Amazon plans to unveil an electronic-book reader next week, a device the Web retailer hopes will stimulate sales of digital books.

  The Nasdaq dropped 1%, its sixth losing session out of the last seven. Tech bellwethers continued to tug the index lower, while Applied Materials shares gained despite lackluster guidance.

  Divisions are emerging in an important bloc of support for striking television and movie writers.

  BEA said its net rose 59% on an 11% rise in revenue. The software maker also announced a restatement of past earnings.

  Vonage must pay a higher amount to settle its patent dispute with Verizon after a federal court denied the Internet phone provider's appeal.

  Garmin and TomTom settled patent disputes that had spread to courts in the U.S. and Europe, as the rival GPS makers continue to battle for control of Tele Atlas.

  Tyco Electronics said its fiscal fourth-quarter net income dropped 30%, as restructuring charges offset growth.

  Activists are using Google Earth to illustrate the environmental damage done by mining the coal needed to supply their electricity providers.

  Upstart entertainment Web sites hope to benefit from the TV writers' strike by luring viewers -- and, possibly, out-of-work scribes -- to their webisodes.

  Niche software companies are finding an opening helping mobile-phone customers help themselves.

  AMD will introduce a new line of graphics chips that are designed to be used in personal computers with up to four accelerator cards.