Micropayments arrive on the Web
Charging for tiny amounts of money for single pieces of online content - an idea essentially put to sleep toward the end of the dot-com boom - has arrived, just not in the way it was originally envisioned.

Acer to acquire Gateway
The $710 deal will make Acer the third-largest computer vendor in the world behind Hewlett-Packard and Dell.

Tech in Brief: Hollywood studios set $4 billion summer record
Also, Sprint picks Samsung for New York network and Nokia's navigation device.

On Advertising: Jets become flying billboards
Even though marketers are eager to connect with consumers in new ways, they are also wary about annoying them.

Consumers have voice on Web 2.0
Companies are monitoring blogs and other online discussions for feedback on their brands. A Web-based campaign led Cadbury Schweppes to bring back the Wispa.

A Web site shows quirky side of Russia
EnglishRussia.com, the brainchild of a young Web designer, has become one of the most popular blogs on the Internet.

Lady Di's popularity and profitability live on
Ten years after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, the coming milestone anniversary is bringing a reprise as dozens of companies seek to capitalize on a renewed interest among consumers in Diana's life and legacy.

Remember Squirtle and Jigglypuff? Suddenly, they're back and in high demand
The Pokémon franchise, which enjoyed a long run of popularity in the late 1990s, is a rare example of a craze that has come back.

A Web site shows quirky side of Russia
EnglishRussia.com, the brainchild of a young Web designer, has become one of the most popular blogs on the Internet.

On Advertising: Jets become flying billboards
Even though marketers are eager to connect with consumers in new ways, they are also wary about annoying them.

Chinese company's interest in U.S. tech firm raises security issues
The drives could be manipulated to make it possible to pilfer information via computer networks, intelligence officials warn.

A nontraditional software campaign with a presidential appeal
Ray Hopewood, a fictional presidential candidate, is the focus of an extensive advertising campaign for a software company called BigFix.

U.S. teen unlocks the iPhone
A teenager in New Jersey has broken the lock that ties Apple's iPhone to AT&T's wireless network, freeing the most hyped cell phone ever for use on the networks of other carriers, including overseas ones.

In latest Google search, candidates hunt Silicon Valley cash
For presidential candidates campaigning in Iowa, the place to be is the state fair. Diners are popular in New Hampshire. But for those visiting Silicon Valley, it's the Googleplex. Google's headquarters is packed with young millionaires, just the kind of audience presidential candidates want to meet while building campaign funds.

Search engine start-up stumbles, haunted by founder's checkered past
Accoona registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission this month to sell its stock to the public. Then its underwriter pulled out.

Raytheon-XM Satellite Radio bid to revamp U.S. air traffic control system
The contract, expected to be rewarded as early as next week, could be worth more than $2 billion over the next two decades. The overhaul of the system is intended to ease flight delays by replacing radar with global satellite positioning technology.

MTV and MySpace to host online forum for U.S. presidential hopefuls and voters
To be held September through December, the 11 dialogues will each last about one hour and include real-time polling that rates the response of the online audience to the answers of the candidates.

Google aims to make YouTube profitable with ads
Google believes it finally has found the formula to cash in on YouTube's potential as a magnet for online video advertising and keep its audience loyal at the same time.

Hollywood studios set $4 billion summer record

LOS ANGELES: Hollywood has notched its first $4 billion summer as teen geeks helped movie studios end the season in record fashion.

Sony's "Superbad," the comedy about three awkward high-schoolers trying to get alcohol for a party, was the No. 1 movie for a second straight weekend with $18 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. The movie raised its 10-day total to $68.6 million.

Overall, Hollywood crossed the $4 billion mark for the summer season. The figure topped the $3.95 billion set in 2004, according to the box office tracker Media By Numbers.

Movies will have grossed about $4.15 billion by the time the season ends on Labor Day, up 8 percent from last summer, according to Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers.

Sprint picks Samsung for New York network

SEOUL: Samsung Electronics said it would work with Sprint Nextel to bring fourth-generation high speed wireless Internet to New York City.

Samsung said it was chosen to provide infrastructure for New York, part of a plan by Sprint Nextel to bring the network, based on an emerging mobile wireless technology called WiMax, to several U.S. cities.

Sprint Nextel had already picked Samsung to provide infrastructure and equipment for similar networks planned for Washington, Baltimore, Boston and other cities.

Nokia navigation device

HELSINKI: Nokia announced its first hands-free car navigation device to compete against rivals including TomTom of the Netherlands.

The Nokia 500 Auto Navigation device has a 4.3-inch color screen and can be connected wirelessly to a mobile phone using Bluetooth technology, Nokia said. The device will be available in the fourth quarter for a retail price of €300, or $410, excluding taxes.

The navigator has regional maps preinstalled based on where it is purchased and features travel information like hotels, filling stations and tourist sites.

MICROSOFT plans to distribute free software to nonprofit groups to increase charity in India, a company official said. Nearly 35,000 groups will be eligible for the donations.

YAHOO, the provider of the most popular Web-based e-mail service, has added a program that lets users to send free messages directly to mobile phones. Customers will be able to send messages to mobile phones in the United States, Canada, India and the Philippines.

WIPRO, the third-largest software services exporter in India, said it planned to open a software development center in Atlanta to strengthen its presence in its largest market.