News For Thursday Jul 17, 2008 News For Thursday Jul 17, 2008

Science & Technology Science & Technology

Summary Box: Microsoft 4Q profit climbs - Added 7 weeks ago

CASH COWS: Sales of Office, Windows helped push Microsoft's fiscal fourth-quarter revenue up 18 percent to $15.8 billion. BOTTOM LINE: Profit rose steadily to $4.3 billion but missed Wall Street's expectations by a...

Summary Box: IBM 2Q profit jumps 22 percent - Added 7 weeks ago

THE PROFIT: IBM Corp.'s second-quarter profit rose 22 percent, easily beating Wall Street's expectations. The Armonk, N.Y.-based company is benefiting from continued strength in its services division despite growing...

Summary box: Google gives give new reason to worry - Added 7 weeks ago

RED FLAG: Although its growth rate remains impressive, Google's earnings missed analyst estimates and CEO Eric Schmidt acknowledged the economic climate is "challenging." REACTION: Google shares shed more than 7...

Should we move species to save them? - Added 7 weeks ago

With climate change increasingly threatening the survival of plants and animals, scientists say it may become necessary to move some species to save them. Dubbed assisted colonization or assisted migration, the idea is...

Smithsonian dishes the dirt on, well, dirt - Added 7 weeks ago

Dishing the dirt has a long history in Washington, but the Smithsonian Institution is taking it to new depths. The National Museum of Natural History opens a new exhibit on Saturday _ "Dig It" _ exploring the mysterious...

Summary Box: AMD changes CEO amid struggles - Added 7 weeks ago

COMMAND CHANGE: Hector Ruiz, 62, is done as CEO at chip maker Advanced Micro Devices Inc. after six turbulent years. He now is executive chairman. NEXT UP: The new CEO is Dirk Meyer, 46, an engineer and chip designer...

Yahoo calls Microsoft's actions `stupefying' - Added 7 weeks ago

Yahoo Inc. sent a letter to shareholders Thursday in which it called Microsoft Corp.'s actions in its dance to acquire all or part of the Internet company "stupefying." The letter from Yahoo Chairman Roy Bostock and...

Europeans expand antitrust case against Intel - Added 7 weeks ago

European Union regulators have expanded their antitrust case against Intel Corp., claiming that the world's largest semiconductor maker has deliberately squeezed rival AMD out of the chip market. The European...

Analysts: Tough conditions won't kill radio deal - Added 7 weeks ago

Meeting a regulator's tough conditions for approval of Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.'s purchase of XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. may be tough but isn't likely to derail the deal, analysts said Thursday. "These do seem...

Media General swings to 2Q loss, sees $500M charge - Added 7 weeks ago

Media General Inc. swung to a loss in the second-quarter on severance costs and lower ad revenue and expects to take an additional charge of up to $550 million to write down the value of its intangible assets. The...

SCO ordered to pay Novell for software royalties - Added 7 weeks ago

The SCO Group has been ordered to pay Novell Inc. more than $2.5 million in royalties in a dispute over the Unix computer operating system. Wednesday's award by U.S. District Judge Dale Kimball falls short of the...

At a glance: AMD's new CEO Dirk Meyer - Added 7 weeks ago

NAME: Derrick "Dirk" Meyer. AGE: 46. Born in La Grange, Ill. EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree in computer engineering, University of Illinois; Master of Business Administration, Boston University. TITLE: Formerly...

AMD CEO steps down as chip maker struggles - Added 7 weeks ago

The CEO of chip maker Advanced Micro Devices Inc. is stepping down. Hector Ruiz had been just the second person to lead AMD after company founder Jerry Sanders. He'll be replaced by the chip maker's No. 2 executive,...

IBM ups 2008 earnings target again - Added 7 weeks ago

IBM Corp. its raising its profit targets for the year _ again. The technology company says it should earn $8.75 per share this year, as its international diversity and product mix help it get past troubles in its...

Warming health report: Poor, elderly to hurt most - Added 7 weeks ago

Global warming will affect the health and welfare of every American, but the poor, elderly, and children will suffer the most, according to a new White House science report released Thursday. The 284-page report,...

Summary Box: High-tech windshields aid vision - Added 7 weeks ago

ILLUMINATING IDEA: General Motors Corp. is developing a high-tech windshield that makes road hazards easier to see. For example, during a foggy drive, it could project a blue line onto the windshield that follows the...

