Technology news

• Insight - Drone downer: Will new FAA rules ground recreational fliers?

  12-12-2014 23:51
  
  By Alwyn Scott NEW YORK (Reuters) - Americans shopping for toy remote-controlled airplanes or helicopters may find, sometime in the near future, that they come with unexpected accessories: A raft of new regulations. The Federal Aviation Administration, by the end of the month, is expected to propose new rules governing small unmanned aircraft systems, the first major overhaul of its drone policy. The agency is closely guarding details, saying only that the rules will cover a wide range of users
  
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• Exclusive- Iran hackers may target U.S. energy, defence firms, FBI warns

  12-12-2014 23:36
  
  By Jim Finkle BOSTON (Reuters) - The Federal Bureau of Investigation has warned U.S. businesses to be on the alert for a sophisticated Iranian hacking operation whose targets include defence contractors, energy firms and educational institutions, according to a confidential agency document. The operation is the same as one flagged last week by cyber security firm Cylance Inc as targeting critical infrastructure organizations worldwide, cyber security experts said. ...
  
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• Apple pacts in Canada may have raised prices - court filing

  12-12-2014 23:32
  
  OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian consumers may have ended up paying higher prices for cellphones and wireless services because of contracts between Apple Inc's Canadian unit and domestic carriers, the Canadian Competition Bureau said in a court filing this week. The affidavit made on Tuesday by the Competition Bureau's Vincent Millette listed several ways the agreements with the phone companies may have prevented or lessened competition. ...
  
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• Can Amy Pascal's career survive Sony cyberattack?

  12-12-2014 23:27
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Amy Pascal, one of the most powerful women in the man's world that is Hollywood and the force behind such critical and commercial hits as "The Social Network" and "American Hustle" has had better days
  
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• Microsoft's Xbox head will 'talk about gaming' at Windows 10 event

  12-12-2014 23:16
  
  Microsoft announced yesterday that it will reveal the future of Windows 10 at an event in January, and they said at the time that Xbox head Phil Spencer will take the stage in some capacity.Now the Microsoft executive has revealed that he'll be discussing Windows gaming at the event."I'll be focusing more on what we are doing on Win10 in January," he said in a tweet on December 11. "It's time for us to talk about gaming on Windows."Windows gaming is 'critical'Microsoft CEO Sa
  
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• Drone risks require more regulation, IATA chief says

  12-12-2014 22:59
  
  GENEVA (Reuters) - The surging popularity of inexpensive radio-controlled airplanes and helicopters raises risks that require a firm response from regulators to ensure safety, the head of a leading commercial aviation trade group told Reuters. "I'm not one who often calls for regulation," Tony Tyler, director general of the International Air Transport Association, said in an interview on the sidelines of the organisation's global media day. "But this is a new industry an
  
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• In Depth: Building a better mouse: inside Logitech's Swiss testing facility

  12-12-2014 22:58
  
  Touring the testing groundsBefore beginning my tour of Logitech's Lausanne, Switzerland testing facility, Ujesh Desais, general manager of the company's gaming-focused Logitech G products, cracks wise about the irony of testing mice in the basement. Despite Desais' joke, though, the research and development that goes into creating Logitech's mice and keyboards here in Switzerland is anything but funny.The visit to the tech campus, where Logitech crafted their very first mouse in 1981, along wit
  
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• Apple behaviour in Canada may have raised prices - court filing

  12-12-2014 22:26
  
  OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian consumers may have ended up paying higher prices for cellphones and wireless services because of contracts between Apple Inc's Canadian unit and domestic carriers, a Canadian Competition Bureau official said in a court filing this week. The affidavit made on Tuesday by the Competition Bureau's Vincent Millette said the agreements with the phone companies may have discouraged the carriers from reducing the price of other handsets. ...
  
