average retail prices

The economy may be slowing, but the video-game industry seems to be wearing its bulletproof vest -- with the notable exception of Sony.

According to the NPD Group, sales of U.S. video games and hardware rose 18 percent from the year-ago period. Specifically, hardware sales were up five percent to $494.7 million.

"In the U.S., third-quarter total industry unit sales grew eight percent versus 2007, even as the economy showed accelerating signs of recession," said Anita Frazier, an NPD analyst.

Europe's mobile phone operators regularly charge users for more time than they actually use when it comes to expensive calls made away from home, European regulators said Wednesday.

Users are billed more "by a significant margin" for calls they make abroad because many operators charge for each minute of a call instead of by the second, the European group of national telecoms agencies said in a report.

That means people are paying for 24 percent more minutes than they make, and 19 percent more than they receive.