Business

• Not a tweet from Twitter
  Across the globe, thousands of people found themselves suddenly cut off from Twitter when the microblogging site shut down for a scheduled maintenance Sunday night.
• HDTV prices continue to drop
  If you've been thinking about buying a new high-definition flat-screen television, there may be no better time than now.
• Check cell phone coverage online before choosing service
  The most important thing to consider when choosing a cell phone provider is whether there is good coverage in the areas you use your phone the most.
• Business events: Dec. 17-23
  SOUTH BAY Dec. 18 Succeeding As A Realtor. 6:30-8 p.m. Ventura Barnett Properties, 5985 Almaden Expressway, San Jose.
• Tech File: Tips for buying, using digital cameras
  Lots of us are getting digital cameras for the holidays. My gift to myself was a Canon S5 IS. Unlike the other cameras I've owned, this one has a 12x optical zoom and a body that looks almost like one of those professional SLR (single lens reflex) models, only smaller.
• Tech Q&A: System upgrade may be causing iTunes problem
  Q I have a Dell Dimension 8100 Pentium 4 that was loaded with Windows ME and had no problems. I won an iPod shuffle and upgraded to Windows XP Home Edition with SP2 to download and run iTunes.
• Takahashi: Price makes GPS more accessible
  On Black Friday, shoppers were tripping over themselves to buy the heavily discounted portable navigation devices at the RadioShack at Westfield Valley Fair mall. By the end of the day, the store sold about 80 units.
• The List
  Top videos on YouTube.com for week ending Dec. 14: 1. "Led Zeppelin - Stairway" 2. "Britney Spears" 3.
• Caregivers can find a helpful tips kit online
  Sometimes you become a caregiver gradually over the years, sometimes it is sudden and unexpected.
• First look: new Pixel Chix toys
  The little girls in my house have always been fans of Pixel Chix, the electronic toys that are shaped like a doll's house but have a sassy electronic girl inside.
• First look: Pantech Duo smart-phone
  If you're looking for a phone that is good for traditional calling and text messaging at the same time, you might consider the Pantech Duo.
• First look: Iomega's eGo USB 2.0 portable hard drive
  The market for portable hard drives is picking up. The latest entry is Iomega's eGo USB 2.0 portable hard drive.
• First look: EverNote recording and recognition software
  If you feel as though you need to record your life but you've got a really bad memory, EverNote may be for you.
• Flash drive vs. hard-disk drive PCs
  Will your next laptop computer have a Ferrari inside? You might hope for such blistering speed if you purchase a computer equipped with a flash drive instead of a traditional hard-disk drive, but you'd likely be disappointed.
• UPCOMING EARNINGS
  Earnings alert Here are selected companies expected to report quarterly earnings this week and analysts' consensus estimates for their per-share earnings.
• Economic reports this week
  Coming up Housing starts probably dropped in November after unexpectedly rising the month before, while building permits, a gauge of future construction, probably fell to the lowest level since June 1993.
• Choosing a flat-panel TV
  mapbiz tech CHOOSING A FLAT-PANEL TV Consumers shopping for a flat-screen HDTV have a number of choices, each with its own pros and cons.
• Things to consider when buying an HDTV
  BEFORE YOU BUY Things to consider when purchasing an HDTV: Brightness of room. Plasma screens typically look better in darker rooms, while LCDs are easier to view in brighter ones.