Google and Microsoft are setting aside their bitter animosity to back a new Internet research laboratory aimed at helping entrepreneurs introduce more groundbreaking ideas to a mass audience.
Sun is also joining the $7.5 million project at the University of California, Berkeley. The Reliable, Adaptive and Distributed Systems, or RAD, lab was scheduled to open Thursday and will dole out $1.5 million annually over five years, with each company contributing equally.
Staffed initially by six UC Berkeley faculty members and 10 computer science graduates, the lab plans to develop an array of web-based software services that will be given away to anyone who wants it.
Conceivably, the lab's services could help launch another revolutionary company like online auctioneer eBay or even Google, which has emerged as one of the world's most valuable companies just seven years after its inception in a Silicon Valley garage.
UC Berkeley and other universities increasingly are turning to the private sector to help offset declines in spending by the federal government. Earlier this year, UC Berkeley stuck a deal with Yahoo to open a research laboratory devoted to online search.
- - -
Definitely hi-def: Several media and electronics companies said they are developing technology guidelines that could make it easier for people to enjoy high-definition television programing throughout their home-entertainment systems.
The guidelines would allow people to transfer high-definition TV and movies, audio and other entertainment between their television sets, computers and other gadgets without the hassle of multiple connecting wires and remote controls, the High-Definition Audio-Video Network Alliance said.
The group's founders include Samsung and General Electric's (GE) NBC Universal television networks.
One of the group's goals is to let people simultaneously watch, pause and record up to five video channels on high-definition televisions. It also is developing a way to let people use a single remote to control all entertainment devices on a home network.
- - -
Moogle: Online search engine leader Google will begin giving some musical artists the star treatment by spotlighting links to their songs, lyrics and other related material at the top of the results page.
The music section is similar in concept and placement to other special sections Google has created to make it easier to find information about airline flights, express freight shipments, news stories, movies and weather.
Among other things, Google's music section will provide lists of all the songs recorded on a specific album and also will point to places where the music can be legally downloaded. Google is working with several online libraries to make sure its song list remains up to date.
Unlike Yahoo (YHOO), Google has no plans to create a music library of its own. Google also won't collect a referral fee if its visitors click on the new music section and go on to buy songs from one of the linked libraries.
- - -
Of course: Wireless e-mail firm Visto said it filed a lawsuit against Microsoft for infringing Visto patents for technology that support e-mail on mobile devices.
Privately held Visto said it is seeking a permanent injunction to stop Microsoft (MSFT) from "misappropriating" technology from Visto and its co-founder developed nearly 10 years ago.
The suit comes as Visto's biggest rival, Research In Motion (RIMM), faces a possible shut-down of its Blackberry mobile e-mail service after patent holding company NTP won an infringement ruling against RIM.
Visto said it signed a licensing agreement with NTP, which already licenses to Good Technology, another rival, and Nokia.
- - -
Compiled by Keith Axline. AP and Reuters contributed to this report.
