Yahoo Plans to Open Source Code for Non-core Technologies

Yahoo plans to release some technologies, including storage technologies, to the open source community, a senior executive of the company said.

These are systems that Yahoo built to help it handle large numbers of users on its websites, but that don't necessarily give it a competitive advantage, said David Chaiken, chief architect at Yahoo, in an interview in Bangalore on Friday.

In 2009, Yahoo donated its Traffic Server scalable caching proxy to the Apache Software Foundation.

A working group on open source at Yahoo is currently evaluating technologies that could qualify to be released to open source.

Disco Messenger: Google's 'Secret' Group Texting App for iPhone

Google joins an growing number of companies offering group chat capabilities via text messaging on smartphones with the release of Disco Messenger. The Disco app -- only available on the iPhone -- was created by Slide, a company Google purchased last August.

Disco is a group texting service that's also available on the Web (Google bought that too). Sign up and you're assigned a new phone number, then invited to go on a SMS rampage, texting bunches of people -- anybody at all -- whether they're on the Disco service or not. Viral marketing! Let's hope Apple fixes its notification system sooner rather than later; otherwise, this kind of awkward intrusion could get real annoying, real quick.

Remember, Disco uses your iPhone's text message plan, so if you intend to Disco 'til you drop, be sure you have a supportive carrier plan. For $20 a month you can get unlimited texts with AT&T or 5000 texts with Verizon.

Joining the ranks of GroupMe, Beluga, Fast Society, Kik, and (too) many more, Disco is a simple service that puts Google in the hottest

Identity Theft Prompts Prison Time

An identity thief who used a people search website to confirm stolen Social Security numbers has been sentenced to 16 years and seven months in prison, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

Artwork: Diego AguirreTodd Yurgin, 41, of Newark, Delaware, was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware for his role in a "massive" ID theft scheme, the DOJ said in a news release. The scheme resulted in a loss of nearly US$1 million to credit card-issuing financial institutions, the DOJ said.

Yurgin's sentence is the longest in Delaware history for fraud and ID theft, the DOJ said. Yurgin's partner in the scheme, Joseph Aughenbaugh, was sentenced to 12 years and one month in prison in November. (See also "Protect Your Privacy: Avoid Identity Theft.")

3DS Breakdown: Pricier than DSi

Grabbing a 3DS on the U.S. launch day will put around $150 directly back in Nintendo's pockets, according to one analyst.

3DS components. Photo: ifixitDavid Carey, vice president of technical intelligence for UBM TechInsights, gave Eurogamer a preliminary estimate saying the system's components cost about $101 per unit. Put in perspective, Eurogamer says that is about $15 more than the DSi.

Tom's Guide asked Nintendo to comment on the figure, but got a less than satisfying answer: "Total rumor and speculation. No comment."

Forking over two and a half Benjamins for a portable console is a tough pill to swallow, but not unheard of.

The PSP cost $249 when it launched in the U.S. in 2005, although the bundle included a memory stick, headphones, a case, and a UMD version of the Spider-Man 2 movie.

OMG! LOL: Internet Slang Added to Oxford English Dictionary

Time-saving online abbreviations like LOL, OMG, and IMHO are now part of the official English language. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED)announced the addition of several acronyms to its dictionary, adding some interesting trivia behind the origins of these Internet-associated expressions.

OED explained that although "initialisms" like OMG (Oh My God), LOL (Laughing Out Loud) and IMHO (In My Humble/Honest Opinion) are strongly associated with the language of electronic communications, their origins are surprisingly predating the Internet era.

Kodak Wins Important $1 Billion Victory Against Apple, RIM

A picture may be worth a 1000 words, but for Eastman Kodak the preview of a picture might be worth $1 billion in a patent battle against Apple and Research in Motion. The U.S. International Trade Commission on Friday agreed to review a claim that Apple and RIM devices infringe on a Kodak patent for image previewing.

In January an ITC judge sided with Apple and RIM, but Kodak is hoping the ITC will reconsider the individual judge's decision and potentially put royalty negotiations worth $1 billion back on the table.

Almost Here: The Nintendo 3DS Arrives Sunday March 27

The Nintendo 3DS is nearly here, a two-screen flip-top handheld that lets you play games in true 3D without bulky glasses or other odd-fitting headgear. Nintendo's handheld already went on sale February 26 in Japan, then on Friday March 25 in Europe, and it finally celebrates its U.S. launch this Sunday, March 27.

[ Our Nintendo 3DS Review ]

The midnight launch parties at stores nationwide should start rocking tonight at 12:00am Eastern time, followed by stores swinging their doors wide tomorrow during customary hours. Nintendo has a thing for Sunday launches, and while that's always felt a little anticlimactic to me (the day before most of us return to the grind) anyone who manages to snag a 3DS in the wee hours Sunday morning would probably attest to the upsides of having the Sunday sleep-in cushion.