Each time the wildly popular YouTube impresario has donned Razer headphones in one of the many zany videos that feature him playing games, the product has sold out.

PewDiePie, who is not paid to endorse the brand, "really helped us in terms of getting traction on a much larger audience," said Min-Liang Tan, chief executive of San Diego-based Razer, which makes gaming hardware. "It's incredible that YouTube personalities are coming up ... and I think it can only grow."

PewDiePie's uncanny trendsetting talent highlights the potential that content related to video games holds for Google Inc as it looks for ways to build its YouTube video platform into a powerful new revenue stream.

Advertisers and media companies are indeed already placing big bets on the likes of PewDiePie and others creating gaming-related content in a bid for the prime but underserved audience of 18- to 34-year-olds that devour video games.

Just last week Walt Disney Co agreed to fork over as much as $950 million to buy Maker Studios, one of YouTube's largest production and distribution networks. PewDiePie, whose real name is Felix Kjellberg, is Maker's biggest star.

The success of the 24-year-old, with his profanity laced improvisational videos, matches the explosive growth of video-game-based channels on YouTube. His channel has more than 25 million subscribers who can view his content for free, more than Beyonce's and President Barack Obama's channels combined.

Video gamers, who spent more than $70 billion last year on hardware and software, have gravitated to YouTube. Two of the 10 most-subscribed channels and four of the most-viewed channels on YouTube are gaming channels, according to Zefr, an online video marketing and rights management company based in California.

Meanwhile, online video production outfits such as Maker have grown into million-dollar operations over the past couple of years. Lingering questions about their profitability have not deterred investors.

Last year, DreamWorks bought Awesomeness TV, a YouTube teen network, whose videos offer everything from beauty tips to life advice, in a deal that could total $150 million if it reaches certain earning targets. Time Warner Inc's Warner Bros has bet heavily on gaming-focused network Machinima by participating in two hefty funding rounds.

Sell Hack is available as a free extension to the Chrome browser that, once installed, will pop up a "hack in" button on LinkedIn profiles.

Users can then find the email address associated with the account even if they are not connected.

LinkedIn said it was taking legal action over the plug-in and advised users to uninstall it.

Sell Hack insisted that the the tool was created for marketing professionals and that all data is publicly available.

On its website it said: "We just do the heavy lifting and complicated computing to save you time, We aren't doing anything malicious to LinkedIn."

But the social network for professionals did not agree.

"We are doing everything we can to shut Sell Hack down. On 31 March LinkedIn's legal team delivered Sell Hack a cease-and-desist letter as a result of several violations," a spokesman told the BBC.

"LinkedIn members who downloaded Sell Hack should uninstall it immediately and contact Sell Hack requesting that their data be deleted."

He said that members should "use caution" before downloading any third-party extension or app.

Renesas owns 55 percent stake in Renesas SP Drivers, its joint venture with Sharp Corp and Taiwan's Powerchip.

Apple expects to complete the stake purchase by summer, the business daily reported on Tuesday.

The U.S. company "apparently wants to meld" the design of core display components into its overall product development as image quality becomes a crucial selling point for smartphones, the Nikkei said.

Sharp, which owns 25 percent in Renesas SP, is expected to sell its stake to Apple if the U.S. company asks, the newspaper said.

Renesas has been hit by slowing orders and competition from companies such as Samsung Electronics Co Ltd.

The site says the move was in response to new Mozilla chief executive Brendan Eich's previous opposition to gay marriage in the US state of California.

Users are directed to use other internet browsers, such as Chrome.

Mozilla said OKCupid had not contacted it to confirm facts, and that: "Mozilla supports equality for all, including marriage equality for LGBT couples."

Visitors to OKCupid's website using Mozilla's free Firefox browser see a message that reads: "Mozilla's new CEO, Brendan Eich, is an opponent of equal rights for gay couples.

"We would therefore prefer that our users not use Mozilla software to access OKCupid."

However, it is still possible to access OKCupid's site via Firefox, if users click through the message. Ok Cupid is owned by media conglomerate IAC/InterActive Corp, which owns 50 brands across 40 countries.

These include other major dating sites, like Match.com, as well as news website the Daily Beast and web properties like Dictionary.com. Court rulings

Mr Eich, who is the inventor of JavaScript, was appointed to lead the open-source browser firm on 24 March.

He is listed publicly as having donated to a campaign in support of California's Proposition 8 campaign in 2008, which had sought to ban gay marriage in the western US state.

Although it was initially passed, it was later overturned by the US Supreme Court in 2013.

After his appointment was announced, supporters of same-sex marriage in the US, including many Mozilla employees, expressed unease at the decision.

