north america

It seems crime does pay, but only if enough people partake in the illegal act. It is believed that an estimated 95 per cent of all copies of MS Office used in China come from an illegal source. In order to stabilize the piracy pandemic in China, ... Microsoft has slashed the price of their MS Office Suite to just $29. While the company would not admit to condoning acts of criminal behavior outright, this is exactly the message they are sending to the rest of the world. Some critics suggest that the reduced price is a reward for years of illegal activity. (Source: idg.no ) Price a Determining ... (view more)

A new kind of discount mobile phone will soon be hitting convenience store shelves throughout France, and their brand name resonates with many of us living in North America. It just isn't your typical cell phone company. Bic, the makers of ballpoint ... pens, cigarette lighters and disposable razors are introducing the first batch of ready-to-use cell phones. For €49 ($75 USD) Bic will supply the hardware, phone number and one hour of calls. Consumers simply purchase the package, open it and are ready to dial. (Source: springwise.com ) When you enter a convenience store in France, you might ...<a href="/news/3736/bic-introduces-ready-use-mobile-phones" class="more-link">view more

Although cynics have been speculating for over a year now that the Sony Playstation 3 (PS3) console would fail to make its desired November 2006 launch, recent events have cemented those suspicions. The powerful system is facing a host of problems ... just two months before it is set to launch in North America and Japan, including a reported shortage of units. Perhaps most revealing of Sony's woes is the recent announcement that the PS3 will officially miss its European launch period, and will not ship there until March, 2007. The Sony Playstation 3 is the most anticipated tech product this fall ... (view more)