EU threatens WTO action over U.S. ban on Internet gambling
The European Union threatened Monday to lodge a complaint at the World Trade Organization over U.S. laws that bar gambling Web sites, citing possible discrimination.

Texas Instruments cuts earnings forecast
The company, which makes the chips used in about half of all cellphones, on Monday lowered its range of expected profit and sales in the first quarter.

New challenge for New York Times Co. board
Last year, The New York Times Co. fended off a major investor bent on shaking the company up. Now management faces another challenge from dissidents with more leverage.

Web companies track users' Internet activity hundreds of times per month
A new analysis of online consumer data shows that large Web companies are learning more than ever before about what people search for and do on the Internet.

DVD format battle attracts a new rival: HD VMD
No sooner has the battle for the next-generation high-definition DVD format ended, with Blu-ray triumphing over HD DVD, than a new contender has emerged: HD VMD.

Facebook helps promote blood donation
A program being officially introduced Monday by a New York nonprofit organization, Takes All Types, aims to coordinate where and when people donate blood in response to shortages and crises while encouraging broader donation over all.

HP taps loyal retirees for labor of love
Hewlett-Packard is trying to recruit thousands of its former workers into an auxiliary army of senior marketers, good-will ambassadors and volunteer sales people.

Film festival goes online, but is anyone watching?
With the Babelgum Online Film Festival, a collection of more than 1,000 short films that have been gathered on the Internet, viewers can watch the videos and vote for their favorite submission.

Helping the computer to work in new ways
The Wii and the iPhone have begun to break down the logjam in technological innovation for the way humans interact with computers.

Nintendo to not release Holocaust-themed game in U.S.
The game, Imagination Is the Only Escape, casts players in the role of a young boy in eastern France during the German occupation who seeks escape from real-life horror through a fantasy world.

Getting a thrill out of "Thriller," 25 years later
Sony BMG has resorted to a viral marketing campaign to promote its special edition of the seminal album, which tops the charts in France.

E-schooling grows, but what about the teachers?
Thanks to the Internet, distance learning in higher education has come a long way since correspondence courses were sent through the mail, but the boom in Web-based offerings is raising concerns about the quality of some instruction.

Sifting the data on Web audiences
Marketers are turning to companies like Compete, Nielsen Online, Hitwise and Comscore because they are skeptical about traffic data submitted by individual Web publishers.

Apple to encourage programmers to create iPhone applications
Apple is hoping to expand the iPhone's appeal by luring software developers to create programs for it.

Mobile data service joining the mainstream
Growing use of data over mobile networks brings increased potential for widespread adoption of more exotic services like push e-mail and mobile video.

Cebit goes green to smaller crowds
The information and communications industry has overtaken aviation in terms of the carbon emissions believed to cause global warming

Sony's relentless SLR tinkering brings a big twist
Just by looking at it, you would never guess that the new Sony Alpha A300 single-lens reflex digital camera represents a huge technical breakthrough. To discover what it is, you need a tour of its innards. Keep hands and feet inside the tram at all times.

Ex-LG employee arrested for selling plasma secrets
The South Korean company said that the employee had illegally provided plasma display technology to a Chinese company.

Disney plans Japan animation effort
Walt Disney will team up with several Japanese companies to produce animated features in Japan, a Disney official said Thursday.

Don't miss a word with Sony recorder
A high-capacity voice recorder from Sony; a multifunction Bluetooth headset from Dragon; and a low-cost desktop designed for game players from Dell.

Mobile war over social networking
The market is teeming with companies that want to bring social networking to the mobile phone. When New Media Age magazine surveyed the field, it ended up naming 10 companies with wide potential.

EU to consider buying open-source software
The move is a potential setback for Microsoft, which is trying to prevent defections by governments from its proprietary software.

Yahoo seeks more time in struggle against Microsoft
In an effort to give itself time to find a more suitable offer, Yahoo said Wednesday it would extend the deadline for nominating candidates for its board of directors.

Wiretapping trial has Hollywood on edge
Anthony Pellicano, the onetime sleuth to the stars accused of eavesdropping, will go on trial Wednesday in a racketeering case that could see some of the big names in the U.S. entertainment industry take the stand.

CNN back in the game with U.S. presidential race
There was one clear winner after the Democratic primary debate Feb. 21: CNN. The debate drew 7.6 million viewers, one of the biggest audiences ever for a primary debate on a cable network.

AMD says it's gaining on Intel
Advanced Micro Devices said it was moving to a new manufacturing process in about half the time it used to require.
- Intel falls after cut in profit forecast