Agam Shah

North American shoppers are expected to take advantage of lower prices and scoop up the latest MP3 players, LCD (liquid crystal display) and plasma TVs, digital cameras and notebook computers as retailers enter the holiday season, which lasts until early January

Technology startup U3 LLC on Monday is expected to announce the availability of USB (Universal Serial Bus) drives based on its smart computing platform, which allows applications to run directly off USB drives, independent of other storage devices.

In a massive revamp, Microsoft Corp. is expected to announce on Tuesday its overhauled line of keyboards and mice, and a new line of gaming peripherals. After sporting the same design for 10 years, Microsoft will show off a newly revamped split keyboard that includes improved ergonomic features and other new functionality.

The cancellation of MediaLive International Inc.

VeriSign Inc. has agreed to acquire Jamba AG, a Berlin, Germany-based wireless content and services provider, for US$273 million in cash and stock, VeriSign said Monday.

Network Associates Inc. on Tuesday bolstered its arsenal of offerings to protect against network intrusions and cyberattacks by announcing an agreement to acquire IntruVert Networks Inc., a maker of hardware-based firewalls and intrusion detection systems.

Creating what it hopes will be a formidable force in the worldwide flash memory chip market, Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) announced on Monday that it has agreed to form a new company with Fujitsu Ltd. that will include both companies' entire flash memory operations.

USA Interactive Inc. Wednesday announced it would acquire the outstanding shares of subsidiary Expedia Inc. for US$3.3 billion, giving it full ownership of the online travel booking company. New York-based USA Interactive already owns 54 percent of Expedia's outstanding stock.