Technology news

• NSA, British spies hack Gemalto to tap mobile calls - Intercept

  19-02-2015 23:49
  
  (Reuters) - Digital security company Gemalto NV was hacked by American and British spies to steal encryption keys used to protect the privacy of cellphone communications, news website Intercept reported, citing documents provided by whistleblower Edward Snowden. The hack by the National Security Agency (NSA) and UK's Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) allowed the agencies to monitor a large portion of voice and data mobile communications around the world without permission from g
  
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• Review: Yoga Tablet 2 with Android

  19-02-2015 23:36
  
  Introduction, display and specsLenovo has made a name for itself in computer hardware over the past few years. Boasting powerful, high quality and often affordable computers, this Chinese based company has provided plenty of competition for brands more established in the West.However, Lenovo appears to have struggled to break into the tablet market in any meaningful way. Its A-series tablets are functional and cheap, but have received relatively little attention because of its utter lack of slee
  
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• Snowden leak: NSA helped British steal cell phone codes

  19-02-2015 23:32
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Britain's electronic spying agency, in cooperation with the U.S. National Security Agency, hacked into the networks of a Dutch company to steal codes that allow both governments to seamlessly eavesdrop on mobile phones worldwide, according to the documents given to journalists by Edward Snowden.
  
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• Telstra CEO David Thodey to retire

  19-02-2015 23:10 via zdnet.com
  
  After close to six years spent transforming Australia's largest telecommunications company, Telstra CEO David Thodey is set to retire in May, and be replaced by CFO Andy Penn.
  
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• Samsung Galaxy Round sequel could soon show off its curves

  19-02-2015 22:45
  
  With Mobile World Congress (MWC) just around the bend, tipsters are beginning to shed light on exactly what smartphone giants like Samsung might have up their sleeve in Barcelona.PhoneArena today reported that Samsung appears to be working on a new high-end smartphone bearing the model number SM-G930, a device that could be a follow-up to the company's curvy Galaxy Round.The report came to this conclusion with a bit of deduction, noting that the rumored Samsung Galaxy S6 appears to bear the mode
  
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• Subscriber additions help DirecTV beat profit estimates

  19-02-2015 22:38
  
  (Reuters) - DirecTV, the No.1 U.S. satellite TV company, reported a quarterly profit above analysts' estimates as it added more subscribers than expected, helped by its exclusive Sunday NFL broadcasts. "This year's price increase is one of the highest in our history," CFO Patrick Doyle said on a conference call. Average revenue per U.S. user rose to $117.30 from $111.74 in the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, DirecTV said on Thursday. The Sunday games package gives DirecTV an ed
  
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• NSA chief says Sony attack traced to North Korea after software analysis

  19-02-2015 22:22
  
  By Mike De Souza OTTAWA (Reuters) - The U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) identified North Korea as the source of the recent cyber attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment after analysing the software used in the intrusion, NSA Director Admiral Michael Rogers said on Thursday. Speaking to a Canadian security conference, Rogers explained that the discovery was part of the agency's efforts to develop software to counter cyber attacks. "We ultimately ended up generating the signatures to r
  
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• Options traders bet on growing U.S. demand for cyber security

  19-02-2015 22:08
  
  By Saqib Iqbal Ahmed NEW YORK (Reuters) - A barrage of damaging cyber attacks has shaken up the security industry, and traders in the options market are betting on cyber security companies benefiting from increased spending as governments and businesses boost security. Cyber security has become a major concern for U.S. firms with recent high profile data breaches reported at Sony Pictures Entertainment, Target Corp, Home Depot Inc, and most recently at health insurer Anthem Inc. Analysts see Cyb
  
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• Google's Inbox cozies up to iPads, Safari and Firefox

  19-02-2015 20:52
  
  Many folks are still scratching their heads wondering why Google felt the need to create an entirely separate Gmail client for mobile devices late last year, but few could argue the search giant is moving quickly to improve that product.The Official Gmail Blog today announced a couple of big enhancements for its fledging Inbox by Gmail app, which debuted back in late October on iPhone and Android smartphones.Billed as "a completely different type of inbox," Inbox by Gmail offers a comp
  
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• Standard ways to make data go further

  19-02-2015 20:36 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
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• Pebble with color display on the way? Find out February 24

  19-02-2015 19:49
  
  With the long-awaited Apple Watch now expected in April and pretty much everyone else in the tech business throwing out new smartwatch models like T-shirt cannons at a sporting event, the company that helped start the craze appears to be gearing up for phase three.The official Pebble website has been taken over by a timer on Thursday morning, which is gradually counting down until the calendar flips a page to Tuesday, February 24 at exactly 10AM Eastern standard time (EST).So what should Pebble
  
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• Until Superfish fix, Lenovo devices can't be trusted for secure work

  19-02-2015 19:46 via zdnet.com
  
  Enterprise customers are not said to be affected, but millions of consumers and bring-your-own-device users are likely using compromised machines.
  
