Technology news

• Japan sees 25 billion online attacks in 2014

  17-02-2015 23:43 via zdnet.com
  
  Japan's government and other bodies received more than 25 billion online attacks in 2014, according to the country's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology.
  
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• Uber files second complaint against French law

  17-02-2015 22:48
  
  Uber has filed a second complaint to the European Commission against a French law that the online taxi-booking service says favours regular taxis at its expense, the company said on Tuesday. Uber filed a complaint with the Commission last November, the first of a series of challenges to EU member states reluctant to open their markets to the U.S. firm.
  
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• Uber files second complaint against French law - Les Echos

  17-02-2015 21:40
  
  Uber has filed a second complaint against a French law that the online taxi-booking service says favours regular taxis at its expense, French newspaper Les Echos said on Tuesday. Uber last November filed a first complaint with the European Commission, the first of a series of challenges to EU member states reluctant to open their markets to the U.S. firm. French business daily Les Echos, which says it has seen a copy of the complaint, said Uber's aim was to put pressure on the European Comm
  
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• Drake's surprise album sets Spotify records

  17-02-2015 20:30
  
  Drake's surprise album has set records on Spotify. The music streaming service said Tuesday that the rapper's new album, "If You're Reading This It's Too Late," set the record for most streams ...
  
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• BlackBerry ratchets up fight vs Seacrest's Typo with new complaint

  17-02-2015 19:54
  
  BlackBerry ratcheted up its fight with Ryan Seacrest's Typo Products LLC, filing a new complaint that alleges that the company's new keyboard case for the iPhone also infringes on its patents. Last March, the Waterloo, Ontario-based smartphone pioneer won an injunction against the first iteration of the Typo case made for some of Apple's iPhone devices. BlackBerry is now seeking another injunction to halt sales of the redesigned Typo 2 case as well. BlackBerry, in a new complaint
  
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• EU's head of digital policy raps resistance to ban on roaming fees

  17-02-2015 19:07
  
  By Julia Fioretti BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union member states came under fire from the bloc's head of digital policy on Tuesday for resisting efforts to scrap mobile phone roaming charges for consumers. Though the removal of the charges is a priority for the European Commission as it seeks to spur cross-border telecoms competition, EU members concerned about the effect on operators have proposed that any ban should be held back until 2018 at the earliest. "I'm waiting for th
  
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• Colour-blind aid for Warcraft game

  17-02-2015 18:41 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Blizzard, the makers of World of Warcraft, is to introduce a feature to help gamers with colour blindness.
  
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• It is make or break time for UK's digital future warns House of Lords report

  17-02-2015 17:55 via zdnet.com
  
  If one in three jobs could be lost to automation in the next 20 years, politicians must act now.
  
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• It is 'make or break' time for UK's digital future, warns House of Lords

  17-02-2015 17:55 via zdnet.com
  
  If one in three jobs could be lost to automation in the next 20 years, politicians must act now, a new report says.
  
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• Correction: Visa-Travel Tracker story

  17-02-2015 17:47
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — In a Feb. 13 story about Visa's new anti-fraud software, The Associated Press misspelled the name of one of the privacy experts quoted.
  
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• Introducing introji – emoji for introverts

  17-02-2015 17:43 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Designer Rebecca Lynch found she couldn’t express herself through standard emoji when she was feeling unsociable. So she created her ownYou can express happiness, anger or the feeling of wanting to shake off haters – but what happens when you’d like to text someone that you just want to stay at home? Designer Rebecca Lynch decided to solve the problem of communicating introspective emotions, such as leaving stressful social situations or giving introverted friends and partners the space an
  
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• Are freemium games focusing too much on monetisation and not enough on fun?

  17-02-2015 17:31 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  As developers try to make money by creating Candy Crush clones, free-to-play mobile games are in danger of creative stagnation
  Recently, while trawling through app store RSS feeds to find new apps, I stumbled across Snoopy’s Sugar Drop Remix – and it made my heart sink.Not just because it was a Snoopy game selling virtual gems for up to £42.99 at a time. No, it was more the realisation that someone had sat down and thought about the rich history of Charles M. Schulz’s comic strip and
  
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• Review: Synology DS1815+ Review

  17-02-2015 17:15 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  IntroductionAimed at both business and home users in need of gigantic amounts of storage, the DS1815+ is an eight-bay NAS from Synology, powered by a quad-core CPU and up to 6GB of memory. This places it at the very opposite end of the performance scale from the single-bay DS115J that came out late last year.With a retail cost of around £850 (US$1030, AU$132) it's at the upper end of NAS pricing, although one step below the level occupied by rack-mount NAS units, such as the Thecus NN810U-G or
  
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• Ten Raspberry Pi 2 alternatives

  17-02-2015 17:02 via zdnet.com
  
  The Raspberry Pi 2 is the single-board computer of the moment, but there are plenty of others out there. We've rounded up some of the most eye-catching offerings.
  
