Creating its largest single U-verse market to date, AT&T Inc. recently expanded U-verse TV digital television coverage across 175 communities in Northeastern Illinois, the San Antonio Business Journal reports. Unveiled in San Antonio in 2006, U-verse TV, which is a 100 percent Internet Protocol-based television service, offers subscribers access to as many as 320 channels, including 40 that in high definition, and AT&T customers can record up to four programs at once using an HD digital video recorder. According to officials, the company made this Illinois investment after state lawmakers began sponsoring the Cable and Video Competition Law, which encourages new video providers to compete against incumbent cable providers (San Antonio Business Journal, 1/28/08).

Veterinarians from both the North Carolina (N.C.) Zoo and N.C. State University helping rebuild the Baghdad Zoo by offering an online link to classes and experts, the Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area reports. Veterinarians at the Baghdad Zoo this semester began participating in the Advanced Topics in Zoological Medicine course offered by N.C. State. Through satellite connection and video conferencing, Iraqi veterinarians can interact with instructors, students and field experts. In addition, the virtual tools enable them to connect directly to the N.C. Zoo Hospital for consultations and advice (Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area, 1/28/08).

InformationWeek reporters have compiled a list of the top 63 technology Web sites that they recommend as supplements to traditional, popular tech sites. The periodical's in-house favorites are listed in no particular order and organized by categories such as Apple, Finance and Technology, Tech Careers, and Open Source (InformationWeek, 1/28/08).

In an attempt to broaden its audience, the Washington Post is launching an online magazine that targets a predominantly black audience, the New York Times reports. The magazine, called The Root, will feature news and commentary on politics and culture, as well as tools for readers to research their family histories. According to the Times, the magazine leaders say The Root could be seen as a highbrow, political alternative to established periodicals such as Ebony and Web sites like BlackAmericaWeb.com. In addition, the magazine’s emphasis on genealogy, as well as topics such as health care and politics, will set it apart from its competitors, which pay more attention to entertainment, lifestyle and consumption (Perez-Pena, New York Times, 1/28/08 [registration required]).

Nokia recently announced plans to purchase Trolltech, a Norwegian developer of widely used application frameworks, for 844 million Norwegian kroner (US$153 million), IDG News Service reports. Trolltech develops Qtopia, a framework used to build user interfaces for mobile and embedded devices, and a cross-platform application development framework called Qt. Under the plan, the Trolltech team would join Nokia's research and development group, which will continue its work with the developers of KDE. Despite the relationship this will afford Nokia and KDE developers, the company will continue to use a rival software platform in its Linux-based N800 and N810 mobile Internet devices. However, officials say they will use Qt in its S40 mobile phone and S60 smartphone platforms, as Nokia hopes Trolltech will be able to improve the phones’ interfaces. According to IDG, Nokia will to continue offering commercial and open source licenses for Qt and other Trolltech products as its developments advance. With support from 66 percent of the required 90 percent of Trolltech shareholders, both companies expect to complete the acquisition in the second quarter (Sayer, IDG News Service/PCWorld, 1/28/08).

Online auctioneer eBay Inc. announced today that its PayPal division will purchase Fraud Sciences Ltd., an Israeli online risk tools company, for roughly $169 million, the Associated Press reports. Officials say the acquisition, slated to close within 30 days, will help enhance Web site safety.

Fraud Sciences founders Shvat Shaked and Saar Wilf and Chief Operating Officer Yossi Barak will join PayPal's technology and fraud management teams, while President and Chief Executive Gadi Maier will offer strategic and operational support during the transition period (AP/BusinessWeek, 1/28/08).

Microsoft recently announced it is partnering with the Dubai Cares charity program and the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation to improve technology access related to education and research in the Arab world, the Khaleej Times Online reports. Under the Dubai Cares-Microsoft Digital initiative, Microsoft across the next five years will provide technologies needed to improve skills building among students, teachers and communities. Specifically, the program is designed to raise computer literacy among school staff and parents in underserved communities, as well as help teachers encourage innovative thinking among students. In the first phase, Microsoft will help establish Learning Resource Centers, which will serve as community based e-learning hubs for students, teachers and communities. The next phase will enable Dubai Cares and partnering governments to launch targeted PC campaigns to promote an effective learning. Meanwhile, Microsoft also will partner with the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation to launch the Arab Education and Research Network, a first-ever knowledge portal in the Arab world. Microsoft will build the critical communications capabilities required for effective collaboration to establish an Arab Research Database and an extensive e-library. The platform will facilitate communication and information exchange among professors, researchers and academic institutions and will create a database of digital Arabic research to support Foundation initiatives (Khaleej Times Online, 1/28/08)

Honda Motor Europe recently announced it will implement a global knowledge sharing and learning program in order to create “brand ambassadors” out of its staff and partners, ITPro reports. The company is contracting with CERTPOINT to provide a mix of e-learning and classroom-based training and product information resources to 40,000 employees, distributors and dealers. Specifically, Honda will tap CERTPOINT's virtual learning system multi-lingual software as the foundation for the program. The training, delivered to participants according job title, responsibility and local regional requirements, will be available in 32 languages and cover a wide range of products across Honda’s three core business sectors: automobiles; motorcycles; and power equipment, including engines for motor boats. Honda Motor Europe's head of customer operations notes that the plan aims to “change the learning culture within Honda so that everyone could learn within working hours.” He adds that Honda “also wanted to establish a central repository of information and to enhance the skills base of all our employees and dealers to help us exceed customer expectations," which ultimately yields increased excellence both in terms of technology and enhanced customer service (Knights, ITPro, 1/28/08).

The Honolulu-based technology company ChipIn will unveil a new product next week at Demo 2008 in Palm Springs, Calif., Pacific Business News reports. Founded in mid-2006 and based at the Manoa Innovation Center, ChipIn has been secretly developing Sprout, a widget-based fundraising program, which will expand the company’s product line. ChipIn’s existing technology includes a Web-based software program that organizes group transactions, or chip-ins, as a convenient way to pool or raise money. According to its CEO, ChipIn is the first Hawaii tech company to receive an invite to the semiannual show, which touts itself as the "premier launch venue for new products, technologies and companies." The event features six-minute demonstrations of roughly 70 new technology products that have yet to be publicly released. Past demonstrations include the Palm personal digital assistant and the Java programming language (Pacific Business News, 1/25/08).

Microsoft Health Solutions Group and the Minnesota-based Mayo Clinic recently announced they will partner to develop tools designed to help consumers manage their health and better connect with their physicians, Healthcare IT News reports. Building on Microsoft's HealthVault Web portal platform, which offers consumer access to various clinical content and tools, the partnership aims to create tools that facilitate communication and help consumers’ take action to manage their health, according to the vice president of Microsoft’s health group. Under the agreement, Mayo Clinic will implement HealthVault, which is touted by the Patient Privacy Rights Foundation as the first tool to pass the Coalition for Patient Privacy's tough standards for patient privacy, though the Mayo Clinic also offers Web-based consumer health tools including a portal, health risk assessment and content applications. Officials plan to announce more details about the project later this year (Manos, Healthcare IT News, 1/25/08; Health Data Management, 1/25/08).