Britain's defense secretary says it is recruiting hundreds of experts for a new cyber force designed to protect the nation's vital data — and stage cyberattacks if necessary.

Philip Hammond says the Joint Cyber Reserve Unit aims to boost Britain's offensive and defensive capabilities in an age of increasing threats from cyberespionage and cybersabotage.

To the chagrin and worry of Alaska transportation officials, Apple reactivated maps app directions Friday that guide drivers to the edge of a runway instead of a terminal at the Fairbanks airport.

Apple had notified Fairbanks International Airport officials that the faulty directions had been disabled.

Seven midsize vehicles earned the top rating in a new insurance industry test of high-tech safety features designed to prevent front-end collisions.

The Cadillac ATS and SRX, Subaru Legacy and Outback, Mercedes C-Class and Volvo S60 and XC60 won "superior" ratings in tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

France said Friday it will fine Google up to 300,000 euros ($402,180) for breaking rules on data privacy.

The French agency that regulates information technology says Google Inc. hadn't satisfactorily responded to its June decision giving the company three months to be more upfront about the data it collects from users.

More and more Canadians are tuning into online movie streaming websites such as Netflix, but it has not impacted traditional television viewing as feared, according to a report published Thursday.

The percentage of Canadians that subscribed to Netflix grew from 10 percent in 2011 to 17 percent in 2012, while the number of Canadian basic television subscribers increased by one percent to 12 million, according to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)'s annual report.

An Austrian artist on Thursday drew three pictures simultaneously in three European capitals thanks to two robots copying his every movement in real time in Britain and Germany.

Alex Kiessling worked in Vienna while a pair of orange industrial robots in London's Trafalgar Square and Berlin's Breitscheidplatz drew exactly the same picture of three human faces with the help of satellite transmissions.

The head of Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. said Wednesday he has every intention of completing the acquisition of BlackBerry, despite doubts that the $4.7 billion deal for the troubled smartphone maker will go through.

BlackBerry announced earlier this week that Fairfax signed a letter of intent that "contemplates" buying BlackBerry for $9 a share. Fairfax, BlackBerry's largest shareholder, is trying to attract other investors.

Japanese electronic giant Panasonic said Thursday it will abandon research into new smartphones for retail consumers at home as it struggles to make inroads in a sector dominated by Apple and Samsung.

The move comes two months after competitor NEC said it was pulling out of the market citing tough competition.

Security researchers said Wednesday they uncovered a "cyber mercenary" team which specializes in attacks on targets in Japan and South Korea, and warned of more operations of that nature.

Kaspersky Labs identified the group as "Icefog," and said evidence points to it being based in China.

Amazon is refreshing its line-up of tablet computers with new devices called Kindle Fire HDX, which are significantly faster and lighter than the previous generation.

The 7-inch and 8.9-inch versions also have sharper, more colorful displays than older models, and both have more pixels per inch than the latest iPad.