AP Technology NewsBrief at 2:14 a.m. EST

(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Google exec gets look at NKoreans using InternetPYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) _ Google's executive chairman is getting a firsthand look at how students at North Korea's top university use the Internet _ including Google. An American delegation that includes Google's Eric Schmidt and former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson visited Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang on Tuesday.

Gadget Watch: Samsung lens flips from 2-D to 3-DLAS VEGAS (AP) _ Cameras that can record in 3-D are usually pretty complicated, sporting two lenses instead of one, to mimic human binocular vision. Samsung says it has a more elegant solution: a single lens that can go from 2-D to 3-D mode with the flip of a switch. Samsung Electronics Co. is showing off the new lens at the International CES show in Las Vegas, where gadget makers showcase their latest smartphones, tablet computers and other consumer-electronic devices.

CES unveils big TVs with 'ultra-high definition'LAS VEGAS (AP) _ The race to make TVs larger and larger has created a colossal problem for manufacturers: As screens grow, picture quality worsens _ unless the viewer moves farther away from the screen. The issue is playing out in cozy dens and family rooms around the world. To get the full benefit of a large high-definition screen, viewers must move back from their sets. Because the ideal viewing distance is no closer than three times the height of your screen, or about one and a half times the diagonal length, big TVs have literally forced many families' backs against the wall.

Samsung sees record-high 4Q profitSEOUL, South Korea (AP) _ Samsung Electronics Co., the world's largest technology company by revenue, expects record earnings for the fourth quarter of 2012 as shoppers continued to snap up its smartphones and tablets. The company said Tuesday its operating profit for the October-December quarter would be about 8.8 trillion won ($8.3 billion), up 89 percent from a year earlier and higher than expectations. It will release its full quarterly result including net profit at the end of this month.

New Dish box sends TV shows 'hopping' to iPadLAS VEGAS (AP) _ Dish Network Corp. revealed a set-top box called "Hopper" last year, named for its ability to send the TV signal "hopping" from room to room, covering all the TVs in the house. This year, it's upgrading the Hopper so that it follows you wherever you go _ even outside the house. The new all-in-one digital video recorder and set-top box, revealed Monday at a press conference ahead of the International CES trade show in Las Vegas, is adorned with the same kangaroo logo and can transfer recorded TV shows or movies to an iPad for viewing any time.

Samsung unveils gesture-control TVs at gadget showLAS VEGAS (AP) _ New TVs from Samsung will recognize an expanded range of gestures so people can swipe through on-screen menus in a way that revolutionizes the old remote control. Samsung Electronics Co., the Korean electronics maker that is successfully challenging Apple in smartphones, touts the new user interface as faster and more intuitive than before.

LG kicks off CES with 55-inch 'ultra-HD' TVLAS VEGAS (AP) _ LG unveiled a 55-inch TV that sports "ultrahigh-definition" resolution with four times the sharpness of regular HD television sets, kicking off what is likely to be a mini-obsession with the latest super-clear format at the annual International CES gadget show. The model announced Monday is the smallest in a 2013 lineup that includes 65-inch and 84-inch versions. But the smaller size _ and smaller price tag _ begins the parade of TV makers that are seeking to bring ultrahigh definition to the masses.

Sony uses movie studio to press ultra-HD advantageLAS VEGAS (AP) _ Sony Corp. is finally pressing its advantage as a conglomerate that owns both high-tech gadgets and the content that plays on them by being the only electronics maker to offer ultra-HD TVs _ and a way to get movies to the new super clear screens. Ultra-high definition TVs, which quadruple the number of pixels of current high definition technology, have been the talk of the International CES gadget show so far. But only Sony has offered a content solution to go with them.

New Lego robotics kit talks to iPhonesLAS VEGAS (AP) _ Lego bricks are getting cozy with the iPhone and other Apple devices in the latest incarnation of the Mindstorms robotics kit. Lego announced Monday that a new, $350 Mindstorms EV3 kit will have the ability to talk to iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches through Bluetooth wireless connections. That means Lego builders can use the devices as remote controls for their robots, or create simple programs that are then sent to the robots to control their actions.

New Qualcomm chips promise phone video in ultra-HDLAS VEGAS (AP) _ TV makers are trotting out sets with ultra-HD resolution at the International CES electronics trade show in Las Vegas this week. Few video cameras record at that resolution, which is four times higher than regular high definition. But Qualcomm Inc., a leading maker of chips for cellphones, says it has a solution: With its chips, smartphones could be recording video in ultra-HD as early as this year.

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