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LONG BEACH, Calif. - Sea Launch Co. has launched a new satellite for Dish Network Corp. A rocket carrying the EchoStar 11 satellite lifted off at 10:21 p.m . PDT Tuesday from Long Beach, Calif.-based Sea Launch Co.'s rocket platform positioned on the equator in the Pacific Ocean. Sea Launch spokeswoman Paula Korn says in a company Webcast that the spacecraft separated from the booster rocket and a ground station outside of Perth, Australia, acquired its first signal 70 minutes later. "That signals mission success for EchoStar 11," Korn said. The satellite was built by Space Systems/Loral of Palo Alto, Calif., and is designed to last 15 years. It will join Dish Network's fleet serving direct-broadcast satellite TV customers in the U.S.

SAN FRANCISCO - Worried that the ailing U.S. economy has spilled abroad and hurt global PC sales, investors had subdued expectations for Intel Corp. in the second quarter. Intel is the world's largest computer chip maker, and its fortunes rise and fall with swings in PC demand. The Santa Clara-based company responded Tuesday with a 25 percent jump in profit and record sales in the quarter, fueled by strong sales of processors for laptop computers. The results easily beat analysts' expectations and reassured Wall Street that Intel is weathering the dreary domestic economy thanks to its broad international reach, a robust product lineup, and a manufacturing advantage over smaller rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc. that lowers Intel's cost of making chips. Intel Chief Executive Officer Paul Otellini said demand for Intel's chips remains strong "in all segments and all parts of the globe." Three-quarters of Intel's business is outside the U.S. Intel shares rose...

NEW YORK - Apple Inc.'s new iPhone went on sale Friday to eager buyers worldwide, many of whom lined up for hours for the morning launch. At the flagship Apple store on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, a line of hundreds encircled the block ahead of the 8 a.m. opening. Many of them were already owners of the first iPhone, suggesting that Apple is preaching to the choir with the new model, which updates the one launched a year ago by speeding up Internet access and adding a navigation chip. Thanks to subsidies by the carrier, the price has also been cut substantially to $199 for the cheapest model in the United States. Alex Cavallo, 24, was in line at the Fifth Avenue store, just as he had been a year ago for the original iPhone. He sold that one recently on eBay in anticipation of the new one. In the meantime, he has been using another phone, which felt "uncomfortable." "The iPhone is just a superior user experience," he said. The phone also proved a decent invest...

Nokia introduces four new handsets under Supernova series Nokia has unveiled its Supernova series with four new models namely 7210, 7310, 7510 and 7610 targeting the fashion conscious people. The models 7210 and 7310 are candy-bar phones equipped with features like 2 mega-pixel camera, microSD support, FM radio and plus EDGE support. Another clamshell type model, 7510 incorporates a 2.2 inches QVGA display along with 2 mega pixel camera, LED flash, FM radio, A-GPS support and accessible to Nokia Maps 1.2, Widsets, said the company. Featuring a 3.2 mega pixel camera with dual-LED flash, the model 7610 has an additional feature called Theme Colorizer enabling to capture any color and applying it to key illumination and phone wall-paper, claims the company. The models 7210 and 7610 will be available for $189 and $354.3 respectively in the third quarter while the model 7310 and 7510 will cost $244 and $283.5 respectively

China launched a second weather satellite on Tuesday to help improve forecasts for this August's Beijing Olympics, state media reported. The 2,295-kg satellite Fengyun-3 will provide mid-range forecasts over 10 to 15 days, Xinhua news agency reported. Detailed weather predictions are important because climatic conditions can have a major impact on Beijing's attempts to rid the skies of pollution fo r the Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said that some endurance events might have to be shifted if the air quality is not good enough and the earlier they know about that possibility, the easier it is to re-schedule. There are also concerns that rain, which is common in early August in the Chinese capital, might ruin the opening ceremony at the roof-less Bird's Nest National Stadium on August 8. Attempts to counter the threat by weather manipulation are also reliant on accurate forecasts. Beijing authorities have claimed some success in stopping rain ove...

RIM will launch touch-screen BlackBerry in Q3: report BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd (RIM.TO)(RIMM.O) plans to launch a touc h-screen version of the wireless e-mail device in the third quarter as an answer to Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) iPhone, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. The device, known as the Thunder, is to be sold exclusively through Verizon Wireless in the U.S. and Vodafone PLC abroad , the Journal reported on its Web site, citing people familiar with the matter. RIM declined to comment on the report, stating that it does not comment on rumors and speculation. Earlier this week, rumored details of a touch-screen BlackBerry surfaced on the Internet. In February, RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie said the company may bring out a touch-screen device if customers want it. This week, Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM announced its BlackBerry Bold, a sleek smartphone with a keyboard aimed at its core base of business users. In...

Windows to run on One Laptop Per Child computer M icrosoft Corp (MSFT.O) reached an agreement to make available its Windows operating system software for the One Laptop Per Child Foundation's XO Laptop, the company said on Thursday. Microsoft was not part of the project started by Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Nicholas Negroponte to develop an inexpensive laptop computer for elementary school children in developing countries. In recent months, the two sides have engaged in more serious talks and started testing the XO Laptop's Sugar software package on Microsoft's Windows operating system, which runs on more than 90 percent of the world's computers. Microsoft said it plans to start trials of Windows on the l ow-cost laptop in key emerging markets as early as June. Customers will be able to choose to run the computer on either a Windows or a Linux operating system. Sugar was designed only to work with ...