TheState.com: Technology

Newspaper circulation may be worse than it looks

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:45 EST

While U.S. newspapers are losing subscribers at a staggering rate, a few dailies stand out because their circulation is rising. But they aren't necessarily selling more copies.

Here's why: Since April 1, new auditing rules have made it easier for newspapers to count a reader as a paying customer.

These looser standards are especially helpful to a newspaper if it sells an "electronic edition." That can include a subscriber-only Web site, such as what The Wall Street Journal has, or it can be a digital replica of a newspaper's printed product. Several dozen publications, including USA Today, sell access to these daily "e-editions" that show how the news was laid out in print.

Under the new auditing standards, if a newspaper sells a "bundled" subscription to both the print and electronic editions, the publication is often allowed to count that subscriber twice.

If not for these rules, the industry's numbers would look even worse. Average weekday circulation at 379 U.S. newspapers fell 10.6 percent during the six months ending in September. That was the steepest decline ever recorded by the Audit Bureau of Circulations, the organization that verifies how many people are paying to read publications.

Who is Oprah's heir apparent in daytime?

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:27 EST

Will it be Ellen DeGeneres, Dr. Phil or Dr. Oz? Maybe none of the above. The announced shutdown of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in two years creates room for a new queen (or king) of daytime television.

Until that day when Winfrey's 7 million or so daily viewers start looking for something else to do, preparing to claim that audience will be one of the biggest competitions in television.

"You haven't had a time period like this open up in 25 years," said Larry Gerbrandt, an analyst for the firm Media Valuation Partners in Los Angeles. "It really gives the players a chance to reshuffle the deck."

Nowhere now in daytime television is there a show with the breadth of Winfrey's, which can feature an interview with singer Whitney Houston about her drug use one day, or Sarah Palin about a contentious campaign the next. She can do a serious hour about domestic abuse, bring Tom Cruise on to jump on her sofa, host a party with the Black Eyed Peas or give away cars to everyone in her audience.

The two shows closest to Winfrey's in the ratings are hosted by her proteges, Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz. Yet "Dr. Phil" has been around a while and the ratings indicate viewers are starting to tire of his form of tough love.

South Koreans to get Apple's iPhone this week

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 02:59 EST

Apple Inc's iPhone is coming to South Korea this week, a local carrier announced Sunday, bringing the iconic communications device to one of the world's most sophisticated mobile phone markets.

KT Corp. began accepting orders for the iPhone both online and in stores Sunday and service will start Nov. 28 as part of an official launch, said Alice Park, a spokeswoman for the country's second-largest mobile carrier.

The announcement ends a long wait in South Korea, which has lagged behind other countries in Asia in introducing the sleek smartphone that has grabbed headlines around the world and solidified Apple's status as a purveyor of cutting-edge consumer electronics.

The South Korean market is dominated by domestic manufacturers Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc., which are also big players overseas. Speculation has focused on how South Korean consumers, known for favoring the local makers, will react to the iPhone's introduction.

Steve Park, Apple's spokesman in Seoul, confirmed KT's announcement, but declined further comment and would offer no sales projections.

Sony hopes online service will build brand loyalty

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:52 EST

Sony's new online service connecting the whole range of its gadgets to downloadable content like movies and games should help build brand loyalty, a top executive said Friday.

Executive Vice President Kazuo Hirai said the service, set for launch next year, highlights an advantage that Sony has over rivals like Samsung Electronics Co. and other manufacturers that don't produce their own content. Sony's business empire spans gaming, electronics, movies and music.

"That's the kind of combination that I think is not seen anywhere else," Hirai said in an interview at Tokyo headquarters. "That I think is where our core competence lies, and that's a differentiator for Sony."

The online service will include games, movie downloads and other interactive entertainment, which will be accessible on Sony products, such as Bravia TVs, Cyber-shot digital cameras and Reader electronic books.

But Kazuharu Miura, analyst with Daiwa Securities SMBC in Tokyo, said it was unclear whether online services will boost gadget sales.