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• Pivotal unveils Hadoop Open Data Platform, deepens Hortonworks links and open-sources code

  17-02-2015 17:00 via zdnet.com
  
  Along with lifting the lid on the Open Data Platform Hadoop initiative, cloud firm Pivotal is strengthening its ties with Hortonworks and open-sourcing core big-data technology.
  
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• Apple orders 5-6 million watches - WSJ

  17-02-2015 16:52
  
  (Reuters) - Apple Inc has asked its Asian suppliers to make 5-6 million units of its three Apple Watch models for the first-quarter, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Taiwan-based Quanta Computer Inc, the sole assembler of the Apple Watch, started mass production earlier this year to get ready for an April launch, the Journal said. Apple said it does not comment on rumor or speculation. The entry-level Apple Watch Sport model accounts for half the producti
  
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• Digital skills crucial, says report

  17-02-2015 16:52 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Children should be taught "digital literacy" as a core skill alongside maths and English, says a report by a House of Lords committee.
  
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• Review: Panasonic TX-47AS740

  17-02-2015 16:50 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  IntroductionPanasonic's current TV range has to some extent been an exercise in frustration. The brand has excelled with its smart TV innovations, but while some of its TVs have backed these improved smarts up with excellent pictures, others have proved unexpectedly disappointing. So is the 47-inch 47AS740's picture quality one of the hits or one of the misses? Given that, at just short of £800, it's one of the more expensive models in Panasonic's HD (not 4K) TV range, I'll seriously be hoping
  
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• Digital Detox: Cashing in on our smartphone addiction

  17-02-2015 16:27
  
  Whether we like it or not, we live in an always-on, hyper-connected world, where the advent of smartphone technology and the ubiquity of mobile coverage means you are almost always online.
  
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• Is the Samsung Galaxy S6's headline feature going to be the camera?

  17-02-2015 16:20
  
  Samsung has released another cryptic hint to drum up hype about the Galaxy S6's camera, this time tweeting an image that says "Find clarity in darkness". Along with the image the tweet from the @SamsungMobile account says "Great vision inspires me. I am #TheNextGalaxy".It looks like Samsung is pretty confident with the camera of the upcoming Galaxy S6, as a number of previous teasers have been recently released.The promise of finding clarity in darkness suggests that the Gal
  
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• Hands-on with the Zeos Glassy Edge to Edge for iPhone 6 Plus: Screen protection covering the curves

  17-02-2015 15:30 via zdnet.com
  
  A reported quarter to third of smartphone owners carry their phones without a case. The new Zeos screen protector extends over the curved edges to provide full and complete protection.
  
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• Hands-on review: Toshiba Satellite Click Mini

  17-02-2015 15:20
  
  The Satellite Click Mini could've turned out very differently. Toshiba lifted the lid on its titular convertible tablet at CES 2015, but instead of emerging as a miniature version of the - quite frankly, ugly - Click 2 it's a surprisingly attractive and portable budget package.Toshiba's £250 (around US$384, or AUS$492) device arrives in the form of a Windows 8.1 tablet that turns into a laptop when docked into the keyboard. At a fairly uncommon 8.9 inches it straddles the empty space between 8
  
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• 'Modern Family' to air episode that takes place only online

  17-02-2015 15:15
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — How to keep the "modern" in "Modern Family" in its sixth season? Create an episode that plays out completely on a computer and in the realm of social media.
  
