Japan: Sony, Dell Must Probe Batteries
Japan's trade ministry ordered Sony Corp. and Dell Inc. to investigate trouble involving Sony-manufactured laptop batteries, saying they overheated and caught fire in at least two instances in the country.

Apple to Pay $100M to Settle 5 Lawsuits
Apple Computer Inc.'s agreement to pay $100 million to rival Creative Technology Ltd. settled five patent lawsuits over iPod technology that had threatened to block imports of the popular digital music player, which are manufactured abroad.

Logitech Unveils New Cordless Laser Mice
Computer accessory maker Logitech International SA is introducing a mouse with a free-spinning motorized scroll wheel it believes will help people more efficiently race through pages on their computer screens.

Dell Stops Selling Ditty Music Players
Dell Inc. has quietly pulled the plug on its DJ Ditty music players, less than a year after the world's largest computer maker launched the device to compete with Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod Shuffle.

Hui Makes Pitch for Gateway Retail Unit
The founder of eMachines Inc. has offered $450 million to acquire the retail business of Gateway Inc., in a bid that intensified speculation about a possible buyout of the long-struggling PC maker.

Review: 'Madden' Can Use Some Refinement
Football video game junkies have been anxiously waiting for this week's release of "Madden NFL 07" by Electronic Arts Inc. The annual release of this video game franchise has become an event in itself.

Review: Mac Pro Beats Dell on Price
For years, Macintosh computers have been praised for their cool looks and elegant simplicity while being knocked for often carrying a hefty price premium over Windows-based machines sold by Dell Inc. and others. It's time to think different - again.

Xbox 360 to Include Wireless Accessories
With the next-generation console battle about to heat up for the holidays, Microsoft Corp. is hoping that going wireless will help draw in consumers to its Xbox 360 system.

Microsoft to Launch Software in Bolivia
Bolivia's president has a new ally in his quest to promote Indian languages - Microsoft Corp.

Software Writes News Stories at Thomson
A new service from Thomson Corp.'s Thomson Financial issues articles generated by computer software, using templates and "a rich thesaurus ... so no two stories are exactly the same," said Andrew Meagher, the company's director of content development.