Gift Guide: High-tech happiness for $100 or less
No one's going to blame you for keeping holiday gifts minimal this year. But if you want to round out your handmade cards, scarves, pickles and jam with a gadget or gizmo, here are a handful of our $100-and-under favorites. —
AP source: Apple in talks to buy Lala.com
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Apple Inc. is in advanced talks to buy online music retailer Lala.com, a Silicon Valley startup that has threatened "the end of the MP3" with its fast song-streaming application. A person familiar with the matter confirmed the talks with The Associated Press but was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Scientists, lawyers mull effects of home robots
PALO ALTO, Calif. (AP) — Eric Horvitz illustrates the potential dilemmas of living with robots by telling the story of how he once got stuck in an elevator at Stanford Hospital with a droid the size of a washing machine. "I remembered thinking, `Whoa, this is scary,' as it whirled around, almost knocking me down," the Microsoft researcher recalled. "Then, I thought, `What if I were a patient?' There could be big issues here."
FCC asks Verizon Wireless to explain fees
NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Communications Commission on Friday asked Verizon Wireless why it recently doubled the fees it charges customers when they break their contracts on "smart" phones. In November, the carrier hiked the maximum early contract termination fee for smart phones to $350 from $175. Like other carriers, Verizon subsidizes the cost of the devices for contract-signing customers, then expects to make that money back in service fees over the term of the contract.
Gift Guide: Tech gadgets can boost your workouts
In simpler times, maintaining good health was a matter of joining a gym or lacing up running shoes for a loop in the park. At most, you'd buy a watch with a digital display so you could time your laps. These days, a range of gadgets can help boost your workouts. And I'm not talking about iPods that distract you as you lift weights or sprint to nowhere on a treadmill. Technology can now track your exercise progress, count calories and more.
GE to buy $345 mln of ads from NBC Universal
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — General Electric Co. has promised to buy at least $345 million in advertising from NBC Universal over five years after selling a controlling stake in the entertainment company to Comcast Corp., according to a regulatory filing Friday. GE pledged to buy at least $59 million worth of ads in the new NBC Universal each year for five years after the sale of a 51 percent stake to Comcast, expected to close in about a year. In addition, GE is required to buy $50 million worth of ads in connection with the 2012 Olympic Games, whose rights NBC holds.
Microsoft, Yahoo take next step in search alliance
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc. have signed off on their plan to team up against Google Inc. in the lucrative Internet search market. The step announced Friday seals the terms of a preliminary agreement announced in late July. The 10-year contract was to be signed by late October, but Microsoft and Yahoo held off to work out some fine points.
Comcast-NBC deal shows future is in content
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Comcast Corp. is buying control of NBC Universal from GE largely because Comcast wants to own more movies and TV shows. The point is to give it a position of strength if fewer people sign up for its cable TV services and watch more video online. It's understandable why the strategy might seem dubious: Another media company, Time Warner Inc., just gave up on that and spun off its cable TV division.
Comcast, NBC deal will face tough antitrust review
WASHINGTON (AP) — Comcast Corp. will likely have to accept substantial conditions if the cable TV provider wants to win regulatory approval for control of NBC Universal's broadcast network, cable channels and movie studios. Although federal regulators probably won't block a deal outright on anticompetitive grounds, they could prohibit Comcast, for instance, from denying rival subscription-TV services such as DirecTV access to NBC channels and other popular programming.
Sony signs 3-D video deal for 2010 World Cup
TOKYO (AP) — The 2010 World Cup is going 3-D. Sony Corp. said Friday it has signed a deal with FIFA, the international football governing body, to record up to 25 World Cup games in 3-D — a technology that gives viewers an illusion of depth on the screen.
