Technology news

• Microsoft confirms 2016 launch for Windows Server

  30-01-2015 23:30
  
  In a blog post, Microsoft has confirmed that Windows Server and System Center will not launch until 2016. The move is a departure from Microsoft's historic strategy of launching its server platform alongside the general consumer release of Windows. As it stands, Windows 10 will launch this year, and Windows Server won't be finalized until 2016."Our next preview is planned for the spring of 2015. Windows Server will continue to share the same core technology as Windows and we will continue
  
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• IBM brings back bonuses for top executives even as profits slide

  30-01-2015 23:01
  
  International Business Machines Corp brought back annual performance bonuses for its chief executive and her top lieutenants for 2014 despite falling profits and a tumbling stock price, a regulatory filing showed on Friday. The technology company, which has posted lower profits for 11 quarters in a row as it struggles to transform itself into a cloud-based software and services company, withheld annual bonuses in 2013 at the executives' own request. The bonuses returned as a feature of IBM&
  
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• Uber will improve privacy, data security following report

  30-01-2015 22:31
  
  By Sarah McBride SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Ride service Uber, which is trying to enhance its image after several controversies, on Friday released the findings of a report on its handling of passenger data and said it would act on all the report's recommendations for improvements. Lawyers at Hogan Lovells, who wrote the report commissioned and paid for by Uber, found that the smartphone app-enabled service had appropriate guidelines and procedures in place for internal access control, data
  
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• Review: Acer Chromebox CXI

  30-01-2015 21:20 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction and designChrome OS has revolutionized the way we look at "inexpensive" and "capable" in the computing world. After producing some truly long lasting laptops, including the Acer Chromebook 13, the Taiwanese electronics maker has turned its attention to desktops with the Chromebox CXI. No bigger than most wireless routers, the Chromebox CXI brings Google's cloud-based OS to desktops. Of course, small family computers aren't a novel concept. Mini-ITX systems equipped w
  
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• AT&T top buyer at U.S. airwaves auction; Verizon, Dish spend big

  30-01-2015 20:44
  
  By Alina Selyukh and Malathi Nayak WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - AT&T Inc spent close to half the total in the record-setting U.S. sale of airwaves for mobile data, with Verizon Communications Inc and bidding partners of Dish Network Corp also spending heavily, results showed on Friday. Verizon bid $10.4 billion and T-Mobile US Inc bid $1.8 billion, according to the results released by the Federal Communications Commission. Dish itself did not win any licenses, but it had entered into
  
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• Motorola explains why most of its devices still don't have Lollipop

  30-01-2015 20:43
  
  Android Lollipop is rolling out very slowly to most users, and Motorola fans are no exception.The company today confirmed that the first- and second-gen Moto G have received their Lollipop updates in India, as was previously rumored, as well as in Brazil, but what about the rest of the world?Android 4.4 KitKat is still a popular versionThe company's latest blog post doesn't offer any predictions or promises, but it does try to explain why it takes so long for a new update to come out."Thoug
  
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• Review: mini review: Koss BT540i

  30-01-2015 20:30 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  I discovered the Koss Porta Pro headphones while I was in college. Oblivious to their decades-old legacy, I found satisfaction in these headphones primarily for their budget-friendly price, but also their ear-opening performance, which offered a higher-quality sound than I was used to.Fast forward to 2015, the Porta Pro are in their 31st year of manufacturing. At the same time, the Milwaukee, Wis.-based company has marched forward into the world of wireless with the BT540i. At $199 (about £176,
  
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• Philae is hibernating, says European Space Agency as it calls off searches

  30-01-2015 20:23
  
  Probe that touched down on comet in November is expected to ‘wake up’ and signal location when its solar panels re-activate in summer Continue reading...
  
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• Review: Amazon Echo

  30-01-2015 20:10 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Design and sound quality"Hi Alexa, my name is Nick.""I'm sorry, I don't understand the question.""That's OK," I continue, "Alexa, I like the Red Hot Chili Peppers.""Now playing samples of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.""Cool."This is the first conversation I had with Alexa, a personal assistant built-in to the $199 Amazon Echo (about £125, AU$230), a cylindrical wireless Bluetooth speaker developed by an experimental e-commerce giant.After spending a
  
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• AOL to close MyDaily and ParentDish

  30-01-2015 20:00
  
  Company scraps women-focused sites in order to focus on key brands such as HuffPost UK, which will double its lifestyle and politics teams Continue reading...
  
