TechWeb - IBM said it's Microelectronics Division was recognized for more than four decades of innovation in semiconductor technology, including significant breakthroughs such as the development of multicore-processor integration, DRAM, the use of copper on-chip wiring, silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology and high-speed silicon germanium chips.

TechWeb - Company claims new version will let IT departments easily and securely deploy, customize and manage Windows Desktop Search across corporate networks.

TechWeb - The software comes after years of complaints over how hard it can be to locate Microsoft Word documents, sort through long e-mail lists, and find other types of data.

TechWeb - Japan's Access says it has completed its acquisition of Palm OS developer PalmSource and that the company is now a wholly-owned subsidiary.

Reuters - eBay Inc. will set up its Asian headquarters in South Korea, its fourth-largest market, from January to spearhead a drive into its fastest-growing region, executives said on Wednesday.

Reuters - Intel said on Wednesday it aimed to reach a double-digit share in the market for chips used in mobile phones within the coming years.

Reuters - Yahoo Inc., the world's largest Internet media company, on Wednesday said it plans to unveil a deal to distribute media, gadgets, and political gossip Web logs from Gawker Media.

Reuters - Music publisher Sony BMG (6758.T), yielding to consumer concern, said on Wednesday it was recalling music CDs containing copy-protection software that acts like virus software and hides deep inside a computer.

AFP - Microsoft still favours Toshiba in a battle over formats of next generation DVDs despite growing Hollywood support for Sony's rival technology, the US software giant's chief executive said.

PC World - This month we look at sleek new cell phones, cameras that print wirelessly, and new battery technology.

Ziff Davis - AMD aims to use quad-core processors as one way to keep headed toward its goals of growing and snatching market share from Intel, its larger rival.

USATODAY.com - When Microsoft's Xbox 360 goes on sale Tuesday, hard-core gamers and early adopters will all but ensure midnight sales, long lines and sellouts. But for the rest of us, the key question remains: Will 360's advances represent a whole new game or just a hop up to the next level? The answer is yet to come.

USATODAY.com - Sony BMG's move late Monday to recall nearly 5 million of its controversial copy-protected CDs did little to quiet backlash. The CDs are vulnerable to computer viruses. USA TODAY's Jefferson Graham answers some of the many consumer questions that have arisen about the discs.

Reuters - Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said on Wednesday he expects successful launches of the Xbox 360 game console in the United States, Europe and even in Japan -- the stronghold of its archrival Sony Corp.'s (6758.T) blockbuster machine PlayStation.

AFP - UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and mainly African and Latin American government leaders began a summit here to try to make the Internet and modern telecoms "bridges for a better life" in poor countries.

Reuters - Oracle Corp. said on Wednesday it acquired two privately held companies for an undisclosed sum that it said will bolster its offerings in the fast-growing security software market.

MacCentral - Apple’s iPod nano and Difusi’s nanoValet leather case will be among the trendy gifts given to the presenters and nominees at the 33rd Annual American Music Awards, the group responsible for the gift bags confirmed for MacCentral.

USATODAY.com - The hot moves of the Argentine Tango not only keep the aging body in shape, they also may help sharpen the aging brain, according to a study out Tuesday.

Reuters - The United States will keep control of the domain-name system that guides online traffic under an agreement on Wednesday seen as a setback to efforts to internationalize one of the pillars of the Internet.

Reuters - Growth in worldwide sales of semiconductors will accelerate over the next three years, driven by an explosion of consumer gadgetry and strong demand in developing countries, a U.S. trade group said on Wednesday.

Reuters - Video game publisher Activision Inc. said on Wednesday it set a long-term deal granting it exclusive video game rights to upcoming feature films from DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc.

AP - Nokia Corp. said Wednesday it is paying $430 million to acquire Intellisync Corp., a provider of wireless e-mail service for cellular carriers, adding to the mobile phone maker's growing arsenal of products to compete with BlackBerry.

PC World - Standards forum promotes use of Linux on phones and other mobile devices.

AP - Oracle Corp. has snapped up security-software specialists Thor Technologies Inc. and OctetString, continuing an aggressive shopping spree aimed at filling holes in its product lineup.

BOSTON (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. MSFT.O said on Wednesday it is teaming up with cable companies to make it easy for consumers to watch high-definition cable television programs through their PCs, Xbox 360 video-game consoles and other computer devices.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Deutsche Telekom AG DTEGn.DE may buy small U.S. mobile service providers as well as wireless airwaves expected to be sold in government auctions as it plans to invest to beef up the network of its U.S. venture T-Mobile USA, a top executive said on Wednesday.

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Anti-piracy technology companies said on Wednesday they were hopeful that within months they would sign a license deal with mobile operators and handset makers for a common digital rights management system.

TORONTO (Reuters) - Research In Motion Ltd. RIM.TO is 'very very comfortable' with a software upgrade it may deploy in a bid to work around the patents involved in its legal dispute with NTP Inc., its co-chief executive said on Wednesday.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union lawmakers will vote next week to allow details of all telephone calls and Internet use to be stored for six months to a year to combat terror and serious crime, a deputy said on Wednesday.

PC World - Chip maker execs tell plans for multicore systems, Hypertransport technology.

AFP - Sony BMG announced it was recalling millions of music CDs with a controversial copy protection software that experts said could expose personal computers to viruses and hackers.

MacCentral - Sales of retail LCD monitors increased by 70 percent year-over-year, setting an all-time record, according to market research firm Current Analysis. The growth, according to the report, was fueled by declining prices and increased promotion by LCD manufacturers.

PC World - Two weeks on, spyware-style copy protection's flaws prove too much for the market.

