Activision’s new ‘Call of Duty’ game rakes in $550 million in three days

(Reuters) – Videogame maker Activision Blizzard Inc said “Call of Duty: Black Ops III” generated more than $550 million in global sales in the first three days after its Friday release, setting the tone for the crucial holiday quarter.

Read more

Welcome to Facebook, Taiwan poll candidate tells Chinese as posts flood in

Tens of thousands of posts apparently from China have flooded Taiwan presidential election front runner Tsai Ing-wen's Facebook account, demanding that the island return to China – and her response on Wednesday was to welcome mainland interest in democracy. The surge in posts, nearing 70,000 by Wednesday, is all the more astonishing because Facebook is generally blocked in Communist Party-ruled China, although there are ways of getting around firewalls.

Read more

Obama launches Facebook page, sends message on climate

The White House launched a Facebook page on Monday for President Barack Obama and used the social media platform to send a message on climate change. Organizing for Action, the political organization that helped elect Obama, has long used an account under the name “Barack Obama.” But the new page allows the president to speak in the first person, much like the Twitter account the White House launched for Obama in May.

Read more

Alibaba to pay about $3.7 billion for ‘China’s YouTube’

It is also a vote of confidence in China's economy by Alibaba Chairman Jack Ma, who has said investors should not overreact to his country's slowing growth. Youku Tudou's American Depositary Shares rose 10 percent to $26.80 in premarket trading on Friday, below Alibaba's offer of $27.60 per ADS. Alibaba held 18.3 percent of Youku Tudou as of Oct

Read more

YouTube to support virtual reality video on its app

By Deborah M. Todd SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – YouTube announced two new features Thursday for its Android app that expand the video site's use of virtual reality, giving the new technology its biggest platform yet. The app now supports VR video – a format that gives viewers what the company says are more realistic 360-degree perspectives of films.

Read more

BlackBerry Priv wins plaudits, but price tag questioned

By Euan Rocha TORONTO (Reuters) – BlackBerry Ltd launched its first Android-based device on Friday, with the future of the company's hardware business riding on a slick smartphone called Priv that boasts an impressive array of features and a hefty price tag. The company is betting the Priv's large curved screen, full array of Android apps from the Google Play store and blend of productivity and security features will help it rebuild its share of the smartphone market, which has slid to under one percent. With hacking and data theft issues becoming a bigger concern these days, BlackBerry expects keen interest in its pre-loaded DTEK feature that alerts users every time any app attempts to access data, or turn on the phone's microphone or camera

Read more

Swedbank website down in hacker attack

Swedbank's Swedish website has stopped working after a hacker attack and cannot be reached by its customers, a spokesman said on Friday. The attack means that customers cannot conduct online transactions or contact the bank through the Internet although mobile applications and payments continue to function, Swedbank spokesman Claes Warren said. The website was also hit by a hacker attack in October.

Read more