Technology
SanDisk unveils memory card-based music player (Reuters)
Reuters - SanDisk Corp unveiled a portable digital music system based on memory cards preloaded with songs, signaling a shift in its strategy to compete against the iPod.
Intel will miss its already-lowered 4Q targets (AP)
AP - Even after sharply reducing its outlook for the fourth quarter, Intel Corp. said Wednesday that it would miss its revenue projection by about $500 million, a sign that PC makers and buyers are being more tightfisted than it seemed only two months ago.
Intel's miss weighs on Microsoft shares (AP)
AP - Shares of Microsoft Corp., the world's largest software maker, sank Wednesday after chip maker Intel Corp. said fourth-quarter sales missed already lowered expectations.
Expo: Kensington rolls out mice, chargers, other accessories (Macworld.com)
Macworld.com - Kensington announced a number of new accessories for desktops, laptops, iPods, and iPhones Tuesday to coincide with Macworld Expo as well as the Consumer Electronics Show.
Sun Buys Cloud-computing Vendor Q-layer (PC World)
PC World - Sun Microsystems has bought Q-layer, a Belgian vendor of software for automating the management of computing clouds, it said Wednesday. The acquisition provides a clue as to how Sun plans to go about delivering on the cloud computing strategy it outlined last month.
Motorola Recycled Phones Should've Remained Plastic Bottles (PC World)
PC World - Would you buy a crap phone just because it's âgreenâ? When a company has 350 employees dedicated to implementing a brand-spanking-new mobile OS into its devices, one doesn't really expect to see a phone made out of recycled plastic bottles. But defying any rational judgment, Motorola decided to become even more boring with its 2009 phone lineup.
RI judge hears arguments in music downloading case (AP)
AP - A Rhode Island couple whose son is accused of illegally sharing songs online should not be forced to surrender their home computer for inspection because it would violate their right to privacy, their lawyer argued at a federal court hearing Tuesday.
China issues 3G mobile phone licenses (AP)
AP - China assigned third-generation mobile phone licenses Wednesday to three carriers in a long-awaited step that is expected to prompt $41 billion in spending on new equipment.
Avoiding the high cost of bad code (InfoWorld)
InfoWorld - While software development technologies continue to advance on multiple fronts, the complexity of software and its management remains a complicated, expensive problem. For instance, too many developers can become involved in a project, and those developers may not be around later to maintain the code they wrote. Plus, software requirements can change, and it can be difficult to track what, exactly, the software was supposed to do.
Olympus Puts 10X Optical Zoom In a Pocket Cam (PC World)
PC World - It's no 26x optical zoom behemoth like its just-announced SP-590 UZ, but Olympus put yet another feather in its zoom cap with the Olympus Stylus-9000. The company announced the slim 10X -optical-zoom digital camera in a press release as part of its 2009 offerings at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
China shares fall on profit-taking (AP)
AP - Chinese shares declined Wednesday after a short-lived rally on profit-taking in banks and refiners, and telecom shares fell despite the government's release of third-generation mobile phone licenses.