GM researches high-tech windshields to aid vision - Added 7 weeks ago

When Coke bottle glasses just won't cut it for safe driving, a futuristic windshield might do the trick. General Motors Corp. researchers are working on a windshield that combines lasers, infrared sensors and a camera...

EU warns against buying ring tones online - Added 7 weeks ago

Eight out of 10 Web sites selling mobile phone ring tones and graphics are tricking people with hidden fees or false advertising, the EU's consumer affairs commissioner said Thursday. The commissioner, Meglena Kuneva,...

Verizon gets final clearance for TV service in NYC - Added 7 weeks ago

Verizon Communications Inc. has cleared the final regulatory hurdle for providing TV in New York City, a major step in its transformation from a phone company to a fiber-optics-based carrier. The New York State Public...

AOL exec Leonsis turns film passion into business - Added 7 weeks ago

Retired AOL executive Ted Leonsis is turning his passion for documentaries into an Internet service meant to give independent filmmakers broader viewership. His new Web site, SnagFilms, will take professionally...

Big 3 mimic each other at E3: more, more and more - Added 7 weeks ago

One word sums up the announcements made by the Big Three gaming companies at the E3 this week: more. During their flashy news conferences, Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony all announced plans for more games, more sequels,...

Scientists: $200M loss from Great Lakes invasives - Added 7 weeks ago

Foreign species that slipped into the Great Lakes in ballast tanks of oceangoing cargo ships cost the regional economy at least $200 million a year, according to a University of Notre Dame study released Wednesday. ...

EBay 2Q profit rises 22 percent but outlook soft - Added 7 weeks ago

EBay Inc. said Wednesday that its second-quarter profit jumped 22 percent, as the online auction company enjoyed strong growth in its e-commerce sites and its PayPal payments service. But eBay's outlook for the current...

PC shipments grew faster than expected in 2Q - Added 7 weeks ago

Computer shipments rose faster than expected in the second quarter, fueled by exceptional demand in emerging markets and a decline in prices in the U.S. and Western Europe, two research groups said Wednesday. Worldwide...

Congress asks Embarq about selling customer info - Added 7 weeks ago

Congress has asked Embarq Corp. about its work with a company that tracks online subscribers' Web traffic for advertising purposes, part of growing concern about Internet privacy. Overland Park, Kan.-based Embarq is...

Video game industry tries to broaden its appeal - Added 7 weeks ago

A tough little blob must splash color over a town wallowing in gray. Bug-eyed rabbits do a dance routine. And then there's the "perfect equine farm" of wild horses for little girls to tame and train. These video games...

Web-based program gives the blind Internet access - Added 7 weeks ago

Blind people generally use computers with the help of screen-reader software, but those products can cost more than $1,000, so they're not exactly common on public PCs at libraries or Internet cafes. Now a free new...

Newspaper reports Microsoft, AOL continue talks - Added 7 weeks ago

Executives from Microsoft Corp. and Time Warner Inc.'s AOL are trying to advance discussions on a possible combination that could give the software maker an alternative to a deal with Yahoo Inc., a newspaper reported...

Pittsburgh abuzz with robotic art - Added 7 weeks ago

A green roller coaster twists above the entrance to the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh. But this attraction isn't for human riders _ the coaster's cars are filled with plants and a solar panel that triggers the ride to...

Review: Facebook Scrabble flashy, but not better - Added 7 weeks ago

A sanctioned version of Scrabble for Facebook, released this week by video game maker Electronic Arts Inc., boasts animated graphics and true-to-the-board-game design. But underneath its flashy exterior, the new...

Atlanta newspaper cutting staff by 200 - Added 7 weeks ago

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is cutting its staff by nearly 200 jobs, or about 8 percent of its work force, and eliminating some targeted news sections. In a news release Wednesday, Publisher John Mellott said the...

Global Warming: Top 10, Again - Added 7 weeks ago

Earth scored another Top 10 finish in June _ climate wise. It was the eighth warmest June on record, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported Wednesday. And the first six months of the year were...

Global Warming: Top 10, Again - Added 7 weeks ago

Earth scored another Top 10 finish in June _ climate wise. It was the eighth warmest June on record, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported Wednesday. And the first six months of the year were...

Japan cautious in iPhone's bid for world dominance - Added 7 weeks ago

Kentaro Tohyama is proud of his new iPhone. He stood overnight in line to get it when the device became available in Japan for the first time. But the 29-year-old computer engineer isn't about to part with his...

