Technology news

• Apple offers option to rent or purchase The Interview from iTunes store

  28-12-2014 21:09
  
  Film is priced at $5.99 to rent and $14.99 to own. Until Sony discloses online revenues, it’s not clear if it will recoup the $44m cost of making the movieNorth Korea calls Obama a ‘monkey’ over internet shutdowns Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Sony says PlayStation still has problems, gradually coming back online

  28-12-2014 20:35
  
  By Jim Finkle and Liana B. Baker BOSTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sony Corp's PlayStation Network suffered connection problems for a fourth straight day since hackers attacked the video game network, and the company said on Sunday that service was gradually being restored. The hacker activist group known as Lizard Squad has claimed responsibility for disrupting both the PlayStation Network and Microsoft Corp's Xbox Live on Christmas Day. Service was restored to Xbox Live on Friday. ...
  
  Read more

• Key decisions on drones likely from Congress

  28-12-2014 20:17
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is on the verge of proposing long-awaited rules for commercial drone operations in U.S. skies, but key decisions on how much access to grant drones are likely to come from Congress next year.
  
  Read more

• Cyber-attacks on South Korean nuclear power operator continue

  28-12-2014 19:34
  
  Firm says nuclear power plants are operating safely and are secure from attack, and it has stepped up its cybersecurity Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Residents alarmed as Coast Guard changes foghorns

  28-12-2014 16:05
  
  For Tom Bradbury and his neighbors, the town foghorn is more than just a familiar, wistful noise — it represents something greater, like peace itself. "There's a sense that someone is on guard, watching ...
  
  Read more

• Surge in illegal sales of drugs as gangs exploit ‘phenomenal market’ online

  28-12-2014 15:36
  
  Gangs using smartphone apps and social media to sell erectile dysfunction drugs and slimming pills at low risk and high profit Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• In Depth: Your old Nokia sucked: here's how much better phones have become in 20 years

  28-12-2014 14:00
  
  Smartphones are a relatively recent invention: the first so-called smartphone, Ericsson's R380, didn't ship until early 2000. In the 1990s phones had modest specs, proprietary operating systems and the ability to make and receive phone calls, sometimes. Today's phones haven't improved much on the calling front - for all their noise cancelling and cleverness, they still drop calls like they're hot - but everything else has changed dramatically in just 20 years. The numbers have changed too. In 19
  
  Read more

• Congress likely to make key decisions on drones

  28-12-2014 12:00
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is about to propose long-awaited rules for commercial drone operations in U.S. skies, but key decisions on how much access to grant drones are likely to come from Congress next year.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Buying guide: The best accessories for your new tablet

  28-12-2014 12:00
  
  iPad Air 2If you were lucky enough to find a brand new tablet waiting for you underneath the Christmas tree, you'll want to check out these fantastic accessories that can make using your new gadget even better.We've searched high and low for the best accessories for some of the most popular tablets on the market today. These accessories can make your laptop more useful, prolong its battery life, protect it from damage and even completely reinvent the way you use them.And even if you don't have o
  
  Read more

• Sony restores access to PSN after DDoS attack - three days later

  28-12-2014 11:54
  
  Sony has revealed that it is has managed to get the PlayStation Network back online after suffering a massive three-day outage due to a DDoS attack.Christmas was cancelled for the world's gaming community this year, when both Sony's PSN and Microsoft's Xbox Live were forced offline by a hacker group. Responsibility for the attack on the online services was claimed by Lizard Squad on Twitter - the same group that instigated an attack earlier in December and in August.Sony has updated a blog post
  
  Read more

• VIDEO: The most tweeted and posted of 2014

  28-12-2014 11:53 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Social media monitoring company Brandwatch has revealed 2014's most talked about news event.
  
  Read more

• The novelist’s art of the tweet is brought to book

  28-12-2014 11:30
  
  It’s a long way from inception to completion, unless you’re artist and programmer Cory Arcangel, and your book is made up of other people’s tweets about writing a book Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Game of Thrones most pirated of 2014

  28-12-2014 10:48 via bbc.co.uk
  
  According to stats from downloading blog TorrentFreak, Game of Thrones has taken the crown for the third year in a row as the most downloaded TV show.
  
  Read more

• The Observer tech quiz of 2014 – part 3

  28-12-2014 10:00
  
  Tech-savvy or totally clueless? Test how much big data from the past 12 months you can retrieve with our cutting-edge questionnairePart 1 of the quiz is here
  Part 2 of the quiz is here
  Answers to Part 3 and – spoiler alert! – Part 2 here
  Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• The Observer tech quiz of 2014 – part 2

  28-12-2014 10:00
  
  Tech-savvy or totally clueless? Test your ability to retrieve big data about the events of the past 12 months with our cutting-edge questionnaire. Answers at the bottom of the page
  
  Part 3 of the quiz is here
  Part 1 of the quiz is here
  Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• The Observer tech quiz of 2014: answers to parts 2 and 3

  28-12-2014 10:00
  
  Find out how you got on in our round-up of the past 12 months’ technological developments Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• The Observer tech quiz of 2014 – part 1

  28-12-2014 10:00
  
  Tech-savvy or totally clueless? See how much data about the past 12 months you can retrieve from the hard drive in your head
  
  • Part 2 of the quiz is here
  • Part 3 of the quiz is here Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Interview: What is the business case for flexible working?

  28-12-2014 09:00
  
  In 2012, O2 conducted one of the UK's largest-ever flexible working experiments by asking its 2,500-strong workforce to work away from its Slough-based headquarters for the day. According to O2, the pilot was a runaway success that resulted in happier, more productive employees. We spoke to O2 Business Director Ben Dowd about the trial, along with the costs, benefits and future of flexible working.TechRadar Pro: How did O2's staff feel about the trial? What was the outcome?
  Ben Dowd: Almost al
  
  Read more

• 2014: the year the internet finally came of age

  28-12-2014 01:05
  
  Twenty-one years after it went mainstream, we are finally getting a picture of just what the internet means to us Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Let Muadh go: Arab Twitter users plead for pilot held by Isis

  28-12-2014 01:05
  
  A solidarity drive for Muadh al-Kasasbeh, the Jordanian captured near the Islamic State ‘capital’, goes viral online Continue reading...
  
  Read more

Follow @TechnologyUKnws on Twitter!