Yahoo Plays It Safe, for Now
By STEVEN M. DAVIDOFF
The Yahoo deal has been rather boring thus far. No surprises; everything playing out almost by rote according to textbook hostile M&A form. Will it remain this way? (NYT)+++

After DVD Battle Won, Now Comes War
By SAUL HANSELL
With the competing disc format gone, Sony still has to convince people to pay $350 or more for a Blu-ray player and $25 and up for discs. (NYT)+++

3Com and Bain Scrap Deal
By DEALBOOK 10:36 AM ET
3Com said it has withdrawn a $2.2 billion offer for the network equipment maker from consideration by a security regulator, marking the potential demise of yet another private equity deal. (NYT)+++

Court Rejects State Law on Internet Tobacco Sales
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 1:02 PM ET
In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court said Maine cannot impose a regulatory scheme on transportation companies delivering tobacco products directly to consumers. (NYT)+++

Microsoft Opens Game Development
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 8:00 PM ET
Microsoft says it will make Xbox 360 video games developed by players available for download through the console’s online service. (NYT)+++

Wikileaks Site Has a Friend in Sweden
By DAVID F. GALLAGHER
A site that was the target of a legal takedown maneuver was less vulnerable to more standard approaches. It signed up with what is perhaps the world’s least lawyer-friendly Web hosting company. (NYT)+++

Wiretap Case Split Into Two Trials
By DAVID M. HALBFINGER
A lawyer accused of paying the private detective Anthony Pellicano to tap telephone calls on behalf of financier Kirk Kerkorian will have his trial separated from Mr. Pellicano’s. (NYT)+++

GOOGLE AND NONPROFIT CLEVELAND CLINIC formed a partnership aimed at giving patients more control over their medical records online. (WSJ)+++T-Mobile is rolling out in two U.S. markets an Internet calling plan designed to replace home phone service. (NYT)+++

Arizona Public Service and Spanish developer Abengoa Solar plan to build one of the world’s largest solar-electric generating plants. (NYT)+++

U.S. airlines are gearing up to offer in-flight wireless services to their passengers, trying out various solutions for live communication and entertainment. (NYT)+++

Larry Lessig, a Stanford professor who studies the intersection of law and the Internet, has announced he is considering a run at an open congressional seat in the San Francisco Bay Area. (NYT)+++

3Com withdrew a filing for its proposed $2.2 billion buyout amid U.S. concerns over Huawei’s ties to the Chinese government. (NYT)+++

Microsoft said it will make Xbox 360 videogames developed by players available for download through the console’s online service. (NYT)+++

Toshiba and Sony said they have agreed formally on a chip-making venture that will start operations next fiscal year. (NYT)+++PCs Making A Comeback?
Although the PC has been viewed disdainfully in the gaming world, that may be changing. At the Game Developers Conference in S.F., there is a push for PC game development. (SFC)+++

Bill Gates: The Future Is Software
Software affects almost everything we do, said Bill Gates in a speech to students at Stanford on Tuesday, but it needs to be (SFC)+++

MSFT OKs Game Creation
Members of its video game community can create, distribute own Xbox 360 material as downloads on Xbox site. (SFC)+++

HP’s Robust 1Q Boosts Tech
With a stellar start to new fiscal year, investors have something else to get excited about besides Microsoft bid. (SFC)+++

Beware Of Health Data Sites
World Privacy Forum tells of potential security issues of popular services that consolidate personal records. (SFC)+++

Sellers Boycotting Ebay
Angry vendors want buyers to shun online auction house for changing the fees it charges sellers. (SFC)+++Blu-ray winner by KO in high-definition war
By Dawn C. Chmielewski and Bruce Wallace
With studio support, Sony format reigns supreme as Toshiba throws in the towel. (LAT)+++

Health goods sold on Web raise concern
By Leslie Earnest
The National Retail Federation warns that many such products might be stolen and could be dangerous. (LAT)+++

HP earnings increase 38%
By Michelle Quinn
Double-digit revenue growth in international markets offsets slower sales growth in the United States. (LAT)+++

Satellite takedown will be super high-tech
The U.S. Navy is going to launch a $10-million missile from the USS Lake Erie somewhere west of Hawaii, possibly as early as tonight, aimed (DFP)+++

