Asia

Lazy shoppers who see an ad for a music CD that they like can buy it instantly by snapping a photo with a camera phone, thanks to a new service now available in Japan.

The 'ER Search' service links a mobile phone with image recognition software via a 3G network to a server which hosts a database of CD covers.

Google has signed a new cooperation deal with leading Chinese web portal, Sina.com, Sina announced today. The giant global internet search provider is locked in a battle for dominance with local search firm Baidu, which controls more than half the Chinese search market.

More than 100 million will develop Alzheimer's disease in the near future, unless new treatments are developed to prevent or delay the condition, researchers have warned. One in every 85 people worldwide will have Alzheimer's by 2050, predict scientists from Johns Hopkins University.

Electronics Arts (EA) will cooperate with a Korean games developer to release a new online version of its Battlefield series of games in Asia. While they have sold millions worldwide, the Battlefield games do not appear to have been especially popular in Asia's multiplayer games market, particularly compared to massive hits like Starcraft and Counterstrike.

Flextronics will acquire its rival, Solectron, to form one of the world's largest contract electronics manufacturers, the company has announced. Flextronics is the unsung maker of many famous products, including Microsoft's Xbox 360 games console.