Jill Smart, an Accenture executive, was skeptical the first time she stepped into her firm’s new videoconferencing room in Chicago for a meeting with a group of colleagues in London. But the videoconferencing technology, known as telepresence, delivered an experience so lifelike, Ms. Smart recalled, that “10 minutes into it, you forget you are not in the room with them,” The New York Times reported.

Shares of top Chinese PC maker Lenovo Group Ltd <0992.HK> fell 5.02 percent after a broker downgrade and a sale of the company's shares by International Business Machines Corp's <IBM.N>.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Shares of top Chinese PC maker Lenovo Group Ltd <0992.HK> fell 5.02 percent after a broker downgrade and a sale of the company's shares by International Business Machines Corp's <IBM.N>.

Citigroup Inc. said Monday that former International Business Machines Corp. executive Lawrence Ricciardi has been elected to its board of directors.

Gibson Guitar Corp. has begun promoting its instruments in the virtual world.

U.S. computer giant IBM <IBM.N> shed more of its stake in top Chinese PC maker Lenovo Group Ltd <0992.HK>, offloading up to $80 million worth of stock at a 3.9 percent to 7 percent discount to its closing price on Monday, according to a document sent to investors.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - U.S. computer giant IBM <IBM.N> shed more of its stake in top Chinese PC maker Lenovo Group Ltd <0992.HK>, offloading up to $80 million worth of stock at a 3.9 percent to 7 percent discount to its closing price on Monday, according to a document sent to investors.

By Kristina Cooke

Shares of IBM Corp. edged higher in early Friday trading, after the technology bellwether's second-quarter earnings proved to be a bright spot in an otherwise dreary economic landscape.

Earnings reports from Google and Microsoft are casting doubts on the assumption that these tech giants are immune to the recent economic downturn.

Google Inc <GOOG.O>, IBM <IBM.N> and Microsoft Corp <MSFT.O> reported quarterly results on Thursday, giving investors a mixed snapshot of the health of the technology sector amid a slowing global economy.

IBM <IBM.N> reported a 22 percent rise in quarterly profit, blowing past Wall Street targets and raising its 2008 forecast, as emerging markets used its services, software and equipment to expand, and larger countries turned to technology to save money.

By Jim Finkle

Among the earnings stories for Thursday, July 17, from AP Financial News:

Among the earnings projection stories for Thursday, July 17, from AP Financial News: