News For Friday Sep 5, 2008 News For Friday Sep 5, 2008

Science & Technology Science & Technology

Report: Samsung working to acquire SanDisk - Added 39 minutes ago

Samsung Electronics Co. is pursuing an acquisition of U.S. computer memory card maker SanDisk Corp., a South Korean online business newspaper reported Friday. Both Samsung and SanDisk neither confirmed nor denied the...

Nokia warns 3Q market share will fall; shares dive - Added 45 minutes ago

Nokia Corp. warned Friday its third-quarter global market share will decline from second-quarter levels, sending its U.S. shares tumbling more than 10 percent. In July the company, the world's top cell phone maker, had...

National Semi earnings down on tax rate - Added 1 hour ago

National Semiconductor Corp., which makes chips that regulate power and perform other functions in gadgets, reported Friday its first-quarter profit fell 7 percent from a year ago due to a higher tax rate. The company...

Russia's MTS to sell Apple iPhone - Added 1 hour ago

Russia's number one cell operator MTS said Friday it has signed a deal with Apple Inc. to sell the iPhone in Russia. MTS, which becomes the last of the country's "big three" providers to announce a distribution...

ESA spacecraft set for flyby of Steins asteroid - Added 5 hours ago

Scientists at the European Space Agency are preparing for the first fly-by of an asteroid by their deep-space explorer, Rosetta, on a mission to solve the mystery of the birth of the solar system. Rosetta is set to...

Asian soot, smog may boost global warming in US - Added 13 hours ago

Smog, soot and other particles like the kind often seen hanging over Beijing add to global warming and may raise summer temperatures in the American heartland by three degrees in about 50 years, says a new federal...

Sinking Yahoo: Shares drop to nearly 5-year low - Added 15 hours ago

Yahoo Inc.'s stock sank to its lowest level in nearly five years Thursday, magnifying the challenge facing the Internet company as its management tries to justify their rebuff of Microsoft Corp.'s $47.5 billion takeover...

SeaChange expects 2009 revenue to climb 10 percent - Added 17 hours ago

SeaChange International Inc. said it expects to be profitable in the second half of its fiscal 2009 year and predicts revenue for the year will be about 10 percent above fiscal 2008 levels. SeaChange International late...

SeaChange's 2Q beats Wall Street views by 2c - Added 17 hours ago

SeaChange International Inc. reported fiscal 2009 second-quarter results that beat Wall Street's estimates late Thursday. The Acton, Mass., company which makes software and hardware for video-on-demand television...

Ciena stock plunges on lackluster outlook - Added 17 hours ago

Ciena Corp.'s market value crumbled by nearly 25 percent Thursday after the telecommunications and network equipment maker forecast a lackluster finish to its fiscal year. The Linthicum, Md.-based company's shares...

Sony recalls laptops for possible overheating - Added 18 hours ago

Sony Corp. is recalling 440,000 Vaio laptop computers worldwide because of a wiring flaw that could cause overheating. Sony said Thursday the recall involves 19 models in the Vaio TZ series manufactured between May...

Review: Google Chrome lacks polish under the hood - Added 18 hours ago

Google Inc.'s new Web browser, called Chrome, does much of what a browser needs to do these days: It presents a sleek appearance, groups pages into easy-to-manage "tabs" and offers several ways for people to control...

NASA moves space shuttle Atlantis to launch pad - Added 20 hours ago

NASA moved shuttle Atlantis to the launch pad on Thursday for a flight next month to the Hubble Space Telescope after being waylaid by a pair of tropical storms. Atlantis is supposed to blast off on NASA's final visit...

Facebook to test New Jersey's Web safety icon - Added 1 day ago

The popular social networking Web site Facebook has agreed to test replacing its own link for reporting abuse with a bigger one developed by the New Jersey Attorney General's Office. Under the agreement announced...

Cablevision completes first phase of WiFi buildout - Added 1 day ago

Cablevision Systems Corp. said Thursday it has finished the first phase of its wireless network buildout in New York and remains on track to complete the project in two years. The diversified cable operator is offering...

New home door locks can be controlled online - Added 1 day ago

What if locking the front door of your home while you're away were as easy as hopping on the Internet? At the CEDIA Expo in Denver this week, Ingersoll-Rand Co.'s Schlage unit is showing off door locks that can be...

