Data storage company EMC Corp. of Hopkinton may sweeten its $1.8 billion offer to buy Data Domain Inc., according to a published report. (Page B5, 414 words)By: Hiawatha Bray|Date: Jun 13, 2009

It’s easy to take thumb drives for granted. These cheap little chunks of flash memory, which plug into a computer’s USB port, are almost as plentiful as popcorn. I’ve got a plastic bag full of them at home, sent out as electronic press releases by various technology companies. (Page B7, 778 words)By: Hiawatha Bray|Date: Jun 18, 2009

They’re superbly engineered marvels of technology, and I couldn’t imagine buying either of them. They’re the two coolest gadgets that have recently come this way: Apple Inc.’s iPhone 3G S and the Kindle DX electronic book, from Amazon.com. Both are upgrades of highly successful products; neither is enough of an improvement to make sensible people grab for their wallets. (Page B7, 809 words)By: Hiawatha Bray|Date: Jun 25, 2009

Changing signals without much static Ruth Savage helped draw blueprints for the navigation system that carried the first men to the moon 40 years ago. But even Savage, now an 89-year-old retiree, couldn't figure out how to deal with this weekend's switch from the original analog system of television broadcasting to a new digital system. (Page B7, 1318 words)By: Hiawatha Bray|Date: Jun 11, 2009

LogMeIn shares jump in first day of trading In its first day as a publicly traded company, LogMeIn Inc.’s shares climbed more than 26 percent from their opening-day price. The Woburn-based maker of software that lets users remotely control their computers sold 6.7 million shares at $16 in an offering backed by JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Barclays Capital. (Page B9, 303 words)By: Hiawatha Bray|Date: Jul 2, 2009

EMC aims to tap the best brains in computer science Even though EMC Corp. makes some of the world’s most advanced data-storage gear, the Hopkinton company is going back to school. (Page B5, 588 words)By: Hiawatha Bray|Date: Jul 6, 2009

EMC Corp. has won the high-stakes bidding war for Data Domain Inc., with a rival data storage company, NetApp Inc., dropping out of the fight - two days after EMC boosted its bid to $2.1 billion. (Page B7, 533 words)By: Hiawatha Bray|Date: Jul 9, 2009

Freedom of an unlocked phone may not be worth it How would you like a free cellphone? It will cost you only $600. Granted, that is a loose definition of the word. “Free’’ usually means keeping our wallets folded. But for some, it means the freedom to use a cellphone with the carrier of their choice. (Page B7, 845 words)By: Hiawatha Bray|Date: Jul 9, 2009

Microsoft offering a Web-based version of Office Microsoft Corp. is moving a limited version of its popular and lucrative Office software suite to the Internet - a direct challenge to archrival Google Inc. and its online office productivity suite, Google Apps. The move could undercut sales of the traditional version of Microsoft Office, one of Microsoft’s most profitable products. (Page B5, 627 words)By: Hiawatha Bray|Date: Jul 14, 2009

EMC Corp.’s hostile takeover bid to buy Data Domain Inc. is getting a 10-day extension. On June 2, EMC made a tender offer to buy shares of California-based Data Domain at $30 each. The tender was set to expire next Tuesday, but EMC yesterday said it would extend the offer to July 10. (Page B5, 224 words)By: Hiawatha Bray|Date: Jun 27, 2009

A senior at Boston College is locked in a legal battle with the school and the state, after authorities confiscated his computer, cellphone, and iPod as part of an investigation into alleged computer fraud. (Page B5, 752 words)By: Erin Ailworth and Hiawatha Bray|Date: Apr 15, 2009

Michele Mandell, executive vice president for retail at Talbots Inc. in Hingham, will step down from her post effective Friday. (Page B8, 123 words)By: Hiawatha Bray|Date: Mar 18, 2009

Teradyne to lay off 65 Mass. workers Stung by continuing weakness in world markets for microchips, Teradyne Inc. of North Reading will lay off 11 percent of its global workforce, including 65 Massachusetts employees, and cut the pay of top executives. (Page B4, 245 words)By: Hiawatha Bray|Date: Apr 18, 2009

Computers can't think, but they can count. That's the idea behind Wolfram Alpha, a new search service that could be as much of a game-changer as Wikipedia or Google. Alpha, created by renowned mathematician, author, and entrepreneur Stephen Wolfram, uses fast computers and vast statistical databases to answer questions just as a human would - a human with advanced degrees ... (Page B5, 913 words)By: Hiawatha Bray|Date: May 5, 2009

Digital media in living room? Netgear can't deliver The worst thing about the new Netgear Digital Entertainer Elite is that it doesn't play videogames. I could have used a little amusement after hours of frustrating fiddling with this $400 set-top box. (Page B7, 746 words)By: Hiawatha Bray|Date: May 21, 2009

Their best bets LAS VEGAS - Last week's Consumer Electronics Show was more pleasant than the 2008 edition, if you like plenty of elbow room. Though a final headcount is weeks away, executives of Massachusetts companies that participated said attendance was down substantially. (Page B4, 778 words)By: Hiawatha Bray|Date: Jan 12, 2009

Now that he's retired, former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling has had to cut back on his playing time. He's too busy trying to build a game company. (Page B5, 621 words)By: Hiawatha Bray|Date: May 9, 2009

The One Laptop Per Child Foundation of Cambridge was established to bring the world's children a $100 laptop, and according to founder Nicholas Negroponte, the organization is still determined to reach that goal. But last year, it quietly raised the price of its proprietary XO laptop from $188 to $204, more than twice what the foundation originally hoped to charge. ... (Page B7, 1098 words)By: Hiawatha Bray|Date: Feb 11, 2009

Recessions come and go, but people still want to have fun. Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo of America, says that's why people keep buying his company's Wii living-room consoles. Wii sales in Japan have recently slumped, but Americans are still buying the game machines. And Nintendo is hoping for big things from its new DSi hand-held game system, with two ... (Page G3, 721 words)By: Hiawatha Bray|Date: May 3, 2009

WGBX to end analog broadcast by midnight Public television station WGBX will shut down its analog transmitter today and convert to all-digital broadcasting, nearly two months before the nation's major TV stations make the change. (Page B7, 309 words)By: Hiawatha Bray|Date: Apr 23, 2009

The next big thing in Internet video is 10 feet away. That’s the typical distance between your living room TV set and a comfy chair. That’s where most of us want to be when watching video, not hunched over at a desk, staring at a computer screen. To bring Internet video out of bedrooms and home offices and onto our ... (Page B7, 867 words)By: Hiawatha Bray|Date: Jul 23, 2009

A remarkable new networking gadget from Novatel Wireless Inc. seems to have gotten everything right except the name. It's called MiFi, a catchy but inaccurate moniker for such an unselfish product. (Page B5, 837 words)By: Hiawatha Bray|Date: May 28, 2009

Maker of 'green' supercomputers closing SiCortex Inc. of Maynard, a maker of energy-efficient supercomputers, has halted operations, according to an executive at the company. The company declined to provide further details, but one analyst said it appears to have run out of cash. (Page B9, 439 words)By: Hiawatha Bray|Date: May 29, 2009

While thousands of television viewers struggled with the changeover to digital TV broadcasting, a major Boston TV station found that it wasn’t ready either. (Page B5, 393 words)By: Hiawatha Bray|Date: Jun 17, 2009

EMC Corp. , of Hopkinton, is buying Configuresoft Inc., a Colorado Springs maker of software that automates the configuration of corporate server computers. (Page B6, 81 words)By: Hiawatha Bray|Date: May 28, 2009