Byte size news: Major players ride to gaming's rescue

It's set to be a merry Christmas for those in the video-gaming business.
Big names like Call of Duty and FIFA 11 have high hopes that the industry can haul itself out of a two-year slump this summer.
FIFA 11 has just become the fastest-selling sports game ever and Halo made $200 million on its first day on the shelves last month.
Industry sales figures are expected soon and will give those in the biz an idea of how profitable this year's Christmas sales are likely to be.
Hands-free cars on horizon

If your girlfriend/boyfriend/mate/mum hasn't been too good at responding to the call for a ride home, it could be time to move to Germany.
Drastic? For sure. But as Germany's scientists have just unveiled the latest in automatic no-driver-needed cars, it's where you'll likely also get to try them out first.
The new vehicles, called MadeIn Germany (or MIG), can even be called for a ride.
The scientists behind the project say future passengers will be able to contact their MIG using an iPad or smartphone.
The GPS built into the device you're calling from reveals your location to the car, which then works out the best route and tells the passenger how long it will take it to get there.
Its designers hope to reduce the numbers of cars on the road by making the most of car-sharing.
An unmanned taxi would be able to pick up several people heading in the same direction.
The MIG uses sensor technology to create a three-dimensional image of the street on the car's computer so it is able to detect bikes, pedestrians, road markings and signs.
The technology enables it to respond to traffic lights independently, give way in accordance with road rules and stop in case of unexpected events.

US sets high txt benchmark
Parents who are unsure whether the number of texts their teens are sending is normal now have a benchmark.
On average, the American teen is sending 3339 texts a month, says Nielson Co after studying 60,000 monthly mobile phone bills.
"That's more than six per hour [teens are] awake," Neilson said. "No one texts more than teens."
And no one texts more than girls in the 13-17 age group. Girls sent or received an average of 4050 text messages monthly, while boys averaged 2539 texts.
The amount of voice-calling done by US teenagers dropped 14 per cent compared with the same three-month period a year earlier.
Got any news, gadgets or queries? Email lindsay.harvey@apn.co.nz