A voice calls application called MindMeld to be available this month promises to know what iPad users want before they do.

The application, named for the way the character Spock melded minds with other beings in hit classic science fiction television series "Star Trek," analyzes conversations in real-time to anticipate speakers' desires.

Controversial laws punishing Internet users who download pirated files with fines or jail terms came into force in Japan on Monday.

Under the new legislation they could face up to two years in prison or a maximum of two million yen ($25,700) in fines.

Iran on Monday removed online blocks on Gmail but a government Internet filtering committee official said other, additional censorship was being prepared against YouTube, according to reports.

Internet users in Iran found themselves able to freely access their Gmail accounts for the first time since the blocks were suddenly established on September 24.

Sony's new alliance with scandal-tarnished Olympus will focus on producing endoscopes and other surgical tools packed with the Japanese electronic maker's three-dimensional imaging and super-clear "4K" display technologies.

Sony Corp. President Kazuo Hirai said it's not clear when the alliance's first products will become available. He acknowledged that medical equipment requires special regulatory approval that will take longer and be a learning curve for Sony whose expertise is in gadgets and movies.

Paul Ramscar believes his Pink Dollar "app" is a lot more than just another snippet of smartphone software: it is a social game-changer that will help end discrimination against gays and lesbians.

The smartphone application aims to put members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in touch with businesses deemed friendly to sexual minorities in socially conservative Hong Kong.

Kodak said Friday that it plans to stop selling consumer inkjet printers and will eliminate 200 more jobs than previously projected as it requested more time to submit its framework for emerging from bankruptcy protection.

The Rochester, N.Y.-based company, which filed for bankruptcy protection in January, wants the court to extend the exclusivity period for the filing of its plan until Feb. 28. After the exclusivity period expires, creditors may file competing plans.

New York's mayor says the city will wheel out the world's biggest Ferris wheel in 2015, overtaking the current record holder in Singapore and leaving the London Eye in the dust.

The 625 foot (190 meter) high wheel is planned for the Big Apple's least developed borough, Staten Island, across the water from Manhattan's Financial District. It will be able to carry 1,440 people at a time.

Phil Orlins knows everything about producing TV in three dimensions. The ESPN producer has captured the undulating greens of Augusta National and the flying motor bikes of the X-Games for ESPN's 3-D channel. But he can only guess how well his shows resonate with viewers. That's because 3-D audiences are so small they can't be measured by Nielsen's rating system.

"The feedback on The Masters was fast and furious. You could go on Twitter at any moment, and there'd be comments coming in every minute about 3-D coverage," said Orlins while giving a tour of a production truck at this summer's X-Games. "But then you go to some other events where it's pretty quiet."

For students seeking to become cyber warriors, the US government has a sweet deal.

Full tuition, expenses and a stipend will be paid at any of dozens of universities for students to get specialized cybersecurity training, in exchange for an equal number of years working for a federal agency.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates on Thursday called the new Windows 8 operating system scheduled for release next month "a very exciting new product" and "a very big deal" for the world's largest software maker.

Gates said in an interview with The Associated Press that he is already using Windows 8 "and I'm very pleased with it."