NewsFactor - The market for smartphones is heating up and forcing competitors to make smart choices. With lots of players, including Apple going global with its iPhone 3G and HTC's Google Android-based phone, companies like Nokia-owned Symbian are paying attention.

NewsFactor - Sony, Pioneer and other manufacturers are expected to announce new Blu-ray DVD players for the U.S. market over the next few weeks. Sony, announcing new players and recorders in Japan this week, is expected to make a $2,000 Blu-ray player available for the upcoming holiday season in the U.S. Pioneer is expected to ship a similar model as well -- but many believe the price tags will doom their sales.

CNET - Add another possibility to the list of possible announcements at Apple's iPod event next week: a new version of iTunes.

Reuters - Microsoft Corp said on Wednesday it plans to cut the U.S. prices of its Xbox 360 video game machine, lowering the price of its entry-level console to $50 below Nintendo Co Ltd's (7974.OS) top-selling Wii.

Reuters - Asia will continue to deliver strong growth in the mobile phone market due to sustained demand from China and India, the world's two biggest markets of such services, industry officials said.

Reuters - Nokia (NOK1V.HE), the world's top mobile phone maker, said on Wednesday it had started shipping its new flagship phone, the N96.

Reuters - Qualcomm Inc is seeing some signs that customers are slower to upgrade their mobile phones than before, Chief Executive Paul Jacobs said on Wednesday in an interview with cable television network CNBC.

AP - Being a trendsetter can be pricey. As any fashionista or gadget hound knows, the latest frocks and tech toys don't pay for themselves. But a new Web site is trying to make it profitable for music lovers to stay ahead of the curve — by paying them when other people purchase MP3s they've bought.

Reuters - TiVo Inc is developing a new digital video recorder for satellite TV provider DirecTV , rekindling a strained relationship and potentially opening the door to boosting the number of its subscribers.