AP - The White House is blaming unnamed political groups for the unsolicited e-mails it had wrongly insisted no one was receiving from its online operation.

PC World - Intel is looking into how the first versions of its Lynnfield processors ended up on sale in Taiwan several weeks before they were supposed to, preempting the company's plans to roll out the new chips.

AFP - The European Union announced Tuesday an 18 million euro (25 million dollar) investment in an 'ultra high-speed' internet system to underpin the next generation of mobile services.

BusinessWeek - Tom McKinley first heard of the mini MBA offered at the University of St. Thomas while attending a job networking group for unemployed workers in the Twin Cities. The weeklong class at the school's Opus College of Business (St. Thomas Executive MBA Profile) sounded like the perfect fit for McKinley, 58, a former sales manager and father of two college-age children who has been job hunting since being laid off six months ago.

AP - Blockbuster Inc. says it will start offering movies that can be watched on certain Motorola Inc. cell phones, a first for the struggling rental company.

Reuters - Apple Inc is investigating media reports that one or more of the company's iPhones have exploded in Europe, a European Commission spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

AFP - US technology giant Apple has assured the EU that recent cases of exploding iPhones and iPods are 'isolated incidents', a European Commission spokeswoman said Tuesday.

PC World - EVE Online Windows and Mac players duel in space, while Dust 514 Xbox and PlayStation players slug it out on the ground, and the latter informs the former in Icelandic developer CCP's surprise GDC Europe announcement breaking this morning across the pond.

AP - The White House is blaming unnamed political groups for the unsolicited e-mails it had wrongly insisted no one was receiving from its online operation.

Reuters - Qwest Communications International Inc said on Tuesday that it would discontinue its own-brand wireless service at the end of October and started telling customers they need to switch to another service.

Macworld.com - CCP CEO Hilmar Veigar Petursson on Tuesday took the wraps off Dust 514, a forthcoming console game based on the company’s popular massively multiplayer online (MMO) title EVE Online. Dust 514 is described as “a hybrid MMO/FPS” (First Person Shooter that will interact with EVE Online itself. Petursson made his remarks during a keynote address at the Game Developers Conference in Cologne, Germany.

Reuters - Apple Inc is investigating media reports that one or more of the company's iPhones have exploded in Europe, a European Commission spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

Reuters - Software developers will be able to start charging for applications downloads to Palm Inc's high-profile Pre smartphone with the company's launch of an e-commerce beta program set to start in mid-September.

NewsFactor - Computer maker Dell is getting into the smartphone business with the mini3i handset for China Mobile. The phone will support applications, such as music and games, from that carrier's online store.

Macworld.com - Those who’ve been waiting for the Palm Pre to become a meaningful competitor to the iPhone are one step closer on Tuesday, as Palm announced that it’s beginning to take submissions for its App Catalog’s e-commerce beta program.

Macworld.com - When it comes to the candidacy for King of iPhone Twitter Clients, Twitterrific 2.0 stands among a select few atop a steep hill of pretenders to the throne. Soon, the Iconfactory's polished Twitter experience will take one step closer to the crown with a major 2.1 update. And wouldn't you know? Some of us at Macworld had the privilege of helping to beta test.

PC World - Sony will announce a cut in price for the PlayStation 3 console today. The Japanese electronics giant has called press conference in Cologne, Germany, when it is expected to slash $100 of the PlayStation 3 retail price.

PC World - Apple's expected fall event, unveiling a revamped iPod line and other product news, may take place on Wednesday, September 9. The oft-rumored Apple tablet may not make an appearance, but other likely highlights are te debut of new social feature for iTunes 9, and an appearance by Steve Jobs (or not), accordint to All Things D.

AFP - Compact discs accounted for 65 percent of US music sales in the first half of 2009 but digital downloads are expected to nearly equal CD sales by the end of next year, market research firm NPD Group said Tuesday.

Macworld.com - Casio today announced two new compact point-and-shoot cameras, the Exilim Zoom EX-Z450 and Exilim Zoom EX-Z90.

