Froyo joins Google’s delectable mobile OS offering
 
As expected, Google has unveiled Android 2.2 codenamed Froyo (short for frozen yoghurt) at its I/O developer conference. The seventh Android platform release boasts performance improvements of between 2-5 times that of Android 2.1. It also sports improved Microsoft Exchange integration and capabilities, native flash support (Adobe Flash Player 10.1), a faster browser and Wi-Fi tethering.
 
MWEB launches its own Wireless Network
 
MWEB announced the launch Uncapped Wireless in Johannesburg and Cape Town, which is self-provisioned wireless network suited for SMEs as an alternative to uncapped ADSL. The company has already constructed base stations that cover Sandton, Boksburg, Isando (Kempton Park) and Midrand in Johannesburg and N1 City and the Cape Town CBD in Cape Town. There are three options to choose from, 512 kbps (R1 299), 1024 kbps (R1 999) and 4096 kbps (R2 795) with a once-off installation fee of R1 710. “All offerings are uncapped and unshaped for a fixed monthly fee, which includes the cost of the router and wireless hardware needed,” said Bernard Kur, head of product management and development at MWEB Business. “The fixed fee will allow businesses to budget accurately, with no need to buy boosters during the month.”
 
Facebook and YouTube banned in Pakistan
 
Pakistan has banned access to both Facebook and YouTube after a group was started on the former, calling on people to draw the Prophet Mohammed. According to the Washington Post, the ban was then extended to include YouTube, because of the “growing sacrilegious content” on the video-sharing site. Monitors from the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) discovered that references to the “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day!” Facebook page were growing on a daily basis on YouTube. The overwhelming majority of Pakistan’s population is Muslim and a great many of them regard any depiction of Muhammad as blasphemous. “We are an Islamic republic, so we are monitoring the Muslim content,” said PTA spokesman, Khurran Mehran.
 
EU fines Samsung and others for price fixing
 
The European Union (EU) slapped substantial fines (totalling over €331 million, just under R3.3 billion) on nine semiconductor manufacturers on Wednesday, because of price fixing. According to TechSpot, Samsung received the largest penalty of €145.7 million (approx. R1.45 billion), with Infineon coming in second with a fee of €56.7 million (about R560 million). The others companies that got fined are Hitachi, Mitsubishi, NEC, Toshiba, Elpida, Hynix, and Nanya. Micron was also part of the cartel, but didn’t receive a fine as the company was the whistle blower who exposed the cartel. 
 
Apple sells 1 in 4 digital music tracks in the US
 
Cupertino was responsible for over a quarter of all digital music sales in the US last year. According to a report by Billboard, Apple’s iTunes store, which replaced Wal-Mart as the biggest music retailer in the States in 2008, saw its share of the music market increase from 21.4% in 2008 to 26.7% in 2009.

Pic: Android Developers