AP - With the cost of everything from air conditioning to whipped cream rising, many restaurants have been raising prices. LongHorn Steakhouse is passing on part of the tab to its servers.

AFP - British mobile phone giant Vodafone said Wednesday it would repurchase shares worth 1.0 billion pounds (1.3 billion euros, 2.0 billion dollars) and stressed that it was undervalued.

AFP - London-based Internet television service provider Joost said it launched a Chinese service Wednesday with local portal TOM Online to tap the world's largest online market.

AP - With Microsoft's $47.5 billion takeover bid off the table and his company's stock price down 20 percent during his 13-month reign as Yahoo's CEO, Jerry Yang has a message for his exasperated shareholders: Things aren't as bleak as they look.

AP - TextBuyIt, a recently launched shop-by-cell phone service from Amazon.com Inc., seemed like the ultimate comparison shopping tool — perfect for an unabashed bargain hunter like myself.