France unlocks iPhone
[PCW] Under a just-announced deal, the European mobile carrier Orange will be the exclusive source for the iPhone in the French market. The unlocked phone is concession to a French law that forbids companies to bundle a cell phone to a specific mobile operator.

Ballmer unveils MSFT mashup tool
[CompWorld] Ballmer told a keynote audience at the Web 2.0 Summit here that the Popfly mashup tool, first announced in May, is built with Microsoft's Silverlight rich media software and is aimed at allowing nonprogrammers to build applications without having to code. "This is designed for some of that end-user 'programmer' somebody who doesn't necessarily have to be a conehead," Ballmer noted.

Media cos, MSFT agree on copyright pact
[Reuters] Viacom Inc, Walt Disney Co, Microsoft Corp and other media companies have agreed to a set of guidelines to protect copyrights online but Google Inc, owner of the Web's biggest video site, was notably absent from the pact.

Hacked 911 call put family at risk
[Seattle PI] Someone reportedly had overdosed on cocaine at a Southern California home. Inside, the caller said, a man was dead and a woman had been shot in the face. The caller told the dispatcher he had a handgun -- and was ready to kill.

APPL could face suit over toxic report
[ABC] A consumer watchdog group is considering a lawsuit against Apple, after the release of a Greenpeace report that alleges the company's iPhone contains toxic chemicals, though some critics have labeled the study a publicity stunt.

Amazon 1-Click Patent rejected
[News.com] A panel of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has rejected most of Amazon.com's 1-Click online purchasing system patent claims because of evidence that another patent predated this one.

States to Microsoft court: Five more years!
[Newfactor] Six states and Washington D.C. formally requested that oversight of Microsoft continue until 2012 on grounds that Microsoft could gain a competitive advantage for its middleware offering, Silverlight, not based on its merits but on Microsoft's ability to control the desktop. Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly is expected to rule on November 6.