Mozilla's head of education, Christie Koehler, who is gay, wrote on her blog: "It's hard for me to think of a scenario where someone could donate to that campaign without feeling that queer folks are less deserving of basic rights."

However, she added that while she was personally disappointed, she said she did not think it would affect her work at Mozilla.

Mr Eich responded in a post, saying that he remained committed to openness in the work place and offering assurances that Mozilla would not change certain policies, like health insurance for the partners of gay employees.

A "goat simulator" released on 1 April, which promises users the experience of life as a goat via a game that allows them to "wreck stuff", would seem to have all the hallmarks of a classic April Fool - but it is true.

The BBC has rounded up some of the top technology news stories that are not. DIY Apple repairs

Apple's products have earned a reputation as hard-to-fix so it came as something of a surprise to learn that it had bought iFixit, the company dedicated to DIY repairs.

On iFixit's website, it declared itself proud to have been acquired by Apple and said that it would "become a key player in the future of Apple device development".

"As part of the deal Apple made a commitment to produce the most replaceable electronic devices and personal computers on the market. This is a clear win for the whole iFixit community," it said.

Much of its repair work would centre on upgrades, it went on.

"Visit any of our Apple Store locations and an army of well-groomed young people will happily take your money and congratulate your excellent taste." Google Pokemon The search giant traditionally throws itself into the the spirit of April Fool's Day, and this year is no exception.

The company is offering Auto Awesome Photobombs for Google+, which allow users to upload an image of David Hasselhoff, described by the search giant as "everyone's favourite crime-fighting rock star lifeguard" to their photos.

It has also claimed to have added emoji support for the Chrome browser on Android and iOS. The add-on will translate web pages into emoji icons to make them faster to read, it says.

Its most elaborate joke though is an update for Android and iPhone versions of Google Maps that lets users go around the world catching Pokemon.

The game is real but comes with a fictional job ad, offering the position of "Pokemon master" for those who could catch all 150 Pokemon.

Smart gloves

Mobile phone manufacturers HTC and Samsung chose to poke fun at the growing range of smart wearables on the market with both advertising a fake smart glove.

"Imagine the power of complete smartphone creative freedom. Now imagine that freedom in the shape of a glove," said HTC.

Meanwhile rival Samsung announced its first "all-over-hand" wearable device, dubbed Fingers.

Yee, a San Francisco Democrat who was the senate's first Chinese-American member, is the third state senator to face criminal charges this year, the latest in a spate of legal problems that has cost Democrats a precious two-thirds majority in the legislature.

The office that was searched is located across the street from the state capitol building and was used by Yee's San Francisco district staff when they were working in Sacramento,

a spokesman for senate Democratic leader Darrell Steinberg said.

The search was the second in the California capital in a week to target Yee. It was carried out by the FBI at the request of senate leaders, Steinberg spokesman Rhys Williams said.

"The senate wanted to make sure no stone was unturned," Williams said.

FBI spokeswoman Gina Swankie confirmed that the agency executed a search warrant in the building, but did not provide further details.

Yee, who was arrested along with a campaign consultant and more than two dozen others in a broad sweep of suspected organized crime and corruption in San Francisco, plans to plead not guilty to corruption and firearms charges against him at a hearing in federal court currently set for April 8, his attorney said.

A grand jury indictment that could include additional or modified charges against Yee, who was charged criminally with two felony counts of conspiracy to traffic in firearms and six corruption counts in federal court last week, is expected as soon as Thursday, attorney Paul DeMeester said.

A criminal complaint posted online by the U.S. Attorney office for the Northern District of California alleges that Yee did favors for an undercover FBI agent in exchange for campaign contributions.

The complaint also alleges that Yee also offered to facilitate a meeting between the undercover agent and an arms dealer, and discussed the types of weapons that the undercover agent might need.

Yee's arrest dealt a body blow to California Democrats, whose two-thirds majority in the state Senate was eroded when Senator Ron Calderon, indicted on corruption charges, and State Senator Rod Wright, found guilty of voter fraud, took paid leaves of absence earlier this year.

The two-thirds power, called a super-majority in political parlance, gave the party the ability to enact some laws, including changes to the tax code, without seeking any support from Republicans.

Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region was the gravest threat to European security for a generation.

There could be no business as usual, he added.

He had earlier categorically denied reports that Russia was pulling its forces back from its border with Ukraine.

Moscow is believed to have massed tens of thousands of troops on Ukraine's eastern border in recent days, causing alarm in Kiev and the West.

Foreign ministers from the 28-member Nato bloc, gathering in Brussels for their first meeting since Russia's annexation of Crimea, issued a strongly worded statement in which they condemned Russia's "illegal" annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region. They agreed to suspend Nato co-operation with Russia in a number of bodies but added that dialogue in the Nato-Russia Council could continue, as necessary, at ambassadorial level and above "to allow us to exchange views, first and foremost on this crisis. We will review Nato's relations with Russia at our next meeting in June".