Internet traffic grows 53 percent from mid-2007 - Added 1 day ago

International Internet traffic kept growing in the last year, but at a slower rate than before, and carriers more than kept pace by adding more capacity, a research firm said Wednesday. The findings by TeleGeography...

Review: Google Chrome lacks polish under the hood - Added 1 day ago

Google Inc.'s new Web browser, called Chrome, does much of what a browser needs to do these days: It presents a sleek appearance, groups pages into easy-to-manage "tabs" and offers several ways for people to control...

AT&T wireless data network goes out in East - Added 1 day ago

AT&T Inc.'s wireless data network was down Wednesday morning in parts of the eastern U.S., according to user reports and the company. AT&T spokesman Michael Coe said access was restored just before noon Eastern...

New music site gives fans a cut of tune sales - Added 2 days ago

Being a trendsetter can be pricey. As any fashionista or gadget hound knows, the latest frocks and tech toys don't pay for themselves. But a new Web site is trying to make it profitable for music lovers to stay ahead of...

CEO of embattled Web-tracking firm NebuAd leaves - Added 2 days ago

The chief executive of NebuAd Inc., whose Web tracking technology raised a privacy backlash, has left the company to be chief financial officer at Verifone Holdings Inc., a maker of payment processing equipment. ...

Summary Box: Review finds Chrome lacking polish - Added 2 days ago

GOOGLE'S BROWSER: Chrome has the right bells and whistles and a few cosmetic enhancements over its main rivals, Firefox and Internet Explorer. But under the hood its performance fell a bit short in initial tests. ...

Google polishes product line with Chrome browser - Added 2 days ago

The new Web browser that Google Inc. released Tuesday is designed to expand its huge lead in the Internet search market and reduce Microsoft Corp.'s imprint on personal computers. The free browser, called "Chrome," is...

Deal reached to help Kootenai sturgeon spawn - Added 2 days ago

The government and environmentalists have reached an agreement to help the endangered Kootenai River white sturgeon spawn for the first time since the 1970s, the parties say. The deal will end six years of litigation...

New eBay site has social, environmental aim - Added 2 days ago

Most consumers probably associate eBay Inc. more with vintage lunch boxes and low-priced electronics than with laptop bags made from recycled plastic by women in New Delhi. The online auction operator is trying to...

Review: Google Chrome lacks polish under the hood - Added 2 days ago

Google Inc.'s new Web browser, called Chrome, does much of what a browser needs to do these days: It presents a sleek appearance, groups pages into easy-to-manage "tabs" and offers several ways for people to control...

Google polishes product line with Chrome browser - Added 2 days ago

The new Web browser that Google Inc. released Tuesday is designed to expand its huge lead in the Internet search market and reduce Microsoft Corp.'s imprint on personal computers. The free browser, called "Chrome," is...

Gustav brings down cell, Internet service - Added 2 days ago

Power outages caused by Hurricane Gustav brought down cellular and Internet service in parts of Louisiana, but its impact was much milder than that of Katrina. AT&T Inc., the main landline phone company in the...

VMware EVP of R&D goes back to Oracle - Added 2 days ago

Software company VMware Inc. said Tuesday that its executive vice president of research and development, Richard Sarwal, has resigned. Sarwal is returning to Oracle Corp., which he left in December to join VMware. ...

Russia's MegaFon to sell iPhone - Added 3 days ago

MegaFon, Russia's third-largest mobile phone company, said Tuesday it will start selling Apple's iPhone 3G in Russia later this year. MegaFon did not provide further details of the deal. iPhones have not gone on sale...

Sony unveils improved PlayStation Portable - Added 3 days ago

Sales are improving in Japan for Sony Corp.'s PlayStation Portable handheld video game machine, and a beefed up version with a clearer display is expected to add momentum, a senior executive said Tuesday. The portable...

Ad targeting based on ISP tracking now in doubt - Added 4 days ago

It sounded like a winning proposition _ free money _ for Internet access providers. By tracking their subscribers' personal Web surfing habits, they could help deliver ads targeted to the consumers' interests, and claim...

UN chief: Next US president must lead on climate - Added 4 days ago

The next U.S. president must show greater leadership than previous administrations in tackling climate change, the head of the United Nations said Sunday. "All the countries in the international community are looking...

