Technology news

• Is Office enough to drive enterprise adoption of Windows 10 smartphones?

  21-01-2015 23:57
  
  Along with the the launch of Windows 10 for smartphones, Microsoft announced it is also overhauling its Office suite for Windows Phone, bringing parity to the desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. It remains to be seen if Microsoft's strategy is enough, as these changes still don't address the biggest shortcoming of Windows Phone: the lack of apps.For business users, there's a lot to love about Microsoft's tight integration within its ecosystem. Action Center allows you to di
  
  Read more

• In Depth: Is Windows Holographic too premature a notion for the enterprise?

  21-01-2015 23:52
  
  Microsoft’s preview of Windows Holographic is clearly a grab for headlines, a way for it to brand itself as a future-facing company. It wants to achieve what the now-paused Google Glass Explorer program could not and what Oculus has not. This announcement, though, came at the end of a presentation where “rough build” was a term frequently used to refer to the fact that Windows 10 is far from finished. Everybody wants to build hoverboards and jetpacks, but this is a Microsoft that still has
  
  Read more

• Opinion: Windows 10 has won over this Windows 7 holdout

  21-01-2015 23:51
  
  At today's Windows 10 event Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella set forth an ambitious goal to make its latest operating system "the most loved release of Windows." Those are some big words from the Redmond company especially after the PC user crowd's chilly reception towards Windows 8 and Windows 8.1.Personally, as a Windows 7 holdout who has never willingly touched Windows 8 and 8.1 aside from having the OS thrust upon me on laptop review units, Windows 10 has to do some pretty spectacular t
  
  Read more

• Review: Canon Maxify MB5320

  21-01-2015 23:47
  
  Introduction, specs and features Canon's Maxify MB5320 is the latest installment in the company's small business hardware designed to bring low-cost printing capabilities to smaller and home offices. This is part of Canon's push to place a chokehold on the small office/home office (SOHO) market. The MB5320 is a wireless inkjet all-in-one printer valued priced at $399.99 (US only) with a stacked feature set and robust paper handling because, let's face it, no one likes a paper jam, especially at
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• EBay may sell enterprise unit ahead of PayPal split

  21-01-2015 23:44
  
  By Deepa Seetharaman SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - E-commerce company eBay Inc on Wednesday announced an agreement with activist investor Carl Icahn that will give investors a greater say in its PayPal payments unit once it is spun off and said it exploring a sale or public offering of its enterprise unit. The moves could lay the groundwork for a future acquisition of eBay and PayPal by companies looking to gain a foothold in the e-commerce and online payments markets. Wall Street analysts have iden
  
  Read more

• Boy Entrepreneur Invents Lego Braille Printer

  21-01-2015 23:33
  
  A 13-year-old American boy is thought to be the youngest entrepreneur ever to receive venture capital after he invented a Braille printer using Lego. Proving that Silicon Valley wonder kids really are getting younger, Shubham Banerjee had his light-bulb moment after asking his parents how blind people read. He was surprised to find that Braille printers cost at least $2,000 (£1,300), way too expensive for many in the developing world, and weigh a hefty 20lb (9kg). He perfected his prototype, u
  
  Read more

• EBay to cut 2,400 jobs, spin off or sell enterprise unit

  21-01-2015 23:23
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — EBay plans to cut 2,400 jobs, or 7 percent of its staff, in the first quarter to simplify its structure and boost profit ahead of a planned separation of its business.
  
  Read more

• EBay to cut jobs, sell enterprise unit ahead of PayPal split

  21-01-2015 23:02
  
  By Deepa Seetharaman SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - EBay Inc plans to cut its workforce by 7 percent, or 2,400 jobs, in the current quarter and is exploring a sale or public offering of its enterprise unit as the e-commerce company prepares to split from its payments division, PayPal, this year. The jobs will be cut across the marketplace, payments and enterprise divisions, eBay said on Wednesday in its fourth-quarter earnings report. EBay said it entered into a standstill agreement with Carl Icahn,
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Microsoft's HoloLens: holographic revolution or another hollow promise?