They are also looking at options including situating permanent military bases in the Baltic states to reassure members in Eastern Europe. Russia's actions in Ukraine have caused concern in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which were part of the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Nato jets will take part in air patrols in the region later in a routine exercise that analysts say has taken on added significance due to the crisis. Several Nato countries, including the UK, US and France, have offered additional military aircraft.

'Aggression'

Announcing the formal suspension of ties, Mr Rasmussen said Nato's message was clear: it stood by its allies, it stood by Ukraine and it stood by the international system of rules that had developed in recent decades. He urged Russia to be part of a solution "respecting international law and Ukraine's borders".

He also said Nato would offer Ukraine greater access to alliance exercises and support the development of its military.

Answering questions from reporters, he said he expected Nato-Russia co-operation over Afghanistan - including counter-narcotics operations - to continue.

Obama is scheduled to make a statement about the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, at 4:15 p.m. EDT in the White House.

Obama's remarks could be the start of a victory lap for his administration, which suffered from the botched unveiling of the program's primary website, HealthCare.gov, and wavering support from Americans years after the healthcare law passed over Republican objections.

Officials did not provide exact updated figures, but the uptick in enrollment was in line with what experts predicted and it represented what the White House has called a comeback story that could boost Democrats in the November congressional elections.

Monday's deadline for initial enrollment in the program came after a surge in registrations despite the return of technical problems, including a longer-than-expected maintenance session, although nothing as serious as the issues that beset the website's launch in October.

The site on Tuesday announced that open enrollment for Obamacare had closed, but people whose applications were thwarted by technical problems would be given a chance to finish their registration.

By last week, more than 6 million people had signed up for private health coverage through the new Obamacare insurance markets, surpassing a target set after the disastrous rollout called the enrollment process into question.

Despite the figures, some questions about those who had signed up lingered.

"We still have a lot to learn about what underlies those numbers in terms of who signed up and how many were newly insured people versus switching from other coverage," said Karen Pollitz, a senior fellow at the Kaiser Family Foundation.

"We have more to see ... about how many of them actually completed enrollment and how much coverage expansion was accomplished."

The healthcare law, one of Obama's key promises as a presidential candidate in 2008, was intended to expand access to healthcare coverage for millions of uninsured Americans, so having enrollment figures that reflect newly insured people is critical to the program's success.

Obama administration officials said on Tuesday the late surge in enrollment put the program "on track" to reach 7 million registrants, which was its original goal.

The trial will mark the latest round in a long-running series of lawsuits between the two tech giants that underscore a much larger concern about what is allowed to be patented.

"There's a widespread suspicion that lots of the kinds of software patents at issue are written in ways that cover more ground than what Apple or any other tech firm actually invented," Notre Dame law professor Mark McKenna said. "Overly broad patents allow companies to block competition."

The latest Apple-Samsung case will be tried less than two years after a federal jury found Samsung was infringing on Apple patents. Samsung was ordered to pay about $900 million but is appealing and has been allowed to continue selling products using the technology.

Now, jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday in another round of litigation, with Apple accusing Samsung of infringing on five patents on newer devices, including Galaxy smartphones and tablets. In a counterclaim, Samsung says Apple stole two of its ideas to use on iPhones and iPads.

"Apple revolutionized the market in personal computing devices," Apple attorneys wrote in court filings. "Samsung, in contrast, has systematically copied Apple's innovative technology and products, features and designs, and has deluged markets with infringing devices."

Samsung countered that it has broken technological barriers with its own ultra-slim, lightweight phones.

"Samsung has been a pioneer in the mobile device business sector since the inception of the mobile device industry," Samsung attorneys wrote. "Apple has copied many of Samsung's innovations in its Apple iPhone, iPod, and iPad products."

In the upcoming case, Apple claims Samsung stole a tap-from-search technology that allows someone searching for a telephone number or address on the web to tap on the results to call the number or put the address into a map. In addition, Apple says Samsung copied "Slide to Unlock," which allows users to swipe the face of their smartphone to use it.

Samsung countered that Apple is stealing a wireless technology system that speeds up sending and receiving data.

Welcome to the Week in Tech, where we look back at the tech headlines that flew fast and furiously all week long.

WEARABLES: A NEW REALITY

Let's begin with wearable technology. Facebook played a $2 billion bet that folks will sport virtual reality googles for gaming, movies, sporting events and more in its purchase of VR firm Oculus VR. And Google made an alliance with the company that owns Oakley eyewear to put out a sport version of its computerized eyewear, Google Glass for consumers. Oculus has been a life-long dream for 21-year-old Oculus founder Palmer Luckey, who told us about his hopes and dreams when we met up with him in January for a Talking Tech profile.

