Microsoft Corp has sold 100 million Windows 8 licenses in the six months since launch, roughly in line with the previous version, but wants to combat sputtering interest in its flagship software with a substantial update to make it easier to use, and compatible with smaller tablets. Windows 8 is the first Microsoft operating system primarily designed for touch commands, but it has failed to capture consumer ...

Create personal profiles. Build networks of friends. Share photos, videos and music. That might sound precisely like Facebook, but hundreds of millions of tech-savvy young people have instead turned to a wave of smartphone-based messaging apps that are now sweeping across North America, Asia and Europe. The hot apps include Kik and Whatsapp, both products of North American startups, as well as Kakao Inc's K ...

Apple has acquired a Silicon Valley startup, WiFiSlam, which makes mapping applications for smart phones. Apple confirmed the acquisition, but declined to give details. The news was earlier reported by The Wall Street Journal, which quoted a person familiar with the matter as saying that Apple paid around $20 million for the company. "Apple acquires smaller technology companies from time to time, and we gen ...

Amazon today launched its Cloud Player app for the Apple iPad and iPad Mini, expanding the online retail giant's footprint for its music streaming programme. According to cnet.com, the app allows customers to stream or download music stored in Amazon's cloud, play music already stored on the device, and manage or create playlists. A quick check by CNET shows iPad users also can purchase songs from Amazon th ...

Google Inc Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt is selling roughly 42 percent of his stake in the Internet search company, a move that could potentially net the former chief executive a $2.51 billion windfall. Schmidt, 57, will sell 3.2 million shares of Class A common stock through a stock trading plan, Google said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday. The plan, which Google sa ...

Facebook Inc. doubled its mobile advertising from the previous quarter as the world's No. 1 social network expanded its business aggressively onto handheld devices. But the growth trailed some of Wall Street's most aggressive estimates. Extending its reach on mobile devices is crucial as more and more of its 1 billion-plus users begin to access its network via smartphones and tablets. The company's overall ...

Hackers claiming to be from the activist group "Anonymous" have hacked a US government website in response to the death of Aaron Swartz, an internet activist, who committed suicide two weeks ago. Activists embedded a video statement on the homepage of the United States Sentencing Commission, an agency of the US government. The statement referred to the death of Mr Swartz, an internet activist who apparently ...

Twitter Inc. on Sunday launched an advertising service in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) as the social media firm seeks to exploit a tripling of its regional subscriber base following its widespread use during the Arab Spring protests. Digital advertising is relatively undeveloped in the region, accounting for an estimated 4 percent of its total advertising spending, tech-savvy population and risin ...

Rapper and music producer Dr.Dre has taken another huge step in the music industry surely to allow the million dollar man to rake in more dollars into his coffers as he recently acquired MOG; as the headphone maker is indeed working on a streaming service to launch sometime next year. Beats acquired MOG mostly for its technology, as music licenses are not transferable in a sale like this. Beats thought in t ...

Samsung increased its lead in terms of smartphone shipments as estimate shows that the total number of smartphone shipments exceeded 157 million in Q3 2012. The Korean company shipped a record 56.3 million which was almost double the number of iPhones shipped by Apple (26.9 million). The Galaxy S III played a key role for Samsung with estimated sales of 18 million in the third quarter. Things are getting so ...