Cisco Systems

Edward Dimmler dips a cotton swab in acetone and rubs it on the surface of a computer chip that was ostensibly manufactured by Samsung. The white tip turns black -- the first clue that the part may be fake. Dimmler, director of warehouse operations at electronics distributor PCX, then inspects the chip under a microscope and sees the word Samsung smeared across the top of the chip. Clearly, this memory chip is counterfeit, ineligible for resale.

Amid fears of more than 100,000 dead, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said it's too early to estimate how many people fell victim to the massive earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Tuesday. It was the strongest earthquake to hit Haiti in 200 years.

But tech giants aren't waiting for a final assessment of casualties and damages. Major industry players like Google, Apple, Microsoft, Intel, Cisco Systems, Verizon and Sprint Nextel are rushing to offer financial help and setting up donation mechanisms for the public.

Avaya is the chosen one. The New Jersey-based company was selected -- instead of Siemens Enterprise Communications -- to acquire Nortel's Enterprise Solutions business and Diamondware, a Nortel-owned business, the company announced Monday.

Avaya will pay $900 million in cash for the voice, data and government systems businesses, exactly double the amount it agreed to pay just two months ago. Avaya also has agreed to offer an additional $15 million for an employee-retention program.

Even a global recession can't come between Americans and the high-tech gadgets they love. Consumers of all ages and family situations are purchasing high-definition TVs, network gear, and smartphones at a breakneck pace, according to a study released on Sept. 2.

Now that Apple has once again passed Google in market value, can the consumer-electronics maker maintain its lead?

While Apple's capitalization has risen above that of Google for short bursts in the past, it has remained higher since July 22. As of Aug. 11, Apple was worth $145.87 billion, compared with Google's $143.40 billion. This could be a momentary shift in Wall Street's whims -- like when Cisco Systems briefly surpassed Microsoft to become the world's most valuable company in 2000.

Apple may be planning to add a camera to its iPods. Several Web sites have reported that the iPod touch and iPod nano may get the additions.

Currently, only all three models of Apple's iPhones have a still camera. The iPhone 3GS also allows video recording and editing and makes it easy to upload videos to YouTube, but it doesn't have a flash module for low-light situations.

There could be a thaw in the months-long stagnant market for tech mergers and acquisitions.

Data-storage companies EMC and NetApp are dueling to buy Data Domain for at least $1.8 billion. Last week, chipmaker Intel said it would buy testing and development software maker Wind River Systems for $884 million.

The quarter's big catch was when Oracle snapped up Sun Microsystems for $7.4 billion.

While hardly a buying spree, the uptick could signal a break for what has been a sluggish tech M&A market since the third quarter of last year.

Geico has its dapper gecko and brooding caveman. Progressive Corp. has Flo, the chirpy sales clerk. And Travelers Cos. has a red umbrella?

Clearly, Travelers, a major player in commercial insurance and the newest member of the Dow Jones industrial average (its induction to the blue-chip benchmark was announced June 1 along with that of Cisco Systems) faces a marketing challenge as it tries to gear up its direct-channel insurance business to compete with Geico (a unit of Berkshire Hathaway) and Progressive.

Clearwire has tapped Cisco Systems to provide the wireless infrastructure for its new 4G network. Cisco, based in San Jose, Calif., has been tasked with building new mobile WiMAX devices for Clearwire's network for small and midsize business markets, Clearwire announced Wednesday.

Clearwire currently provides mobile WiMAX services in Baltimore, Md., and Portland, Ore., and plans to bring its 4G service to more than 80 markets in the U.S. by the end of next year, according to the company.

In a move to compete with Cisco Systems, 3Com on Monday added a "flex-chassis" family of network switches to its H3C portfolio. The H3C S5800 Series offers up to 192 10-Gigabit ports or 640 gigabit Ethernet ports and supports embedded extensible application services, including security, wireless and monitoring.

With its latest product launch, 3Com is positioning its enterprise switches as a way to improve network reliability, lower total cost of ownership (TCO), and improve application delivery.