Tool aids search with Flash video

Internet users will now have an easier time finding sites that rely heavily on the popular Flash video format.

Adobe Systems Inc., the format's developer, has released a customized version of its Flash Player software that allows Google Inc.'s search engine and others to see the elements of Web pages embedded with Flash content the same way a human would.

Search crawlers, programs that find and index content for search engines, have a difficult time "seeing" nontext formats. Although they can often index static text and links within basic Flash files, many Web pages associated with Flash video are dynamically generated on the fly as visitors are ready to view them.

Adobe's tools help search crawlers navigate dynamic Flash pages more easily. Google's crawlers, for instance, will be able to click buttons along the way and remember the information for the index.

Fiber-optic Internet adding more users

More people worldwide are signing up for fiber-optic broadband service than cable Internet service, according to a British research firm.

Fiber providers added 4.2 million customers in the first quarter, while 2.5 million customers signed up for cable modems, according to a report released by Point Topic.

The bulk of the new fiber subscribers are in China. The U.S. is in fourth place after Japan and Korea.

Fiber-optic connections provide faster speeds, but cost of the build-out is daunting. In deregulated telecommunications markets like the U.S. and Western Europe, carriers are unsure if fiber is worth the investment because they are competing with cheaper technologies like cable and DSL.

Tesla to keep car production in state

The company that built the first mass-produced, all-electric car will keep its manufacturing plant in California, thanks to a new state tax break.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state Treasurer Bill Lockyer worked out the deal for Tesla Motors Inc. after learning that the Silicon Valley-based company intended to build its second-generation vehicle in New Mexico.

The break allows Tesla to avoid paying state sales tax on equipment it buys to build its Model S. That will save up to 9 percent on each purchase.

The five-passenger sedan is expected to cost about $60,000 and will be able to travel 225 miles between charges to its electric engine.

The governor is among several celebrities who have ordered Tesla's first-generation electric sports car.

— From wire reports