Washington, May 23: Google has announced its acquisition of Motorola's mobile arm for 12.5 billion dollars, few days after the Internet search received approval from the Chinese government.

Google co-founder Larry Page confirmed in a blog post that the deal has now closed.

"Motorola is a great American tech company that has driven the mobile revolution, with a track record of over 80 years of innovation, including the creation of the first cell phone," Page wrote.

San Francisco, May 12 - Apple will drop Google Maps from its upcoming mobile platform iOS 6 in favour of its own mapping system, it was reported Friday.

The application design is said to be fairly similar to the current Google Maps programme on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, but it is described as a much cleaner, faster and more reliable experience, said technology news website 9to5mac, citing its sources.

San Francisco, April 20 - Microsoft Thursday reported a modest revenue increase and profit decline in its quarterly earnings with numbers still topping analysts' estimates.

For the quarter ending March 31, the software giant reported quarterly revenue of $17.41 billion, a 6 percent increase on a year-on-year basis, reported Xinhua.

"We're driving toward exciting launches across the entire company, while delivering strong financial results," said Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer at Microsoft.

Washington, Mar 30 : It wouldn't be long before our homes act as "intelligent agents" that use sensors and software to anticipate our needs and tend to tasks that improve our health, energy efficiency, even social media.

Many homes are already halfway there, with computer chips helping microwave popcorn, record TV shows, and turn on coffee makers and thermostats.

"If you have a programmable thermostat, you have the beginnings of a smart home," said Diane Cook, Washington State University's professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Washington, March 23 - Six outstanding scientists and researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), including two Indian Americans, will participate in the fourth emerging technologies conference of MIT Technology Review's EmTech India in Bangalore.

The conference starting March 27 will see over 500 innovators getting an insight into the work being done in digital transformation; network designs in the social world and the innovation ecosystem and how it can impact society.

Washington, March 9 - With 4G LTE wireless, retina display, and a high-definition camera, Apple's third tablet is no doubt the best iPad yet, say those in the industry.

Apple CEO Tim Cook who introduced the new iPad in San Francisco Wednesday, called it the "poster child of the post-PC world", the Christian Science Monitor reported.

The new iPad has a breathtaking screen. Weighing in at 2048 by 1536 pixels, it boasts 3.1 million, one million more than a 1080p HDTV, which has only 1920 by 1080 pixels.

"The most ever in a mobile device," said Cook.

San Francisco, Feb 29 - Apple Tuesday announced an event March 7 that may see the introduction of the company's next generation of iPad tablet computer.

The event will take place at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, reported Xinhua.

According to a report by the San Francisco Chronicle, an Apple invitation to the event read that "We have something you really have to see. And touch".

The highly-anticipated new iPad is expected to have a faster processor, improved graphics processor and a high-definition retina display.

Washington, Feb 24 : A coalition of Internet firms, including US-based Google, have agreed to support a "do-not-track" button to be installed in web browsers that would help protect the privacy of computer users across the globe.

The `do-not-track' feature has been announced as part of the White House's call for Congress to pass a "Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights" that will allow Internet users greater control over how their personal information is collected and used online.

For more than a year, Internet browser companies have resisted embedding the button.

Washington, Feb 23 - The online advertising business of search engine giant Google is growing faster than anticipated and is expected to surpass Facebook to be the top display ad seller in the US by 2013, a study has said.

Display ad is a form of graphical advertising on the internet usually appearing next to web content as banners or short video clips.

Research firm eMarketer said Facebook crossed Yahoo to be the top display ad-selling internet company in the US last year, and is set to continue the lead in 2012 with a revenue of $2.58 billion, Xinhua reported.

Washington, Jan 18 - Wikipedia, which describes itself as the largest encyclopaedia in human history, has blacked out its English-language site to protest proposed US anti-piracy laws.

"Imagine a world without free knowledge," says a statement posted against a black background when one tries to access the site.

Wikipedia is opposing the US Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) being debated by Congress.

Jimmy Wales, who founded the site, told the BBC: "Proponents of SOPA have characterised the opposition as being people who want to enable piracy or defend piracy".

San Francisco, Jan 19 - Yahoo's co-founder Jerry Yang has resigned from its Board of Directors and all other positions with the company, it was announced Tuesday.

The 43-year-old Yang also resigned from the Boards of Yahoo! Japan and Alibaba Group Holding limited, Xinhua quoted the company as stating in a press release.

Having founded the online company in 1995 with David Filo, Yang was Yahoo's chief executive from June 2007 until January 2009. (IANS)

Washington, Jan 13 : Scientists have succeeded in developing the world’s smallest data storage unit, which uses just twelve atoms per bit and squeezes a whole byte (8 bit) into as few as 96 atoms.

In comparison, a modern hard drive still needs more than half a billion atoms per byte.

The nanometre storage unit was developed by scientists from IBM and the German Center for Free-Electron Laser Science (CFEL).

Washington, Jan 11 : Advanced nanomaterials could now open the door to a new generation of high-performance, cost-effective solid state refrigeration and air conditioning, requiring no refrigerants and no moving parts, a new study led by Indian origin researcher has revealed.

The key ingredients for this innovation by engineering researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are a dash of nanoscale sulfur and a normal, everyday microwave oven.

Washington, Jan 11 : Drawing inspiration from science fiction, researchers have developed a controllable endoscopic capsule that patients can swallow like a pill and let doctors explore inside of their bodies.

Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have successfully tested a prototype of the capsule that has the ability to "swim" through the body and could provide clinicians with unprecedented control when photographing the inside of the human body.

The capsule can be equipped with a camera.

Once inside the patient's digestive track, a doctor can "steer" the capsule through the body using an MRI machine, photograph specific areas of interest, and view those pictures wirelessly.

Washington, Jan 10 : Three start-up gadget makers are now offering micro-thin coatings that protect cellphones from moisture even when they are completely immersed in water.

The special coatings are made of nanomaterials that can seamlessly and invisibly encase iPhone or Android phone and keep it safe from water.

HzO, P2i, and Liquipel will be putting their technology on display this week at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

“We can’t see why every cellphone on the planet shouldn’t be using our technology,” Paul Clayson, president and CEO of nanotech firm HzO told FoxNews. com.