"Our goal is to be able to mass produce the batteries at a price of single digit cent range each," said Andreas Willert, of the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Electronic Nano Systems ENAS, where Reinhard Baumann led the battery's development.

The battery weighs less than 1 gram and is less than 1 millimeter thick. It runs at 1.5 volts. Placing several in a row can produce up to 6 volts. A standard AAA battery weighs about 11.5 grams and also runs at 1.5 volts. The newly developed battery has a life span more limited than traditional batteries, however.

The battery is composed of different layers: a zinc anode and a manganese cathode, among others. Zinc and manganese react with one another and produce electricity. However, the anode and the cathode layer dissipate gradually during this chemical process. Therefore, the battery is suitable for applications which have a limited life span or a limited power requirement.

So the report he issued Monday bears notice. Mr. Snyder said that his sources in the manufacturing and retail channels indicated that Palm had sold 300,000 phones — considerably higher than some estimates by analysts — and that the company was struggling to keep up with demand. Mr. Snyder estimates that the company now is producing 15,000 units a day and will ship one million phones to Sprint in the first full quarter of production.

• Of adults who do not yet own a smartphone, nearly half (47%) claimed they are too confused by the vast assortment of models and features. Barriers to smartphone ownership include the difficulty with the shopping experience, confusion about models and expense.
• 39% do not own a smartphone because they hate shopping for electronics products, with 45% of women in particular expressing this concern.
• 52% of women and 42% of men are confused about which model smartphone to buy, and more than half (53%) of adults over 50 express this confusion.
• 64% of Americans say they do not own a smartphone because they believe the devices are too expensive. This sentiment is particularly felt in the South.

The gadget would run on Google Inc.'s Android software, these people said. Two people who saw early prototypes described the device as slightly larger than Apple Inc.'s iPod Touch, which is similar to the iPhone but does not have cellphone capabilities.

Another person who was briefed on the company's plans said Dell may begin selling the device later this year, though this person said the plan could be delayed or scrapped entirely.

The development effort is one of the first experiments by a big-name PC maker in a nascent category of products known as mobile Internet devices, or MIDs,which are designed to fill a perceived gap between mobile phones and laptop computers.

A Dell spokesman declined to comment on any plans for the product category.

"It appeared that he was completely setting himself up, furnishing his apartment," explained Minnetonka Police Sgt. David Riegert. "Initially Best Buy reported about 20 to 25 items were taken. They thought somewhere in the neighborhood of about $9,000 in property."

Once Minnetonka Police issued this search warrant, they found about double what they expected. Investigators say Brown would help customers with a purchase at the store, but then used another employee's identification number and a copy of the receipt to return the items.

Authorities say Brown put that money onto a gift card and then spend away on BestBuy.com. It seemingly worked, until a couple customers came back.

MagicJack works by hooking a standard home phone up to an Internet calling service via a $40 USB jack, which sells via stores like Best Buy, RadioShack, and Walgreen's. It lets you place and receive unlimited phone calls over the company's Internet phone network for $20 a year. (First year free.)

The company is selling about 9,000 to 10,000 MagicJacks a day, according to Borislow, and customers are using about 500 million minutes a month. The company will do more than $100 million in sales this year, Borislow says, and is cash-flow positive.

Who's buying MagicJacks? Many older people, so far, especially in retiree or seasonal-living states like California and Florida. (The company's average customer is over age 50.) And about 20% of its customers are overseas -- ex-pats or foreigners who want to make cheap calls with America.

The Japanese electronics and entertainment conglomerate launched its first Walkman three decades ago, dominating the portable music player market, but it has been running far behind the iPod and iPhone in recent years.

Sony plans to set up a project team as early as July to develop a new product that combines functions of its portable game player and Sony Ericsson's mobile phones, the Nikkei said.

Sony Ericsson is a cellphone joint venture between Sony and Sweden's Ericsson.

Brian Dunn, who formally took over as chief executive from retiring Brad Anderson on Wednesday, said following the company's annual meeting that mobile phones are a crucial component of the company's new sales campaign to focus on gadgets that feature "connectivity." He did not say when the company expects to achieve the share goal.

Mr. Dunn, a long-time Best Buy executive who most recently was president of North American retail operations, said customers were responding well to its new Best Buy Mobile displays, which showcase many mobile-phone brands such as Apple Inc.'s iPhone and Palm Inc.'s Pre in one central location.

Under the terms of the arrangement, the Marshalls and TJ Maxx parent will pay a $5.5 million settlement, $2.5 million to establish a data security fund and $1.8 million to cover the states' investigation costs. The attorneys general will decide how to allocate the money in their respective states, but a company spokeswoman said provisions in the agreement called for funds to go towards consumer protection measures. The deal further calls for the off-price operator to certify its computer systems to meet states' requirements and encourage new technologies that fight electronic card fraud.

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Last August, the Justice Department indicted 11 people for their roles in the thefts, which then-U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey called “the single largest and most complex identity theft case ever charged in this country.” According to the indictment, members of the conspiracy targeted TJX and other retailers, such as Forever 21 and DSW, by inserting packet-sniffing software that harvested customers' financial information. The crew also gained access to the driver license and social security numbers of up to 450,000 customers who returned goods without a receipt, TJX allowed at the time. The plot's alleged ringleader, Miami resident Albert Gonzalez, pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, N.Y., in September and is awaiting trial.