Sony profit soars despite trouble selling PlayStation 3
Sony reported quarterly profit that was more than 40 times higher than the comparable quarter last year, but losses from its PlayStation game division more than doubled.

Close your windows, the Mac Leopard is here
If you're a computer company, what on earth do you add to the sixth annual version of your operating system? That's the challenge that Apple faced in developing the Leopard.

Ericsson finance chief steps down in wake of business warning
The network equipment maker said Thursday that Karl-Henrik Sundström felt responsible for the warning that sent shares tumbling on Oct. 16.

Intel widens lead in race for smaller chip
In the latest display of its manufacturing might, Intel opened a $3 billion factory in Arizona on Thursday, widening its lead over Advanced Micro Devices in the industry's switch to a new chip-making technique.

Venture capital at crux of U.S. bill
Debate centers on federal funding for small businesses that are financed, critics of the bill say controlled, by larger interests.

Amazon's third-quarter profit exceeds expectations
The company's strong results for the quarter can be partly explained by currency fluctuations and by the 2.5 million copies of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" that Amazon sold. But investors and analysts are also encouraged by the migration of smaller retailers onto Amazon's network.

WPP buys another digital advertising agency
The giant advertising company WPP Group bought Blast Radius, considered a specialist in the growing realm of social networking, which is particularly popular among younger consumers who share information about themselves on Web sites like Facebook and MySpace.

Motorola Profit Plunges on Lower Sales
Profits plunged 94 percent in the third quarter on sharply lower sales, but the ailing cell-phone maker showed signs of improvement in its cell-phone business and painted a more upbeat outlook for its future.

Microsoft drops appeals in EU antitrust case
The move comes after a deal with regulators and ends the software giant's longest running legal battle.
- Microsoft shifts tactics with regulators, and impact is global

U.S. diners opting for fast over casual
Applebee's is undertaking a rebranding campaign in the hopes of drawing Americans away from the drive-thru and back to the table.

Banks claim credit card breach affected 94 million accounts
A banking group that is suing TJX alleged in its court filing that the number of accounts fraudulently used was more than twice as many as the retailer had said.

Google pairs with Nielsen to mine commercial data
The joint venture is meant to give advertisers a more vivid and accurate snapshot than ever before of how many people are viewing commercials on a second-by-second basis, and who those people are.