[April 29, 2008]

AP Technology NewsBrief at 1:15 p.m. EDT

(AP Online Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) IBM increases dividend 25 percent, reasserting confidenceCHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) _ IBM Corp. increased its dividend payout 25 percent Tuesday, reflecting the technology company's confidence that it can thrive even with an uncertain economy. At IBM's annual shareholder meeting, the board of directors upped the quarterly dividend to 50 cents per share. For the past four quarters it had been 40 cents per share.

Yahoo to outsource Messenger phone calls to JajahNEW YORK (AP) _ Yahoo Inc. is outsourcing the Internet telephone functions of its instant messaging program to the startup Jajah. Jajah will connect the calls to and from users of Yahoo Messenger and handle billing and customer care, the startup said Tuesday. Terms of the deal where not announced. No employees are moving over to Jajah.

Media co. Cox eyes online ad growth, buys startup for $300MNEW YORK (AP) _ Media conglomerate Cox Enterprises Inc., betting its future on Internet advertising as newspaper and television audiences shrink, plans to spend $300 million to buy a startup that helps Web sites pool their ad space. The all-cash deal with Adify Corp., to be announced Tuesday, represents the latest evolution for a media company that began more than a century ago with one newspaper in Dayton, Ohio. As new technologies emerged, Cox expanded to include radio, television and cable systems across the country.

Warner Bros. pushes shows online with 2 new Web sitesLOS ANGELES (AP) _ Warner Bros. is launching two Web sites to capture new ad revenue and a younger generation of viewers, the company said Monday. KidsWB.com, geared for children, debuted Monday, featuring animated characters from the Warner Bros. library, which includes Bugs Bunny, Scooby Doo and DC Comics heroes like Batman.

Microsoft, Yahoo aren't talking as investors await next moveSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ The top executives at Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc. haven't held any recent discussions to break an impasse that threatens to turn Microsoft's 3-month-old takeover bid into a slugfest. Not even a key weekend deadline brought the two sides together, according to Brad Smith, software maker Microsoft's general counsel.

Radio Free Europe says it's under cyber attackPRAGUE, Czech Republic (AP) _ Several Web sites of the U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty have been attacked, the broadcaster said Monday, suggesting the Belarus government could be responsible. In the form of a denial-of-service attack that floods servers with fake traffic so legitimate visitors cannot get through, the assault began Saturday and continues, the network said in a statement.

Cray picks Intel for supercomputersSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Intel Corp. is ratcheting up the competition with smaller rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc. by teaming up with supercomputer maker Cray Inc., which for the past six years has used only AMD chips in its high-performance machines. The multiyear deal Santa Clara-based Intel announced Monday bolsters its server business _ a major source of its revenue _ and snaps an exclusive arrangement that kept its chips out of some of the world's most powerful machines.

`GTA IV' expected to sell 9 million copies at launchLOS ANGELES (AP) _ There's no Burger King tie-in or special flavor of Mountain Dew. No commercial directed by Peter Jackson, or even an action figure. The run-up to "Grand Theft Auto IV" has been considerably less ballyhooed than last year's over-the-top "Halo 3" debut. Yet when "GTA IV" parks on store shelves on April 29, the latest entry in the controversial video game franchise could be the most lucrative launch in entertainment history _ and one that many people may not even know about.

Idaho lab develops a quicker way to catch a thiefIDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP) _ Federal researchers say they've developed a human identification test that's faster and possibly cheaper than DNA testing. It would be a handy new weapon in the arsenal for detectives, forensic experts and the military, though no one expects it to replace DNA analysis _ and its promoters say it is not intended to.

Copyright ? 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Discussions:


	I was one of I’m sure thousands who were unable to get their copy of GTA IV today. Just how do analyists expect GTA IV to break 1st week sales records when stores are unable to provide stock after 4 hours of trading?

By Ash

4/29/2008 1:26:55 PM

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