Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and IBM form a group to set the first industrywide best practices for the technology already powering many applications, such as voice and image recognition.

Yahoo says 500 million user accounts may have been breached. Social media erupt in jokes.

"WANTED," blared New York's alert. "Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28-year-old male." This year, nonfederal authorities have sent as many wireless emergency alerts as in the previous three years put together.

U.S. government safety regulators are formally recalling 1 million of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones over dozens of cases of exploding batteries. The move comes two weeks after Samsung issued its own voluntary recall of 2.5 million devices in 10 countries. Samsung was initially praised for moving quickly, but conflicting information, delays in providing replacement phones, and lack of coordination with safety officials turned the voluntary recall into a stumble that drove down Samsung's stock price.

U.S. users trying to take part in Samsung's unofficial recall find themselves winding through a network of stores and unclear guidelines. The government has yet to announce a formal recall.

When disaster struck in 2001, New York City hadn't had a comprehensive city planning vision in decades. An exceptional flurry of urban strategizing — beyond ground zero — ensued.

Why is Apple pushing users toward wireless earbuds? "Courage," says an Apple executive. Other news from the Apple event involved Super Mario, Pokemon Go and water-resistant features.

The soaring number of drones for hire is forecast in response to new federal rules that simplify and streamline the process of getting government approval and certification.

Found in our archives: an Internet-themed remake of West Side Story from the dot-com bubble era. It begins with Bill Gates and features the sound of a modem but isn't as obsolete as you might expect.

It will also test new ways for businesses to communicate with users on the app. The privacy policy changes mark the long-expected move by Facebook to begin making money from the free app.

It's a bit of a renaissance for unlimited plans, which went all but extinct in recent years. But do people really need that much data?

Why are we parting with BlackBerry Classic and VCR — but not fax or QWERTY keyboard? We ask you to nominate outdated tech for phase-out and visit Tekserve, the closing cult Mac store in Manhattan.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics says no data was stolen. Users faced error messages after the system was overpowered by what the government said was multiple denial-of-service attacks.

Verizon has transformed from a child of the Bell monopoly to parent of tech legends AOL and Yahoo. It wants to play with Google and Facebook — but don't expect a full transformation just yet.

Verizon's purchase of Yahoo will close the book on one of the oldest Internet companies. What happened to the other famous '90s brands, like GeoCities, Netscape and CompuServe? A nerdy remembrance.

While Yahoo will keep its most valuable assets, the $4.8-billion sale effectively disbands Yahoo as one of the longest-running Internet companies.

Peter Thiel is an openly gay libertarian billionaire financier, co-founder of PayPal and early Facebook investor. "Fake culture wars only distract us from our economic decline," he says.

Twitter says it's reviewing its hateful-conduct policy. The suspension of conservative writer Milo Yiannopoulos has prompted a new focus on the company's ongoing struggle to rein in abusive messages.

Despite diversity efforts, Facebook and Google keep showing little change in the percentages of black, Latino and female workers. Facebook pins the problem on lack of talent in the education pipeline.

Will the Internet ever be free for families relying on housing assistance? HUD Secretary Julian Castro and Comcast's David Cohen weigh in on challenges of connecting public housing to the Internet.