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AP Technology NewsBrief at 12:35 p.m. EDT(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Rebooting the PC industry: Tablets force a shiftSANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) _ The personal computer industry needs a jumpstart _ and it's counting on a rescue from emerging markets and a late-to-the-party push into tablet computers. The U.S. and European PC markets have entered a dangerous new phase: Fewer people are buying new PCs because of economic anxiety, market saturation and the rise of seductive new gadgets such as Apple's iPad. More signs of strain are expected as PC makers and their component suppliers begin to disclose quarterly earnings this week. NY judge hearing Google book case grows impatientNEW YORK (AP) _ A judge warned lawyers for authors and publishers and Google Tuesday that he will decide whether snippets of books can be sold online without the permission of copyright holders if the sides do not settle their 6-year-old case soon with an agreement to create a massive online library. "It's been a long time," Federal Judge Denny Chin told the lawyers in Manhattan as they updated him on the status of negotiations aimed at reaching a new deal after the judge in March rejected an earlier settlement, citing antitrust concerns. That $125 million deal had drawn hundreds of objections from Google rivals, consumer watchdogs, academic experts, literary agents and even foreign governments. Arbiter says Kodak didn't infringe Apple patentsROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) _ The U.S. arbiter for trade disputes has spurned Apple Inc.'s digital-camera patent claims against Eastman Kodak Co., a 131-year-old photography pioneer caught in a perilous race to redefine itself in the cutthroat digital-imaging arena. Kodak's stock, nonetheless, fell 18 cents, or 7.1 percent, to $2.34 in midday trading Tuesday _ its lowest level since March 2009 _ amid signs of rising investor concern over its ability to fund a long and painful turnaround. FBI raids homes, seizes computers in hacking probeNEW YORK (AP) _ The FBI has raided several New York homes during a probe into the hacker group Anonymous. FBI spokesman Jim Margolin says agents searched residences and seized computers at one address in Brooklyn and three on Long Island. He declined further comment. The targets of the searches were not named. China's Baidu, music labels launch online serviceBEIJING (AP) _ Baidu Inc., which operates China's most popular search engine, said Tuesday it will distribute music from three global labels in a deal that its partners say could help clean up China's piracy-plagued music market. Music companies have sued Baidu twice over accusations it profited from unlicensed music copying by maintaining "deep links" on its search engine directly to sections of pirate websites. China's online population rises to 485 millionBEIJING (AP) _ China's online population soared to 485 million as of the end of June as use of mobile phones to surf the Web spreads, an industry group reported Tuesday. The number of Chinese Web users, already by far the world's biggest, rose by 15.5 percent over a year earlier, according to the government-sanctioned China Internet Network Information Center. Cisco to lay off thousands of employeesSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Cisco Systems Inc., the world's largest maker of computer-networking gear, is reducing its work force by about 9 percent to reduce costs and raise profits as the company tries to become more competitive. Monday's announcement to cut 6,500 of its roughly 73,000 worldwide employees follows up on a plan disclosed in May to eliminate thousands of jobs. Two-thirds will come through layoffs, and the rest through an early-retirement plan. The company said 15 percent of employees at or above the level of vice president are being eliminated. IBM raises guidance, beats Street estimatesSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ IBM Corp. raised its income guidance for the year on Monday as earnings in the latest quarter increased 8 percent because of growth in all three of its major product categories. The results show the strength of the 100-year-old company's efforts to link its mainframes and other computing hardware with its newer businesses, software and services. Those two categories bring in the bulk of IBM's income. Amazon says gets OK for Calif sales tax referendumSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Amazon.com Inc. says the California Attorney General's Office has approved its petition for a referendum that would let voters decide whether to overturn a new law that forces online retailers to collect sales taxes in the state. The law makes online retailers collect California sales taxes by expanding what it means to have a physical presence in the state. The requirement now kicks in if an online retailer has a related company, such as a marketing arm, or affiliates in California. American Express to offer coupons via FacebookNEW YORK (AP) _ American Express is jumping into the daily deals arena. The card issuer on Monday night will launch a Facebook application that offers personalized coupons based on a cardholder's likes, interests and other profile information. The announcement marks a significant entrant into the daily deals market, which has exploded in the past year. (c) 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |