THE projected increase in information technology spending in the next four years would create more jobs in the Philippines, according to Information Data Corp.. In a study, IDC said IT spending would grow at an annual rate of 8.5 percent from 2008 to 2013.

A new development related to the government's investigation of possible insider trading at a major hedge fund has raised questions in the case and caught the attention of two key senators.

A lawsuit in Wisconsin is bringing a fresh challenge to the practice of paying for keywords on Google and other search engines to boost one company's link over a rival's. The practice has occasionally prompted a rival to file legal challenges alleging trademark infringement. Habush Habush & Rottier is one of Wisconsin's largest law firms, specializing in personal-injury cases.

A group of Doral Middle School students each received new Dell computers earlier this month after completing the PBS&J's 2009 Miami KIDS CLASS program. PBS&J is a chain of employee-owned businesses dedicated to engineering, environmental science, architecture, and construction.

Microsoft Corp. is giving away nearly 24,000 vouchers to North Carolina residents who want to improve their computer skills so they can improve their lot in the work force. Gov. Beverly Perdue and the software giant announced Thursday in Charlotte the state's portion of Microsoft's Elevate America program. The 23,700 vouchers will be distributed over the next 90 days.

Redmond-based Airtight Games' debut video-game title, "Dark Void," doesn't go on sale until January, but it just hit one out of the park. Capcom, which will publish the game, just announced movie star Brad Pitt's production company bought "Dark Void's" film rights and is developing it "as a sci-fi action franchise and potential starring vehicle for Pitt."

Capping off one of the most difficult fiscal years in its history, Microsoft held its annual shareholders meeting with the backdrop of an economy that has at least stopped getting worse. "There's no doubt that fiscal year 2009 was one of the most challenging we've ever faced," Chief Executive Steve Ballmer told shareholders.

DECATUR -- Aaron Damery wanted to attend the Decatur Area Technical Academy to learn about computers. He got more than he bargained for. "I went into the classroom one day for an open house," said Damery, a senior at Meridian High School, who was a student volunteer guiding prospective students and their parents through the tech academy's open house on Thursday.

They are business plans that measure success beyond bottom lines. The ninth annual Tech Museum Awards, held Thursday night at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, spotlights the work of innovators for social good -- those applying technology and tweaking business models with the idea of creating solutions for some of the world's most vexing problems.