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News Corp plans to launch another satellite television channel in Japan by 2011, according to a Nikkei report that cited no sources.

A News Corp spokeswoman was not immediately available.

News Corp currently operates several channels in the region, including Fox Channel, which airs dramas.

News Corp, controlled by Rupert Murdoch, is considering setting up a wholly owned subsidiary through its News Broadcasting Japan Co unit and apply for a license for one of the new channels.

Having banned from its App Store an application that turned an iPhone 3G into a wireless modem, is Apple ready to enable just such an application itself?

That’s the rumor based on an e-mail response allegedly from Apple CEO Steve Jobs to an inquiring user. The questioner forwarded the response to the Gizmodo blog, which posted the question and Jobs’ purported response.

The question: Why, since AT&T offers a plan by which users can pay an extra $30 to tether their laptops to their BlackBerry, don’t Apple and AT&T offer a similar plan for iPhone 3G users?

The response: “We agree, and are discussing it with ATT.” The message is signed “Steve” and includes the familiar tag, “Sent from my iPhone.”

E-Mail Legit?

Gizmodo thinks the response is “legitimate-looking,” but concedes “that ‘Sent from my iPhone’ kicker either makes this e-mail completely legitimate or illegitimate.” On the other hand, Wired News engaged in a little grammatical sleuthing, noting that a message, purportedly from Jobs, posted on the MacRumors site contained a similar construction.

“We are working on some bugs which affect around two percent of the iPhones shipped, and hope to have a software update soon,” the message read. Wired points out that both messages incorrectly use a comma before the “and.” (A comma is appropriate to separate independent clauses; in both cases the phrases after the comma are dependent clauses.)

“I don’t mean to draw a conclusion based on this nitpicky observation, but I just thought it’d be interesting to point out,” Wired writer Brian Chen pointed out.

AT&T Terms of Service

Any tethering application would require a change to AT&T’s terms of service. Those terms state: “Furthermore, plans (unless specifically designated for tethering usage) cannot be used for any applications that tether the device (through use of, including without limitation, connection kits, other phone/PDA-to-computer accessories, Bluetooth or any other wireless technology) to personal computers (including without limitation, laptops), or other equipment for any purpose.”

Software company Nullriver had released an application for tethering a laptop to an iPhone 3G, but it was banned from the App Store by Apple. The application was initially approved but then pulled for “technical review,” according to a note Nullriver CEO Adam Dann received from Apple.

It now appears that Apple pulled the application after AT&T complained, blogged Jason O’Grady on ZDNet. “This new iPhone tethering rumor confirms that Apple pulled NetShare from the App Store at the behest of AT&T who [sic] is trying to protect a huge potential revenue stream,” O’Grady said.

He added this request of Jobs: “Don’t insult us by requiring the stupid, proprietary and expensive dock cable to tether. Tethering should be available via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.”

Google will house its Android marketplace on an open content distribution system similar in style to YouTube, and the first Android phone will include access to a beta version of Android Market, the search engine giant said Thursday.

“Developers can expect the first handsets to be enabled with a beta version of Android Market,” Google’s Eric Chu wrote in a blog post. “Some decisions are still being made, but at a minimum you can expect support for free (unpaid) applications.”

Soon after the release, an update will provide support for the download of paid content and additional features like versioning, multiple device profile support, and analytics, Chu wrote.

Android Market will feedback and rating systems similar to YouTube, he said.

“Similar to YouTube, content can debut in the marketplace after only three simple steps: register as a merchant, upload and describe your content and publish it,” according to Chu. “We also intend to provide developers with a useful dashboard and analytics to help drive their business and ultimately improve their offerings.”

Google opted to name the offering a market instead of a store “because we feel that developers should have an open and unobstructed environment to make their content available,” Chu wrote. “The concept is simple: leverage Google’s expertise in infrastructure, search and relevance to connect users with content created by developers like you.”

Earlier this week, Google announced that it will cut Bluetooth implementation and Google Talk from the upcoming Android mobile-phone OS, several days after it released version 0.9 of the mobile OS to developers.

Android made its public debut at February’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The first phones running on the system are expected later this year.

The new iPhone 3G has been marred by bugs, spotty service and other oddities.

WHY IT MATTERS: Apple Inc. has had many missteps before, but it enjoys a reputation for well-designed, sleek products that come at premium prices.

LIKELY UPSHOT: Marketing experts say the good will Apple enjoys means that Apple’s fans tend to play down negative information, and the company’s brand will likely stay untarnished.

The iPhone took hits on two fronts Wednesday as Orange — an iPhone 3G carrier in France — admitted to limiting 3G bandwidth for its customers, and a security flaw was discovered in the iPhone that enables unauthorized users to access private data on the phone when it is supposedly locked.

The French Connection

When 3G-bug rumors and substandard network performance on the iPhone prompted a groundswell of irate customers last week, forums overflowed with anecdotal tales of the 3G network’s slow performance. One Internet forum began to collate users’ data speeds to get some answers. After thousands of results were in, France’s 3G carrier Orange came in consistently at the bottom of the performance heap.

