Ed Oswald

The Nintendo Wii continues to be a consumer favorite, according to sales data for January released by the NPD Group Wednesday. Meanwhile, the aging PlayStation 2 edged out the Xbox 360 for the number two spot.

Nintendo's next-generation console remains a big hit, selling some 436,000 units during the month in the United States, and had two titles in the top ten bestselling games. That number isn't too far off from its December sales -- traditionally the highest selling month -- when it sold some 604,000 units.

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Skype on Wednesday introduced a new product called Skype Pro across Europe, which combines discounts on Skype hardware and products with free domestic calling and features.

The offering will be made available initially in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Portugal, Spain and the UK, with expansion worldwide later in the year.

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A flaw discovered in Google Desktop Search last year could have opened up users to the risk of having their personal data compromised. However, the issue was fixed within weeks of its discovery.

Google says that it had no evidence the vulnerability was ever exploited. According to a statement by Massachusetts-based Watchfire, the security firm that discovered the flaw, an attacker would be able to gain access to sensitive data, and in some cases full system control.

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Adobe is bringing its video editing tools online through multimedia storage site Photobucket, which would make them available for free. The application would be based on technologies used in Adobe's Premiere product, it said.

The San Jose, Calif. company plans to announce additional partnerships with other Web properties in the future. Adobe hopes that by using the free Web-based versions of its software, users would be enticed to upgrade to pay versions of its Photoshop and Premiere products.

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Software company Serence on Tuesday released an update to its KlipFolio widget application, offering users new functionality such as a mini-sidebar, and new organization and sharing features.

KlipFolio is one of the original "widget" applications, which first debuted in late 2001. This pre-dates Mac OS X's Dashboard feature, and even Konfabulator (now Yahoo Widgets), which came out in early 2003.

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Not long after it demanded that YouTube remove its content from the popular social networking site, Viacom said Tuesday that it had signed a deal with Joost, the Internet TV startup run by Skype founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis.

Programming from Viacom's MTV Networks, BET Networks, and Paramount Pictures divisions would be made available on the service. Joost will offer broadcast-quality video across the Web using what it calls a "secure, efficient, piracy-proof Internet platform." Financial terms were not disclosed.

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Nikon added several new digital cameras to its lineup on Tuesday, including a new entry-level line, two new style-influenced models, and a new top-of-the-line 10-megapixel camera aimed at photography enthusiasts.

The new entry-level cameras fall under the L or "Life" branding, aimed at bringing a standard set of digital camera features to the occasional users. All three cameras would have a 3x optical zoom, LCD screen, and a small form factor.

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An IBM employee who was dismissed by the company for visiting an adult-themed chat room while at work has decided to sue the company for $5 million. He claims he has become addicted to the Internet.

James Pacenza says his problems began after his stint in Vietnam in 1969. After his tour he developed post-traumatic stress disorder, and he frequented chat rooms to seek help for his condition.

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Rumors of a marriage between satellite radio companies XM and Sirius again are at the forefront thanks to an article in the New York Post that claims the two sides are close to announcing a merger.

Both sides were meeting in Washington, DC to finalize an agreement, with an announcement coming as soon as Monday, the Post claims. Neither company could be immediately reached for comment.

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In an announcement strategically timed to lessen its impact, SanDisk admits that it must cut prices to stay competitive in a tougher NAND memory chip market. Layoffs and salary cuts for executives are also planned.

News of SanDisk's troubles came after the market close, and at the beginning of a three-day weekend for most. Much of the trouble comes in NAND component pricing, which is one of the company's biggest industries.

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A new study out by Nielsen seems to indicate that DVR owners watch far more commercials than some may think.

On average, owners of DVRs still end up watching about two-thirds of ads. A big reason for this is even through many use it to record shows, most still end up watching the show at its normal start time, which means the commercials cannot be fast-forwarded through.

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Those who have not changed the default passwords on their home routers may be putting themselves at risk of attack, researchers at Indiana University and Symantec are warning.

Attackers are apparently using JavaScript code to rewrite the configuration of vulnerable routers, the two groups said. The DNS information within the router could be altered to change it to another server that could direct users to pages intended to steal personal data.

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For the second time since it filed suit against Apple last month, Cisco said late Thursday that it had agreed to give the Cupertino company another week to respond to the suit over the iPhone name.

Cisco sued Apple a day after it introduced the iPhone device, even though it had initially appeared as if the two sides were prepared to work out a deal. The networking equipment company acquired the trademark through its purchase of Infogear in 2000.

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One of the country's most well-known tech analysts has a new gig: evangelizing Microsoft.

Michael Gartenberg, who for the past five years worked for JupiterResearch, and prior to that had a seven year stint with Gartner, will join the Redmond company as an "enthusiast evangelist."

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The beta program for the update for IBM's Informix database server (IDS), code-named "Cheetah," was opened to the public on Wednesday. Coming with the release are new features, enhanced support for hierarchical data, and improved query capabilities.

To make Informix more attractive to small and medium sized businesses, IBM also plans to offer a package deal with a IBM xSeries 3105 server and Novell's SUSE Linux Enterprise Service. Pricing on the package would be announced at a later date.

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