Launched on November 30 by Nabix, a South Korean developer, the iPhone application "Honey it's me!" is warming lonely hearts with the voice of "Mina," a 20-something virtual woman.

For $1.99, Mina will make video-calls four times a day, showering subscribers with a message of bliss from 100 available. With recorded messages such as "good night, sweet dreams," Nabix said it would help subscribers feel someone cares for them and is consistently thinking of them. ... Read more »

ROUND ROCK, Texas – Dell Inc. said Monday it has a deal to buy the data storage company Compellent Technologies Inc. for $884 million.

The offer price is slightly more than Dell said it would pay last week, before the companies had signed a formal agreement. Dell will pay $27.75 per share, up from $27.50.

Compellent shares dropped 73 cents, or 2.5 percent, to close at $27.98 Monday. Dell shares fell 54 cents, or 3.9 percent, to close at $13.35. ... Read more »

SAN FRANCISCO – Yahoo Inc.'s holiday trimmings will include 600 to 700 layoffs in the Internet company's latest shake-up triggered by lackluster growth.

Employees could be notified of the job cuts as early as Tuesday, according to a person familiar with Yahoo's plans. The person asked for anonymity because Yahoo hadn't made a formal announcement.

The planned cutbacks represent about 5 percent of Yahoo's work force of 14,100 employees. It will mark Yahoo's fourth mass layoff in the past three years.

The latest two housecleanings have come under the company's current CEO, Carol Bartz, a Silicon Valley veteran hired nearly two years, despite a lack of experience on the Web or in advertising — Yahoo's main source of revenue. ... Read more »