The number of internet connected devices is set to explode in the next four years to over 15 billion - twice the world's population by 2015. Cisco predicts the proliferation of tablets, mobile phones, connected appliances and other smart machines will drive this growth.

The do-it-yourself retail giant plans to use the QR codes both outside their stores in print and online as well as on shelves within stores.

Snowstorms have deterred shoppers at post-Christmas sales in America's northeast. However, some analysts expect the storms will boost online sales.

China aims to bring online at least 1 gigawatt of solar power capacity annually from 2013 under its "Golden Sun" pilot program, aided by increases in subsidies to boost the domestic solar industry, the Ministry of Finance said

More Americans went shopping over the Thanksgiving weekend than in recent memory, and online shopping accounted for the highest percentage of the weekend's sales yet.

In an online video, the Canadian wireless giant further raised its war of words with Apple by showing how its PlayBook dwarfs the iPad for just about every application.

The chat service is tapping Cisco and ShoreTel to help it sell telecom to big business.

Google posted a note on the Nexus One website to explain that it no longer will sell its Nexus One phones online. While it will continue to sell through Vodafone in Europe, KT in Korea and a few others, the experiment of Google selling a phone direct to consumers online is dead.

Until recently, Google automatically redirected Chinese users to its unfiltered search site in Hong Kong to get round censorship issues. The firm has said it will now stop this after Beijing warned it could lose its licence to operate in the country.

Target will become the first retailer to carry the US$259 Kindle on Sunday. At first, the Kindle will only be sold at Target's flagship store in downtown Minneapolis, plus 102 stores in South Florida. Target plans to offer Kindle at more of its stores later in the year.

HTC has announced the launch of its e-commerce site. Consumers can now browse and purchase from a range of HTC phones and accessories, as well as activate their new handset by selecting a rate plan from one of the four nationwide US operators.

China's Alibaba is in talks with one of its investors, Japan's Softbank, to form a tie-up to help merchants from their online marketplaces sell into each others' markets, according to a source familiar with the situation.

Yahoo has given its support to rival Google, denouncing an alleged cyber attack originating in China against Google's network infrastructure.

The World Trade Organization has ruled that China's practice of funneling media imports to state-owned companies violates international trade laws. The ruling was a result of complaints filed by a number of US media companies, which contend that China's practices illegally restrict business opportunities.

Wikipedia.org is the fifth-most-popular Web site in the world, with roughly 325 million monthly visitors. But unprecedented numbers of the millions of online volunteers who write, edit and police it are quitting.

Facebook has received US$200 million from a Russian investment group in exchange for a small stake in the nation's largest social networking company.

Nokia Oyj will cut up to 360 jobs at Internet services unit as it combines offerings into its new Ovi Store, the world's top cell phone maker said on Tuesday. Nokia's new online software and multimedia store will challenge Apple's hugely successful App Store from May.

Even as the economy skids, Google keeps on rolling—just a little more slowly than it used to. Bucking the stalling economy and worsening outlook for online advertising, the search advertising titan on Jan. 22 reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter results. The numbers suggest Google will keep grabbing more of the online ad market from traditional media and from struggling online rivals such as Yahoo! and Microsoft.