IBT Staff Reporter

Nigeria continues to rank as the riskiest country to do business with over the Internet a new survey released Wednesday shows, with New York identified as the riskiest city in North America.

Since going public in 2004, Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) has emerged as the premier name in Internet search and advertising, while rivals have been unable to slow its success or popularity.

The chief executives leading the world's two largest stock markets - the New York Stock Exchange and Tokyo Stock Exchange - shook hands high above the NYSE trading floor before the opening bell on Wednesday, after announcing that the groups will create an alliance that sets the stage for a possible merger or acquisition.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said Sony BMG agreed to settle charges from the commission that it secretly installed software on users' computers that would monitor listening habits for marketing purposes, while also limiting the ability to play the music on certain devices and make copies.

Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) announced upgraded features to its rack mounted search appliance on Tuesday, promising improved security and performance for small to medium sized businesses.

Prices are falling and availability is rising for High-Definition Televisions (HDTVs), according to a report released Tuesday.

Robust demand for mobile phones helped Nokia, the world's largest cell phone maker, ship more phones than its two closest competitors combined in 2006. One report indicates that it will continue to pressure rivals in 2007.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), which dominates the market for digital music players, said it begins selling its entry level iPod in four additional colors today, touting the player as a fashion accessory.

Computer software sales declined in 2006 compared to the previous year, due in part to consumers waiting for the release of Windows Vista and diminished purchases of tax software, according to a report.

Microsoft Corp., the world's largest software maker, said that it is investigating a flaw in its Microsoft Word 2000 word processor that may allow remote users with malicious intent to take control of a user's computer.

Nokia Corp. expanded its leadership position in the mobile handset market in 2006, shipping more units than its next two closest competitors combined, according to new research released today.

Semiconductor firm Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) and technology solutions provider International Business Machines (NYSE: IBM) announced separately this weekend that both companies have solved a puzzle that will allow the semiconductor industry to keep making ever smaller computer chips.

Growing signs of weaker demand for Sony's new Playstation 3 video game system may be impacting some of its design partners, a new report indicates, with graphics system provider Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA), feeling Wall-Street heat today.

Shares of Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM), maker of the Blackberry hand held device have plummeted since Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) announced its entry into the consumer phone segment early January. Some experts feel that the new phone isn't a threat to RIM, however, issuing a buy for RIMM shares.

Software maker Adobe systems is aiming to take its already popular PDF document standard to the next level, asking the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to recognize its entire specification.

If you've decided that managing a portfolio of your own stocks is too time consuming, then mutual funds are the perfect opportunity to invest with less hands on responsibility. However there are points to consider when deciding which fund you'll buy.

Dell (Nasdaq: Dell) announced Friday it will begin taking orders this weekend for computers pre-loaded with Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system.

Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) took an early lead against rival Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) in the 64-bit mobile computer market last year, however new data released today shows that Intel grabbed the in December, becoming the top 64-bit CPU provider in only four months.

Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) slashed the shipments forecast of its Xbox 360 video game console yesterday, in a move some analysts believe will pave way for a future price cut and even an updated version of the game system.

'Google' was the brand with the greatest impact around the world in 2006 for the second consecutive year, according to the results of a new survey.

News Corp. studio Twentieth Century Fox has subpoenaed Google Inc.'s (NASDAQ: GOOG) video site YouTube to request that it hand over data identifying a user who has uploaded episodes of the television shows '24' and 'The Simpsons,' according to the Wall Street Journal.

While the newly announced iPhone from Apple contains a variety of “very high end” features, and is “clever and capable,” it cannot be defined as a smartphone, one research firm says.

Demand for Sony's next-generation Playstation 3 game-console may be slowing as a recent retail check shows that systems are staying on more shelves for longer periods.

Technology company Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) is adding new services to help businesses increase the efficiency of their current servers by allowing customers to virtualize their entire infrastructure.

Ken Kutaragi, known as the father of the Playstation video-game console, will take helm of a new venture between Sony and Namco Bandai as the firm's partner to battle rival game makers.

Yahoo said late on Tuesday its new system for selling Web ads, dubbed Panama, would be fully introduced in the United States as of February 5, about a month earlier than expected by Wall Street analysts.

Intel-based laptops released by the end of the month will include wireless technology that will allow speeds up to five times faster than current popular technologies allow.

Shares of semiconductor company Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NYSE: AMD) fell more than 4 percent on Tuesday after the company said its margins shrunk in the fourth quarter as a result of its brutal pricing war with rival Intel Corp., (Nasdaq: INTC). With both firms increasing capacity and becoming more aggressive, some analysts believe prices on CPU's will continue to decline.

Investors seeking to sort out the mutual funds landscape will eventually come across the debate over funds managed actively by professional managers and those funds which passively mirror market indexes.