Microsoft has opened its first technology center in Latin America and promised to invest $690 million (522 million euros) in Mexicoin the next year.

The Microsoft Technology Center (MTC), inaugurated in Mexico City late Tuesday, is part of a network of 25 sites set up around the world by the company started by Bill Gates, including 11 in the United States.

India is set Wednesday to launch its long-awaited low-cost computer, a $45 tablet device designed to bring the information technology revolution to tens of millions of students.

The touchscreen computer has a seven-inch (18-centimeter) screen, Wi-Fi Internet access, a media player and 180 minutes of battery power, according to official specifications.

With TV network style, Yahoo is launching a fall slate of shows in a bid to strengthen its original programming.

On Tuesday, Yahoo Inc. announced that it will begin premiering seven new Web series this week, all targeting female audiences. That adds to the approximately two dozen original series on Yahoo, which often pull in much higher viewership than other, higher profile video hubs.

Smartphones detecting bad breath and radiation, twistable remote controls and a super-thin tablet computer were just some of the gadgets on show at Asia's biggest tech fair in Japan Tuesday.

Around 600 firms unveiled their innovations at the Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies (Ceatec) technology exhibition in Chiba, near Tokyo, which is expected to draw 200,000 visitors during its five-day run, organizers said.

While BlackBerrys and iPhones are fast becoming must-have accessories for many urban Thais, mobile Internet in the kingdom is still struggling to get out of the slow lane.

A long-running business tussle means that as other nations -- including impoverished Laos -- move to introduce faster 4G technology, Thailand has yet to fully roll out 3G, a decade after it was first launched in Japan.

Microsoft is quietly pulling the plug on its Zune digital media player, its would-be rival to Apple's iPod.

The announcement of the demise of the Zune was buried on a support page for the device.

Former file-sharing renegade Napster has a new owner.

U.S. online music service Rhapsody announced on Monday that it has purchased Napster from electronics retailer Best Buy.

Apple's Tim Cook is expected to kick off his reign as chief executive on Tuesday by unveiling a hot new iPhone model that some analysts are predicting will be a bestseller.

Cook will be filling the shoes of legendary Apple co-founder and pitchman Steve Jobs, who surrendered the California company's helm in August due to health reasons.

Social game star Zynga, known for friendly titles such as "FarmVille," is letting people unleash crime lord fantasies in "Mafia Wars 2" tailored for play at Facebook.

Zynga announced its first major game sequel on Monday, promising that "Mafia Wars 2" will roll out globally in coming weeks.

Yahoo! is teaming up with ABC News in a bid to create a digital news powerhouse.

Yahoo! and ABC News said their "strategic online news alliance," which was unveiled at the ABC News studios in Manhattan's Times Square on Monday, will reach more than 100 million U.S. users each month.