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Amazon allows Kindle e-books as gifts

Amazon.com Inc. has begun allowing customers to give its Kindle e-books to others.

Before, customers could only give gift certificates to cover the cost of an e-book. Get the full story »

Analysts: Thinner iPad in works

Bloomberg News | Analysts say Apple is working on a thinner iPad for introduction next year with a camera for video calling and global wireless capabilities.

Groupon recovers from Oprah, Nordstrom strain

Chicago-based daily deals company Groupon said its Web site is back to normal after the combination of an Oprah Winfrey mention and a popular deal with retailer Nordstrom Rack caused traffic problems.

The site had been experiencing intermittent slowness in the morning for users depending on their location, said Groupon spokeswoman Julie Mossler. Get the full story »

Accenture acquires German software firm

Management consulting firm Accenture PLC said Friday it has agreed to acquire a German maker of software that helps consumer products companies manage customer relations and trade promotions. Get the full story »

Google to delete personal data gathered in Britain

Britain’s information security watchdog says that Google Inc. has agreed to delete the personal data collected by the company’s Street View cars.
Get the full story »

3Q profit better than expected for Dell, sales weaker

Dell Inc. reported better-than-expected profit and margins and raised its yearly outlook for operating income growth, but sales came in below Wall Street’s forecast despite solid demand from large corporations.

The personal computer maker reported net earnings for the third quarter ended Oct. 29 of $822 million, or 42 cents a share, up from $337 million, or 17 cents a share, a year earlier. Get the full story »

MySpace to let users log directly into Facebook

In a sign of the companies’ divergent fortunes, MySpace says it will let its users log in to their Facebook accounts through their MySpace page. Get the full story »

Google Voice app finally approved for iPhone

Google Inc.’s Voice calling application has won approval to be on the iPhone after more than a year of haggling with Apple Inc.

The breakthrough announced Tuesday resolves a stand-off that triggered a Federal Communications Commission inquiry into whether Apple and AT&T Inc., the iPhone’s exclusive U.S. service provider, were trying to stifle competition by keeping the app off the popular device. Get the full story »

Web-based e-mail next for Facebook, sources say

Facebook will unveil changes to its messaging system  Monday, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The changes to the messaging service will be “across the board,” the person said, which could escalate the competition between the world’s No. 1 Internet social networking site and Google Inc . Get the full story »

First Apple, with letter from Jobs, set for auction

The first Apple computer, along with a letter from founder Steve Jobs, will be up for auction Nov. 23. (AP)

The first Apple computer — together with a letter signed by Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs to the original owner — will be sold at a London auction this month.

Described by Christie’s as a “historic relic,” the Apple-1 was introduced in 1976 and sold without a casing, power supply, keyboard or monitor. Get the full story »

Intel raises dividend and hopes

Intel Corp. plans to boost its quarterly dividend by 15 percent, sending its shares higher as investors saw the move as a signal that the world’s largest chipmaker is on track for healthy growth.

The dividend will increase to 18 cents, beginning in the first quarter of 2011. Get the full story »

N.Y. Times to add e-book best-seller list

E-books have reached another milestone: their own best-seller lists in The New York Times.

The Times, whose best-seller lists have long been a benchmark for success among authors, announced Wednesday that in early 2011 it will begin publishing rankings for fiction and nonfiction e-books.

The digital market has grown rapidly in the last three years, starting with Amazon.com’s Kindle reader and continuing with Apple’s iPad and Barnes & Noble’s Nook.

Motorola countersues Microsoft on patents

Motorola Mobility, the division of Motorola Inc. that makes mobile devices and television set-top boxes, has countersued Microsoft Corp. over patent infringement. Get the full story »

RIM PlayBook tablet to sell for less than $500

RIM plans to price the PlayBook tablet at less than $500. (AP)

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion, a late entrant in the tablet computer market, will take on Apple’s iPad with competitive pricing of its PlayBook.

RIM, which said it will sell the PlayBook for less than $500, is confident the 7-inch tablet would help sustain “fast sales growth,” said RIM Co-Chief Executive Jim Balsillie.

RIM’s Nasdaq-listed shares jumped more than 6 percent on Wednesday to as high as $58.72, their highest since June.
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Microsoft sues Motorola over Xbox patent issue

Microsoft Corp stepped up its legal battle with Motorola Inc on Tuesday, as the software company accused the phone maker of charging excessive royalties on network technology used in Microsoft’s Xbox game system. Get the full story »