Microsoft on Thursday began letting software developers imbue computers with voice and motion-sensing technology from its Kinect controller for the Xbox 360 videogame console.

A free Kinect for Windows Software Development Kit opens doors for computer programs enhanced with depth-perception, voice recognition, or gesture controls using the popular console accessory.

Sony has released an app making its Music Unlimited online streaming available on smart phones running Google's Android system, amid growing competition from Amazon and Apple in cloud-based services.

Sony's digital cloud-based music service, which launched in December and is available in Europe, the United States, Australia and New Zealand, allows users to stream millions of songs to Sony devices but previously lacked mobile access.

Contrary to popular opinion, social network users actually do have real lives.

According to a poll published Thursday by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, Facebook users are more trusting, have more close friends and are more politically engaged.

Yahoo! on Wednesday began helping people navigate the sea of applications available for Apple iPhones or mobile gadgets powered by Google-backed Android software.

App Search for personal computers and a free AppSpot program for smartphones were crafted to help people find what they seek at Apple's online App Store or the Android Market.

Google, Apple and Facebook get all the attention. But the forgettable everyday tasks of technology — saving a file on your laptop, swiping your ATM card to get 40 bucks, scanning a gallon of milk at the checkout line — that's all IBM.

International Business Machines turns 100 on Thursday without much fanfare. But its much younger competitors owe a lot to Big Blue.

France kicked off on Wednesday auctions for frequencies to build high-speed fourth generation mobile telephone networks needed to keep up with the explosion of Internet-capable smartphones.

Bandwith in the 800 megahertz and 2.6 gigahertz range are on the block, with minimum bids set at 2.5 billion Euros ($3.6 billion), according to information published in France's official government journal.

Facebook is approaching 700 million members but its growth is slowing and it lost users in the United States and Canada last month, the Inside Facebook website said Monday.

Facebook had 687 million members at the start of June, said Inside Facebook, which closely tracks developments and trends at the Palo Alto, California-based social network.

Google and its joint venture partner in China have applied for a license to operate an online mapping service in the world's biggest web market, a report said Tuesday.

The State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping was reviewing the application from Beijing Guxiang Information Technology Co., which operates Google's mapping service in China, Dow Jones Newswires said, citing an official.

A shadowy group of hackers behind a string of recent cyber attacks claimed on Monday to have breached the U.S. Senate website and taken internal data.

The Senate Sergeant at Arms, which is responsible for congressional security, confirmed there had been an intrusion into the server hosting the public website,Senate.gov, but said no sensitive information was compromised.

Humor, online hits and social good blended at The Webby Awards -- the Internet industry's version of Hollywood's Oscars.

Addictive game Angry Birds along with the inventor of the mobile phone were among those honored late Monday at a ceremony known for testing winners' creativity by limiting acceptance speeches to five words.