The world's first robot astronaut has begun chatting to the Japanese commander of the International Space Station, in what was being billed as the first conversation of its kind.

Kirobo, a pint-sized android equipped with artificial intelligence and capable of learning how to respond appropriately to humans, even put a marker down for Christmas, telling Koichi Wakata he expected a visit from a certain man bearing gifts.

U.S. Internet users are far more worried about computer hacking and theft of personal information than about online privacy and tracking by marketers, a poll showed Friday.

The survey conducted for the Computer & Communications Industry Association found that Internet users are most concerned about the theft of personal and financial information and believe that the federal government should do more to protect them.

A Japanese researcher on Friday unveiled an invention that instantly and wirelessly transmits force between two devices, in a development that could allow physical therapists to treat patients remotely.

Kouhei Ohnishi said his "force transceiver" permits two-way communication of the amount of pressure being applied and the resistance it is encountering in real time.

Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc. said their curved TVs will get bigger and sport the sharpness four times the regular HD television sets.

The world's two largest TV makers will display ultra-HD TVs with curved screens that measure 105 inches diagonally in Las Vegas next month, they said in separate statements Thursday.

Embracing the Christmas spirit, Lebanese developer Samir Shaker created an app that brings you the magic of the holidays with a touch of a button. The app, Twinkly, has in a short period of time revolutionized the way people send Christmas greeting cards to their loved ones.

Twinkly is very easy to use as it only requires people to point their iPhone at their Christmas tree, and Twinkly will automatically make the tree twinkle or shine in any of the various 18 effects offered by the app. The animated effects range from adding twinkles, Santas, stars, bells to rainbows, space lights, funky colors and many others.

This holiday season Nintendo faces a critical test with its Wii U video game console that is pitted against Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One as it seeks to revive flagging sales.

Analysts say there's a chance for the Kyoto-based company to stage a turnaround as new game releases such as Super Mario 3D World and Wii Fit U could lift Wii U sales. Should lackluster sales persist, the company which shot to prominence in the 1980s with Family Computer consoles and Game Boy portables might be forced to reconsider the core of its business strategy.

The U.N. General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution aimed at protecting the right to privacy against unlawful surveillance in the digital age on Wednesday in the most vocal global criticism of U.S. eavesdropping.

Germany and Brazil introduced the resolution following a series of reports of U.S. surveillance, interception, and data collection abroad — including on Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff and German Chancellor Angela Merkel — that surprised and angered friends and allies.

Bkirki launched on Wednesday its first account on the social media website Twitter.

The account, @bkerkejeune, is managed by the youth department at Bkirki.

Social networking site Facebook is to launch this week advertising clips on users' news feeds, the Wall Street Journal website reported on Tuesday.

The newspaper, quoting an anonymous source close to the matter, said that the clips would be triggered automatically on feeds when a user consulted his or her profile either on the Internet or via a smartphone.

Google Glass on Tuesday announced updates to the software in its Internet-linked eyewear to allow users to snap pictures by winking.

The new feature, which promises to escalate privacy concerns already being voiced about the high-tech gadget, came as one of an array of improvements.