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AP Technology NewsBrief at 5:33 p.m. EDT
(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Friday marks final signoff for analog TV serviceNEW YORK (AP) _ Television stations across the U.S. began cutting their analog signals Friday, marking the final signoff for a 60-year-old technology and likely stranding more than 1 million unprepared homes without TV service. The Federal Communications Commission put 4,000 operators on standby for calls from confused viewers, and set up demonstration centers in several cities. Volunteer groups and local government agencies were helping elderly people set up digital converter boxes that keep older TVs functioning. Any set hooked up to cable or a satellite dish is unaffected.
Campers see hassle, expense in digital TV switchSIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) _ Ralph Deangelis planned his family's cross-country RV excursion around taking in great sights at Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Canyon. But Deangelis also likes being able to see practical things like local TV weather reports while they're on the road. So the switch by broadcasters to all-digital signals on Friday is bringing special headaches for campers like him. Many put off upgrading the TVs in their RVs because it meant tearing up cabinets designed to maximize space, and they're worried now that without over-the-air signals they'll have less access to forecasts and storm warnings.
Amazon to pay Toys R Us $51M to settle suitNEW YORK (AP) _ Amazon.com Inc. will pay $51 million to Toys R Us Inc. to end a long-standing legal dispute. In a regulatory filing Friday, Amazon says it agreed Thursday to pay Toys R Us the amount during the third quarter to settle a dispute that began in 2004.
EU: browser-free Windows gives no real choiceBRUSSELS (AP) _ European Union regulators said Microsoft Corp. was offering less choice, not more, by vowing to sell the next version of Windows without any Web browsers at all. Microsoft said Thursday that it would remove its Internet Explorer browser _ and not include any alternatives _ in the Windows 7 software it will sell from Oct. 22 in Europe to soothe EU antitrust concerns.
Publisher warms to Scribd storeNEW YORK (AP) _ The publisher of Stephen King and Chelsea Handler will be selling books through Scribd, the online document-sharing service that the industry has criticized for enabling the downloading of pirated texts. Scribd announced Thursday that digital versions of books by King, Handler and thousands of others published by Simon & Schuster can be purchased through Scribd's online store. In addition, excerpts from thousands of books will be available for viewing and linked to Simon & Schuster's Web site, where a paper edition can be purchased from the publisher or through a wide range of retailers.
US video game sales slide 23 pct in MayLOS ANGELES (AP) _ U.S. video gamers spent less on games, hardware and accessories in May compared with a year ago, a sign that this year's release schedule couldn't compete with Take Two Interactive's "Grand Theft Auto IV" last spring. The NPD Group said Thursday that spending fell 23 percent from last May to $863 million. It was the first monthly tally below $1 billion since August 2007 and the third month in a row of year-over-year declines.
Yahoo picks a new CFO likely to shake things upSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Yahoo Inc. has hired a cost-cutting specialist as its new chief financial officer, signaling the Internet company's determination to weed out the bureaucracy that has been dragging down its profits for the past three years. The Sunnyvale-based company said Thursday that it had lured Tim Morse away from Altera Corp., a computer chip maker based in nearby San Jose. He became Altera's CFO in 2007 after a 15-year career at General Electric Co., where he held various jobs.
China defends net filtering software amid outcryBEIJING (AP) _ Chinese state media on Thursday issued an unprecedented defense of newly required Internet filtering software that must be packaged with every computer sold in China starting next month, after a public outcry at home and abroad. Although the government says the software is aimed at blocking violence and pornography, users who have tried it say it prevents access to a wide range of topics, from discussions of homosexuality to images of comic book characters such as Garfield the cat.
Review: New Intel chips power skinny laptopsNEW YORK (AP) _ Tiny, cheap laptops known as netbooks have been a big success. But not everyone likes their small screens and keyboards, and their processors aren't powerful enough for some common tasks, like playing high-quality Internet video. Now, Intel Corp. is pushing slightly more powerful chips for slightly larger computers that still have key netbook qualities such as a light weight and long battery life. Could this be a Goldilocks moment for laptops _ when we get machines that are just right?
Rambus settles EU antitrust probe, avoids finesBRUSSELS (AP) _ Memory chip company Rambus Inc. said Friday that European Union antitrust regulators had provisionally agreed to drop a probe and any fines if the company reduced its royalty rates for DRAM memory chip patents. The European Commission in 2007 charged Rambus with monopoly abuse, alleging that the company set "unreasonable" royalties for DRAM patents fraudulently set as industry standards.
(c) 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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