Advertisers open weight loss campaigns as the new year begins
Both Weight Watchers and Special K sponsored electronic billboards in Times Square, the most televised (and, perhaps densely populated) location on New Year's Eve in the United States.

Restrictions placed on Qualcomm chip sales
A U.S. judge ordered Qualcomm to stop selling new chips that infringe three Broadcom patents, but allowed the sale of older chips.

Wal-Mart's movie download service passes into ignominy
Wal-Mart's movie download business, opened with great fanfare nearly a year ago, has faded out of business, unnoticed.

Loss or theft of personal data rose to record levels in 2007
Attrition.org estimates more than 162 million records were compromised through Dec. 21 - both in the United States and abroad.

Online graffiti moving to the U.S.
Flat-screen digital graffiti boards displaying text messages and photos sent from cellphones are giving the virtual world a foothold in pubs, clubs, and beyond.

Former rap star choreographs new career at Web startup
MC Hammer has not topped the music charts since the early 1990s, but the former rap star says he has another hit in him — only this time around he will produce it as a Silicon Valley entrepreneur.

Mobile phone operators merging networks
While unthinkable in most industries, this sort of collaboration is under way and likely to accelerate as operators push 3G.

Web worlds for the grammar-school set
Trying to clone the success of blockbuster Web sites like Club Penguin and Webkinz, children's entertainment companies are drastically accelerating efforts to build virtual worlds for kids.

Individual privacy under threat in Europe and U.S., report says
Greece, Romania and Canada had the best privacy records of 47 countries surveyed by the rights group Privacy International.

What's that catchy tune? A song for car insurance makes the charts
"From Where You Are," a song written for an Allstate commercial, is the first jingle in years to make the charts.

In the DVD war over high definition, most buyers are sitting it out
Even as prices fall, neither Sony's Blu-ray nor Toshiba's HD DVD, has gained an advantage.