Interesting to note that neither of these products have yet to be made available to the public. Oculus has yet to be released and Google Glass, despite being a common sight among techsters in the San Francisco area, also has no announced release date. It was made available to 10,000 "Explorers," who paid $1,500 to be first on the block with the new tech.

NEW HTC ONE: FAB PHONE

In gadgets, Asian manufacturer HTC got lots of attention for its update to the HTC One smartphone, the M8. The update has a larger screen, stereo sound and two camera sensors, which it says will make for better selfies. The (M8) is a worthy alternative to the iPhone, says USA TODAY Personal Tech columnist Edward C. Baig. The (M8) is "mostly terrific phone that a lot of people are really going to like."

TWEET IT WITH A PIC

Speaking of photos, Twitter updated its mobile app to make it more visually appealing for sharing photos. You can now tag pictures on Twitter, just like on Facebook.

OFFICE ON IPAD

And elsewhere in apps, after four years, Microsoft finally released an app suite for Office software that works with the iPad. It's free to read documents and spreadsheets, but if you want to make them, you'll have to pay.

APP OF THE WEEK

It's one of the biggest patent cases the court has heard in recent years, and it's gotten plenty of clicks from some of the nation's biggest computer giants — IBM, Microsoft and Google among them.

While other high-profile legal disputes dominate the public's attention, from the fate of President Obama's health care law to the National Security Agency's phone surveillance, "this issue in many ways is more important than those issues for the long-term stability of the United States," says New York University law professor Richard Epstein.

The question isn't whether any computer software should be patent-eligible. Rather, it's what qualifies for a patent in a nation where the number has grown from about 2,000 software patents issued in 1980 to more than 40,000 a year, creating a glut of more than 400,000 on the market.

The argument on both sides is the same: What spurs innovation? Those favoring existing patent protections say a court decision that makes them harder to get will reduce the incentive to invent new applications. The other side contends that the sheer volume of patents today harms innovation because of the cost of lawsuits for patent infringement.

Software patents dominate the legal landscape much more than any other form of patent. They accounted for nearly half of all patent lawsuits in recent years. In 2012, there were more than 5,000 patent lawsuits.

Fueling the trend are so-called patent trolls known for making their money by suing competitors. Congress is working on bipartisan legislation to get at that problem without crippling innovation and intellectual property rights.

The patent at the center of the Supreme Court case is a computer-based system for handling financial transactions, largely among banks, that reduces the risk of one party not paying up. It's owned by Alice Corp., an Australian company. CLS Bank International, which won its lawsuit against the patent at the lower court level, uses a financial settlement method that is similar.

The nation's leading software innovators are split on the issue. The intellectual property owners community has lined up in defense of the patent, fearing that the Supreme Court could toss out an entire category of previously issued patents if it rules against Alice Corp.

Ten ships and as many aircraft are searching a massive area in the Indian Ocean west of Perth, trying to find some trace of the aircraft, which went missing more than three weeks ago and is presumed to have crashed.

The chief of the China Maritime Search and Rescue Center, He Jianzhong, told the Xinhua state news agency no objects linked to the plane had been found on Sunday, and that Chinese vessels would expand their search area.

Numerous objects have been spotted in the two days since Australian authorities moved the search 1,100 km (685 miles) after new analysis of radar and satellite data concluded the Boeing 777 travelled faster and for a shorter distance after vanishing from civilian radar screens on March 8. None has been confirmed as coming from Flight MH370.

U.S. Navy Captain Mark Matthews, who is in charge of the U.S. Towed Pinger Locator (TPL), told journalists at Stirling Naval Base near Perth that the lack of information about where the plane went down seriously hampers the ability to find it.

"Right now the search area is basically the size of the Indian Ocean, which would take an untenable amount of time to search," he said.

"If you compare this to Air France flight 447, we had much better positional information of where that aircraft went into the water," he said, referring to a plane that crashed in 2009 near Brazil and which took more than two years to find.

The U.S. Navy cannot use the pinger locator and other sonar used to listen for the beacons on the aircraft's flight data and cockpit voice recorders until "conclusive visual evidence" of debris is found, U.S. Navy spokesman Commander William Marks told CBS' "Face the Nation" program.

If no location is found, searchers would have to use sonar to slowly and methodically map the bottom of the ocean, he said. "That is an incredibly long process to go through. It is possible, but it could take quite a while," he said. Among the vessels to join the search is an Australian defense force ship, the Ocean Shield, that has been fitted with a sophisticated U.S. black box locator and an underwater drone.