Daily Marauder

TECHNOLOGY

Despite being on a six-month, health-related leave of absence, Apple CEO Steve Jobs remains intensely involved in the company’s strategic decisions, Apple board members told investors Wednesday at their annual meeting. The company also said that Jobs would return to work, as planned, in June. ClipSyndicate/Bloomberg (2/25) , The Wall Street Journal (2/26) , The New York Times (2/25)

Steve Jobs

Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo said Wednesday that the company was “very actively” looking at entering the laptop-computer business, the first time he has officially commented on the phone maker’s long-rumored ambitions. “We don’t have to look even for five years from now to see that what we know as a mobile phone and what we know as a PC are in many ways converging,” Kallasvuo said. Reuters (2/25)

Sony Electronics announced a deal with RealD to develop 3D digital cinema systems that combine a single Sony 4K projector and its new 3D dual lens adapter with RealD’s 3D technology. (Cynopsis 2/26)

After a year of trying to work out their differences without success, Microsoft has announced that it is suing GPS maker TomTom for patent infringement. The case, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington and with the International Trade Commission, involves “innovations in car navigation technology and other computing functionality,” according to Microsoft’s Horacio Gutierrez. PC Magazine (2/25) , Computerworld/IDG News Service (2/25)

Celeno Communications, an Israeli company with backing from Cisco, said it was field-testing in-home Wi-Fi networks that can deliver multiple HDTV streams to a home. The system, expected to be ready for market this summer, would allow viewers to stream video from personal computers to TVs and other electronics devices. Telephony Online (2/25)

Panasonic, Philips, Sony and other Blu-ray disc patent holders are developing a streamlined licensing program for Blu-ray disc, CDs and DVDs. The resulting single license is expected to be offered by midyear. CNET (2/25) , TWICE (2/25)

Panasonic has introduced 10 home-cinema systems that give customers the chance to choose from wireless, Blu-ray or regular DVD platforms. The units also have been developed with energy- and space-efficiency in mind: They use about 20% less electricity than the 2008 models and have been built with fewer parts to allow for more compact designs. Pocket-lint.co.uk (2/25)