New York - Microsoft (NASD: MSFT) has hired comedian Jerry Seinfeld to appear as one of the "key celebrity pitchmen" alongside chairman Bill Gates in a new $300 million ad campaign, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people close to the situation. The sources say that Seinfeld will garner about $10 million for his talents.

San Francisco - DreamWorks Animation SKG (NYSE: DWA) has announced plans to produce all of its forthcoming films in digital 3D, starting with "Monsters vs. Aliens" in March 2009, and has partnered with chipmaker Intel (NASD: INTC) on the technology, Reuters reported. The companies are collaborating on a new 3D movie image brand called InTru 3D, which will combine Intel's new standalone graphics chip with 3D technology the company acquired from start-ups.

Redmond, Wash. - Microsoft (NASD: MSFT) on Thursday introduced Photosynth, a new service that allows users to transform digital photos into a "three-dimensional, 360-degree experience." Users must provide between 20 and 300 photos, "with overlap between each shot, from a number of locations and angles" of a single space. The application then combines the photos into an interactive, 3D panoramic view that can be panned and zoomed at will.

Moscow - Apple (NASD: AAPL) has partnered with Russian mobile network operator Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) to become a retail distributor of the iPhone, which is set to go on sale there in October, Reuters reported, citing a market source. Representatives from both companies declined to comment on the story for Reuters.

Palo Alto, Calif. - Online social network Facebook is launching a new marketing feature, "Engagement Advertisements," that aim to bring greater interaction to the ads on the site, according to reports. The new feature will allow users to comment on ads; become a fan of a brand's Facebook page from within an ad; or send brand-related virtual gifts to one another. The ad-related comments will be broadcast to a user's friends' News Feeds.

Dallas - AT&T (NYSE: T) on Thursday announced the launch of ConnecTech, a nationwide home services care program that will offer consumers on-site help with installing home theater systems, PCs and home networks. ConnecTech will also offer "an extensive list of repair services" for PCs, including parts and hardware replacement, as well as remote PC and phone support for devices like digital cameras and MP3 players. AT&T said ConnecTech services will start at less than $100.

New York - A trio of market research firms covering the video game industry announced on Thursday that they will combine their data to offer the Top Global Markets Report, the first to integrate video game sales data across the U.S., U.K. and Japan. New York-based NPD Group, U.K.-based GfK Chart-Track Limited and Japan's Enterbrain said they plan to issue the joint report monthly. The five top-selling titles year-to-date across the three territories, according to the report, are "Grand Theft Auto IV," "Super Smash Bros: Brawl," "Mario Kart Wii," "Wii Fit" and "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock."

Hong Kong - The four major labels have decided to withdraw from the local Hong Kong chapter of their International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) trade group, opting to instead organize a separate organization, Hypebot reported. The companies called the move a "commercial decision."

London - China has been blocking its citizens' access to Apple's (NASD: AAPL) iTunes Store as of Monday, after it was found that some 40 athletes in the Olympic Village downloaded a "Songs for Tibet" protest compilation, Guardian.co.uk reported, citing a report on the state-sponsored China.org.cn.

Philadelphia - Comcast (NASD: CMCSA), the nation's largest cable TV provider and an ISP to over 14 million broadband subscribers, plans to begin throttling service to some broadband users it deems to be hogging the pipes during times of congestion, Bloomberg reported.

Deerfield Beach, Fla. - Mike Levy, the founder of CBS Sportsline.com, has launched a new online sports site, called OPENSports.com, which will offer breaking sports news, social media tools, user-generated content and multimedia applications.

Los Angeles - A number of Apple-related blogs are today reporting on an anonymous tip they all received, which claims Apple (NASD: AAPL) will introduce an unlimited iTunes subscription music service in late October. The service would reportedly deliver songs at 256 Kbps and cost $130 per year, or $100 for subscribers to Apple's MobileMe service.

Los Angeles - A day after acknowledging that a software update for its iPhone 3G was issued to help remedy widespread reports of problems connecting to 3G networks, Apple (NASD: AAPL) was hit with a class action lawsuit that claims the network is slower than was advertised. Filed in federal court by Birmingham, Alabama resident Jessica Alena Smith, the lawsuit -- which seeks class action status -- charges Apple with breach of express and implied warranty, and unjust enrichment.

Los Angeles - A federal judge ruled on Wednesday that copyright holders must consider the potential "fair use" of their works before sending copyright takedown notices to online video sites. "In order for a copyright owner to proceed under the DMCA with 'a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law,' the owner must evaluate whether the material makes fair use of the copyright," U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel wrote, in his ruling.

West Hollywood, Calif. - As part of media conglomerate IAC's (NASD: IACI) plan to split into five publicly-traded cmopanies, Ticketmaster (NASD: TKTM) announced on Thursday that it has begun independent trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol TKTM.

Los Angeles - College Tonight, a social network for college students that promotes real-world interactions, announced on Thursday that it will acquire Gridiron Bash, a New York-based producer of events pairing college football games and top musical talent.

Providence, R.I. - MoFuse, a provider of software that allows bloggers and other content producers to publish their content to the mobile Web, announced on Thursday that it secured its first round of seed capital, from the Slater Technology Fund.

Redwood City, Calif. - Online advertising network Turn Inc. announced on Thursday that it has landed a $15 million third round of venture capital financing, led by Focus Ventures.