Gamers around the globe dropped nearly $300 million on “Halo 3” in the week since the first-person shooter for Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360 console debuted, the company said Thursday. The company also said that in the week after the Sept. 25 launch, Xbox 360 console sales “nearly tripled” from the weekly average before “Halo 3” hit store shelves, according to initial reports from retailers worldwide. More than 2.7 million people have logged on to Xbox Live to collectively play 40 million hours of “Halo 3” with other gamers, Microsoft said. Microsoft said sales hit $170 million in the game’s first 24 hours on sale the U.S., surpassing “Spider-Man 3,” which grossed $151 million in its opening weekend.
Factory orders fall in August
Orders to factories fell in August by the largest amount in seven months, reflecting weakness across a wide swath of manufacturing as the turbulent financial market made businesses more cautious. The Commerce Department said orders dropped by 3.3 percent in August, even worse than the expected 2.8 percent decline. It was the biggest setback since orders fell 4.2 percent in January.
Weyerhaeuser Co. to idle seven mills
Weyerhaeuser Co. said Thursday it plans to close seven saw mills in Washington and Oregon for two weeks because of low demand in the national housing market. Mills in Aberdeen, Green Mountain and Longview in Washington and Dallas, Warrenton, Boardman and Coburg in Oregon will be closed from Nov. 19-23 and Dec. 24-28, said Shawn Watson, spokesman for the Federal Way-based lumber and paper producer.
Microsoft launches health Web site
Microsoft Corp. launched a Web site Thursday for managing personal health and medical information, but privacy advocates worry that neither the technology nor U.S. law will protect patients’ most confidential details. From the consumer’s point of view, Microsoft’s HealthVault site is part filing cabinet, part library and part fax machine for an individual’s or a family’s medical records and notes. The free site can store medical histories, immunization and other records from doctors’ offices and hospital visits, including data from devices like heart monitors.
Experian OKs credit freeze
Amid growing concern about identity theft, Experian has joined the nation’s two other major credit bureaus in allowing consumers to freeze access to their credit files. Experian, which is based in Costa Mesa, Calif., announced Thursday that it will offer the option nationwide beginning Nov. 1. “Experian will allow any consumer across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories to place a freeze on their credit report,” the company said. A freeze prevents new creditors from reviewing the file without the consumer’s consent. When a freeze is in place, an identity thief cannot open a new account because the potential creditor will not be able to check the credit file. Consumers, meanwhile, can “unlock” their accounts temporarily if they are applying for credit or permanently if their security concerns are allayed.
From Herald news services
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