Options inquiry at Apple exonerates Jobs
Shares rise after being hit hard this week on fears that the investigation would reveal damaging information about options.

Ads for French retailers set to hit the airwaves
France is dropping a ban on television advertising on Jan. 1. The move is expected to stimulate spending by advertisers.

Reliance Communications joins the fray over Hutchison Essar
The company has lined up financing for a takeover bid for the Indian cellphone operator, taking on Vodafone Group.

Good gadgets — and a near miss — in 2006
Some ideas are brilliant and some simple but great. Gadgets introduced in 2006 show both, as well as one well-meaning miss.

A look at iPhone (it's not an Apple)
The iPhone is out, but the 'i' is not for iPod. It's an Internet phone from Cisco's Linksys unit.

Upstart ad agencies find profit in promoting environmental themes
The big agencies are not about to cede the territory, of course.

Runaway alarm clock reaches first bedsides
The first deliveries of Clocky, which runs away from drowsy owners who don't get up in time, were made just in time for Christmas, and one early user says the clock, which was an Internet sensation when it was first announced, is "appropriately aggravating."

Online ad costs are rising, perhaps irrationally
Media executives and investors get a pleasant neck ache from watching the skyward path of online advertising revenue.

McClatchy sells The Star Tribune of Minneapolis to a private equity firm
The chief executive said he expected to see more private equity firms getting into the newspaper business.

Amateur radio enthusiasts fight to save Morse Code
The American amateur radio community has been shaken by news that the U.S. government will no longer require Morse Code proficiency as a condition for an amateur license.

Best Buy opens first China outlet
Best Buy, the top consumer electronics retailer in the United States, is opening its first outlet in China, teaming up with a local partner to tackle the highly competitive market for gadgets and appliances.

Hewlett-Packard looks beyond computers and printers
The company set a goal of growing 6 percent next year and the year after. That means it must add about $5.5 billion a year in revenue.

Amazon calls 2006 holiday season its best ever
The online retailer says it received four million orders on Dec. 11. It also reported selling 1,000 Xbox consoles in 29 seconds during a promotion.

Datang Mobile gear passes regulators' tests in China
Datang Mobile Communications Equipment, a Chinese partner of Siemens, said Tuesday that its wireless network gear had passed regulators' tests, suggesting that China soon might issue its first high-speed mobile license.