Reuters - China Unicom will announce a deal to sell Apple's iPhone in China as soon as Friday, an analyst said, citing an industry source with direct knowledge of the situation.

Reuters - Time Warner Cable Inc has signed up at least seven large media companies for a test that will offer television programs on the Internet to paying subscribers, the Wall Street Journal said on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Reuters - Microsoft Corp is slashing the price of its high-end Xbox 360 model by $100, ratcheting up the stakes in the game console fight this holiday season.

Reuters - Nokia said on Thursday it would establish a new business unit to bring its handset operations and new mobile Internet services closer together.

PC World - Japanese chip maker Fujitsu Microelectronics will outsource production of advanced 28-nanometer chips to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC), becoming one of the first companies globally to announce such a deal.

AP - Japan is one of the world's most Internet-savvy nations — except when it comes to politics. Decades-old rules have effectively banned campaigning on the Web.

Reuters - Italy's anti-trust watchdog said on Thursday it was opening an investigation into Google's Italian news website after local papers complained that they were forced to appear on the site. (http://news.google.it)

Reuters - Microsoft Corp is slashing the price of its high-end Xbox 360 model by $100 in the United States and 50 euros ($71) in Europe, upping the stakes in the game console fight this holiday season.

PC World - You knew it, we knew it, and now Microsoft's officially confirming its highest-end Xbox 360 will indeed price-parry Sony's slim-sized 120GB PlayStation 3 at $300. The news is breaking as I type this, so details are pretty basic, but Microsoft's Larry 'Major Nelson' Hryb writes that the pricing takes effect tomorrow, Friday, August 28th.

PC World - Microsoft will lop US$100 off its highest-priced Xbox 360 game console on Friday, just weeks after a similar move by Sony as the war for game console market share produces better deals for consumers.

Reuters - Japan's Sharp Corp said it plans to launch a paperback-sized mini mobile PC that features a quick start-up time, touch-screen display and full keyboard, targeting niche demand between smartphones and netbooks.

Reuters - The world's largest handset maker Nokia unveiled on Thursday its first high-end phone running on Linux software.

Macworld.com - Iomega on Thursday introduced the StorCenter ix4-200d, a new four-bay Network Attached Storage (NAS) system for small to medium businesses that works with Mac OS X, Windows and Linux operating systems. It comes in 2, 4 and 8 terabyte configurations for $700, $900 and $1,900 respectively.

Reuters - Microsoft Corp plans to slash the price of its high-end Xbox 360 video game console by $100, or 25 percent, stepping up the price war in the video game console market following a similar move by rival Sony Corp.

AP - Facebook is agreeing to give users more control over their information in response to concerns raised by Canadian privacy officials.

AFP - Microsoft announced Thursday it is slashing the price of its top-of-the-line Xbox 360 videogame console by 100 dollars, just days after Sony cut the price of its PlayStation 3.

NewsFactor - With its release scheduled for Friday, Snow Leopard's spots are beginning to come into focus. The newest update to the Mac OS X operating system is getting reactions across the Web -- including a tip on how to save money if you want to upgrade from the older Tiger version.

Macworld.com - Sony touts its new line of Reader e-book reading devices as Mac-compatible, thanks to the introduction of new software. That software — eBook Library Software 3.0 — is now ready for download from Sony’s Web site.

AFP - China Unicom and computer giant Apple are to announce plans by the end of the week to sell a stripped down iPhone without Wi-Fi in China, the world's biggest mobile market, local media said Thursday.

PC World - After several unofficial leaks, Nokia on Thursday officially unveiled the N900, the company's first Linux phone. It's a good first step to rejuvenate Nokia's smartphone line, but will the N900 have what it takes to go head-to-head with the iPhone and Android Phones?

PC World - Still using Tiger, the older version of Mac OSX? You may be able to cheat Apple and pay only $29 to upgrade to the latest Snow Leopard operating system, says Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal.

PC Magazine - On Thursday, Sony announced three new D-SLR digital cameras in its ALPHA line, which aim to take the high-end SLR category and bring it down to a more consumer-friendly price point.

AP - The Federal Communications Commission is launching three broad inquiries into the wireless industry, including an examination of the state of competition.

Reuters - The U.S. Federal Communications Commission on Thursday launched an inquiry to examine the state of competition in the wireless industry, taking a step that could lead to probes of other sectors.

PC World - Versata Software has won a patent lawsuit it brought against ERP software vendor SAP. The jury awarded Versata US$138.64 million in damages on Wednesday after finding that SAP had infringed five of the company's patents.

