Technology news

• Cyber attack could cost Sony studio as much as $100 million

  09-12-2014 23:53
  
  By Lisa Richwine LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Sony Corp's movie studio could face tens of millions of dollars in costs from the massive computer hack that hobbled its operations and exposed sensitive data, according to cybersecurity experts who have studied past breaches. The tab will be less than the $171 million Sony estimated for the breach of its Playstation Network in 2011 because it does not appear to involve customer data, the experts said. ...
  
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• YouTube's biggest hits of 2014: mutant spider-dog, singing nuns and sexism

  09-12-2014 22:33
  
  YouTube reveals its top 10 trending videos of 2014. Also includes kissing, footballers, a bendy iPhone 6 and a devil baby roaming New York• PewDiePie, Zoella and who else? What the UK watched on YouTube in 2014
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• Spark hikes broadband charges

  09-12-2014 22:14 via zdnet.com
  
  New Zealand's biggest telecommunications retailer responds to regulatory price signals and uncertainty about backdating with higher prices.
  
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• Android Lollipop update for Android Wear to bring new faces soon?

  09-12-2014 21:45
  
  Android 5.0 Lollipop isn't limited to just smartphones and tablets, as Android Wear devices are slated to get their own version eventually as well.There's been no concrete word on when it might arrive or what new features it will bring, but rumors today say it's coming tomorrow, Wednesday, December 10.That comes from a tipster on Reddit as well as a source that spoke with Phandroid, although granted this may be the same individual.The reports say that Android 5.0.1 Lollipop be go out over-the-ai
  
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• Microsoft is rethinking how to charge users for Windows 10

  09-12-2014 21:29
  
  Paying for Windows has always been relatively straightforward, but with Apple and Google introducing new monetization models for operating systems it looks like Microsoft is being forced to follow suit.Windows 10 garnered a healthy amount of buzz when Microsoft unveiled it in September, as it looks like a return to form for the OS, but what it won't be a return to is Microsoft's old business model."We've got to monetize it differently," Microsoft Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner sa
  
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• Advertisers can now tailor Twitter ads based on mobile app data

  09-12-2014 21:25 via zdnet.com
  
  The move comes just weeks after Twitter told users that it planned to begin collecting the data in order to make the content they see more individualized and interesting.
  
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• Review: Citrix GoToMeeting

  09-12-2014 21:24 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Overview and specsAt a certain point, teams and companies outgrow used consumer-grade solutions for conferencing online. Products like Skype, Hangouts, and Facetime aren't meant for heavy usage, and often balk once you get an hour into a conversation. This is where solutions for the enterprise have filled an important gap.Citrix's GoToMeeting is a video conferencing client available on desktop and mobile, as well as some wearable devices. Adobe has their Connect service, and Microsoft has Lync S
  
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• Former Uber driver charged over death of girl, 6, in San Francisco traffic accident

  09-12-2014 21:18
  
  Syed Muzarraf, 57, struck girl with car on New Year’s Eve 2013Driver was allegedly working for online car service but did not have passengers Continue reading...
  
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• Telstra takes stake in Panviva for cloud offering boost

  09-12-2014 21:00 via zdnet.com
  
  Australian cloud-based business process guidance software vendor Panviva is moving to ramp up its product development and expand its global push after receiving minority equity investment from Telstra Ventures.
  
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• Spanish judge orders temporary shutdown of Uber

  09-12-2014 20:54
  
  MADRID (AP) — A judge on Tuesday ordered the temporary suspension of ridesharing service Uber in Spain, saying it represents unfair competition.
  
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• Retina MacBook Air: 5 things we want to see

  09-12-2014 20:33
  
  For fans of Apple and notebooks in general, the wait for a Retina MacBook Air has gone on for what feels like an eternity. Apple held an event in October that was accompanied by the tag line "It's been way too long", which some people quietly hoped referred to the MacBook Air getting a long-overdue Retina upgrade. It didn't. (Sob.)As it turned out, the iMac 5K received a pixel-packing panel instead, joining the Cupertino-company's fleet of Retina products that now includes the iM
  
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• Acer could get back on board with Windows Phone in a big way

  09-12-2014 20:19
  
  Acer said in March 2014 that it won't make another Windows Phone until the operating system's app ecosystem and user experience improve.But according to a site called Gizbot that time may have already arrived, as Acer is reportedly prepping a 'slew' of new Windows Phone handsets to launch in 2015.Acer did launch one Windows Phone smartphone, the Acer W4, but that was three years ago and it wasn't exactly a showstopper.The Windows Phone situation has no doubt improved since then, though Microsoft
  
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• Intel unveils platform to simplify connectivity of products