EU extends Oracle/Sun review deadline until Jan 27

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:04 EST

European Union regulators said Friday that they have extended until Jan. 27 a deadline to wrap up their antitrust review of Oracle Corp.'s planned $7.4 billion takeover of Sun Microsystems Inc.

The European Commission said Oracle had asked for more time "in order to have the opportunity to further develop its arguments in response to the Commission's concerns."

The EU executive gave them an extra six working days.

Regulators sent a formal charge sheet to Oracle earlier this month laying out competition problems that they see with the deal, claiming Oracle's purchase of open-source database software MySQL could eliminate a crucial rival and hike prices.

The EU can block the takeover - which has already been approved by the United States - or demand changes to eliminate competition concerns. Officials complained that Oracle had not tried to offer any solutions - possibly selling off MySQL, which Oracle says it doesn't want to do.

B&N Nook sells out, too late for holiday orders

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:53 EST

Consumers who haven't yet ordered Barnes & Noble's electronic book reader, the Nook, won't see one before Christmas.

The earliest that anyone who orders the $259 device on Friday - or later - will receive it is Jan. 4, 2010, the nation's largest bookseller said Friday.

"While we increased production based on the high consumer interest, we've sold out of our initial nook allotment available for delivery before the holidays," the company said in a statement. Preorders exceeded its expectations, the New York company said.

Customers who had hoped to buy a Nook as Christmas or Hanukkah present can get a certificate to present in lieu of the device.

Barnes and Noble said it is ramping up supply to meet the demand. The company wouldn't say how many Nooks it has sold.

Library group offers text search to 4.6M books

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:02 EST

A group of major national research libraries says users now can search the full text of 1.6 billion pages from 4.6 million digitized volumes.

Last year, the University of Michigan and 24 other research libraries launched the HathiTrust Digital Library. The consortium said Thursday it's offering full-text search capability to all digitized works. Access to non-copyright books started in 2008.

The group says it adds hundreds of thousands of volumes monthly.

Participants include the University of California system; California Digital Library; Indiana, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State and Purdue universities; and the universities of Chicago, Illinois, Illinois-Chicago, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin-Madison and Virginia.

Microsoft offers about 24K training vouchers in NC

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:05 EST

Microsoft Corp. is giving away nearly 24,000 vouchers to North Carolina residents who want to improve their computer skills so they can improve their lot in the work force.

Gov. Beverly Perdue and the software giant announced Thursday in Charlotte the state's portion of Microsoft's Elevate America program. The company wants to offer technology training to 2 million Americans over the next three years.

The 23,700 vouchers will be distributed over the next 90 days. They will provide free online training for Windows and Office software or advanced technical training. A recipient also may take the Microsoft Business Certification exam free of charge.

The vouchers are being distributed through the state community college system, Department of Commerce and Employment Security Commission.

Flurry of IPOs signals IPO rebound to continue

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:48 EST

The flurry of initial public offerings this week is confirmation that this fall's rebound in the market wasn't a fluke and sets the stage for more companies to raise money through IPOs in 2010. But the response to two of the newly public companies shows that investors continue to be careful about where they place their bets.

This week was the second-biggest for new issues - with five IPOs - since the market began heating up in mid-September. There have been 22 new offerings so far this quarter, compared to just one in the final three months of last year. There are more than 90 companies in the 2010 IPO pipeline.

"This week has been a preview of coming attractions next year," said John Fitzgibbon of IPOScoop. "There is a demand for IPOs."

But while increasingly robust, this IPO market isn't for the faint-of-heart. These days, investors want to see IPOs return cash to the company. Friday's IPO of Cloud Peak Energy Inc. - a spin-off coal producer Rio Tinto PLC's western U.S. assets - provided a payday for Rio Tinto. Cloud Peak failed to fetch the offering price the company had wanted and its shares fell further on their first day of trading, closing down 16 cents at $14.84.

"What people really want is IPOs where the money is used to finance growth," said Francis Gaskins of IPOdesktop. "There'll be more of those companies next year."

