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Latest by Geoff Duncan

Linden Lab Buys Second Life Marketplaces

Linden Labs has bought up XStreet SL and OnRez, the two major Web-based marketplaces for "in-world" goods for its virtual world Second Life.

FCC Probing Comcast over VoIP Service

The FCC has sanctioned Comcast for interfering with P2P traffic; now the agency is looking at whether it also degrades third-party VoIP traffic.

Ericsson Slashes 5,000 Jobs

Mobile technology developer Ericsson says it is cutting some 5,000 jobs, blaming the global economy and a "dramatic drop" in revenue from Sony Ericsson.

Google Shutting Down Print Ads

Internet giant Google has announced it will shut down its Print Ads operation, which let online advertisers buy newspaper ads just like Web advertising.

Nvidia Quadro NVS 420 Drives Four Displays

Nvidia's new Quadro NVS 420 video card can drive up to four 2,560 by 1,600-pixel displays...and it'll fit in a small form-factor desktop.

BlackBerry Storefront Taking Apps

RIM is accepting submissions for its BlackBerry Applications Storefront...and plans to throw open the doors by March.

Study: Consumers Not Thrilled with Netbooks

Netbooks might be hot sellers, but Biz360's analysis of online reviews of netbooks finds that consumer satisfaction with netbooks is at best lukewarm.

China Shutters Another 244 Sites

The Chinese government has shut down another 244 Web sites for hosting "vulgar" content, bringing its campaign's total to over 700.

Qualcomm Buys AMD/ATI’s Mobile Graphics

Qualcomm has announced it is buying AMD's - former ATI's - mobile graphics and multimedia assets for $65 million.

Obama Inauguration May Strain Internet

Worldwide interest in the inauguration of Barack Obama as the United States' forty-fourth President is expected to spike Internet traffic...and sap productivity.

Sharp, Toshiba, Panasonic Do Recycling

Consumer electronics giants Sharp, Panasonic, and Toshiba have signed on to a no-cost nationwide recycling program.

IFPI: Global Digital Music Sales Up 25 Pct

The UK's IFPI reports that sales of digital music were up 25 percent worldwide in 2008.

The Pope’s Coming to YouTube

The Vatican has announced its partnering with Google to being Vatican television and Vatican Radio to the Internet, with a little help from Google.

AMD Cuts Another 1,100 Jobs

Chipmaker AMD is planning to cut another 1,100 jobs - about 9 percent of its remaining workforce - in its third set of layoffs in a year.

Belkin Apologizes for Paid Reviews

Networking and peripheral maker Belkin says it's sorry an employee "may" have offered money for positive reviews via Amazon's Mechanical Turk.

Acer Intros New Mini-Desktop, LCD Display

Acer has introduced a new small form-factor PC with Nvidia graphics and HDMI output, plus an affordable new 23-inch LCD HD display with LED-illuminated controls.

OCZ’s Mainstream Apex SSDs Hit 250 GB

OCZ Technology's mainstream Apex series of SSD drives are drop-in replacements for 2.5-inch SATA II devices...and sport capacities up to 250 GB.

Execs Get Jail time for LCD Price Fixing

Executives from LG and Chunghwa have plead guilty to conspiring to fix prices on TFT-LCD displays...and they're going to jail.

Teens Still Eat Up Social Networking

A new report finds that while the number of adults using social networking sites has quadrupled in the last four years, two-thirds of all teens use the services.

Another $650 Mln for DTV Converter Coupons?

With the cutoff date barely a month away, the House Appropriations Committee has proposed allocating another $650 million to the DTV convert box voucher program.

Circuit City to Be Liquidated

Electronics retailer Circuit City failed to ignite holiday sales - or find a buyer. Now the chain will be liquidated, marking the end for over 30,000 employees.

Gartner: PC Sales Growth Slowed in Q4

Surprise surprise: Gartner finds that shipments of PCs during the fourth quarter of 2008 were up only 1.1 percent from last year, the worst showing since 2002.

United Adding In-Flight Internet

United Airlines is the fifth major carrier to announce plans to offer in-flight Internet service from Aircell, with service starting later this year.

Philips Announces 21:9 LCD Television

Philips forthcoming 56-inch Cinema 21:9 LCD TV will feature the same 21:9 aspect ratio used in movie theaters...and Philips' Ambilight background lighting.

Sony’s PlayStation 2 Hits 50 MIllion Mark

The cool kids are going on about the Wii, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3...but Sony's venerable PlayStation 2 recently sold its 50 millionth unit in North America.

Nielsen Reports Drop in Google Search Share

Nielsen Online reports Google share of the Internet search market declined 1.2 percent in December, with Yahoo and Microsoft gaining ground.

Boost Mobile Offers $50 Unlimited Plan

Sprint's Boost Mobile is going after budget-conscious phone users - and rivals Leap and MetroPCS - with a $50/month plan with unlimited calls, Web, and texting.

Google Launches Apps Reseller Program

Google has opened the doors for 50 companies to sign up as resellers of its Google Apps cloud-based online productivity programs.

Acer Rolls Out Business Notebooks

Acer's new TravelMate 6493 and TravelMate 6593 aim at the mobile business crowed, with a hot-swappable media bay for extra storage...or an extra battery.

Ecco GPS Helps You Find Your Car

IDC Design Corp's tiny new Ecco GPS system clips to your car keys...and helps you find your car (or another set location) without a bulky navigation unit.

Garmin Updates eTrex GPS Units

Garmin's new eTrex Legend H and eTrex Vista H GPS units offer better GPS reception for the outdoorsy crowd.

Blockbuster, Sonic Team on Internet Movies

Blockbuster is amping up competition with Netflix, partnering with Sonic Solutions to offer streaming movies and other content over the Internet.

Nortel Files for Bankruptcy

The global economic crunch has claimed its first technology company: communications giant Nortel has filed for bankruptcy protection in the U.S. and Canada.

Lenovo Revs Up Consumer Desktops

Lenovo's new H200 and IdeaCentre K220 and K230 desktops aim to offer consumers a range of pricing options...without sacrificing power.

Verizon and CBS Expand FIOS, Wireless Deal

Verizon and broadcast network CBS have announced an expanded long-term deal to bring CBS programming to FIOS and Verizon Wireless customers.

Seagate Axes CEO, COO, and 800 Jobs

Seagate has announced it is replacing its chief executive and chief operating officer...and laying of 10 percent of its U.S. workforce.

Dell Settles Finance Claims for $3.35 Mln

Dell has agreed to pay $3.35 million to settle 34 states' claims the computer makers financing, warranty, and rebate offers misled consumers.

Obama Nominates Genachowski to Head FCC

President-elect Barack Obama plans to nominate his technology counselor Julius Genachowski to head the FCC...and media reform watchers are pleased.