The rumors late last year have now proven to be true: certain businesses can now purchase Rental Rights copies of various editions of both Windows and Office. Windows and Office licenses don’t allow the software to be rented, leased or outsourced to a third person or party. Therefore, many organizations that rent/lease desktop computers are not compliant with licensing requirements. Places in violation would include businesses such as Internet cafes, hotel or airport Internet kiosks, and even stores such as Rent A Center. This is where Rental Rights comes into play. It’s a way for these types of organizations to obtain a waiver of these licensing restrictions, by purchasing a one-time license transaction… which is valid for the life of the machine.

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Earlier tonight, I ran across a press release from the FBI. As I read it, I nearly screamed out loud at my computer. In short, the release is warning computer users of the dangers of a malware infection commonly referred to as Zlob. This infection will cause popups on your desktop, warning you that you are infected, and should download such-and-such software to cure this problem. Welcome to our world, FBI folks… a tad late.

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Google. The brand built on free and open has released a phone that sells for $529 (without a contract), and is limited to “some” GSM networks. Oops! Sorry CDMA, and other GSM clients.

Where’s the disruption? Where’s the free ad-supported phone? Where’s the phone that will work on any network? Where are the aps?!

This is equivalent to Microsoft making a desktop computer. They know better, apparently Google does not. What were they thinking? It confuses customers, angers partners, and weakens the brand.

Google, I think you should have waited until next year to open this late Christmas present. Wait for truly free networks, wait until your mobile ads have proven they’re able to support a free device. Wait for something revolutionary. What do you think about the Google Phone?

In just a few hours, a new year – and a new decade – will begin. We’ve talked a lot recently about all of the advances and inventions in technology over the past ten years. Doing so leads to wondering what will be in store for us in the very near future. However, instead of trying to guess what new gadgets and gizmos we might soon see, I want to talk about what you resolve to do in tech or social media in the coming year.

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People on the go often need to rely on mobile broadband. However, it usually carries a high price – and a long-term contract. Those days are soon to be over, though. DataJack will be announcing their new plan next month at CES, one which already has Geeky travelers drooling.

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With 2009 coming to a close this week, many blogs and tech sites are taking a look back at technology over the past decade. I’ve read several of these articles, and each one of them list Cloud computing in their top three. That doesn’t surprise me in any way… computing in the Cloud is a huge development, one that makes life a lot easier for us all.

What does surprise me is the fact that none of the bloggers can agree on anything else. Sure, there have been a lot of innovative, useful gadgets released in the past ten years. And, of course, each has been important in its own right. But did nothing other than the Cloud cause an impact on the World? Was there not a single other product worthy of making everyone’s lists? I happen to think there were.

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Earlier this evening I was working on a few blog posts for my boss, minding my own business. I was in what I jokingly refer to as my zone. When I’m writing, it’s actually hard to distract me. You have to yell at me, or poke me repeatedly. I’ve gotten quite good at blocking things out when I’m writing. I’ve had to do that being a work-at-home Mom. It’s not easy to get anything done if you hear every sound coming out of your teenager’s bedroom!

As I sat there writing, my zone was shattered by the yells from my daughter. She was screaming for me to “Hurry! Help me!”. Thinking for sure something horrible had happened, I nearly killed myself getting out of my chair and into her room. I crossed the doorway to see her pointing at her laptop with a completely horrified look on her face. I look down, knowing already what I would see, and sighed heavily. You guessed it… popups… of the adult variety. Great. Just lovely!

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Finally, the browser that holds about a 25% share of the market is ready to launch their mobile version. This has been a long-anticipated announcement for some die-hard Firefox users. The developers are currently in the final testing phase, and hint that the offering may be released by the end of the year!

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Christmas. Hannukah. Yule. Kwanzaa. Festivus!

No matter what holiday you celebrate during this time of year, we would like to wish you and yours a very happy, healthy and safe holiday season. Even if you choose not to celebrate anything in particular, we still extend our warmest wishes as we look towards a new – and hopefully better for all – new year.

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Back in August, a court sided with a small Canadian company named i4i, which holds a patent from 1998. That patent deals with the way the XML language is implemented, and Microsoft was found to be in violation with its Word program. Microsoft was ordered to license the code from the i4i team, or reprogram it. Otherwise… Word would have to be removed from sale in the marketplace.

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