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• The biggest Chromebook yet might launch early in 2015

  12-12-2014 22:15
  
  Chromebooks so far have been fairly limited in size, but Acer might be preparing to launch the biggest one yet.The Taiwanese company, which is already a prolific Chromebook maker, will launch the 15.6-inch Acer C910 in March, reports a site called OMG Chrome.They're not saying where they got their info - besides saying a "Chrome Bandit" passed it along - but they seem to have an unusual amount of details.According to the site, the Acer C910 will be part of a new wave of "rugged&qu
  
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• Industry Voice: 3 critical mobility components that help IT managers sleep at night

  12-12-2014 21:44
  
  The enterprise mobility industry is going through a methodology shift in how it approaches and thinks about mobile security. When Mobile Device Management (MDM) initially launched, the industry assumed having the ability to lock down features and functions on a particular device also helped secure the device. However, this configuration management type of approach was deemed unsatisfactory when it comes to providing actual security on top of what the underlying operating system provides. As th
  
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• Google to close engineering office in Russia as internet restrictions bite

  12-12-2014 20:48
  
  Law coming into force next year will require foreign firms to store Russian users’ personal data on servers located in Russia Continue reading...
  
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• Hands-on review: Samsung Galaxy Tab Active

  12-12-2014 20:30
  
  There are certain things an iPad Air 2 isn't designed to do. For example: you wouldn't want to submerge it in three-feet of water for 30 minutes (it will die in any water). You wouldn't want to expose it to -4-degree or 140-degree temperatures (it can survive 32- to 95-degree temperatures), and you wouldn't want to drop it from up to four feet (it's been known to shatter at this height). The iPad Air 2 is definitely the best tablet on the market. However, it's not ideal for extremely energetic p
  
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• Hands-on review: Galaxy Tab Active

  12-12-2014 20:30 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  There are certain things an iPad Air 2 isn't designed to do. For example: you wouldn't want to submerge it in three-feet of water for 30 minutes (it will die in any water). You wouldn't want to expose it to -4-degree or 140-degree temperatures (it can survive 32- to 95-degree temperatures), and you wouldn't want to drop it from up to four feet (it's been known to shatter at this height). The iPad Air 2 is definitely the best tablet on the market. However, it's not ideal for extremely energetic p
  
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• Sony 'spooked' over possibility of more attacks - U.S. gov't source

  12-12-2014 20:16
  
  By Mark Hosenball and Jim Finkle WASHINGTON/BOSTON - Sony Pictures Entertainment representatives have advised U.S. authorities they are deeply concerned the studio might fall victim to more cyberattacks after it releases the film "The Interview" on Dec. 25, a U.S. national security source said on Friday. "They are spooked," said the official, who was not authorized to publicly comment on government discussions with the Sony Corp unit, which is still rebuilding some computer s
  
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• Sony spoof 'The Interview' makes North Korea butt of the joke

  12-12-2014 20:04
  
  By Piya Sinha-Roy LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - As the end credits roll for Sony Pictures' comedy "The Interview," the audience giggles at the standard disclaimer stating that any resemblance of the film's characters to real people is coincidental. The raunchy comedy's villain is North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, a creative choice that sparked a real-life threat from the hermetic nation and possibly, as some speculate, a damaging cyberattack on the movie studio by unidentified
  
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• Another Patch Tuesday Patch from Microsoft for Office

  12-12-2014 20:03 via zdnet.com
  
  October updates to Office 2010 and 2013 could cause problems with field updates in Microsoft Word. The faulty update is unclear at this point.
  
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• WTO talks on duty-free trade in IT goods collapse

  12-12-2014 19:47
  
  By Tom Miles GENEVA (Reuters) - Talks on cutting trade tariffs on hundreds of information technology products collapsed on Friday, delaying and potentially scuppering a deal estimated to be worth $1 trillion to global trade. "This is potentially an enormous deal. We missed an opportunity here this week to conclude," U.S. Ambassador Michael Punke told reporters at the World Trade Organization (WTO). The talks aimed to update the WTO's 17-year-old Information Technology Agreement, w
  
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• Seth Rogen forced to tone down key Kim Jong-un scene in The Interview