Microsoft signals it’s ready to fight to take over Yahoo
Yahoo faces an attempt by Microsoft to unseat its board of directors if it does not start negotiations leading to a sale. (SJM)+++

Global sales boost Hewlett-Packard’s 1Q earnings
Hewlett-Packard delivered a fiscal first-quarter profit above analyst expectations and brightened its outlook for the rest of the year, providing a ray of high-tech hope amid the gathering economic gloom. (SJM)+++

Game industry looks ahead

roundup GDC ’08 gets under way in San Francisco with talk of casual games, Nintendo’s WiiWare, and Emotiv’s mind-control headset. (CNET)+++

Which XNA game do you want for Zune?

CNET Senior Editor Donald Bell combs through today’s XNA game announcements from GDC, to find the best game for Microsoft’s Zune. (CNET)+++

BlackBerry service bends, doesn’t break

Some BlackBerry users have a frustrating morning waiting for their e-mail–though it’s not nearly as bad as last week’s total system outage. (CNET)+++

iSuppli: Apple cutting 2008 flash memory orders

Apple still plans to snap up a lot of flash memory this year, but if consumers are really thinking about keeping a tighter lid on their wallets, it might have to dial back on memory for iPods. (CNET)+++

‘Wii Fit,’ WiiWare due in U.S. in mid-May
Nintendo announces launch dates for its balance-board-based exercise game and an independent development and digital distribution channel. (CNET)+++

Bargains spur strong digital camera shipments
Shipments of digital cameras grow 31 percent from a year ago as shoppers take advantage of holiday deals. (CNET)+++

Sharper Image files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
The company cites declining sales, three straight years of losses, and litigation involving Ionic Breeze air purifiers as rationale for its filing. (CNET)+++

PC Gaming Alliance debuts
Activision, AMD, Dell, Intel, Microsoft, and Nvidia co-found nonprofit dedicated to “advancing the PC as a worldwide gaming platform.” (CNET)+++

GDC ’08: Are casual games the future?
PlayFirst CEO John Welch thinks hard-core gamers will soon be in the minority as the masses embrace pick-up-and-play titles. (CNET)+++Technology can be a blessing for bored workers
The white collar, office-bound workers aren’t the only ones turning to high-tech devices to escape from tedium at work. (CNET)+++

EA sees China among top 3 Asia markets
Over next two years, China likely will join Japan and South Korea as major source of revenue; focus shifts to online games. (CNET)+++

Sony to spend big on advanced panel technology
Company commits $200 million to develop technology for efficient production of midsize and large OLED panels. (CNET)+++

Toshiba says to quit HD DVD
The consumer electronics company plans to exit the business by the end of next month and has “absolutely no plans” to make or sell players that use the rival Blu-ray technology. (CNET)+++

Microsoft pulls Vista SP1 update
The company retracts a prerequisite update for downloading Vista Service Pack 1 after some customers complain of problems. (CNET)+++Cisco’s new networks: Highways, airports, and city streets
Cisco has pitched its products at data centers for years. Now it will deal with city managers, too. (CNET)+++

Cisco CEO takes jab at climate change deniers
Smilin’ John Chambers is one of the most polite speakers you’ll ever meet, but he says you’re way off the boat if you deny global warming. (CNET)+++

Another carbon sequestration idea: Turn it into chalk
Carbon Sciences says it can transform the ubiquitous greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into a harmless solid fairly cheaply. We shall see. (CNET)+++

IBM experimenting with DNA to build chips
Scientists are conducting research to arrange carbon nanotubes into a grid that might function as a data storage device or perform calculations. (CNET)+++

Unlimited plans may spark mobile price war
AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and T-Mobile decide to offer unlimited calling for $99 per month. Eyes are on Sprint Nextel to follow suit. (CNET)+++

YouTube brings weirdness to Spain’s election
Hundreds of Spaniards pose questions via YouTube for the two main candidates in the national parliamentary election set for next month. (CNET)+++

Shutterfly launches ‘photo book’ social network
After acquiring a site personalization start-up, photo-publishing company creates way for members to make virtual photo albums to share with (and get rated by) others. (CNET)+++