GE, Vivendi talks over NBC Universal stretch on

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:18 EST

A deal for Comcast Corp. to buy a controlling stake in NBC Universal and create one of the most powerful media companies in the world is taking longer than expected as the current owners tussle over price.

Comcast, the largest cable TV operator in the United States, wants NBC Universal largely for its lucrative cable channels, but it isn't likely to raise its offer to General Electric Co., which first needs Vivendi SA to sell its minority stake.

If GE had to pay Vivendi more for that stake, it would have to absorb the additional cost because Comcast's agreement with GE is "set" and separate from the Vivendi talks, according to a person familiar with the situation, speaking on condition of anonymity because the person is not authorized to disclose private negotiations.

Plans currently call for GE, which owns 80 percent of NBC Universal, to buy Vivendi's 20 percent stake and sell 51 percent ownership in the entire unit to Comcast for about $5 billion to $7 billion in cash. Comcast would contribute cable networks such as E! and Style to a new NBC Universal joint venture with GE, raising Comcast's bid to about $15 billion.

The new NBC Universal would carry $8 billion to $10 billion of debt and operate under Comcast as its majority owner.

Suit over search-engine keywords tries new angle

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:33 EST

A lawsuit in Wisconsin is bringing a fresh challenge to the practice of paying for keywords on Google and other search engines to boost one company's link over a rival's.

The practice has occasionally prompted a rival to file legal challenges alleging trademark infringement. Now a Wisconsin law firm is trying a new angle - accusing its competitor of violating privacy laws.

Habush Habush & Rottier is one of Wisconsin's largest law firms, specializing in personal-injury cases. But search for iterations of "Habush" and "Rottier" and a sponsored link for Cannon & Dunphy attorneys often shows up, just above the link for the Habush site.

Habush alleges that Cannon paid for the keywords "Habush" and "Rottier," in effect hijacking the names and reputation of Habush attorneys.

Cannon acknowledged paying for the keywords but denied wrongdoing, saying it was following a clearly legal business strategy.

On the Call: Dell's CEO Michael Dell

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:17 EST

A key element of Dell Inc.'s turnaround strategy has been a vow not to cut prices as aggressively as rivals just to keep market share. The tactic has allowed competitors such as Acer Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co. to steal business from Dell, and this fall Dell lost its ranking as the world's No. 2 PC maker.

Dell reported Thursday that its net income dropped 54 percent in the latest quarter while revenue dropped 15 percent. The company's CEO, Michael Dell, discussed the company's pricing strategy on a conference call with analysts.

QUESTION: Once the upgrade cycle begins sometime next year, will you still focus on profit margin preservation over market-share stability, or does the strategy change somewhat to a more growth-oriented focus?

ANSWER: "We think we are holding or gaining share in the right kind of price points. Our efforts on the cost side should expand our ability to profitably compete in a larger portion of the price points. What I would also tell you is that the pipeline of client opportunities, we are already seeing more client activity in the last 30 to 60 days than we have in a long time, and the pipeline for client activity going forward into next year is the strongest it has been in a long time as well. So if I look at our commercial businesses, the second quarter was kind of the bottom. The third quarter was certainly better. October was the best, and November looks even better than October. So the momentum of the turns is good."

Sony chief executive outlines turnaround plan

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:25 EST

Sony said it aims to be profitable in gaming and flat-panel TVs by the fiscal year ending March 2011, pushing 3-D technology as a way to showcase its strength in entertainment and surface from deep losses.

"Our work is already bearing fruit," Chief Executive Howard Stringer said Thursday in outlining Sony's turnaround strategy at the electronics giant's Tokyo headquarters. "We still have more work to do."

The maker of the PlayStation 3 game console is headed for its second straight billion dollar loss in the current fiscal year ending March 2010, battered by the global slowdown and sliding prices of gadgets.

Sony Corp. has been uniting its sprawling businesses, bringing together purchasing for parts and other supplies, for instance, which had been previously divided and less efficient.

Stringer, who first promised a more nimble and streamlined Sony when he took the helm in 2005, said things would be different this time.

