Microsoft settles with Google

Microsoft and Google shared some holiday cheer Thursday as they settled their litigation over former Microsoft executive Kai-fu Lee jumping ship to join Google.

Thestreet.com reports that in a tersely worded announcement, Microsoft said it has reached an agreement with rival Google and Lee settling the suit. The terms of the agreement are confidential, and all parties agreed to make no other statements to the media regarding it.

Microsoft would only say: "We are pleased with the terms of our settlement with Google and Dr. Lee." Google did not release a statement on the settlement and a spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.

Microsoft sued Google after Google announced in July that it was hiring Lee to head a new China research centre. Google then countersued.

Informationweek.com reports that Sanra Software, a Chennai-based firm, has unveiled what it claims is a breakthrough anti-virus technology based on the intention of malicious codes, protecting PCs from not only known viruses but also from unknown malicious codes including viruses, Trojan horses, worms, spyware, keyloggers and hackers.

"Our path-breaking technology takes a snapshot of PCs in complete detail in its malware-free state and continuously monitors system and file change," says NS Baskar, managing director of Sanra Software.

New files, configuration changes, alterations in system control files and changes in critical application program files are all evaluated for potential threats. Any change in the system state that represents a potential threat is immediately acted upon.

Sanra`s software contains algorithms that scan the hard disk every three minutes and can be programmed to scan as often as every minute. It not only removes the potential threat but also restores the system to its original malware-free state.

The company believes its anti-virus technology is more effective than existing anti-virus technologies, which use either signature-based or heuristic-based methods

Mozilla, maker of the open-source Firefox browser, launched on Thursday the second phase of its fan-powered marketing campaign, calling on professional or amateur filmmakers to compete for the best broadcast-quality 30-second commercial for Firefox.

According to Informationweek.com entries to the Firefox Flicks Ad Contest would be judged by a panel drawn from the film, television and advertising industries. Judges include Freddy Rodriguez, actor for the HBO show "Six Feet Under;" Ben Younger, writer/director of the movie "Boiler Room;" Warren Zide, producer of the movie "American Pie;" Scott Goodson, chief executive of the Strawberry Frog ad agency, and others.

Earlier this month, Mozilla launched the first phase of its Firefox Flicks campaign, which was a testimonial Web site in which fans could sing the browser`s praise in short videos. To date, several dozen of the amateur clips, which vary widely in quality and have been submitted from more than 20 countries, have been posted on the site.

Winners in the latest marketing ploy will be eligible for prizes, and their ads could end up in future global marketing campaigns for Firefox.

Online shopping during the first seven weeks of the holiday season jumped 24% compared to last year, according to a report released Wednesday.

Redherring.com reports that sales climbed to $16.34 billion between November 1 through December 18 from $13.16 billion in a comparable period of 2004, according to data from comScore Networks.

The research firm also found that online spending for the week ending December 18, 2005 surged 29% over the same week in 2004. The report excludes travel data.

Heavy discounts and promotions helped account for the increase. Shoppers also may have been turned off by news reports that showed frantic activity in stores on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, with footage of shoppers being trampled as soon as the doors opened.

By comparison, online shopping appears easier to many consumers, despite the threats of phishing and other security concerns. Cyber Monday has also emerged as a phenomenon in American shopping habits, with consumers jamming shopping sites on the Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.