Calls to the company by angry customers resulted in many of those consumers receiving special treatment by tech-savvy support folks, who upped their bandwidth. After online petitions and more calls to the company, Orange officials reluctantly admitted they had been throttling iPhone users to a paltry 384KB bandwidth. By comparison, neighboring German iPhone users are logging 1MB speeds, as posted in the forum.

In a statement released by Orange, the company admitted its bandwidth restrictions, and promised that it would up the speeds to 1MB by mid-September. No word on why customers have to wait that long to get full 3G service or whether they will see compensation on their bills.

The French Connection problems have fueled Internet rumors that AT&T may be rigging its 3G data speeds here in the United States, as more and more customers complain about substandard data rates.

iPhone Flaw

Reports began surfacing today that the iPhone suffers from a serious security flaw that could put users’ private data in jeopardy. Nearly all cell phones have the option of providing a lock code that prevents anyone from using the phone without first entering the code, except for 911 emergency calls. But according to “greenmymac,” a user on the MacRumors forum, the 2.0.2 version of the iPhone OS has some serious problems. His post reads in part:

“2.0.2 gives almost full access to the iPhone even while under password protection… Set iPhone to use passcode lock, have contacts marked as Favorites with links, phone numbers, addresses, etc. in address book entry. Tap ‘Emergency Call’ keypad from passcode entry screen. Double-tap home button. Tap blue arrow next to contact’s name. You now have full access to applications…”

In essence, this flaw allows unauthorized people to access virtually all your private information, including e-mail and contact info, and also gives them unfettered access to that pricey 3G data surfing on Safari. A lost iPhone could do a lot of damage in this mode.

Independent tests have confirmed the flaw. Apple did not return calls regarding the bug. A workaround suggested online is to make “Home” or “iPod” the default screens for the phone when it is powered up. Meanwhile, Apple will undoubtedly have to rush a new version of the OS to patch the security hole.

Mac clone maker Psystar plans to file its answer to Apple’s copyright infringement lawsuit Tuesday as well as a countersuit of its own, alleging that Apple engages in anticompetitive business practices.

Miami-based Psystar, owned by Rudy Pedraza, will sue Apple under two federal laws designed to discourage monopolies and cartels, the Sherman Antitrust Act and the Clayton Antitrust Act, saying Apple’s tying of the Mac OS to Apple-labeled hardware is “an anticompetitive restrain of trade,” according to attorney Colby Springer of antitrust specialists Carr & Ferrell. Psystar is requesting that the court find Apple’s EULA void, and is asking for unspecified damages.

Springer said his firm has not filed any suits with the Federal Trade Commission or any other government agencies.

The answer and countersuit will be filed Tuesday afternoon in U.S. District Court for Northern California.

Pedraza attended a press conference his lawyers called to present how Psystar will defend its its OpenComputer Mac clone, which has been for sale online since April.

Psystar’s attorneys are calling Apple’s allegations of Psystar’s copyright infringement “misinformed and mischaracterized.” Psystar argues that its OpenComputer product is shipped with a fully licensed, unmodified copy of Mac OS X, and that the company has simply “leveraged open source-licensed code including Apple’s OS” to enable a PC to run the Mac operating system.

Pedraza says he wants to make Apple’s Mac OS “more accessible” by offering it on less expensive hardware than Apple.

“My goal is to provide an alternative, not to free the Mac OS,” said Pedraza. “What we want to do is to provide an alternative, an option…It’s not that people don’t want to use Mac OS, many people are open to the idea, but they’re not used to spending an exorbitant amount of money on something that is essentially generic hardware.”

Apple will have 30 days to respond to Pystar’s counter claim, and so far has declined to comment on the case.

Other legal experts say Psystar faces a tough legal challenge in proving Apple has engaged in antitrust behavior by loading its software on its own hardware and thereby allegedly harming consumers and competitors. Psystar’s ability to prevail on the issue of having the latitude to load Apple’s OS on its own hardware, given it has a licensing agreement with the company, may prove an easier road to hoe, legal experts note.

A newcomer to the PC scene, Psystar caused a stir when it first went online selling white box Macs earlier this year. The site went down hours after it opened for business because the company was overwhelmed with orders for the OpenComputer, originally called the OpenMac, which was then changed to its current name. And the site went down several more times as its payment-processing company pulled its services from the Psystar site. Psystar managed to stay shrouded in a bit of mystery for a while, until intrepid gadget blog readers joined the press in fleshing out some details about the company.

Psystar eventually got back online with a new payment-processing service, and it continues to take orders for the OpenComputer and OpenPro Computer. When Apple finally did file suit against Psystar in July, it surprised nearly no one–except perhaps Pedraza. He said he had no contact with Apple before legal papers were filed against his company. Customarily, there is some sort of communication between companies before lawsuits are filed.

For now, Pedraza says it will be “business as usual” at company headquarters. Though he said there was a “slight” downward dip in sales once Apple filed its suit, he plans to go ahead with making servers, and soon, a mobile product, which he said will be “like a notebook.” But he refused to offer more detail.