Technology news

• Review: Updated: Alienware Alpha

  03-02-2015 23:52
  
  Introduction and designWith or without Valve, the Steam Machines are coming. And with the Alienware Alpha, Dell is one of the first – and arguably the strongest – of the hopeful PC-based game consoles to grace us with its glow … literally.The final Alienware Alpha, which first debuted during CES 2014, turned out to differ somewhat from the Alienware's vision. Rather than run with SteamOS, Valve's forever-in-beta operating system, Dell packed the Alpha with Windows 8.1. And in lieu of Valve
  
  Read more

• Report: Silicon Valley tech economy booming

  03-02-2015 22:45
  
  SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — A study released Tuesday shows Silicon Valley's tech economy is continuing to boom, with 58,000 new jobs and 42,000 new residents last year and all indications the record growth will continue.
  
  Read more

• The Galaxy XCover 3 looks like Samsung's next super rugged phone

  03-02-2015 20:51
  
  Samsung has recently taken to releasing "ruggedized" versions of its flagship phones, like the Galaxy S5 Active.But don't forget that the Korean company also has a seldom-mentioned line of smartphones entirely dedicated to surviving rock climbs and mud puddles: the XCover series, the latest of which has apparently leaked.The Moto 360 is an impressive smartwatchThese photos allegedly show the Samsung Galaxy XCover 3, a phone that hasn't been announced by Samsung but could very well be i
  
  Read more

• ARM announces new ARM Cortex-A72 processor

  03-02-2015 20:35
  
  ARM is announcing its next generation ARM Cortex-A72 processor based on the 64-bit ARM v8-A design. ARM claims that the new chip delivers as much as 50 times the performance gain compared to processors from just five years ago, or 3.5 times the performance gain of the ARM Cortex-A15 processor. The new ARM Cortex-A72 is also 75 percent more energy efficient and is slated to launch late 2015 or early 2016. Nandan Nayampally, ARM's VP of marketing in the CPU Group, says that the A72 chip design has
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• OnePlus One Android Lollipop update teased in official video

  03-02-2015 20:18
  
  The OnePlus One was one of TechRadar's favorite Android phones of 2014, and it's scheduled to be upgraded to Android 5.0 Lollipop this month.Its creators have promised a stable build of Lollipop for the One will arrive in February, and to kick off the month they've released a teaser video showing the update in action.This is what's happening at GDC 2015Unfortunately a good chunk of the video is spent demonstrating Android Lollipop's Flappy Bird easter egg, something that's already been well docu
  
  Read more

• Twitter stock jumps on ad partnership with mobile apps, websites

  03-02-2015 20:07
  
  By Alexei Oreskovic SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Twitter Inc's stock jumped more than 6 percent on Tuesday after the social media company said its promoted tweets will appear on third-party mobile apps and websites under a new advertising distribution programme. The syndication programme will broaden the reach of Twitter's ads beyond the 284 million monthly users who access its service every month, Twitter said. "For the thousands of brands already advertising on Twitter, these new p
  
  Read more

• Google-appointed panel to recommend EU only 'right to be forgotten'

  03-02-2015 19:42
  
  By Julia Fioretti BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A panel of experts appointed by Google to advise it on a European court ruling ordering it to remove some personal information from search results is leaning towards limiting the application to European websites only. The territorial reach of the "right to be forgotten" decision from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has put the search engine giant at odds with the European Union's data protection watchdogs, who have told it to remove links
  
  Read more

• Groupon founder takes a detour with new audio tour app

  03-02-2015 19:42
  
  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Two years ago, Andrew Mason faced an unexpected detour when he was ousted as CEO from the online discount site he founded, Groupon. Now the tech executive's back on the entrepreneurial path, with an iPhone app selling unconventional audio tours of major cities. It's called — you guessed it — Detour.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• US adds rules for intelligence data

  03-02-2015 19:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Data about US individuals gathered "incidentally" during intelligence operations must be deleted immediately under new rules.
  
  Read more

• Amazon reportedly looking to buy hundreds of US high street stores

  03-02-2015 19:01
  
  Bloomberg reports Seattle-based company in talks for a deal that would be its biggest ever push into traditional retailing Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Does facial recognition tech work?

  03-02-2015 18:52 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Does facial recognition tech work?
  
