The Amber Alert system used by police to let the public know when a child is missing is being expanded to cell phones.
The wireless industry said Tuesday that subscribers can receive text messages on their phones when an alert is issued. The service is available in every state and is free to subscribers of most major cellular carriers.
About 200 to 250 Amber Alerts are issued each year. The internet, radio and television stations broadcast the information, which also is flashed on highway signs on major roadways in the area where the child is believed missing.
Cell phone users who want such information so they can aid in searches can designate up to five zip codes and would receive alerts if a child is reported missing in any of them. Subscribers would also be notified of alerts issued for their state or metropolitan area.
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Fun 'n' games: Microsoft said Monday that its new Xbox 360 will run video games developed for the earlier generation of its gaming machine, an enticement for owners of older Xbox versions to purchase new hardware.
Microsoft (MSFT) also said it had reached a deal to feature Japanese publisher Square Enix's Final Fantasy games, which up to now have been a cornerstone of rival Sony's PlayStation 2 franchise.
Microsoft, which unveiled the Xbox 360 last week, will have between 25 and 40 game titles for the machine by the end of this year, with more than 160 games under development.
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Size matters: Sony has demonstrated a high-definition camcorder that is small and light enough to allow consumers to shoot high resolution video comfortably with one hand.
Sony hopes it will help expand the market for high-definition video cameras, which take sharper pictures than standard camcorders but until now have been mainly used by professionals because of their lofty price.
The new camera rests easily in the palm of the hand and weighs 680 grams without battery. It is less than half the size and one-third the weight of a previous model that Sony introduced last year as the world's first HD video camera for consumer use.
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Taking it to the top: Unable to resolve the impasse that pits Sony against Toshiba in determining a unified format for the next-generation DVD technology, the presidents of the two companies will meet in an effort to break the stalemate, it was announced Tuesday.
No specific date for the meeting was given.
Sony and Toshiba have waged a three-year battle at the head of rival camps hoping to have their new technology standards adopted by the industry.
Recently, the companies have tried to find a solution that would be acceptable to both but neither company has been willing to stray very far from their own preferred technology. The stakes are high: The winner will have pole position in the multi-billion-dollar markets for DVD players, PC drives and optical discs.
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AP and Reuters contributed to this report.
