Profit and sales rise at Microsoft, but company stays cautious
The financial crisis has prompted a slowdown in software sales, so the company lowered its revenue and profit forecasts into 2009 to reflect "the likelihood of continued economic weakness."

Samsung Electronics sees 44% drop in quarterly profit
Persistent weakness in Samsung's memory business offset a solid performance in flat screens and mobile phones.

Commissioner to offer concessions to EU telecommunications regulators
Viviane Reding will offer to reduce the size, and limit the power, of an EU-wide regulatory agency she is proposing, as a way to placate national officials who fear that their power would be usurped.

Sony lowers earnings forecast because of strong yen
A stronger Japanese currency reduces the value of overseas sales when they are converted into yen.

Russia rejects Google acquisition of Begun
The acquisition would have improved Google's share of Internet advertising in Russia, the last European market where it lags behind a local provider.

Pro quality camera without the reflex lens
Panasonic offers a camera that matches a compact body with the photographic quality of an SLR

A charmed life at Pixie Hollow
Also: Samsung offers a low-profile external DVD burner and Toshiba's new notebook computer deserves some fanfare.

Getting web photos in sync
I can download and print photos of my new granddaughter from my daughter-in-law's Flickr page. The photos appear in my Picasa files but they don't sync with the other pictures to my iPod. Is there anything I can do?

Murdoch takes issue with new biography
Rupert Murdoch has raised objections with Michael Wolff and his publisher about portions of a forthcoming biography, "The Man Who Owns the News."

Even AT&T is startled by cost of iPhone partnership
AT&T's relationship with Apple is paying off as sales of the iPhone 3G buoyed wireless revenue in third-quarter earnings.

Samsung drops bid for SanDisk as mergers decline globally
Samsung Electronics has dropped its $5.9 billion bid for SanDisk. Companies worldwide are scrapping plans to merge and acquire although their targets are cheaper as stocks tumble.