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Ex-U.S. General Warns of Growing Cyber Threat

A U.S. adversary would currently be unable to bring down the entire U.S. electrical grid using cyber weapons but such a scenario is conceivable within two to five years, the former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday.

"Today, the likelihood that a nation-state or any actor is going to knock down the entire electrical grid of a country, of the United States let's say, is very remote," retired General James Cartwright said.

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Microsoft to Open "App Store" in February

Microsoft on Tuesday began wooing developers for a February opening of its first "app store" for computers powered by the U.S. technology giant's Windows software.

The Windows Store will open in late February when Microsoft releases a test version of its next-generation Windows 8 operating system.

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iPads Become Child's Play

Crayola allows tots to doodle on the iPad using its iMarker just as they would a crayon on a coloring book. Tweens are able to belt out their favorite Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez tunes on a Disney microphone that turns the tablet into a karaoke machine. And technology accessories company Griffin enables teens to fly its toy helicopter by using the iPhone as a remote control.

This holiday season, toy makers have turned Apple Inc.'s pricey tablet and smartphone into playthings for kids. They figure in this weak economy, parents will be willing to splurge on toys for their children that utilize devices they already have — or want — themselves.

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Samsung to Build Flash Memory Chip Line in China

Samsung Electronics, the world's largest memory chip maker, said Tuesday it would build a new production line in China for flash memory chips used in tablets and smartphones.

Samsung plans to start construction of the NAND flash chip plant in 2012 for operation the following year if the South Korean government approves it.

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India Asks Internet Giants to Screen User Content

The Indian government has asked Facebook, Google, Yahoo! and other Internet networks to screen user content to cut out defamatory and offensive material, officials said Tuesday.

Communications Minister Kapil Sibal met with representatives of the companies in New Delhi and requested that all content was checked before it was uploaded onto social websites.

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Dell Abandons Android Tablet in U.S.

Dell said Monday it would halt sales of its Android tablet computer in the U.S. market, as rival Amazon's new Kindle Fire has heated up in a market dominated by Apple's iPad.

A message on the Texas-based computer's website said that the seven-inch (17.8-centimeter) Streak tablet powered by Google's mobile operating software would no longer be sold in the United States.

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Siemens Makes U.S. Acquisition in Smart Grid Sector

German engineering giant Siemens said Monday it has agreed to buy eMeter, a U.S.-based data management specialist, in a bid to enhance its position in the field of so-called smart grids.

Both parties had agreed not to disclose the purchase price and expected to close the deal in "mid-to-late December," Siemens said in a statement.

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Microsoft Rolls Out Xbox TV Platform

Microsoft Corp. is rolling out a new interface for its Xbox game console users — one that allows you to navigate through music, movies, TV shows and games with the wave of your hand or the sound of your voice.

The interface, first demonstrated by CEO Steve Ballmer in September, is set up similarly to Microsoft Corp.'s upcoming Windows 8 operating system with a series of large panes showing content options.

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Facebook 'Likes' New York High-Tech Scene

New York City is already the U.S. capital of advertising, fashion, finance and media. Now it wants to be its high-tech center too.

The Big Apple's ambition to rival Silicon Valley with its own Silicon Alley received a big boost when Facebook announced Friday that it will open an engineering office next year in New York, its first outside the West Coast.

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RIM Indonesia Chief Named Suspect in BlackBerry Chaos

Indonesian police named Research In Motion's country director a suspect for negligence Monday after a BlackBerry promotion turned chaotic and left dozens injured and others knocked unconscious.

Andrew Cobham, president director for Research in Motion (RIM) in Indonesia, and British security consultant Terry Burkey were named as two of four suspects in the incident at a Jakarta mall and could face five years' imprisonment.

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