6 Internet providers disclose Web tracking for ads - Added 4 days ago

The nation's largest Internet service providers all say they haven't partnered with Silicon Valley startup NebuAd Inc. to monitor Web surfing and deliver targeted advertising to their subscribers. Here is a look at six...

Phone companies prepare backup plans for Gustav - Added 6 days ago

The hurricane bearing down on the Gulf Coast could be a test for the country's wireless carriers, which faced criticism and a regulatory push after Hurricane Katrina took out networks. Sprint Nextel Corp. spokeswoman...

Soft economy speeds newspaper decline, job cuts - Added 6 days ago

The newspaper industry's downward spiral is accelerating as the weak U.S. economy depresses already-tumbling advertising revenue and forces more rounds of job cuts and other trims. The developments of recent weeks come...

FAA outage reveals odd computing practices - Added 6 days ago

When a computer glitch at a Federal Aviation Administration center caused widespread airline delays this week, it served as a reminder that the U.S. flight system is waiting for a modernizing overhaul. But it also...

Gustav headed for current that fuels big storms - Added 6 days ago

The difference between a monster and a wimp for Gulf of Mexico hurricanes often comes down to a small patch of warm deep water that's easy to miss. It's called the Loop Current, and hurricane trackers say Gustav is...

GM to offer radios with ports for music players - Added 6 days ago

General Motors Corp. says it will offer optional radios with USB ports for personal music players on some of its 2009 models. The new radios will allow customers to play music from iPods or MP3 players while charging...

Tips for staying connected in disasters - Added 6 days ago

Tips on how to keep your communications alive in a disaster such as a hurricane: _ Keep your cell phones charged. Buy extra batteries if you can, and remember to charge them. _ A car adapter will let you recharge from...

Dell 2Q profit drops 17 percent and stock plunges - Added 1 week ago

Slashing computer prices helped Dell Inc. boost sales in its fiscal second quarter, but the No. 2 PC maker's bottom line took a hit when efforts to cut costs failed to make up the difference. Investors punished the...

Comcast to make monthly Internet use cap official - Added 1 week ago

Comcast Corp., the nation's second-largest Internet service provider, Thursday said it would set an official limit on the amount of data subscribers can download and upload each month. On Oct. 1, the cable company will...

Microsoft to buy Web-comparison shopping sites - Added 1 week ago

Microsoft Corp. is buying a Munich, Germany-based Web comparison shopping site and its parent company for about $486 million in cash. The Redmond, Wash.-based software maker says the acquisition of Greenfield Online...

Comcast to make monthly Internet use cap official - Added 1 week ago

Comcast Corp., the nation's second-largest Internet service provider, Thursday said it would set an official limit on the amount of data subscribers can download and upload each month. On Oct. 1, the cable company will...

Lifestyles of Brazil's ancient urbanites revealed - Added 1 week ago

Roads and canals connected walled cities and villages. The communities were laid out around central plazas. Nearby, smaller settlements focused on agriculture and fish farming. The place: the now-overgrown jungles of...

Summary Box: iPhone woes likely won't dent Apple - Added 1 week ago

WHAT'S WRONG: 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...

Even critics give Apple a pass on iPhone 3G woes - Added 1 week ago

First an iPhone price cut left early buyers feeling foolish, and then came reports that some iPods were spitting sparks. Now the new iPhone 3G has been marred by bugs, spotty service, disappearing programs for the...

Sector Snap: Chinese online gaming stocks - Added 1 week ago

Chinese online gaming stocks traded lower Thursday after Giant Interactive Group Inc. reported second-quarter profit that met Wall Street views but was downgraded by one analyst after failing to issue third-quarter...

Reborn retail site fires salvo in shipping war - Added 1 week ago

With gas prices high and consumers stretching shopping dollars, competition is heating up online for deals _ and a discount retail site hopes to fan the flames by shipping orders for $1.95. Chicago-based Enable...

China Telecom says profit slips 8 percent - Added 1 week ago

China Telecom Ltd. said Thursday its first-half earnings slipped 8 percent as revenues for fixed-line voice service shrank and warned it faces pressure on profits as Beijing carries out a planned restructuring of its...