  12-12-2014 19:12
  
  Sony’s Japanese CEO demanded – and won – concessions that scenes featuring Kim Jong-un were cut
  • First look review: The Interview
  • Hackers demand Sony cancel release of Kim Jong-un-baiting comedy
  
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• Buying Guide: Best in ear headphones: our top 3 reviewed

  12-12-2014 18:50
  
  As much as we love the sound and bass performance of big, hulking over-ear headphones, there are some situations where they simply tend to cause more problems than they're worth.Whether you're at the gym, traveling, or just hanging out, sometimes you just want something a little more compact, something that won't weigh you down, or maybe even a pair of headphones that's sweat-proof. For these specialties, you're speaking precisely of what in ear headphones have to offer.We're on a mission to pro
  
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• Iowa developing driver's licence app

  12-12-2014 18:45 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The US state of Iowa is developing an application to put residents' driver's licences on mobile devices.
  
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• No dislike button for Facebook, declares Zuckerberg

  12-12-2014 18:38
  
  Social network considers letting users express more appropriate emotions for ‘sad moments’ in what chief executive says would be a ‘powerful’ move Facebook is considering ways to let users express a broader range of emotions than is possible with the “like” button alone.In the second public Q&A at its Menlo Park near San Francisco, Mark Zuckerberg said that many users of the social network did not feel comfortable in “liking” unfortunate life events such as deaths, while othe
  
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• French court says Uber may infringe on taxi law

  12-12-2014 17:46
  
  PARIS (AP) — A French court has ruled that Uber's ride-hailing service may infringe French law and ordered the company to make changes to its popular mobile app-based service.
  
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• WTO talks fail to clinch deal on trillion dollar IT tariff cuts

  12-12-2014 17:43
  
  By Tom Miles GENEVA (Reuters) - Talks on cutting trade tariffs on hundreds of information technology goods failed to reach agreement on Friday, diplomats at the World Trade Organization (WTO) said. "We don't have a deal," one trade ambassador told Reuters as he entered the closed-door meeting. Several diplomats said they were disappointed at the failure of a reform potentially worth a trillion dollars, and that they would now take stock before deciding how to take the talks forwar
  
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• Google to close engineering office in Russia

  12-12-2014 17:36
  
  Law coming into force next year will require foreign firms to store Russian users’ personal data on servers located in Russia Continue reading...
  
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• AAA games on Oculus Rift are years away, says dev

  12-12-2014 17:30
  It will be years until we see console-style games supported on Oculus Rift according to the designer of upcoming Xbox One/PS4 free-runner Dying Light. "How long do I think it will take games to adapt to Oculus Rift? Honestly, years," said Maciej Binkowski, Techland's lead designer of Dying Light, to TrustedReviews in an interview."To get it to a point where gamers can comfortably play for three hours on a couch, I think it's going to take years. Not just from the technological gam
  
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• Computer failure grounds London flights

  12-12-2014 17:03 via zdnet.com
  
  Updated: "Technical problem" traced to Swanwick air traffic control centre, but the system has now been "restored".
  
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• Hadouken is real: Pyro wristband shoots fireballs

  12-12-2014 17:02
  
  Flash gun device containing four barrels allows users to shoot flame, in the style of Street Fighter hadouken attack and Pokémon Continue reading...
  
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• The Apple Store starts accepting PayPal online

  12-12-2014 16:46
  
  The Apple Store has started accepting orders through Paypal in the US and UK, offering another way to get hold of a new iPhone 6 or MacBook Pro. As well as being able to buy Apple gadgets outright through Paypal, you can pay in monthly instalments, with the same zero interest deal on offer for those not using PayPal. PayPal payments aren't yet available through the Apple Store app, but at the moment it's not clear whether that's simply down to it not having been updated yet. PayPal vs Apple PayT
  
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• The clipart guide to how to survive without clipart

  12-12-2014 16:28
  
  If you too are mourning the demise of clipart, discover how you can continue to produce documents, even if they are not graced with bewildered stickmen or line-art prize rosettes. It is possible. Or if it’s all too painful, you can play our commemorative clipart game, Clippy Bird Continue reading...
  
