Tuesday Tech News

All the nerds that's fit to print. I'm back on Call for Help - tonight at 6p Eastern/3p Pacific. The Curies isolated radium on this day in 1902. Warner Bros. announced a process to add sound to movies in 1926.

1. Microsoft says it's "pleased" to settle yet another lawsuit. The class-action suit in Minnesota accused the company of using its monopoly to overcharge a million Minnesotans. Terms of the settlement are still being worked out.
2. The FTC conducted a spyware workshop yesterday, but one commissioner has already made up her mind. Mozelle Thompson says it's not time for Congress to outlaw spyware, she prefers educational initiatives instead. Just wait until her browser is hijacked.
3. No amnesty for you. The Recording Industry Association of America has dropped its amnesty program in response to a lawsuit that said the program was misleading. In return for deleting your stolen music, the RIAA promised immunity - something it couldn't offer. Only 1,100 folks had signed up for the program anyway.
4. Apple speedbumped its notebooks yesterday. The 17 inch now tops out at 1.5 Ghz. Even iBooks are 1 Ghz now. And the low-end machines are getting faster graphics cards, too.