  09-12-2014 20:04
  
  By Noel Randewich SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Intel Corp on Tuesday unveiled a new platform to make it easier for companies to create Internet-connected smart products using its chips, security and software. Intel's platform is like a set of building blocks based on the chipmaker's components and software for companies to create smart, connected devices, Doug Davis, head of Intel's Internet of Things business, said at a launch event in San Francisco. It also aims to make it easier t
  
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• Samsung may launch a new Note 4 with the superior Snapdragon 810

  09-12-2014 20:03
  
  Qualcomm made headlines in early December when a report said troubles with the company's upcoming Snapdragon 810 chip might cause delays in upcoming phones ranging from the Samsung Galaxy S6 to the LG G4.The chip maker came right out to deny it, but either way the rumor apparently hasn't stopped Samsung from allegedly testing the new Snapdragon out in an updated version of its Galaxy Note 4 phablet, Sammobile reports.There are already two variants of the Note 4 available, one with a Samsung Exyn
  
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• Uber taxis pick up driving bans in Spain and Thailand

  09-12-2014 20:02
  
  Spanish judge rules cab firm amounts to unfair competition, while Thai government says credit card system flouts regulations
  
  • City of Portland sues Uber in bid to shut taxi service down Continue reading...
  
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• Uber taxi app suspended in Spain

  09-12-2014 19:50 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A judge has ordered taxi booking service Uber to stop operating in Spain, after taxi associations complained it was unfair competition.
  
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• Twitch on Xbox One update makes it easier to find what you want

  09-12-2014 19:48
  
  For some users Twitch's deep-rooted Xbox One integration is a major selling point for Microsoft's current game console, and that integration just got better.A new update to Twitch on Xbox One adds a number of improvements, chief among them advanced filters that let you find what you want.Users can now filter live streams with criteria ranging from specific player stats like kill/death ratios in Call of Duty to what maps are being played or what car streamers are driving.Microsoft said in an Xbox
  
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• Uber's brash moves get it sued in Oregon and kicked out of Spain

  09-12-2014 19:27
  
  If you've ever tried to catch a cab in Portland, Oregon, whether on a busy Friday night or a lazy afternoon, then you understand that the city desperately needs a disruptive service like Uber to come in and light a fire under the old guard.City officials in Portland disagree, however, and they've filed a lawsuit against Uber over the company's apparently "illegal" launch there.Uber began operating in Portland in early December despite the city's objections over the company's prices, it
  
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• 'Giant spider dog' tops YouTube

  09-12-2014 19:24 via bbc.co.uk
  
  YouTube and Facebook have reveal their most popular content of 2014.
  
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• Review: Updated: iPhone 6

  09-12-2014 19:21
  
  Introduction and designWhy do we have the Apple iPhone 6? Well, despite record sales, the Cupertino brand was heading for a fall. Not this year, or the next. But the brand had been trading on the same phone for four years and something big was needed to keep it current.So with that, the iPhone 6, and its bigger brother, the iPhone 6 Plus, were born to keep Apple at the sharp end of a market that was starting to lust after powerful, big screen smartphones with clever and premium design.Buy your i
  
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• Ralph Baer obituary

  09-12-2014 19:02
  
  Inventor of the home video game console whose brilliant idea created an industry Continue reading...
  
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• PewDiePie, Zoella and who else? What the UK watched on YouTube in 2014

  09-12-2014 19:00
  
  Online video service reveals the 20 channels that signed up most new British subscribers, with gaming and vlogging to the fore• Mutant spider-dog, singing nuns and sexism: YouTube’s biggest hits of 2014 Continue reading...
  
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• YouTube star Connor Franta comes out as gay in video

  09-12-2014 18:39
  
  Vlogging star tells fans that he is gay, saying he has accepted who he is and is ‘happy with that person’
  YouTube vlogger Connor Franta, who has more than 3.6m subscribers and upwards of 156 million views, has told fans that he is gay.In a video entitled simply “Coming Out”, the 22-year-old discussed working through his sexuality and telling family and friends, before deciding to share the news with his online audience.
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• McIlroy 'wiped data from devices'

  09-12-2014 18:34 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A court is told the Northern Ireland golfer Rory McIlroy deliberately wiped clean up to eight electronic devices that may have contained important data relating to his legal action against his former management firm.
  
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• On our minds: Top 10 topics on Facebook in 2014

  09-12-2014 18:12
  
  What's popular? Facebook has a good gauge based on what people type into the box that says, "What's on your mind?"
  
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• Ice bucket, Brazil elections popular on Facebook

  09-12-2014 18:11
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Day after day, Facebook captures our best and worst moments, from the birth of a new baby to heated political spats. So what got discussed the most in 2014? The Ice Bucket Challenge and the death of Robin Williams, to name a few.
  
