Sponsored by Ibm

Internet search engine giant Google has poured out $9.7 million on lobbying U.S. lawmakers and regulators in 2011, according to Google's latest bill in U.S. Senate Office of Public Records.

Shares of BlackBerry developer Research in Motion dropped another 7 percent in Monday trading despite replacing its co-founding CEOs, bringing in a new chairman and promising change.

Takeover talk swirled around Research In Motion on Monday as investors and analysts pondered whether new Chief Executive Thorsten Heins had been appointed to lead a turnaround of the struggling smartphone maker or prepare it for sale.

Uncertainty over the outcome of talks to restructure privately held Greek debt limited gains in European shares and the euro on Monday ahead of a finance ministers meeting to decide the terms of further aid for Greece.

After global protests on Wednesday which saw darkened Websites like Wikipedia and BoingBoing and a “virtual” strike by Google, on Friday SOPA, a creature of the U.S. House of Representatives, and PIPA, in the Senate, were essentially smothered.

While IBM's rivals have suffered through earnings misses, massive executive upheaval or seismic strategic shifts, Big Blue has been the technology world's most consistently performing company since narrowly avoiding bankruptcy 19 years ago.

U.S. stocks posted their best week since Christmas, even with a mixed finish on Friday after comparatively strong earnings reports from tech bellwethers IBM and Intel Corp. contrasted with a relatively weak report from Google Inc.

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq eased on Friday after Google disappointed on earnings, while the Dow rose with IBM .

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq dipped on Friday after a pair of bellwether corporate earnings fell short of lofty expectations, though a trio of strong results from Dow components kept the blue-chip average in positive territory.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq dipped on Friday after a pair of bellwether companies' earnings fell short of lofty expectations, though a trio of strong results from Dow components kept the blue-chip average in positive territory.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq edged lower on Friday after GE and Google results fell short of expectations, while investors awaited a resolution in the latest round of Greek debt talks.

A strong outlook from IBM and decent results from Intel Corp and Microsoft Corp suggest that corporate decision makers are shaking off nervousness about economic growth and boosting spending on technology.

Bellwether technology companies that are tops in their sector – IBM, Intel, Microsoft and Google – have now reported their final 2011 results. What are some of the key takeaways?

Stock index futures dipped on Friday, indicating the S&P 500 may snap a three-day win streak after Google results fell short of expectations and as investors eyed Greek debt talks for signs of progress.

Stock index futures pointed to a slightly lower open for equities on Wall Street on Friday, with futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 100 down 0.02 to 0.2 percent.

The top aftermarket NYSE gainers Thursday were: CoreLogic, Marathon Petroleum, Cloud Peak Energy, HDFC Bank, Alcatel Lucent, InterXion Holding, International Business Machines and Sealed Air Corp.

JAN 19 - IBM Corp, the world's largest technology services company, aims to grow earnings by at least 10 percent this year after it beat fourth quarter profit estimates, underderscoring signs of confidence in global tech spending.

Stocks rose for the third straight day on Thursday, sparked by results from Bank of America and Morgan Stanley and as the latest jobless claims dropped to a near four-year low.

JAN 19 - IBM Corp, the world's largest technology services company, aims to grow earnings by 10 percent this year after it beat fourth quarter profit estimates, underderscoring signs of confidence in global tech spending.

Shares of Google, the No. 1 search engine swooned nearly 8 percent after the company reported a fourth-quarter revenue miss while earning less than expected.

IBM Corp, the world's largest technology services company, reported an 11 percent increase in fourth quarter profit, beating estimates and underscoring signs of confidence that economic worries had crimped tech spending.

IBM, the world’s No. 2 computer company, reported fourth-quarter results that met expectations, higher-than-expected revenue and delivered a bullish forecast for 2012.

JAN 19 - IBM Corp, the world's largest technology services company, reported an 11 percent increase in fourth quarter profit, beating estimates and underscoring signs of confidence that economic worries had crimped tech spending.

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) formally introduced a copyright bill backed by the Internet industry to rival the controversial Stop Online Privacy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA).

Long-suffering investors may wonder what to do with their Eastman Kodak shares now that the company has filed for bankruptcy in New York City.

Four key technology giants are to report earnings Thursday. Intel, IBM, Google and Microsoft results may provide keys to 2012 progress, while Apple comes next week.

The companies expected to see active trade on Thursday are: Microsoft, International Business Machines, Google, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, Intel Corp, eBay, American Express, Intutive Surgical, Southwest Airlines, UnitedHealth Group and Xilinx.

He has helped the military predict where bombs will go off and worked with law enforcement to fight crime, but now Quantum Leap Innovations CEO Joseph Budner Elad wants to use his technology to help consumers

Digerati spearheaded by online sites including Wikipedia, Google and Reddit launched global opposition to two bills in the U.S. Congress they believe would threaten Internet commerce and creativity.