Dell faces old lawsuit

Documents showing that Dell shipped at least 11.8 million failing computers from May 2003 to July 2005 has risen its head again, states The New York Times.

This came to light after the University of Texas noticed some of its Dell computers failing and found faulty electrical components.

The documents have unsealed a three-year-old lawsuit against Dell showing the company's employees were actually aware the computers were likely to break. Even the firm defending Dell in the lawsuit was affected when Dell balked at fixing 1 000 suspect computers.

Microsoft and Salesforce.com are duelling in US courts, with each accusing the other of violating its patented technology, reports AFP.

While Microsoft has accused Salesforce of infringing nine patents, Salesforce lawyers accuse Microsoft of violating five of the firm's patents in offerings including Windows Live online services and its new Windows 7 operating system.

Analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group in Silicon Valley says Microsoft has a much more extensive portfolio of patents to bring to a legal fight over intellectual property.

Lawyers are rounding up unhappy consumers and could drag Apple into court over the iPhone 4's glitchy reception, says Information Week.

Many iPhone 4 buyers have reported that Apple's new smartphone drops its signal if the bottom left corner of the device is covered by the palm of the user's hand.

Apple isn't new to consumer lawsuits, especially when it comes to the iPhone. The company, along with partner AT&T, have been sued numerous times by attorneys representing consumers fed up with poor reception and download speeds.