging system featured in Microsoft's upcoming Vista operating system could prove embarrassing if metadata comments are read by the wrong eyes, analysts warn.
European Union, Microsoft clash over settlement (USATODAY.com)
USATODAY.com - The European Union has threatened to fine Microsoft up to 2 million euros ($2.37 million) a day, saying Thursday that the software company is not fully complying with the EU's 2004 antitrust ruling.
Microsoft, Google Settle Over Employee (AP)
 AP - Microsoft Corp. said late Thursday it had reached a settlement with rival Google Inc. and former employee Kai-Fu Lee, ending a legal battle that had exposed behind-the-scenes rancor between the companies.
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Google, Microsoft settle dispute over China exec (Reuters)
Reuters - Google Inc. and
Microsoft Corp. said on Thursday they agreed to settle
pending litigation that had barred a former Microsoft executive
from heading up the Web search firm's research efforts in
China.
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EU Threatens Microsoft With Penalties (AP)
 AP - The European Union on Thursday threatened to fine Microsoft Corp. up to 2 million euros ($2.37 million) a day for failing to obey its 2004 antitrust ruling, accusing the company of intransigence in sharing information with competitors.
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Video Game Sheds NFL License, Gets Violent (AP)
 AP - In a gritty new video game about a fictional football league, players cripple their opponents, gamble and use performance-enhancing supplements.
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Internet Fosters Local Political Movements (AP)
 AP - Frustrated by government and empowered by technology, Americans are filling needs and fighting causes through grass-roots organizations they built themselves — some sophisticated, others quaintly ad hoc. This is the era of people-driven politics.
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NORAD Marks 50th Year of Tracking Santa (AP)
 AP - For half a century, the military agency dedicated to detecting threats against the United States and Canada has reported Santa's sleigh ride to curious youngsters around the world.
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Google's AOL Investment May Lead to '08 IPO (AP)
 AP - Google Inc.'s $1 billion investment in America Online could lead to an IPO in 2008, giving the online search engine leader and AOL parent Time Warner Inc. an opportunity to capitalize on an Internet advertising boom that they hope to fuel through their partnership.
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College Launches Cell Phone Film Contest (AP)
 AP - An Ithaca College dean is encouraging students to instead think small — and she's offering a $5,000 prize to do it. The school has invited high school and college students across America to submit a 30-second movie shot entirely with a cell phone.
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Google can sell AOL stake as early as July 2008 (Reuters)
 Reuters - Google Inc., the online media giant,
will be able to sell its pending 5 percent stake in Time Warner
Inc.'s AOL Internet unit as early as July 2008 according to
Google's recent filing with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
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South African mobile phone companies look back on bright year (AFP)
 AFP - South African mobile phone providers are looking back on a bright year, having left a large footprint on the African continent as cellphones become the communication tool of choice for millions from Cape Town to Cairo.
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Alltel's Camcorder Cell Phone Tunes into FM Radio (PC Magazine)
PC Magazine - Alltel's Nokia 6235i handset comes with integrated FM tuner, VGA camera, camcorder capability and Web access.
OpenOffice Updated To Fix Bugs in 2.0 (NewsFactor)
NewsFactor - Continuing its effort to become a serious alternative to Microsoft Office, OpenOffice.org released an updated version of its open-source office suite this week. OpenOffice.org 2.01 comes two months after the formal release of version 2.0. The update mainly cleans up several glitches seen in the earlier release.
NBC Acquires Majority Stake in MSNBC (AP)
AP - NBC is acquiring a majority stake in MSNBC from Microsoft Corp., giving NBC greater control over the struggling all-news cable channel and further scaling back the software giant's media ambitions.
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Google can sell AOL stake as early as July 2008 (Reuters)
Reuters - Google Inc., the online media giant,
will be able to sell its pending 5 percent stake in Time Warner
Inc.'s AOL Internet unit as early as July 2008 according to
Google's recent filing with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
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From an English pub to the skies: airline e-ticketing takes off (AFP)
 AFP - When airline executives and IT specialists met in a pub in the English Midlands ten years ago to plan the first ever Internet flight booking service, few of them suspected that they would spawn a revolution for the industry.
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Spying Said to Be Broader Than Reported (AP)
AP - The National Security Agency has conducted much broader surveillance of e-mails and phone calls — without court orders — than the Bush administration has acknowledged, The New York Times reported on its Web site.
NSA eavesdropping wider than W.House admitted: report (Reuters)
 Reuters - The volume of information gathered
from telephone and Internet communications by the National
Security Agency without court-approved warrants was much larger
than the White House has acknowledged, The New York Times
reported on Saturday.
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Avoiding the post-holiday online shopping blues (Reuters)
 Reuters - Shopping online from the comfort of your
sofa may be convenient, but it can lead to hassles after the
holiday purchases are delivered.
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Google's AOL Investment May Lead to '08 IPO (AP)
AP - Google Inc.'s $1 billion investment in America Online could lead to an IPO in 2008, giving the online search engine leader and AOL parent Time Warner Inc. an opportunity to capitalize on an Internet advertising boom that they hope to fuel through their partnership.
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Online Teen Shoppers May Miss Fraud Signs (AP)
AP - Online shopping is booming and many marketers are targeting teens, a combination of trends that raises troubling issues for young shoppers during this holiday season.
Online shopping tops $25 bln to December 16: survey (Reuters)
Reuters - U.S. holiday shoppers spent $25
billion online through the week ending December 16, with
electronics and apparel representing the biggest categories,
according to a survey of 1,000 adults released on Thursday.
French Parliament Votes To Legalize P2P File Sharing (NewsFactor)
NewsFactor - The lower house of the French parliament voted to legalize peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing of movies and music via the Internet. It is a vote that is certain to reverberate around the globe and draw severe criticism from the nation's film and music industries as well as from actors and recording artists.
Netflix wins first round in online DVD rental war (Reuters)
Reuters - When the head of Netflix Inc. said
rival Blockbuster Inc. threw "everything but the kitchen sink
at us," the world's largest video rental chain responded by
sending him ... a kitchen sink.
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