AFP - Sony Corp. remained tight-lipped over reports that it may combine its PlayStation Portable game console with a mobile telephone into a new gadget to challenge rival Apple's iPhone.

Reuters - China's latest Internet controls have been assailed by rights advocates and Washington, and yet the real challenge to its 'Green Dam' plan may be the nation's own computer market, an anarchic digital bazaar.

PC World - North Korea's first and only public cellular telephone network attracted 19,200 subscribers after just over three months in business.

PC World - Internet search engines and software applications can catalog huge volumes of information, but they aren't smart enough to trace personal relationships between people, according to the executive chairman of World-Check, a company that maintains a database of individuals that banks and other companies might want to think twice about doing business with.

Reuters - More than a million French users of Microsoft's Xbox 360 will be able to watch films on demand, premium drama and soccer from Canal Plus on their games console thanks to a deal between Microsoft and the pay-TV group.

InfoWorld - When Apple introduced its new MacBooks recently, it touted a doubled battery life -- but noted that the laptops' batteries were sealed into the case, not user-swappable as is the norm on laptops.

Reuters - Top mobile telephone suppliers have agreed to back an EU-wide harmonisation of phone chargers, the European Commission said on Monday, hailing the pact as good news for consumers and the environment.

PC Magazine - There will undoubtedly be changes to Apple and to Jobs's role in the company. Here's what to expect when the visionary leader returns to work.

AP - Enterprise Products Partners says it will merge with Teppco to form the largest publicly traded energy partnership with an enterprise value of more than $26 billion.

Reuters - The U.S. Supreme Court said on Monday it rejected an appeal by film studios and television networks of a ruling allowing a new digital video recorder service by New York cable operator Cablevision Systems Corp.

AP - EU officials say they have reached a deal with mobile phone makers to introduce a new single, more energy efficient charger that can be used for data-enabled handsets.

Reuters - Advertising on mobile phones should really take off within two to three years, driven by new applications on smartphones and the growing popularity of social networks such as Facebook.

Reuters - Sony Corp is considering developing a cellphone-game gear hybrid in a bid to better compete with Apple Inc's highly popular iPod and iPhone, the Nikkei business daily said on Saturday.

AP - Toyota Motor Corp. says it has developed a way of steering a wheelchair by just detecting brain waves, without the person having to move a muscle or shout a command.

PC World - If you haven’t heard about Google Voice, you will. If you’re not excited about it, you should be. This new Internet phone service offers a number of features that will change how both businesses and consumers view voice communications.

Macworld.com - There’s an old saying, widely attributed to Will Rogers, that describes three types of people: “The ones that learn by reading.

Reuters - NetSuite Inc said on Sunday it has received certification from a member of a German auditing body for its on-demand business management software, which can now be used by companies in Germany.

Reuters - Celebrities and hip adults aren't the only people flocking to Twitter, the social-networking site. Even centenarians have learned to tweet.

Reuters - The U.S. Supreme Court said on Monday it rejected an appeal by film studios and television networks of a ruling allowing a new digital video recorder service by New York cable operator Cablevision Systems Corp.

AFP - The mobile phone industry on Monday agreed to roll out a new pan-European standard phone charger from next year that supporters hope will be taken up around the world.

NewsFactor - In a move to compete with Apple's iPhone and iPod, Sony may develop a hybrid cell phone-video game handheld with the PlayStation Portable device at its core.

Macworld.com - QuickerTek has introduced the Quicky Jr. II, a device purported to triple the wireless networking range of any Mac laptop equipped with USB. It costs $90.

Macworld.com - They said it couldn’t be done. They said the radio simply wouldn’t allow it. But that, as it turns out, is hooey. Despite Apple’s protestations to the contrary, it appears that the original iPhone is perfectly capable of sending and receiving Multimedia Messages (MMS).

PC World - The long lines of iPhone buyers may be gone, but Apple's iPhone availability tool has returned as iPhone 3GS stocks dwindle across the United States. The online widget acts as a stock checker to see which iPhone 3GS models your local Apple Stores have on hand. Just go to Apple's Website, select your state, and a grid pops up showing which iPhone 3GS models are available and where. If you see a green dot under the model you want you're in luck, but a red square means no go for now.

PC World - Wouldn't it be nice if all our mobile gadgets connected to one universal charger?

PC World - When it comes to console price drops, especially when it involves the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, most of the rumors have gotten it wrong, so echoing another one's a bit like strapping yourself to the mast of the Titanic. We know Sony and Microsoft will, but the when's about as accessible as a crystal ball locked in a safe sheathed in cement at the bottom of a well.

Reuters - The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China urged Beijing to reconsider implementing a controversial Internet filter, saying on Monday it raised serious concerns about security, privacy and user choice.

Reuters - Child pornography was downloaded from a Swiss hip-hop music website to around 2,300 computers in 78 countries, Swiss police said on Monday.

AFP - South Korea's normally publicity-shy intelligence agency is creating a stir among liberal groups with a 'spot the spy' flash video game offering a variety of prizes.

AP - Enterprise Products Partners LP will acquire Teppco Partners LP in a sweetened all-stock deal worth about $3.3 billion, forming what the two pipeline operators say will be the nation's largest publicly traded energy partnership.

AP - No more asking around the office for the right sort of charger. At least that's what European Union and cell phone makers are hoping.

Macworld.com - Bob Borchers. The name holds a special place in the heart of iPhone users everywhere, even if most of us were never quite sure how to pronounce it. Bob was the host of the original blockbuster iPhone Guided Tour video that burst on the scene in June 2007, as well as its sequel, iPhone 1.1.1, and was one of the more visible of the company employees, who are usually shrouded in, well, shrouds of secrecy.

NewsFactor - News reports have cited overheating problems with the iPhone 3GS, but are the reports justified? Or is Apple's latest device headed for a major recall?

Macworld.com - As the old expression goes, “Forewarned is forearmed.” However, as I was disappointed to learn, forearmed is not four-armed—unless you're Doctor Octopus. But if you’re in search of a new iPhone 3GS, you’ll want all the information—and arms—you can get. Fortunately, Apple has once again posted its iPhone Availability Checker to let you know about the status of iPhones in its hundreds of retail stores.

PC World - Hot handsets aren't the only problems Apple is facing with its latest batch of iPhones.

PC World - The Sony rumor that just won't die has reared its potentially beautiful head again: a PSP phone may be in the works. The latest back room rumblings come courtesy of Japan's Nikkei Business Daily, which says Sony is about to open up a new department that will explore a 'cell phone-game gear hybrid,' according to Reuters. Sony's secret department could begin work as early as July, and so far the PlayStation maker is declining to comment on the rumors.

PC World - I have a confession: I recently woke up with a hot iPhone. In fact, it happened twice. And that was just during the first week I owned my new iPhone 3GS.

AP - Apple Inc. co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs is back at work after a five-and-a-half-month medical leave, during which he received a liver transplant.

AP - Comcast is rolling out wireless Internet service Tuesday in Portland, Ore., with plans to add three other cities by the end of the year.

AP - The San Diego Padres are following the New York Yankees onto the Internet with live local-market video broadcasts.

Reuters - Comcast Corp, the largest U.S. cable operator, said on Monday it is introducing a wireless service for subscribers to access the Web beyond their homes anywhere within the United States.

AFP - YouTube opened an online journalism training hub on Monday featuring tips from some of the top names in the business including Bob Woodward of Watergate fame.

PC Magazine - Mozilla confirmed that it is scheduled to release Firefox 3.5 on Tuesday morning.

AP - Cable TV operators won a key legal battle against Hollywood studios and television networks on Monday as the Supreme Court declined to block a new digital video recording system that could make it even easier for viewers to bypass commercials.

