Microsoft is absorbing a $6.2 billion charge to reflect that one of the biggest deals in its 37-year history turned out to be a dud.

The non-cash charge announced Monday could saddle Microsoft Corp. with a loss for its fiscal fourth quarter ended in June. Analysts polled by FactSet had predicted Microsoft would earn about $5.3 billion for the period. The company hasn't suffered a quarterly loss during the past 20 years, according to its website.

Google on Monday urged governments to get better at sharing information to allow citizens and first responders to make better use of the Internet during natural disasters.

At a conference in quake-prone Japan, Rachel Whetstone, the firm's senior vice president of public policy and communications, said some countries hesitate over disclosing data.

U.S. technology giant Apple has paid a Chinese firm $60 million to settle a long-running dispute over the iPad trademark in China, a court said Monday.

The government body overseeing trademarks has been asked to immediately recognize Apple's rights to the iPad name, the High Court of the southern province of Guangdong said on its website.

Chinese appliance and electronics giant Haier is aiming to expand into Europe with higher-end products, helping to upgrade China's reputation for churning out mostly cheap, low-quality goods.

However, experts say that even if Haier succeeds the country still has much to do before it emulates the transformation by neighbors Japan and South Korea over recent decades so that their top brands are now synonymous with class.

Can a tailored suit help clinch that tricky deal at work? Get the girl? Or simply put a spring in your step? Absolutely, if you believe a year-old Paris firm that is using a 3D body scanner to bring made-to-measure to the masses.

"There is a whole psychological side to men's suits," said Francois Chambaud, co-founder of Paris store Les Nouveaux Ateliers. "Say you arrive at a meeting -- or your wedding -- in an ill-fitting suit, you just won't feel right."

A scruffy, young Steve Jobs worked at Atari before he founded Apple. "Pong," one of the world's first video games, was born there, as was "Centipede," a classic from the era of quarter-guzzling arcade machines. "Call of Duty" creator Activision was started by four of Atari's former game developers.

The iconic video game company turns 40 years old this week, much slimmer these days as it tries to stay relevant in the age of "Angry Birds" and "Words With Friends."

BlackBerry maker Research in Motion is now in a struggle for survival after its latest quarterly report underscoring its deteriorating position against other smartphone makers, analysts say.

The firm, which is headquartered in the ironically named city of Waterloo, Ontario, appears on shaky ground.

A judge on Friday granted Apple's request for an injunction blocking U.S. sales of Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphones made in collaboration with Google to challenge the iPhone.

The ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh was the second victory for California-based Apple this week in a fierce and complex patent war with the South Korean consumer electronics giant.

Celebrity scandals fueled by leaked text messages or emailed images inspired a new application to give users of Apple gadgets uncrackable communications that can be made to self-destruct.

The Wickr app has been downloaded thousands of times since the software crafted for iPhones, iPads, and iPod touch devices hit the virtual shelves of Apple's online App Store on Wednesday.

Attorney Bob Burns already gets a lot of information from his smartphone, but he welcomes the prospect of getting a little more — free warnings about life-threatening weather from a sophisticated new government system.

Beginning Thursday, the new Wireless Emergency Alerts system gives the National Weather Service a new way to warn Americans about menacing weather, even if they are nowhere near a television, radio or storm sirens. It sends blanket warnings to mobile devices in the path of a dangerous storm.