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AP Technology NewsBrief at 1:00 a.m. EST
(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) MSN adds new feature to take Internet's pulseSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Microsoft is hooking up MSN.com with a hipper sidekick to broaden its appeal and stay on top of the Internet's hottest topics. The trend-tracking service, called "msnNOW," tunes into the buzz by sifting through millions of Internet searches and links circulating among the hordes on Facebook and Twitter. The chatter is then distilled into the equivalent of a digital water cooler _ a place where people can go to keep in touch without taking up a lot of their time.
FCC adopts new rules against 'robocalls'NEW YORK (AP) _ The federal government is cracking down on "robocalls," those automated phone calls with the tendency to interrupt Sunday dinners and otherwise annoy consumers. The Federal Communications Commission said Wednesday that it will now require telemarketers to obtain written consent from people before placing a robocall. Written does not mean handwritten, though _ electronic forms are OK.
Cisco challenges Microsoft takeover of Skype in EUBRUSSELS (AP) _ Networking company Cisco said Wednesday that it is challenging Microsoft's $8.5 billion takeover of Skype at the European Union's top court to ensure Microsoft won't block other video conferencing services. Microsoft completed the deal in October shortly after the European Commission, the EU's competition regulator, cleared the takeover. Microsoft Corp. hopes that owning Skype will allow it to better compete with other tech giants including Apple Inc. or Google Inc.
FCC plans to nix wireless network that may jam GPSNEW YORK (AP) _ Federal officials plan to kill a proposal to build a new national high-speed wireless network after concluding it would in some cases jam personal-navigation and other GPS devices. The Federal Communications Commission sought comments Wednesday on revoking LightSquared's permit after a federal agency that coordinates wireless signals, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, concluded that there's no way to eliminate the risk of interference with GPS devices.
Chicago asked not to stifle wireless at summitsCHICAGO (AP) _ Protesters will be flocking to Chicago for May's G-8 and NATO summits armed with smartphones, video cameras and links to social media sites they'll use for strategizing and sharing images of what's happening _ right in front of a police force known for responding with tough tactics. Now a city councilman wants to forbid the police department from pulling the plug on the electronic communication during the events, taking away a tactic employed by authorities during a crackdown on democratic protests in Egypt and during protests in the San Francisco Bay Area last year.
Swiss craft janitor satellites to grab space junkGENEVA (AP) _ The tidy Swiss want to clean up space. Swiss scientists said Wednesday they plan to launch a "janitor satellite" specially designed to get rid of space junk, the orbiting debris that can do serious and costly damage to valuable satellites or even manned space ships.
Alibaba to reach out to Yahoo CEO on stalled dealHONG KONG (AP) _ Alibaba Group and Japan's Softbank will go directly to Yahoo's chief executive, bypassing negotiators from the U.S. Internet company, after talks over the sale of Yahoo's Asian holdings broke down, a person familiar with the negotiations said Wednesday. The struggling Internet company has been in discussions to sell its stakes in Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Yahoo Japan back to Alibaba and Yahoo Japan shareholder Softbank Corp.
Comcast subscribers almost stop cancelling cableNEW YORK (AP) _ It's become the routine in the cable industry that subscribers stream out the door every quarter, hanging up on cable in favor of service from satellite or phone companies. But in the October to December quarter, Comcast Corp. nearly managed to stop that flow. The country's largest cable company on Wednesday said it lost 17,000 TV customers in the fourth quarter, the smallest number of defections in five years. It compares with a loss of 135,000 subscribers in the same quarter a year earlier.
CBS 4Q earnings top views, but sales fall shortLOS ANGELES (AP) _ Broadcasting giant CBS Corp. said Wednesday that its earnings rose 31 percent in the final quarter of 2011, thanks to licensing shows to online video companies such as Netflix as well as cost-cutting that helped offset an advertising slowdown. Revenue posted a surprising decline, and shares fell 77 cents, or 2.6 percent, to $28.80 in after-hours trading Wednesday.
Urgent tweet in Kenya village: Help, sheep missingLANET UMOJA, Kenya (AP) _ When the administrative chief of this western Kenyan village received an urgent 4 a.m. call that thieves were invading a school teacher's home, he sent a message on Twitter. Within minutes residents in this village of stone houses gathered outside the home, and the thugs fled. "My wife and I were terrified," said teacher Michael Kimotho. "But the alarm raised by the chief helped."
(c) 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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