AFP - Google on Monday unveiled a new service designed to provide information via SMS text message to mobile phone users in Africa, where cell phones are prevalent but Internet penetration is low.

NewsFactor - Bowing to a request from the European Commission, 10 major device manufacturers have agreed to adopt a universal battery-charging design for their mobile handsets. Though the agreement only applies to mobile-device sales within the member states of the European Union, the standard is expected to have a far wider impact since the mobile-device market is essentially global.

AP - David Ebersman, a former executive at biotech firm Genentech, was named Monday as Facebook's chief financial officer.

AP - A multinational group of researchers, scientists and engineers are close to winning a $1 million prize from Netflix.

AFP - Apple chief executive Steve Jobs has returned to work after a medical leave of absence during which he underwent a liver transplant, according to press reports on Monday.

PC World - A computer security expert is calling for action against two Chinese companies that he and other analysts allege are facilitating spam and cybercrime on the Internet.

Macworld.com - Apple’s stance on standards has always been a little conflicted.

Reuters - Online retailer Amazon.com is pulling the plug on its Internet associates program in Rhode Island in retaliation for potentially having to pay a new sales tax to the state, its second such move in a week.

PC World - Google has launched its SMS service and a new SMS-based classifieds system in Uganda, in collaboration with the Grameen Foundation and mobile operator MTN Uganda.

AFP - Apple's iconic chief executive Steve Jobs has returned to work after a five-month medical leave of absence during which he underwent a liver transplant.

NewsFactor - Sony has begun shipping personal computers equipped with the Chinese-government mandated filtering software days before the July 1 deadline. Shipments of the PCs equipped with Green Dam software also include a disclaimer that Sony is not responsible for damage from the software, according to a University of Hong Kong journalism professor and blogger, Rebecca MacKinnon.

NewsFactor - Apple CEO Steve Jobs returned to work Monday, ending a controversial medical leave of absence. Apple said Jobs will work in Apple's Cupertino, Calif., headquarters a few days each week and from home on the other days.

Macworld.com - Systems management appliance maker Kace Networks on Tuesday plans to unveil changes to its Kbox product line that it says will create a true cross-platform environment for managing Mac and PC systems. The announced changes will let IT administrators manage Windows and Mac OS X machines from a single interface on a single appliance.

Macworld.com - On Monday Apple released the MacBook Air SMC Firmware Update 1.2, available now for compatible models via Mac OS X’s Software Update mechanism.

Macworld.com - Mimio Studio 6 is finally available for the Mac, three months after having been announced. The software turns a whiteboard in a classroom or presentation room into an interactive teaching tool using the Mac. It combines hardware—a sensor bar and video projector paired to a standard whiteboard—and software.

Macworld.com - Id Software’s Doom Resurrection is now available for the iPhone and iPod touch. It’s a $10 download from the App Store.

AP - Minutes after any big celebrity dies, Internet swindlers get to work. They pump out specially created spam e-mails and throw up malicious Web sites to infect victims' computers, hoping to capitalize on the sudden high demand for information.

Reuters - A new version of Ben E. King's 'Stand By Me' featuring Jon Bon Jovi dueting in Farsi with exiled Iranian singer Andy Madadian, is making the rounds as an online video.

PC World - Cable television and broadband provider Comcast launched a high-speed wireless data service in Portland, Monday, with plans to bring the service to Atlanta, Chicago and Philadelphia by the end of 2009.

PC World - Dell is developing a handheld mobile device designed for Internet access, following in the footsteps of rival Apple, according to a news report published in the Wall Street Journal on Monday.

AFP - Facebook, the social networking website which has signed up more than 200 million members but has yet to make a profit, has named a new chief financial officer.

AP - As bad as the technology market fared in the first quarter of this year, the worst may be over, at least in the United States, Forrester Research said in a report Tuesday.

PC World - A blind Boston-area teenager was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison Friday for hacking into the telephone network and harassing the Verizon investigator who was building a case against him.