  21-01-2015 22:58
  
  The company submits its entry into the smart headset fray and says the tech will avoid the social miscues of Google Glass and real-life impracticality of Oculus Rift Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Ebay to cut about 2,400 positions in current quarter

  21-01-2015 22:28
  
  (Reuters) - Online retailer Ebay Inc said it plans to cut about 2,400 positions, or 7 percent of its workforce across eBay marketplaces, PayPal, and eBay enterprise in the current quarter to simplify its organizational structure. The company also said it will explore strategic options for eBay enterprise, including a sale or an IPO. EBay's net income rose to $936 million, or 75 cents per share, in the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, from $850 million, or 65 cents per share, a year earlier. Re
  
  Read more

• Alleged Silk Road operator kept digital journal detailing website's development

  21-01-2015 22:04
  
  Jury hears that Ross Ulbricht’s laptop contained journal entries in which he predicted website would become a ‘phenomenon’ and fretted about its secrecy Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Facebook promises less hoax stories and spam posts in users' news feeds

  21-01-2015 21:35
  
  Social network will also annotate suspicious stories with a warning, but maintains it’s still a platform not a publisher Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Windows 10 to be free and get headset

  21-01-2015 21:23 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Microsoft says its Windows 10 operating system will be a free upgrade for many users and unveils a "holographic" headset that can run it.
  
  Read more

• WhatsApp launches desktop option

  21-01-2015 21:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Messaging platform WhatsApp announces that users can now send messages from their desktop web browsers in addition to their phones.
  
  Read more

• Opinion: Windows 10 security takes a backseat to new features and applications

  21-01-2015 21:05
  
  Today’s Microsoft Windows 10 event was a marvel of innovation. From groundbreaking holographic technology to improved productivity applications to a new way to browse the web, Microsoft once again proved itself an ambitious trend-setter in consumer and enterprise technology. Unfortunately, one aspect went almost wholly ignored during today’s event: despite opening the press conference by claiming Windows 10 would have the best security features available on any operating system, Terry Myerso
  
  Read more

• Developer has plans to preserve Westinghouse atom smasher

  21-01-2015 20:58
  
  FOREST HILLS, Pa. (AP) — A developer has knocked over the Westinghouse atom smasher east of Pittsburgh but plans to preserve the structure no matter what happens to the property it was on.
  
  Read more

• Microsoft to give away Windows 10, unveils hologram glasses

  21-01-2015 20:51
  
  By Bill Rigby SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp will give away its upcoming Windows 10 operating system as a free upgrade to users of the most recent versions of Windows and Windows Phone, as the world's largest software company tries to retain customers in the mobile era. The action is a marked change for the company, which has always charged for new versions of Windows, one of its main profit drivers. "It's a necessary evil as CEO Satya Nadella and Microsoft have recognised the 'golden goose'
  
  Read more

• Microsoft shows off Windows 10 and 'HoloLens'

  21-01-2015 20:39
  
  REDMOND, Wash. (AP) — Microsoft has taken the wraps off a new version of Windows — and a new wearable 3D gadget it calls the HoloLens.
  
  Read more

• Microsoft to offer Windows 10 operating system for free

  21-01-2015 20:35
  
  Move breaks with Microsoft’s past in order to compete in mobile-centric market as company also unveils headset that interacts with 3D holograms Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Bill changes needed to protect journalists

  21-01-2015 20:32
  
  Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• EU could demand that Web firms decrypt emails - adviser

  21-01-2015 20:19
  
  By Alastair Macdonald and Robert-Jan Bartunek BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union should consider forcing Internet firms to help security services tap into coded emails and calls as part of a new strategy to combat militant attacks, the EU counter-terrorism coordinator says. The controversial proposal appears in a briefing paper from Gilles de Kerchove for EU interior ministers meeting next week which was reviewed by Reuters. De Kerchove noted that scandal over U.S. spying on global networks
  
  Read more

• Microsoft shows off holographic lens device at Windows briefing

  21-01-2015 20:01
  
  SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp on Wednesday unveiled a holographic lens device that allows users to see three-dimensional renderings of computer-generated images. The device, called Microsoft HoloLens, has no wires and looks like a visor. It ups the stakes in the emerging market for virtual reality, being targeted by Facebook Inc's Oculus. The device will be available around the same time as Windows 10 this autumn, a Microsoft executive said at a presentation at Microsoft's headqua
  
  Read more

• Microsoft to give away Windows 10 as free upgrade

  21-01-2015 19:52
  
  By Bill Rigby SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp will give away its upcoming Windows 10 operating system as a free upgrade to users of the most recent versions of Windows and Windows Phone, as the world's largest software company tries to hold onto customers in the new mobile era that has largely bypassed it. The announcement by Terry Myerson, who runs Microsoft's operating systems group, is a marked change for Microsoft, which has charged for new versions of Windows, one of its main p
  
