Sony is seeing little or no sign of softer demand among U.S. consumers for its range of digital TVs, cameras and computer goods despite a weakening economy, a top regional executive said on Tuesday.

From mainframes to minicomputers and then PCs, each new computing generation has displaced its predecessor by reaching a broader audience and costing far less. And each time, the dominant company in one generation loses control in the next.

Digital music seller Rhapsody is launching a $50 million marketing assault on Apple's iTunes, offering songs online and via partners including Yahoo and Verizon Wireless, Rhapsody said on Monday.

Texas Instruments on Monday narrowed a quarterly earnings and revenue target range it issued in April because of caution among its chip customers and weak demand for high-end phones.

Apple is considering harnessing the sun to power its iPod music players. California's Ironwood prison is installing more than 6,000 solar panels, and Boston's Fenway Park is tapping solar power for Red Sox baseball games.

Applied Materials has approached beleaguered Dutch semiconductor equipment maker ASM International to buy a significant part of its business for $400 million to $500 million.

South Korean regulators said on Thursday Intel had abused its dominant position in the local market and ordered the world's top semiconductor maker to pay a fine of about $26 million.

Dell reported a profit and sales that outstripped analysts' forecasts, vaulting its shares higher in after-hours trading.

Speculation is rampant on how Apple CEO Steve Jobs will top last year's hugely successful iPhone, The New York Times reports.

The browser, that porthole onto the broad horizon of the Web, is about to get some fancy new window dressing.

Hewlett-Packard posted a higher quarterly operating margin after cost cuts, and said strong growth abroad offset some weakness in the United States, but the shares were lower Wednesday as results couldn't shake off concerns about the company's integration with acquisition target Electronic Data Systems.

Hewlett-Packard reported a profit that exceeded analysts' expectations but matched the earnings guidance the company gave last week.

Sony reported a surprise quarterly operating loss on Wednesday, hit by losses in its videogame division and a fall in the value of its securities holdings, but it forecast a gain in profit this year.

Hewlett-Packard has struck a deal to buy Electronic Data Systems for $12.6 billion, seeking to boost its technology services business to better compete against market leader IBM.