A Japanese journalist freed over the weekend by captors in Afghanistan managed to send two Twitter messages before his release while teaching a captor how to access the Internet on a new cell phone, he said Tuesday.

Microsoft is looking into a long-known vulnerability in Internet Explorer that could be used to access users' data and Web-based accounts.

Small point updates to its mobile operating system often give Apple the chance to smooth the edges of its major releases, while adding a few smaller features here and there. iOS 4.1—announced last week to kick off Apple’s refresh of its iPod line—is different. This time around, Apple is putting a much greater emphasis on new features, including support for high dynamic range (HDR) photos, the new Game Center social network, iTunes TV rentals, and more. And if that’s not enough, the company also pulled back the curtain on the forthcoming iOS 4.2, which aims to finally unify the software on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, and has no shortage of new features either.

Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Mark Hurd has been appointed co-president of Oracle, the software company announced Monday.

The European Commission is considering opening a second enquiry to investigate if China is illegally subsidizing tech companies that produce wireless modems.