The Xbox 360 version of BioShock tops the US Amazon.com charts. In a strong week for the console, the second and third positions also belonged to the Xbox 360, in the shape of Halo 3 (pre-order) and Madden NFL 08. The limited edition of Halo 3 also took the number six spot.

(InfoWorld) - Chinese telecommunications equipment maker Huawei Technologies Co. plans to expand its research and development operation in India with the addition of 700 new staff over the next two years.

Huawei currently has about 1,300 staff at its development centers around Bangalore, said George Huang, chief operating officer of Huawei Technologies India, Huawei's development subsidiary in India. The company is also planning to consolidate all its development centers into a single facility in which it is investing $100 million.

The development operation in Bangalore is Huawei's largest outside China. It is focused on the development of software for fixed networks, network management, intelligent networks, and mobile handsets. Huawei's other development facilities outside China are located in the U.S., Russia, and Sweden.

The company is also finding new opportunities in the Indian market for its 3G (third generation) mobile networks and other technologies, said Thong Poh Wah, the company's spokesman for the Asia-Pacific region. Last month it bagged a $200 million contract from a large telecommunications services provider, Reliance Communications in Mumbai, for expanding its wireless network.

Huawei is also in negotiations for a large managed services contract from mobile services provider Bharti Airtel. If it wins this contract, it will be the first for the company in India. The company has some 500 technical staff in a sales, marketing, and support operation in Gurgaon near Delhi that can be easily redeployed to offer managed services in India to telecommunications service providers, Thong Poh Wah said.

Huawei and some other Chinese companies were previously treated as security risks by sections of the Indian government, particularly by its security agencies. China and India have a long-standing border dispute which led to a war between the two countries in 1962.

The distrust of Chinese companies does not exist anymore as trade between the two countries has increased, and Huawei does not now face any problems in this regard when doing business in India, Thong Poh Wah said.

Huawei had earlier announced an interest in setting up a manufacturing facility in India, but said that a final decision on that will depend on sales volumes picking up in the Indian market. The company currently supplies equipment to the Asia-Pacific region from its facilities in China.

A number of telecommunications equipment makers including Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson and?Nokia have set up manufacturing facilities in India.

Earlier on this morning, this site was reported that, Mass Effect has been delayed to December 7th 2007 without stating no actual resources.

An official developer over at Mass Effect community has responded to this unsubstantiated rumor . The game is still on schedule and it has not been delayed. They will reveal more news as the due date nears.

Here's Audrina Patridge in Vegas at a pool party. You know, it seems as if the only way for her to get any attention is to put on a bikini. And to be honest that's the right way to go about it. A lesbian sex tape isn't a bad way either but come to think [...]

A kid learns about the joys of smoking.

Runtime: 20 min

Chris ButcherTo get you all geared up for TCAF this weekend, Tom Spurgeon has an interview with one of the organizers, Chris Butcher: TOM SPURGEON: How big of an event are we looking at this weekend? CHRIS BUTCHER: The 2007 Toronto Comic Arts Festival is looking like it will be roughly three times the size of our [...]

'DBL PEPERONI 4 ME PLS'

ZDNet UK: "Networking giant 3Com is banking on an open-source strategy to differentiate itself from the competition..."

You have the Console Wars, you have the Developer Wars, now the HipHopGamer is here to bring you even more excitement and raw energy to the gaming industry with The Journalist Battles. Round 1 Adam Sessler vs Geoff Keighley look at some of there highlights as journalist and then you decide. I hope you really enjoy this

The Madden franchise is one of the longest-running in videogame history. It began around the same time as The Simpsons (and looked just about as ugly at that point) and has since grown to become a national phenomenon. Like anything that manages to last nearly two decades, Madden has gained a near equal number of ardent fans and passionate detractors. No matter what developer Tiburon does with its football title, the fans will always support it and the haters will always cry foul. Fortunately for those who love Madden, the gang at Tiburon finally got its next-gen act together and created the best version of its seminal football series since Madden NFL 2005. In fact, Madden 08 feels in many ways a throwback to 2005. That's a good thing. Madden 05 rocked.

Hit the jump for more...

The Eidos executive thinks that the games industry needs more iconic characters to compete with movies, TV, and comics.

Tom (with his Honky cup) roast Flavor Flav

At 19, Mark Zuckerberg came up with a new way for college kids to connect—and started an online revolution. Now 23, he's trying to build out his business without losing its cool.

Project Gotham Racing 4 (X360)
Climb through the fog and up tall mountains in China.