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• Nearly two thirds of mobile dating app users are men

  17-02-2015 15:14 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  62% of the 91 million people using location-based digital matchmaking apps are male, claims a new report – and a fifth of users are paying for premium servicesMore than 91 million people are using location-based dating apps like Tinder, Momo and Hinge, but nearly two thirds of those users are men, according to research firm GlobalWebIndex.The company’s latest report claims that 6% of internet users currently use a location-based dating app, although that puts the category behind niches like
  
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• Neptune Duo gives the smartwatch all the power and makes your mobile dumb

  17-02-2015 15:00
  
  The Neptune Duo is an intriguing new product from the start up firm which brought us the phone-in-a-watch Neptune Pine last year.Where as the Pine got rid of your smartphone completely, the Neptune Duo wants you to keep hold of a larger screen, but it gives all the power to the smartwatch - aka the Neptune Hub.The quad-core processor and other components are housed in the bracelet style band which includes a speaker and microphone plus 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and NFC connectivity.You'll ha
  
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• How blogger Brown Moses used open-source information to analyse missile attacks on Ukraine – video

  17-02-2015 15:00 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Blogger and citizen journalist Eliot Higgins – aka Brown Moses – explains how he used open-source information to determine cross-border artillery attacks that appear to be being fired from Russian territory into Ukraine. His team used satellite imagery on Google Earth and crater analysis techniques Continue reading...
  
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• Apple's Jony Ive digested: 23 things we've learned

  17-02-2015 13:52 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  The New Yorker gained unprecedented access to Apple’s head of design to profile Jony Ive, revealing more about the man and the company than ever beforeHe has created some of the most recognisable and iconic objects of our age, but Apple’s head designer Jony Ive has always been something of an enigma. The Briton behind the iMac and the iPod is usually as secretive about himself as Apple is about its products, but recently he and and the tech giant gave unprecedented access for a New Yorker pi
  
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• Barbie gets internet connection

  17-02-2015 13:50 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Mattel, the toy firm behind iconic doll Barbie, is to make a smart version of the doll that will chat to children.
  
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• Sony's SmartEyeGlass specs up for pre-order, despite Google Glass woes

  17-02-2015 13:44
  
  Just a few weeks after Google Glass shut its doors, Sony has pulled the covers off the SmartEyeglass Developer Edition SED-E1. It's available for preorder today and will be available in 10 countries when it launches officially on March 10, for £520 (without tax) in the UK and $840 in the US.Like Glass, SmartEyeGlass uses augmented reality to super-impose an image over your field of view, but rather than supporting colour optics, Sony's smart glasses will display everything in bright green, at a
  
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• EastEnders character Tamwar to tweet

  17-02-2015 13:41 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Actor Himesh Patel, who plays Tamwar on EastEnders, will make UK soap history by live tweeting throughout the programme's 30th anniversary week.
  
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• Bigger screens, smaller prices: How your smartphone will change this year

  17-02-2015 13:40 via zdnet.com
  
  Buyers in the world's largest smartphone market are showing the way on device sizes.
  
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• Blu-ray gets huge 4K quality boost, possibly kills 3D

  17-02-2015 13:31
  
  The official body that sets the specifications for Blu-ray has finally agreed on a standard that will allow 4K material, or ultra HD, to be stored on Blu-ray disks - after previously announcing that we'll have 4K Blu-rays by Christmas time. So why has all of this taken so long when there is really no surprise about what 4K is? Well, thanks for asking. It has a lot to do with a new approach to how we see images. Rather than just increasing the resolution, which is easy, the BDA has also taken the
  
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• DealRadar: TechRadar Deals: Panasonic camera bargain, headphones, games and more

  17-02-2015 13:24
  
  We're back with more deals and today we've found a fantastic deal on a brilliant Panasonic compact camera, so let's drive straight in with that...TODAY'S HOT DEALS
  Compact camera: The brilliant Panasonic TZ60 is a versatile camera that's ideal for taking on trips either for business or pleasure, and its huge zoom and focal range will appeal to both beginners and more experienced photographers. With a 30x optical zoom, built-in EVF and an 18.1MP sensor, it's Panasonic's flagship compact camera
  
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• Sony takes orders for smart glasses

  17-02-2015 13:15 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A developer edition of Sony's augmented reality glasses will go on sale in ten countries in March, the tech giant has announced.
  
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• ​Google launches Android One in the Phillipines

  17-02-2015 13:09 via zdnet.com
  
  Google will start selling its Android One handsets in the Philippines next month, marking the sixth nation it's brought the low-priced devices to.
  
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• ​Google launches Android One in the Philippines

  17-02-2015 13:09 via zdnet.com
  
  Google will start selling its Android One handsets in the Philippines next month, marking the sixth nation it's brought the low-priced devices to.
  