AFP - Canada's privacy czar announced on Thursday that Facebook has agreed to changes to better secure the privacy of users of the popular social networking site.

PC World - Is the 'malware protection' in Apple's new Snow Leopard really lame or what? But, it's on a par with other features of the OS 'upgrade.'

Reuters - A senior executive from Apple Inc will meet France's consumer affairs minister on Friday to discuss a number of incidents in which screens on some of its popular iPhones were reported to have shattered for no obvious reason.

Macworld.com - Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) introduced a host of features that made using a Mac easier for people with physical disabilities.

Macworld.com - Smart Technologies on Wednesday announced the release of Smart Notebook SE (Student Edition) for the Mac. It’s priced at $35 per student, and $49 per student for the USB bracelet, which includes the software.

NewsFactor - Apple's iPhone 3G is expected to launch in China in October, according to news reports. As we previously reported, Apple is rumored to have sold $1.5 million worth of iPhones to China Unicom subsidiary Guangdong Unicom.

Reuters - Microsoft Corp plans to slash the price of its high-end Xbox 360 video game console by $100, or 25 percent, stepping up the price war in the video game console market.

PC World - Apple's iPhone hasn't totally cornered the app obsession market, as Android users also lust for new finds in the Android Market, a survey by advertising platform AdMob found.

PC Magazine - As expected, Microsoft lowered the price of its Xbox 360 Elite by $100, to $299.99, and indicated that it would discontinue the $249.99 Xbox 360 Pro.

AP - Italy's antitrust watchdog is investigating allegations that Google Italy is discriminating against newspapers that don't want their content linked on Google's news site by dropping them from its search engine.

PC World - Who is doing it: PNC Financial Services--a 2009 CIO 100 honoree--is targeting 18-to-24-year-olds with its Virtual Wallet, a mobile and online banking service that is designed for people who are setting up their first bank accounts. Since the service launched in August 2008, PNC is averaging 200 new accounts per day, says Michael Ley, vice president at PNC.

AP - Endwave Corp., a maker of wireless communication components, said Thursday it could not provide a reason for the surge in the company's share price.

Macworld.com - Snow Leopard brings with it a new version of Apple’s QuickTime multimedia architecture, called QuickTime X. The most noticeable difference is a redesigned QuickTime Player. Like the version of iMovie introduced in iLife ’08, QuickTime Player gains some features, streamlines workflows, and also loses some previous functionality.

AFP - Canada's privacy czar announced on Thursday that Facebook has agreed to better secure the privacy of the popular social networking site's users.

AP - Raytheon Co. said Thursday it received a $7 million contract from the Office of Naval Research to improve the semiconductors used by U.S. military agencies.

AP - Dell Inc. says its second-quarter profit fell 23 percent as the personal-computer industry's slump dragged on this summer.

AP - Americans tired of having their dinners interrupted by phone calls touting car warranties or vacation packages will soon get some relief.

AFP - Internet giant Google added automatic translation to Google Docs on Thursday allowing users to translate documents into 42 languages.

AP - The Federal Communications Commission is taking a closer look at the practices of the wireless industry, potentially the first step toward more regulations intended to push down prices and increase choices for consumers.

NewsFactor - Nokia took the wraps off its next-generation N900 smartphone on Thursday. Though the majority of the company's mobile handsets are based on the Symbian platform, the Nokia N900 will use Maemo 5 -- the latest version of the Linux-based operating system that the company initially developed for its mobile Web tablets.

PC World - Nokia is not a company worth getting excited about, but with a new Linux handset, netbook, and solutions focus, that may be changing. Or maybe not.

PC World - Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang predicted a whopping 570-fold increase in GPU Compute performance over the next three years, while traditional CPU would merely triple in processing power during that time, according to TG Daily.

NewsFactor - In a move to compete with Sony's just-introduced, lower-price PlayStation 3 Slim, Microsoft on Thursday announced price cuts on its Xbox 360 video-game consoles. The price cuts set the stage for a console war in the holiday shopping season.

NewsFactor - As RealNetworks awaits the fate of its Rhapsody iPhone application, yet another music-oriented company is looking to tap into the iPhone's popularity. SIRIUS Satellite Radio has introduced a $120 dock that transforms an iPhone or iPod touch into a satellite radio.

Macworld.com - On Thursday, Altec Lansing introduced the Mix iMT800 digital boombox for iPhone and iPod.