NASA to workers: Go boldly (in cup) for science - Added 7 weeks ago

The No. 1 need right now for some of the builders of the nation's next spaceship: Lots of No. 1. Space program contractor Hamilton Sundstrand is seeking urine from workers at the Johnson Space Center in Houston as part...

Researchers look to air-condition computer chips - Added 7 weeks ago

Purdue University scientists have taken a page from air conditioner technology in their quest for a new way to cool down ever-more powerful computer chips. Their experimental system, which flushes a refrigerant through...

New Dish Network satellite launched successfully - Added 7 weeks ago

Sea Launch Co. has launched a new satellite for Dish Network Corp. A rocket carrying the EchoStar 11 satellite lifted off at 10:21 p.m. PDT Tuesday from Long Beach, Calif.-based Sea Launch Co.'s rocket platform...

Intel 2Q profit jump reflects healthy PC demand - Added 7 weeks ago

Worried that the ailing U.S. economy has spilled abroad and hurt global PC sales, investors had subdued expectations for Intel Corp. in the second quarter. Intel is the world's largest computer chip maker, and its...

CNBC: Korean carrier in talks to buy Sprint - Added 7 weeks ago

South Korea's SK Telecom Corp. is in talks to buy struggling U.S. wireless carrier Sprint Nextel Corp., business news channel CNBC reported Tuesday An agreement would be at best weeks away, CNBC said, citing people...

Astronauts take another spacewalk for tamer job - Added 7 weeks ago

The space station's two Russian astronauts stepped outside for the second time in less than a week Tuesday, taking a spacewalk that proved to be tame compared to last week's work with explosives. Although Sergei Volkov...

XBox 360 to stream Netflix movies - Added 7 weeks ago

Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 video game console will be able to stream thousands of movies over the Internet, thanks to a deal announced Monday with Netflix Inc. that highlights the way gaming devices are expanding into...

Outraged Icahn refocuses on ousting Yahoo board - Added 7 weeks ago

Apparently abandoning hopes for a truce with Yahoo Inc., investor Carl Icahn sharpened his focus on replacing the Internet company's board Monday after his attempt to negotiate a deal with Microsoft Corp. was angrily...

EU wants to cap costs on phone text messages - Added 7 weeks ago

Are mobile phone companies taking advantage of teenagers' addiction to chatting in text messages? The top telecommunications regulator for the European Union believes so, and said Tuesday that a limit should be placed...

Video-game news: Metallica's 'Guitar Hero' album - Added 7 weeks ago

Real news from the virtual world: _ RIDE THE LIGHTNING: Activision's "Guitar Hero World Tour" is one of this year's most eagerly anticipated games, but the company has big news for fans who can't wait for that:...

FTC enforces do-not-call rules, fines cos. $95,000 - Added 7 weeks ago

Two telemarketing companies that sell Dish Network Corp.'s satellite TV services have agreed to pay fines of $95,000 for ignoring the federal do-not-call list and hanging up on customers, federal regulators said...

YouTube, Viacom agree to mask viewer data - Added 7 weeks ago

In a nod to privacy complaints, Viacom Inc. won't be told the identities of individuals who watch video clips on the popular video-sharing site YouTube. Viacom and other copyright holders have agreed to let YouTube...

Lawmakers scrutinize Yahoo-Google ad partnership - Added 7 weeks ago

Congress waded into the escalating fight over the future of Yahoo Inc. on Tuesday, demanding to know whether the Internet company's advertising partnership with Google Inc., intended to keep Yahoo out of the clutches of...

Criminal probe ended, Apple CEO still has hurdles - Added 7 weeks ago

A criminal probe of Apple Inc.'s co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs over stock options tampering is now over, but the potential legal shadow over him and the company isn't going away just yet. Although Jobs is not being...

NASA to workers: Go boldly (in cup) for science - Added 7 weeks ago

The No. 1 need right now for some of the builders of the nation's next spaceship: Lots of No. 1. Space program contractor Hamilton Sundstrand is seeking urine from workers at the Johnson Space Center in Houston as part...

EU wants to cap costs on phone text messages - Added 7 weeks ago

Are mobile phone companies taking advantage of teenagers' addiction to chatting in text messages? The top telecommunications regulator for the European Union believes so, and said Tuesday that a limit should be placed...