Business in brief: FAA accelerates 737 inspections

Federal regulators ordered airlines to speed up inspections of the wing slats on newer Boeing 737 jetliners after more problems that could lead to a fire were found in initial inspections this week.

In the second emergency airworthiness directive in four days, the Federal Aviation Administration reduced the time allowed for inspecting the slat downstop assembly from 24 days to 10.

Both the last Saturday’s directive and the superseding one issued late Tuesday were based on findings about the fire that destroyed a China Airlines 737 in Japan last week.

FAA spokesman Les Dorr said the initial inspections this week had found two planes in which parts had come off the slat downstop assembly and were lying loose in the housing, including one in which the housing wall was damaged.

Redmond, Wash.

Microsoft buying software company

Microsoft Corp. said Wednesday it will buy a small Chicago-based technology company and add its group-chat software to a broad vision for integrated office communications programs.

Microsoft and Parlano did not disclose financial details of the deal but said they expect it to close in October.

Parlano, a seven-year-old company with 50 employees, makes the MindAlign group chat program, which lets users log on to a permanent chat room and send messages in real time, or search through an archive of the conversation later.

Microsoft has been working to integrate software for e-mail, instant messaging, video conferencing, office and mobile phones. Under this “unified communications” vision, PC users will be able to see whether the person they want to contact is available by IM but not by phone, for example, or move seamlessly from an e-mail to an IM conversation to a video chat.

Berlin

Apple, Volkswagen discussing ‘iCar’

U.S. computer company Apple Inc. and German automaker Volkswagen AG are discussing the possibility of building an “iCar” that would feature products by the producer of the ubiquitous iPod personal music player.

Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs and Volkswagen’s chief Martin Winterkorn met several days ago in California and plan to meet for further discussions, said Hans-Gerd Bode, a spokesman for VW.

Market experts estimate that a compact car upgraded with Apple products would be of substantial interest to young target groups, according to German financial magazine Capital.