Yahoo Inc. launched a new Internet search system for cell phone users in Europe and Canada on Thursday, designed to provide locally relevant answers.

The service, which went live in the United States in March, now covers Britain, Spain, Italy, Germany, France and Canada.

The California-based company has been making strides in recent months to overtake rival Google Inc. in the fast-emerging mobile Web market.

BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. is introducing its third new model in less than a year, a mid-sized device geared toward consumers who might prefer a full keyboard for typing text rather than the abridged one on the popular Pearl.

The Curve, named for its smooth edges, will be offered first by AT&T Inc., though no launch date or pricing was disclosed in a news release Thursday.

Belgian French-language newspapers were back on Google on Thursday after agreeing that the search engine can link to their Web sites, the first signs of a thaw in a bitter copyright dispute.

But neither has so far settled on a key part of the dispute: the use of newspaper story links used on Google News.

Computer industry market research firm iSuppli has released a new report that forecasts technology penetration in both the laptop and desktop sectors over the next few years. It attempts to predict what percentage of personal computers will ship from Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) bundled with certain types of technology. One of the more unusual predictions made by the report is that by 2009, more than 60 percent of laptops will feature some sort of flash-based storage.

A fire started by a homeless man knocked out service between Boston and New York on the experimental Internet2 network Tuesday night. Authorities say the fire, which also disrupted service on the Red Line subway, started around 8:20 p.m. when a homeless man tossed a lit cigarette. The cigarette landed on a mattress, which ignited and led to a two-alarm fire