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George Hotz is the first hacker to unlock the Apple iPhone 3GS. Hotz, who was the first to jailbreak the first iPhone, released the application Purplera1n this past weekend, the first piece of software that will allow the iPhone 3GS to run on a different network. Despite reports that Purplera1n makes it incredibly easy to jailbreak the iPhone, analysts believe only a small portion of users will attempt to modify the smartphone.
The Department of Justice is officially investigating Google’s book service. The DOJ will probe Google’s settlement with publishers and authors with acute insight into antitrust issues involved. The suit will not come to court until sessions continue in September.
Warner Bros. acquired the movie rights to Midway Games properties through a bankruptcy court sale. The Hollywood studio purchased the rights to the Mortal Kombat, Spy Hunter and Joust franchises and more for approximately $33 million. The struggling Midway was unleashed by parent company Viacom last year after CEO Sumner Redstone sold his controlling share of 87%.
Many networks are planning broadcast coverage of Michael Jackson’s funeral on Tuesday. ABC, CNN and MSNBC, as well as E! Entertainment, will cover the funeral live from the Staples Center beginning 10 am Pacific time. While NBC, Fox and CBS do not have planned coverage, CNN, whose Jackson coverage has spurned a ratings burst, will show the funeral on HLN (aka Headline News) and CNN International, in addition to its main channel.
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs tied Transformers: Revenge of the Fall tied for the top spot at the box office this weekend. The 3-D animated Fox Film and Paramount’s summer blockbuster each took in $42.5 million domestically, while Ice Age grossed $148 million internationally to take the worldwide box office with a total of $215.5 million. Meanwhile, the Transformers sequel has grossed a total of $591.4 million worldwide.