Nintendo's Wii is eclipsing Sony's PlayStation 3
The Wii, which uses an innovative wireless controller to translate the players' motions onto the screen, has upset the order of the video game world.

Prize money seeks lone genius for mutual rewards, possibly more
Today's economy doesn't have nearly enough prizes to reward innovation, but the $1 million Netflix is offering for an improved movie recommendation algorithm is changing that.

Vista arrives with limited fanfare
In many ways, the change reflects how much Microsoft's influence in the computer technology marketplace has faded as the fortunes of rivals like Google and Apple have grown.

Yahoo planning to add 100 Web sites for entertainment
The effort, called Brand Universe, is intended to create online destinations that will draw large audiences around individual movies, television shows, bands, celebrities, games and other types of entertainment.

Newspapers learn to shout over technology din
Ad campaigns with stars like Sheryl Crow are designed to show that the struggling print industry can rise above the din of today's multimedia gadgetry.

Time Warner and Google post robust earnings
Two leading technology and media companies posted healthy earnings Wednesday, helped by strong advertising and new subscribers.

Dell founder becomes CEO
The founder and chairman of Dell, Michael Dell, took back the position of chief executive Wednesday and said that results for the fourth quarter would miss analysts' estimates.

Briefing: Vodafone signs up 200-millionth customer
Also: Yahoo plans new sites; Vividas shares surge; Fujitsu cuts forecast; More.

Downloading a new era in presidential politics
Afraid to be the last on the new media bandwagon, candidates are reaching out for an online dialogue, but the Web can expose warts.

Technology firms urge U.S. to prod countries on Internet censorship
Companies also defended themselves against accusations that they have helped governments such as China's crush dissent in return for access to booming Internet markets.

Vodafone Group vowed Wednesday not to pay "over the top" in the multibillion-pound battle for Hutchison Essar of India and it also reported that it had crossed the 200 million subscriber milestone.

Vodafone, the world's biggest mobile operator outside China, beat forecasts for customer sign-ups, with 8.7 million customers taking up its services in the quarter through December. Analysts had widely expected 7.5 million.

"It took us 15 years to get our first 100 million customers," the chief executive, Arun Sarin, said. "It took us five years to get the next 100 million. There is good momentum in the business." (Reuters)

Yahoo plans new sites

SUNNYVALE, California: Yahoo said it planned to build individual Web sites around 100 entertainment "brands" this year that would pull together content from its sprawling array of online properties.

The effort, called Brand Universe, is intended to create online destinations that will draw large audiences around individual movies, television shows, bands, celebrities, games and other types of entertainment.

Vince Broady, head of games, entertainment and youth at Yahoo, said Tuesday that the company had a wealth of entertainment content, but that finding material about a specific attraction was not always intuitive.

Vividas shares surge

LONDON: Vividas Group, a British developer of video technology, said that the venture capital firm Ignition Capital bought a 6.5 percent stake. Vividas shares surged 43 percent, a record one-day gain.

Ignition, founded by former Microsoft executives, is funded by the billionaire Aubrey Chernick. Chernick bought 2,077,300 shares of Vividas, which is based in London, the company said, without providing the selling price. Vividas shares rose 12 pence, or 24 U.S. cents, to 40 pence in London, the biggest one-day gain since Feb. 20. (Bloomberg)

Fujitsu cuts forecast

TOKYO:Fujitsu, a Japanese supplier of network equipment, mobile phones and semiconductors, cut its full-year sales forecast because of lower-than-expected demand for chips and notebook computers.

Sales are estimated at ¥5.1 trillion, or $42 billion, in the year ending March 31, compared with a previous forecast of ¥5.2 trillion and ¥4.79 trillion a year earlier. (Bloomberg)

SES, a European satellite operator, said that the launch of its sixth satellite had failed and that the satellite, NSS-8, was lost. The company said the failure was not expected to affect revenue or customers, which include BSkyB, Canal Plus, Première and NBC. (Reuters)

SMIC, or Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp., the biggest Chinese contract chip maker, swung to a surprise quarterly profit on higher sales and predicted a firm first quarter.

The company said it expected revenue in the current quarter to be flat. (Reuters)