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Ebook Sales Skyrocketed In 2011

Sales of ebooks more than doubled in 2011 to bring in some $2.07 billion for the U.S. publishing industry, a survey showed Wednesday.

The data from the Association of American Publishers and the Book Industry Study Group said ebooks grew from $869 million in 2010. Last year, ebooks accounted for some six percent of overall publishing revenues.

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Mexican Minister Suggests Mobile App to Fight Crime

Mexico's interior minister suggested Wednesday that a mobile software app could help crack down on the country's crippling drug-related crime.

Speaking at a conference hosted by search giant Google in California, Alejandro Poire said the new government was determined to get a grip on the violence wracking Mexico, and technology could help.

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Dotcom Judge Steps Down after Joking U.S. is 'Enemy'

A New Zealand judge has stepped down from overseeing the extradition case of Mega upload founder Kim Dotcom after jokingly referring to the United States as "the enemy."

The comment by Auckland District Court Judge David Harvey raised questions about his impartiality. He was discussing Internet copyright at a conference last week when he told an audience, "We have met the enemy, and he is U.S."

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Google Chief Declares War on 'Illicit Networks,' Interpol Unveils Fake Goods Scanning App

Google chief Eric Schmidt declared war on international criminals Tuesday, vowing to harness technology to battle "illicit networks" around the world.

At a two-day summit including Interpol, government ministers and victims of forced labor and child slavery, Schmidt said the Internet can help fight traffickers of drugs, sex workers and organs.

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New Dell Fund Will Invest in Data Storage Technology

The chief of U.S. computer maker Dell on Tuesday announced the launch of a $60 million fund focused on investing in technology for storing the massive amounts of data being collected by businesses.

"We really believe in this explosion of data driven a lot by smartphones and tablets," Michael Dell, founder of the Texas-based company that bears his name, said at a Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference in Aspen, Colorado.

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PayPal Stuffs Startup into its Smartphone Wallet

EBay-owned online financial transactions titan PayPal on Tuesday announced that it has bought a San Francisco startup focused on using smartphone cameras to take credit card payments.

PayPal has worked with Card.io to fold its technology into its own mobile application and decided to buy the company, according to PayPal vice president of global product Hill Ferguson.

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Google Search for Human Traffickers, Drug Cartels

Forget videos of cute kittens or good deals on iPads. For the past few months, Google has been quietly turning its search capabilities to something far more challenging: criminals.

Drug cartels, money launderers and human traffickers run their sophisticated operations online — and Google Ideas, Google Inc.'s think tank, is working with the Council on Foreign Relations and other organizations to look for ways to use technology to disrupt international crime.

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Facebook Buys Mobile Gadget Focused Spool

Facebook added more mobile technology to its arsenal with the acquisition of Spool, a startup specializing in bookmarking and sharing content on smartphones or tablets.

"The Spool team has deep expertise in mobile software development and a passion for making content easy to consume," Facebook said Monday in response to an Agence France Presse inquiry.

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Appy Ever After, With a Smartphone Network for Lovers

A smartphone app that caters mainly for bashful Asian lovers has recorded a million downloads since its launch last November, and now the developers are eyeing new markets.

Couples unwilling to share their relationship with the world through Facebook or other social media have flocked to sign up for Between, an intimate app designed for two.

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Google's First Female Engineer Jumps to Yahoo! Helm

Insights to Marissa Mayer can be found in her approach to cupcakes.

Google's first female engineer and the new Yahoo! chief executive carefully matched ideal ingredients, temperatures and other factors to create a sublime baked treat, according to a tale told by those who know her.

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