  Read more

• Amazon reportedly set to acquire physical storefronts from RadioShack

  03-02-2015 18:40
  
  Move is unconfirmed but would give the company showcases for its products including the unsuccessful Fire smartphone and mark a challenge to Apple Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Industry voice: SAP and the cloud: how will this strategy work out?

  03-02-2015 18:25
  
  'One team, one dream' was the new SAP mantra that emerged from the company's Global Field Kick-Off Meeting of 2014, which represents SAP's aspirations for simplification and market success. The company is aiming to have one go-to-market approach, one solution for a given business problem, one customer offering, and one support model.Let's look at how this translates into SAP's cloud strategy.Four pillarsCurrently the SAP cloud strategy is designed on four key pillars: 1. Best-of-breed solutions
  
  Read more

• Updated: OxygenOS leak reveals a clean, colourful OS for the OnePlus 2

  03-02-2015 18:15
  
  Update: OnePlus has confirmed this leak isn't its OxygenOS. Staff member Carl Pei took to the firm's forums to debunk the leak, stating: "Guys, this isn't OxygenOS. Have faith in that we understand our users better than what these leaks suggest."Original articleJust a few days ago OnePlus announced its new Android-based operating system, OxygenOS, which is set to replace CyanogenMod in the company's upcoming phones, including the OnePlus 2.Now we've caught our first glimpse at what the
  
  Read more

• Proposed changes to US data collection fall short of NSA reformers' goals

  03-02-2015 17:52
  
  US intelligence community issues limited list of tweaks to data collection and surveillance at end of year-long effort to respond to Snowden revelations Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Audio tour app takes Groupon founder on new journey

  03-02-2015 17:27
  
  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Two years after his ouster as Groupon's CEO, Andrew Mason is embarking on a new entrepreneurial journey selling unconventional audio tours of major cities on a new iPhone app called Detour.
  
  Read more

• Amazon's first bricks-and-mortar store opens in ... Indiana

  03-02-2015 16:58
  
  Retail giant unveils its first staffed centre on the Purdue University campus, with plans to open more in the USAmazon has opened its first physical store - not in downtown Manhattan but on the campus of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.The e-tailer calls it a “customer order pickup and drop-off location”, which will allow Purdue students to collect orders of textbooks as well as other goods, and make returns. Related: Amazon reports $89bn in sales last year as shares jump 11% af
  
  Read more

• Twitter turns promoted tweets into ad network

  03-02-2015 16:49
  
  Company announces plans to let advertisers promote tweets onto other websites and app Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• White House drone crash fallout shows who really owns your drones, says EFF

  03-02-2015 16:33
  
  Digital rights group claims firmware update preventing Phantom drones flying over Washington has parallels with smartphones, games consoles and cars If you own a DJI Phantom drone, you can’t buzz the White House any more – or, indeed, fly it anywhere in the Washington DC area – after a firmware update introduced after a drone crashed in the presidential grounds.Wait a minute. Do you really own a DJI Phantom drone? Digital rights group the Electronic Frontier Foundation has claimed that the
  
  Read more

• 3DRacers seeks funding for Scalextric-style racing toy with 3D-printing twist

  03-02-2015 16:10
  
  Italian startup’s crowdfunding campaign for smartphone-controlled game accelerates off the grid, with ambitions to take on Anki Drive Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• SAP launches biggest software product overhaul in two decades

  03-02-2015 16:08
  
  By Harro Ten Wolde and Eric Auchard FRANKFURT (Reuters) - SAP has launched the most high-stakes overhaul of its core software line in more than two decades, aiming to convince multinational corporate customers that its software can now run their most critical business applications much faster.     Europe's biggest software company said on Tuesday its widely used suite of corporate planning applications and newer cloud-based Internet software would work together using a single, modern use
  
  Read more

• Dying Light review – a scarily immersive experience

  03-02-2015 15:06
  
  A convincing open-world zombie thriller that adds an intriguing day/night cycle and parkour elements to the familiar gore-splattered recipe Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• MongoDB 3.0 gets ready to roll with WiredTiger engine onboard

  03-02-2015 15:00 via zdnet.com
  
  With general availability for version 3.0 looming, MongoDB's CTO explains why he thinks it will be so significant for businesses.
  