Macworld.com - The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) has released customer satisfaction scores for a number of consumer product sectors including personal computers. While Apple still ranks well above its competitors, its rating slipped a point compared to a year ago.

AP - After months of rumors and anticipation, Sony says it's slashing the price of the PlayStation 3 by $100 to $299.

Reuters - Sony Corp will launch a cheaper version of its PlayStation 3 game console and has announced it would cut prices for the current model effective August 19 in Europe and the United States.

PC World - Apple is investigating reports that some of its popular iPhones may have malfunctioned following a query from a European Commission directorate that oversees consumer safety issues.

PC Magazine - What does the 'z' in the Dell Inspiron 11z stand for? Z-height, and Dell's intent to create the absolute thinnest laptop available for that screen size.

Macworld.com - Apple on Tuesday released an iPhoto 8.1 software update. The newest version of iPhoto ’09 primarily adds new project templates, including a larger hard-cover book that measures 10 inches by 13 inches. Previously, the largest book option was 8.5 inches by 11 inches. The update also provides new holiday card designs and three new travel-oriented book themes: Tropical, Asian, and Old World.

PC World - Terracotta announced Tuesday that is has acquired the intellectual property behind Ehcache, a popular Java-based open-source distributed caching technology.

Macworld.com - Bare Bones Software on Tuesday announced the discontinuation of its Super Get Info utility and noted that Mailsmith, its e-mail client, has become freeware, with a new firm supporting the software.

Reuters - Sony Corp will launch a slimmer, cheaper version of its PlayStation 3 game console next month, hoping to jumpstart sales and win back market share from rivals Microsoft and Nintendo.

AP - After months of rumors and anticipation, Sony Corp. is slashing the price of the PlayStation 3 by $100 in hopes of boosting sales of the console ahead of the important holiday season.

NewsFactor - A smaller, cheaper Sony PlayStation 3 is coming in September. The PS3 Slim will have a starting price of $299, Sony said Tuesday.

Macworld.com - Last month, Ted Landau devoted a Bugs & Fixes entry to a mystery Mail bug in the iPhone OS 3.0 update. As Ted reported back in July, searches using the phone’s Spotlight feature occasionally turn up long-deleted e-mails. Tap on one of those mystery messages, Ted wrote, and it will appear in the Mail app as, if it had never been deleted. Exit to the parent screen, however, and the message will vanish.

PC World - Sony's PSP and Marvel's back catalogue are joining forces this November on a new digital reader, according to a Marvel representative speaking at Sony's press conference in Gamescom in Cologne, Germany. Early word out of the show is that hundreds of comics are on the way, though Marvel responded to my Twitter inquiry that they'll be 'Classic and Digital First only… No new ones.'

PC Magazine - Lenovo representatives said Tuesday that the company will enter the 'digital lifestyle' category with four new desktops and one laptop, two of which expand Lenovo's reach into home theater PCs and home servers.

AP - Hewlett-Packard Co.'s profit dropped 19 percent in the latest quarter, dragged by ongoing weakness in sales of personal computers and printer ink.

AP - Former Hewlett-Packard Co. chief executive Carly Fiorina on Tuesday took the first formal step toward running for Democrat Barbara Boxer's U.S. Senate seat.

AFP - Nexon America on Tuesday said revenues at its free-to-play online videogame websites soared in July while US sales of videogame hardware and software continued to sink.

AP - Leading recording company Universal Music Group says it has entered into a long-term contract to use the services of online music measurement company BigChampagne Media Measurement in North America.

Reuters - A list of 19 songs by The Beatles including classics 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' and 'A Hard Day's Night' for a new 'Rock Band' video game were revealed on Tuesday, leaving only one mystery title remaining.

AP - Sony is adding a digital reader service that will allow owners of its handheld gaming system, the PlayStation Portable, to download comics.

