Dphoto.us

AP - Exar Corp. said Tuesday that it will buy Neterion Inc., which provides adapters for servers and storage systems, for between $10 million and $11 million.

Apple has taken its online store down this morning in what is likely the first instance of a publicly available product update for this year. The company hasn't provided any clues of its own but does so after Best Buy deleted current MacBook Pros from its purchasable inventory, paving the way for new updates....

Nikon has released a firmware update for the D3S professional DSLR that fixes a series of bugs. Firmware v1.01 rectifies errors pertaining to movie recording, exposure preview, live view and the 'CHA' error message displayed while using some CF cards. It also revises the simplified Chinese menu. The firmware is available for immediate download from Nikon's website.

Mobile applications company ZoomMediaPlus has announced the ZoomIt SD card reader for Apple's iPhone or iPod. Files including photos, videos, music and documents can be transferred in both directions using the included ZoomIt application. Priced at $59.95, the card reader will start shipping from April 2010. It is unclear whether Apple's camera connection kit announced alongside the iPad will be able to perform a similar role.

InfoWorld - It's almost a pathetic assertion: This year, the Mac will break out of its ghetto and become a mainstream computer for individuals and businesses alike. That unfulfilled desire is foretold every year and has been since the mid-1980s, when Apple's then-groundbreaking computer was quickly sidelined by the IBM PC and, later, Microsoft Windows.

PC World - Toyota plans to recall around 400,000 of its Prius hybrid cars to replace software that controls the antilock braking system (ABS), the auto maker said Tuesday.

Reuters - Google Inc has sent a cease and desist letter to the operators of a Chinese search website whose logo bears a close resemblance to its own.

AP - Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday it is recalling some 50,000 Prius cars in Europe to modify the software for the anti-lock brake system, part of a wider global recall and the latest in a string of embarrassing safety lapses at the world's largest automaker.

PC World - Microsoft is researching how gadgets like the company's Xbox game machine, surface computers and accelerometers in mobile phones could be used to improve health care.

AFP - An Australian man has agreed to pay Nintendo 1.3 million US dollars for illegally uploading a game to the Internet six days before its global release, the firm said Tuesday.

LG early this morning launched one of its smallest-ever touchscreen phones in the form of the GD880, or Mini. It has a unique waste-nothing design where the 3.2-inch display runs almost directly to the very edge, avoiding some of the bulk of other phones. At the same time, it's relatively thin and minimalist yet should be relatively sturdy with metal accents and an overall solid body....

Nikon tonight had its second round of camera news in as many weeks with two new lenses for both its DX- and FX-mount DSLRs. The 24mm f1.4G ED provides an even wider angle than many of Nikon's other primes and has an extremely wide aperture that both takes in a large amount of light and focuses quickly. It lacks image stabilization but uses Nikon's extra-low dispersion optics to minimize chromatic effects....

PC World - IBM on Monday launched its latest Power7 processor, which adds more cores and improved multithreading capabilities to boost the performance of servers requiring high up time.

Samsung has introduced its latest feature phone, the S5620 Monte. The device features Wi-Fi connectivity and a 3-inch WQVGA touchscreen with a 16:9 aspect ratio. Samsung's TouchWiz 2.0 Plus interface provides quick access to apps for social networking services such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. A 3.2-megapixel camera is paired with software capable of smile shots, panoramas, and face detection....

Nikon has announced the worlds first image stabilized ultra-wide angle zoom for full frame cameras. The AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm f/4G ED VR lens includes a Silent Wave autofocus motor and VR II technology, which Nikon claims gives up to four stops benefit against camera shake when hand-holding. Other goodies include Nano Crystal coating to combat flare, a magnesium alloy barrel, and weather sealing.

Nikon has released the AF-S Nikkor 24mm F/1.4G ED wide aperture prime lens for full-frame DSLRs. It features an anti-reflective Nano Crystal coating and both ED and aspherical lens elements to help minimize distortion and chromatic aberration. The lens comes in a weather-resistant body and includes a Silent Wave Motor for quieter autofocus operation.

A possibly last-minute slip hints that Apple may be close to updating the MacBook Pro line. One Best Buy employee notes that all MacBook Pro models have been deleted from the company's inventory system, preventing them from ordering new models. The systems can still be found but are listed as "deleted."...

PC World - South Korea's two biggest cell phone makers previewed on Tuesday handsets they plan to unveil at next week's Mobile World Congress exhibition in Barcelona.

Reuters - China plans to crack down on the online gambling industry, including the banks and websites that support it, the Ministry of Public Security said in a statement posted on its website.

AFP - US videogame giant Electronic Arts was unable to fight its way out of the red over the Christmas holidays, and has posted a net loss for the 12th consecutive quarter.