MICROSOFT

As four big tech bellwethers ready their earnings reports after the bell on Thursday, the big question is whether their results will further fuel a solid rally in the tech sector.

Microsoft Corp's fiscal second-quarter profit fell very slightly as lagging computer sales to cash-strapped consumers in the United States and Europe hurt its core Windows business.

Microsoft Corp said on Thursday fiscal second-quarter profit fell very slightly, as lower computer sales hurt its core Windows business.

At the Guggenheim Museum in New York on Thursday, Apple revolutionized the education industry with three new apps, including the new iTunes U app, which lets teachers upload course materials, lessons, syllabi and even books to their students via the iPad.

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).

At the Guggenheim Museum in New York Thursday, Apple announced it would update its iBooks platform to include textbook capabilities and also added a new platform called iBooks Author, which lets anyone easily create and publish their own e-books.

Research In Motion may still see software licensing as an important part of its turnaround plan, even though Samsung has denied that it might pay to use the BlackBerry maker's technology or even buy the company.

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.

Japan's Nikkei average hit a five-week closing high on Thursday, soaring past its 75-day moving average as the euro climbed on news that the International Monetary Fund is seeking to bolster its funds to stem the euro zone sovereign debt crisis.

Net income for the fourth quarter more rose more than fourfold to $1.98 billion, with per-share earnings of $1.51, in part due to Microsoft's Skype purchase. Revenue for the fourth quarter was $3.38 billion, up 35 percent from 2010.

Samsung has been rumored to be interested in purchasing Research In Motion, the company that makes BlackBerry smartphones, but Samsung has now denied it has any interest in the Canadian company. Samsung doesn't want to buy them and they won't be doing any software licensing of BlackBerry software either, a Reuters report said Jan. 17.

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.

European regulators will decide around the end of March whether to file a formal complaint against Google for misuse of its market position, potentially bringing the internet company's squabble with competitors to a head much sooner than expected.

Shares of Google, the No. 1 search engine, fell $4.53 to $624.13 in early Wednesday trading after the European Competition Commissioner said he might bring a complaint against it by March 31.

Jerry Yang, who co-founded Yahoo alongside David Filo in 1995, announced his resignation from the board of directors and all other company positions Tuesday, effective immediately.

Yahoo, Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) has announced the resignation of Jerry Yang from its board of directors and all other positions he held at Yahoo. Additionally, Yang also resigned from the boards of Yahoo Japan and Alibaba Group.

Yang's abrupt departure comes two weeks after Yahoo appointed Scott Thompson its new CEO, with a mandate to return the once-leading Internet portal to the heights it enjoyed in the 1990s.

Walmart has dropped the price of the Nokia Lumia 710 from $49.99 down to free with a contract for two years within a week of its arrival in the U.S. market.

Hardware requirements for Windows 8 tablets have been revealed. Will any of the devices entice consumers enough to use Windows 8 rather than the tablet incumbents Google Android and Apple iOS?

Manhattan federal judge Jed Rakoff is certainly not shy about speaking for himself. In November, as you'll surely recall, Rakoff blocked a negotiated $285 million settlement between the Securities and Exchange Commission and Citigroup over mortgage-linked securities. To say Rakoff had harsh words for the parties would be the understatement of the year. He railed against the bank and regulators an...