Technology Headlines

The flurry of initial public offerings this week is confirmation that this fall's rebound in the market wasn't a fluke and sets the stage for more companies to raise money through IPOs in 2010. But the response to two of the newly public companies shows that investors continue to be careful about where they place their bets.

A deal for Comcast Corp. to buy a controlling stake in NBC Universal and create one of the most powerful media companies in the world is taking longer than expected as the current owners tussle over price.

FILE - In this Dec. 3, 2007 file photo, a view of the headquarters of Vivendi SA in Paris, is shown. Media and entertainment conglomerate Vivendi SA is nearing a decision Friday, Nov. 20, 2009, on whether to sell its stake in NBC Universal, which would clear the way for the creation of one of the most powerful media companies in the world. - AP Photo - Jacques Brinon, file

Consumers who haven't yet ordered Barnes & Noble's electronic book reader, the Nook, won't see one before Christmas.

A lawsuit in Wisconsin is bringing a fresh challenge to the practice of paying for keywords on Google and other search engines to boost one company's link over a rival's.

Microsoft Corp. is giving away nearly 24,000 vouchers to North Carolina residents who want to improve their computer skills so they can improve their lot in the work force.

European Union regulators said Friday that they have extended until Jan. 27 a deadline to wrap up their antitrust review of Oracle Corp.'s planned $7.4 billion takeover of Sun Microsystems Inc.

Some of the computer industry's biggest players - such as IBM Corp., Intel Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. - have wowed Wall Street this fall with stronger-than-expected profits.

FILE - In this June 30, 2009 file photo, a man works behind Dell laptops on display at a computer store in Beijing, China. Dell Inc. reports quarterly earnings after the market close Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009. - AP Photo - Greg Baker, file

A group of major national research libraries says users now can search the full text of 1.6 billion pages from 4.6 million digitized volumes.

Sony's new online service connecting the whole range of its gadgets to downloadable content like movies and games should help build brand loyalty, a top executive said Friday.

Sony Corp. Chief Executive Howard Stringer speaks during a press conference, outlining Sony's turnaround strategy at the electronics giant's headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009. Sony said it aims to be profitable in gaming and flat-panel TVs by the fiscal year ending March 2011 as it slashes costs to turn around money-losing businesses. "Our work is already bearing fruit," Stringer said. "We still have more work to do." - AP Photo - Shizuo Kambayashi

Sony Corp. Chief Executive Howard Stringer speaks during a press conference, outlining Sony's turnaround strategy at the electronics giant's headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009. Sony said it aims to be profitable in gaming and flat-panel TVs by the fiscal year ending March 2011 as it slashes costs to turn around money-losing businesses. "Our work is already bearing fruit," Stringer said. "We still have more work to do." - AP Photo - Shizuo Kambayashi

President Barack Obama has answered questions submitted by a celebrated Cuban blogger, saying he isn't interested in "talking for the sake of talking" with Raul Castro and indicating he won't visit the island until the communist government changes its ways.

A student stands next to a painting of a Cuban flag in Pinar del Rio, Cuba, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009. French and Cuban singers will perform a concert as part of the UNICEF fund raising program "Schools Against Hurricanes", aimed to rebuild schools in an area of western Cuban that was devastated in 2008 by Hurricanes. - AP Photo - Franklin Reyes

FILE - In this April 11, 2008 file photo, Yoani Sanchez, who writes the "Generation Y" blog, walks inside her home in Havana. President Barack Obama has answered questions submitted by the celebrated Cuban blogger, saying he isn't interested in "talking for the sake of talking" with Raul Castro and indicating he won't visit the island until the communist government changes its ways. - AP Photo - Javier Galeano, File

EBay has completed its sale of Skype for about $2 billion to an investor group that included the founders of the Internet phone service.

For the second time in a little more than a year, a glitch at one of the two centers that handle flight plans for the nation's air travel system set off delays and cancellations for passengers around the country.

Flight cancellations appear on screens near AirTran ticketing counters at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009, A problem with the system that collects airlines' flight plans caused widespread flight cancellations and delays across the U.S. Thursday. It was the second time in 15 months that a glitch in the flight plan system caused delays. - AP Photo - Atlanta Journal-Constitution, John Spink

Delta customer service agent Rhonda Bennett helps passengers at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009. A problem with the system that collects airlines' flight plans caused widespread flight cancellations and delays across the U.S. Thursday. It was the second time in 15 months that a glitch in the flight plan system caused delays. - AP Photo - Atlanta Journal-Constitution, John Spink

A key element of Dell Inc.'s turnaround strategy has been a vow not to cut prices as aggressively as rivals just to keep market share. The tactic has allowed competitors such as Acer Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co. to steal business from Dell, and this fall Dell lost its ranking as the world's No. 2 PC maker.

The struggling Internet company AOL plans to shed up to 2,500 jobs - more than a third of its work force - as it prepares to separate from Time Warner and finally sever their ill-fated marriage.

FILE - In this May 28, 2009 file photo, an AOL home page is displayed on a user's computer in Palo Alto, Calif. Time Warner on Monday, Nov. 16, 2009 said that it will spin off its Internet business, AOL Inc., as a separate company on Dec. 9. - AP Photo - Paul Sakuma, File

FILE - In this May 12, 2008 file photo, the AOL Running Man logo decorates a coffee mug in AOL's New York office. AOL Inc., the struggling Internet company, said Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009, plans to cut about a third of its workers if its planned spinoff from Time Warner Inc. goes through. - AP Photo - Mark Lennihan, File

Consumers will have to wait until next year's holiday shopping season to find out if Google Inc.'s new operating system can deliver on its promise to make low-cost computers run faster.

Shareholders approved the formation of a new company out of DirecTV Group Inc. and some of Liberty Media Corp.'s entertainment businesses, as the chairman of both firms dampened speculation about a sale to a big phone company.

Yahoo Inc. is jumping on the Twitter bandwagon in its latest attempt to get people to use its Internet search engine more frequently.

Think of it as closed captioning for the new media world.

Once again it's that shopping time of year and if digital photography is on your shopping list, here is a roundup of accessories to kick off the season.

Media mogul John Malone said Thursday that Comcast Corp.'s plan to buy a controlling stake in NBC Universal would give it too much market power and force competitors to consider similar acquisitions.