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AP Technology NewsBrief at 3:56 p.m. EST(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Investors give cool reception to new BlackBerrysNEW YORK (AP) _ The long-awaited debut of new BlackBerry smartphones flopped on Wall Street. The stock of BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. started to sink Wednesday afternoon soon after company CEO Thorsten Heins began to show off the redesigned smartphones, the Z10 and Q10. The downturn didn't reverse, even with the publication of mostly positive reviews of the new models. The company introduced the new devices along with a revamped operating system called BlackBerry 10 that emphasizes touch-screen controls, a concept popularized by Apple Inc.'s trend-setting iPhone and various devices running Google Inc.'s Android software. BlackBerry launches long-awaited comeback campaignNEW YORK (AP) _ A new generation of more versatile BlackBerry smartphones is finally about to hit the market after excruciating delays allowed mobile devices made by Apple, Samsung and others to build commanding leads in a market that is redefining society. BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. formally unveiled its long-awaited line-up of revamped smartphones and software Wednesday at simultaneous events held in New York, Toronto, London, Paris, Dubai, Johannesburg, Jakarta and Delhi. RIM changes name to BlackBerry, unveils 2 phonesNEW YORK (AP) _ After lengthy delays, Research In Motion Ltd. unveiled its first two phones with the new BlackBerry 10 system. The Q10 will have a physical keyboard, while the Z10 has only a touch-screen keyboard. RIM says it will also change its name to BlackBerry to maintain a single brand. It will have the ticker symbol "BBRY" on the Nasdaq Stock Market. RIM redesigned the BlackBerry system to embrace the multimedia, apps and touch-screen experience prevalent today. The question is whether there's time for the once-pioneering BlackBerry to catch up to Apple's trend-setting iPhone and devices running Google's Android system. Review: Microsoft Office pricey, but good valueNEW YORK (AP) _ As much as I like Google Docs for word processing and spreadsheets, I find the online software clunky at times. So I was skeptical when I heard Microsoft is trying to sell its new version of Office as an online subscription. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the subscription gets you the same software you'd get buying it at a retail store. In fact, I'm using the new Office 2013 to write this review, and it feels as smooth as the customized version of Office 2010 I regularly use. IBM sends Watson to NY college to boost its skillsTROY, N.Y. (AP) _ Watson, the supercomputer famous for beating the world's best human "Jeopardy!" champions, is going to college. IBM is announcing Wednesday that it will provide a Watson system to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the first time the computer is being sent to a university. Just like the flesh-and-blood students who will work on it, Watson is leaving home to sharpen its skills. Course work will include English and math. High-tech cargo airship being built in CaliforniaTUSTIN, Calif. (AP) _ The massive blimp-like aircraft flies but just barely, hovering only a dozen feet off a military hangar floor during flight testing south of Los Angeles. Still, the fact that the hulking 230-foot-long Aeroscraft could fly for just a few minutes represents a step forward in aviation, according to the engineers who developed it. The Department of Defense and NASA have invested $35 million in the prototype because of its potential to one day carry more cargo than any other aircraft to disaster zones and forward military bases. Lenovo profit boosted by smartphones, tabletsBEIJING (AP) _ Personal computer maker Lenovo Group said Wednesday its quarterly profit rose 34 percent to a record high on strong sales of smartphones and tablet computers. The company, vying with Hewlett-Packard Co. to become the world's biggest PC maker, said it earned $205 million in the three months ending in December. Revenue rose 12 percent to $9.4 billion, also a record. Nintendo returns to profit, lowers sales forecastsTOKYO (AP) _ Japanese video game maker Nintendo Co. returned to the black for the first nine months of its business year and more than doubled its profit forecast for the full year, getting a perk from a weaker yen, despite pessimism about sales prospects. April-December profit for the Kyoto-based maker of Super Mario and Pokemon games totaled 14.55 billion yen ($160 million), bouncing back from the 48.35 billion yen loss reported a year earlier, it said Wednesday. Nine-month sales inched up 2.4 percent to 543 billion yen ($6 billion). Mixed decision in phony Scrolls email appealNEW YORK (AP) _ Evidence in a rare Internet impersonation case showed that a highly educated defendant broke the law by trying to "damage the careers and livelihoods" of scholars caught up in an academic debate about the Dead Sea Scrolls, a New York appeals court ruled in a mixed decision made public Wednesday. The Appellate Division's First Department threw out a single identity theft charge against Raphael Golb, but preserved convictions on several other charges accusing him of using phony emails to harass his victims with claims a prominent researcher had copied work from his father. LG Electronics sinks to loss after EU fineSEOUL, South Korea (AP) _ LG Electronics Inc. reported its first quarterly loss in a year Wednesday after Europe slapped it with a massive fine for price fixing. Its net loss totaled 468 billion won ($429 million) for the last quarter of 2012, compared with a loss of 112 billion a year earlier. (c) 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |