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SciFi HD is among the 22 new HD channels launched by Dish Network.

(Credit: CNET)

Ever since DirecTV launched a slew of national high-definition channels last October and November, it’s been the only place most Americans can get their Cartoon Network, Sci-Fi, and Bravo networks in high-def. On Monday, Dish network caught up somewhat, announcing the activation of a total of 22 new high-def channels, including those three and many other national, high-interest channels–as well as a few lower-interest ones, including World Fishing Network HD. Twenty of the channels are supposed to go live Monday, and the last two, the regional sports networks (RSNs) Comcast Sports Network Bay Area HD and Comcast Sports Network New England HD, will be activated Wednesday, according to the company. Check out the full list of new channels on the official press release.

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Solid-state disks, which use flash memory instead of spinning magnetic platters to store data, may have just won an endorsement from a demanding, high-prestige customer: Google.

According to a Monday report in DigiTimes, Google is using Intel SSD technology combined with Marvell controller chips in servers at the company’s …

TiVo users have been able to rent and buy movies from Amazon.com’s Unbox service for over a year now, but lately the service has felt a little outdated compared with competitors like Vudu and Apple TV, which offer HD downloads. Well, thanks to a comment by TiVo’s …

The loss of life and damage in many cities in and around China’s Sichuan province continues to grow after a 7.8 earthquake hit about 55 miles from the major city of Chengdu at 2:28 p.m. local time on Monday.

I live in Beijing, which is nearly …

Sprint Nextel subscribers continue to jump ship, as the company’s sales decline and losses widen.

The company has been struggling for several quarters as customers have complained of poor service, especially from its Nextel division. Sprint bought Nextel for $35 billion in 2005, and the merger has largely been …

Google's Vidnik lets users take videos, trim them, and upload them to YouTube.

(Credit: Google)

Google has released basic software called Vidnik that lets Mac OS X users record video with a Webcam or built-in camera, trim its length, add tags and a title, then upload it to …

Update at 9:25 a.m. PDT: Information on Chengdu’s High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, the status of Intel’s plant, the figure for the estimated death toll, and the site of the epicenter have been updated.

A massive earthquake struck Western China on Monday, killing more than 8,500 …

After years of heated debate and lobbying, the Patent Reform Act of 2007, which passed in the U.S. House of Representatives and was scheduled for a Senate vote this session, has been taken off the Senate’s calendar. It can be revived, but its momentum has effectively fizzled.

Apparently, the Senate has better things to do with its time.

At this point, I don’t wish to rehash the issues of, or my viewpoint on, the Patent Reform Act. Besides, as I’ve said, both sides in the debate were after only their own self-interests. Such is life in a capitalist society. (I think that’s a good thing.)

What does fascinate me, though, are the strange alliances the debate over patent reform created. The Coalition for Patent Fairness–a group of more than 150 high-tech and financial-services companies that included Adobe Systems, Apple, Cisco Systems, eBay, Google, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft, News Corp., Oracle, SAP, Time Warner, and virtually all the big banks–supported and lobbied heavily for the bill.

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The emergence of online video has begun enticing Silicon Valley entrepreneurs to Hollywood, and unlike an earlier migration during the dot-com era, the film industry is rolling out red carpets.

After spending three days at the Digital Hollywood conference, where I spoke with dozens of entertainment executives as well as

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Any technology firm trying to cut deals in Hollywood should find themselves a good guide, say entertainment industry insiders.

“You need a Sherpa down here,” said a Lynda Keeler, a former chief of Sony Pictures Digital Group. “Finding a good lawyer or agent to help navigate is important.”

Managers at

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