PC World - The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has launched two inquiries examining the mobile-phone industry, with the agency looking for ways to spur innovation and competition in the industry.

AP - DirecTV Group Inc. is in talks with the TBS and TNT cable networks to offer their shows online, according to two people familiar with the discussions.

AP - The Federal Communications Commission is taking a closer look at the practices of the wireless industry, potentially the first step toward more regulations intended to push down prices and increase choices for consumers.

AFP - The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced on Thursday it will conduct an inquiry into competition in the US wireless industry.

Macworld.com - I did OK in math. Took a year of calculus in college. Got a B and two A’s, if I recall correctly. (It’s all about getting a good professor.) But math is not my favorite subject, and if you were to ask me to do a quadratic equation today, I’d give you the lemon face.

AP - Chip design software maker Magma Design Automation Inc. said Thursday its first-quarter net loss shrank to $4.3 million as costs dropped faster than revenue fell.

PC World - IBM has for the first time taken an image of a molecule's surface, which could lead to the construction of cheaper, more power-efficient chips, the company said Thursday.

Macworld.com - Apple on Thursday released Aperture 2.1.4, a maintenance update to the company’s pro photo editing and organization software. The update is free and is available for download through Software Update or via the Apple Web site.

InfoWorld - Microsoft is offering an open source software development kit linking the company's Bing search engine to Apple's iPhone and Mac systems, according to a Bing community blog post on Thursday.

PC World - Blu-ray may have a future in the living room, but its prospects in the PC market appear bleak. A new study by market researcher iSuppli shows that only 3.6 percent of PCs this year will ship with Blu-ray high-definition optical drives, a figure that will rise to just 16.3 percent by 2013.

PC World - The iPhone may be the king of the app world, but Android-powered devices are rapidly gaining ground. A new report by mobile advertising company AdMob breaks down mobile app purchasing and usage by device -- and, if the results are to be believed, Android's app market is the underdog to watch when it comes to on-the-go program sales.

PC World - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has released new rules for border agents searching travelers' laptops and other electronic devices, but the revised guidelines won't quiet complaints from the American Civil Liberties Union.

PC Magazine - A day after the American Civil Liberties Union sued the Homeland Security Department for access to records on laptop searches at the border, DHS released updated guidelines on how and when a border official can search or confiscate an electronic device.

AP - Wireless networking technology maker Aruba Networks Inc. said Thursday it expects first-quarter adjusted earnings per share of 3 cents and revenue of $54 million to $56 million.

AP - Solera Holdings Inc., which provides software and services for the auto insurance claims industry, said Thursday it posted a fourth-quarter profit as rising revenue in the company's automotive recycling unit offset declines in other areas.

AP - Novell Inc., which sells computer-networking software and technology services, said Thursday it swung to a third-quarter profit from a year earlier as it cut operating expenses by 20 percent.

PC World - Social networking services like Facebook and Twitter foster a false sense of security and lead users to share information which can be used by cybercriminals and social engineers. The very concept of social networking is based on connecting and sharing, but with who?

PC World - Mac users have long relished the fact that malware is nearly a foreign concept to them. Yet, in a tacit acknowledgment of the growing threat of malware on the Mac platform, Apple has added some rudimentary malware protection into Snow Leopard.

PC World - Apple has approved a streaming music application from Spotify for use on the iPhone, even though the program will compete with Apple's own iTunes service.

PC World - Have you ever wanted to give your Mac Mini a retro Apple vibe? If so, just take one old Apple Disk II, one Mac Mini, and put them together for one cool case mod.

PC World - Microsoft is targeting the iPhone as another avenue for boosting usage of its Bing search engine.

AP - Chinese online game operator and developer The9 Limited said Thursday it lost money in the last two quarters and revenue fell sharply in the April-to-June period.

AP - Solera Holdings Inc., which provides software and services for the auto insurance claims industry, said Thursday its board has approved its first quarterly cash dividend of 6.25 cents.

AP - Dell Inc.'s second-quarter results reinforce what other tech heavyweights have shown recently about the health of the personal-computer industry: it's still wounded by the recession, but is staggering back to its feet, thanks to consumers, bargain prices and little 'netbook' laptops for surfing the Internet.

PC World - Dell said it was willing to work with carriers worldwide to develop more mobile devices, suggesting that another phonelike prototype like the one it developed with China Mobile could be on the cards.

Reuters - Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer is writing music for his first videogame project, 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2,' one of the year's most anticipated releases.