NEWS IN BRIEF: Google, YouTube, Sony Ericsson

Google has announced two new additions to YouTube - sponsored videos, which will appear alongside search results, and live webcasts of some of YouTube's more popular stars. The sponsored videos will be very similar to Google's adwords service, with advertisers paying on a per-click basis.

YouTube is to venture into webcasting later this month, in an effort to take the video sharing Web site's popularity to a new level by showcasing the talent behind its most viewed videos, according to Reuters.

It is launching YouTube Live on November 22 in San Francisco, which will include stars like rapper Will.i.Am and singer Katy Perry and YouTube sensations like 20-year-old Esmee Denters, who posted video of herself covering popular songs and became a star on the World Wide Web.

Sony Ericsson has announced a US launch date for the Xperia X1. The phone will go on sale on November 28, and will have an $800 price tag for the unlocked version. Nokia meanwhile has announced that its second phone with a QWERTY keyboard will be launched in the next few weeks, and will have an RRP of 199 euros ($247).