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Instagram Steps up Advertising Effort, Adds 30 Markets

Instagram unveiled plans Wednesday to expand its offerings to advertisers, opening up possibilities for global marketing efforts on the Facebook-owned photo-sharing network.

"Starting this month Instagram is open for business and available to advertisers large and small," Instagram said in a statement.

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Facebook Business Pages Closer to Becoming Online Shops

Facebook pages moved closer to replacing small business websites Tuesday, announcing features designed to make it easier for shops to hawk their wares.

Changes to business pages at the leading social network included raising the profile of features that allow customers to take actions such as booking an appointment or browsing, and allowed for more customized approaches to layouts.

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Apple Event Expected to Focus on iPhones, TV

Apple is expected to unveil updated iPhones Wednesday along with an Apple TV revamp that may signal a push into online television streaming dominated by Netflix.

Apple remained mum even as rumors ran rampant about what is in store at the San Francisco media event.

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Report: Google May Return to China with Android App Shop

Google is talking with Chinese authorities and smartphone makers about opening an online shop in China stocked with applications for Android-powered mobile devices, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

The move would mark a return for the U.S. Internet firm, which moved its online search service from Mainland China to Hong Kong in 2010 after a cyberattack targeting Gmail users and a clash over censorship.

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Intel Putting $50 mn into Quantum Computing Research

U.S. chip colossus Intel on Thursday said that it will put $50 million and engineering resources into an alliance on quantum computing that could radically advance complex problem-solving.

Intel Corporation plans a 10-year collaboration with Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and TNO, the Dutch Organization for Applied Research, to make real the kind of quantum computing that could tackle seemingly insurmountable problems.

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Google Launches Music Streaming Service in Japan

Google has launched a music streaming service in Japan, becoming the latest tech giant to push into the world's number two music market, despite mixed results among earlier arrivals.

The U.S. company said that its Japanese edition of Google Play Music features more than 35 million tunes available at a cost of 980 yen ($8) a month.

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Wikipedia Blocks Accounts Linked to Paid Edits

Wikipedia on Wednesday said that it has blocked more than 300 accounts being used by people being paid to create or tweak entries at the communally sourced online encyclopedia.

Weeks of investigation revealed 381 accounts being used at the English version of Wikipedia for "black hat" editing in which people took money to promote outside interests without disclosing they were on someone's payroll, according to a blog post.

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Hackers Raid Apple Accounts Via Jail-Broken iPhones

Hackers targeting jail-broken iPhones have raided more than 225,000 Apple accounts, using them for app-buying sprees or to hold phones for ransom, researchers said on Tuesday.

Jail-broken means modified to run apps not sanctioned by Apple.

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Google Changes Logo to Better Suit Mobile Devices

Google on Tuesday refreshed its logo to better suit mobile devices that are supplanting desktop computers when it comes to modern Internet lifestyles.

Google's logo keeps its four-color scheme but shifts to a soft sans-serif font. The company is also replacing the well-known blue lower case "g" icon with an upper-case "G" combining blue, green, red and yellow.

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In Virginia, TechShop Lets 'Makers' Tinker, Innovate

It's hard to miss the plane that sits triumphantly in the midst of a store in Washington's suburbs. But there are no wings, cockpit or motor attached to its shiny fuselage.

And the man tinkering with it is neither a professional technician nor an occasional handyman. 

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