Microsoft and Foxconn Parent Hon Hai Sign Patent Agreement For Android and Chrome Devices  —  Agreement provides broad coverage under Microsoft's patent portfolio to manufacturer of more than 40 percent of the world's consumer electronics.  —  Microsoft Corp. and Hon Hai, the parent company of Foxconn …

Windows 8 touch devices to drop to $200, says Intel CEO  —  Prices of Windows 8 touch devices based on future Intel chips are set to drop like a rock.  —  Windows 8 touch devices will dive in price, according to Intel executives.  —  The price of Windows 8 touch devices will sink …

Microsoft's Xbox team testing smartwatch prototypes with a Surface connector  —  Microsoft is prototyping its own wrist-worn device.  A reliable source familiar with Microsoft's Xbox plans has revealed to The Verge that the company has been developing a wrist-worm device for just over a year.

Microsoft rolling out two-factor authentication across its product line  —  Summary: Microsoft is joining the two-factor authentication ranks, adding support for this security mechanism across its products and services accessible via a Microsoft Account.  —  There have been hints …

Twitter now allows advertisers to target specific words used in tweets  —  Twitter has finally crossed the rubicon and will allow advertisers to target ads to you based on the words that you tweet. specifically, the feature is called ‘keyword targeting in timelines’, and its available today in 15 languages and all markets.

Apple Named in China Porn App Investigation … Apple Inc. is once again in the pages of the People's Daily, this time in an article listing a number of websites and app stores that have been investigated for providing pornographic content in China.  —  The Cupertino, Calif. …

First real-world usage figures suggest Chromebooks are struggling  —  Summary: When the initial batch of Chromebooks hit the market nearly two years ago, some thought these low-cost devices running Google's cloud-centric Chrome OS could be a Windows killer.  NetMarketShare just started …

Samsung Galaxy S4 launches on seven U.S. carriers in April [updated]  —  When BGR previewed the Samsung Galaxy S4 back in March, we called it the Android smartphone by which all others will be judged in 2013.  As Samsung announced on Wednesday morning, Judgement Day is coming this month …

Is This The Fastest-Growing Game Company Ever?  —  ILKKA PAANANEN says the best way to make money in mobile gaming is to stop thinking about making money.  Think about fun instead.  Fighting a mild case of flu and jet lag from a San Francisco flight back home to Helsinki …

Tech industry cautiously welcomes Senate immigration bill  —  (Reuters) - Tech industry officials welcomed a bipartisan U.S. Senate immigration bill on Tuesday, saying they hoped it would make it easier to hire highly skilled workers from abroad, while laying the groundwork to renegotiate portions they oppose.

ACLU asks feds to probe wireless carriers over Android security updates  —  “Defective” phones from AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile pose risks, ACLU says.  —  Civil liberties advocates have asked the US Federal Trade Commission to take action against the nation's four major wireless carriers …

Facebook Said to Hire Apple Maps Executive Amid Mobile Push  —  Facebook Inc. (FB) has nabbed another member of Apple Inc. (AAPL)'s original iPhone team, hiring Richard Williamson, the manager who had led Apple's mapping efforts, according to people with knowledge of the hire.

Evan Williams' Medium acquires long-form journalism site Matter  —  Ev Williams' content creation platform Medium has made its first acquisition: Matter, the Kickstarter-backed science and technology journalism startup cofounded by former GigaOM reporter Bobbie Johnson last year.

Apple Skids to One-Year Low Amid Signs of ‘Lacking Demand’  —  Apple tumbled to its lowest level in over a year as investors continued to dump shares of the tech company amid worries over second-quarter iPad mini shipments.  —  The once-darling tech giant of Wall Street shed more than 3 percent Wednesday …

Amazon to expand its Android Appstore to nearly 200 countries  —  Amazon has announced the next phase in the expansion of its Android Appstore, today notifying developers that they can submit their apps for distribution in nearly 200 countries.  Android device owners in the new regions …

Apple Releases Safari and Java Updates With Plug-In and Security Improvements  —  Apple today released a series of updates for both Safari and Java, addressing continued issues with Java security.  —  The Safari updates arrive as version 6.0.4 for OS X Mountain Lion and Lion and version 5.1.9 for OS X Snow Leopard.

Justice Department Backs Limits on Wireless Companies  —  WASHINGTON — The Justice Department's top antitrust enforcer said on Tuesday that he supported limits on how much of the nation's airwaves a single wireless company could hold, a condition that could keep AT&T and Verizon from bidding …

Funny or Die's Steve Jobs Movie ‘iSteve’ Now Available Online  —  After being delayed yesterday, Funny Or Die's Steve Jobs movie “iSteve” has now been released online.  The movie stars Justin Long as Steve Jobs and Lost's Jorge Garcia as Steve Wozniak.  —  The film is the longest video produced …

Talking heads: how a late-night hack turned into Facebook's next big thing  —  Facebook gambles on private messages as the future of mobile  —  On a Wednesday almost one year ago, Facebook product designers Joey Flynn and Brandon Walkin decided to work from home.

Symantec: Industrial espionage on the rise, SMBs a target  —  Summary: Symantec's latest Internet Security Threat report suggests that SMBs remain an attractive target for those trying to steal intellectual property.  —  Charlie Osborne  —  Security giant Symantec's latest Internet Security Threat report …

Evernote CEO: We want to build hardware  —  Phil Libin said his company has nearly recovered from a hack last month, and two-factor authentication is coming in May  —  IDG News Service - The CEO of archiving service Evernote said his company will soon release branded hardware with partners, as it moves toward creating its own devices.