The government has opened an investigation into the Toyota Prius amid reports that the hot-selling hybrid automobiles' engines can stall without warning. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the preliminary investigation will involve about 75,000 cars of the 2004 and 2005 model years.
All of the complaints reported that the engine shut down without warning and about half of the complaints said that when the engine shut off, the vehicle would not restart and had to be towed.
The Prius has been a hugely popular model in the United States, leading to waiting lists for would-be buyers and high resale values.
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Fresh face: Taiwanese producers of computers and peripherals are retooling their factories to launch new, gadget-filled laptops and PDAs to satisfy a growing consumer lust for stylish computing devices.
Traditionally contract producers for other global brands, companies like Asustek Computer and MiTac International are now cranking out new designs to win their own share of the lucrative consumer pie.
Asustek showcased shiny, colorful laptops that can take pictures from a camera fixed on the top of screens. The notebooks are also equipped with tuners allowing users to watch television.
Asustek's strategy reflects a wider trend of Taiwanese tech companies -- contract suppliers to multinationals like Dell and Hewlett-Packard -- beefing up their ability to innovate and create their own brands.
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Armored house: Roborior, from Japanese robot maker Tmsuk and the Sanyo electronics company, works as interior decor. But it's also a virtual guard dog because it has a digital camera, infrared sensors and videophone capability to notify you of intruders while you are away from home.
The $2,600 contraption can connect with the owner's mobile phone to relay streaming video taken on the robot's digital camera.
Set the robot on "house-sitting mode" and it will call you on your cell phone when an intruder is detected by one of its three infrared sensors, designed to monitor all sides.
It works with the third-generation videophone from DoCoMo and connects to your TV so you watch the caller's face on a larger monitor. It hums its own electronic music to signal incoming calls and respond to remote-control commands.
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Soaring high: Shares of Google hit fresh highs after an analyst report raised the company's price target and advised investors that the stock has "further to go."
Google, which debuted in the most highly anticipated initial public offering in recent memory at $85 a share, has set a series of new closing records over the last month, rising 30 percent in the process.
U.S. internet advertising surged 33 percent in 2004 to a record $9.6 billion -- topping dot-com boom levels -- and is forecast to rise some 34 percent in 2005 to $12.7 billion.
Google has been a prime beneficiary of that growth, as evidenced by a recent quarterly profit report that showed surging ad revenue. Shares of its closest publicly traded comparable competitor, Yahoo, also rose in early trading.
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Compiled by David Cohn. AP and Reuters contributed to this report.
