LAS VEGAS, Jan 5 (Reuters) – Graphics chip designer Nvidia
Corp said it will begin designing central processors for
personal computers, pushing back against growing pressure from
Intel Corp.

Nvidia (NVDA.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) shares rose 7.7 percent after the
announcement and closed at $16.98 on the Nasdaq.

LAS VEGAS, Jan 5 (Reuters) – Intel Corp (INTC.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) took the
wraps off its next-generation microchips on Wednesday, saying
their superior graphics and content protection capability
marked one of the company’s most important advances.

The chipmaker also shed light on a new partnership that
includes Time Warner Inc’s (TWX.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) Warner Bros Digital
Distribution, News Corp’s (NWSA.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) Twentieth century Fox Home
Entertainment and Best Buy (BBY.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) to stream high-definition
movies to personal computers running the new chips.

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 3 (Reuters) – Toshiba Corp (6502.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) is
making its foray into the tablet war, offering a 10-inch device
it says will be comparable in price to Apple’s (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) iPad.

The Toshiba Tablet, which will be available in the first
half of 2011 and run Google’s (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) forthcoming Honeycomb
version of the Android operating system, is targeted at
consumers.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Some 125,000 attendees descending on the annual tech gadget confab in Las Vegas this week can be forgiven for feeling as if they have traveled back in time.

Once the premier showcase of consumer technology’s cutting edge, in recent years the Consumer Electronics Show has wallowed in the shadow of the one company that never attends: Apple Inc. The iPad maker famously snatched the spotlight from the show in 2007 when it unveiled the first iPhone at a rival convention. This year, the specter of a new iPad awaits.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Some of the murky details surrounding Mark Hurd’s abrupt exit from Hewlett-Packard Co last summer may be about to clear up, with federal regulators on the scent.

A source tells Reuters the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is now looking into the events surrounding Hurd’s Aug. 6 departure, after months of media and market speculation that captivated Silicon Valley.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Some of the murky details surrounding Mark Hurd’s abrupt exit from Hewlett-Packard Co (HPQ.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) last summer may be about to clear up, with federal regulators on the scent.

A source tells Reuters the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is now looking into the events surrounding Hurd’s August 6 departure, after months of media and market speculation that captivated Silicon Valley.

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 19 (Reuters) – Cricket Communications is
launching a new music service for wireless customers, offering
unlimited song downloads as part of a monthly rate plan.

For $55 per month, Cricket — part of low-cost carrier Leap
Wireless International Inc (LEAP.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) — will sell a combined
voice, data and text plan, along with all-you-can-download
music, starting in January.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Insider trading charges buffeting the technology industry have laid bare what people who work in Silicon Valley already know: leaks happen, and even the smallest morsel of information is a treasured commodity.

Because IT is a high-growth business driven by new and surprising technologies that emerge every day, a single piece of data can give disreputable investors the edge they need to cash in, experts say.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Apple Inc’s(AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) iPad and bustling retail business have encouraged investors to shrug off the shaky economy and snap up the company’s shares as 2010 comes to a close.

Checks by analysts over the past few weeks indicate strong demand for a number of Apple products, which has pushed its shares up as much as 9 percent over the past month.