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Napster Founders Unveil Video Chat Service Via Facebook

The creators of the original Napster music-sharing site on Tuesday launched a new video service which allows people to chat online using their Facebook accounts.

The service called Airtime was launched by Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning along with a host of celebrities at a New York event.

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Google Buys Meebo to Help Social Networking Push

Google is buying Silicon Valley startup Meebo to help expand its social networking service.

The acquisition announced Monday will bring more tools to Google Plus, an alternative to Facebook Inc.'s popular online hangout. Meebo started as a system for connecting people by instant message but has since built other communication features used by an audience of about 100 million Web people in the U.S.

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J.K. Rowling Puts Magic in PlayStation Interactive Book

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling is putting the magic in a "Book of Spells" that uses augmented reality to make ink-and-paper works interactive using PlayStation 3 videogame consoles.

Sony Computer Entertainment chief Andrew House said that the Japanese entertainment titan was collaborating with Rowling and her online Pottermore world on the first title in what will be a vast "Wonderbooks" library.

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New Singapore Carrier Uses iPads to Cut Fuel Cost

Singapore's new long-haul budget carrier Scoot has taken off for the first time, using a novel way of saving fuel -- by replacing its in-built TVs with iPads.

The airline set off on its maiden voyage to Sydney from the city-state late Monday as part of its parent Singapore Airlines (SIA) bid to tap Asia's growing demand for no-frills travel while battling surging fuel costs.

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Russian Firm: Mystery Virus Sought 'Designs from Iran'

A mystery computer virus discovered last month and deployed in a massive cyberattack chiefly against Iran sought to steal designs and PDF files from its victims, a Russian firm said.

Kaspersky Lab, one of the world's biggest producers of anti-virus software, announced last month the discovery of the Flame virus, which it described as the biggest and most sophisticated malware ever seen.

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IPEMED and Bader Organize a Conference on Lebanon’s Role in ICT Space

The Economic Foresight Institute for the Mediterranean Region, IPEMED, and Bader Young Entrepreneurs Program, are organizing a conference entitled “The Development of a Mediterranean ICT Space – The role of Lebanon in this space” on 12 June in Beirut at the premises of the ESA, a press release said Monday.

Under the Patronage of Lebanese Minister of Telecommunications Nicolas Sehnaoui, the Lebanese conference will be led by Pierre Musso, professor at Télécom ParisTech and co-author of a report published by IPEMED, “Steps towards a med. area – Confidence in the Mediterranean digital society”, which will serve as a basis for discussions.

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Taiwan's Acer Unveils Tablets that Use Windows 8

Taiwan's leading personal computer maker Acer Monday took another shot at gaining a foothold in the tablet market, unveiling two new products running on Microsoft's much-anticipated Windows 8 operating system.

Acer showed off the tablets -- named W510 and W700 -- on the eve of Computex, Asia's largest IT fair, which is held in Taipei this week for the 32nd time, with Windows 8 expected to be a key focus.

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Nintendo Seeks E3 Game Show Buzz with Wii U Peek

Nintendo provided a glimpse Sunday into its second-generation Wii console as the Japanese videogame giant set out to generate excitement ahead of the E3 industry extravaganza.

In a webcast streamed online, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata revealed details about the Wii U GamePad and promised more to attend a press conference in Los Angeles on Tuesday prior to the opening of the E3 show floor.

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Microsoft Rolls Out More Social Bing Search Engine

Microsoft on Friday rolled out a revamped Bing that includes insights from Facebook and Twitter in the biggest overhaul of the search service since its launch three years ago.

"Most things in life are better with people you trust," Microsoft said in a release announcing that the changes promise in May have arrived.

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Netflix Tops Apple in Online Movies Business

The U.S. online movie business more than doubled in 2011 to rake in $992 million and will almost double again this year, a research report showed Friday.

The biggest surge came from Netflix, which shifted its focus to subscription video on demand and snagged 44 percent of the market, overtaking Apple's iTunes service, said the report from IHS iSuppli.

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