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• Review: Acer S277HK

  19-02-2015 19:25
  
  Introduction, setup and designIf you want to bring the bezel-less aesthetics of Dell's XPS 13 ($799, £517, AU$1020) to your desktop workspace, then Acer's S277HK 4K UHD ($699, £452, AU$892) display may be just the ticket. The S277HK features a high resolution output, fast refresh rates, and plenty of ports for connectivity in a sleek, modern package. Given its 27-inch IPS panel, the S277HK competes well against other consumer-centric and business-focused 4K UHD panels on the market today. Not
  
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• London Formula E track revealed

  19-02-2015 19:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The route for the London race of the first Formula E season is announced.
  
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• BlackBerry updates software, offers access to Android apps

  19-02-2015 19:07
  
  BlackBerry rolled out a major software update on Thursday, allowing users of its entire suite of BlackBerry 10 devices such as the Z10, Q10 and Z30 to access Android applications, and a host of other features, including Blend. The company said the BlackBerry 10 OS 10.3.1 gives users the ability to access both the BlackBerry World appstore and the Amazon Appstore that provides access to a host of Android applications previously unavailable on the BlackBerry platform. In addition, BlackBerry said
  
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• Sponsored: How EE's Business Apps can give your small business a big productivity boost

  19-02-2015 19:00
  
  The workplace of today is drastically different to how it was 10 years ago, and technology has been responsible for much of that change. You can probably remember being made to use a bulky PC lumped on a desk with a large monitor, and if you had a mobile phone, there's a good chance it was banned in the office.That all began to change when improvements in networking and the rise of mobile technologies gave way to cloud computing, which has given businesses access to productivity-boosting apps an
  
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• Glitch trips up top computer school

  19-02-2015 18:27 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh has apologised after it mistakenly sent out 800 admission letters to its prestigious computer science programme.
  
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• Sir Tim Berners-Lee: how the web went from idea to reality

  19-02-2015 18:16 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the world wide web, discusses his early career at CERN and how the web evolved from its initial concept.
  
  Watch the full interview with Sir Tim in our 'Where I Went Right' video interactive, which also features three more films exploring the formative moments in the illustrious careers of adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, anatomist Alice Roberts and space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock. Continue reading...
  
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• Google Street View maps Greenland

  19-02-2015 18:11 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Google Map feature has been extended to take in scenes in one of the most sparsely populated areas of the world.
  
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• Tech Bargains: Best hard drive deals in the UK: Our top 30 storage recommendations of 2015

  19-02-2015 18:07
  
  You never have enough storage, that's one of the unwritten laws of technology. That's why manufacturers have been defying physical limits to cram as much bytes as possible in as small a volume as possible.The first 8TB hard disk drives have surfaced at an affordable price but still no trace of a 10TB hard disk drive. I covered as much ground as possible but if you find anything major missing out, would like to report a price mistake or broken link, please flag it up in the comments.Best external
  
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• Review: Knights of 'The Order' battle Victorian monsters

  19-02-2015 17:39
  
  When a game has "1886" in the title, you expect to see a few familiar characters: Sherlock Holmes, perhaps, or Jack the Ripper, or Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. You don't expect the lead to be Sir ...
  
