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TMCNet: AP Technology NewsBrief at 12:57 p.m. EDT

[March 20, 2012]

AP Technology NewsBrief at 12:57 p.m. EDT

(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Apple's next hot release: The dividend checkNEW YORK (AP) _ Apple made computers sexy. Can it do the same for the musty old dividend? Issuing a regular payment to your stockholders after years of just amassing cash used to be an admission that your company has run out of creative ideas to grow profits.

Job seekers getting asked for Facebook passwordsSEATTLE (AP) _ When Justin Bassett interviewed for a new job, he expected the usual questions about experience and references. So he was astonished when the interviewer asked for something else: his Facebook username and password. Bassett, a New York City statistician, had just finished answering a few character questions when the interviewer turned to her computer to search for his Facebook page. But she couldn't see his private profile. She turned back and asked him to hand over his login information.

Olympics to strain UK Internet infrastructureLONDON (AP) _ As Usain Bolt races down the Olympic track, will London's Internet infrastructure be able to keep up? Let's hope so.

Ohio man not jailed for stopping Facebook apologyCINCINNATI (AP) _ A man who made comments about his estranged wife on his Facebook page and was threatened with jail unless he posted daily apologies for a month won't be locked up even though he stopped making amends early. Mark Byron agreed to begin posting the apology last month to avoid jail but later said the ruling violated his freedom of speech. He stopped posting the apology after 26 days, but Judge Jon Sieve, of Hamilton County Domestic Relations Court, determined Monday that he had posted it long enough, and Byron wasn't jailed.

Verizon CEO 's pay rose in 2011, despite retiringNEW YORK (AP) _ Despite retiring as CEO of Verizon Communications Inc. in August, Ivan Seidenberg earned more in 2011 than he did in the last two full years of work. According to an analysis of a Monday regulatory filing from the New York-based phone company, Seidenberg earned $26.4 million in 2011. That compares with the $18.1 million he earned in 2010 and the $17.5 million he received in 2009.

Apple's dividend heralds 'changing of the guard'SAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ What would Steve have done? It's a question that Apple CEO Tim Cook can't escape. From the naming of the new iPad to his choice of clothing at public events, company-watchers parse Cook's every move, looking for differences between him and the company's revered founder Steve Jobs. But Cook seems determined to stamp his own legacy on the world's most valuable company. In the biggest break from Jobs' philosophy since Cook succeeded him as CEO seven months ago, Apple is dipping into its nearly $100 billion cash stash to start paying a quarterly dividend of $2.65 per share to its stockholders.

Artist hits back at critics after Apple firestormNEW YORK (AP) _ Mike Daisey, the performer forced to admit that he made up parts of his one-man show that purported to expose horrific working conditions in Chinese factories where iPads and iPhones are assembled, isn't exactly slinking away. "I want you all to know that I will not go silent," he writes in a new feisty blog posting Monday following a weekend in which he was exposed as mixing fiction and fact and then had to edit his monologue.

Apple to pay dividend, start stock buybacksNEW YORK (AP) _ Apple is finally acknowledging that it has more money than it needs. But don't expect it to cut prices on iPhones and iPads. Instead, the company said on Monday that it will reward its shareholders with a dividend and a stock buyback program. Apple, the world's most valuable publicly traded company, sits on $97.6 billion in cash and securities.

Airline passengers may get a break on electronicsWASHINGTON (AP) _ The government is taking a tentative step toward making it easier for airlines to allow passengers to use personal electronic devices such as tablets, e-readers and music players during takeoffs and landings. The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday it is "exploring ways to bring together all of the key stakeholders involved" _ including airlines, aircraft manufacturers, consumer electronics makers, and flight attendant unions _ to discuss whether there are practical ways to test devices to see if they are safe for passengers to use during critical phases of flight.

LightSquared tries to revive broadband networkNEW YORK (AP) _ A Virginia company is trying to revive its plan for a national high-speed wireless network, arguing that it can address federal regulators' concerns over interference with GPS devices. LightSquared's bid won't be easy. The Federal Communications Commission has decided to revoke LightSquared's permit after a federal review found that its network interfered with dozens of personal-navigation devices and aircraft-control systems that rely on GPS. LightSquared made its pleading with the FCC last week as part of public comments on the revocation plans.

(c) 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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