Also

* Yahoo Inc. said it would offer Skype-like capabilities through its instant-messaging service that would let people use their computers to dial regular phone numbers and receive calls from conventional phones.

* A new “Sober” worm is expected to hit Jan. 5 in an attack possibly tied to the founding of the Nazi party that could slow the Internet with tens of millions of politically motivated spam e-mails, security experts said.

* Verizon Wireless plans to start sending clips of popular CBS shows “CSI,” “Survivor” and “Late Show With David Letterman” to mobile phones, marking CBS’ entry into wireless video, the companies said.

* Guidant Corp., a defibrillator maker that agreed to be acquired by Johnson & Johnson, said it would enter talks with Boston Scientific Corp. on its $25-billion competing offer.