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• Uber taxi driver held on rape charge is serial sex offender, Indian media claim

  09-12-2014 18:08
  
  According to Hindustan Times Shiv Kumar Yadav was arrested and held for six months last year on another rape charge Continue reading...
  
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• Supreme court: employers do not have to fill pockets while checking them

  09-12-2014 18:05
  
  Rules security screenings are not ‘principal activity’ of workers’ jobsEmployees sued Amazon.com Inc contractor for back wages and overtime
  Checks after warehouse work shifts can take as long as half-hour a day‘Being homeless is better than working for Amazon’ Continue reading...
  
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• Amazon adds bidding option to site for fine art, collectibles

  09-12-2014 17:40
  
  (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc added a new feature to its website on Tuesday that allows customers to bid for lower prices on more than 150,000 items, including fine art and rare coins, sold by third-party vendors. The new feature represents a renewed attempt by Amazon to move beyond the fixed-price model on its site. In 1999, Amazon launched an online auction site, but the effort failed to compete with eBay Inc. Amazon went on to create a lucrative marketplace for third-party sellers which now acco
  
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• Woman, 75, loses thousands in scam

  09-12-2014 17:38 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An elderly woman in the Scottish Borders loses thousands of pounds after being targeted in a computer scam.
  
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• Court: No pay for Amazon warehouse security checks

  09-12-2014 17:12
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that warehouse workers who fill orders for retail giant Amazon don't have to be paid for time spent waiting to pass through security checks at the end of their shifts.
  
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• Anonymous superhacker turned FBI informant Sabu remains defiant over snitching

  09-12-2014 17:04
  
  Controversial hacker-turned-informant Hector Xavier Monsegur is unrepentant in first television interview, saying he ‘didn’t point fingers at anybody’ Continue reading...
  
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• Royal Mail launches 3D-printing service

  09-12-2014 16:58
  
  Partnership with iMakr will allow customers to have items such as keychains to mini postboxes “printed” and posted from its delivery officeRoyal Mail will offer to 3D print and ship a range of objects from a delivery office in the latest bid to retool the company for the 21st century. A trial will involve 3D-printing company iMakr installing printers in Royal Mail’s New Cavendish Street delivery office in London to offer both custom designs and ready-to-print objects. Continue reading...
  
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• Review: Updated: Nokia Lumia 630

  09-12-2014 16:42 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  IntroductionUpdate: The Nokia Lumia 630 has become even cheaper since its launch and new phones have arrived to challenge it. Our review now reflects this.With the Nokia Lumia 520 now the world's top-selling Windows Phone 8 handset, it's no surprise that Nokia and Microsoft are concentrating on strengthening their low-budget range as it tries to dominate an area of the market. The Nokia Lumia 630 was the first Windows Phone to arrive straight out of the box with Windows Phone 8.1.Price-wise the
  
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• PM Abe says Apple to build technical centre in Japan

  09-12-2014 16:30
  
  TOKYO (Reuters) - Apple Inc is building a technical development centre in Japan, Prime Minister Abe Shinzo said on Tuesday, which a company spokesman later confirmed, saying that the plan calls for several dozen jobs to be created as a result. "Apple has decided it undertake cutting-edge R&D in Japan," Jiji news service quoted Abe as saying in a campaign speech outside of Tokyo ahead of a general election on Sunday. "It will be formally announced soon. ...
  
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• Review: EE TV

  09-12-2014 16:30 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  IntroductionSince Freeview launched back in 2002, there has been no shortage of set-top-boxes on which to record your favourite TV shows.Once upon a time, particularly before on-demand viewing and streaming took hold, this was a much more necessary, but these days people can forget about making recordings and catch up online in their own time.So what EE TV aims to give people is an experience where everything is built in to one box.The technical feature worth mentioning here is that it supports
  
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• City of Portland sues Uber in bid to shut taxi service down

  09-12-2014 16:24
  
  Lawsuit claims Uber is violating city regulations and asks court to force cease and desist order just days after the taxi service launched in Oregon cityUber rape allegation: Delhi bans all unregistered internet taxi firms
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• Review: Pentax K-S1

  09-12-2014 16:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction Despite the fact that Pentax does indeed make some very good DSLRs, it always plays second fiddle to the big names of Canon and Nikon.It's possibly for this reason that in recent years, the company has tended towards gimmicks to try and shift units. Here with the K-S1, it's available in an array of bewildering colours, including a new "sweets" collection (yipee). There's also a panel of lights on the front of the camera, which are supposedly designed to "guide" opera
  
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• India Uber 'rape' prompts taxi ban

  09-12-2014 15:59 via bbc.co.uk
  
  India's government tells all states to ban unregistered web-based taxi firms after an Uber company driver is accused of raping a passenger in Delhi.
  
