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Google Wins Swiss Street View Privacy Appeal

Google welcomed on Friday a ruling by Switzerland's highest court that it does not have to blur all faces and car registrations on its Street View service in the country.

The Federal Court found in favor of the Internet giant which had appealed an order by a lower court last year to ensure all people and cars pictured on Street View were unidentifiable.

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Brussels Offers 'Smart' Tourists 600 Tagged Sites

In what it described as a world first, the city of Brussels on Friday launched a hi-tech system that enables tourists or anyone else with a smartphone to scan tags for information at 600 sites.

Developed by a Belgian firm, the system called "TagTagCity" enables visitors to scan a code on a tag. These tags appear on the walls and windows of museums, monuments, restaurants and shops.

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First Apple Computer to be Auctioned at Sotheby's

There's no screen, it was built in 1976, and the clunky design does not exactly recall today's iPads, but the first Apple computer is expected to fetch up to $180,000 in New York.

Sotheby's in New York is auctioning the rare piece of computer history, which actually still works, on June 15.

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Ubisoft Plays Hard at E3 Videogame Conference

Ubisoft flexed its muscles, embracing new trends in digital play while rolling out blockbuster titles for consoles and handheld gadgets at the E3 industry extravaganza that ended Thursday.

The France-based videogame titan's creations took center stage before the big three console makers -- Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony.

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Videogame Play Becomes a Spectator Sport

Videogame play is becoming a spectator sport.

"It is the next evolution in gaming," said Matthew DiPietro of TwitchTV, an online platform that enables people to stream play live online.

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Facebook Opens Online Center for Social "Apps"

Facebook on Thursday began rolling out an App Center for mini-programs that plug offerings such as Pinterest or Draw Something into the leading social network.

The App Center feature opened its virtual doors in the United States with 600 programs geared for Web browsers as well as those for Apple and Android smartphones or tablet computers.

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Apple Fined $2.22 Million Over Australian 4G iPad

Apple agreed Friday to a Aus$2.25 million (U.S.$2.22 million) fine for misleading Australian customers about the local 4G capability of its next-generation iPad, in a case brought by regulators.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) told the Federal Court that the U.S. tech giant had agreed to the penalty for implying in advertising that the 4G function on its latest iPad worked in Australia.

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Google Adds Offline 3D Maps to Mobile Service

Google unveiled a revamped maps program Wednesday that allows mobile users to use the service without an Internet connection as the Internet giant geared up for a possible competing service.

"You will no longer need paper maps," said Google's Rita Chen at an event unveiling the upgrades.

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Twitter Unveils the New 'Twitterbird' Trademark

Twitter unveiled a new "Twitterbird" Wednesday which will be the new trademark symbol for the fast-growing company.

"Over the past six years, the world has become familiar with a little blue bird. The bird is everywhere, constantly associated with Twitter the service, and Twitter the company," said creative director Doug Bowman.

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S. Korea Computer Game Giant Takes on U.S. Mobile Market

South Korea-based WeMade Entertainment went shoulder-to-shoulder Wednesday with titans at the E3 videogame extravaganza in Los Angeles with games designed to bring computer-quality play to smartphones or tablets.

The 12-year-old company behind massively-multiplayer-online-role-player-game (MMORPG) "Legend of Mir" planned to ride into the U.S. market on the back of the mobile gadget lifestyle.

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