Glitch snarls air traffic in latest woes for FAA

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:23 EST

For the second time in a little more than a year, a glitch at one of the two centers that handle flight plans for the nation's air travel system set off delays and cancellations for passengers around the country.

The snarl Thursday - traced to something as simple as a single circuit board - prompted calls for more money and manpower at the Federal Aviation Administration, which has struggled without success for years to overhaul the air traffic system.

The circuit board, at an FAA center in Salt Lake City, is part of a multibillion-dollar nationwide communications network that the agency has spent years installing as part of plans to modernize air traffic control.

A government watchdog said last year that the network was over budget and plagued by outages. On a single day in 2007 alone, the failure of parts of the network was responsible for 566 flight delays.

Aviation experts are unsure whether any system that relies on the interconnectedness of computers can prevent glitches from causing havoc unless there are sufficient backup systems to handle the thousands of flight plans filed each day in the U.S.

Yahoo jumps on Twitter bandwagon to improve search

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:47 EST

Yahoo Inc. is jumping on the Twitter bandwagon in its latest attempt to get people to use its Internet search engine more frequently.

Beginning Thursday, Yahoo will mine the short messages posted on Twitter to find fresher information about hot topics.

Microsoft Corp. and Google Inc. had earlier announced plans to incorporate Twitter messages into search results, but Yahoo said it will be the first among them to include such "tweets" on its main search results.

The addition comes at a pivotal time for Yahoo. The company, based in Sunnyvale, Calif., is bogged down in a three-year financial slump partly because it has losing ground in the lucrative Internet search market to Google and, to a lesser extent, Microsoft.

The Twitter twist is the latest sign of Yahoo's resolve to spice up its search results even as it prepares to lean on Microsoft for most of the technology powering its search engine. That transition is scheduled to begin next year.

Google's Chrome OS to be ready for 2010 holidays

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:43 EST

Consumers will have to wait until next year's holiday shopping season to find out if Google Inc.'s new operating system can deliver on its promise to make low-cost computers run faster.

Google set the late 2010 target date Thursday during its first preview of a much-anticipated operating system that eventually may mount a challenge to Microsoft Corp.'s Windows - the foundation for most personal computers since the 1990s.

The Internet search leader announced plans in July for an operating system named after its Chrome Web browser. At the time, Google said Chrome OS would be ready during the second half of 2010. That left open the possibility that Chrome OS computers could be on sale as early as next summer.

But Google is taking its time so outside programmers can contribute to Chrome OS, which is being developed under an open-source model in which anyone can help with development and share improvements. Google also intends to work closely with computer manufacturers to ensure they meet the Chrome OS's requirements.

Chrome OS is initially expected to be limited to people looking for inexpensive, lightweight computers designed for Web surfing. None of the so-called "netbooks" running Google's operating system will have a hard drive, and they will need Internet access to run applications.

EBay completes sale of Skype for $2 billion

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:27 EST

EBay has completed its sale of Skype for about $2 billion to an investor group that included the founders of the Internet phone service.

Last week, the online auction site settled a legal skirmish with co-founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis which allowed the deal to move forward. The settlement gave Skype ownership of critical software that had been licensed from the company they founded, Joltid Ltd.

Ebay said Thursday it sold a 70 percent stake in the company for about $1.9 billion plus $125 million that it will receive at a later date. The company is keeping the remaining 30 percent stake.

The settlement means Zennstrom and Friis get a 14 percent stake in Skype. The investor group, led by Silver Lake, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Andreessen Horowitz, get 56 percent ownership.

San Jose, Calif.-based Ebay Inc. also purchased senior debt securities worth $50 million to help finance the deal.

AOL offers buyouts to over a third of work force

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:27 EST

The struggling Internet company AOL plans to shed up to 2,500 jobs - more than a third of its work force - as it prepares to separate from Time Warner and finally sever their ill-fated marriage.

Major job cuts had been expected and seemed certain after Time Warner said last week that AOL would take $200 million in charges for severance and other restructuring-related costs. But the magnitude was not known until Thursday.

