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Global Internet Hit 2012 Speed Bump

Global Internet connection speeds around the world slowed in late 2012, according to a survey released Wednesday that suggested a temporary stall in broadband gains.

Akamai Technologies' third quarter "State of the Internet" report also showed China remained the biggest source of computer attacks, and that Brazil and China appear to have the biggest surge in Web use.

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Microsoft to Sell Surface Windows 8 Pro on Feb 9

Microsoft says that the pro version of its Surface tablet will be available to purchase Feb. 9 in the U.S. and Canada.

Unlike the previous version that launched in October, the "Surface Windows 8 Pro" will use the full version of Windows 8, which is compatible with programs that run on earlier versions of Windows.

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Yahoo! Buys Scrapbook Website Snip.it

Yahoo! confirmed Tuesday that it bought Snip.it, a young San Francisco startup that lets people create scrapbooks with pictures, articles, videos and other content found online.

"The Snip.it team created an innovative technology that lets people share content in a social and fun way," Yahoo! vice president of product Mike Kerns said in a statement emailed to Agence France Presse.

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Dutch Architect to Build House with 3D Printer

A Dutch architect has designed a house "with no beginning or end" to be built using the world's largest 3D printer, harnessing technology that may one day be used to print houses on the moon.

Janjaap Ruijssenaars, 39, of Universe Architecture in Amsterdam, wants to print a Mobius strip-shaped building with around 1,100 square meters (12,000 square feet) of floor space using the massive D-Shape printer.

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Mozilla Unveils Preview Smartphones in New Push

The Mozilla Foundation on Tuesday unveiled two preview smartphones as it invited developers to try its new open-source mobile operating system challenging Apple's iOS and Google's Android.

The announcement marked a major step forward for the new Firefox OS mobile operating system which is being built using open Web standards, like its Firefox Web browser.

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America Archives its Billions of Tweets

The Library of Congress, repository of the world's largest collection of books, has set for itself the enormous task of archiving something less weighty and far more ephemeral -- Americans' billions of tweets.

The venerable U.S. institution is assembling all of the 400 million tweets sent by Americans each day, in the belief that each of the mini-messages reflect a small but important part of the national narrative.

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Atari U.S. Files for Bankruptcy to Break from Parent

Video game maker Atari's U.S. operations have filed for bankruptcy protection in an effort to separate from their French parent company, which is filing a similar motion separately in France.

In a statement, Atari says the move is necessary to secure investments it needs to grow in mobile and downloadable video games.

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Ericsson to Buy IT Arm of France's Devoteam

Swedish telecommunications equipment maker Ericsson said Monday it would buy the telecom and media unit of French technology consultant Devoteam.

Around 400 France-based IT services professionals will join the company under a deal the company said would strengthen its consulting capabilities.

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China's Huawei Criticizes U.S. ecurity complaints

Chinese tech giant Huawei on Monday criticized U.S. claims the company might be a security risk as trade protectionism that harms consumers.

The comments came as Huawei Technologies Ltd., a maker of network switching gear and smartphones, disclosed details of its 2012 performance in an effort to show transparency and allay security concerns.

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NKorea Loosens Restrictions on Foreign Cellphones

North Korea is loosening some restrictions on foreign cellphones by allowing visitors to bring their own phones into the country. However, security regulations still prohibit mobile phone calls between foreigners and locals.

For years, North Korea required visitors to relinquish foreign cellphones at the border until their departure, leaving many tourists without an easy way to communicate with the outside world.

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