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• FBI official says 'no attribution' to North Korea in Sony hack probe

  09-12-2014 15:40
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior FBI official said on Tuesday that the agency has not confirmed suspicions that the North Korea is behind the unprecedented cyber attack on Sony's Hollywood studio. "There is no attribution to North Korea at this point," Joe Demarest, Assistant Director with the FBI's cyber division said while speaking on a panel at a cyber security conference in Washington sponsored by Bloomberg Government. "There is no discussion or confirmation of govern
  
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• French-American software start-up to launch automatic password changer

  09-12-2014 15:18
  
  By Eric Auchard LONDON (Reuters) - A French-American software start-up is to launch the world's first mainstream automatic password changer in an attempt to remove the all-too-human frailty that has rendered the phrase "computer security" a worrying oxymoron. For most people, properly managing passwords verges on impossible, given the dizzying array of devices and websites on which we have all become increasingly reliant. But Dashlane.com is stepping up its offering to counter hac
  
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• Dubai's world-beating skyscraper now in Google Street View

  09-12-2014 15:12
  
  (Reuters) - Armchair travellers can visit the world's tallest skyscraper and inspect one of the largest shopping malls with the addition of Dubai to Google Street View, Google said on Tuesday. The online pictorial map of the city -- the first from the United Arab Emirates to appear on Google Street View --allows users to navigate through several levels of the 830 metre (2,722 feet) tall Burj Khalifa skyscraper in downtown Dubai, including an observation deck near the top of the building. ..
  
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• Amazon warns US over drone rules

  09-12-2014 15:04 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Amazon has said it may take its drone delivery research outside the US because of strict regulation of the unmanned aircraft.
  
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• Facebook's 'emotional experiment' is most shared academic research

  09-12-2014 14:33
  
  A paper revealing Facebook’s secret experiments on users received more online attention than any other scientific paper published this year, a new study finds.Facebook’s notorious emotional manipulation study received more online attention than any other scientific research in 2014, according to an analytics company.The paper, “Experimental evidence of massive-scale emotional contagion through social networks”, was published in the respected US journal the Proceedings of the National Aca
  
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• Siemens CEO brushes off concern over oil price slide

  09-12-2014 14:31
  
  FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Siemens Chief Executive Joe Kaeser sought to calm concern that a slide in prices would hurt an oil and gas business on which the German engineering group has spent billions of euros. Kaeser, who took the helm in a boardroom coup last year, splashed out $7.6 billion (4.8 billion pounds) in September to buy U.S. oilfield equipment maker Dresser-Rand, paying a relatively high price to beef up the group's presence in the U.S. shale oil and gas industry. ...
  
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• Russian search engine Yandex branches out into data business

  09-12-2014 14:28
  
  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian search engine Yandex said on Tuesday it planned to capitalise on its expertise in data analysis to develop its business beyond Russia which could help to drive its expansion as advertising revenue growth slows. Yandex, the market-leading Internet search engine in Russia with a market share of 60 percent, gets the bulk of its revenues from text-based advertising which have been hit by the country's economic downturn. It also offers free email, maps, music streaming
  
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• President Obama writes Frozen code

  09-12-2014 14:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The US president joined a group of middle-school children taking part in the "Hour of Code" computer education project.
  
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• Candy Crush killer? Facebook names Cookie Jam as its best game of 2014

  09-12-2014 14:00
  
  Social network says it now has more than 375m people playing games across web, smartphones and tabletsFacebook has named a colourful match-three puzzle as its best game of 2014, but it’s not Candy Crush Saga – or even its sequel Candy Crush Soda Saga.The social network has picked Cookie Jam, from developer SGN, as the standout social game of the year. Having launched in May, the game now has more than five million players online. Continue reading...
  
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• India clamps down on unregistered taxis after Uber rape claim

  09-12-2014 13:52
  
  By Aditya Kalra and Malini Menon NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India ordered state governments to halt the operations of all unregistered, web-based taxi companies on Tuesday after a female passenger reported she was raped in New Delhi by a driver contracted to U.S. cab company Uber. The case has caused uproar in India after it emerged that the suspect had previously been charged for rape but had obtained a character reference signed by a police officer that was forged. It has also revealed a failure to
  
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• Two stealthy Linux malware samples uncovered, following in Windows variants' tracks

  09-12-2014 13:52 via zdnet.com
  
  Two new variants of malware targeting government and business targets have been unearthed.
  
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