South Korean tech giants Samsung Electronics and LG unveiled Sunday new smartphones with better cameras and turned to virtual reality to boost interest in their headsets at a time of slowing sales.

Samsung launched two versions of its flagship phone, the flat screen Galaxy S7 and the curved screen Galaxy S7 edge, with cameras that can take better pictures under low-light conditions.

A court order the U.S. government requested to force Apple to unlock an iPhone linked to the San Bernardino shooting rampage is about "the victims and justice," FBI Director James Comey said.

In his first public remarks since Apple CEO Tim Cook said he would fight the federal magistrate's order, Comey said the Justice Department's request is simply about gaining access to the locked phone.

South Korea's handset maker LG on Sunday unveiled its first modular smartphone, the G5, in Barcelona in a bid to counter competition from its major rival Samsung.

The new premium model -- made using different components that can be independently upgraded or replaced -- comes with a removable battery and accessories such as virtual reality headset and a sound system developed by Danish firm Bang & Olufsen.

Here's another use for the smartphone as it invades daily life: in place of your debit card at your bank cash machine.

The "cardless" automatic teller machine (ATM) is gaining ground in the U.S. and around the world, with smartphone technology allowing for speedier and more secure transactions.

Yahoo said Friday it had named a committee to study the company's "strategic alternatives," moving a step closer toward a breakup or sale of the troubled Internet pioneer.

The California tech group had already said it was reviewing other options even as it carries out a major restructuring, but the formation of an independent panel moves that process forward.

The tech industry is starting to line up with Apple in its fight against the federal government over the encryption it uses to keep iPhones secure.

Earlier this week, a U.S. magistrate ordered Apple to help investigators break into an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino mass shooters. Apple has until next Tuesday to challenge that ruling, setting the stage for a legal clash that could determine whether tech companies or government authorities get the final say on just how secure devices like smartphones can be.

A Google balloon, part of the company's high-speed Internet service known as "Project Loon", crashed in a Sri Lankan tea plantation during its maiden test flight, local police said Thursday.

Villages found the deflated balloon with its electronic equipment in the island's central tea-growing region of Gampola on Wednesday night, an officer told Agence France Presse.

Apple on Thursday launched its mobile payment service Apple Pay in China, pitting the U.S. technology giant against strong domestic rivals in a large but already crowded market.

Success in the world's second-largest economy is crucial for the California-based firm. Apple Pay is available in only a few other countries including the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia.

Video streaming delays generate as much stress as watching a horror film, the Swedish telecom company Ericsson said Wednesday. 

Ericsson, which sells equipment to mobile telephone companies to accelerate download speeds and prevent delays or buffering, said its study measured the heart rate, brain activity and eye movements of people watching videos on a mobile phone.

An American judge ordered Apple on Tuesday to help the FBI break into an iPhone belonging to one of the attackers in the San Bernardino shooting that killed 14 people.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym ordered Apple to provide "reasonable technical assistance" to the FBI, including by disabling an auto-erase feature after too many unsuccessful attempts are made to unlock the iPhone 5C.