"We've decided to set up a direct sales office in central Seoul by 2009, as time is ripe to effectively spur our products," Kevin Du, a general manager responsible for the Korean and Japanese markets, told The Korea Times in an interview, Tuesday. "Asustek is fully set to strengthen product portfolios, ranging from the Eee PC, notebooks, and desktops to LCD monitors and increasing the number of direct sales offices has become a major trend for foreign electronics makers, here," he said, citing similar aggressive moves by Hewlett-Packard.

HP's US online store has revealed that company's Mini-Note line is due to be expanded with a new model, the Mini 1000. An ad for the Mini 1000 appeared on the site over the weekend, though it now seems to have been pulled. Screengrabs of the banner reveal not only the machine's name but also that it's less than 25mm thick and weighs just over a kilo.

Google, Motorola and Microsoft are among the companies that want the unused spectrum for a new generation of wireless devices. Rep. John Dingell, chairman of the House of Representatives House Energy and Commerce Committee, sent a list of questions to Martin, including whether an FCC engineering report was peer reviewed, and how the agency would deal with interference from broadcast signals if it occurs. "Why did the Commission decline to adopt a licensed approach to some of all of this spectrum?" Dingell asked.

Eastman Kodak said Tuesday that it entered a patent license agreement with Nokia, allowing access to each other's intellectual property portfolio. While specific financial terms were not disclosed, the license agreement is royalty-bearing to Kodak.

Yahoo is planning to announce major cost cutting measures including layoffs of more than 1000 staff as early as Tuesday (Oct 21) when the company is scheduled to report its quarterly earnings, according to people familiar with the matter.