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• Clip art is dead: long live clippy bird

  12-12-2014 16:28
  
  Blinking through the tears, we decided that we could not let the demise of clipart go unmourned. So we made a clipart game to remember the good times. Because games. And clipart. And the internet. . (For a more practical response, read our clipart guide to what to do without clipart: “My [clip] art will go on”) Continue reading...
  
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• Dazzling Geminid Meteor Shower Expected In UK

  12-12-2014 16:25
  
  This weekend could see "perfect" conditions for a dazzling meteor shower in the skies above the UK.
  
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• Download of the day: Avidemux

  12-12-2014 16:00
  
  Avidemux provides easy to use video editing tools that are perfect if you're put off by some of the higher end packages – and higher end price tags.Why you need itVideo editing is not always the simplest task in the world, and getting started may seem like more hassle than it's worth. But not with Avidemux, a free program that aims to make video editing as simple and straightforward as possible.To that end it ditches the timeline and multi-track editing features often seen in other video manip
  
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• Google Maps just became an even better sat nav

  12-12-2014 15:52
  
  Google has given its Maps navigation app a little upgrade, with new heads-up notifications on what lane you need to get in to help ensure you don't miss that vital turn-off. Google Maps is a pretty good freebie sat nav already, but Google product manager Darren Baker has just let us know about this new feature in the service. Turn-by-turn navigation has been improved, with more sophisticated mapping data letting Maps tell you what lane you need to be in when turning off motorways and the like. S
  
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• Telecom Italia decides no need to rush for Oi in Brazil - sources

  12-12-2014 15:46
  
  By Danilo Masoni and Guillermo Parra-Bernal MILAN/SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Telecom Italia has concluded it cannot make a move in the expected consolidation of the Brazilian market, where it controls the second biggest mobile operator, until the corporate turmoil abates at prospective merger partner Oi, according to sources familiar with the matter. Oi also needs to cut its debt and costs before Telecom Italia makes a move, one of the sources said. ...
  
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• Study finds social media use beneficial to overall health of elderly

  12-12-2014 15:43
  
  Report studied elderly and vulnerable people in UK and Italy using Skype, Facebook and other social media tools Continue reading...
  
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• ​Why 2015 will be big for NoSQL databases: Couchbase CEO

  12-12-2014 15:36 via zdnet.com
  
  As an alternative to relational technology, NoSQL database deployments could well be entering a new phase next year, according to Bob Wiederhold, CEO of open-source NoSQL firm Couchbase.
  
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• Interview: How to find crucial digital evidence in the big data haystack

  12-12-2014 15:30
  
  Across businesses today, a range of departments are faced with the challenge of finding crucial evidence amongst the ever-growing volume of digital data that is produced. From investigators, information security officers, auditors, records managers, HR to in-house counsel, they all need to find evidence – whether it be an inappropriate email, an important contract or a data breach trail – amongst the organisation's unstructured data.One way to deal with the volume of data efficiently and get
  
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• Boxing Day Deals: Boxing Day and January Sales: how to pick up a bargain this year!

  12-12-2014 15:18
  
  Boxing Day SalesThe Black Friday bruises have barely begun to fade and Amazon's already bringing out the bunting for its Boxing Day DealsAnd in typical Amazon style, it's going for a whole week of Boxing Day deals instead of a single day.Yep, no longer confined to highstreet stores, this year's Boxing Day sales promise to be the most exciting ever, as online retailers slash prices across the board in an attempt to clear stock.So what should you be looking out for this Boxing Day? What deals can
  
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• Updated: Amazon explains why its app was kicked from Google Play

