Technology news

• T-Mobile presses U.S. to change rules for sale of airwaves

  18-02-2015 23:35
  
  By Alina Selyukh WASHINGTON (Reuters) - T-Mobile's chief executive on Wednesday called the recent U.S. auction of airwaves "a disaster" for American consumers as he took aim at rules that allowed Dish Network Corp to partner with companies that may qualify for some $13 billion (£8.4 billion) in discounts. Satellite provider Dish and biggest U.S. wireless carriers Verizon Communications Inc and AT&T Inc won most of the licenses in the record-breaking $45 billion auction of spe
  
  Read more

• Samsung to buy mobile payment service provider LoopPay

  18-02-2015 23:26
  
  (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said it would buy mobile wallet provider LoopPay as it tries to gain a share in the mobile payments market, which its archrival Apple Inc recently entered with Apple Pay. Apple Pay, launched in September, allows iPhone users to pay for anything at the tap of a button using near-field communication (NFC).
  
  Read more

• DeSoto cab company taking on name of mobile app Flywheel

  18-02-2015 22:20
  
  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A San Francisco taxi company is kicking its 82-year-old brand to the curb and renaming itself after a smartphone app in the latest sign of how mobile technology is changing the way people get a ride.
  
  Read more

• 7-week-old baby dies of starvation; parents arrested

  18-02-2015 22:12
  
  GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon couple involved in online pornography has been arrested on charges of murder by abuse after an autopsy determined their 7-week-old son died of starvation.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• NBC channel is now live on PCs, devices in 10 markets

  18-02-2015 21:45
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Television viewers in 10 U.S. markets are now able to watch their local NBC stations live on computers and mobile devices — if you're a paying customer.
  
  Read more

• US marshals to auction 50,000 bitcoins seized from Silk Road

  18-02-2015 21:44 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Ross Ulbricht was convicted two weeks ago of being the mastermind behind Silk Road, an online black market that flew beneath law enforcement’s radarThe US government on Wednesday said it plans to auction 50,000 bitcoins on 5 March, following the recent criminal conviction of Ross Ulbricht for being the mastermind behind the online black market known as Silk Road. Related: Silk Road's 'Dread Pirate Roberts' convicted of running online drug marketplace Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Review: mini review: Koss Pro4S

  18-02-2015 21:30 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Studio headphones are built to serve a unique purpose: to provide unadulterated reference audio of the highest quality. As such, it's easy to find yourself in enthusiast territory, where there's no limit to the amount of cash you can drop on this type of headphone. With plenty of options for studio musicians, technicians or music lovers alike that are marked above $500, what there aren't enough of are cheap options. The Koss Pro4S hope to reign supreme in the low-end of the price spectrum for st
  
  Read more

• Hands-on review: Updated: Sony SmartEyeglass Attach

  18-02-2015 21:05 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  The Sony SmartEyeglass Attach is a new idea from Sony (surprisingly) to bring augmented reality to your run.Well, in theory the piece can attach to any pair of glasses and could be used to improve any activity by placing info near your pupil, but the first iteration is designed for sport, and specifically running seems to be the main use.The idea is simple and very like Google Glass: a supplementary clips onto the side of the specs (currently only the official ones used in the prototype, but cou
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Spark reports lower sales and profits

  18-02-2015 20:45 via zdnet.com
  
  New Zealand telco sees profits fall 12.7 percent on back of a 2.7 percent decline in revenue.
  
  Read more

• New HTTP/2 protocol to speed up web

  18-02-2015 20:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The HTTP/2 protocol, which is promised to speed up webpage loading and make the web more secure, has been approved by internet engineers.
  
  Read more

• Former GM boss thinks Apple's car ambitions should shift into park

  18-02-2015 20:01
  
  In case you haven't heard, Apple may or may not toiling away on a smart electric car - but at least one industry executive thinks it could wind up being a fool's errand, and is offering some free advice on the subject.Bloomberg today added fuel to ongoing rumors that Apple may be secretly working on its own electric automobile, with a retired industry veteran weighing in on some of the challenges the iPhone maker could face.Former General Motors Chief Executive Officer Dan Akerson cited the &quo
  
  Read more

• U.S. marshals to auction 50,000 bitcoins from Silk Road

  18-02-2015 19:54
  
  By Jonathan Stempel and Nate Raymond NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. government on Wednesday said it plans to auction 50,000 bitcoins on March 5, following the recent criminal conviction of Ross Ulbricht for being the mastermind behind the online black market known as Silk Road. The auction being conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service is the third for bitcoins seized in connection with Silk Road, which prosecutors said let customers buy and sell drugs and other illegal goods beneath the radar of l
  
  Read more

• Samsung TVs fail to encrypt voices

  18-02-2015 19:51 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Samsung acknowledges that some of its smart TVs upload voice commands to the internet in an unencrypted form, making it easier to hack the data.
  
  Read more

• How to handle an employee's offensive social media post

  18-02-2015 19:08
  
  When one of Ileaa Swift's employees posted homophobic comments on Facebook, the reaction was quick. "It posted around 1 in the morning. The next morning, when I got up, I had all these calls and emails ...
  
  Read more

• Industry voice: The potential smart home disaster: amateur IT 'admins' making a mess of things

  18-02-2015 18:54
  
  The idea of your Nespresso machine automatically ordering new cups when you've almost run out sounds good, doesn't it? Or what about your fridge telling you that you should buy more milk today? These are just a couple of examples of the types of apps being integrated into the much anticipated smart homes which are now fast becoming reality.However, with the apps come devices and with them an increasingly sophisticated home IT network to connect them which, like all IT networks, will need reliabl
  
  Read more

• Buying Guide: The best laptops for students

  18-02-2015 18:27
  
  Best laptops for studentsEven for those who feel at home with their nose in a textbook, the end of summer break (or Winter recess) is a big bummer. But as much as it's a return to school and schedules, it's an opportunity. This is a fine excuse to invest in some fresh tech to make the coming academia-addled year a little more bearable.If you're still reliant on a desktop, or if your laptop winces at the sight of a high-definition video lecture, it's time to look into an upgrade. And thankfully i
  
  Read more

• Google warns of US government 'hacking any facility' in the world

  18-02-2015 18:17 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Google says increasing the FBI’s powers set out in search warrants would raise ‘monumental’ legal concerns that should be decided by CongressGoogle is boldly opposing an attempt by the US Justice Department to expand federal powers to search and seize digital data, warning that the changes would open the door to US “government hacking of any facility” in the world.In a strongly worded submission to the Washington committee that is considering the proposed changes, Google says that incr
  
  Read more

• Industry voice: Avoiding network downtime that could kill your business? It's easy as ADC

  18-02-2015 18:11
  
  A recent survey carried out by Freeform Dynamics on behalf of Barracuda Networks highlighted increasing pressure on corporate networks and the systems they support. When asked about their network and application access infrastructure respondents cited greater demands as a result of core business growth and a general increase in the use of technology and information within the business.Overlaid on this is the additional pressure arising from home and mobile working, BYOD, and greater access of IT
  
  Read more

• VIDEO: Hockney iPad artwork goes on display

  18-02-2015 17:24 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A new exhibition by Bradford-born artist David Hockney opens in a West Yorkshire museum.
  
  Read more

• Super Mario 64 and 'mod' culture: meet the man behind the high-def makeover

  18-02-2015 17:21 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  The revered video game is being re-imagined by Aryok Piñera, who started the project alone but now leads a motley crew dozens strong. The legality of such ‘mods’ is murky, but that won’t affect its practitioners’ passion for perfecting Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Office for iOS adds Box, Citrix and Salesforce integration

  18-02-2015 17:19
  
  Microsoft has opened up the back-end of its Office for iOS and Office Online apps to allow third-party cloud storage providers to integrate their services with the productivity suite.Box, Citrix and Salesforce are inaugural members of the Microsoft Cloud Storage Partner Program meaning Office for iPhone and iPad users can open, edit and save previously created documents to the respective cloud storage services right away with support for Office Online to follow.Apple's iCloud storage service was
  
  Read more

• Review: Oppo N3

  18-02-2015 17:09
  
  Introduction and designA few short months ago, Oppo was barely a blip on the international radar. After moving beyond the bounds of Blu-Ray players, it first garnered international attention with the Find 5 superphone. At the time it was the first smartphone to launch with a 1080p screen onboard, beating the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 to the punch, and gaining Oppo the attention it rightly deserved.Fast forward to the latter months of 2013 and Oppo had introduced the Oppo N1: another flagship
  
  Read more

• Industry voice: IBM licencing jargon buster: reduce your spending on software

  18-02-2015 17:08
  
  Software licencing jargon used by the different software vendors makes up some of the most complex and potentially confusing terminology to have emerged from the technology industry. As one of the biggest vendors of all, IBM creates more than its fair share of confusion amongst enterprises and has developed some of the most complex software licencing metrics and compliance requirements. It is essential to be on top of IBM's licencing jargon because its software is so prevalent in the data centre
  
  Read more

• Motorola boss at odds with Jony Ive

  18-02-2015 17:05 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Motorola's president defends letting users design their own phones, after Apple's Sir Jonathan Ive attacks the idea.
  