  Read more

• Google, Viacom win dismissal of children's web privacy lawsuit

  21-01-2015 19:51
  
  Google Inc and Viacom Inc won the dismissal of a nationwide privacy lawsuit accusing them of illegally tracking the Internet activity of boys and girls who visited Nickelodeon's website, in order to send targeted advertising. The lawsuit claimed that Viacom secretly kept track of children under the age of 13 who streamed videos and played video games on its Nick.com website, and shared what it learned with Google. It said both companies then without permission put text files known "coo
  
  Read more

• Microsoft to make Windows 10 free to Windows 7, 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 users

  21-01-2015 19:28 via zdnet.com
  
  Microsoft shared a bit of its pricing strategy for Windows 10, and provided he first public demonstration of Windows 10 mobile.
  
  Read more

• Cybercrime and hacking are even bigger worries for small business owners

  21-01-2015 19:18
  
  Hacks cost the American economy $100bn a year, and it’s not just the Sonys and Targets of the world. Some experts offer advice on how small businesses can fight the wave of cybercrime
  Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Laser-etched metal 'bounces' water

  21-01-2015 18:55 via bbc.co.uk
  
  By etching grooves into metal with a high-powered laser, physicists create a surface that repels water to the extent that droplets bounce away.
  
  Read more

• Microsoft says Windows 10 to be free upgrade for recent buyers

  21-01-2015 18:32
  
  Microsoft Corp said on Wednesday the upcoming Windows 10 operating system will be offered as a free upgrade to users of the most recent versions of Windows and Windows Phone software. The announcement by Terry Myerson, who runs Microsoft's operating systems group, is a marked change for the company, which has charged for new versions of Windows, one of the main profit drivers. Windows 10, expected on the market this autumn, will be available for one year as a free upgrade to users of Window
  
  Read more

• VIDEO: 'Equip kids to combat inequality'

  21-01-2015 18:13 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Will.i.am speaks to the BBC from the 2015 World Economic Forum about how education can close the equality gap and provide more opportunities to young people.
  
  Read more

• Amazon drops its nappies after customers raise a stink

  21-01-2015 17:30
  
  Amazon’s Soft & Cozy Diapers have been pulled from sale by the firm, owing to the need for ‘design improvements’Amazon has been forced to stop selling its own-brand nappies, less than two months after it started the product line, citing the need for “design improvements”.The nappies were the flagship component of the company’s new offering for parents, Amazon Elements, which offered baby and household goods in bulk for subscribers of the site’s $99 a year Amazon Prime service.
  
  Read more

• Fake Facebook page costs US $134,000

  21-01-2015 17:07 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The US government agrees to pay a woman $134,000 after creating a fake Facebook page using photos of her as well as her son and niece.
  
  Read more

• Vessel's short-form video service sets sail with guns trained on YouTube

  21-01-2015 17:00
  
  Startup launches public beta of $2.99-a-month app, which will offer ‘early access’ to music, games, vlogging, comedy and sports videos Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Microsoft to offer up peek behind curtain of new Windows

  21-01-2015 16:32
  
  Microsoft will use an event Wednesday to offer a wider glimpse of the next version of Windows. The company is planning to show off new features of its flagship operating system — and possibly an improved ...
  
  Read more

• Google robot severs its power cord

  21-01-2015 16:19 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Atlas - one of the most advanced robots in the world - is upgraded by its owner Google to include a battery pack, allowing it go "wireless".
  
  Read more

• Do politicians understand encryption? – Tech Weekly podcast

  21-01-2015 16:15
  
  Aleks Krotoski and the tech team discuss prime minister David Cameron's proposals for regulation and control of digital encryption technologies Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Forget the Internet of Things, here comes the Industrial Internet of Things

  21-01-2015 16:13 via zdnet.com
  
  Business use of intelligent devices could lead to new services and business models, says Accenture.
  
