AFP - Livedoor, the once high-flying Internet firm engulfed in scandal, allegedly hid billions of yen (millions of dollars) in off-the-book gains from stock sales in Swiss bank accounts, a report said.

AFP - US politicians and rights groups have condemned technology giants Google, Microsoft, Cisco, and Yahoo for collaborating with China to censor the Internet.

Reuters - Once upon a time, you checked your local newspaper's film critic for advice about what to see on any given weekend. Or maybe you read the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly or the New Yorker, or checked out TV critics with national clout such as Roger Ebert or Gene Shalit.

TechWeb - The Semiconductor Industry Association is backing the move because South Korea is the world's tenth-largest market and a large opportunity for chip vendors.

LONDON (Reuters) - Advances in mobile phone tracking technology are turning British firms into cyber sleuths as they keep a virtual eye on their staff, vehicles and stock.

AP - The bits that make up our digital lives are increasingly spread over a growing number of gadgets, such as cell phones that snap pictures, handheld computers that play music and a growing number of PCs that do all the above and more. But amid all this connectedness, something has been left out: a seamless way for all the gadgets and all the computers to stay current with all the information captured, created and edited on other devices.

AP - Bucking a trend in the chip industry, IBM Corp. said Tuesday its upcoming Power6 microprocessor for servers will run at unprecedented speeds while keeping a lid on power requirements and heat.

Reuters - Hybrid cars won IntelliChoice.com's 2006 "Best Overall Value of the Year" awards in three of eight categories, the online automotive cost ownership and value analysis firm said on Wednesday.

TechWeb - Apple Computer is confirming reports of video-display problems in the new iMacs that are based on Intel processors.

TechWeb - Apple may be revamping a video iPod that would use a touch-sensing screen instead of the familiar click wheel, a Mac enthusiast site says.

Reuters - What do a Vietnamese grapefruit seller and a gender activist have in common?

AFP - US Internet giants will come under unprecedented grilling in Congress this week for joining hands with China to censor the Internet, despite the proud American tradition of free speech.

SAN FRANCISCO (Hollywood Reporter) - In the wake of a high-profile lawsuit against video game giant Electronic Arts, an alliance of the interactive entertainment industry's leading recruitment firms has announced the formation of trade group Professional Electronic Entertainment Recruiters (PEER).

Reuters - Microsoft Corp. said on Monday it is set to begin testing an online version of its popular Office software in a first step toward shifting some of its computer-based products to the Web to fend off rivals such as Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc.

Reuters - Networking equipment maker Cisco Systems has purchased a 9.7 percent stake in China's top online game operator, Shanda Interactive Entertainment , according to a filing with U.S. regulators.

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. MSFT.O unveiled on Wednesday multiple versions of its upcoming Office business software suite with features that aim to simplify worker collaboration and improve efficiency.

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Toshiba American Consumer Products on Thursday announced an ambitious marketing push in support of HD-DVD but conceded that some of the high-definition optical disc format's interactive features won't be available in the two first-generation players slated to hit stores next month without a 'firmware upgrade.'

TechWeb - The Intel Itanium processor-based server market is slated grow at a compound annual growth rate of 35 percent over the next five years, according to market research firm IDC.

Reuters - Rupert Murdoch saw a Web site with monster growth potential in MySpace.com, the online music and dating phenomenon that makes it easy for teens to find friends and express themselves.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Sony Corp.'s launch of its next-generation PlayStation 3 video game console could be delayed if industry specifications for some of its technology are not finalized soon, although it is still aiming for a spring rollout, it said on Monday.

AP - America Online Inc. and WebEx Communications Inc. are teaming up to provide a business version of AOL's popular AIM instant-messaging software.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Honda Motor Co. 7267.T plans to sell a low-cost hybrid car, a version of its popular Fit subcompact, a Japanese daily reported, signaling the auto maker's long-term commitment to the fuel-sipping powertrain.

AFP - The world's largest chipmaker Intel has received a license from the Vietnamese government to build a chip plant worth 605 million dollars in southern Ho Chi Minh City, official sources said.

RICHMOND, Virginia (Reuters) - A federal judge may decide on Friday whether to pull the plug on BlackBerry email devices used by millions of Americans as part of a fight over patents for the pocket-sized technology.

Reuters - The famous Swiss Army Knife has added yet another tool to its roster of multi-use capabilities -- MP3 player.

AFP - Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party went on the offensive against opposition allegations that a son of the LDP chief had received secret campaign cash from the founder of scandal-hit Internet firm Livedoor.

Reuters - Microsoft Corp. plans six core offerings of its upcoming Windows Vista operating system, targeting how people use computers instead of PC hardware specifications, the company said on Monday.

AP - Intel Corp., the world's largest chipmaker, announced plans Tuesday to build a $300 million chip assembly and testing factory in southern Vietnam, giving a huge boost to the country's efforts to raise its high tech profile.