Small / Med. Business Breaking News

Verizon to Launch BlackBerry Storm Next Week for $250
Verizon Wireless will start selling the BlackBerry Storm, Research in Motion's eagerly anticipated touch-based iPhone 3G alternative, on November 21 for $250 with a new two-year contract. More..

7 Lessons That SMBs Can Learn from Big IT
Just because you don't have a large enterprise doesn't mean you can't run your IT operation like the big guys. Here are seven ways to help your SMB implement some of the lessons big IT operations have learned over the years. Using these tips, you should be able to improve productivity, cut costs, and keep your business running smoothly. More..

Cool Yule Tools - Gift Guide 2008
Cool gadgets are back. A year after the iPhone overshadowed everything else, consumer electronics manufacturers have kicked it up a notch — this year's offerings in the high-tech holiday gift space are rockin.' More..

Time Magazine's Top 50 Inventions of 2008
It was predicted 50 years ago that by 2008 we'd vacation on the moon, drive flying cars, and wear wristwatch-sized video conferencing systems. Science isn't delivering on those promises, yet. But who would have guessed back then that in 2008 we'd have do-it-yourself DNA test kits, a particle accelerator, an invisibility cloak, and cameras for the blind? More..

Apple response on Norwegian iTunes case fails to impress
Apple has responded to the Norwegian Consumer Ombudsman's plan to bring an iTunes case before the country's Market Council, but Apple's answer hasn't impressed the official. He now expects the case to go before the council in March or April next year. More..

Sony reduces operating loss at PlayStation division
Sony's game division saw higher revenue on much stronger sales of the PlayStation 3 console during the July to September quarter but the division still recorded a loss during the period, the company said Wednesday. More..

Video conferencing to the desktop?
Desktop video conferencing is moving into the mainstream as enterprises look for ways to save money, reduce their carbon footprint and better utilize their workforces. At the same time, many organizations are investing in high-definition, room-based video conferencing systems, which raises questions about how to extend HD support to the desktop. Do you have high-quality Web cameras? What are the PC requirements? How about the bandwidth demands? More..

Sony expands e-book reader range
Sony is introducing a second electronic book reader to its range in the U.S. that comes with upgraded hardware and will go on sale in November. More..

MPAA, RealNetworks sue each other over DVD copier
RealNetworks and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) have filed dueling lawsuits against each other over a product that allows people to copy DVDs. More..

Konica Minolta shows prototype communicator headset
Walk along the halls of the Ceatec electronics show here in Japan and you're likely to see all manner of gadgets and gizmos, but few sights might startle you more than Ichiro Kasai. More..

Alcatel-Lucent loses $1.5B award in Microsoft patent suit
Alcatel-Lucent lost another round against Microsoft on Thursday in a continuing court battle over patents for the MP3 digital music format. More..

Staples turns backup into a service
Office-supply company Staples wants small and medium-size businesses that buy paper and scissors at its stores to start going there for their own data, too. More..

Casio's new camera offers high-speed shooting, compact body
The digital still camera market got something new earlier this year when Casio launched its Exilim F1 model with the ability to take super slow-motion video and perform a host of neat tricks thanks to a burst shooting mode. Casio's newest camera, the Exilim EX-FH20, was launched Tuesday and features most of the same technology but is more compact, offers a higher resolution and is cheaper. More..

Juniper invests in Packet Design
Juniper Networks has made a $2 million investment in Packet Design, a developer of routing analysis and optimization software, as part of Packet’s Design’s $12 million fourth round funding. More..

First look: Fourth-generation iPod nano
When it comes to physical appearances, the iPod nano saw the biggest changes when Apple overhauled its iPod lineup this week. The new nano leaves behind the shorter, wider shape of the third-generation model to embrace the taller, slimmer profile of the nanos of old--even slimmer, in fact, than those older models. But along with its new shape, the fourth-generation iPod nano incorporates new hardware features and new software. More..

Sony shows prototype next-gen speakers
Sony has developed next-generation prototype speakers that hang from a ceiling or come with an entire home audio system built-into the base, utilizing the same technology in its distinctive Sountina . More..

OpenMoko users open up about their phones
What you need is a smartphone that's free. More..

Cisco Virtual Office package targets teleworkers
Cisco is announcing a bundle of gear and services aimed at helping companies design and install remote-site communications that replicate the connectivity workers have when they're located in corporate sites. More..

Why China Mobile isn't right for Apple and the iPhone
Apple's discussions with China Mobile about bringing the popular handset to the world's largest mobile market is the stuff of tech journalists' dreams. The potential deal would join together the world's largest mobile service provider with the planet's most talked-about phone. Both companies are tight-lipped, offering us nothing more than confirmations of the talks and statements that indicate that the two sides want to make a deal. More..

Panasonic to unveil new digital SLR next week
Panasonic will unveil a new digital SLR (single lens reflex) camera in its Lumix range next week, the company said Wednesday. More..

Panasonic shows larger thin-PDP prototypes
Panasonic unveiled its largest-yet slimline PDP (plasma display panel) at the IFA electronics show in Berlin on Thursday. More..

Toshiba pushes tech that upscales content to HD
Toshiba promoted its two technologies, Extended Detail Enhancement (XDE) and Resolution+, for turning standard definition content into high definition, at the IFA electronics show on Thursday. More..

Sony to launch centimeter-thin LCD TV this year
Pushing new boundaries in LCD (liquid crystal display) TV size, Sony will launch later this year a set that's considerably thinner than others on the market, it said at the IFA electronics show in Berlin on Thursday. More..

Sharp unveils its thinnest LCD TVs yet
Sharp has developed a new range of LCD (liquid crystal display) TVs that are thinner and have larger screens than its previous thinnest televisions. More..

Maxian to show new PMPs at Berlin's IFA
South Korea's Maxian will unveil a couple of new portable media players at the IFA consumer electronics in Berlin later this week. More..