  Read more

• Review: Philips Fidelio X2

  21-01-2015 16:05 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Philips Fidelio X2The Philips Fidelio X2 are a truly stunning pair of headphones.Offering supreme sound quality, gorgeous design, premium build quality and fantastic levels of comfort - they're also one of the best value headphones we've tested in a long time.I couldn't have come into a pair of Fidelio X2's at a more perfect time. I was doing a group test of audiophile cans for T3 magazine just before Christmas, so was able to test them against legendary products like the Sennheiser HD800 and Op
  
  Read more

• Ad by special-effects master pits cats vs. dogs for a cause

  21-01-2015 15:31
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — From brain-devouring zombies in "The Walking Dead" to crime-scene bloodshed on "CSI," special-effects wizard Sam Nicholson has delivered gore galore to television viewers. But he says nothing has personally affected him more than the commercial he made for Super Bowl Sunday.
  
  Read more

• Atlas Unplugged: The six foot two humanoid robot that might just save your life

  21-01-2015 15:30 via zdnet.com
  
  From the people who brought you the internet, the latest version of the Atlas robot to be used in its disaster-fighting robotic challenge.
  
  Read more

• Firefox enters the realm of virtual reality with the Oculus Rift

  21-01-2015 15:25 via zdnet.com
  
  Mozilla has added support for virtual reality apps running on the Oculus Rift headset to an experimental version of the Firefox browser.
  
  Read more

• VIDEO: Satellite array 'will get 3bn online'

  21-01-2015 15:07 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Sir Richard Branson says a plan to create an 'enormous array of satellites' around the earth will 'help reach three billion people in this world who don't have internet access'.
  
  Read more

• Quirkbot wants to help children build hackable robots – from drinking straws

  21-01-2015 15:04
  
  Startup seeks $55k on crowdfunding website Kickstarter for its programmable microcontroller toy that aims to get kids codingIn 2015, there is no shortage of technology startups encouraging children to tinker with hardware and/or learn programming skills. The list of firms doing that using drinking straws, however, is considerably shorter.Quirkbot is certainly on that list: the Swedish startup has launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to raise at least $55k to launch what it’s describing
  
  Read more

• Netflix's accelerated global rollout catches Wall Street off guard

  21-01-2015 14:57
  
  Netflix Inc's faster-than-expected rollout in overseas markets surprised many analysts, who scrambled to raise their price targets on the stock. Shares of the video streaming service, which reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results on Tuesday, were set to open about 18 percent higher on Wednesday. The stock has been under pressure in recent months on fears of increased competition from Time Warner Inc's HBO, Amazon.com Inc and Hulu, as well as on-demand offerings from pay TV pr
  
  Read more

• Apple buys the British startup behind music analytics service Musicmetric

  21-01-2015 14:45
  
  Company helps record labels track digital sales, streams and social stats, and could become part of Beats Music relaunch Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Microsoft names everything after Halo now. Here's what they should do next …

  21-01-2015 14:19
  
  Halo offers fertile ground for names, and Microsoft’s previous choices have always been rather tame. Let’s change thatSomething interesting has happened at Microsoft over the last year: it’s realised that it owns a hugely popular, well-known and flexible piece of intellectual property. Not Windows or Office (I said ‘popular’), but Halo.What began as a trilogy of first-person shooters first metastasised into a multi-media franchise, incorporating books, comics and a forthcoming TV serie
  
  Read more

• What is the world's weakest password? Even worse than 'password'

  21-01-2015 14:00
  
  Security firm SplashData’s annual chart reminds internet users to avoid long strings of numbers, but also sports, children’s names and birth years Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Are machine-written signatures binding?

  21-01-2015 13:58 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Is your signature binding when a machine writes it for you?
  
  Read more

• Countdown timer hints at Pirate Bay return

  21-01-2015 13:54
  
  Piracy site sunk by Swedish police raids hints at salvage in 10 days with new messages on the original site Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Google’s massive humanoid robot can now walk and move without wires

  21-01-2015 13:53
  
  US defence-developed Boston Dynamics Atlas robot upgraded to run untethered for up to an hour on batteriesGoogle’s new version of its US defence-developed 6ft 2in, 25st Atlas humanoid robot can now operate for up to an hour without wires.The Atlas robot was developed by Google-owned Boston Dynamics with the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency for its robotics challenge, designed to negotiate rough, outdoor terrain in a bipedal manner, while being able to climb using hands and feet as
  
  Read more

• Gamergate victim starts help site

  21-01-2015 13:38 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Zoe Quinn, who was the victim of harassment during at the height of the Gamergate furore, wants to help others prevent online attacks before they start.
  
  Read more

Follow @TechnologyUKnws on Twitter!