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• Meet Tomatan, a wearable robot that feeds you tomatoes as you run

  19-02-2015 17:39
  
  A Japanese vegetable juice company has designed a new a wearable robot that dispenses tomatoes for people to eat while on the go. Well, according to Kagome, which claims to be Japan's largest supplier of tomato juice and tomato ketchup, people running the Tokyo marathon really need this. "Tomatoes have lots of nutrition that combats fatigue," Kagome employee Shigenori Suzuki told Deccan Chronicle. "We used about 100 tomatoes to complete this machine," said Novmichi Tosa,
  
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• Google says it acknowledges some people want 'right to be forgotten'

  19-02-2015 17:09 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Corporation says it is trying to see things from ‘a more European perspective’ after receiving 220,000 requests for delisting in its search engine, but reveals 60% have been rejected
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• 'Revenge porn king' Hunter Moore pleads guilty to hacking charges

  19-02-2015 16:59 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Agrees to plead guilty to hacking and identity theft and faces a $500,000 fineMoore funded website IsAnyoneUp.com, where jilted lovers could post photos Continue reading...
  
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• Alice Roberts: 'My fascination with science began with a pop-up book'

  19-02-2015 16:41 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Anatomist and broadcaster Alice Roberts discusses her life long fascination with science and how a pop-up book she read as a child inspired her to pursue a career in human anatomy.
  
  Watch the full interview with Alice in our 'Where I Went Right' video interactive, which also features three more films exploring the formative moments in the illustrious careers of adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, world wide web inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee and space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock. Continue read
  
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• The future for Sonic the Hedgehog is probably free-to-play

  19-02-2015 16:29 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  As Sega releases footage of its previously teased Sonic Runners, we take a look at the winding road that has brought the blue speedster to this point
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• Oscars films see online piracy surge

  19-02-2015 16:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  American Sniper is the Oscars-nominated film to have experienced the most illegal downloads since the awards shortlist was revealed, a study suggests.
  
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• Apple sued for poaching engineers with deep expertise in electric car systems

  19-02-2015 15:49 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Company claims Apple is developing a large-scale battery division to compete
  Former A123 employees accused of violating agreementsElectric-car battery maker A123 Systems has sued Apple Inc for poaching top engineers to build a large-scale battery division, according to a court filing that offered further evidence that the iPhone maker may be developing a car. Apple has been poaching engineers with deep expertise in car systems, including from Tesla Inc, and talking with industry experts and aut
  
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• Review: AOC E1759FWU

  19-02-2015 15:10 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  While laptops, tablets and other devices become thinner and lighter, monitors are having some trouble shedding the pounds.But despite recent trends such as 4K laptops and tablets with larger displays, dual-monitor setups remain as popular as ever. If you're after a second screen to lend your laptop extra screen real-estate on the move, a USB monitor like the AOC E1759FWU may fit the bill.Available for around £108 (US$199, around AUS$256) from online retailers, the 17-inch monitor can be had for
  
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• Is Microsoft still the CIO's best friend?

  19-02-2015 15:03 via zdnet.com
  
  The relationship between the CIO and Microsoft goes back decades - but that doesn't mean that either side can be complacent.
  
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• IFTTT is doing the Do with three new ‘programmable button’ apps

  19-02-2015 15:00 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  But Do Button, Do Camera and Do Note are just early steps towards the operating system of the future says CEO Linden Tibbets Continue reading...
  
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• Samsung smart TVs send unencrypted voice recognition data across internet

  19-02-2015 14:36 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Researcher discovers that voice commands and their interpreted words are clearly visible to anyone attempting to look Continue reading...
  
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• Alien is go: Neill Blomkamp confirms stalled project is officially greenlit

  19-02-2015 14:22 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  South African director says fifth Alien film has got go-ahead after stoking fans’ appetite with artwork for ‘abandoned’ version Continue reading...
  
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• ​Couchbase ties into Hortonworks Hadoop for single analytics and transaction datastore

  19-02-2015 14:13 via zdnet.com
  
  The NoSQL database firm is tapping into Apache Kafka messaging and Apache Storm streaming to integrate Couchbase with Hortonworks Hadoop.
  
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• ​500,000 Raspberry Pi 2 Model B boards sold

  19-02-2015 14:06 via zdnet.com
  
  Within two weeks, the Raspberry Pi Foundation has shifted 500,000 of its new Raspberry Pi 2 Model B boards, helping make it the fasted selling British computer.
  
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• Google to launch YouTube subscription service without ads

  19-02-2015 13:57 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Online video service is ‘fine-tuning’ offering that would compete with Netflix, following invite-only beta launch of YouTube Music Key
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• Lenovo in row over hidden spyware

  19-02-2015 13:30 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Hidden adware pre-installed on Lenovo laptops and PCs popped up adverts without permission and could have compromised user data.
  