  Read more

• Review: LG G Flex 2

  18-02-2015 17:00
  
  Introduction, design and displayThe LG G Flex 2 I tested this week isn't the world's first curved smartphone, but it is the first one that has the muscle to back up its constant, ostentatious flexing.This concave Android phone is the follow-up to the 2013's LG G Flex and, while it bends the same way, has new dimensions and a much better display that make it less of a gimmick.LG G Flex 2 is noticeably smaller and easier to hold with a 5.5-inch screen, which matches the display size of the LG G3.
  
  Read more

• HTC One M9 pre-registration opens ahead of MWC reveal

  18-02-2015 16:36
  
  It's suddenly all moving rather quickly for HTC. Just hours after it confirmed a March 1 launch for HTC One M9, a UK retailer has opened pre-registration for the new flagship.This isn't a pre-order page, remember, but by filling out your details on Carphone Warehouse's site you'll be kept up to date with all the developments as they happen. When pre-orders do open, we expect registered parties will be notified right away.Only Brits will be able to buy the device through the site, but it's intere
  
  Read more

• Sony spins off video and audio units

  18-02-2015 16:31 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Sony says it will spin off its video-and-audio business into a separate company as part of a three-year plan to return to profit.
  
  Read more

• NSA copycat spyware could be snooping on your hard drive

  18-02-2015 16:30
  
  A new US National Security Agency (NSA) spying campaign has been uncovered that involved baking spying software deep inside hard drives made by some of the world's largest hard drive manufacturers.Security researchers from Kaspersky Lab discovered that spies acting on behalf of the government found a way to exploit the source code to place malicious software in the firmware of drives made by the likes of Western Digital, Seagate, Toshiba, Samsung and many more.Kaspersky declined to publicly name
  
  Read more

• What is HTTP/2 and is it going to speed up the web?

  18-02-2015 16:10 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Biggest change to how the web works since 1999 should make browsing on desktop and mobile faster
  The web is about to get faster thanks to a new version of HTTP – the biggest change since 1999 to the protocol that underpins the world wide web as we know it today.Hypertext Transfer Protocol is familiar to most as the http:// at the beginning of a web address. It governs the connections between a user’s browser and the server hosting a website, invented by the father of the web Sir Tim Berners-
  
  Read more

• YouTube stars Kian Lawley and Jc Caylen get cinematic with new channel

  18-02-2015 15:58 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Former Our2ndLife members already have more than 780k subscribers. ‘When fans watch our videos they feel like we’re talking directly to them’ Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Crunched: has the games industry really stopped exploiting its workforce?

  18-02-2015 15:53 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  In 2004, the EA Spouse controversy exposed a culture of unpaid overtime throughout the games industry. In this special report we investigate how much, if anything, has changedMy significant other works for Electronic Arts and I’m what you might call a disgruntled spouse.It was with these words 10 years ago that Erin Hoffman began an online journal detailing her husband’s gruelling experience working at an EA game development studio. For months on end he worked 12-hour days, six days a week,
  
  Read more

• HTTP 2.0 wins approval: Road to better encryption?

  18-02-2015 15:31 via zdnet.com
  
  A revision to the HTTP standard that governs the way Web pages load has been approved. Faster pages are nice, but in practice encryption is likely to improve.
  
  Read more

• Plusnet investigates billing faults

  18-02-2015 15:23 via bbc.co.uk
  
  BT's Plusnet broadband service is trying to find out why it wrongly told customers they were being billed extra for going over their data allowance.
  
  Read more

• Malware on menu on Jamie Oliver site

  18-02-2015 15:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The celebrity chef's site suffered a "malware problem" after being hacked, but has since been fixed, according to a Jamie Oliver Group spokesman.
  
  Read more

• OnePlus One (64GB) review: A flagship phone with a mid-range price tag

  18-02-2015 14:56 via zdnet.com
  
  The OnePlus One is a high-end 5.5-inch smartphone that sells for an affordable price (if you can get hold of one). Although it lacks 800MHz (band 20) LTE support and MicroSD storage expansion, it's still a very impressive and highly recommended handset.
  
