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AP Technology NewsBrief at 7:48 p.m. EST(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Intel settles AMD claims but isn't off the hookSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Intel Corp. will pay $1.25 billion to make peace with Advanced Micro Devices Inc., as the companies whose microprocessors run nearly all personal computers finally found common ground in a bitter and colorful dispute that caused international antitrust trouble for Intel. The settlement announced Thursday sent AMD stock soaring and ended a 4-year-old lawsuit in which AMD accused Intel of abusing its dominance of the chip market to keep a lid on AMD's share. Intel has about 80 percent of the microprocessor market, and AMD has about 20 percent. NPD: October video game sales tumble 19 percentNEW YORK (AP) _ After a slight reprieve in September, U.S. video game retail sales slumped again in October, unable to escape the economic turmoil that's cutting into consumer spending and swelling the ranks of unemployed. Market researcher NPD Group said Thursday total sales of video game hardware, software and accessories fell 19 percent in October from the same month last year, to $1.07 billion. Year-to-date sales were down 13 percent at $11.43 billion. It is unlikely that the industry will be able to match last year's record sales, which topped $21 billion. Clicker.com aims to become Internet video usherSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Web surfing is becoming more like channel surfing as television shows, movies and music videos pour onto the Internet. That's why pointing people to their favorite TV episodes and flicks could emerge as next big opportunity in Web navigation. Former online search executive Jim Lanzone is hoping to lead the way with Clicker.com, a free service debuting Thursday. 'Call of Duty' sells $310M in N Amer, UK in 24 hrsSANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) _ First-day sales of Activision Blizzard Inc.'s "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" broke records, raking in an estimated $310 million in North America and the United Kingdom alone. The video game went on sale all over the world on Tuesday, but Activision provided figures Thursday only for North America and Britain. The company estimates that it sold about 4.7 million copies of the game in the first 24 hours in those markets, making it the biggest-selling launch in the history of entertainment. HP's 3Com takeover marks a shot at CiscoSAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) _ Hewlett-Packard Co.'s $2.7 billion takeover of 3Com Corp. is a shot at networking leader Cisco Systems Inc. _ and a sign of how old relationships are being frayed by a flurry of maneuvers by technology heavyweights. HP said Wednesday it has agreed to pay $7.90 per share for 3Com, a 39 percent premium to 3Com's closing stock price before the deal was announced. 3Com makes things like routers and switches that direct Internet and other data traffic. Retailers use social media to advertise dealsNEW YORK (AP) _ You may want to check Facebook and Twitter before heading to the mall the day after Thanksgiving. Office supplies chain Staples Inc. this week used social media to advertise price cuts of nearly 50 percent for Nov. 27 on certain laptops, GPS devices and computer monitors, and still other merchants are expected to follow suit. Google, Yahoo call for expanded online drug adsWASHINGTON (AP) _ Google, Yahoo and other Web companies joined the pharmaceutical industry Thursday in urging federal regulators to make it easier to pitch drugs in online advertisements. The Food and Drug Administration is hearing from dozens of drug and advertising executives at a two-day meeting on Internet marketing of medical products. Review: New BlackBerry Storm improves on originalSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ The first touch-screen BlackBerry phone, the Storm, got a few things right, but generally it was a chore to use. Good thing a lot can change in a year. Though not without flaws, the latest version of the device, the BlackBerry Storm2, is the phone Research In Motion Ltd. should have released last year: It's faster, smarter and more fun to use. AOL to log additional $200M in restructuring costsSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ New regulatory filings suggest many more layoffs could be coming at AOL LLC as the Internet company separates from Time Warner Inc. by the end of the year. In a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Thursday, Time Warner said AOL will log up to $200 million in "additional restructuring charges" from the date of the spinoff through the first half of 2010. A spinoff date has not been announced, but is planned for sometime during the current quarter. Facebook, Wikipedia execs brief Vatican on WebVATICAN CITY (AP) _ Vatican officials and Catholic bishops are getting a lesson on the Internet from Facebook, Wikipedia and Google executives as the church struggles to get its message out in the digital age. A four-day symposium in the Vatican which opened Thursday also will address Internet copyright issues and hacking _ including testimony from a young Swiss hacker and an Interpol cyber-crime official. (c) 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |