Amazon beats Apple

Amazon threw down a gauntlet at Apple by launching Amazon Unbox, a movie-download service, ahead of Apple`s expected version, reports USA Today.

Amazon`s 59 million active customers can now order DVD movies shipped to their door or choose unboxed movies and download directly to their PC.

Customers must play the movie on a Windows PC or on one of a handful of Windows-media compatible portable players, which does not include the Apple iPod.

BlackBerry has unveiled its new mobile phone, the BlackBerry Pearl, reports The Register.

The phone comes with a digital camera, an MP3 player and MPEG4 video playback.

Text entry uses new SureType technology, which is like predictive text, but with letters in a qwerty order and a trackball for application control.

Nokia has decided to begin giving its phones names as well as numbers, following the success of handsets such as Motorola`s Razr and LG`s Chocolate, says Forbes.

It says that in future, handsets will carry names that have meanings and are important to customers.

There is no indication yet of when the first new named phone will appear, or what it will be called.

IBM has started shipping microchips for Nintendo`s Wii console, according to INQ7.net.

Although it has not given a specific launch date for the game console, Nintendo says the Wii will be on shelves in time for the holidays.

IBM said the chips use technology that will substantially boost the processing power in the Wii while using 20% less energy and throwing off less heat.