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AP Technology NewsBrief at 3:54 p.m. EDT
(AP Online Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Thousands of Posts Flood Starbucks SiteSEATTLE (AP) _ Hundreds of coffee-obsessed consumers chimed in moments after Starbucks Corp. launched a Web site asking customers to pitch changes the company should make to revive its struggling U.S. business. And they've kept those thoughts coming, by the thousands: Create a punch-card system with a free drink after so many purchases. Give people a free cup of birthday joe or discounts for using their own mugs. Let customers forgo long lines by ordering their usual with the swipe of a card when they walk in the door.
TomTom Blames Price Pressures in WarningAMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) _ Personal navigation device maker TomTom NV shocked the market with a profit warning on Tuesday, blaming weak pricing power and European retailers for stocking fewer of its products. Demand for such devices, which can give drivers turn-by-turn voice directions, has remained strong, but TomTom has faced stiff pricing competition from established players like Garmin Ltd. and non-brand-name Asian competitors such as Taiwan's MiTac International.
Study: Editor-Reader Gap in News SitesNEW YORK (AP) _ Newspaper readers agree with editors on the basics of what makes good journalism, but they are more apt to want looser rules for online conversations, a new study on news credibility has found. Newspapers highly discourage anonymous remarks, for instance, and editors are more likely than readers to want that principle applied to reader comments online, according to the Online Journalism Credibility Study released Tuesday by the Associated Press Managing Editors group and the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri.
Online Crooks Face Tough CompetitionSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Fierce competition among identity thieves has driven the prices for stolen data down to bargain-basement levels, which has forced crooks to adopt mainstream business tactics to lure customers, according to a new report on Internet security threats. Credit card numbers were selling for as little as 40 cents each and access to a bank account was going for $10 in the second half of 2007, according to the latest twice-yearly Internet Security Threat Report from Symantec Corp. released Tuesday.
Indonesia Blocks Web Access Over FilmJAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) _ Indonesian Internet companies blocked access to YouTube and MySpace on Tuesday, heeding a government order aimed at stopping people from watching a film critical of the Quran. The 15-minute film, created and posted by Dutch anti-immigration politician Geert Wilders, has been available on blogs and file-sharing sites since March 27.
Nokia to Pay $314M to Close German PlantDUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) _ Nokia Corp. said Tuesday that it has agreed with worker representatives on a $314 million plan to soften the blow from its closure of a factory in Germany. Nokia was heavily criticized by German unions and politicians when it announced in January that it planned to close the plant in Bochum in the industrial Ruhr region at a likely cost of 2,300 jobs.
Google, UN Put Refugees on the MapGENEVA (AP) _ Internet search giant Google Inc. unveiled a new feature Tuesday for its popular mapping programs that shines a spotlight on the movement of refugees around the world. The maps will aid humanitarian operations as well as help inform the public about the millions who have fled their homes because of violence or hardship, according to the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, which is working with Google on the project.
Online Sales to Grow 17 Percent in '08NEW YORK (AP)_ Online spending is expected to rise a robust 17 percent this year, despite a sluggish economy that has bruised many brick-based retailers, according to an annual survey to be released Tuesday. Retail sales online, excluding travel purchases, are set to grow to $204 billion in 2008 from $174.5 billion last year, fueled by sales of apparel, computers and autos, according to a survey conducted by Internet analysis firm Forrester Research for Shop.org, the online arm of the National Retail Federation trade group. That projection is below the 21 percent increase seen in the prior year, but industry officials attribute it to the maturing of the business, not the sluggish economy.
Yahoo Still Wants Microsoft to Raise BidSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Brushing aside the threat of a disruptive takeover battle that could batter its shaky stock, Internet pioneer Yahoo Inc. on Monday reiterated its refusal to sell to Microsoft Corp. for less than $45 billion. Yahoo's defiance, spelled out in a letter to Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer, marked the latest twist in a tug-of-war pitting two high-tech icons trying to mount a more formidable challenge to online search and advertising leader Google Inc.
Vacant Airwaves Spur TV-Tech Turf BattleWASHINGTON (AP) _ Ten months before the nation flips to digital television, technology companies and TV broadcasters are fighting over the virtual remote, with different ideas of what to do with the unused airwaves. Google Inc., Microsoft Corp. and others on Tuesday are launching an advertising and lobbying blitz to convince Capitol Hill that these unoccupied airwaves, or "white spaces," could be used for affordable high-speed Internet service, greatly benefiting rural areas and spurring competition and innovation.
Copyright ? 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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