AOL, which has already pared thousands of workers in recent years and now employs about 6,900, is asking for volunteers to accept buyouts. If it falls short of the 2,500 target, it plans layoffs to reach a payroll cut of up to 2,300 positions, a third of its current total.

The cuts will leave AOL at less than a quarter the size it was at its peak in 2004, when it had more than 20,000 employees.

The reductions show the Internet company is endeavoring to become lean as it leaves Time Warner's side in three weeks. Yet it is still unclear how they will help AOL, which has been trying to reinvent itself as a content and advertising company amid an ongoing decline in its legacy dial-up Internet access business.

Judge rejects AT&T's bid to pull Verizon ads

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:08 EST

A federal judge on Wednesday denied a request by AT&T Inc. to force competitor Verizon Wireless to pull its "There's a Map for That" commercials.

But the judge scheduled a Dec. 16 hearing to give the AT&T attorneys another chance to make their case.

AT&T filed the lawsuit in federal court in Atlanta earlier this month and asked for a temporary restraining order and a permanent injunction to stop the ads. It contends they are misleading and amount to deceptive trade practices.

Verizon argues that the commercials are valid and truthful.

The ads show maps of the United States with areas highlighted to depict where third generation - or "3G" - network coverage is available. A map of the country nearly covered with red dots is shown to depict Verizon's coverage, while a map with some blue areas and a lot of blank space is shown to ostensibly display AT&T's 3G coverage.

Google adding automatic captions to YouTube videos

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:37 EST

Think of it as closed captioning for the new media world.

Google Inc. said Thursday it is introducing automatic, machine-generated captions for videos on its YouTube site. The new service, being launched this week, is intended to make online videos accessible to the deaf and hearing-impaired.

Hundreds of thousands of videos on Google sites already contain caption tracks that users have created and added manually with Google's existing captioning service. But with 20 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute, most videos on the site still lack captions.

So Google is tapping into the speech-recognition technology that it uses for its Google Voice call management service to make captions an automatic feature on YouTube.

Because the speech-recognition technology is still a work in progress, Google is launching the automatic captioning service on the YouTube channels of just a handful of partners, including PBS, National Geographic and a few big universities. But the company promises that the technology will improve over time - and it hopes for a much broader rollout.

Dell's profit, stock drop on weak quarterly report

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:04 EST

Some of the computer industry's biggest players - such as IBM Corp., Intel Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. - have wowed Wall Street this fall with stronger-than-expected profits.

Dell Inc. didn't join them Thursday.

The company reported a 54 percent drop in net income and a 15 percent decline in revenue in its latest quarter, both steeper than analysts had forecast.

Dell's shares fell $1.43, or 9 percent, to $14.44 in morning trading Friday.

The numbers show that Dell isn't fully benefiting from the industry's fledgling recovery, even though the company is seeing improvement in some areas.

Obama answers questions from top Cuban blogger

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:42 EST

President Barack Obama has answered questions submitted by a celebrated Cuban blogger, saying he isn't interested in "talking for the sake of talking" with Raul Castro and indicating he won't visit the island until the communist government changes its ways.

In an unusual written response to Yoani Sanchez, who has gained international acclaim for daring to criticize her government online, Obama also said it is up to Cuba to act if it wants normal relations with Washington, saying that a true thaw in nearly 50 years of deep-freeze "will require action by the Cuban government."

His comments were posted Thursday on Sanchez's blog, "Generacion Y," which like most sites critical of the Cuban government is blocked on the island.

Sanchez uses caustic, often witty posts to provide an inside look at a communist state, writing about such daily hardships as food shortages and tensions caused by a lack of freedom of expression and assembly.

Obama assured Sanchez that the United States "has no intention of invading Cuba," a Cold War concept that top Cuban officials insist is still a possibility.

John Malone: Comcast-NBC would have too much power

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:08 EST

Media mogul John Malone said Thursday that Comcast Corp.'s plan to buy a controlling stake in NBC Universal would give it too much market power and force competitors to consider similar acquisitions.

