Jessica Mintz

SEATTLE — Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) is accusing Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) of cheating as the two duel for Internet search supremacy, but Microsoft denies the charge, saying it’s just using all available weapons to lessen its rival’s dominance. The dust-up between the two companies that process virtually all of North America’s search requests grabbed the spotlight Tuesday at an event sponsored by Microsoft about the future of Internet searches. Microsoft’s practices have even wider implications now that its “Bing” technology powers Yahoo Inc. searches in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australia, and Brazil as part of a 10-year partnership that...

Steve Jobs, the CEO who transformed Apple Inc. from niche computer maker into the most-envied consumer-electronics brand today, is taking a medical leave of absence for the second time in two years. In the last decade, Jobs, 55, has survived a rare but curable form of pancreatic cancer and undergone a liver transplant. The news that he will again step back from his day-to-day role raises serious questions about the CEO’s health. But analysts believe the company Jobs shepherded from garage startup to a $65 billion technology trendsetter is in good hands with the current slate of talented executives...

LAS VEGAS – One year ago, Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) CEO Steve Ballmer took the stage at the tech industry’s premier gadget show to showcase a Windows tablet computer to an audience that had yet to meet the iPad. This year, with tablets marking the hottest items at the show and Windows lagging far behind Apple Inc.’s popular iPad, the stakes were higher. Microsoft’s status as a technology oracle, which guaranteed its spot delivering the trade show’s night-before keynote each year, is slipping. On Wednesday evening, Ballmer spent more time talking about such existing products the Xbox video game...

Interval Licensing LLC, a company owned by billionaire Microsoft Corp. co-founder Paul Allen, has filed an amended lawsuit against Facebook, Google Inc. and nine other companies, claiming they infringed on patented Web technology. Interval Licensing, based in Seattle, owns the rights to information systems, computer science and communications technology developed in Silicon Valley by Interval Research, which Allen co-founded in the 1990s. Interval Research no longer exists. The filing is a revision of the lawsuit Interval Licensing filed in August against Facebook, Google, Google’s video site YouTube, AOL Inc., Apple Inc., Yahoo Inc., Netflix Inc., eBay Inc., Office Depot,...

Michael Dell is in a very good mood. Companies are buying new computers, servers and other technology again. An improving economy helped push Dell Inc. to a record third quarter. The company’s leadership team shook off a recent setback – losing data-storage maker 3Par to Hewlett-Packard Co. – and are relentlessly optimistic about the company’s transformation from purveyor of commodity computers to provider of more profitable data center technology and consulting. And in his pocket is a slick-looking phone prototype even Steve Jobs might admire. But Dell Inc. faces some daunting challenges. As it enters new categories, such as...

Competition among smart-phone makers is heating up at retail, in advertising and, increasingly, in the courtroom as handset and software makers wield patent lawsuits to protect their turf and slow down their rivals. Just a few years ago, smart phones were mainly for office workers who needed to check e-mail after hours. For most people, the Web browsers and other programs were too much trouble and the data connections too slow. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) changed all that with the introduction of the iPhone in 2007. Its touch-sensitive screen and big icons made it easy to use. Its programs were designed...

Internet calling and messaging service Skype SA mostly recovered Thursday from an outage caused by an undisclosed glitch, but problems lingered for its worldwide user base. The service went down for almost all of its users starting at midday Eastern time on Wednesday. By Thursday afternoon, things had improved to the point where about 21 million users were logged in, said CEO Tony Bates. That was 10 percent less than the usual traffic for the time of day, as some people still could not log in. Voice calling, video-chatting and text-based instant messaging are working for most users, Bates...

Personal computer maker Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL) said Thursday that its net income for the latest quarter more than doubled as companies spent more to replace aging technology, but the computer-maker cautioned against expecting the same for the last quarter of the fiscal year. Dell’s earnings topped Wall Street’s expectations, and investors drove its shares up almost 5 percent after the results were announced. Businesses of all sizes, plus government agencies and other public-sector customers, spent more with Dell in the quarter. Large-enterprise revenue jumped 27 percent to $4.3 billion from a year ago, and small-and-medium-business revenue rose 24 percent...

The president of the group responsible for Dell’s first forays into smart phones and consumer tablet PCs is leaving the company. Ronald Garriques decided to leave after a reorganization that folded marketing responsibilities for phones and tablets into its primary business groups — large enterprises, public, small and medium business, and consumer, Dell said Wednesday. The reorganization eliminated Garriques’ communications solutions group. Dell recruited Garriques in February 2007 after he oversaw tremendous growth in Motorola Inc.’s cell phone unit. His tenure coincided with a tough time for the global economy and for Dell, as the company began a long...