"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3" raked in $775 million worldwide in its first five days, blowing away the record set by last year's release, publisher Activision said Thursday.

"Life-to-date retail sales for the Call of Duty franchise have exceeded $6 billion worldwide, which makes Call of Duty one of the most valuable entertainment properties in the world," Robert Kotick, chief executive of Activision owner Activision Blizzard, said in a statement.

Internet phone service Skype said Thursday that it will let users of its software make video calls to their Facebook friends and receive them, too.

The free feature, released Thursday in a "beta" test version of Skype's software for Macs and PCs, expands on an existing partnership between the companies.

The arsenal of malicious code aimed at Android-powered gadgets has grown exponentially, with criminals hiding viruses in applications people download to devices, according to Juniper Networks.

The computer systems specialty firm's Global Threat Center found "staggering growth" in mobile "malware" targeting the Google-backed Android platform, according to findings available online Wednesday.

AOL is giving its AIM instant-messaging software a new look and new features in hopes of stanching an ongoing exodus of users who have turned to texting and other online messaging services.

The new AIM software marks the service's biggest revamp in several years and comes as AOL tries to revitalize its business. A Web pioneer back in the '90s, AOL has been struggling as its dial-up Internet service declines and its online content and advertising business isn't generating enough revenue yet to make up for it.

Samsung Electronics said Thursday it had modified the design of its newest tablet PC to bypass a sales ban in Germany and would start selling it there as early as this week.

The Galaxy Tab 10.1N, based on the Galaxy Tab 10.1, has a different metal frame and the location of the speakers has been changed, a spokesman for the South Korean company told Agence France Presse.

Google unveiled its much-anticipated digital music store Wednesday, opening a new front in its battle with Apple to provide services over mobile devices.

For the first time, Google Inc. will sell songs on the Android Market, its online store for apps, movies and books. The service is available over the next few days to customers in the U.S., but it aims to roll it out eventually to some 200 million Android users globally.

Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer proclaimed an everlasting "Windows Era" as the software giant's board easily won re-election at an annual meeting of shareholders on Tuesday.

Ballmer along with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings and six others saw their positions on the Microsoft board secured with more than 92 percent of votes cast by investors.

A Japanese company Tuesday unveiled a cheap Geiger counter for the iPhone to enable people worried about the March Fukushima nuclear accident to check their environment for radiation.

The probe, 14 centimeters long by five wide (six inches by two), connects to the iPhone and the screen displays radiation readings in combination with a special app such as the Geiger Bot.

Sony, Toshiba and Hitachi on Tuesday said they had signed a deal to merge their small and medium-sized liquid crystal display businesses for smartphones and tablet computers.

The move will create a new company, Japan Display, by Spring 2012.

Facebook said Tuesday that a "coordinated spam attack" was responsible for graphic images appearing in the news feeds of some members of the world's largest social network.

Facebook, which has more than 800 million members, said some users of the social network were tricked into unknowingly sharing the offensive content.