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AP Technology NewsBrief at 11:16 a.m. EDT
[June 07, 2011]

AP Technology NewsBrief at 11:16 a.m. EDT


(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Sony unveils next-gen portable device 'Vita'LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Sony Corp. on Monday took the wraps off its next generation portable gaming machine, PlayStation Vita, a touch-interface and motion-sensitive handheld that outdoes its workhorse PlayStation Portable and will go on sale before the winter holidays. Company executives have called the device Sony's biggest product launch since the PlayStation 3 five years ago. The device will allow gamers to be connected with one another over cellphone networks and Wi-Fi hotspots, and use GPS location-tracking technology. In the U.S., Sony is partnering exclusively with AT&T Inc. for cellphone service.

Still-frail Jobs appears to hail Apple's latestSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Steve Jobs re-emerged from his latest medical leave Monday to show off Apple Inc.'s latest innovations and sustain the hope that he eventually will return to dream up more ways to reshape technology. The highlight, as usual, came at the end of Jobs' presentation. He was onstage for less than 30 minutes during a nearly two-hour event that primarily featured his subordinates.

Apple's cloud music could finally make piracy payLOS ANGELES (AP) _ Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs on Monday introduced more than just a cloud storage system for songs that fans buy legitimately through iTunes. He unveiled a system that might finally get music lovers to pay for the songs they got through less-than-proper means. Aside from offering to freely distribute new and old iTunes purchases on all of a user's devices, the Apple impresario unveiled "iTunes Match," a $25-a-year service starting this fall that will scan users' devices and hard drives for music acquired in other ways, store it on distant computer servers and allow them to access it anywhere.


Live television, new 'Halo' coming to Xbox 360LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Live television and another chapter of the "Halo" game are landing on Xbox 360. Microsoft Corp. announced its plan for the video game console on Monday at a news conference kicking off the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the industry's annual convention.

French regulator bars 'Follow us on Twitter' on TVPARIS (AP) _ No plugging of Twitter accounts or Facebook pages on French broadcast airwaves. France's audiovisual authority says that TV and radio stations that promote their sites on the two gargantuan social media services on air are actually engaging in secret _ and unfair _ advertising.

China paper: Google could be hurt by hacking claimBEIJING (AP) _ The Chinese Communist Party's main newspaper lashed out at Google on Monday, saying its latest complaints of computer hacking traced to China were politically motivated and warning its business might suffer. "Google's accusations against China are fictitious and have ulterior motives and sinister intentions," the People's Daily said in its foreign edition.

NJ court: No shield law for message boards postersTRENTON, N.J. (AP) _ The New Jersey Supreme Court says people posting in online message boards don't have the same protections for sources as mainstream journalists. The court ruled Tuesday that New Jersey's shield law for journalists does not apply to such message boards.

Research firm cuts 2011 PC sales forecastNEW YORK (AP) _ Research firm International Data Corp. expects sales of personal computers to grow 4.2 percent this year, down from a previous forecast of 7.1 percent. The latest projection comes after IDC's tally showed PC sales dropped by 1.1 percent in the first quarter compared to last year.

Nintendo's Wii successor to dominate E3 expoLOS ANGELES (AP) _ Almost six years ago at the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo, Nintendo unveiled what would eventually become known as the Wii. But the Japanese gaming giant didn't show off the new console's distinctive motion-sensing capabilities until later that year at the Tokyo Game Show. Nintendo won't be such a tease at this year's E3. After two years of shrinking Wii sales, the gamemaker will fully raise the curtain on the Wii's successor at the gaming industry's annual convention in downtown Los Angeles this week. Nintendo Co. has remained silent about just what the doodad will do, but gamers are anticipating features like high-definition graphics and touchscreen controllers.

FBI partner attacked by hackers, passwords takenLONDON (AP) _ Nearly 180 passwords belonging to members of an Atlanta-based FBI partner organization have been stolen and leaked to the Internet, the group confirmed Sunday. The logins belonged to members of the local chapter of InfraGard, a public-private partnership devoted to sharing information about threats to U.S. physical and Internet infrastructure, the chapter's president told The Associated Press.

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