TJX Cos, which operates the T.J. Maxx and Marshalls chains, said on Wednesday that the computer systems that process its customer transactions had been breached and customer information had been stolen. The off-price retailer said it discovered the intrusion in mid-December, but it does not yet know the full extent of the theft or the number of customers affected.

Sprint Nextel is shipping a series of devices that combine the company’s CDMA voice and data services with its iDEN-based push-to-talk services. Sprint’s PowerSource phones provide both network redundancy and improved performance over phones that just use one or the other of the company’s two networks, company officials said.

The Doomsday Clock, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ ticking nudge to the world’s conscience, moved two minutes closer to nuclear midnight yesterday, the closest to doomsday it has been since the Cold War. North Korea’s nuclear bomb test, Iran’s nuclear plans, and atomic energy projects posed as an answer to climate change prompted the scientific journal to move the hands of the clock on its cover to 11:55. Midnight represents doomsday on the clock, for six decades a symbolic indicator of the threat posed by nuclear proliferation.

Boxwave has released a variety of their products for various Palm devices, including desktop cradles for Treo 680 and 750, and the Tungsten T5 and TX. Also being released is the Designio Leather Shell for the Treo 680 and 750, and the Styra for the Treo 750.

Boxwave has released a flood of their trademark products for a variety of devices. New in this release are Styras for the iPAQ rw6800, rw6828, and i-mate K-JAM. Also the FlexiSkin has been released for the HTC Trinity and P3300, an Armor case for the iPAQ rx4000, and the ClearTouch screen protector series for the HTC Herald.

Netflix will start showing movies and TV episodes over the Internet this week, providing its subscribers with more instant gratification as the DVD-by-mail service prepares for a looming technology shift threatening its survival. The company plans to unveil the new “Watch Now” feature, but only a small number of its more than 6 million subscribers will get immediate access to the service, which is being offered at no additional charge.

A California man suffered severe burns over half his body after his cell phone caught fire in his pocket Saturday, officials said. Luis Picaso, 59, sustained second- and third-degree burns after his cell phone apparently burst into flames, quickly igniting his polyester blend pants, nylon shirt and windbreaker, said William Tweedy, lead investigator and spokesman for the fire department in the Northern California town of Vallejo. Picaso was transferred to U.C. Davis Medical Center and is reported to be in stable condition.

Pacific Design announced availability of the DS Lite Street Pack and Street Case; two cases designed to carry and protect the popular Nintendo handheld gaming device. Pacific Design will accept online orders at their new ecommerce enabled Web site and Circuit City stores.

Sounding a little like the Y2K concerns at the turn of this century, the U.S. Congress’s expansion of daylight-saving time, which moves the clock change from early April to March 11, may cause some VARs to lose a little sleep. The change will require patches for many software products, some which will require manual installations. But customers shouldn’t expect VARs to be pushing such patches very hard. “People will wait and see what will really happen because of Y2K,” said Jim Locke, president of JWLocke and Associates, a VAR based in Pasadena, Calif. “Everybody shouted that the world was going to come to an end with Y2K, and of course it didn’t.”

Ask those who ride the waves, and they’ll tell you surfing and music are like searing sun rays and cold beverages, wet suits and wakeboards, sand and sandwiches. They just go together. But until recently, they couldn’t be used together, most electronic music players being no match for crushing, soggy waves. But Freestyle Audio is among those shooting to change that, with its signature waterproof MP3 player. Created by electrical engineer and surfing aficionado Lance Fried in 2004, the San Diego, California-based company has partnered with leading adventure sports firms and retailers, consciously avoiding alliances with big-box retailers. Fried’s aim is to create a product that is small, durable, simple and a staple for surfers, wakeboarders, snowboarders, swimmers, and anyone participating in “any type of activity that you either get wet; or sweat.”