Personal Technology News

SanDisk is keeping good on its promise to bring music to its consumers. On Wednesday, the Milpitas, Calif.-based company, along with four music giants, said consumers this week can begin buying its SlotMusic microSD cards to be used in slot-enabled mobile phones, portable media players, computers and car stereos.

NEW YORK - Latching on to a trend in the wireless industry, AT&T Inc. said Wednesday it has started an initiative to encourage manufacturers to create more non-phone gadgets that connect to its wireless network.

SEATTLE - Tactics reminiscent of a close presidential race seem to be popping up in Microsoft Corp.'s rivalry with Apple Inc.

TOKYO (AFP) - Japan's Sharp Corp. on Wednesday launched what it billed as the world's first liquid crystal display television with a built-in next-generation Blu-ray DVD recorder.

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - South Korean consumer electronics giant Samsung is reportedly planning to break into the packed US laptop computer arena next year.

CUPERTINO, California (AFP) - Apple has unveiled a revamped line of Macintosh laptop computers made leaner, slicker, faster and a bit more affordable.

The Mac maker's new manufacturing process is cool, but it'll take deeper price cuts to move market share.

As part of its plan to improve the efficiency of all of our gadgets, the Environmental Protection Agency aims to expand its Energy Star program to include gaming consoles.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Glenn Lurie, the executive who led AT&T Inc's negotiations with Apple Inc for its exclusive U.S. iPhone deal, will now work on introducing wireless links in devices other than mobile phones.

According to a recent iSuppli Corp study, more than half of all cars sold in the United States during 2009 will offer some type of iPod connectivity.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Taiwan's Acer Inc surged past global champion Hewlett-Packard Co in European personal computer sales in the third quarter, in the clearest sign of the move toward cheap, small mini-notebook computers, research firm Gartner Inc said on Tuesday.

CUPERTINO, California (Reuters) - Apple Inc on Tuesday cut the price on its entry-level notebook computer to $999 and introduced a line of aluminum-clad machines starting at $1,299 in moves catering to budget-minded buyers at a time when recession fears loom over the global economy.

We've been able to see trailers, interviews and special features on the Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 for a while now. Now Sony wants to take the idea a little further, and they're enlisting YouTube to help.

SAN FRANCISCO - Some of the most vicious Internet predators are hackers who infect thousands of PCs with special viruses and lash the machines together into "botnets" to pump out spam or attack other computers.

NEW YORK - A federal appeals court Tuesday ruled that the International Trade Commission's ban on imports of cell phones with chips made by Qualcomm Inc. overstepped the commission's authority.

A day after Research in Motion launched its first BlackBerry flip phone, Motorola is countering with an interactive flip touch phone.

The much-anticipated Apple notebook event took place Tuesday at the Apple Town Hall on the manufacturer's Cupertino, Calif., campus. Although the trendy manufacturer may not have hit every item on Mac fans' wish list, Apple clearly intends to keep the pressure on Microsoft and the universe of Windows PCs.

The OpenOffice business productivity suite is now available as a native Mac application for the first time.

APPLE'S LINEUP: Apple Inc. tuned up its laptops for the holiday shopping season. The machines generally are sleeker and have more power. Apple avoided making major price cuts, although the most basic MacBook is now $999, down from $1,099.

CUPERTINO, Calif. - Apple Inc. touched up its line of laptop computers Tuesday with a minimal nod to the economic turmoil that might push consumers to be more frugal this holiday shopping season.

(Reuters) Apple CEO Steve Jobs on Tuesday unveiled the latest line of MacBook notebook computers, offering an all-metal design, 3D graphics and LED backlit displays at prices up to $700 less than before.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Motorola Inc , the world's third-biggest phone maker, unveiled a touch-sensitive phone to be sold by Verizon Wireless, as both companies look to compete with Apple Inc's iPhone.

MacPractice has announced the forthcoming release of MacPractice 3.5, the latest major revision to its medical practice management software for Mac OS X. The software is due for release this week, and will e sent to all users who have 3.1, the current shipping version.

Anyone who's held an iPhone near electronic equipment like car radios, computer speakers, audio receivers and more has likely been subjected to the noise of electronic interference from the iPhone. A new product from Quick Bridge Solutions promises to fix that. The QB-EM Shield costs $3.99.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Diversified electronics maker Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said it is re-entering the U.S. computer market with a range of branded products that build on its component supply strengths.

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - A Canadian company has unveiled software crafted to prevent people, particularly mobile device-loving teenagers, from making telephone calls or text-messaging while driving.

NEW YORK - When David Teater's 12-year-old son, Joe, was killed in 2004 by a driver who was talking on a cell phone, he tried to cut back on his own habit of driving and talking. It turned out to be very difficult.

While the smartphone world is moving toward touchscreen technology, Research in Motion on Monday partnered with T-Mobile to announce the first BlackBerry flip phone.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Millions of youngsters across Europe could suffer permanent hearing loss after five years if they listen to MP3 players at too high a volume for more than five hours a week, EU scientists warned Monday.