  Read more

• 'Revenge porn' site owner convicted

  03-02-2015 14:56 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A man who ran a "revenge porn" site faces up to 20 years in prison after being convicted of identity theft and extortion.
  
  Read more

• Spotify abandons Russian launch plan

  03-02-2015 14:11
  
  Music streaming service reportedly shelves move for the ‘foreseeable future’ due to economic and political concerns
  Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Tablet sales dive, but Windows might just ride to the rescue

  03-02-2015 14:07 via zdnet.com
  
  Apple and Samsung tablet sales have declined, but the market may bounce back with help from Microsoft.
  
  Read more

• ​DataStax snaps up Aurelius and its Titan team to build new graph database

  03-02-2015 14:00 via zdnet.com
  
  The prize in DataStax's acquisition of open-source firm Aurelius is not the Titan database but rather engineering expertise, which will be used in developing a new graph database.
  
  Read more

• ​BMW patches flaw that could let hackers unlock car doors

  03-02-2015 13:59 via zdnet.com
  
  BMW has released a patch for a flaw affecting 2.2 million vehicles, which could allow hackers to remotely unlock doors.
  
  Read more

• San Diego jury convicts revenge-porn website operator Kevin Bollaert

  03-02-2015 13:58
  
  Bollaert, who ran website where pictures of women were posted without their consent, is one of the first to be convicted under new California law Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Why are people buying fewer tablets?

  03-02-2015 13:51
  
  Research firms claim tablet shipments dipped for the first time in the last quarter of 2014. Are we falling out of love with tablets? Booming iPhone sales were the driving force behind Apple’s record revenues in the final quarter of 2014, with its $18bn net profit the largest quarterly profit reported by any company.Even so, one part of Apple’s business wasn’t so positive: its iPad tablet. Apple sold 21.4m of them in the last three months of 2014 compared to 26m in the last quarter of 2013
  
  Read more

• Are driverless cars the future of Uber?

  03-02-2015 13:34
  
  Uber has launched a research centre focusing on self-driving cars and mapping technology. Is this the end of the cabbie and death of the automobile industry?Taxi app Uber is taking its biggest steps yet towards a driver-free world, launching the Uber Advanced Technologies Center in Pittsburgh “to do research and development, primarily in the areas of mapping and vehicle safety and autonomy technology”.
  It’s a massive investment in the future from a company still primarily associated with
  
  Read more

• Hackers holding websites to ransom by switching their encryption keys

  03-02-2015 13:18
  
  Websites taken offline in new attack, which sees hackers change codes to permanently lock owners out unless they pay a ransomRansomware – hacking and locking a computer and demanding money to let users back in – has moved to the web following a spate of attacks that cripple websites by changing the encryption keys needed to keep a website running.
  The new attacks, called “RansomWeb”, as documented by security company High-Tech Bridge, see hackers break into a website, take control of a
  
  Read more

• Google and Uber may become rivals

  03-02-2015 13:18 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Uber announces plans to research driverless cars while a report claims Google is considering launching a lift-hailing service
  
  Read more

• Lost chunk of historic computer found

  03-02-2015 12:59 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Efforts to recreate one of the earliest computers are aided by the recovery of a part of the original machine, which had been bought to create bookshelves.
  
  Read more

• China's internet population hits 649 million, 86 percent on phones

  03-02-2015 12:42
  
  By Paul Carsten BEIJING (Reuters) - China had 649 million internet users by the end of 2014, with 557 million of those using handsets to go online, said a government report on Tuesday, as the world's biggest smartphone market continues its shift to mobile. While growth is slowing, China's total internet population still rose by 31 million in 2014, said the report by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC). Riding this wave are some of China's, and the world's, b
  
  Read more

• ​Google's Go language gets a boost from AWS

  03-02-2015 12:42 via zdnet.com
  
  AWS developers will eventually have a stable SDK for Go, a language incubated at Google that's finding support among a growing number of developers.
  
  Read more

• Broadband funds unbalanced, MPs say

  03-02-2015 11:38 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A voucher scheme which helps companies access faster broadband should be extended to rural areas, according to a group of MPs.
  
