Technology news

• Oneflare boosts user numbers with WOMO acquisition

  16-02-2015 23:59 via zdnet.com
  
  Australian online local services platform operator Oneflare Group estimates that it will now see over 1 million unique visitors each month, following its acquisition of online customer review website WOMO.
  
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• Film studios want Australians punished for piracy

  16-02-2015 23:27 via zdnet.com
  
  Content owners are pushing for Australian internet service providers to punish their users via speed caps or pop-ups for downloading infringing TV shows, films, or music.
  
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• IBM wins 'foundation' role for NZ health IT cloud

  16-02-2015 22:44 via zdnet.com
  
  Deal announced between IBM and Health Benefits Ltd enables consolidation from 40 data centres down to just two.
  
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• Ford guns for China's app addicts, seeks WeChat tie-up

  16-02-2015 22:01
  
  By Jake Spring BEIJING (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co wants Tencent Holdings Ltd to tailor its popular chatting app for the firm's cars in China, as automakers in the world's largest market vie for drivers that care about high-tech features as much as engine size. Rivals including Daimler and Nissan Motor Co Ltd are also looking at ways to give drivers safe, hands-free access to mobile apps in China, home to the world's largest number of smartphone users. WeChat is China's most pr
  
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• Vic govt eyes BYOD, 4G in new emergency network deal

  16-02-2015 21:30 via zdnet.com
  
  Motorola Solutions has won another two-year extension on its decade-old contract for the operation of the Victorian government's dedicated police and ambulance network.
  
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• Russian researchers expose breakthrough U.S. spying programme

  16-02-2015 21:09
  
  By Joseph Menn SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The U.S. National Security Agency has figured out how to hide spying software deep within hard drives made by Western Digital, Seagate, Toshiba and other top manufacturers, giving the agency the means to eavesdrop on the majority of the world's computers, according to cyber researchers and former operatives. Kaspersky said it found personal computers in 30 countries infected with one or more of the spying programs, with the most infections seen in Ir
  
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• Facebook still suspending Native Americans over 'real name' policy

  16-02-2015 20:10 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Unlike Katy Perry’s Left Shark, many have to provide multiple forms of ID to prove they are who they say they are in latest row over controversial policy Continue reading...
  
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• Anger over BBC radio streaming

  16-02-2015 20:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Some internet radio devices, including models aimed at blind and partially sighted listeners, have been left unable to receive BBC radio.
  
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• The digital black hole: will it delete your memories?

  16-02-2015 20:01 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Google’s vice-president Vint Cerf has warned that all digitally stored information could be wiped out by tech upgrades, putting the sum total of human knowledge under threat. An author and scientist explains why today’s systems are so vulnerable – and how pioneers are preparing for the worst Continue reading...
  
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• Review: Pebble Steel

  16-02-2015 17:36 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction and displayWind the clock back to 2013 and the Pebble smartwatch was taking the fledging wearable market by storm, bringing notifications to the wrists of gleeful iPhone users.It wasn't exactly a looker, and the e-ink screen was hardly eye popping, but it sold by the bucket load and it was no surprise when the swish metal and leather Pebble Steel swooped in.A lot has changed since the Pebble's early days in the wearable market and the Steel now faces some seriously tough competition
  
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• Experts judge '$1bn bank hack' claim

  16-02-2015 17:14 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A leading security company says it has uncovered an "unprecedented" cyber-attack on up to 100 banks, but experts are split over its severity.
  
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• Hands-on review: HP Sprout review

  16-02-2015 17:10 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  IntroductionThe HP Sprout is an innovative, quirky and exciting all-in-one PC aimed at content creators, designers and anyone looking for an excuse to ditch their mouse and keyboard.Available now in the US and UK for $1,899 (£1,899), Sprout's price tag alone hints that it may offer something more than your average Windows 8.1 PC. It certainly succeeds in that, but whether Sprout is for you depends on how prepared you are to approach it with an open mind.Perched on top of its 23.5-inch display i
  
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• Code to delete Facebook photos found

  16-02-2015 16:31 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A "white hat" hacker was given £8,000 after he found a way to delete public photo albums on Facebook.
  
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• Call for 'eBay-style' online courts

  16-02-2015 16:03 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Low-value civil court cases cases in England and Wales could be dealt with by an online disputes system similar to eBay, a report recommends.
  
