And Apple remains to be on top of the fruit basket as it gets a hold of the rights to a critical digital download patent. It was meant to be historic, with the software giant playing the role of Goliath, while Vermont-based inventor David Contois plays the underdog David.

However, no action-packed battle ensued. Instead, what took place was what could be an amicable out-of-court settlement, with Contois granting Apple the rights to a software design patent he allegedly invented, and which was copied by Apple.

The patent in question originally had the concept of a desktop computer holding multiple songs with an interface that allowed a hotel guest to select three songs, and then have these choices played on an electric grand piano.

Says Michael Starkweather, lawyer and author of the 10-year old patent for Contois, the latter didn't originally show interest in having the idea patented, nor did he necessarily understand the value of his creation. The big deal with this patent is that it may very well allow Apple to "eventually be after every phone company, film maker, computer maker and video producer to pay royalties on every download of not just music but also movies and videos," posits Starkweather.

The suit was originally filed in June of 2005, with Contois pleading for a preliminary and permanent injunction, which will necessarily bar Apple from distributing its iTunes software. According to the complaint, Apple 'copied' the invention and used the design ideas in the interface for iTunes, after he exhibited the computer interface for playing music on an internal or external computer-responsive music device at the 1995 COMDEX trade show, and the 1996 NAMM music industry trade show.

In particular, the iTunes' menu selection process, transfer capabilities, and search capabilities were those that were in direct violation of Contois' patent.

But now that Apple finally has it in its possession the "billion dollar patent", it's now time to see what the next battle awaits this company, and for what.

It's 8:30 in the morning. Your desk is piled up with papers faintly resembling a metropolis sprawling with high-rise buildings. Screaming from his office, your boss reminds you that those documents need to be done before your lunch break or else it's your head. So you heave a deep sigh, pull out your trusty iPod and start getting the work done. Nothing beats an adrenaline rush from the Prodigy on a stressful day.

You go through the papers, banging your head rhythmically to "Breathe". Suddenly, the music stops. You turn your head in disbelief only to face your boss, who reminds you that you all electronic gadgets are banned in the workplace.

Welcome to the corporate world  of Canada, where 49% of local businesses ban laptops and 30% prohibit the use of  MP3 players due to the growing fear that employees might steal precious information from the company.

However, one can't say that the said policy stems from some whimsical paranoia. A survey finds that only 32% of the companies interviewed successfully prevent security breach in their respective workplaces. As such, seven out of ten executives who were interviewed are willing to try new things to prevent security breaches in their respective companies. And if banning electronical devices for the personal use of the employees will prove to be an effective measure against information theft, then most businesses will be eager to apply it in their own work areas.

So taking a break from the techno beats that pump your mood may actually play an important role in your company's welfare. Who knows, if your boss becomes really happy with the results of the "No Laptop or MP3 Player At Work" policy, he might just give everyone a raise (or maybe not just give everyone a hard time at work, eh?). But, if you really can't separate your iPod from your cubicle, maybe you might need to look for a job nowhere near Canada.

Several weeks ago a family experienced hell when their 11-year old kid's iBook burst into flames. It's not really the laptop but the battery packs that are to blame. As many as 43 laptop fires in the the US were reported in 2001 based on U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission records. No fatalities yet, however, there were severe injuries.

"A burning laptop is a burning laptop, and it can pretty much happen anywhere," said Carmi Levy, an Info-Tech research group analyst. And it did. This month in Osaka, Japan, a Dell laptop set on a table exploded in the middle of a boardroom meeting.

What's causing the battery packs to turn into fireballs? As laptops become faster and acquire more features, their batteries have to work harder. As the machines become slimmer, there's less room for ventilation. This combination increases the risk of a battery meltdown and a fire. "On an airplane, I would be very concerned about this kind of thing happening," Levy said.

Most laptop lithium ion batteries produce electricity through a chemical reaction that releases oxygen. When the oxygen reacts with one of the battery's components, it produces heat hot enough to melt the battery's membrane. That's when things turn ugly. Laptop companies have recalled more than 150,000 batteries since New Year's Day, 2005. Hewlett-Packard recalled 15,700 of them in April alone. Dell recalled 22,000 batteries in December and Apple recalled about 120,000 batteries in 2005.

Dell is looking into the matter but believes the Osaka incident was an isolated case. But George Bulat, director of hardware research at the research group IDC Canada, suggested that laptop vendors educate customers about the potential dangers.
"If you're going to be on a long-distance flight, be cognizant of the heat," he said. "If it's heating up, don't just put a pillow under it."

The best way to organize, retrieve and edit your photos on your Mac is through iPhoto 6. It boasts of an array of features like a large storage capacity of up to 250,000 photos (which means that you can snap over a thousand photos per month for the next 20 years), full screen editing (that takes advantage of your Mac's wonderfully large and bright screen), one-click effects and printing out personalized calendars, greeting cards and books, which on this update has additional greeting and postcard themes for use with Apple print services. Print services are available in the U.S., Canada, Japan and selected European countries.

You can also use your iPhoto for photocasting, so long as you have your .Mac account and a Mac OS X version 10.4.4.

Download: [iPhoto 6.0.4]

Apparently, your iPod makes you drive like Lindsay Lohan (ha, ha)! In a recent statement coming from the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), they believe that this iconic mp3 players can make you a really bad driver. With that, they're calling on every provincial government in Canada to adopt strict rules that would make it against the law for younger drivers to use MP3 players, cellphones and other portable devices while behind the wheel. I doubt if that would happen though.

According to CAA President David Flewelling, "restricting the use of electronic devices, such as cell phones, MP3 players and wireless hand-held devices, [allows drivers to] truly focus on the driving task...It is also our hope that a preventative measure like this one will create a generation of motorists who recognize the severe implications of driver distractions." Although there has not been any conclusive evidence that shows that iPods are dangerous for drivers, the same way that cellular phones are.

Some do not believe that their iPods are distractions to driving. There was one who mentioned that "since I purchased my iPod, I actually spend less time diddling the music - I build my playlists whilst at home in front of the computer; I choose my playlist before I start rolling, and I don't have to touch the damned thing again for hours. Whereas in prior days I'd be ganking the channel selector looking for a station playing less crap and chatter".

Good news for our Canadian friends, Apple Canada has slashed the prices of fifth-generation iPods, in response to changes in international currency exchange rates (perhaps the increased value of the Canadian dollar relative to the US dollar?)

The 30GB model is now CAD$349, down from its previous price of $379. The 60GB model now has a $459 price tag (was $499). The recently announced special edition U2 iPod, based on the fifth generation design also drops to $379. iPod nano and iPod shuffle pricing remains unchanged.