AP Technology NewsBrief at 3:03 a.m. EST

(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Carmakers let app developers drive innovationLAS VEGAS (AP) _ It's not wise to Google the nearest gas station, compose email, or use your smartphone to check the latest sports scores while driving. But many Americans do. Drivers have grown so accustomed to their on-the-go tasks that automakers are increasingly trying to make those things easier to pull off with both hands on the wheel and both eyes on the road.

Gadget Watch: Samsung shows bendable phone screenLAS VEGAS (AP) _ By showing off a phone with a flexible screen, Samsung is hinting at a day when we might fold up our large phone or tablet screens as if they were maps. The Korean electronics company provided a glimpse of such a device at a keynote speech Wednesday at the International CES gadget show in Las Vegas. It's an annual showcase of the latest TVs, computers and other consumer-electronic devices.

Apple CEO: China will be biggest marketBEIJING (AP) _ Apple expects China to overtake the United States as its biggest market, CEO Tim Cook told a Chinese government news agency. "China is currently our second largest market. I believe it will become our first. I believe strongly that it will," the Xinhua News Agency quoted Cook as saying in an interview.

Schmidt joins elite few to glimpse net in NKoreaSEOUL, South Korea (AP) _ Google chairman Eric Schmidt's glimpse of the Web being used at a top university in Pyongyang makes him part of a tiny elite that has seen the Internet in North Korea. His four day visit to the North was a golden propaganda opportunity for North Korean officials striving to give one of the world's most closed societies a modern, tech-savvy face. But the images of students surfing the Web in a brightly lit, spacious computer lab were far removed from daily reality for most North Koreans.

'Smart' potty or dumb idea Wacky gadgets at CESLAS VEGAS (AP) _ Some of the weirdest gadgets at the International CES show are designed to solve problems you never knew you had. Are you eating too fast A digital fork will let you know. Is your toddler having trouble sitting still on the potty Let the iPotty come to the rescue. Are you bored driving to work in a four-wheeled vehicle Climb inside a 1,600-pound mechanical spider for your morning commute. Of course, not all of the prototypes introduced at the annual gadget show will succeed in the marketplace. But the innovators who shop their wares here are fearless when it comes to pitching new gizmos, be they flashy, catchy or just plain odd.

December video game retail sales drop 22 percentNEW YORK (AP) _ U.S. retail sales of video games and gaming systems fell 22 percent in December, capping a year of declining sales for the industry. Research firm NPD Group said Thursday that overall sales fell to $3.21 billion from $4.1 billion in December 2011. NPD estimates that sales of new game hardware, software and accessories account for about half of what consumers spend on gaming.

Brazil hacker posts alleged data of ex- presidentBRASILIA, Brazil (AP) _ A hacker has posted what appears to be private information of former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on the Internet to protest a major corruption scandal which he says "will end in nothing." The addresses of properties said to be owned by Silva, phone numbers, companies registered in his name and his taxpayer number were posted on Twitter. The hacker identified himself as nbdu1nder.

Gadget Watch: Electronic fork nags you on eatingLAS VEGAS (AP) _ If you've always wanted a fork that spies on your eating habits, you're in luck: A company has developed a utensil that records when you lift it to the mouth. The electronic fork is one of the gadgets getting attention this week at the International CES in Las Vegas, an annual showcase of the latest TVs, computers and other consumer-electronic devices.

Report: Apple may build less expensive iPhoneSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Apple is trying to decide whether it makes sense to offer a cheaper iPhone as it tries to boost sales in less-affluent countries and reclaim some of the market share lost to cheaper phones running Google's Android software, according to a published report. Wednesday's report in The Wall Street Journal speculated that Apple could lower the iPhone's price by equipping the device with an exterior that costs less than the aluminum housing on current models.

Review: Aereo makes it tempting to cut cable TVNEW YORK (AP) _ Broadcast networks make many of their shows available on the Internet, but you usually have to wait at least a day after an episode airs on television. A subscription service called Aereo breaks those shackles and makes network programs available right away. That sounds too good to be true, and in a sense it is. First, it works only in New York City for now, though Aereo said Tuesday that it will expand to 22 more U.S. regions this spring. Its channel selection is limited to 29 over-the-air channels and Bloomberg TV. It doesn't include the other cable networks I frequently watch.

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