AP Technology NewsBrief at 9:08 a.m. EST

(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Oracle to buy Acme Packet for about $2.1BREDWOOD SHORES, Calif. (AP) _ Oracle is buying the network gear company Acme Packet for about $2.1 billion. The software giant is bolstering the communications package it can offer to customers with the acquisition. Acme makes phone and data network equipment that's used by more than 1,900 service providers and enterprises around the world.

Ride-hailing apps offer new way to get around townSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ When Hesky Kutscher needed to get across town, he didn't call a taxi. He tapped a smartphone app called Lyft, which allows users to request car rides. Minutes later, a black hatchback with a big fluffy, pink mustache on its grille pulled up. Kutscher hopped in the front seat and gave the driver a fist bump. Then they cruised over the hilly streets of San Francisco, chatting like neighbors until he was dropped off near Union Square.

AP Top U.S. News At 1:29 p.m. EST^Senator outlines obstacles to immigration deal NAME:V0233, SLUG:1153 AP-US-Immigration,129 ^Syria a top focus for Biden 3-country trip NAME:V0093, SLUG:1151 AP-US-Biden-Syria,129 ^Obama's jobs council shutting down Thursday NAME:V0065, SLUG:1151 AP-US-Obama-Jobs-Council,759 ^Defense nominee Hagel defends his record in Senate NAME:V0172, SLUG:1152 AP-US-Hagel,1110 ^Negotiators talking to Ala. captor through pipe NAME:V0227, SLUG:1110 AP-US-School-Bus-Driver-Shot,966 ^THE RESET: Pentagon nominee Hagel fights for job NAME:V0160, SLUG:1151 AP-US-The-Reset,341 ^Arizona lawmakers struggle to stay on priorities NAME:V0255, SLUG:1110 AP-US-GOP-Off-Message-Bills,129 ^NY Times says Chinese hacked paper's computers NAME:V9344, SLUG:1700 AP-AS-New-York-Times-Hacking,554 ^Joint Chiefs: Looming cuts would 'hollow' military NAME:V0049, SLUG:1153 AP-US-Defense-Cuts,395 ^SUPER BOWL WATCH: Driver done, Birk not NAME:V0073, SLUG:2080 AP-US-Super-Bowl-Watch-Package,528 Twitter, Washington Post targeted by hackersNEW YORK (AP) _ Social media giant Twitter is among the latest U.S. companies to report that it is among a growing list of victims of Internet security attacks, saying that hackers may have gained access to information on 250,000 of its more than 200 million active users. And now, The Washington Post is joining the chorus, revealing the discovery of a sophisticated cyberattack in 2011. Twitter said in a blog post on Friday it detected attempts to gain access to its user data earlier in the week. It shut down one attack moments after it was detected.

Earnings Preview: Time Warner reports Weds.LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Time Warner is expected to report more robust earnings and revenue for the fourth quarter Wednesday, with rising fees from TV distributors and higher ad revenue offsetting declines at its movie studio and magazine division. WHAT TO LOOK FOR: The company may discuss its strategic priorities in fuller detail after a couple of major corporate reorganizations recently.

UK sends hand-held helicopter drones to war zoneLONDON (AP) _ British soldiers in Afghanistan have been issued with surveillance drones so small they can fit in the palm of a man's hand. The Scandinavian-designed Black Hornet Nano weighs as little as 16 grams (roughly half an ounce) _ the same as a finch. The 4-inch (10-centimeter) -long helicopter is fitted with a tiny camera which relays still images and video to a remote terminal.

Research firm: Apple now biggest US phone sellerNEW YORK (AP) _ The launch of the iPhone 5 and the declining popularity of non-smartphones have made Apple the biggest seller of phones in the U.S. for the first time, research firm Strategy Analytics said Friday. The firm estimates that Apple shipped 17.7 million iPhones of all kinds to U.S. buyers in the October to December period, meaning it accounted for one in three new phones.

Sony likely to unveil next PlayStation on Feb. 20NEW YORK (AP) _ Sony is poised to unveil the next PlayStation game console on Feb. 20, a date that would give the Japanese electronics company a head start over Microsoft's expected announcement of an Xbox 360 successor in June. Sony Corp. invited journalists to an evening press event in New York City. The company has not said what it plans to show off, but signs indicate that it'll be the PlayStation 4. Sony would only say that it "will deliver and speak about the future PlayStation business." Panasonic, Sharp expect red ink despite yen helpTOKYO (AP) _ Japanese electronics makers Panasonic Corp. and Sharp Corp. both stuck to full year forecasts for massive losses even as results for the latest quarter got a boost from the weaker yen. The two Osaka-based companies are among the Japanese electronics makers battered by price plunges in gadgets and hot competition from more successful rivals such as Apple Inc. and South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co.

Teenage hacker sentenced in UK for cyber-attacksLONDON (AP) _ A British court has sentenced a teenage hacker to youth rehabilitation after he and other members of the Anonymous movement carried out cyber-attacks targeting financial sites like PayPal and Visa. Jake Birchall had admitted conspiring to impair the operation of computers in 2010 and 2011. The 18-year-old Birchall was sentenced Friday to 18 months of rehabilitation and 60 hours of unpaid work.

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