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• Downloads: 10 essential tools for backing up and protecting your PC

  17-02-2015 13:00
  
  The importance of backing up can't be overstated, but choosing the right tool for the job can be tricky at the best of times. In this roundup, we've not simply looked at 10 tools that do similar things, but dug deep to find a selection of programs that back up different parts of your system, whether it's protecting your email and browser settings or taking an exact byte-for-byte copy of everything on your hard drive. Whatever you need to back up, we've got the perfect tool for you.COMODO BackupT
  
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• Windows 10 will let you say goodbye to passwords forever

  17-02-2015 12:28 via zdnet.com
  
  Microsoft adding password-free sign-on via Windows 10 to Azure Active Directory, cloud apps, and more.
  
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• ​Early Project Ara modules revealed as prototypes rumoured to go on show this month

  17-02-2015 12:15 via zdnet.com
  
  Google's Project Ara looks to be gathering steam ahead of this year's MWC show.
  
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• China shuts 'obscene and lascivious' dating websites

  17-02-2015 11:10
  
  China's Internet regulator has shut 65 dating and other match-making websites after accusing them of spreading obscene content and allowing registration with false names, Xinhua state news agency said on Tuesday. Sites closed included ones with names like "Get a one-night stand" and "Playing with you net", Xinhua said, citing the Cyberspace Administration of China. "The circumstances were serious and the effects terrible." State media said last week that the re
  
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• ​Microsoft replaces patch that killed PowerPoint

  17-02-2015 10:34 via zdnet.com
  
  Microsoft's run of bad patches continues, with the latest affecting users who have installed February's update for Office Home and Student 2013 RT.
  
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• Orange pledges to tame costs to keep 2015 dividend stable

  17-02-2015 08:28
  
  By Leila Abboud and Gwénaëlle Barzic PARIS (Reuters) - Telecom operator Orange predicted operating profit would fall slightly this year amid continued tough competition in its key home market of France but pledged to hold the line on costs to be able to deliver a stable dividend. The group has bet that better quality mobile and broadband networks will help it ward off low-cost French rival Iliad, as well as rejuvenated No. 2 player Numericable-SFR, recently formed in a merger. Orange spent 14.
  
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• Westpac New Zealand gets a new CIO

  17-02-2015 06:39 via zdnet.com
  
  Dawie Olivier will join Westpac New Zealand in mid April to take over the permanent position of chief information officer from Jason Millett, who has been acting in the role since March 2014.
  
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• ASG Group sees six-month 50 percent profit surge

  17-02-2015 06:15 via zdnet.com
  
  Australian IT services provider ASG Group has seen a half-yearly boost of 50 percent in net profit after tax for the six months ending December 2014, compared to the same period the previous year.
  
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• Samsung Electronics earmarking cash for growth, including M&A

  17-02-2015 05:55
  
  By Se Young Lee SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd aims to use its $56 billion (£36 billion) cash pile to fund growth including acquisitions, the tech giant's investor relations chief said, even as more shareholders clamour for bigger dividends. While the South Korean company's profit declined in 2014 for the first time in three years as its lead in smartphones was challenged by Apple Inc, investors were cheered by a 40 percent dividend boost and its first share buyback sinc
  
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• ​Microsoft adopts international cloud privacy standard

  17-02-2015 05:55 via zdnet.com
  
  Microsoft has committed to adhering to ISO/IEC 27018, developed by the International Organization for Standardization, to ensure that personally identifiable information stored in its public cloud is protected.
  
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• Google launches Chinese-language developer YouTube channel

  17-02-2015 05:05 via zdnet.com
  
  Google has launched a Chinese-language version of its Google Developers Channel on YouTube, despite the disruption its video-sharing subsidiary experiences at the hands of the country's Great Firewall.
  
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• iiNet challenges Dallas Buyers Club's expert witness

  17-02-2015 04:46 via zdnet.com
  
  The expert witness flown from Germany to explain how Australian IP addresses were caught sharing Dallas Buyers Club over peer-to-peer services has admitted that he did not write his own affidavit.
  
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• 'Stupid loyalty' roped uni IT manager's friend in corrupt conduct

  17-02-2015 04:38 via zdnet.com
  
  A former friend and work colleague of Brett Roberts, Christopher Killalea has admitted that he was blinded by friendship, which pushed his willingness to assist Roberts in allegedly arranging fake invoices.
  
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• Russian researchers expose breakthrough U.S. spying program

  17-02-2015 03:50
  
  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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