The Motley Fool - Even though George Soros is 75 years old, he's still in the game. This legendary hedge fund manager and multibillionaire is making a big bet on technology, having invested (according to a recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission) more than $2 billion in companies such as Intel (Nasdaq: INTC - News), Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN - News), IBM (NYSE: IBM - News), eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY - News), Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT - News), and Apple Computer (Nasdaq: AAPL - News).

Reuters - Far from being the TV doomsday machines that some have predicted, digital video recorders that allow viewers to skip advertising and watch shows at their leisure will actually boost television audiences, the major networks said on Wednesday.

AP - Despite a late-night agreement averting a global showdown over continued U.S. control of the Internet's addressing system, many delegates to a U.N. technology summit did not believe the Americans emerged victorious.

Reuters - Leading U.S. technology companies, including AOL and Yahoo Inc., unveiled on Wednesday a plan to certify software that tracks Web use and generates online pop-up advertisements, in an attempt to cut down on unwanted spyware and adware.

Reuters - Mobile giant Nokia will buy wireless messaging and e-mail management firm Intellisync to boost its position in the corporate mobile e-mail market, it said on Wednesday.

The Motley Fool - The growth in popularity of consumer electronic products like Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL - News) iPod, MP3 players, and digital cameras was initially a benefit to makers of small hard disk drives like Maxtor (NYSE: MXO - News) and Seagate (NYSE: STX - News), two leading drive manufacturers.

AP - Applied Materials Inc.'s profit fell 44 percent and sales dropped 46 percent in its fiscal fourth-quarter, but the world's largest maker of semiconductor-making gear said Wednesday that chip makers are beginning to invest in new equipment.

AFP - UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and a leading US IT expert Nicholas Negroponte unveiled the bright green and yellow working prototype of a 100 dollar laptop aimed at millions of schoolchildren in poor countries.

Reuters - Researchers unveiled a $100, hand-cranked laptop computer on Wednesday and said they hoped to place them in the hands of millions of schoolchildren around the globe.

NewsFactor - Most computer users on the market for a new laptop will find something to like about the Toshiba (PNK: TOSBF.BK) Tecra S3. It's a versatile machine that performs well with both multimedia and office applications. In addition to its versatility, the S3 features several new technologies that set the Tecra apart from other laptops in this price range.

NewsFactor - Is your company in violation of its software-license agreements? If so, you are certainly not alone. According to a recent global software piracy study conducted by the Business Software Alliance (BSA), in 2004 more than $59 billion was spent on commercial, packaged PC software, yet over $90 billion worth of software was actually installed, meaning that more than one-third of all software in use on PCs worldwide is pirated. That is an awful lot of money lost at the expense of software providers. Beware ... they are fighting back.

Ziff Davis - Microsoft said it is teaming up with cable companies to make it easy for consumers to watch high-definition cable television programs through their PCs, Xbox 360 video-game consoles and other computer devices.

Reuters - The Internet has given rise to profitable companies such as Yahoo Inc., Google Inc., eBay Inc. and others, but the industry is still in the early days and will be further fueled as even faster Internet access proliferates through the United States and other countries, executives said on Wednesday.

AP - Expanding its arsenal to compete with BlackBerry, Nokia Corp. is paying $430 million to acquire Intellisync Corp., a provider of wireless e-mail and data services that first made its name with software to synchronize Palm handhelds with computers.

AP - Salesforce.com Inc.'s third-quarter profit increased sixfold as the online pioneer continued to sign up thousands of new subscribers to its service for leasing software applications.

NewsFactor - Customer-relationship management (CRM) software and services once were thought to be the domain of large enterprises, connecting thousands of sales reps and branch offices to tens of thousands of customers.

AP - Nintendo Co. has become the latest console maker to promise parents the means to help restrict their children's access to violent video games.

PC World - Panasonic ships rugged ultralight notebooks that it claims can go on airport carousels.

AP - Tunisia is able to censor Internet traffic because most Tunisians log on through a cybercafe or an Internet service provider affiliated with the government, according to a study released in conjunction with a U.N. technology summit there.

AP - Wireless technology capable of letting Internet users surf the Web at speeds almost as fast as wired connections, even while moving about, was among innovations exhibited this week at an Asia-Pacific summit.

AP - Sony Corp. on Wednesday announced a free Internet-based phone service similar to the popular computer-to-computer calling provided by Skype, but with an emphasis on video conferencing.

InfoWorld - Offering flexibility in business rules implementation, webMethods this week is announcing plans to include an embedded rules engine in it its Fabric business integration software suite.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp.MSFT.O on Wednesday said it was unveiling a test version of its next-generation Office suite, which the software giant is expected to launch in the second half of next year.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Blu-ray Disc group, which aims to set the standard for next-generation DVDs, on Wednesday said it would not adopt a proposal from Hewlett-Packard Co. by the launch of the technology, leading the PC maker to say it may back a rival in the looming multibillion dollar war.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Motorola Inc. MOT.N expects next year to introduce new versions of its music-player Rokr phone, a top executive said on Wednesday.

Investor's Business Daily - So said the Semiconductor Industry Association on Wednesday, when the trade group gave its annual forecast for worldwide chip sales.

Investor's Business Daily - Cingular Wireless and Motorola Thursday are expected to unveil an always-on data service that will send scrolling text and images to the bottom of cell phone screens.

AFP - A state-funded research team of South Korean scientists has developed the world's thinnest metallic wire for semiconductor chips, the science and technology ministry said.

Reuters - As the market for TV series repackaged on DVD becomes a bigger and bigger chunk of the overall home video business -- it's now at 25%, or about $4 billion a year in consumer spending -- studios are upping the ante in packaging and marketing as well.