Google on Wednesday began letting people use its Hangouts message application for mobile devices to make free or low-cost voice calls over the Internet.

"Hangouts already makes it easy to send a quick message, or start a group video chat," Google product manager Amit Fulay said in a blog post.

Apple's long-awaited smartwatch looks "too feminine" and its design will not stand the test of time, luxury giant LVMH's watch guru has told German media.

Jean-Claude Biver, who heads the French group's luxury-watch division, said the US tech titan had made "some fundamental mistakes" designing the Apple Watch.

It's long been the stuff of science fiction, but tech giants hope the "smart home", where gadgets talk to each other and the fridge orders the milk, will soon become reality.

It may still be several days before they can even order a new iPhone and more than a week until they can pick it up, but dedicated fans in Japan have already begun queuing.

Microsoft is giving its MSN news service a crisper look, new lifestyle tools and seamless syncing across devices.

The company says the revamped site fits in with Microsoft's overall strategy of making mobile phones and Internet-based services priorities as its traditional businesses — Windows and Office software installed on desktops — slow down or decline. The changes also come as people increasingly read news on smartphones and tablets rather than desktop computers.

Microsoft is in talks to buy the Swedish company behind the wildly popular "Minecraft" video game in a deal valued at more than $2 billion, The Wall Street Journal said Tuesday.

Hotly-anticipated video game "Destiny" soared at launch on Tuesday, setting a trajectory intended to eclipse the blockbuster hit its makers had with "Halo."

Apple on Tuesday unveiled two new versions of the iPhone, boosting the screen size of the iconic smartphone to 4.7 and 5.5 inches.

Unveiling the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Apple chief Tim Cook said the company was launching "the biggest advancement in the history of iPhones."

Turkey has moved to impose stricter controls on the Internet by giving its telecoms authority more powers to monitor online users and block websites, a parliamentary source said on Tuesday.

The proposals are contained in a bill submitted to parliament by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and are the latest in a string of government moves testing online freedoms in the aspiring EU member state.

U.S. Internet giant Google must come up with "new solutions" to meet complaints from competitors about its proposed anti-trust settlement with Brussels, EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia has said.