  Read more

• Japan tech strategy shifts see Sharp skid as Panasonic prospers

  03-02-2015 11:35
  
  By Ritsuko Ando TOKYO (Reuters) - In an industry dominated by Apple Inc, Samsung Electronics Co and other Asian firms, the differing strategies used by Japan's technology firms to try to cope have led to losses for some and profits for others. On Tuesday, Osaka-based Sharp Corp warned it will slip into its third annual net loss in four years, saying a supply glut squeezed sales of smartphone displays in China, the business line it had counted on for growth. Reporting earnings across town, P
  
  Read more

• Minecraft in the UK: Minecon event coming to London in July

  03-02-2015 11:32
  
  The annual celebration of Mojang’s multimillion-selling block-building game will feature talks and parties themed around the popular simMinecraft developer Mojang has announced that the annual Minecon convention is coming to the ExCel centre in London on 4 and 5 July. The event, which hosts panel discussions and parties all themed around the hugely successful building sim, usually sells out in hours. The 10,000 tickets are due to go on sale in February. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• ​New Microsoft Lumia flagship running Qualcomm's Snapdragon 810 in the works

  03-02-2015 11:04 via zdnet.com
  
  Microsoft has confirmed a new high-end phone is on the way, ending its drought on true flagships.
  
  Read more

• ​New Microsoft Lumia flagship phone running Qualcomm's Snapdragon 810 in the works

  03-02-2015 11:04 via zdnet.com
  
  Microsoft has confirmed a new high-end phone is on the way, ending its drought on true flagships.
  
  Read more

• Samsung Electronics names new mobile marketing head before key launch

  03-02-2015 11:01
  
  South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said on Tuesday it has appointed a new smartphone marketing chief, less than a month before the expected unveiling of its next flagship Galaxy S handset. Lee Sang-chul, formerly head of the company's Russian operations, has been tapped as head of strategic marketing for the mobile business, a Samsung spokeswoman said. Lee, who also has worked as head of Samsung's Latin American operations, will be charged with overseeing the launch of the n
  
  Read more

• 'Innocent' on police photos database

  03-02-2015 10:46 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Police forces have uploaded up to 18 million "mugshots" to a facial recognition database, many of them of innocent people, Newsnight learns.
  
  Read more

• Warning over new Facebook malware

  03-02-2015 10:31 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Security experts warn Facebook users to beware updating a fake Flash player which pops up during a preview of a pornographic video.
  
  Read more

• Neil Young dismisses vinyl revival as a 'fashion statement'

  03-02-2015 10:07
  
  The legendary rocker, who has launched his own music player, says people are listening to digital masters, which ‘are actually CDs on vinyl’ Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Safer Internet Day 2017: how to stay safe from online spies

  03-02-2015 09:32
  
  Start with your web browser: HTTPS Everywhere is an easy-to-install browser extension that makes sure your browser will always use encrypted web services, wherever they are available
  By: Keren ElazariContinue reading...
  
  Read more

• Panasonic says on track to meet annual profit target despite third quarter dip

  03-02-2015 08:51
  
  TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese electronics firm Panasonic Corp said a dip in quarterly operating profit won't derail it from hoisting earnings 15 percent this year as a restructuring strategy of exiting low-margin product lines like TVs continues to pay off. Osaka-based Panasonic said on Tuesday operating profit slipped 2.8 percent in its fiscal third quarter ended December to 113.3 billion yen (£644 million) from 116.6 billion yen a year earlier. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had estimat
  
  Read more

• No, ministers – more surveillance will not make us safer

  03-02-2015 08:00
  
  British politicians keep trying to sneak the Snoopers’ Charter into law – even when it is obvious that the last thing you need when looking for a neeedle in a haystack is more hay
  It’s almost Groundhog Day. You can tell, because the same bad internet ideas keep resurfacing, as though everything we fought for has been wiped off the slate overnight and we’ve woken up back at square one. Like the Snooper’s Charter – which four Lords tried to ram into an undebated amendment to the securi
  
  Read more

• YouTube star Zoella joins BBC's Comic Relief Bake Off

  03-02-2015 08:00
  
  Video blogger to appear alongside Alexa Chung, Chris Moyles, David Mitchell and Abbey Clancy in charity contest
  Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Hardware purchases to bounce back as ANZ tech budgets increase

  03-02-2015 07:16 via zdnet.com
  
  Forrester has predicted that in 2015, hardware spending will grow for the first time in years as businesses increase their purchases of tablets, smartphones, and PCs.
  
  Read more

Follow @TechnologyUKnws on Twitter!