Airwave Concerns Prompt Proposal To Ban Some Wireless Microphones. The Federal Communications Commission is proposing a ban on certain types of wireless microphones and has begun an investigation into how the industry markets its products.

Business Gets Personal Online. TechPost, which looks at people and ideas driving the local technology industry, runs Friday on the WashBiz Blog, at.

Data Breaches Have Surpassed Level for All of '07, Report Finds. More data breaches have been reported so far this year than in all of 2007, according to a report released yesterday by a nonprofit group that works to prevent fraud.

XM-Sirius Vote Hangs on New Conditions. A long-delayed merger between the nation's two satellite radio providers may be facing another hurdle after a key regulator yesterday told the companies they would need to make stronger concessions on pricing and minority programming to gain his support.

Move to Digital TV Faces Language Barrier. The television set in Marisa Orozco's Falls Church living room is almost always tuned to Spanish-language stations. For her parents, who don't speak English, the telenovelas -- soap operas -- and newscasts are a strong connection to their former lives in Colombia. The shows, received through the..

XM Radio Predicts Quarterly Loss Even as Its Customer Base Grows. XM Satellite Radio Holdings said yesterday that it expects losses of as much as $38 million in the second quarter and would have to refinance debt as it waits for final regulatory approval of its merger with Sirius Satellite Radio.

FCC Close To Backing XM-Sirius Merger. A merger of the nation's two satellite radio operators moved closer to conclusion yesterday with the deciding vote said to be leaning toward the deal, according to sources with knowledge of the negotiations.

Polaroid PoGo Portable Photo Printer. The camera world may have gone digital, but the name Polaroid remains synonymous with instant photo prints. So it's not surprising that Polaroid has introduced the $150 PoGo portable printer.

Dell Latitude's E-Family Values. UPDATED: 8/12/08 -- 11:26 a.m. PDT Today Dell unveils its new take on the business notebook with its "E" family of laptops. Trying to merge consumer sex appeal with business-savvy notebook features is no easy task--but that isn't stopping Dell from making the attempt. Is the new line merely business..

Casual Friday: Spy Games, Spy Gear. In PC World' s ongoing efforts to celebrate sloth, we're taking a high-tech detour this week. I mean, yes, we'll find cool ways to kill time and slay spies--but how about, as well, some top secret tech that will show you how not to get caught while doing it?.

Wii Controllers Get Tangled In Patent Fight. A small local technology company, citing patent infringement, yesterday asked a U.S. trade panel to stop Japan-based video game giant Nintendo from importing its Wii system into the United States and filed a suit in federal court for unspecified damages.

Creative Zen X-Fi MP3 Player. The Creative Zen X-Fi is beyond question a better all-around digital music player than any of Apple's current iPods. The X-Fi has better sound, superb headphones, an amazing feature set, expandable storage

Five Insane Upgrades That You Should Never Do. Just because you can do something, that doesn't mean you should. That old truism goes double for computers. But some PC geeks are so fanatical about performance, so doggedly determined to push their hardware to extremes, that they'll go to ridiculous lengths to wring a few more clock cycles out of..

Eight Crazy E-Mail Hoaxes Millions Have Fallen For. Congratulations, you won the lottery in a country whose name you can't even pronounce! A wealthy oil executive in a far-off land wants to give you millions of dollars, right now! Sexy girls want to meet you!.

Reduce a Gadget's Power Drain. THERE'S MORE TO the cost of running a tech-infused household than the sum of a wireless subscription and triple-play cable package.

Court: Insurer not liable for Katrina lumber loss. A federal appeals court says an insurer was not responsible for an Alabama-based company's loss of tons of lumber in Hurricane Katrina.

Freddie Mac courts investors, Buffett passes. Freddie Mac talked to investors this week about possibly buying its stock to raise much-needed capital but billionaire investor Warren Buffett said he passed on an opportunity to help the troubled mortgage giant.The likelihood Freddie will find willing investors took another hit after Moody's Investors Service lowered the company's preferred stock ratings and those of its sister company Fannie Mae to near junk status.Shares of the government-sponsored enterprises tumbled in midday trading.

CEMEX Will Submit a Complaint Seeking International Arbitration. MONTERREY, Mexico - CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V. announced today that it will submit a complaint seeking international arbitration before the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes following the..

Buffett says economy's troubles will continue. During a live appearance on CNBC, Buffett said ripples of the credit crunch are continuing to cause problems in financial businesses and the economy.

Billionaires sound cinematic warning. Two billionaires used the screening of a documentary in theatres across the United States yesterday to urge the country to come to grips with its staggering debt load.