Technology

Oracle Purchase of Sun May Be Blocked by Europe Regulator, Document Says Oracle Corp.’s planned $7.4 billion purchase of Sun Microsystems Inc. may be blocked by European Union regulators because of concerns that Oracle might be able to eliminate Sun’s MySQL database product as a competitor, according to an EU document.

Palm Director Dutta Said to Join Elevation Partners, Will Help Raise Fund Palm Inc. director and former EBay Inc. executive Rajiv Dutta is joining Elevation Partners LP and will help the private equity firm raise money for a second fund, according to a person familiar with the decision.

Vampire `Twilight' Sequel Has Third-Best Opening Ever With $140.7 Million “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” the vampire love story based on best-selling novels, recorded the third-biggest opening weekend in box-office history with $140.7 million in ticket sales for Summit Entertainment LLC.

Ciena Wins Nortel's Optical-Network Unit at Auction, Beating Nokia Siemens Ciena Corp., the fiber-optic gear maker for phone companies, won an auction for Nortel Networks Corp.’s optical-networking business, trumping a bid from Nokia Siemens Networks by raising its offer to $769 million.

Macy's Gains by Pushing Housewares Over Luxuries as Shoppers Stay Cautious Blenders and sweaters may rise in popularity this holiday season as consumers seek to replenish kitchens and wardrobes rather than spend money on luxury gifts.

Microsoft, News Corp. Held Talks to Remove Content From Google, FT Reports Microsoft Corp. held talks with News Corp. about paying the Wall Street Journal publisher to remove reports from Google Inc.’s search engine, the Financial Times reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.

Zynga May Be Valued at $1 Billion as Game Maker Feeds Off Facebook Craze Zynga Inc., maker of the “Mafia Wars” and “FarmVille” games played on Facebook, may be valued at $1 billion based on the sale price of a smaller rival.

Worldwide PC Shipments to Grow in 2009; Revenue to Decline, Gartner Says Worldwide personal-computer shipments will increase more than expected this year on accelerating demand for laptops, research firm Gartner Inc. said today.

Mexico Issues Rules to Sell Airwaves for Mobile Phones, Wireless Internet Mexico’s government published the rules for its auction of airwaves for mobile-phone and wireless Internet service, taking a step toward creating more competition for America Movil SAB.

Hellas Telecommunications Junior Bondholders Bid $674 Million for Company Junior bondholders in Hellas Telecommunications II, the owner of Greek mobile-phone company Wind Hellas Telecommunications SA, submitted a 450 million-euro ($674 million) bid for the company.