Hackers hit BlackBerry over UK riots

A hacker group has attacked BlackBerry's Web site after the company said it would assist police investigating riots in the UK, notes the BBC.

Team Poison defaced the official BlackBerry blog, posting a message that threatened the firm with retaliation if it handed user data to authorities.

BlackBerry's instant messaging service is believed to have been used by some looters to plan their movements.

Amazon has launched a browser-based version of its Kindle eBook application called the Kindle Cloud Reader, reports the BBC.

The software is optimised for iPad tablets, but directs customers to Amazon's own eBook store instead of using Apple's purchasing system. This avoids the 30% charge on in-app purchases levied by Apple.

The launch follows recent changes to Apple's terms that forced Amazon and others to remove direct purchasing links in their native iPad programs.

It might well be the best phone the beleaguered company unveils in 2011 - but Nokia won't be bringing its shiny new N9 to the UK, writes The Register.

“There are no plans to offer the Nokia N9 at present,” the company confirmed to a blog yesterday.

CEO Stephen Elop has reiterated that anything that detracts focus from the Windows strategy is a bad thing, and MeeGo will only be unveiled in emerging markets.

The Motorola Xoom could swiftly follow Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 device by being banned in the European Union (EU), after it emerged that Apple filed a complaint with the same German court over the design of the tablet, reports V3.co.uk.

Legal experts say the gadget could technically be seized at UK ports after Apple's successful preliminary injunction was granted by a D"usseldorf court on Tuesday, applying to all EU countries except the Netherlands.

Now patent expert Florian Mueller has discovered a passage in the Samsung complaint that mentions two other lawsuits filed by Apple, one against German vendor JAY-tech and the other against Motorola.