Ad execs say jury still out on Facebook as medium

NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) - General Motors Inc's decision to stop advertising on Facebook may be a wake-up call for the No. 1 social network, but Top advertising executives say it's far too early to know if the site will take off as an advertising platform.

Pinterest financing values company at $1.5 billion

(Reuters) - Silicon Valley startup Pinterest raised $100 million from a group led by Japanese online retailer Rakuten Inc, valuing the company at about $1.5 billion and underscoring the huge investor appetite for social-networking companies.

No respite for HP, Dell in Windows 8: BMO

(Reuters) - Microsoft's long-awaited launch of the Windows 8 OS may not change the fortunes of PC makers, BMO analysts said, lowering their price targets on the stocks of Hewlett-Packard Co and Dell Inc.

Lampooning video of New Jersey's Christie, Booker goes viral

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A video made by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to spoof himself and Newark Mayor Cory Booker - in which Booker repeatedly bests Christie with effortless acts of heroism - went viral on Wednesday.

Several brokerages stop taking Facebook IPO orders

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Investors who want Facebook Inc shares when the No. 1 online social network goes public later this week may have lost the opportunity. TD Ameritrade and Fidelity's brokerage arm both stopped accepting orders of Facebook shares as of Tuesday evening, according to representatives for each of the companies.

Google revamps U.S. search

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google is revamping the way it handles searches in the United States to give users quick access to answers without leaving the page, the company said.

Facebook IPO triggers retail investor craze

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - If "Facebook For Dummies" helped you find friends and post pictures on the world's No. 1 online social network, then consider "Facebook IPO Confidential" which purports to teach you "How To Get Rich With The IPO Of The Century."

Samsung loses $10 billion market value on Apple order report

SEOUL (Reuters) - Shares in Samsung Electronics Co slumped more than 6 percent on Wednesday, wiping $10 billion off the electronics giant's market value, on a report that Apple placed huge chip orders with troubled Japanese chip rival Elpida.

Facebook boosts IPO size by 25 percent, could top $16 billion

NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facebook Inc increased the size of its initial public offering by almost 25 percent, and could raise as much as $16 billion as strong investor demand for a share of the No.1 social network trumps debate about its long-term potential to make money.

Google to meet French regulator on privacy policy

PARIS (Reuters) - Google will meet with France's data protection watchdog next week to answer questions about its new user privacy policy as part of a Europe-wide investigation being led by the French regulator.