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• Apple passes gas firms with record $18bn quarterly profit

  30-01-2015 19:53
  
  Record-setter eclipses previous highs from ExxonMobil and GazpromCompany sold 34,000 iPhones an hour in last quarter of 2014 Continue reading...
  
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• AT&T, Verizon, Dish bid the most in U.S. airwaves auction

  30-01-2015 19:41
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - AT&T Inc, Verizon Communications Inc and bidding partners of Dish Network Corp spent the most on the record-setting U.S. sale of wireless airwaves for mobile data, known as AWS-3, according to auction results released on Friday. AT&T bid a total of $18.2 billion (12.1 billion pounds) to win spectrum licenses, Verizon bid $10.4 billion and T-Mobile US Inc bid $1.8 billion, the results from the Federal Communications Commission showed. ...
  
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• Alibaba meets with China regulator, controversial report retracted

  30-01-2015 19:16
  
  (Reuters) - The head of China's commerce regulator met with Alibaba Group Holding Ltd chairman Jack Ma on Friday to discuss combating fake products, the official Xinhua news agency reported, with the two adopting a conciliatory tone after a row over illegal business on the Internet company's platforms. The meeting took place the same day the regulator, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC), backtracked on an earlier report that had excoriated the Chinese online comm
  
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• Jay Z bids for music streaming service

  30-01-2015 18:29 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Hip hop star could challenge Beats and Spotify with his offer for the HD music service Tidal
  
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• Does technology make people touch each other less?

  30-01-2015 18:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Does technology make people touch each other less?
  
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• Obama calls on Congress to fund 'precision medicine' studies

  30-01-2015 18:05
  
  Holding out the promise of major medical breakthroughs, President Barack Obama on Friday called on Congress to approve spending in medical research that tailors treatment to an individual's genes. Obama ...
  
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• Nokia name row with London start-up

  30-01-2015 17:59 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Nokia has threatened legal action against a UK start-up over the use of the word "HERE".
  
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• 'A golden shining moment': the true story behind Atari's ET, the worst video game ever

  30-01-2015 17:41
  
  Legend has it that millions of copies of Atari’s tie-in with the sci-fi blockbuster were secretly buried in New Mexico after the game was branded a stinker. A new documentary, Atari: Game Over, goes digging for the truth Continue reading...
  
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• BT attacked on rural broadband costs

  30-01-2015 17:11 via bbc.co.uk
  
  At least £90m will be reinvested in rural broadband services after an underspend by BT, the BBC learns.
  
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• VIDEO: Talking kids' doll 'Cayla' is hacked

  30-01-2015 16:41 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Rory Cellan-Jones sees how Cayla, a talking child's doll, can be hacked to say any number of offensive things.
  
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• Easy as Pi: Your tech round-up

  30-01-2015 16:33 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Rory Cellan-Jones rounds up the week's big tech stories
  
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• China's Alibaba meets with commerce regulator over fake product row

  30-01-2015 16:26
  
  The head of China's commerce regulator met with Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. chairman Jack Ma on Friday to discuss combatting fake products, the official Xinhua news agency reported, with the two adopting a conciliatory tone after a row over illegal business on the internet company's platforms. Zhang Mao, minister of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC), said the company had made good efforts in safeguarding consumer interests and added his agency should find new mod
  
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• Google agrees privacy policy changes

  30-01-2015 14:39 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The firm will roll out a single, rewritten privacy policy across Europe after coming under fire across the continent.
  
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• Google to change privacy policy after investigation by UK data watchdog

  30-01-2015 14:37
  
  By Leila Abboud PARIS (Reuters) - Search engine Google has agreed to better inform users about how it handles their personal information after an investigation by Britain's data protection regulator found its privacy policy was too vague. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said in a statement on Friday that it required Google to sign a "formal undertaking" that it would make the changes by June 30 and take further steps in the next two years. As a result, Google will
  
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• Facebook Launches 'Place Tips' Feature

  30-01-2015 13:53
  
  Facebook is going head-to-head with apps like FourSquare and Yelp by flagging up local sights and restaurant tips based on where you are. A new feature called Place Tips will show users relevant information about the area in which they are in while using the Facebook app. The ubiquity of Facebook's app means that the service could directly challenge their market share. Facebook is keen to boost the usefulness of its app as users switch to accessing the service on mobile devices.
  
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• ​UK's privacy watchdog nails down Google privacy policy changes

  30-01-2015 13:49 via zdnet.com
  
  The UK's data watchdog has closed its investigation into Google's consolidated privacy policy after agreeing key changes to make it simpler for consumers to understand.
  