Comcast Corp. - the nation's largest cable TV provider - is in talks to buy a 51 percent stake in NBC Universal from General Electric Co. GE is negotiating to buy back Vivendi SA's 20 percent ownership in NBC Universal and then sell a majority stake to Comcast.

Malone, who is chairman of Liberty Media Corp., which has a controlling stake in satellite TV carrier DirecTV Group Inc., said GE did not approach him about investing in NBC Universal.

"It was developed very quietly between Comcast and GE and they did not seek any other," Malone told The Associated Press on Thursday.

NBC Universal owns broadcast and cable channels and the Universal Studios movie studio and theme parks. Malone said a combined Comcast-NBC would be a big threat to competitors because of the potential for the venture to charge higher fees for its programming. Subscription-TV operators such as DirecTV pay NBC Universal and other programmers for the right to carry their cable channels.

Gadgets: Digital photo gift ideas

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:46 EST

Once again it's that shopping time of year and if digital photography is on your shopping list, here is a roundup of accessories to kick off the season.

The Gorillapod SLR-Zoom from Joby is a flexible tripod that can be used almost anywhere.

Besides having the traditional three legs to stand upright on any flat surface, this unit has flexible legs that can wrap around most anything. Rubberized foot grips keep it stable, even on most slanted or slippery surfaces - even door knobs, car handles, trees and street lights. If the legs can go around it, this will hold up your camera even most of today's bigger SLR models (up to 6.5 lbs.)

The ability to attach to most anything allows the device to act as a larger tripod without the legs and bulk of bigger models.

More than two dozen leg-joints enable it to bend and rotate 360-degrees for secure attachment. Users can also purchase a Joby Ballhead for even more flexibility.

Shareholders OK DirecTV spinoff but sale uncertain

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:17 EST

Shareholders approved the formation of a new company out of DirecTV Group Inc. and some of Liberty Media Corp.'s entertainment businesses, as the chairman of both firms dampened speculation about a sale to a big phone company.

Media mogul John Malone told The Associated Press that he could see the new DirecTV, the nation's largest satellite TV provider, collaborating more closely with phone companies to offer Internet and phone services that compete with cable TV operators. But he was vague on whether or not he would seek a sale.

"We do bundling. We do product development directly with them. It's a major source of new subscribers for DirecTV," he said. "Whether it would lead to consolidation, that's speculation."

Malone also said he hadn't expected to name a new DirecTV CEO who had no experience in the satellite TV business, but he ultimately chose a soft drink executive for his "great leadership capabilities."

On Wednesday, DirecTV chose Michael White, vice chairman of PepsiCo Inc. and CEO of PepsiCo International, to be its chief executive, replacing Chase Carey, who left to be president and chief operating officer of News Corp.

House lawmakers push ban on peer-to-peer software

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:47 EST

Stung by an embarrassing electronic leak last month revealing ethics investigations into dozens of lawmakers, Congress moved Tuesday to prohibit federal employees from using the same type of Internet file-sharing software blamed for the disclosure.

The Secure Federal File Sharing Act, introduced in the House, would bar government employees and contractors from downloading, installing or using so-called peer-to-peer file sharing software such as Limewire without official approval. The bill also would require the White House to develop rules for employees and contractors working on home or personal computers.

The software is popular among computer users trading music, movies and other files over the Internet, often in violation of copyright owners. The underpinning technology also makes other information on a person's computer vulnerable to being downloaded, especially if the software isn't configured properly.

A House ethics committee report outlining inquiries involving dozens of members of Congress leaked onto the Internet after a junior committee staff member saved it on the hard drive of a home computer. The staff member, who had peer-to-peer software, didn't realize the file was unprotected but was subsequently fired anyway.

The secret report detailed investigations that included financial dealings, travel and campaign donations.

China to participate in giant Hawaii telescope

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:52 EST

Chinese astronomers have signed on to participate in the development of the world's largest telescope that will be built atop a Hawaii volcano, a group said Tuesday.

