Yahoo Unveils New Search Ad Platform

Yahoo said Tuesday that it will be opening up its search advertising system, code named "Panama," to new customers. Previously, only current advertisers were able to access the service, which aims to put the company on par with services from Google and Microsoft.

The Sunnyvale, Calif. based company has fallen somewhat behind its competitors, but Panama is expected to close that gap. It offers the ability to rotate different ads through the systems, methods to test keyword effectiveness, and ad budgeting capabilities.

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LCD Price-Fixing Probe Widens

A probe into price fixing of LCD displays is expanding, according to press reports on Tuesday. The Fair Trading Commission of Japan is investigating South Korea's LG.Philips, and inquiries have also been launched against Samsung and Sharp, as well as a joint venture between Seiko Espon and Sanyo that produces the display. LG.Philips confirmed to the press that the US Justice Department and Korean Fair Trade Commission were also investigating the company.

According to industry insiders and news reports, the agencies are investigating claims of price fixing that may have occurred during 2003 and 2004. Some believe the companies colluded to keep LCD display prices artificially high during that period. Both LG.Philips and Samsung have said they plan to cooperate fully with all inquiries.

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Next Stage of HP Restructuring Begins as CFO Wayman Retires

In a security analysts' conference this morning, Hewlett-Packard CEO Mark Hurd's message did not exactly follow the holiday spirit. Another round of cost-cutting at what can now be called the world's #1 PC manufacturer will be under way.

During the first stage, which began in July 2005, the company let go of 15,300 employees; thus far, layoffs have not been mentioned for the next round, though it's not unlikely.

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Sony, SanDIsk Team on Faster Memory Stick

SanDisk said Monday it has developed, in conjunction with Sony, a new version of the Memory Stick Pro storage format that is built to transfer data at speeds faster than the standard version. The companies say the faster data rates will allow for real-time recording of multimedia content, and would also allow for high-speed transfer of files to and from the Memory Stick.

The Memory Stick Pro-HG supports data transfer at 480Mbps, three times faster than its predecessor. At a minimum, it will be able to write at a speed of 120Mbps, making advanced applications possible. The first devices compatible with the standard are expected later next year, and the company will begin to license the technology in January.

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RIM Sues Samsung Over BlackJack

BlackBerry maker Research in Motion filed suit against Samsung in U.S. District Court on Friday, claiming the South Korean electronics manufacturer's choice of the "BlackJack" name is too close to that of its popular BlackBerry device. In the lawsuit, RIM is seeking an injunction that would prevent the sale of the phone, as well as to force Samsung to stop using the name.

RIM's BlackBerry has for quite some time been in a league of it own in the business communications device market. However, its success has prompted companies like Motorola to offer the Q, T-Mobile to produce the Dash, and Samsung the BlackJack. While it seems like RIM has no issue with its other competitors, the company argues the BlackJack name confuses customers. Both RIM and Samsung have declined to comment on the legal matter.

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VA Wants E-Mail Addresses of Sex Offenders

MySpace has been advocating that governments require sex offenders to register their online identities. On Monday, it may have found its first ally in that fight: Robert McDonnell, the attorney general for the state of Virginia.

McDonnell plans to push for such legislation in his state, and if passed, it would be the first of its kind in the country. MySpace hopes that these laws are passed nationwide, claiming it would make its job of finding online predators much easier.

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Yet Another MS Word Flaw Surfaces

On Sunday, Microsoft acknowledged the existence of another vulnerability in Word 2003, though declined to release details on the nature of this new find, other than to say it's different than the discovery of a heap overflow trigger last week by security research firm eEye.

While Microsoft referred to "reports" of a second vulnerability, it did not credit anyone specifically with those reports, leaving news sources with only the requisite news that a problem does exist - which is often enough to chew on.

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Xbox Takes Game Development to the Masses

Microsoft has made good on its promise to deliver to enthusiasts a basic development platform for aspiring game makers to produce their own games for the Xbox 360 system. In addition, it launched tools on Xbox Live that it hopes would make the process as easy as possible.

