High oil prices spur demand for low energy electronics
SEOUL - These days when customers walk into electronics stores, the first question they ask is how much electricity the fridge, washing machine or laptop computer they are contemplating buying consumes. "Energy savings were not exactly a hot topic among customers last year," said Kim Dong-han at South Korean electronics retailer Hi-Mart. "But this year, nine out of ten people ask point blank whether a product will help them save money."
Court order on YouTube user data fans privacy fears
NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO - A U.S. judge's order to Google Inc <GOOG.O> to turn over YouTube user data to Viacom Inc <VIAb.N> sparked an outcry on Thursday from privacy advocates in the midst of a legal showdown over video piracy. Viacom, owner of movie studio Paramount and MTV Networks, requested the information as part of its $1 billion copyright infringement lawsuit against the popular online video service and its deep-pocketed parent, Google.
LG Display Q2 seen surging but LCD outlook dimmer
SEOUL - South Korean flat screen maker LG Display Co <034220.KS> and two smaller Taiwanese rivals are set to post profits for the second quarter that more than trebled thanks to strong demand for TVs and tight supplies of PC panels. But a global economic slowdown that threatens to depress consumer spending and falling prices of liquid crystal display panels will slow growth in the coming quarters.
Game makers eye young girls with "Boogie SuperStar"
LOS ANGELES - If "American Idol" and a modern fairy tale combined to create a video game, you'd get "Boogie SuperStar" -- Electronic Art's latest game for the Nintendo Wii system. But instead of finding Prince Charming, the goal of the game is to beat rival players' singing and dancing skills to earn the grand title of Boogie SuperStar. Players are "discovered" and whisked away in a stretch limo to an island where they hone their skills for the competition.
Just how many "brains" does a PC need?
SAN FRANCISCO - Just how many "brains" does your personal computer need, anyway? Not that buying a PC was ever as easy as, say, buying a toaster or an electric toothbrush, but the companies that make the electronic brains, or microprocessors, for PCs today have managed to make it even more complicated.
Ask.com closes acquisition of Dictionary.com
SAN FRANCISCO - Ask.com, the Web search unit of IAC/InterActiveCorp <IACI.O>, has closed an all-cash deal to acquire Lexico Publishing Group LLC, the owner of popular reference sites Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com. Lexico of Long Beach, California, was founded in 1995, starting with Dictionary.com. A year later Lexico introduced Thesaurus.com and in 2002 began Reference.com. For users who know what they mean but can't recall the term, it also offers a Reverse Dictionary .
Mozilla claims Guinness Record for downloads
- Mozilla, developer of open-source Web browser Firefox, said on Wednesday it set a new Guinness World Record for the largest number of software downloads in 24 hours. Over 8 million people downloaded Firefox 3 in the period following its official launch, the company said in a statement.
Kawasaki shelves plan for robot plant: paper
TOKYO - Kawasaki Heavy Industries <7012.T> decided to cancel its plan to spend 10 billion yen ($94 million) to build a new industrial robot plant as auto and microchip makers curb capital investments, the Nikkei business daily said. Kawasaki had planned to build the new plant in Japan this year to boost its industrial robot output capacity by 50 percent to 16,000 units a year, but it now intends to raise production capacity at its existing plant, also in Japan, to meet future demand growth, the Nikkei said on Saturday.
Economy casts pall on Sun Valley media fest
NEW YORK - The deteriorating U.S. economy and slumping stock prices will frame discussions among top media and technology executives at the 26th annual Allen & Co confab in Sun Valley, Idaho, next week. Talk of deals, investment picks and hot start-ups will still work their way into the meeting -- especially since attendees include News Corp's <NWSa.N> Rupert Murdoch, Google Inc's <GOOG.O> Eric Schmidt and Yahoo Inc's <YHOO.O> Jerry Yang.
Sony PS3 catching up to Wii in Japanese sales
TOKYO - Nintendo Co Ltd's <7974.OS> Wii game console once again outsold Sony Corp's <6758.T> PlayStation 3 in Japan in June, but its lead is fading, a game magazine publisher said. Wii outsold the rival console by 1.7-to-1, making it the No.1 game console for a seventh consecutive month, Enterbrain said, but that was well short of the 6-to-1 lead the Wii had in May.