The Thirty Meter Telescope, the group spearheading the project, said the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has joined as an observer. It is the first step of a process expected to lead to the NAOC becoming a full partner and financial contributor.

"We believe that the Thirty Meter Telescope will provide an otherwise unattainable opportunity for the Chinese astronomical community to make significant discoveries, perform cutting-edge science, and advance technological development," Jun Yan, the NAOC's director, said in a statement.

A consortium of Canadian and California universities is heading the development of the telescope, to be build atop Mauna Kea volcano on the Big Island. The National Astronomical Observatory of Japan is also participating in the project.

The telescope's mirror will stretch almost 100 feet (30 meters) in diameter, or nearly the length of a Boeing 737's wingspan, when it's finished in 2018. It will be so powerful that astronomers will be able to use it to see images of the first stars and galaxies forming - some 400 million years after the Big Bang.

UK police make 2 Trojan computer virus arrests

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:15 EST

A couple suspected of helping spread some of the Internet's most aggressive computer viruses has been arrested in the English city of Manchester, police said Wednesday.

Scotland Yard's electronic crimes unit said a man and a woman, both 20, were arrested Nov. 3 on suspicion of helping spread malicious Trojan computer programs sometimes known as "Zbot" or "ZeuS."

Police said the viruses are thought to have infected tens of thousands of computers worldwide, and one technology consultant described them as the "most notorious pieces of malware of recent times."

"This is one of the most frequent families of worms that we encounter," said Graham Cluley, a technology consultant with the U.K. security firm Sophos PLC. "The ferocity with which it's been spammed out on occasions has really hit our radar."

Cluley said the Zbot family of viruses first came to his attention in 2007. Since then it has periodically swept across the Internet, stealing personal information from computers across the world and feeding it back to cyber-criminals. The viruses are commonly known as Trojans because they sneak onto computers and attack it from the inside, harvesting millions of lines of data - including banking information, credit card numbers and social networking passwords.

Facebook users can help Chase find small charities

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:05 EST

JPMorgan Chase is letting Facebook users help decide how to give away $5 million.

The idea is to get small, local charities on Chase's radar - ones that don't have the operating budget to go around asking for grants but do a lot of good work in their communities.

The "Chase Community Giving" program will let Facebook users choose from more than half a million charities that have an operating budget of less than $10 million apiece. Examples include the Children's Diabetes Foundation in Denver, the East Bay Habitat for Humanity in Oakland, Calif., and the Montana Connection For Afghan Women in Bozeman, Mont.

The Chase program is not the first time a company has asked Facebook users to vote on its charitable dollars. But it is the first time that they can nominate charities that the giver likely hasn't even heard of.

"We are moving from a centralized way of philanthropic giving to the wisdom of friends," said Elliot Schrage, Facebook's vice president of communications.

Review: $100 Palm Pixi is stylish but sluggish

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:09 EST

Palm Inc. is fighting harder than ever to snag a chunk of the smart phone market, and just six months after releasing the stylish Pre it's back with a lighter, more petite and affordable version called the Pixi.

It's too bad such a good-looking phone is so aggravating to use.

With its trim candy bar-shaped body, full keyboard and $100 price tag (with a two-year Sprint Nextel contract and $150 in rebates), it's clear that Palm is aiming the Pixi at younger, text messaging-savvy consumers.

The Pixi is one of the most attractive phones I've seen. Its glossy black face features a crisp-though-diminutive 2.6-inch touch screen and a full keyboard that's about the size of a Pink Pearl eraser. The keys are the sticky, rubbery kind familiar to Palm fans. In between the screen and keyboard sits a small area where you make finger swipes to switch between applications.

The Pixi felt great in my hand. The sides of the device are rounded and its sides and back are a matte, rubberized plastic. At 3.3 ounces, it's a featherweight compared to the Pre, iPhone and most BlackBerry phones - the Pre and iPhone each tip the scales at 4.8 ounces. The Pixi includes 8 gigabytes of storage for photos, music and videos.