Music, movies and megahits. No matter what kind of game makes your heart race, today at the E3 Media and Business Summit (E3) in Los Angeles the world of Xbox 360 just got bigger, broader and more exciting than ever.

Microsoft Corp. today unveiled a games portfolio for all ages and interests. Included were new titles for music lovers such as “Lips” and the exclusive launch of “Rock Band 2”; family-friendly games from the B-movie maker “You’re in the Movies” to next-generation game shows such as “1 vs. 100”; and even surprise announcements to make the hardest-core gamer weak in the knees, with the reveal of “Final Fantasy XIII,” to be available on Xbox 360 at launch in North America and Europe. Read more

Intel Corporation unveiled its Intel Centrino 2 Processor Technology products for laptops today, powered by five new Intel Core2 Duo processors. Close to 250 innovative consumer and business notebook PC designs are on the way – including those equipped with the right combination of powerful processors, graphics and battery life to enjoy stunning High Definition videos and myriad other computer and Internet activities.

Intel also introduced the world’s highest performing dual-core mobile processor, the Intel® Core™2 Extreme processor running at a brisk 3.06 GHz, as measured by SPECint*_rate_base2006, an industry benchmark (http://www.spec.org)**.

Rounding out a mobile-focused summer for the company, Intel said it also plans to unveil eight new processors within 90 days that will include first-ever mobile quad-core products and second generation products for ultra thin and light notebooks. In total, Intel will bring 14 diverse new processors into the marketplace as laptop sales continue to outpace desktop PCs.

Formerly code-named Montevina, Intel Centrino 2 processor technology and Intel Centrino 2 with vPro Technology improve upon every facet of a laptop’s main features, including performance and battery life via new processors and chipsets, faster draft 802.11n wireless (with WiMAX arriving later this year), and new business-class manageability capabilities.

“When we first introduced Intel Centrino back in 2003, there were very few Wi-Fi hotspots, YouTube videos and social media didn’t really exist, ‘thin and light’ only referred to weight goals and desktop PCs outsold notebooks by a very wide margin,” said R Ravichandran, Director – Sales, Intel South Asia. “Today, notebooks are fast gaining share and we are seeing new and previously unheard off usage model. We are paving the way to HD entertainment, rich online gaming, faster broadband wireless speeds and an easier and more secure way for businesses to manage, update and repair their notebook fleets.”

Intel is introducing five new dual core processors based on Intel’s reinvented transistors (high-k metal gate formula) and advanced 45 nanometer manufacturing process. These processors come with a faster 1066MHz front side bus and up to 6MB of L2 cache, and three versions reduce laptop processor wattage about 30 percent, down to just 25 watts. Also featured is Deep Power Down Technology that turns off processing components such as core clocks and cache memory when the laptop is idle for greater energy savings. Read more

Biocon,an Indian biotechnology enterprise, has been featured amongst the top 25 global biotechnology companies according to a report released by Med Ad News. The report takes into consideration drug based firms, as these companies provide the best numbers to track the progress of the sector. Companies have been ranked by revenue and by income and Biocon Limited is the only Asian company to feature in this ranking at Number 20. The rise of Indian companies continues as HCL, another Indian IT giant announced the takeover of a UK company.

BIO 2008, held in San Diego last month, stated that the global biotechnology industry will be a $100 billion annual business by 2010. The actual revenue has reached $85 billion in 2007. There are close to 5000 biotech companies across the globe. The top 25 biotech companies represent 62 percent of all biotech sales and probably over 90 percent of income.

Reacting to the listing, Ms. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairman and Managing Director, Biocon Limited said, “It is a matter of immense pride for Biocon to be ranked amongst the top global league of Biotech companies. This is a validation of our consistent effort at attaining global leadership and also highlights the true potential of this sector in a country like India. This industry will be a key driver in India’s progress towards economic development.”

Nineteen of the top 25 companies are based in the U.S., while six companies hail from Europe to India to Australia.

Microsoft Voices Concerns about Google-Yahoo Deal’s Implications For Competition, Internet Innovation, Consumer Choice and Privacy
In Congressional testimony, General Counsel Brad Smith outlines how the deal will create less choice, less innovation and higher prices for online advertisers, content creators and consumers

WASHINGTON —— Brad Smith, Microsoft Corp. senior vice president and general counsel, testified on the Google-Yahoo! deal and the future of Internet advertising today before the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Antitrust and the House Judiciary Committee Antitrust Task Force. In his testimony before both committees, Smith questioned the legality of the deal, outlining the damage it could do to competition in online advertising and innovation on the internet.

“If search is the gateway to the Internet, and most believe that it is, this deal will put Google in a position to own that gateway and the information that flows through it,” said Smith. “Never before in the history of advertising has one company been in the position to control prices on up to 90 percent of advertising in a single medium. Not in television, not in radio, not in publishing. It should not happen on the Internet. Read more

Microsoft Corp. today announced that it will expand its global Xbox 360™ warranty coverage. Any Xbox 360 customer who experiences a general hardware failure indicated by three flashing red lights will now be covered by a three year warranty from date of purchase. All other existing Xbox 360 warranty policies remain in place.

As a result of what Microsoft views as an unacceptable number of repairs to Xbox 360 consoles, the company conducted extensive investigations into potential sources of general hardware failures. Having identified a number of factors which can cause general hardware failures indicated by three red flashing lights on the console, Microsoft has made improvements to the console and is enhancing its Xbox 360 warranty policy for existing and new customers.

Microsoft stands behind its products and is taking responsibility to repair or replace any Xbox 360 console that experiences the “three flashing red lights” error message within three years from time of purchase free of charge, including shipping costs. Microsoft will take a $1.05 billion to $1.15 billion pre-tax charge to earnings for the quarter ended June 30, 2007 for anticipated costs under its current and enhanced Xbox 360 policies. Read more

There was an interesting news by Darren Waters on BBC on Nintendo’s strategy. With 28 million Nintendo Wii consoles sold around the world it is no longer possible to declare its success a fad. But can Nintendo sustain its phenomenal momentum? In an interview to BBC Nintendo’s global president Satoru Iwata admits that even he had been surprised by the epidemic-like success of the Wii console. He told BBC News: “It was so fast. We knew the Wii was the right direction for the company. But the question was always how many years it would take to find success.” more…