Facebook's $19-billion (14-billion-euro) takeover of smartphone messaging service WhatsApp staked the social network's place in dramatic fashion as a pivotal player in the mobile world.

The U.S. social networking giant's 29-year-old founder Mark Zuckerberg snatched the limelight ahead of his debut as the star speaker on the opening day of the February 24-27 World Mobile Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

Google on Tuesday gave early adopters of its Internet-connected eyewear a bit of advice: don't be "Glassholes."

It was the final suggestion in a recommended code of conduct posted online for software developers and others taking part in an Explorer program providing early access to Google Glass.

Japan's Sony said Tuesday it has sold more than 5.3 million PlayStation 4 consoles three months after its release, as the firm battles Microsoft and Nintendo in the lucrative games sector.

The eagerly-awaited PlayStation, which sold more than one million units in just one day after its November 15 debut in North America, easily cleared a worldwide target of 5.0 million units before March.

It used to be that "hacking" was just a type of crime, a computer break-in. But today, the term is also part of a growing — and perfectly legal — mainstay of the tech sector.

Computer programming competitions known as "hackathons" have spread like viruses in recent years as ways for geeks, nerds and designers to get together to eat pizza, lose sleep and create something new.

An Israel-based startup specializing in using sounds instead of passwords for logging in said Monday it has been bought by Google.

SlickLogin did not disclose financial terms of the deal, and Google did not respond to an Agence France Presse request for comment about the acquisition.

It used to be that "hacking" was just a type of crime, a computer break-in. But today, the term is also part of a growing — and perfectly legal — mainstay of the tech sector.

Computer programming competitions known as "hackathons" have spread like viruses in recent years as ways for geeks, nerds and designers to get together to eat pizza, lose sleep and create something new.

Toyota Motor Corp. said Monday it is recalling 13,000 FJ Cruiser sport-utility vehicles, mostly in the Middle East, for fuel tubes that may overheat, melt and set off a gas leak.

The automaker said five fires have been reported related to the defect. There have been no reports of injuries or deaths.

Online fundraising site Kickstarter says hackers got some of its customer data.

Kickstarter co-founder Yancey Strickler said in a blog post that hackers accessed usernames, email addresses, phone numbers and passwords. The passwords are encrypted, but the company said it's possible for a hacker to guess a weak or obvious password. It recommended that users change their passwords.

Some 1,700 impatient shoppers lined up for hours Saturday for the grand opening of Apple's store in Rio de Janeiro -- the first official outpost in South America.

First in line was Thiago Cuba, 31, who said he was looking forward to shopping at the glistening new computer store in a tony section of Rio -- even though he was experiencing sticker shock.

Irked by high bank fees on international money transfers, two Estonian IT whizzes who helped engineer Skype and Paypal have hatched Transferwise, a global Internet platform coordinating currency swaps between individuals.

"Hey, hidden fees. Your secret's out," taunts the site founded by Taavet Hinrikus, 32, and partner Kristo Kaarmann, 33.