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• Angry Birds set sights on Candy Crush with new mobile puzzle games

  30-01-2015 13:14
  
  Rovio soft-launches Angry Birds Stella Pop and Angry Birds Fight, with both ditching bird-flinging gameplay for match-three puzzling Continue reading...
  
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• Google Glass is on a strategic 'reset' and eight other things we learned

  30-01-2015 12:58
  
  Google missed Wall Street’s revenue expectations, but it revealed people really love watching adverts, claimed credit for the success of The Interview and let people send money via Gmail Continue reading...
  
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• When will gamers understand that criticism isn't censorship?

  30-01-2015 12:48
  
  Anita Sarkeesian has announced a new video series looking into masculinity and video games. The hate has already started, but it is misplaced“It’s both possible, and even necessary, to simultaneously enjoy media while also being critical of its more problematic or pernicious aspects.”Almost every episode of the YouTube series Tropes Vs Women in Video Games includes a variation on these clear and unambiguous words. Spoken by the cultural critic Anita Sarkeesian, they provide a foreword to h
  
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• ​Sky signs mobile deal with O2 for 'quad-play' move

  30-01-2015 12:30 via zdnet.com
  
  UK broadcaster and fixed line player Sky will launch a mobile service in 2016 off the back of Telefonica's infrastructure.
  
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• Why the Church of England should praise the Lord for emojis

  30-01-2015 12:18
  
  Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby may not be too keen on social media, but maybe he should embrace the emoji: it’s a brilliant way to communicate emotion Continue reading...
  
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• Flash is dead, and YouTube dealt the killing blow

  30-01-2015 12:07
  
  Will anyone miss Flash when it’s gone? Maybe, if these internet hits spark some nostalgiaFlash is dead, long live Fl– actually, no, scratch that, Flash really is dead and it deserved to die. Flash is terrible.The killer blows to Adobe’s multimedia browser plugin were delivered this week in a one-two punch. Firstly, users of Flash were left open to not one but two “zero-day” vulnerabilities in the same week, affecting users of Chrome, Internet Explorer and Firefox. Almost immediately, h
  
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• Review: Creative Sound Blaster E5 review

  30-01-2015 12:01 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  The words 'Sound' and 'Blaster' are as indelibly etched into our old-school PC gaming psyche as 'autoexec.bat' and 'config.sys'. We spent unknowable hours configuring DOS-based games to make sure we got compatible audio out of them. Sound Blaster basically became synonymous with PC gaming audio right from the outset.And then onboard motherboard sound got good enough that we stopped buying discrete soundcards, plus USB headsets now bypass them both. Chances are then that you don't have a Sound Bl
  
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• 1Gbps broadband coming to the UK with BT's G.fast plan

  30-01-2015 11:57 via zdnet.com
  
  BT has fired the starter's gun on a pilot that could see "ultrafast" broadband available to most of the country in the next five years.
  
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• Review: Mini review: iON Air Pro 3 Wi-Fi

  30-01-2015 11:30 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Key featuresStreamlining and style isn't something that's usually associated with action cameras, which is a surprising since the average extreme sports enthusiast looks for cool and style as a matter of course. Best action camCamera reviews and newsGoPro Hero 4 Black reviewSony AZ1VR reviewThe iON Air Pro 3 is a sleek styled and solidly made action camera that differs greatly from the boxy but feature packed style of the GoPro Hero. The streamlined form enables the camera to sit far more discre
  
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• ​Jolla takes second bite at crowdfunding with a 64GB Sailfish OS tablet

  30-01-2015 11:22 via zdnet.com
  
  Jolla is taking a second crack at its Indiegogo campaign that crowdfunded its first tablet into existence.
  
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• Jay Z to take on Apple and Spotify by buying streaming music services

  30-01-2015 11:15
  
  Star tables bid for Scandinavian firm Aspiro, which hopes a new owner will lift its WiMP and Tidal services ‘to a new level’Jay Z is set to become the next big digital music mogul, after tabling a $56m bid for Aspiro, the Scandinavian company behind streaming services WiMP and Tidal.The bid made by Project Panther, which is indirectly owned by the rapper’s company S. Carter Enterprises, has been unanimously recommended to shareholders by Aspiro’s board of directors.“The Independent Bid
  
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• Hi Mum, sorry about that love-doll bumhole in your Facebook feed

