Business Highlights

NEW YORK — Google Inc., expanding its efforts at providing software that helps users create and post their own materials on the Internet, has acquired a California startup that develops online collaboration tools known as wikis.

The announcement came Tuesday through separate postings at Google’s and JotSpot Inc.’s Web journals. Terms were not disclosed.

JotSpot Chief Executive Joe Kraus said JotSpot would be able to tap into the Internet search leader’s large user base and robust data centers capable of handling any growth.

"Our vision has always been to take wikis out of the land of the nerds and bring it to the largest possible audience,” Kraus said in an interview. "There’s no larger audience that you can reach than one you can reach through Google.”

Wiki tools, popularized by the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, let users create, modify and even delete information on items that others in a group have produced.

Sony warns of pre-order scams for PlayStation 3

SAN JOSE — Sony Corp. issued a warning Tuesday against false promotional offers for its upcoming PlayStation 3 video game console.

A number of Web sites have been promoting pre-orders on discounted or bulk shipments of the game system — without the cooperation of Sony, the company stated.

Company representatives did not name the sites but suggested consumers can avoid potential scams by purchasing PlayStation products only from authorized retailers and resellers, which includes well-known stores such as GameStop, EB Games, Best Buy and Wal-Mart.

The PlayStation 3 is set to go on sale in the U.S. on Nov. 17.

Northwest ending nonstop service from Milwaukee to LA

Northwest Airlines Corp. says it will end nonstop service from Milwaukee to Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Orlando, effective Jan. 2.

"The flights were not meeting our financial expectations, in part because of the cost of jet fuel, which has now surpassed the cost of labor at Northwest and many other airlines,” airline spokesman Kurt Ebenhoch said Monday.

The cost of jet fuel has gone up 134 percent to $1.80 a gallon since Northwest began flying from Milwaukee to Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Orlando in July 2003.

DreamWorks Animation swings to a profit

Continued strong DVD sales of its animated feature "Madagascar” helped swing DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. to a profit in the third quarter, the company said Tuesday. Profits were also boosted by sales to pay television markets of its fall 2005 feature, "Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit.”

McKesson’s fiscal 2Q profit rises 37 percent to top analyst views

McKesson Corp.’s quarterly profit climbed 37 percent to soar past analyst expectations, prompting the nation’s largest prescription drug distributor to brighten its financial outlook. The San Francisco-based company said Tuesday that it earned $229 million, or 75 cents per share, for its fiscal second quarter ended in September.

That compared with net income of $167 million, or 53 cents per share, at the same time last year.

Revenue for the three-month period totaled $22.4 billion, a 5 percent increase from $21.3 billion last year.