PS3, Xbox rivalry continues

Sony's PlayStation 3 will follow Microsoft's Xbox 360 into the video market, but without the monthly fee, says The Money Times.

Sony Computer Entertainment America president and CEO Jack Tretton states he does not expect the PS3 to adopt the monthly fee imposed by its rival console on the Xbox Live service.

The Xbox 360 continues to gain traction not just for online gaming, but also as a platform for downloadable movies, TV episodes and other content.

Verizon Wireless will drop all Bob Marley ringtones, ringbacks and pictures after being threatened with a trademark infringement lawsuit, states PC World.

The decision comes in response to a statement last month by the Marley family that it would sue Verizon Wireless and Universal Music Group for using the star's name, likeness and image without permission.

Fifty Six Hope Road Music, the Marley family company, said in a statement that Verizon Wireless has now taken down all endorsement and trademark materials in connection with Marley, including ringtones and ringbacks.

SpiralFrog.com, a service scheduled to open today, will let Web surfers download songs by U2, Timbaland, Amy Winehouse and other Universal Music Group artists, reports the Los Angeles Times.

While the downloaded song is free, the catch is that consumers have to wait 90 seconds for each track to download, and must answer questions each month about their buying habits.

In addition, the songs cannot be played on iPods or burned onto CDs as they can with 99c downloads from the dominant online music store, Apple's iTunes.

A Beijing university student has sued Microsoft for privacy infringement, according to The Inquirer.

Student Lu Feng said he installed Windows XP on his laptop computer and followed the Windows Genuine Advantage screen prompts, only to discover that Microsoft collected information about himself and his computer, instead of just checking whether his copy of Windows XP was genuine.

Lu also alleged that he was forced to agree to a contract of adhesion, in that he had to agree to accept it before he was allowed to complete the software installation, and that this violated his legal rights.