Ed Oswald

Although XM may be moving faster towards profitability, Sirius is quickly catching up to its bigger rival in terms of subscribers. In separate earnings releases, the two satellite radio companies showed improving financials, and both said they could attain positive cash flow in the fourth quarter.

Sirius increased revenue by 150 percent to $167 million, although posted a $162.9 million loss for the quarter. That was down from $180.4 million in the year ago quarter. XM posted revenue of $240 million, up 57 percent while posting a loss of $84 million, down 36 percent from a year ago.

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In a widely expected move, Apple said Wednesday that it had begun shipping its MacBook laptop with Core 2 Duo processors. The entry-level laptop is largely credited with helping the Cupertino company regain lost momentum in the portable market.

"MacBook has helped drive Apple's notebook market share to over 10 percent in US retail, and the new MacBooks will be among this holiday season's most exciting new products," said Apple marketing senior vice president Philip Schiller.

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Hoping to stem the ever-increasing popularity of satellite radio, the HD Radio Alliance said Monday that it would rollout products in Circuit City stores in the top 10 radio markets, and expand its RadioShack availability to 2,500 stores. In addition, new rebates and discounts are being offered.

The next phase of a $200 million advertising blitz is set to begin on November 13. This would mean approximately 150 commercials would air on each member station per week. The ads would promote the expanded retail availability of high-definition radio, the group said.

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In an effort to better manage its online divisions as well as stay competitive with other networks in the field, CBS said Sunday that it had hired Quincy Smith to act as a overseer of the network's digital strategy. Smith had advised CBS in the past, and would look to expand the company's digital footprint.

The move is part of a bigger effort by the company to become more aggressive in the digital space. CBS parent Viacom has already fired its former CEO Tom Freston for not pursuing MySpace, and its likely Smith would be under a great deal of pressure to perform.

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Google has begun a program that would allow its advertisers to place print ads in over 50 daily newspapers via its Web site. A relatively small group of 100 or so advertisers would be able to bid on ads in several major dailies.

This would later be expanded to the hundreds of thousands of advertisers on the Google AdWords network, giving many the opportunity to extend their promotional efforts into print, a process that otherwise would be too daunting.

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TiVo has silently raised its monthly service rates by as much as 54 percent depending on the plan selected, a move that has been criticized by some of its users. Effective this month, service plans with new contracts could be as high as $19.95 USD per month.

That figure is for a one-year contract, although consumers would be able to save money by extending their contract by more than one year. A two-year contract would reduce the rate to $14.95 USD per month, which would be a 15 percent increase. If the user decides on a three-year contract, the rate would remain at the current $12.95 USD per month.

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Microsoft on Monday said it had released the Office 2007 code to manufacturing, concluding the largest beta program for the productivity suite in its history. The company is still on track to release the new Office to businesses November 30, with general availability in early 2007.

In addition to bug fixes and performance improvements, Office 2007 RTM includes several updates, including a SMS text messaging application, localization, and multi-language support.

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Internet advertising firm Zango -- previously known as 180solutions -- has settled with the federal government, agreeing to pay $3 million in fines to settle charges that they used deceived consumers into downloading adware and obstructed them from removing it, in violation of federal law.

However in a statement, the former adware company attempted to shift the blame, saying it depended too much on its affiliates to enforce its policies. Even so, Zango apologized for the negative impact it had on consumers.

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In an effort to drum up support for the Bush Administration's decision to go to war with Iraq, Congressional Republicans pressured the government to make public documents showing Saddam Hussein's efforts to both research and obtain weapons of mass destruction.

Although the move may have been intended to benefit the war effort, it may have actually benefited America's enemies, the New York Times reported Friday. Experts claim that when looking at the entire group of documents, it could be viewed as a primer to build an atomic bomb.

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The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) has turned to an IBM supercomputer to improve its climate change research. Called "Blueice," the computer is capable of a peak speed of 12 teraflops and a sustained speed of 2 teraflops.

The purchase of the supercomputer is the first phase of a multi-year effort to modernize the research center's computing systems and help answer climate change questions. IBM says the computer would look at problems such as the increasing severity of storms, the prevalence of droughts, and work on improving forecasting capabilities.

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In response to what it calls "outstanding customer demand," Apple on Friday introduced its second iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition, a 8GB model that will retail for $249 USD. The player joins the already available 4GB version, priced at $199 USD.

For each unit sold, Apple contributes $10 to the Global Fund to help fight HIV/AIDS in Africa. The organization, called (RED), was created by U2 frontman Bono and philanthropist Bobby Shriver.

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Microsoft has decided to shut down its MSN Music downloads site by mid-month, transitioning it to an entertainment portal. In addition, the company will redirect those looking for music downloads to either RealNetwork's Rhapsody site or its upcoming Zune music service.

Those who have purchased songs from MSN Music will still be able to play, transfer and burn them after the service closes. Those with gift certificate balances or other credits will be able to request a refund after November 14.

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PERSPECTIVE The recording industry seems to be unable to know when to say when. Take for example the case of Patricia Santangelo: the White Plains, N.Y. mother of two was sued by the recording industry last year for downloading pirated music.

However, unlike many others who have cowered to the powers that be at RIAA, Patricia shocked the world when she refused to settle and pay a $7,500 fee to keep her name out of a lawsuit. Sensing it was losing the battle, the recording industry has now gone after her kids instead.

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Verizon and Intel announced a partnership Thursday that would bring the telecommunications company's games on demand service to television via Viiv-enabled PCs. Included with the new application would be PlayLinc, a service aimed at enhancing multiplayer games through chats and the creation of private servers.

The telecommunications company previously acquired a stake in Super Computer International, which created the PlayLinc service. Verizon says moves like this are intended to help the company find new ways to generate revenue, as its traditional landline phone business continues to struggle.

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Patent holding firm Forgent said Wednesday that it had settled its lawsuit over its JPEG patent, however it settled for significantly less than the $1 billion it hoped to make as a result. According to reports, the company has settled with about 30 companies for about $8 million.

Over 60 companies have already settled with Forgent, raising some $110 million in royalties. However, a group of about 45 PC makers and other companies refused, triggering a lawsuit. Before this final settlement, 15 companies, including Yahoo, decided to settle.

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