European phone companies push ahead on Internet television
Several companies this week plan to announce major expansions of Internet protocol television, or IPTV. But skeptics cast doubt on whether IPTV has a future as a stand-alone for phone firms.

NBC Universal buys 18 Hallmark channels outside the U.S.
Jeff Zucker, chief executive of NBC Universal, has made global expansion a priority as the company tries to catch up internationally with other U.S.-based media conglomerates.

Russian music site says it will reopen
The owners of the site, AllofMP3.com, announced plans to reopen Tuesday, two months after they were forced to close amid allegations they were running an illegal online music store.

Beijing police to patrol the Web using animated 'officers'
Police in China's capital said Tuesday they will start patrolling the Web using animated beat officers that pop up on a user's browser and walk, bike or drive across the screen warning them to stay away from illegal Internet content.

Companies pay motorists to wrap their cars in ads
Thousands of U.S. motorists have agreed to wrap their cars in advertisements in exchange for up to $800 a month.

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.

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.

Taiwan's Acer to acquire Gateway
Acer plans to buy the U.S. computer maker for $710 million in a deal that will push it past China's Lenovo Group to become the world's third largest PC vendor.

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.

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.

Hewlett-Packard said Tuesday it planned to spend $300 million to promote printers, its most-profitable products, in the company's biggest ad campaign yet for that business.

The singer Gwen Stefani and the snowboard maker Jake Burton will help promote new HP printers, online design programs and the Snapfish photo service in TV ads and Web sites, the company said.

Hewlett-Packard, seeking to extend its lead in the printer market, will introduce faster models. The company also wants to be seen as a provider of printing software and Web services like Cloudprint - a free online offering that makes it possible to share, store and print documents using a mobile phone - rather than just a printer maker.

The new campaign, called "Print 2.0," will feature the slogan, "What do you have to say?"

EarthLink, the Internet service provider, said it would cut 900 jobs and close four offices as part of a restructuring plan aimed at reducing operating costs.

It will close offices in Orlando, Florida; Knoxville, Tennessee; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and San Francisco. Earthlink also said it would "substantially reduce its presence" in Atlanta and Pasadena, California.

EarthLink said it expected to save $25 million to $35 million through the rest of the year. It currently employs about 1,900 people.

A Chinese online game aimed at curbing official corruption has been shut down after proving too popular with users, the state-run Xinhua news agency said.

The government-sponsored "Incorruptible Warrior" taught anti-graft measures by requiring players to kill corrupt officials while avoiding attacks by their henchmen.

The game server could accommodate 600 players at a time, but in its first week it attracted more than 10,000, the report said.

Alibaba.com, the operator of Yahoo's Web site in China, started an Internet payment service that lets Chinese make purchases from overseas retailers. Alipay will handle transactions in 12 "major currencies," the company said, without identifying them.