The Redmond company first announced its intentions to deliver the application in August. A Windows XP application, XNA Game Studio Express will allow anyone to try his or her hand at game development.

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IBM Announces Memory Chip Advancement

A new semiconductor alloy jointly developed by scientists at IBM, Qimonda, and Micronix will spur the development of faster and smaller memory chips. The companies say the advancements would lead to smaller chips than currently possible with flash memory.

Called "phase-change" memory, in laboratory tests it proved to be as much as 500 times faster than flash. In addition, it takes one-half the power to write the data to the chip; size benefits are also to be had with the new technology.

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Fujitsu Unveils 300GB Laptop Drive

Fujitsu continues to push the limits of moble storage, announcing Monday 250GB and 300GB 2.5-inch laptop hard drives that utilize perpendicular magnetic recording technology. The Serial ATA drives spin at 4200RPM and have low power consumption, while improving shock tolerance.

The MHX2300BT series represents Fujitsu's second generation drives with perpendicular recording, and promises near-silent operation. "Our commitment to R&D has not only spurred the development of the industry's first 2.5-inch 300GB capacity perpendicular hard disk drive, but it will allow Fujitsu to continue to achieve these aggressive milestones in advance of the rest of the industry," remarked Fujitsu vice president Joel Hagberg. Both drives are slated to ship in the first quarter of 2007.

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Dell Ships Laptop with Blu-ray Drive

Dell on Monday became the latest manufacturer to support Sony's Blu-ray discs in its notebook computers, a move that was largely expected as Dell is a founding member behind the format. A Blu-ray drive is now available on the Dell XPS M1710 laptop, but it won't come cheap.

The XPS M1710 is Dell's high-end gaming laptop, which runs $3,699 with the Blu-ray drive. The addition will enable users to watch movies in the high-definition format (after purchasing the necessary playback software), as well as burn discs containing up to 50GB of data. The battle between Blu-ray and HD DVD is expected to heat up in the coming weeks as CES 2007 kicks off the new year in Las Vegas.

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Qualcomm Patent Infringement Ruling Upheld by ITC; Broadcom Wins

In what could be the final word on the subject from a patent authority, the International Trade Commission has upheld a ruling last October stating that networking technology supplier Qualcomm did indeed infringe upon a critical patent held by technology developer Broadcom.

Specifically, the "'983" patent covers a portable communications device with transceivers for both wired and wireless networks. The upholding could pave the way for a possible injunction against the sale of infringing technology by Qualcomm in the US.

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Media Companies Mulling YouTube Rival

Four major television networks are reportedly in discussions to create a centralized clearinghouse for their content online in an apparent effort to compete with YouTube. However, the Wall Street Journal says that any potential deal is still a long way off from becoming a reality.

Fox, Viacom, CBS, and NBC are interested in the project, as they see potential in the growing Web advertising market. Rather than letting companies like YouTube profit from it, they hope to cash in on these lucrative deals by running their own site.

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Recused FCC Commissioner May Vote on AT&T/BellSouth

Late Friday, the Federal Communications Commission's general counsel, on prompting from the chairman, ruled that a commissioner who had recused himself from proceedings on the proposed AT&T/BellSouth merger may now participate in the vote. Commissioner Robert McDowell was formerly an employee of the lobbying group CompTel, that has been on record as opposing such mergers.

But which way McDowell will vote remains uncertain, and he could still choose to abstain. Like Chairman Kevin Martin, McDowell is a Republican and a recent appointee of President Bush; however, while Martin and fellow Republican Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate have already expressed their support of the merger, Democrats Jonathan Adelstein and Michael Copps are strongly opposed.

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Cingular, HP Offer First 3GSM Laptop

HP became the first computer manufacturer in the US to offer a laptop with built in support for UMTS/HSDPA technologies - specifically for Cingular Wireless. The unit is compatible with both American and worldwide 3G GSM networks due to its tri-band capabilities.

The notebook will be marketed under the Compaq brand, and jointly promoted by the two companies to business customers. It comes with the Cingular Communication Manager preinstalled, and integrated dual antennas for connectivity.

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