Sales of iPhones beat analysts' expectations
Several analysts said Monday that sales of the new Apple device had been significantly higher than they had expected, suggesting the company would reach its goal of making mobile phones as profitable as its computers and the iPod.
- Universal in dispute with Apple over iTunes

Virgin Media retains Goldman Sachs to help study takeover proposal
The British cable company, whose largest investor is Richard Branson, said Monday that it had received a takeover proposal. The Carlyle Group is preparing a bid worth about $20 billion.

Le Monde has new chief executive, but dispute over chairman is unsolved
The French newspaper Le Monde named a new chief executive on Monday but has not resolved a dispute that has pitted journalists against the paper's chairman, who the journalists say is too close to President Nicolas Sarkozy.

In meeting with French unions, Sarkozy pledges talks on EU technology sector
The French president told union representatives that he would meet executives from Alcatel-Lucent and France Télécom to discuss the future of telecommunications industry in Europe.

A past Murdoch opponent re-emerges as a rival for Dow Jones
Brad Greenspan, once chief executive of MySpace's parent company, resisted its takeover by Murdoch's News Corp.

British media organizations look to U.S. market and beyond
With Americans seemingly developing a taste for news with a Fleet Street twist, British papers are stepping up their efforts to court American readers and advertisers, expanding their coverage of U.S. politics and culture.

Can Susan Decker fire up Yahoo as its new president?
Despite industry plaudits, she faces a major challenge as the company works to emerge from the shadow of Google.

Scamming the e-mail scammers
Ever been tempted to respond to that e-mail message offering untold millions from the relatives of a deposed African dictator? For some, replying is a rewarding hobby.

Warner Music and Sony BMG start digital music venture in Russia
The two record companies joined with the billionaire Len Blavatnik on Thursday in announcing the creation of a digital music venture in Russia to sell products in one of the world's biggest markets for pirated content.
- Sony chairman promises a shift from recovery to growth
- PlayStation architect leaving Sony

Top executives defend the use of a slow wireless data network for the iPhone
Early reviews of the iPhone have faulted the slower network because it will limit the wireless computer's greatest strength - making the Internet easily accessible on the go.
- Frenzy for iPhones starts in U.S.
- Does the iPhone have 'It'? Early signs are good

Proposed accord would give Murdoch broad power over editorial staffing at The Wall Street Journal
An independent board set up under the proposed agreement would not have veto rights over News Corp.'s choices for top editors at the newspaper and at Dow Jones Newswires.

Bear Stearns fund chief struggles to fend off the 'hordes'
As two hedge funds backed by subprime mortgage assets teeter near collapse, their manager finds time to reflect.

EU telecommunications chief favors European mobile TV standard
The telecommunications chief of the European Union, Viviane Reding, said Thursday that she would favor the European mobile television broadcasting standard over U.S. and South Korean rivals when the Commission decides next month which to back.

Who really makes the iPod?
Strictly speaking, it isn't Apple. The company outsources the entire manufacture of the device to a number of Asian enterprises, among them Asustek, Inventec Appliances and Foxconn.

Freenet, the German Internet and mobile phone company created from a merger four months ago, said Monday it had hired Morgan Stanley to examine strategic options that might include acquisitions or a sale of the company.

The bank is also exploring other options for Freenet, Patrick Möller, the head of investor relations, said without elaborating. He also declined to say when the assessment might be concluded. There are currently no talks with a suitor or purchase target, he said.

Freenet was formed from Mobilcom, at the time the second-largest provider of wireless services after T-Mobile, and Freenet.de, a Web access company. The Freenet chief executive, Eckhard Spoerr, has rejected calls from some shareholders to break up the company.

Digital music sales may rise as much as 50 percent to more than $3 billion this year, but are unlikely to make up for declining disc sales because of piracy, according to a music industry group.

"Digital sales are expected to continue to grow strongly in 2007, but are unlikely to make up the shortfall in the overall market caused by a decline in physical sales," said Alex Jacob, a spokesman for the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.

Sales of digital music rose to $2.1 billion in 2006, accounting for 11 percent of revenue from recorded music sales, compared with 2 percent in 2004, the IFPI said.

Nintendo's Wii video game console outsold Sony's PlayStation 3 six to one in June in Japan, a Japanese publishing company said.

Although the Wii has been on sale since late last year, consoles are selling so briskly that supplies have yet to catch up with demand and long lines form when shipments arrive at stores. Wii outsold PS3 by four to one in April and five to one in May, according to Enterbrain.

Le Monde appointed a new chief executive, Pierre Jeantet, to succeed Jean-Marie Colombani, who was forced out in May after opposition from journalists, who hold veto power over the appointment of a chairman.

Jeantet's appointment had been expected last week but was delayed after a standoff over the reappointment of the supervisory board chairman, Alain Minc, who journalists said was too close to the French government to ensure the paper's independence.

AT&T, Vodafone and Verizon Communications are among 12 companies that will be allowed to compete with Qatar Telecommunications for a mobile phone license in Qatar. Orascom Telecom is also among the bidders, Qatar's telecommunications regulator said.