DVD rentals to be in Blu-ray only
Netflix Inc., the online movie rental company, said it is switching exclusively to the Blu-ray format for high-definition DVDs, following four major movie studios in selecting the Sony technology over one pushed by Toshiba Corp.
Toshiba and Sony have been vying to set the standard for high-definition DVDs for several years. The stakes are high because the winner will also get a boost in sales of DVD players needed to read the new format.
The Walt Disney Co., Sony Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer have endorsed Blu-ray. Paramount and Universal Studios publish their high-definition DVDs in Toshiba's HD DVD format.
Netflix has stocked both formats but said the decision of four of the six major studios to issue films only in Blu-ray format made it likely that the Sony format will prevail.
- The Associated Press
Blood-thinner advisory
FDA urges halt to heparin use
Government regulators told doctors Monday they should stop using the blood thinner heparin made by Baxter International, after hundreds of reports of allergic reactions, mostly among dialysis patients.
The FDA said it has received 350 reports in 2008 of side effects, including vomiting, nausea and difficulty breathing. Four people died while taking the drug, though the agency said it wasn't clear if the drug was to blame.
Baxter said it would stop manufacturing multiple-dose vials of its injectable heparin. Baxter sold 35 million vials of injectable heparin in the U.S. last year.
- The Associated Press
Chocolate
Price-fixing on candy alleged
The German Federal Cartel Office raided the offices of seven candy and chocolate makers amid allegations of a conspiracy to fix prices.
The agency said the companies - including the German offices of Mars, Kraft Foods Inc., Nestle SA, and Ritter - had agreed at the beginning of the year to raise prices.
Kraft spokeswoman Silke Troesch attributed the rise in chocolate prices to the massive increase - between 30 percent and 100 percent - in the price of raw materials in the past year. The agency said it suspected that the companies had conspired to raise their prices even higher than the increase in the price of raw materials, such as cocoa and nuts, would have demanded.
- The Associated Press
Starbucks
Wireless Internet links with AT&T
Starbucks Corp. is teaming up with AT&T Inc. and will start offering a mix of free and paid wireless Internet service in more than 7,000 of its U.S. coffee shops beginning this spring.
The world's largest specialty coffee retailer's move ends a six-year partnership with T-Mobile. Starbucks will give customers who use its Starbucks purchase card two hours of free wireless access per day. After that, it will cost $3.99 for a two-hour session. Monthly memberships will cost $19.99 and include access to any of AT&T's 70,000 hot spots worldwide.
People who already use AT&T as their Internet service provider will have unlimited Wi-Fi access at Starbucks.
- The Associated Press
General Motors
Government probes fires in SUVs
The government is investigating reports of engine fires in General Motors' full-sized sport-utility vehicles.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it has received two reports of fires on 2007 model year Chevrolet Tahoe SUVs. Both allege that the vehicles were parked in a home garage with the engine shut off when the fires occurred.
The probe, which also includes the 2007 GMC Yukon SUV, involves about 423,000 SUVs.
- The Associated Press
Ford Motor Co.
180,000 SUVs, vans being recalled
Ford Motor Co. said Monday it was recalling 180,000 sport-utility vehicles and vans in two separate recalls to fix interior door handles and faulty fuel hoses.
The larger of the two recalls involves 124,000 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs from the 2007-2008 model years. The automaker said the spring system in the inside door handles could break, preventing them from returning to a closed position. In a side crash, there could be a risk of the door latch opening.
Dealers will replace the interior handle spring on all side doors. The recall involves 2007-2008 Expedition and Navigator vehicles built from March 3, 2006 through Aug. 9, 2007.
The second recall involves 57,000 2006-2007 E-150, E-250 and E-350 vans, and 2007 Expedition and Navigator SUVs with 5.4 liter engines.
The automaker said the engine's fuel rail crossover hose could crack and leak fuel, potentially leading to a fire. Dealers will replace the fuel rail assembly.
The recalls are expected to begin later this month for the handle spring and in March for the fuel hose. Contact Ford at 800-392-3673.
- The Associated Press
