Microsoft has predictably dismissed Red Hat's offer of interoperability collaboration sans patent pledge. Red Hat says interoperability can be built on unencumbered open standards, but Microsoft says it won't build bridges without toll booths when dealing with open source.

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(InfoWorld) - Hackers may successfully unlock an iPhone in as soon as three to seven days, according to a representative of one effort that aims to unlock Apple's new handset.

"We believe it will be easy. We are privately aware many of the iPhone engineers came from other handset manufacturers, and we understand their design techniques fairly well," said gj, speaking in an interview conducted using IRC (Internet Relay Chat). He requested that his real name not be used.

"Easy to us means inside one week," he said, offering an estimate of three to seven days.

Unlocking the iPhone means users will be able to use the handset with other service providers, not just AT&T, which has an exclusive deal to sell the phone in the U.S.

By Tuesday night, U.S. time, hackers succeeded in cracking the iPhone's activation process, a minor step towards unlocking the iPhone but a significant technical challenge.

The activation process uses a software token that is sent from the phone via iTunes to Apple, which signs the token and returns it to the phone. When that process is completed, iTunes tells the phone to activate.

Hackers developed tools for both Windows and MacOS that allow users to activate their phones without iTunes. But users will have to use a token from an activated iPhone, which can be used to activate multiple phones. The hackers are not providing a token with the tools.

"If you don't have a known token (which does contain identifying information) you won't be able to use the tool," gj said.

At least one other hacker found a way to activate the iPhone without using iTunes. Jon Lech Johansen -- better known as DVD Jon, a hacker who helped develop the DeCSS tool for decrypting DVDs -- released a tool that can activate the iPhone without iTunes on his blog.

"The iPhone does not have phone capability, but the iPod and Wi-Fi work," Johansen wrote.

Cracking the activation process brings hackers one step closer to their goal of unlocking the iPhone. The phone requires iTunes to activate functions such as its camera and music player. But the process also requires signing up for a two-year data plan with AT&T.

"Activating the phone really just makes the device more 'usable' for those who want to use it as a Wi-Fi device, for instance," gj said.

With the activation process cracked hackers turned their focus to unlocking the iPhone, a challenge that is expected to be easier than cracking the activation process.

"Unlocking is a function of the radio and the radio's interaction with the SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) logic, and these are mostly standards based," gj said.

A rumored software update for the iPhone, expected to be released on July 5, could undo some of the progress hackers made towards unlocking the phone. "If Apple releases an update on July 5th that includes 'fixes' for our efforts so far, it will be a setback," gj said. "I don't know if it will be a permanent one."

Hackers working together to unlock the iPhone don't belong to a specific group, and don't plan to claim credit for their work, gj said. "We just want to see the hardware freed. We accept that others will exploit those works but hopefully it will be a lesson to Apple," he said.

"They're such a great company, it's a real shame for them to lock everything down like this. The design is top notch," he said. "They would win far more business by setting an example for the industry."

Reuters - Spanish-owned mobile phone operator O2 has yet to sign any deal to bring iPhone mobile phones -- Apple Inc.'s latest "must-have" gadget -- to Britain.

German courts have confirmed that Google's fight for the G-mail trademark has been lost. 33-year old German businessman Daniel Giersch has won a case against Google, meaning that Google is not permitted to use the "Gmail" name in Germany. Giersch had registered 'G-mail' in 2000, four years before Google came out with its web mail service of the same name.

This is the second time that Google has had to give up the Gmail name - two years ago Google handed over the rights to the name in the UK. At that time Google changed the name to Google Mail, after its run-in with research firm Independent International Investment Research (IIIR) - which used the name G-mail to refer to a part of its financial analytics software.

Indeed Google is having trouble holding its own in Europe as a whole, in the Gmail battle. Again Giersch is at the center of it, as he also won in Austria and claims to own the name in Spain, Portugal and Switzerland. Meanwhile in Poland, Google's Gmail adversary is "a polish group of poets".

Back in Germany, Giersch claims he is not cyber-squatting but has actually created a business around the name G-mail. He even issued a press release comparing himself to German entrepreneurs post-second world war:

"...the 33-year-old is putting himself in the entrepreneurial tradition of the so-called "men of the first hours," who put Germany on the road to success in the post-war years. Backbone, innovation and courage are the values that are important for Giersch."

Continuing the war motif, Giersch also declares this "a legendary victory" - noting that "for many Daniels fighting "Googliaths," confidence and financial means run out in the long course of battle."

So what is G-mail, the German version?

Giersch's G-Mail is a "hybrid mail system". He claims it "is an ingenious blend of innovative and well-tried communications solutions". Well if he can build software as good as he fights court battles, then he's onto a winner.

Giersch's press release concludes by saying that that "the confirmed, unambiguous legal situation is helping Daniel Giersch and his "G-mail" name finally go full steam ahead and realise their catchy motto: "...und die Post geht richtig ab!" ("...and the post is really taking off!")"

The court victory will certainly do no harm in promoting G-Mail in Germany.