The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry has organized a study group of universities and electronics companies, including Hitachi and Panasonic, to consider the merits of creating a search engine specifically for Japan’s Web users. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has publicly stated that Japan needs to extend its influence in the IT arena. […]

Seagate Technology announced plans to acquire rival hard-disk drive maker Maxtor Corporation for $1.9 billion in stock. The companies expect to share expenditures on research and development to expand the range of products offered, with anticipated cost savings of $300 million a year. At the same time, they warned that combined revenues will probably also […]

IBM plans to acquire San Francisco-based Micromuse Inc. for $865 million in cash. Micromuse software manages video and voice traffic on computer networks. The company’s 1,800 clients include America Online, E-Trade Financial, Verizon Communications, and government customers.
After approval by shareholders and regulators to complete the deal, Micromuse will be folded into IBM’s Tivoli software division.
Yahoo, […]

Marconi shareholders approved the $2.1 billion sale of the Marconi name and most of the company’s assets to Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson. Marconi plans to keep its U.K. services division, to be renamed Telent. The acquisition reportedly helps Ericsson meet demand for mobile and fixed broadband Internet access, which requires upgrading of telecommunications networks to […]

The University of California won the right to continue managing the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The contract went out for bid earlier in 2005 for the first time in response to financial and security lapses at the lab. UC will manage the seven-year contract in concert with Bechtel Corporation.
San Jose Mercury News, 21 December 2005 […]

The Federal Trade Commission reported to Congress on the effectiveness of the CAN-SPAM Act, concluding that legal action against spammers and improved e-mail filtering have reduced the amount of junk e-mail reaching consumers. The agency has filed 21 lawsuits under CAN-SPAM.
Recommendations include passing new laws to help regulators trace spammers and sellers outside the United […]

Recipe: Hazelnut Chocolate, Sweet Cherry Mousse In Individual Spiral Chocolate Baskets With Raspberry Coulis

Recipe: Fresh Mango and Mache` Macadamia nut salad with chilli prawns and Thai Basil

The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation requiring complete conversion to HDTV broadcasting in early 2009. The bill included funding to aid consumers with analog TV sets who watch free TV stations to purchase converter boxes. Satellite and cable TV consumers would not be affected by the digital switch. The requirements and funding were part […]

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office notified NTP, a patent holding company, and Research in Motion (RIM), maker of the BlackBerry wireless e-mail device, that it expects to reject the five patents held by NTP.
The two companies are involved in a patent infringement lawsuit brought by NTP. The patent office had issued preliminary rejections of […]