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• Virtual-reality musical Nuren hopes for Kickstarter crowdfunding success

  16-02-2015 15:44 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Feature-length VR film will include Oculus Rift support: ‘Imagine Fantasia and Tron in fully immersive surround 3D...’Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas any more... At least, feature-length virtual reality (VR) project Nuren: The New Renaissance is a world away from traditional musical films like The Wizard Of Oz.Created by musicians and digital artists Jessie Seely and Jake Kaufman, Nuren is pitched as “the world’s first animated feature-length virtual reality music experience
  
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• Tighter online controls in China point to wider clampdown

  16-02-2015 15:02
  
  BEIJING (AP) — Working out of a Beijing office full of video game designers from around the world, Chinese-born Pin Wang and his startup Substantial Games should be the face of the innovative, forward-looking China that the country's leaders say they want to build.
  
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• Dotcom's team reacts to guilty plea

  16-02-2015 14:46 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Kim Dotcom's lawyer denies that a guilty plea by one of Megaupload's ex-employees will have a major impact on his client's case.
  
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• Game of Thrones edition of Monopoly launched

  16-02-2015 14:43 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  HBO announces special Game of Thrones edition of Monopoly for players to divide and conquer blood-soaked lands from the popular TV showWinter is coming. Get your houses prepped, your hotels built and your lands in order – Game of Thrones Monopoly is almost here.The perennial property game that either annoys or excites legions every Christmas with its almost endless toil of collecting rent and fighting off the housing inspector, is getting a very blood thirsty spin.“The Iron Bank is the Iron
  
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• Lizard Squad is back: group 'attacks Xbox Live and Daybreak Games'

  16-02-2015 14:30 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Hacking group springs back into life, reportedly launching DDoS attacks against range of games and servicesNotorious hacking group Lizard Squad has reportedly launched a fresh series of attacks against games and game services this weekend, including Xbox Live.The anonymous group, which launched distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks against both PlayStation Network and Xbox Live last Christmas, disrupting online game services for thousands of new PS4 and Xbox One owners, has been quiet for
  
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• Banking trojan Dyreza generating 'tens of thousands' of malicious emails a day

  16-02-2015 14:28 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Security firm warns that customers of NatWest, Barclays, HSBC and other British banks are being targeted by JavaScript malwareBritish customers of banks including NatWest, Barclays and HSBC are being targeted by a wave of malicious emails attempting to install the Dyreza malware on their computers.Security firm Bitdefender claims that RBS, Lloyds Bank and Santander customers are also receiving the emails, which direct them to websites with “highly obfuscated” JavaScript code, which installs
  
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• Etsy IPO stokes fierce debate as some say artisan craft site is selling its soul

  16-02-2015 14:00 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Biggest New York tech IPO since 1999 has some artists fuming over venture capitalist influence while others are planning to buy shares Continue reading...
  
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• Samsung Galaxy S6 image leak hints at non-removable back

  16-02-2015 13:57
  
  MWC 2015 is less than two weeks away meaning we'll be seeing the Samsung Galaxy S6 sooner rather than later, but a case manufacturer has given us another little sneak peak.The images come from an Amazon listing for a dual layer hard bumper case from manufacturer Verus.The shots show the phone will have a metal trim around the edges of the phone, much like the Galaxy A series, but the images don't show the back of the phone so it may have the rumoured metal uni-body design.A full metal jacket?The
  
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• Amazon Prime charges anger customers

  16-02-2015 13:52 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Some Amazon Prime users are complaining about a £79 charge they weren't expecting.
  
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• Review: Timex Ironman Move x20

  16-02-2015 13:42
  
  Intro, screen and batteryI've been working my way through an armful of fitness trackers since Christmas, from the Withings Ox to the Garmin Vivsmart and a few others that shall remain nameless, and a theme has emerged. That theme involves dodgy step counting, dodgier calories-burned counting, terrifying heart beat fluctuations and sleep analysis that plays fast and loose with the word "analysis". I've also encountered companion apps that look ugly and do little, as well as apps that lo
  
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• 'Are you listening?' Swedish songwriters accuse streaming companies of short-changing them

  16-02-2015 13:37 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  An open letter signed by the people behind hits for Britney Spears, the Saturdays and Janet Jackson insists: ‘It’s time to say thank you for the music’ Swedish songwriters have written an open letter demanding a bigger slice of the revenue generated from digital music streaming services such as Spotify and YouTube. The piece headlined ‘It’s time to say thank you for the music’ and published in Aftonbladet, one of Scandinavia’s biggest newspapers, is signed by 133 songwriters and pr
  
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• Industry voice: Facing the fear: how to learn to (almost) love licence compliance

  16-02-2015 13:33
  
  Wide-eyed terror or a weary sigh – those are probably the most common reactions from IT managers whenever someone mentions licence compliance. Perhaps that's why in many organisations it's addressed as an afterthought, and managed on an ad hoc basis. After all, it's not a sexy subject, and getting it wrong can put you on the wrong side of vendors, management and users, all at the same time. Not an enticing prospect!But it doesn't have to be that way. In fact, licence compliance can be transfor
  
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• YouTube is 10 years old, but what will it look like in 2025?

  16-02-2015 13:30 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Predictions for the future of Google’s online video service, from sports rights and games to co-viewing and voice recognitionYouTube’s first video may have been uploaded on 23 April 2005, but the website’s domain name was registered on 14 February. Hence the 10th birthday milestone this past weekend at a time when Google’s online video service is more popular than ever.From zero to one billion viewers in a decade is some journey, but what lies ahead as YouTube moves towards its teenage y
  
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• Raspberry Pi 2 review: More power to the Pi

  16-02-2015 13:13 via zdnet.com
  
  The Raspberry Pi 2 Model B is a simple, more powerful, upgrade to the original Pi that comes with a good range of bundled applications. The Pi 2 is great value at $35, but a number of additional items are needed to turn it into a fully functioning system.
  
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• Google to take aim at Surface Pro 3 with Android-powered 2-in-1 Chromebook

  16-02-2015 13:10
  
  Google is lining up an army of hybrid Chromebooks featuring both ChromeOS and Android to take on the Surface Pro 3 and other Windows-powered hybrids, with the search giant set to lead the charge.That's according to Digitimes, which reports that the first Google-branded device since the Chromebook Pixel will run ChromeOS with the keyboard attached, and Android when in tablet mode.It's unclear whether the 2-in-1 device will dual-boot the two operating systems independently or run Android apps nati
  
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• US drone rules impact Amazon plans

  16-02-2015 13:03 via bbc.co.uk
  
  New rules on drone flights proposed by the US aviation authority would prevent Amazon's drone delivery plans.
  
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• Qualcomm's Chromecast rival supports 4K video

  16-02-2015 13:02
  
  As the move to 4K video gets under-way, Qualcomm has announced a streaming stick that uses its Snapdragon 800 processor to deliver UHD video to your TV. The device is currently a reference design, so it's not actually available to buy, and like most of Qualcomm's hardware, it probably won't be. What it does is demonstrate what's possible, and allow other companies to make their own using Qualcomm's reference design. There's also the chance that those making this device might perhaps opt to boost
  
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• Big brand starts producing actual cameras for Project Ara

  16-02-2015 12:46
  
  Toshiba has shown two camera modules that it's making for Google's unique Project Ara modular smartphone.The modules can be swapped in and out of an Ara handset, allowing you to easily upgrade the snapper on your smartphone. The two modules that were shown off by Toshiba were 5MP and 13MP snappers, both of which can be quickly installed into a Project Ara handset as the main rear cameras.Toshiba is also working on a front-facing 2 megapixel camera. Although we should be seeing an early version o
  
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• New case leak tells us more about the iPad Pro

  16-02-2015 12:24
  
  We've now got quite a folder of rumours on the upcoming iPad Pro (or iPad Air Plus) tablet that Apple is reported to have up its rather spacious sleeves. The latest one to surface is a leaked snap of the device's case.The case shots come courtesy of French site NWE via a Chinese supplier, giving us further clues to the size and design of the super-sized tablet and another bit of evidence that it really is in the pipeline.The volume, standby and camera buttons are all in the same place, but the c
  
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• LG G4 launch looks set for April as it shuns MWC

  16-02-2015 12:08
  
  Rumours of the HTC One M9 and Samsung Galaxy S6 are aplenty right now with new details leaking out every few days, but as for the LG G4 the rumour mill seems pretty quiet.Back in January, some information suggested the LG G4 would skip MWC 2015, and a new tip off to the Korea Times seems to confirm it with the source claiming the G4 will launch in April.The LG related source said, "Samsung usually releases its new flagship model in the first quarter of each year, and Apple in the second qu
  
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• Roundup: The Best Free Firewall Software of 2015: Stop malware before it gets you

  16-02-2015 11:40
  
  Introduction, ZoneAlarm Firewall and Comodo Firewall When purchasing a new Windows PC, it should be a matter of urgency to immediately install antivirus software that includes an effective firewall to stave off threats that might target your machine when it connects to the internet.All recent versions of Windows come with a built-in firewall and, whilst it's perfectly okay to leave your PC with this thin layer of protection, before long you will want something that covers a little more tha
  