  12-12-2014 15:17
  
  Update: We asked Amazon for its take on what caused its app to be removed from Google Play.An Amazon spokesperson relied that "we launched a new Amazon App for Android Phones on September 9 that provides an award-winning mobile shopping experience, enables customers to discover and purchase all of Amazon's digital catalogue, and provides customers access to the Prime Instant Video player and unlimited streaming of over 15,000 movies and TV episodes. "Google subsequently changed t
  
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• How the Snapdragon 810 is going to change smartphones

  12-12-2014 15:00
  
  Qualcomm showed off its new SoC (system on chip), the Snapdragon 810, to a host of journalists this morning in NYC. Implemented into some reference devices, there were several stations available, each showcasing a new or improved feature made possible with the Snapdragon 810, which will be launching in smartphones by mid 2015.Starting off with 4K, Qualcomm is focused on putting the capability to natively play, record, and even stream 4K content into the hands of users. But to nip the ever-lurkin
  
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• Google moves engineers out of Russia

  12-12-2014 14:29 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The tech giant says it "remains committed" to Russia but has confirmed that it will be removing its engineering office staff.
  
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• Fully functional 1976 Apple-1 Computer sells for $360,000 at auction

  12-12-2014 14:23
  
  Computer named after its original owner Charles Ricketts is documented as having been sold directly by Jobs to an individual from his family homeA fully operational Apple computer that company co-founder Steve Jobs sold out of his parents’ garage in 1976 for $600 sold for $365,000 at Christie’s on Thursday. The Ricketts Apple-1 Personal Computer, named after its original owner Charles Ricketts, is the only known surviving Apple-1 documented as having been sold directly by Jobs to an individu
  
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• How to hack your … espresso machine

  12-12-2014 14:06
  
  Some coffee makers use digital trickery to stop caffeine addicts inserting generic pods, but one hacker has perked up with a one-shot solutionDigital rights management has been used to prevent everything from iTunes music being played on non-Apple devices to no-name cartridges working in your printer. Now plucky hackers have even managed to crack the DRM system on ... espresso - the Keurig 2.0 pod-based espresso machines, to be precise.
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• YouTube creates GIF maker for videos

  12-12-2014 14:05 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An easy-to-use tool for creating GIFs is added to some YouTube videos.
  
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• Facebook ponders 'dislike' function

  12-12-2014 13:54 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Facebook is thinking about adding a way to "dislike" posts on its site, something users have requested in their droves.
  
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• Spy agency GCHQ builds Android app to inspire next wave of code-breakers

  12-12-2014 13:35 via zdnet.com
  
  GCHQ's tablet app allows users to use encryption to create and crack messages
  
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• French court to rule on Uber ban in new challenge

  12-12-2014 13:34
  
  PARIS (AP) — A French court is expected to decide Friday whether to ban the ride-hailing company Uber's service after a complaint from rival taxi and car services.
  
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• German union calls new strike at Amazon warehouses

  12-12-2014 13:32
  
  FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German union Verdi has called a fresh three-day strike at five Amazon warehouses, increasing pressure on the online retailer during the busy pre-Christmas period in a long-running dispute over pay and conditions. Verdi said in a statement on Friday it had called on workers to strike at distribution centres in Bad Hersfeld, Leipzig, Graben, Rheinberg and Werne. The walkouts are to start during the night shift running from Sunday to Monday and will run until the end of Wednes
  
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• India's TCS says seasonal trends to impact Q3 revenue

  12-12-2014 13:12
  
  MUMBAI (Reuters) - Tata Consultancy Services Ltd, India's biggest software services exporter, on Friday said it expected third-quarter revenue to be "in line with seasonal trends" as holidays and furloughs impact some of its key businesses. The company sees demand in North America to be in line with its expectations for the quarter ending Dec. 31, adjusted for seasonal weakness, TCS said in a filing with the stock exchange after market hours. ...
  
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• Computer sold by Steve Jobs out of his parents' garage raises $365,000 at auction

  12-12-2014 12:40 via zdnet.com
  
  One of the fewer than 50 surviving Apple-1 computers has been sold at auction alongside papers suggesting Jobs may have written some custom code for the machine.
  
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