According to The Observer, Google seems to be interested in developing a “branded Google phone. The Observer also reports that Google has held talks with Orange about a multi-billion-dollar partnership to create a ‘Google phone’ which makes it easy to search the web.

Also, the article states that a source close to the talks, said: ‘Google are software experts and are doing some amazing work compressing data so that the mobile user gets a much better experience. They don’t know so much about mobiles, but they are eager to learn from Orange’s years of experience.’

Source: Playfuls.com

On most days, a tumor on Zvulun Muola’s spinal cord keeps him confined to a wheelchair, but today he is standing on a small, wooden dinghy gliding downstream, navigating between the islands of a tropical paradise.

Muola, whose legs are partially paralyzed, is among a handful of disabled patients in Israel using the Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment. The virtual-reality system puts patients at the helm of a life-size video game, forces them to use atrophied muscles and teaches the basic skills necessary to recover from severe injuries and disorders.

“It gives more confidence,” said Muola, standing shakily on a moving platform, sandwiched between a walker and a physical therapist. “It’s hard at the beginning but once you get the hang of it … it improves stability and helps the patient trust himself.”

The $650,000 computer system at the Chaim Sheba Rehabilitation Hospital near Tel Aviv is the only one of only a dozen worldwide in clinical use. The others are still in the research phase. But doctors using the system say it can cut rehabilitation times and make the process far easier by helping distract patients from their pain.

Source: AP

Microsoft has a problem. Vista, its long-awaited update to the Windows operating system, can’t run the current version of SQL Server. The company is working on a SQL upgrade that is compatible with Vista - called SQL Server 2005 Express Service Pack 2 - but it’s in beta and can be licensed only for testing purposes. Microsoft hasn’t set a release date for the new SQL program.

So companies looking to install Vista, which went on sale to corporate customers Nov. 30, are going to have to get their database management software someplace else.

Source: CNN

Underground hackers are hawking zero-day exploits for Microsoft’s new Windows Vista operating system at $50,000 a pop, according to computer security researchers at Trend Micro.

The Windows Vista exploit—which has not been independently verified—was just one of many zero-days available for sale at an auction-style marketplace infiltrated by the Tokyo-based anti-virus vendor.

Source: eWeek

Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton is being stalked by paparazzi - in court, at least.

X17 Inc., a Los Angeles photo agency known for its images of stars in personal or embarrassing moments, has filed a $7.6 million federal copyright infringement lawsuit against Hilton.

Hilton’s Los Angeles-based site, PerezHilton.com, posts tabloid photos of celebs and adds cheeky captions and rudimentary doodles.

The suit claims Hilton used 51 photographs without permission, payment or credit, including images of a pregnant Katie Holmes, Kevin Federline pumping gas and Britney Spears showing her, um, assets.

Source: AP