This is the last technology news round-up for 2011. We’ll return in the new year. So, until then, here’s the latest tech news from around the web:

Israelis are the world’s biggest users of social networks, TNW reports. According to a survey by Comscore, Israelis spent, on average, 11.1 hours on social networks during October 2011 – more than double the global average of 5.7 hours and ahead of markets like the UK (seven hours) and US (6.9 hours). Slightly behind Israel comes Argentina (10.7 hours), Russia (10.4 hours) and Turkey (10.2 hours).

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Microsoft, a 20-year stalwart of the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, has decided to pull out of the event after the 2012 show in January, the Los Angeles Times reports. The company, whose keynote address has been one of the main highlights of the show, said it felt that it would be better to make announcements on its own time.

Tech news from around the web:

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion has become the centre of bid speculation. The Wall Street Journal reports that Microsoft and Nokia had, in recent months, considered the idea of making a joint bid for RIM, people familiar with the matter told the newspaper. Meanwhile, Reuters says that online retailer Amazon had hired an investment bank in the summer to review a potential merger, but did not make a formal offer.

Tech news from around the web:

Apple has applied for a patent for a self-service kiosk that would read customers’  mobile devices and give them recommendations on accessories and apps, according to Mashable. The kiosk could be installed in Apple Stores and Best Buy outlets, Mashable speculates.

Tech news from around the web:

Facebook’s Android mobile app has overtaken the daily active user count of its iPhone app, TechCrunch reports. The Android app is now registering  58.3m daily active users compared to the iPhone app’s 57.4m.

Tech news from around the web:

Google’s Chrome 15 has replaced Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) as the world’s most popular browser edition, Computer World reports. During the last two weeks of November and the first week of December, according to data from StatCounter, Chrome 15 accounted for 24% of the global browser usage market, compared to IE8′s 22.9%. This is the first time that IE8 had not held the top spot since early 2010 and the first time a non-Microsoft application has led the list.

Tech news from around the web:

PayPal, eBay’s payment service, is looking to take on Groupon and LivingSocial with plans to start offering coupons tailored to users’ buying habits and mobile phone locations, according to Bloomberg. The company will launch its mobile deals in the first quarter of 2012 in partnership with several US retailers.

Tech news from around the web:

Facebook is planning a push into mobile advertising by the end of March, according to Bloomberg. One idea being considered is to put Facebook’s Sponsored Stories ads, which feature friends’ interactions with brands, within the mobile news feed.

Tech news from around the web:

Apple has announced that it has hit the 18bn mark in downloads of the 500,000 apps it has on offer at its App Store, PaidContent reports. Last week Google revealed that it had achieved 10bn downloads from its app store.

Tech news from around the web:

Amazon is to release an over-the-air software update to its latest tablet computer, the Kindle Fire, The New York Times reports. News of the uprgade comes as complaints about the tablet’s features and usability are on the rise. Among the complaints, the NYT reports, are:

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Richard Waters, Chris Nuttall and April Dembosky in the FT's San Francisco bureau share their views - plus tech insights from Tim Bradshaw and Maija Palmer in London and Robin Kwong in Taipei.



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