AFP - The world's biggest computer chip maker on Monday dove into the medical market with technology that lets doctors make house calls on patients without being there.

Reuters - A senior congressional Democrat on Monday accused the Bush administration of rushing to implement Internet gambling rules that have raised concerns among banks before it leaves office on January 20.

AP - Vodafone Group PLC, the world's biggest mobile phone company by sales, posted Tuesday a 35 percent fall in net profit for the first half of the financial year as consumers braced for an economic slowdown by spending less. This pushed the company to cut its full-year sales forecast.

Reuters - When Entertainment Weekly awards columnist Dave Karger argued last week that the Election Day results could help boost the best picture chances of 'The Dark Knight' and the upcoming gay-themed drama 'Milk,' it triggered a war of words among his fellow bloggers.

AFP - British mobile phone company Vodafone said on Tuesday that its net profit had slumped 35 percent in the first half of its financial year as it booked a hefty loss on the value of its Turkish business.

CNET - After Google beat analysts estimates in its October 2007 quarter, CEO Eric Schmidt had this to say:

InfoWorld - The digital Disneyland of the future -- where we freely work and play online -- may be at risk. Why? Because, some argue, broadband carriers can't support it. The Internet's 'free ride' culture has led to more people downloading gigabytes of data at practically no cost. Even if broadband infrastructure's capacity doubled or tripled, there's no avoiding the equivalent of an abrupt work stoppage.

InfoWorld - Linux is, among other things, a customizable operating system. Clever developers can craft a Linux whose kernel and packages are configured for a specific purpose, to serve as a sort of vertical-market operating system. The benefit to users is somewhat akin to walking into a hardware store. On the shelves are tools, each suited to a specific task. And it's particularly nice that all the tools are free.

Reuters - Cisco Systems Inc launched a new edge router aimed at improving Web speeds as more consumers download movies online and access the Internet with mobile phones.

Reuters - Foreign telecoms firms not currently operating in India but looking to enter the world's fastest-growing market as a third-generation (3G) services operator will have to pay more each year for spectrum.

Investor's Business Daily - In the three-and-a-half months since Apple launched its 3G iPhone, its App Store has become a gold mine for third-party software developers. By Sept. 9, the company had counted 100 million downloads from the online software store.

AP - Even as the sinking economy is making many people think about turning their vacations into 'staycations,' an online vacation rental service recently managed to raise $250 million to fund its growth.

AP - Britney Spears' youngest son has been released from the hospital after being treated for some kind of reaction.

Reuters - The first phone to be built on Google's Android operating system, which T-Mobile is selling for $179 in the United States, costs $144 for the components and materials, research firm iSuppli said.

AP - In November 2006, Sony and Microsoft went head-to-head with violent war games that, at the time, defined their respective consoles. Sony's PlayStation 3 got 'Resistance: Fall of Man,' easily the strongest of the launch titles for the brand-new system. Microsoft's Xbox 360 got 'Gears of War,' which quickly became the year-old machine's best-selling title.

NewsFactor - Apple's iPhone 3G can add another trophy to its crowded shelf. On Monday, The NPD Group reported that the popular smartphone surpassed the Motorola RAZR in the third quarter as 'the leading handset purchased by adult consumers in the U.S.'

PC Magazine - Despite the weakened economy, television sales continued to climb in the third quarter, with LCD and plasma TVs seeing the greatest gains, according to DisplaySearch.

PC Magazine - Lens maker Sigma Corp. said Tuesday that it has acquired Foveon, a three-layer high-resolution digital-camera sensor maker.

AP - Veterans of past wars have long found companionship over beer and conversation at their local veterans hall. But many of those who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan seek that companionship elsewhere — online.

NewsFactor - While the world waits to see if Microsoft will take Yahoo up on its invitation to make another acquisition bid, Redmond on Monday announced another search deal with a different rival: Sun Microsystems.

AP - Mayor William Floyd pulled up to a parking space, dialed a number into his cell phone and watched as two hours of paid time flashed on the meter in front of his car.

AP - The U.S. military, with help from Seattle startup Delve Networks, has launched a video-sharing Web site for troops, their families and supporters, a year and a half after restricting access to YouTube and other video sites.

CNET - On Tuesday an update for AVG 8 suggested that a Windows system file is a Trojan horse, and users who delete the file form the system could leave their Windows XP systems endlessly rebooting or unable to reboot at all.

AFP - HomeAway Inc., the top online vacation home rental service, announced on Tuesday that despite the current tough economic climate it has raised another 250 million dollars in venture capital funding.

AFP - British mobile phone giant Vodafone posted a 35-percent slump in first-half net profit on Tuesday and booked a hefty loss on the value of its Turkish business.

AFP - The Italian mafia, the country's organised crime network and biggest enterprise, has not been affected by the global economic crisis, a report by an Italian business association said Tuesday.

AP - Occasionally, a video game will reshape the way gamers see virtual worlds. Much like 'Wolfenstein 3D,' 'Super Mario 64' and 'Half-Life' before it, the stunning first-person action-adventure game 'Mirror's Edge' (Electronic Arts, for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, $59.99) smashes the conventions of its predecessors.

NewsFactor - Dell is not hearing the music. The Round Rock, Tex.-based computer maker is squashing any rumors reported in recent weeks about plans to release an MP3 player.

NewsFactor - Parallels has unleashed the latest version of its desktop virtualization technology for the Mac, which already enables more than 1.5 million users to run Windows, Linux and other operating systems inside Mac OS X. Called Parallels Desktop 4.0 for Mac, the new platform is designed to perform computing tasks at speeds up to 50 percent faster than earlier versions.

PC Magazine - When is a gift card not a gift card? When it's a gadget. For this holiday season, Target and Best Buy will issue gift cards that double as gadgets themselves. Or are those gadgets that double as gift cards?

AP - The Bush administration is moving in its last weeks to finalize regulations to enforce a controversial law that seeks to block Internet gambling. The move is drawing hot protests from Democratic lawmakers and supporters of online betting.

NewsFactor - While companies are tightening their software budgets, consumers are also expected to delay buying the latest technology devices.

Reuters - Barack Obama had a brigade of Web denizens backing his election, from comedy star Obama Girl to throngs of young voters, and now they are clamoring for the Internet to play a big role in his presidency.

AP - The most recent federal disclosure forms offer a stark reminder of Microsoft Corp.'s mighty Washington presence: The software giant's tab of almost $2 million for the third quarter alone nearly equaled the amount its rival Google Inc. spent in the first nine months of the year.

AFP - Videogame sales dropped 21 percent in Japan in the third quarter of the year but continued to rocket in the United States and Britain, according to a study released Tuesday.

CNET - If an Argentine sports fan tried searching Yahoo Argentina for one of his country's most beloved athletes--soccer star Diego Maradona--these days, he'd be out of luck.

Reuters - Executives hoping that the weak consumer embrace of high-definition discs will strengthen during the holiday season thanks to clarity on format and hardware issues suddenly face this rude awakening: It's the economy, stupid.