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• Amsterdam to host world’s first drone circus

  16-02-2015 11:39 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  The AIR 2015 event in conjunction with the Royal Netherlands Air Force will be the first aerial entertainment show of its kind to rely on drone technologyThe world’s first drone circus is to be held in the Netherlands, where aerial robots equipped with lasers and projectors will spin in dizzying dances across the Amsterdam Arena.
  The AIR 2015 show is scheduled to take place this year with hundreds of drones lined up to fill the venue. The event is being developed in conjunction with the Roya
  
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• VIDEO: LG tries again with clever fridge

  16-02-2015 11:34 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The BBC takes at look at LG's latest attempt to reinvent the fridge by connecting it to the internet.
  
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• Introverts: These emojis are for you

  16-02-2015 11:33 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A designer comes up with "introjis" for the socially anxious
  
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• Mum's 'US police car' on school run

  16-02-2015 10:52 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A woman is turning heads on the school run by driving her children in a replica American police car from video game Need for Speed.
  
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• Krul intentions: coupling data and deception for a psychological edge

  16-02-2015 10:50 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  As evidenced by Louis van Gaal’s World Cup goalkeeper switch, analytics can enhance rather than replace the Machiavellian instincts of sport’s master tacticians
  Continue reading...
  
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• Australia minister's emoji interview

  16-02-2015 09:46 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Relations with the US are :-) but with Indonesia :-| as Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop conducts a Buzzfeed interview in emoji.
  
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• LG Electronics takes fight with Samsung over washer damage to YouTube

  16-02-2015 09:18
  
  By Se Young Lee SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's LG Electronics Inc, whose appliance chief has been indicted on a charge of purposely damaging Samsung Electronics Co Ltd washing machines, issued a video clip that it says shows the executive was merely testing its rival's products in plain view at a store in Germany. The video from the incident last September was released on YouTube days after Jo Seong-jin and two other LG Electronics employees were indicted by South Korean prosecutors,
  
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• Drones rule: Proposed rules for commercial unmanned aircraft

  16-02-2015 09:10
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Drone on, the government says.
  
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• Monster Hunter 4: Ultimate review – RPG rewards patience

  16-02-2015 09:00 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  (3DS, Nintendo, cert: 12)New Nintendo 3DS XL console reviewed Continue reading...
  
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• The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask review – definitive take on one of Nintendo’s best

  16-02-2015 08:31 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  (3D, 3DS, Nintendo, cert: 12)New Nintendo 3DS XL console reviewThe Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is quite simply a masterpiece. Originally released for the N64 in 2000, it is a twisted and unique adventure about a menacing moon set to crush the land of Termina three days from the game’s opening. As in the original, this remake, timed to coincide with the new 3DS, sees the hero, Link, able to travel in time and so when the three days are up, he warps back and begins again. The game’s four
  
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• Dozens of arms firm employees on MoD secondments

  16-02-2015 08:00 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Information acquired by the Guardian sparks fresh concerns about the cosy relationships between the public and private sector Continue reading...
  
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• New Nintendo 3DS XL console review – ‘the hardware lives up to its original promise’

  16-02-2015 08:00 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Nintendo’s rejigged 3DS console has dramatically improved 3D effects, but there’s no change to the disappointing screen resolution Continue reading...
  
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• Labor slams Abbott for 'politicising' data retention

  16-02-2015 06:54 via zdnet.com
  
  Australian Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has accused Prime Minister Tony Abbott of 'politicising' data retention by calling for Labor to support the legislation's swift passage through parliament.
  
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• ​Infosys to acquire SaaS provider Panaya for $200m

  16-02-2015 06:44 via zdnet.com
  
  Infosys will acquire Panaya for $200 million as part of its plans to enhance the company's efforts to focus on cloud, big data, and artificial intelligence.
  
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• Japan's old flip-phones soldier on while smartphones shrink

  16-02-2015 06:34
  
  By Teppei Kasai TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese shipments of traditional flip-phones rose in 2014 for the first time in seven years while smartphone shipments fell, highlighting Japanese consumers' tenacious attachment to the familiar and typically less expensive older models. Dubbed "Galapagos" phones because they have evolved to meet unique Japanese standards and tastes, flip-phone shipments rose 5.7 percent to 10.58 million in 2014, data from market researcher MM Research Institute
  
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