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AP Technology NewsBrief at 7:33 p.m. EST
(AP Online Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Dell 3Q profit falls as PC spending slowsPC maker Dell Inc. said Thursday its third-quarter profit fell 5 percent as businesses around the world bought fewer computers and other technology products. Dell's earnings dipped to $727 million in the quarter that ended Oct. 31, down from $766 million a year ago. However, earnings per share rose 9 percent from last year to 37 cents per share, as Dell bought back shares, slashed operating expenses and improved margins.
Google empowers users to edit search resultsSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ If Google delivers useless search results, just erase them and you won't see them again. That's possible under a new system Google Inc. unveiled Thursday. Hoping to give its search engine a more personal touch, Google now lets users reshuffle results so their favorite Web sites get top billing and disliked destinations get discarded the next time they enter the same request.
Google's virtual world Lively to die next monthMOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) _ Lively, a virtual reality service from Google Inc., is dying. The company plans to shut down the service at the end of the year, reflecting Lively's inability to stand out from the rest of the virtual reality crowd. The pack of faux worlds is led by Second Life, where people deploy animated alter egos known as avatars to pursue digital fantasies.
Web ad sales rise slightly from prior quarterNEW YORK (AP) _ Despite the bad economy, U.S. Internet advertising revenue rose in the third quarter, according to an analysis released Thursday. The report from the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP said that online advertising revenue totaled almost $5.9 billion in the third quarter, up 11 percent from the same period last year. It marked a 2 percent rise from the second quarter.
Review: New BlackBerrys cool but can't beat iPhoneNEW YORK (AP) _ With the recent releases of three new BlackBerrys across three different wireless providers, Research In Motion Ltd. has fired back at Apple Inc. in the Great Smart Phone Skirmish of 2008. The introduction of the touch-screen BlackBerry Storm, business-savvy Bold 9000 and consumer-geared Pearl Flip 8220 may not have come a moment too soon for RIM, which has long dominated the market for high-end cell phones that double as e-mail devices. Consider that Apple reported selling 6.9 million iPhone 3Gs during its last quarter, while RIM sold 6.1 million BlackBerrys in roughly the same period.
Microsoft lets Zune music subscribers keep tunesREDMOND, Wash. (AP) _ Microsoft Corp. is giving an early holiday gift to people who pay for all-you-can-listen access to the Zune digital music store: 10 songs to keep each month, included in the $14.99 monthly subscription fee. The decision may appeal to people who have been reluctant to test out the subscription model, preferring to own their music instead of rent it. Microsoft's Zune Pass, RealNetworks Inc.'s Rhapsody and others give users unlimited access to millions of songs in exchange for a monthly fee. But as soon as the user stops paying, the music stops playing unless he or she forks over extra money to buy each track.
Ballmer dismisses Yahoo buyout but open on searchBELLEVUE, Wash. (AP) _ Microsoft Corp. is no longer interested in buying all of Yahoo Inc., CEO Steve Ballmer said Wednesday, though he told shareholders that the company would still be "very open" to a collaboration on Internet search. His comments sent Yahoo shares diving more than 20 percent. "Let me be clear," Ballmer said at Microsoft's annual shareholder meeting. "We are done with all acquisition discussions with Yahoo."
China's Baidu.com fights to rescue reputationBEIJING (AP) _ Baidu.com has been the star of China's Internet world. But now the search engine dubbed "China's Google" is scrambling to rescue its reputation after state TV accused it of letting unlicensed suppliers of medical products pay for higher rankings on its results page _ without alerting users. Baidu.com Inc.'s U.S. shares have plunged this week, including a 30 percent drop Monday, since the weekend TV report. Baidu says it has suspended thousands of merchants from its paid-search service but says it broke no law.
E-mail in zero G: NASA develops network for spaceSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ In space, no one can hear you scream. But scoring an Internet hookup suddenly isn't out of the question. NASA scientists have developed software they hope will lead to an Internet-like network in deep space. It's not that astronauts will be watching "Alien" on Hulu.com. The goal of the technology NASA has been testing is to get spacecraft to communicate in a networked way like computers now do on Earth. It will make missions easier to manage.
`Fake Steve Jobs' stops blogging as the 'Real Dan'SAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ It was bad enough when Dan Lyons stopped sharing his musings about the technology scene in a hilarious satire of what Apple Inc. founder Steve Jobs would be like as a blogger. Now there's more sad news for readers who savored his biting humor: The erstwhile "Fake Steve Jobs" has decided to stop blogging as the "Real Dan Lyons" after he was reprimanded by his bosses at Newsweek magazine for an acerbic remark about Yahoo Inc.
Copyright ? 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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