  Read more

• Apple patent hints at virtual reality iPhone carrying headset

  18-02-2015 14:31 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Company patents head-mounted device that would use its owner’s smartphone as a screen Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• IBM unveils Hadoop analytics tools

  18-02-2015 14:29 via zdnet.com
  
  Companies need better tools to get the most out of Hadoop, says IBM.
  
  Read more

• BMC, Compuware take aim at mainframe costs

  18-02-2015 14:11 via zdnet.com
  
  BMC and Compuware sign an alliance which they say will help IBM z Systems customers get more out of their mainframes
  
  Read more

• ​Yandex presses for Russian probe into Google's treatment of search rivals on Android

  18-02-2015 14:09 via zdnet.com
  
  A new antitrust battle is brewing for Google, this time in Russia.
  
  Read more

• Google faces Android probe in Russia

  18-02-2015 13:46 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Search company Yandex files a complaint with Russia's competition watchdog about the restrictions Google places on Android phone-makers.
  
  Read more

• ​Samsung hints Galaxy S6 may support multiple wireless charging standards

  18-02-2015 13:03 via zdnet.com
  
  Samsung is looking forward to a world where you can charge your Galaxy S6 almost everywhere.
  
  Read more

• Messaging App Snapchat Says It Is Worth $19bn

  18-02-2015 12:20
  
  Snapchat - the app which lets you send and receive self-destructing photographs and videos - says it is worth $19bn (£12.4bn). The company is looking to raise up to $500m (£325m) in a new funding round, according to a company source cited by Bloomberg. The app was developed by Evan Spiegel, who turned down a $3bn (£1.94bn) takeover offer from Facebook in 2013.
  
  Read more

• Review: Updated: Samsung Gear

  18-02-2015 12:12 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction and designUpdates: Our Galaxy Gear review contains updates to address its lower price, the increased competition and the optional switch to Tizen.What makes a smartwatch these days? Is it something that simply sits on the wrist and buzzes when the phone does something in the pocket? A fully-fledged phone it itself? Or, like the Galaxy Gear, something in between?We've got all kinds of devices pretending to be a smartwatch, and there's definitely an interest from consumers, if not a d
  
  Read more

• Raspberry Pi becomes best selling British computer

  18-02-2015 12:09 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Sales of cheap, credit card-sized units top 5m says company, eclipsing the Sinclair ZX Spectrum in the 1980s Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Review: Oppo R5

  18-02-2015 12:04 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  IntroductionDespite the best efforts of Samsung and Apple, the world's thinnest smartphone title goes to a relatively unknown Chinese manufacturer. Oppo's R5 handset is a mere 4.85mm thick, that's almost thin enough to carve your holiday turkey.I can already hear many of you ask "but who is Oppo?"Chinese mobile manufacturers are booming. The phrase "made in china" might have become synonymous with "mass produced", "cheap", and "low quality", but we've alre
  
  Read more

• Review: Pentax Q-S1

  18-02-2015 12:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction and featuresRicoh's latest super small Pentax interchangeable lens camera enters a crowded marketplace of diminutive system cameras vying for a place in our pockets. At its launch, Pentax claimed that the QS-1 is the smallest interchangeable lens camera currently on the market. Unlike the majority of compact system cameras on the market, the Pentax Q range features small sensors the same size as you might find in a compact camera, but of course the big difference here is that you ca
  
  Read more

• Facebook working on virtual reality apps for Oculus

  18-02-2015 11:51 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Social network wants its users to make VR content to go with their photos, videos and status updates Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• App store review rules: guns out, drugs in

  18-02-2015 11:25 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Slate of changes in App Store review process means some apps have been forced to change in a hurry Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• ​Apple closes in on Samsung in Western Europe in smartphone race

  18-02-2015 11:24 via zdnet.com
  
  Apple's share of smartphone shipments in Western Europe grew 15 percent last year, putting the company within range of overtaking Samsung.
  
  Read more

• ​Apple closes in on Samsung in Western Europe smartphone race

  18-02-2015 11:24 via zdnet.com
  
  Apple's share of smartphone shipments in Western Europe grew 15 percent last year, putting the company within range of overtaking Samsung.
  
  Read more

Follow @TechnologyUKnws on Twitter!