It can talk to your car, your refrigerator, water your plants and help you stay fit and healthy: the smartphone is become the consumer's remote control for life.

That was the message delivered by dozens of firms at the International Consumer Electronics Show, where terms like "appification" were tossed around freely.

The European Union and the U.S. agreed Friday to share more data on cross-border cyber criminals at the opening of a new hi-tech unit aimed at helping police catch up with increasingly imaginative criminals.

"This agreement will reinforce the cooperation, the exchange of information," Europol chief Rob Wainwright told Agence France Presse at the opening of the European Cybercrime Center (EC3) in The Hague.

Corning, which played a key role in the smartphone revolution with its robust "Gorilla Glass," is looking beyond the small screen with an upgraded version which promises to be even tougher.

The company, which rose to prominence in the consumer tech world with the display panels for the first iPhones in 2007, unveiled its thinner, stronger, Gorilla Glass 3 at the International CES this week.

Facebook confirmed Friday it was dabbling with charging members as much as $100 to get messages to the inboxes of strangers such as social network co-founder and chief Mark Zuckerberg.

"We are testing some extreme price points to see what works to filter spam," Facebook said in response to an Agence France Presse inquiry regarding the costly delivery fees.

It's not wise to Google the nearest gas station, compose email, or use your smartphone to check the latest sports scores while driving. But many Americans do.

Drivers have grown so accustomed to their on-the-go tasks that automakers are increasingly trying to make those things easier to pull off with both hands on the wheel and both eyes on the road.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security warned Thursday that a flaw in Java software is so dangerous that people should stop using it.

"This vulnerability is being attacked in the wild, and is reported to be incorporated into exploit kits," the department's Computer Emergency Readiness Team said in a notice on its website.

Smartphone battery running low?

You are not alone. With millions of mobile devices handling more tasks, batteries are draining faster, forcing the industry to look for solutions including wireless charging, which can give consumers a power boost on the go.

Sony's PlayStation 3 bumped Microsoft Xbox 360 from the videogame console sales throne in December, according to a report released Wednesday by industry tracker International Data Corporation.

The number of PS3 units shipped by Sony hit an estimated 77 million units, topping Xbox 360 shipments by approximately a million despite the fact that Microsoft released its latest-generation console a year before Sony did.

One is never too young to be connected.

The technology industry displaying its wares at the massive Consumer Electronics Show this week included a variety of products and apps aimed at the youngest audiences, even those unable to walk.

A federal judge has dismissed a Texas girl's objection to locator chips in student ID badges at a public high school in a case that raises concerns about the erosion of privacy and civil liberties.

Andrea Hernandez, 15, and her father told school officials they oppose the use of locator chips on religious grounds.