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• Hands-on review: Canon 11-24mm f/4L USM

  19-02-2015 13:19 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  We first mentioned the new Canon 11-24mm f/4L lens in our Canon EOS 5Ds news. Canon's new 50-megapixel DSLR has been stealing all the headlines, not surprisingly, but this new lens is, in its own, way, even more ground-breaking.If you own an APS-C format camera you might think the specs are nothing special. There are plenty of ultra-wideangle lenses in this zoom range for APS-C cameras.But this is a full-frame lens. This explains the monster-sized front element and the monster-sized price tag �
  
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• The 25 best alternatives to Photoshop

  19-02-2015 13:02 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Adobe’s Photoshop has been the dominant force in image editing for a quarter of a century, but now there are lots of good competitors – some free, some paid for, some even work in the browserAdobe’s Photoshop is now 25 years old and is arguably the pinnacle of photo editing. But, at £8.57/month, it’s also much more expensive than most people can afford, so here are 25 alternatives for 25 years of photoshoppery.PaintShop Pro
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• 'Revenge porn' mogul pleads guilty

  19-02-2015 12:56 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Hunter Moore, who ran IsAnyoneUp.com, admits hacking and identity theft and faces between two and seven year in prison.
  
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• Angry Birds maker to tailor games in Chinese market

  19-02-2015 12:44
  
  Finland's Rovio will start tailoring its Angry Birds mobile games to the Chinese market with help from Beijing Kunlun as it aims to step up business in the world's most populous country, it said on Thursday. While Rovio has expanded the hugely successful Angry Birds brand into merchandising and licensing business, it has struggled to produce more hit games and recently cut about 110 jobs, representing 14 percent of its workforce. "Angry Birds has been downloaded close to half a bi
  
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• Tommy Flowers' Colossus celebrated by the Royal Mail

  19-02-2015 12:36 via zdnet.com
  
  Stamp issued to remember the achievement of Tommy Flowers who designed first programmable digital computer.
  
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• ​RBS and NatWest tap Apple's Touch ID for mobile banking login

  19-02-2015 12:19 via zdnet.com
  
  RBS and NatWest customers that own the latest iPhone models can start logging in with their fingerprints.
  
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• Lenovo accused of compromising user security by installing adware on new PCs

  19-02-2015 11:55 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Leading PC manufacturer shipped computers containing Superfish software that could leave users permanently open to attack when using public Wi-Fi network
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• Search, book review: The new 'hinge' linking people and machines

  19-02-2015 11:24 via zdnet.com
  
  The traditional search engine will evolve into a digital personal assistant that tracks your activities and automatically delivers helpful information, according to Microsoft's Stefan Weitz, whose excellent book takes an optimistic view of this future while acknowledging the potential pitfalls.
  
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• How can I safely recycle my old PCs?

  19-02-2015 11:17 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Leslie has several old PCs in his attic, and would like to remove any personal information before disposing of them, either for recycling or re-use. Jack Schofield explains how to do it…Like many readers, I have several old PCs in my attic, all of which were set aside for one reason or another: old age, insufficient specs, malfunctioning software or hardware, etc. It seems a pity not to hand them on to someone who cannot afford a PC of their own, or recycle them. In the past, before disposing
  
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• ​Google releases Inbox app for iPad

  19-02-2015 11:14 via zdnet.com
  
  Google has updated Inbox for iOS, offering users a version optimised for Apple's tablet.
  
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• Review: UPDATED: LG G Flex 2

  19-02-2015 10:28 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  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, it 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 G
  
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• Double Fine's Tim Schafer defends Peter Molyneux over 'unfair' criticism

  19-02-2015 10:09 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Fellow Kickstarter-funded creator says accusations over Godus game are ‘way out of proportion’ as he sends support to British developerPeter Molyneux may be enduring a rough month of criticism from players and journalists over his Kickstarter-funded Godus game, but fellow crowdfundee Tim Schafer has given the veteran designer his support.Schafer, whose company Double Fine raised $3.3m on Kickstarter in 2012 to make its Broken Age adventure game, sent a message to Molyneux as part of his late
  
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• Is email broken?

  19-02-2015 10:04 via bbc.co.uk
  
  From Snapchat to Slack - new apps challenge email's supremacy
  
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