Microsoft to make Office open to ODF format
Customers will be able to open, edit and save documents in Open Document Format, the main competitor to Microsoft's Word - by the first half of next year.

Trusted Murdoch aide to lead The Wall Street Journal
Robert Thomson will be the top editor, shifting from the publisher's chair. He succeeds Marcus Brauchli, who was forced out after less than a year on the job.

So old it's new again: The live commercial
When TV began as a national medium, many spots were delivered live because many programs - dramas, soap operas, talk shows - were live. Now networks are also reusing that popular advertising ploy.

Fidelity Ventures develops niche in Net start-ups
The venture capital firm, investing funds raised from affiliates of Fidelity Investments, has bankrolled start-ups that match buyers and sellers of everything from loans to receivables to airp*** parts.

Hewlett-Packard offers more detail on increase in revenue
Hewlett-Packard, the world's largest technology company, reported revenue of $28.3 billion in the quarter, up 11 percent from the period a year ago.

Bertelsmann names publishing industry outsider as Random House chief
The head of the conglomerate's printing division was appointed to head the leading U.S. publisher of English-language consumer titles.

At Yahoo, Icahn places a bet he hopes to lose
Carl Icahn does not want to win the proxy contest he has started at Yahoo - not if winning means joining the board and running the company.
- Details emerge in Microsoft-Yahoo proposal

Hopes for political change in India's Silicon Valley
With a new electoral map giving urbanites more influence, Bangalore executives hope this week's state election will bring in politicians who can help clear red tape and infrastructure bottlenecks.

Google offers online personal health records
Google Health is the latest entrant in a growing field.