Brazil hopes to capitalize on the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics to advance its goal of becoming the world's third largest information technology and communications (ITC) market, a top industry official says.

"We are today the fifth largest ITC market in the world, (worth) $210 billion dollars," Antonio Gil, president of the Brazilian Association of Information Technology and Communication Companies (Brasscom), told Agence France Presse in an interview Monday.

Smartphones are set to make up a majority of the global handset market next year, fueled by surging demand from consumers in both wealthy and emerging nations, a survey showed Tuesday.

The report by IHS iSuppli said smartphone shipments in 2013 are forecast to account for 54 percent of the total mobile phone market, up from 46 percent in 2012 and 35 percent in 2011.

Beirut remains the media and technology incubator in the region. As an assertion of the capital’s role, the organizers of the corporate digital marketing conference DGTL#U have chosen Beirut to be the first stop in the road show around Arab cities including Kuwait, Jeddah, Muscat, Riyadh, amongst other countries, a press release said Wednesday.

Top international digital experts are meeting in Beirut to share significant case studies and success stories with marketing professionals from Lebanon: Phil Erhart from Apple, Ramzi Raad from TBWA\RAAD, Mike Al-Mefleh from RIM, William Kanaan from Google, Dani Risha from Impact BBDO, Jiri Voves from SocialBakers, Hassan Mikail from Aramex, Tarek Atrissi from Atrissi Design...

The New York Times Co. has agreed to sell its information website About.com for $300 million to IAC, a conglomerate headed by mogul Barry Diller.

The two firms announced the cash deal late Sunday, concluding the effort by The Times to sell off non-core assets.

South Korea's Samsung Electronics vowed on Tuesday to take "all necessary measures" to keep its products on U.S. store shelves, in response to Apple's request for a ban on sales of some smartphones.

After winning a $1.05 billion U.S. court judgment in a patent suit last week, Apple on Monday filed a court request to ban eight Samsung mobile devices including versions of its Galaxy and Droid smartphones.

Swedish social media entrepreneur Erik Wachtmeister on Monday announced the launch of a new social networking site targeting the "top one percent" of Internet users, called Best of All Worlds.

The site, which helps users find events and contacts, counted 20,000 members even before its launch.

Will tweets make the difference in the 2012 U.S. presidential election?

Twitter and other social media are being used by candidates to energize supporters, raise funds and shift the focus of the public debate for what some call the nation's first "social election" in November.

Apple will unveil a new, smaller version of its wildly popular iPad in October after the release of the latest version of its iPhone next month, the All Things Digital website reported Sunday.

"First comes the latest iteration of the tech giant's hugely popular smartphone, which will be unveiled at an as yet unannounced event on September 12," the website said.

The Twitter age is killing in-depth journalism, while local newspapers are becoming extinct -- right?

Then what is a talented young New York Times reporter doing founding a website devoted to in-depth local reporting?

Facebook said Friday it had hired renowned architect Frank Gehry to design the company's campus expansion, which includes a new building with a rooftop garden.

"When it's completed, we hope it will provide a paradise workspace for the 3,400 engineers who will one day fill it," a company statement said.