  30-01-2015 10:53
  
  If the not-safe-for-work post you’re commenting on is public, it may soon be staring your extended family in the eyesUntil this week, I didn’t know that you could buy a $15 Balloon Knot modesty cover to plug between the buttocks of your lifesize sex-doll to cover up “doll gape” when not in use.I know now, thanks to a link posted by a friend on Facebook. And thanks to my comment on that post, and the social network’s news feed algorithm, so do several of my aunts and cousins and my grea
  
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• Machine learning face-off: Microsoft uses Band to show what its Watson rival is capable of

  30-01-2015 09:44 via zdnet.com
  
  Plug-and-play machine learning data models that can instantly analyze information and provide intelligent insights? Yep, Microsoft has 'em, it says.
  
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• Review: Toshiba Satellite Pro C50-A-1MM

  30-01-2015 09:30 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction and performanceToshiba announced back in September 2014 that it was backing off certain consumer markets to focus on the more lucrative business ones. While that means that its Qosmio, Kira, Chromebook and Satellite brands might fade over the next 12 months, other brands like Tecra, Portégé and Satellite Pro might survive the cull.The latter sub-brand is the one that is likely to be the mainstream affair for Toshiba, the type of laptop that will find its way to small and m
  
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• How can Google snap its stock out of its stupor?

  30-01-2015 09:05
  
  Google has turned into a stock market laggard as the shift to mobile devices has lowered the Internet search leader's digital ad prices and the company's expensive investments in far-out technology has ...
  
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• Journalists should be shielded from phone and web snooping, union says

  30-01-2015 07:41
  
  The MEAA says allowing governments to access data to investigate confidential sources and whistleblowers would seriously endanger Australia’s press freedom Continue reading...
  
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• NSW Police Force seeks 7-year data-retention scheme

  30-01-2015 07:14 via zdnet.com
  
  Australian state and federal law-enforcement agencies have stressed that they are being pragmatic in accepting a two-year data-retention period and not being able to access web-browsing histories.
  
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• Uber sued over India rape allegation

  30-01-2015 07:03 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An Indian woman who says she was raped by a Delhi driver of web-based taxi firm Uber files a lawsuit against the service in a US court.
  
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• Instagram's #empty movement explores art spaces after hours

  30-01-2015 07:00
  
  First New York and now London, Instagrammers are persuading the world’s biggest galleries and theatres to let them in after hours – with stunning resultsWhen Dolly Brown, or @londonlivingdoll as she’s known on Instagram, first spotted the hashtag #emptymet and its accompanying, captivating images of a deserted Metropolitan Museum in NYC, she was intrigued.
  Pioneered by American Instagrammer Dave Krugman, the #empty movement began in 2013 when New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art gave
  
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• Global DDoS attacks increase 90 percent on last year

  30-01-2015 06:55 via zdnet.com
  
  The increase of distributed denial-of-service attacks during Q4 2014 was driven by the rise of the Internet of Things, and the increasing exploitation of web vulnerabilities and botnet building.
  
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• Data cap exempt content killed off by Canadian regulator

  30-01-2015 06:29 via zdnet.com
  
  Canada's telecommunications regulator has moved to outlaw billing practices by telcos that exempt their own online media content from data caps while including data costs for downloads and streaming from competing content providers.
  
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• Negative cash flow despite record receipts for Freelancer.com

  30-01-2015 04:27 via zdnet.com
  
  Australia's Freelancer.com has reported a negative cash flow for the fourth quarter ending December 2014, despite record customer receipts for the period.
  
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• Despite Glass failings, Google defends 'license' to spend

  30-01-2015 03:53
  
  By Alexei Oreskovic SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc plans to keep making ambitious and costly bets on futuristic products, even if it means shelving some of its most beloved projects. The Internet search company acknowledged for the first time on Thursday major problems with its Google Glass wearable computer, noting that it was time for a "pause" and a strategy "reset." The comments by Chief Financial Officer Patrick Pichette during Thursday's quarterly results con
  
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• Analysis - AWS move, disclosure suggest Amazon yielding more to Wall Street

  30-01-2015 03:39
  
  By Deepa Seetharaman SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - After years of giving investors the cold shoulder, Amazon.com Inc is starting to warm up to Wall Street. The No. 1 U.S. online retailer was unusually forthcoming during its fourth-quarter earnings call on Thursday, saying it will break out results this year, for the first time, for its fast-growing cloud computing unit, Amazon Web Services. "The team ... is putting even more energy around making sure we get great productivity around our various
  
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