UPDATE 1-Google, Authors try to answer book deal concerns 
* Book class size limited to U.S., Australia, Canada, UK
* Google preference on potential deals eliminated
* Independent named to handle unclaimed funds
Splash! NASA moon crash struck lots of water
LOS ANGELES — Suddenly, the moon looks exciting again. It has lots of water, scientists said Friday — a thrilling discovery that sent a ripple of hope for a future astronaut outpost in a place that has always seemed barren and inhospitable.
Experts have long suspected there was water on the moon. Confirmation came from data churned up by two NASA spacecraft that intentionally slammed into a lunar crater last month.
"Indeed, yes, we found water. And we didn't find just a little bit. We found a significant amount," said Anthony Colaprete, lead scientist for the mission, holding up white gallon water buckets for emphasis.
NASA discovers 'significant' amount of water on moon
Water on the moon, once a wild conjecture, appears to have become an established fact. Jubilant NASA scientists announced Friday that they had found the tell-tale signs of significant quantities of water, in the form of ice and vapor, lurking in a shadowed crater at the moon's south poll.
The discovery came from the double-whammy impact of a rocket and a trailing spacecraft slamming into the Cabeus crater four minutes apart on Oct. 9 and kicking up a plume of material. Instruments aboard the trailing spacecraft, and on another orbiting lunar probe, analyzed the ejected material and saw clear signatures of the equivalent of about 26 gallons worth of water, primarily in the form of vapor.
How much water there may be across the rest of the moon is unclear. But the pole turned out to be a jackpot.
Water Found on Moon, Scientists Say
There is water on the Moon, scientists stated unequivocally on Friday, and considerable amounts of it.
“Indeed yes, we found water,” Anthony Colaprete, the principal investigator for NASA’s Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, said in a news conference.
The confirmation of scientists’ suspicions is welcome news both to future explorers who might set up home on the lunar surface and to scientists who hope that the water, in the form of ice accumulated over billions of years, could hold a record of the solar system’s history.
Dell to sell smartphone, starting in China, Brazil
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Dell Inc is entering the smartphone market, with its first device to launch in China in late November, followed by Brazil toward the end of the year.
But the world's No. 3 personal computer maker gave scant details on the long-rumored new phone, which is called Mini 3 and uses Google Inc's Android software. The company also declined on Friday to give a timeline for launching smartphones in additional markets.
A source had told Reuters in October that Dell plans to sell a phone in the United States on AT&T Inc's network.
Intel Will Pay $1.25 Billion to Settle Disputes With Rival
Trying to resolve a longstanding legal case, the chip maker Intel agreed on Thursday to pay its rival, Advanced Micro Devices, $1.25 billion to settle antitrust and patent disputes.
The settlement will resolve a case pending in Federal District Court in Delaware and two in Japan. In addition, A.M.D. will also withdraw all of its regulatory complaints worldwide.
In the antitrust complaint filed in 2005 in Delaware, A.M.D. contended that Intel had bullied dozens of computer makers, retailers and distributors by threatening to retaliate against them if they did business with A.M.D. The complaint also accused Intel of using improper tactics, like discriminatory rebates and subsidies to win and keep customers.
Eager fans greet "Call of Duty" video game launch
SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Activision Blizzard Inc's hugely anticipated "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" video game went on sale on Tuesday, welcomed by eager fans who lined up hours in advance of the release.
The first-person shooter game is set to be one of the biggest and fastest-selling titles in history, challenging records set by blockbuster releases from the "Grand Theft Auto" series.
This despite a dicey economic climate that is pinching consumer spending. Video game industry revenue in the United States, the world's largest market, is down 13 percent this year, according to industry tracker NPD.
GM needs new Buick Regal, Chevy Cruze to be hits
DETROIT — Two General Motors cars due in showrooms next year must be hits to help the automaker turn around sales and pay back its big debt to U.S. taxpayers.
The Buick Regal midsize sedan and Chevrolet Cruze compact, both sold in key segments of the U.S. car market, face stiff competition and other obstacles to success.
GM was to roll out the Regal on Thursday in Los Angeles, and it's counting on the sleek-looking sedan to claw out a new market for the once-stodgy Buick, now the official brand of bingo night at the senior center.
Google to Acquire AdMob for $750 Million
SAN FRANCISCO — Google has agreed to acquire AdMob, a fast-growing start-up that developed technology to place ads on mobile phones, for $750 million in stock, the company said Monday.
Google said that the acquisition, the third largest in its history, will help the Internet search company to speed up efforts to develop more effective tools for creating and placing mobile ads on smartphones and other devices, a small, but rapidly expanding market.
“We see mobile as a huge growth opportunity for us," Susan Wojcicki, vice president of product management at Google, said in an interview. "We see an opportunity working with AdMob to really accelerate our efforts in an important industry for Google."
RPT-PREVIEW-'Call of Duty' game shoots to make history
(Repeats Nov. 6 story for wider readership)
* Launches Nov. 10 with 10,000 stores opening at midnight
* Shooter game expected to rank among all-time top sellers
