Apple's two new iPhones target high, low-end markets

Apple Inc unveiled a high-end iPhone with a fingerprint scanner as it tries to stand out in a crowded market, and a cheaper, colorful plastic model for emerging markets that proved pricier than expected.

Internet companies in new effort to disclose more on NSA requests

Some of the world's biggest Internet companies on Monday increased efforts to disclose more about their forced cooperation with U.S. spy agencies, and Google Inc asked a court to hold what would be unprecedented public oral arguments.

Apple expected to unveil iPhone to drive emerging market sales

Apple Inc is expected to introduce a cheaper version of the iPhone on Tuesday, bringing one of the industry's costliest smartphones within reach of the masses in poorer emerging markets.

Internet experts want security revamp after NSA revelations

Internet security experts are calling for a campaign to rewrite Web security in the wake of disclosures that the U.S. National Security Agency has developed the capability to break encryption protecting millions of sites.

NSA can see through encryption, including your private e-mail's, says report

Despite losing a '90s era debate over allowing a government back door into all encryption technologies, the US National Security Agency set up a clandestine program code-named Bullrun and can now circumvent much of the virtual armor intended to protect digital communications

Microsoft notches up patent victory against Google

Microsoft has won another victory in a continuing and complex patent dispute with Google. The latest spat hinges on whether technologies used in the Xbox console and Windows software were licensed on fair terms by Google-owned Motorola.

Asha to Ashes: Microsoft's emerging market conundrum

Microsoft Corp's acquisition of Nokia's handset business gives the software behemoth control of its main Windows smartphone partner, but leaves a question mark over the bigger business it has bought: Nokia's cheap and basic phones that still dominate emerging markets like India.

Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch hands-on (video)

Wrist watches, smart or otherwise, are simply not for everyone -- there are more smartphone users in the world, many times over, than there will ever be smartwatch owners.

Apple invites media to Beijing September 11 event: reports

Apple Inc has invited Chinese journalists to an event in Beijing on September 11, just hours after it is widely expected to unveil its newest iPhone models in the United States, Chinese media reported on Wednesday.

Panasonic to retreat from consumer smartphones-president

Panasonic Corp will pull out of the smartphone market in Japan and pare its smartphone operations to outsourced production in emerging markets like India, the company's president said on Wednesday.

Android KitKat unveiled in Google surprise move

Google is calling the next version of its mobile operating system Android KitKat. The news comes as a surprise as the firm had previously indicated version 4.4 of the OS would be Key Lime Pie.

Microsoft to acquire Nokia's handset business for $7.2 billion

Microsoft Corp on Tuesday said it will buy Nokia's mobile phone business for 5.44 billion euros ($7.2 billion).

Verizon poised for historic $130 billion Vodafone deal

Verizon Communications was poised on Monday to take full control of its U.S. wireless business with a $130 billion deal to buy out Vodafone and end a decade-long corporate standoff.

HTC execs detained over leaked trade secrets; shares tumble

Three HTC Corp design executives were arrested on suspicion of leaking trade secrets, sending the Taiwanese smartphone maker's shares tumbling on Monday as its troubles deepened amid a wave of senior staff departures and disappointing sales.

Facebook considers adding profile photos to facial recognition

Facebook Inc is considering incorporating most of its 1 billion-plus members' profile photos into its growing facial recognition database, expanding the scope of the social network's controversial technology.

Verizon in talks to buy out Vodafone stake: sources

Verizon Communications is close to buying the remaining stake in Verizon Wireless from Vodafone Group PLC it does not own for potentially $130 billion, according to people familiar with the talks, in what could be the third-biggest deal of all time.

China's Xiaomi poaches Google's Barra to power global drive

Xiaomi Tech, a fast-growing Chinese maker of cheap smartphones, has hired senior Google Inc Android executive Hugo Barra to spearhead its nascent global expansion.

Nintendo cuts Wii U price, plans lower-priced device for holidays

Nintendo Co Ltd plans to offer a new handheld gaming device and a $50 discount on its most expensive Wii U console in North America and Europe, to compete with rivals Microsoft Corp and Sony Corp as they prepare to release new hardware.

Chinese shoppers set to become world leaders online

China's e-commerce market is expected to leapfrog that of the United States this year to become the world's largest by total customer spending, management consultancy firm Bain & Company says.

Skype confirms 3D video calls are under development

The news was revealed by a senior executive in an exclusive interview with the BBC to mark Skype's 10th anniversary. There had been speculation about the possibility after the firm posted an advert in April saying it wanted to find a way to create "body-doubles" for workers unable to travel to meetings.

Samsung's Galaxy Gear Coming Sept. 4

Samsung will launch its smart watch, the Galaxy Gear, on Sept. 4 ahead of the IFA consumer electronics trade show in Berlin, Germany.

U.S. judge wants external monitor for Apple in e-books case

A U.S. judge weighing remedies to assure that Apple Inc does not fix prices again in the e-books market said on Tuesday that she plans to require it to hire an external monitor, something the company considers unnecessary.

New York Times, Twitter hacked by Syrian group

Media companies, including the New York Times, Twitter and the Huffington Post, lost control of some of their websites Tuesday after hackers supporting the Syrian government breached the Australian Internet company that manages many major site addresses.

U.S. security agencies say Android mobile main target for malware

Google Inc's Android, the dominant mobile operating system, is by far the primary target for malware attacks, mostly because many users are still using older versions of the software, according to a study by the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Dangerous but beautiful: An asteroid we still don't want to meet

If you spent your time worrying about the number of asteroids and comets getting relatively close to our planet, you likely wouldn't log much sleep given that astronomers now have detected more than 10,000 so-called near-Earth objects (NEOs) flying through space.

Facebook prompts users to create shared photo albums

Facebook has created its own rendition of the friend and family slideshow. The social network unveiled a new feature on Monday that lets several users contribute photographs to one single album.

Instagram, Vine and Netflix hit by Amazon glitch

Software problems at one of Amazon's data centres has knocked out several high profile web services.

China web users arrested over posts on Sina Weibo

Four people have been arrested in China over posts made on Twitter-like website Sina Weibo, state media has reported.

New Microsoft CEO faces big choices post-Ballmer

The next CEO of Microsoft Corp has one big decision to make: press on with retiring chief executive Steve Ballmer's ambitious plan to transform the software giant into a broad-based devices and services company, or jettison that idea and rally resources around its proven strength in business software.

Google Street View Conquers the Oceans

Now, you can explore the depths of the ocean without ever leaving your apartment.