Sony's upgraded portable video game machine PlayStation Vita is going on sale in Japan on Dec. 17 with 26-game software going on sale on the same date, but it's still not available overseas until next year.

The competition in portable gaming is almost certain to intensify in Japan, ahead of the rest of the world, during the year-end shopping season.

Gary Stern has a quick answer for anyone who says he runs the last pinball machine company in the world: it's not the last -- it's simply the only pinball company.

Stern, 58, was born into the pinball business and is determined to keep it alive.

U.S. Internet users are spending nearly a quarter of their online time at blogs and social networks, with Facebook the most popular destination, according to a survey released Monday by Nielsen.

"Social media's popularity continues to grow, connecting people with just about everything they watch and buy," Nielsen said in a quarterly state-of-social-media report.

U.S. chip maker Broadcom said Monday it would acquire California rival NetLogic Microsystems in a $3.7 billion all-cash deal as it seeks to extend its footprint in network communications processors.

Broadcom will pay $50 per share for NetLogic, a 57 percent premium over the firm's closing price Friday of $31.91, under the terms of the merger agreement, Broadcom said in a statement.

President Dilma Rousseff says Brazil will have access to high-speed internet via the latest generation of cell phones before the country hosts the 2014 World Cup.

Brazil's president says 4G cell phones will be available in time to watch the matches.

Nintendo is readying an array of video games for the holidays in an aggressive attempt at catch-up for lost time from the sales delay of the 3DS portable machine last year.

Nintendo Co., which makes the Wii home console and Super Mario and Pokemon games, showed some of the gaming titles featuring glasses-free three-dimensional technology at a packed Tokyo event hall Tuesday.

In yet another sign that car manufacturers are really trying to go greener, Rolls-Royce is experimenting with an electric vehicle.

The mega-luxurious brand has kicked off a presentation by parent company BMW AG at the Frankfurt auto show trumpeting its 102EX vehicle that has an electric power train engine and is based on Rolls Royce's classic Phantom.

A bit of creativity never hurts, especially when it comes to solving health problems in developing countries.

Instead of the usual donated medicines and health equipment, some experts are inventing new products for the poor, like a solar-powered hearing aid or a motorcycle ambulance. Both inventions were showcased at an engineering conference in London.

Nissan has developed a charger for electric vehicles that's smaller, about half the price, and easier to install.

Nissan Motor Co., Japan's No. 2 automaker, said Monday the new charger will go on sale in November in Japan and is planned later for the U.S. and Europe, although dates are not set.

Germany's consumer protection minister has warned her fellow cabinet members against using Facebook to promote their work citing data security concerns, in an internal letter obtained by Der Spiegel.

In an article to be published Monday, Der Spiegel said the minister, Ilse Aigner, a longtime critic of the privacy policies at the social networking site, had outlined her objections to the other ministers.