Pushing the "open source" idea deeper into computing, several companies led by IBM are teaming up to develop programs for letting big businesses uniformly manage their increasingly vast warehouses of data.
The companies are forming a group known as Aperi, which will attempt to free up the bottlenecks that can occur when a business has bought tape and disk storage systems from a variety of vendors.
Generally, each storage vendor supplies its own data-management software, sometimes making it hard for companies to seamlessly move the information around and integrate it with their businesses.
Aperi's roster includes such leading hardware and software companies as Cisco, Computer Associates International, Brocade Communications Systems, Network Appliance, McData, Fujitsu and Engenio Information Technologies.
Data storage has a standards-setting organization with wide participation, the Storage Networking Industry Association.
But until now the field has not had a true open-source initiative. For IBM, the project is one of several in which the company has opened up a technology system in hopes outside collaborators will help drive a market forward. Big Blue's open-source efforts stretch from Linux-based computer servers to certain aspects of its Power microprocessors and WebSphere business software.
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Gas up the printer: Canon said it has developed tiny fuel cells that it hopes will start replacing conventional batteries to power some of its digital cameras and printers in three years.
Canon will join a small army of companies, including Toshiba, NEC and Hitachi, that are working on the development and commercialization of fuel-cell batteries for the next-generation of consumer electronics.
The move is in line with Canon's plan to cut procurement costs by bringing more production of key parts in-house. Canon is also developing organic light-emitting diode displays to replace the liquid crystal displays it buys from other firms for use in its cameras and printers.
The Tokyo-based company has developed three prototypes. One is relatively large and would likely be used in a compact printer, another is the right size for a digital camera, and the smallest is about 3 cm by 4 cm (1.2 by 1.6 inches) for tinier mobile devices.
Fuel cells promise longer battery life than existing lithium-ion batteries but there are several hurdles on the road to commercialization. Prototypes are typically much larger and makers must establish an easy way to provide consumers with fuel.
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Just put it on my phone: Japan's credit card companies, headed by JCB, formed an alliance to promote a standard that will allow use of mobile phones in lieu of credit cards regardless of the issuer.
The organization, which also includes mobile operators KDDI and Vodafone's Japan unit, said it is setting up an infrastructure to drive usage for the system, which it calls QUICPay, using Sony's (SNE) smart chip.
Users of most popular credit card issuers would be able to use their phones to pay for items at any store equipped with a QUICPay scanner. The amount of purchase would be charged on their regular credit card bills.
The so-called "wallet phones" are ultimately intended to replace cash, credit cards, identification cards and electronic plane or train tickets.
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Google colony: Google has hired executive Johnny Chou to lead its development in China, an increasingly important and competitive market for technology companies.
Chou, who previously served as UT Starcom's president of China operations, will take the title of president, sales and business development, Greater China in the new job with Google.
The hiring of Chou follows Google's (GOOG) move to bring on board former Microsoft (MSFT) executive Kai-Fu Lee, who will spearhead public affairs for Google in China and oversee the creation of the company's research and development center.
Lee and Chou will jointly oversee Google's overall operations. But the hiring of Lee has also created a legal tangle, with Microsoft accusing Google and its former executive of violating a non-compete agreement. The matter is still working its way through U.S. courts.
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Compiled by Keith Axline. AP and Reuters contributed to this report.