AFP - Sony on Tuesday unveiled a long-rumored slim version of its PlayStation 3 videogame console and cut prices on existing models that have been struggling for momentum in the marketplace.

AP - Ford Motor Co. said Tuesday its future electric cars will 'talk' to power grids across the country, part of an effort to drive interest in alternative energy vehicles.

Reuters - Microsoft Corp's Bing search engine continued to make small gains on rivals Google Inc and Yahoo Inc in the U.S. Internet search market in July, according to the latest data from research firm ComScore.

NewsFactor - Microsoft acknowledged problems Tuesday morning with downloading its Exchange Server 2010 Release Candidate. The software giant was working on the problem for TechNet members, and the links were reported working Tuesday afternoon.

Reuters - Hewlett-Packard Co reported slightly better-than-expected results on Tuesday, helped by strong server sales, and said fiscal-year revenue and earnings should hit the midpoint of its previous forecast.

AP - John Riccitiello, the CEO of video game publisher Electronic Arts, says Sony's decision to cut the price of the PlayStation 3 is a 'bold move done precisely at the right time.'

AP - GEARING UP FOR HOLIDAYS: Sony Corp.'s move to cut the price of its PlayStation 3 console by $100 comes well ahead of the holiday season and should boost sales not just for Sony but the video game industry as a whole during this important period.

Macworld.com - Quake Live, the Web browser-based version of Id Software’s popular first-person shooter, is now playable on the Mac. The company updated the Web site on Tuesday to allow Mac users to play.

PC World - OK, first the facts-based speculation. Apple has some sort of product unveiling planned for early September. There's a pretty good chance that we'll see either a storage-enhanced iPod Touch or a upgraded iTunes with social-networking skills.

PC Magazine - The rumors, as they usually are, were true: Sony formally announced a $299 slim PlayStation 3 on Tuesday. But while the slim PS3 will carry a larger hard drive than the current model, it will be priced identically to the current PlayStation, which contains a hard drive with less capacity.

AP - Hewlett-Packard Co.'s profit dropped 19 percent in the latest quarter, dragged down by ongoing weakness in sales of personal computers and printer ink.

AP - Microsoft Corp. is asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to allow it to keep selling Word software as it fights an unfavorable patent ruling.

AFP - President Barack Obama will Thursday hold a live online and telephone strategy meeting to rally devoted grass roots backers as a backlash over his health reform plan spreads to liberal media commentators.

Reuters - In '9,' impressive young animator Shane Acker gets the opportunity -- sponsored by the likes of Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov -- to expand his Student Academy Award-winning short into a feature. You can catch the original on YouTube.

Reuters - Before it even started, Sony stole the show.

Reuters - Apple is investigating media reports that one or more of the company's iPhones have exploded in Europe, a European Commission spokeswoman said Tuesday.

PC World - Sony's 80GB PS3 is $300 starting tomorrow and its similarly priced 120GB PS3 Slim is just a few weeks away, so how does a 25% price cut stack against the competition?

AP - Chinese online game developer Giant Interactive Group Inc. on Tuesday reported a 34 percent decline in second-quarter earnings on declining revenue.

AP - China's Spreadtrum Communications Inc., which makes chips for wireless phones, said Tuesday that slid to a second-quarter loss as revenue tumbled 60 percent.

AP - Hewlett-Packard Co.'s 19 percent drop in quarterly profit shows that the company still relies heavily on printer ink and the troubled personal computer market, despite the aggressive transformation it's undertaking to branch out and encroach more on rival IBM Corp.'s turf.

AFP - SmartZip has built a free online tool for prospective home buyers and real estate investors eager to mine gems from the rubble of the US foreclosure avalanche.

InfoWorld - Java framework builder SpringSource  is set to provide enterprise Java developers a platform for cloud-based deployments with the unveiling on Tuesday of SpringSource Cloud Foundry.

PC World - Asus and Apple were the most reliable PC vendors in the U.S. during the second quarter this year, according to a survey released by Rescuecom on Tuesday.