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AP Technology NewsBrief at 7:20 p.m. EDT(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) AT&T defends T-Mobile deal in response to DOJ suitWASHINGTON (AP) _ AT&T is countering the U.S. government's attempt to block its $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile by depicting the deal as a way to provide consumers with better cell phone service at lower prices. The argument, submitted in a Friday court filing, is AT&T Inc.'s first legal response to a lawsuit that the Department of Justice filed last week in an effort to ensure T-Mobile remains independent. AT&T's 25-page document echoed the company's previous contention that buying rival T-Mobile will enable it to expand its mobile communications network so there are fewer dropped connections in a world where constant online access is becoming the norm. Hackers send fake terror alerts from NBC's TwitterNEW YORK (AP) _ NBC says hackers briefly took over the NBC News Twitter feed and sent out false reports of a plane attack on the World Trade Center site. The network calls Friday's hacking "reckless and irresponsible." It says it's working with Twitter to fix the problem. Shuttered SAP subsidiary charged in Oracle theftSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ A week after a big win against Oracle, German software maker SAP AG has been dealt a new blow in a theft case involving a now-defunct subsidiary. The Justice Department has criminally charged the SAP subsidiary, TomorrowNow, with 12 counts related to the theft of software and documents from Oracle Corp. websites in a 4-year-old case. US gets chance to catch up on credit card securityNEW YORK (AP) _ The next time you swipe your credit card at check-out, consider this: It's a ritual the rest of the world deems outdated and unsafe. The United States is the only developed country still hanging on to credit and debit cards with those black magnetic stripes, the kind you swipe through retail terminals. The rest of the industrialized world has switched _or is in the process of switching_ to "smart" chip-based cards. Stanford Hospital privacy breach puts data onlinePALO ALTO, Calif. (AP) _ Stanford Hospital in California is blaming a subcontractor used by an outside vendor for a privacy breach that led to the posting online of medical information for thousands of emergency room patients. The breach was first reported Friday by the New York Times (http://nyti.ms/p84zWahttp://nyti.ms/p84zWa ). The data of 20,000 patients, including names and diagnosis codes, remained on a commercial website for nearly a year until it was discovered last month and taken down, according to the newspaper. Court rules Samsung can't sell tablet in GermanyBERLIN (AP) _ Samsung Electronics cannot sell its new Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet computer in Germany after a court ruled Friday that its design "too closely" resembles Apple's iPad2. The ruling by a Duesseldorf state court, however, only applies to direct sales from the Seoul, South Korea-based company, meaning distributors who acquire the Galaxy Tab 10.1 from abroad could resell them in Germany. Yahoo's board under fire after firing of CEO BartzSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Carol Bartz's firing as Yahoo Inc.'s CEO isn't going to be enough to placate a loudening chorus of shareholders who believe Chairman Roy Bostock and his fellow board members also should be ousted after years of questionable choices that raised doubts about their competence. The deepening disdain for Yahoo's board gained a potentially influential voice Thursday with the disclosure that successful hedge fund manager Daniel Loeb had bought a 5.2 percent stake in the company with designs on getting rid of Bostock and at least two other longtime directors. Twitter to show more ads, still biding time on IPOSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Expect to see more ads flowing through Twitter's stream of tweets in the coming weeks, but don't expect to read anything soon about an IPO from the online messaging service. Twitter CEO Dick Costolo delivered that message in a Thursday meeting with a group of reporters at the company's San Francisco headquarters. EW Scripps to stream live video to mobile devicesCINCINNATI (AP) _ The E.W. Scripps Co. said Thursday that it will become the first TV station group in the nation to deliver live video programming to mobile devices. The launch will occur in nine markets: Detroit, Phoenix, Tampa, Fla., Cleveland, Baltimore, Kansas City, Cincinnati, West Palm Beach, Fla., and Tulsa, Okla. Late 'Madden' saps August video game salesSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ U.S. retail sales of video game hardware, software and accessories fell 21 percent in August to $649 million, according to market researcher NPD Group, partly because the popular "Madden NFL 12" released later in the month than usual. In its monthly report, the NPD Group said Thursday that video game software sales _ which refers to sales of the games themselves _ sank 34 percent in August to $265 million, compared with nearly $404 million in August 2010. (c) 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |