Take-Two Interactive warned late Thurs. its fiscal 2006 results will be “significantly below” internal and outside expectations due mainly to “continued uncertainties related to the retail environment and the timing and consumer acceptance of new videogame hardware and software.” The firm also traced its lower estimate to “the timing of [its] new product releases during 2006.”

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued its weekly quota commodity report as of January 3, 2006. This report includes tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) on various products such as beef, tuna, sugar, dairy products, peanuts, cotton, cocoa powder, tobacco, certain JFTA, MFTA, NAFTA, SFTA, UAFTA and UCFTA TRQs, etc. This report also includes the AGOA, ATPDEA, CBTPA, MFTA, NAFTA, SFTA, and UCFTA (CFTA) tariff preference levels (TPLs) for qualifying apparel and/or other textile articles, the TRQs on worsted wool fabrics, etc. (CBP's weekly quota commodity report, dated 01/03/06, available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/import/textiles_and_quotas/commodity/)

The WiMedia Alliance, an advocate for one of 2 major ultra-wideband standards, said Thurs. it will hold a Jan. 23 interoperability test, in hopes of launching a certification program later this year. The first devices containing UWB chipsets are expected to hit retail shelves this year. Both WiMedia and competing Freescale technology are presenting this week at CES. The WiMedia Alliance, which represents Intel, Texas Instruments and other firms, said members have started preliminary interoperability testing. “Now that we have a formal industry framework for these events, we anticipate extremely productive sessions with strong participation as companies prepare to ready devices for certification,” said Intel’s Brad Hosler, chmn. of the WiMedia Alliance Certification & Interoperability Committee.

iAnywhere joined ultrawideband standards bodies UWB Forum and WiMedia Alliance the Sybase subsidiary said Thurs. That means the firm will help set standards merging the benefits of UWB’s high data rate transfer capabilities with the maturity of the Bluetooth software protocol and application profiles. Meanwhile, the WiMedia Alliance said it will hold a Jan. 23 interoperability test, in hopes of launching a certification program later this year. The first devices containing UWB chipsets are expected to hit retail shelves this year. Both WiMedia and competing Freescale technology are presenting this week at CES. The WiMedia Alliance, which represents Intel, Texas Instruments and other firms, said members have started preliminary interoperability testing. “Now that we have a formal industry framework for these events, we anticipate extremely productive sessions with strong participation as companies prepare to ready devices for certification,” said Intel’s Brad Hosler, chmn. of the WiMedia Alliance Certification & Interoperability Committee.

Need for Speed Most Wanted from Electronic Arts (EA) was again the top-rented videogame in the U.S. in its 7th week, according to Rentrak’s preliminary Home Video Essentials data for the week ended Jan. 1. EA had 2 more top 10 SKUs: Madden NFL 06 for PS2 at #2 (up 4 in its 21st week) and the Xbox version of Most Wanted at #10 (down 8). No new games made the top 10. But Take-Two Interactive’s Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for PS2 returned to the top 10, jumping to #3 from #31 in its 62nd week. Its Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition for PS2 also returned to the top 10, leaping from #34 to #9 in its 38th week… Most Wanted was the #1-selling game in the U.K. for the week ended Dec. 31, according to the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Assn.’s Chart Track data. It was #2 the week before. This time, it knocked Ubisoft’s Peter Jackson’s King Kong from the top spot to #2… GameFly said Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones for Xbox was the top-rented game for it in the week ended Jan. 3. The PS2 SKU was #2. The top 10 included 4 Xbox 360 games, led by King Kong at #3. Following it were Tecmo’s Dead or Alive 4 at #4, Sega’s Condemned Criminal Origins at #5 and Activision’s Call of Duty 2 at #7. The Xbox and PS2 SKUs of King Kong were #8 and #9, respectively.

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has initiated antidumping (AD) duty changed circumstances reviews of the AD duty orders on certain corrosion-resistant carbon steel flat products from Canada and Germany at the request of Eutectic Corporation (Eutectic), a U.S. importer.

The ITA states that it will issue appropriate assessment instructions directly to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) within 15 days of January 3, 2006.

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued its preliminary results of the following antidumping (AD) duty administrative reviews:

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has made a preliminary affirmative antidumping (AD) duty determination that diamond sawblades and parts thereof (sawblades), are being, or are likely to be, sold in the U.S. at less than fair value. The period of investigation for subject merchandise from Korea is April 1, 2004 through March 31, 2005.

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has made a preliminary affirmative antidumping (AD) duty determination that diamond sawblades and parts thereof (sawblades) from China are being, or are likely to be, sold in the U.S. at less than fair value. The period of investigation is October 1, 2004 - March 31, 2005.