Technology news

• LinkedIn will pay $1.25 million to settle suit over password breach

  23-02-2015 23:54 via zdnet.com
  
  Class-action suit stemming from 2012 incident could net each plaintiff up to $50
  
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• Trial nears in high-profile Silicon Valley sex bias case

  23-02-2015 23:31
  
  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Lawyers began picking a jury Monday to determine whether a venerable Silicon Valley venture capital firm is liable in a sexual harassment and gender discrimination lawsuit or is the victim of a former employee forced out because of poor performance.
  
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• Brandis snubbed consumer groups, ISPs in piracy debate

  23-02-2015 23:30 via zdnet.com
  
  Australian Attorney-General George Brandis did not officially meet with internet service providers or consumer rights groups a single time in the 10 months spent planning a crackdown on online copyright infringement, according to documents obtained by ZDNet.
  
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• Finally, Emoji People of Color

  23-02-2015 22:14
  
  The next system update for Apple Mac and iOS devices will let users type emoji with a variety of skin tones, a beta software release revealed Monday.
  
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• Google teams up with 3 wireless carriers to combat Apple Pay

  23-02-2015 21:39
  
  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Aiming to undercut Apple's latest hit service, Google is teaming up with three major U.S. wireless carriers to prod more people into using its mobile wallet.
  
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• Review: Vivitek Qumi Q5-RD

  23-02-2015 21:20 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Vivitek has created a very easy-to-use, small, portable projector that is ideal for the minimalist office user or general consumer. The Qumi Q5-RD ($555, £360.88, AU$708.59) won't compete with the bigger dogs, like the Epson EX7235 Pro Projector ($599.99, £385.24, AU$738.45), or the Optima GT1080 ($1,399, £870, AU$1,600), but, if size is your only requirement, it might be a perfect choice.Unfortunately, the Qumi Q5-RD's greatest downfall is that it lacks in image quality, which should be your
  
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• NSA director defends plan to maintain 'backdoors' into technology companies

  23-02-2015 21:12 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Mike Rogers mounts elaborate defense of Obama’s cybersecurity strategy and seeks to calm doubts about built-in access to companies’ data Continue reading...
  
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• Disney animators win Oscar 2 years in a row

  23-02-2015 21:11
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — The Walt Disney Co. proved Sunday that its power doesn't only come from Pixar.
  
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• Ad tool is 'worse than Superfish'

  23-02-2015 20:51 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A tool shipped with security products could pose a bigger security risk than Superfish - another controversial program, say experts.
  
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• Google partners with wireless carriers to push Wallet service

  23-02-2015 20:21
  
  Google Inc has partnered with several large U.S. wireless carriers to pre-install its electronic payment service on phones, as the companies seek to counter Apple Inc's recent entry into the nascent market for mobile payments. AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile USA [TUII.UL] and Verizon Wireless will include the Google Wallet app later this year on Android smartphones sold in the United States, Google said in a post on its official blog on Monday. Google also said it has acquired technology from S
  
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• Review: Lenovo Horizon 2s

  23-02-2015 20:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction and designThe Lenovo Horizon 2s, the smaller, $949 (£899, about AU$1,084) sibling to the super-sized Lenovo Horizon 2, joins in a growing line-up of portable all-in-one PCs with touchscreens. In other words, giant Windows tablets with stands. Similar to the Dell XPS 18 Touch, this is a small all-in-one Windows 8.1 PC with a 1,920 x 1,080 touchscreen display. Fold in the kickstand and you have a 19.5-inch tablet that can go almost anywhere. There's even a handy bag included in the p
  
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• Cameron - Internet firms must do more after UK girls head to Syria

  23-02-2015 19:45
  
  By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron said internet firms must do more to deal with online extremism after three teenage girls radicalised "in their bedrooms" left London in an apparent bid to travel to Syria. Friends Amira Abase, 15, Shamima Begum, 15, and Kadiza Sultana, 16, flew to Turkey last week in what the authorities believe was an attempt to travel to Syria to join the militant Sunni Islamist group Islamic State. News of their actions led to calls f
  
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• NSA chief declines comment on spyware reports, says programs lawful

  23-02-2015 19:32
  
  By Warren Strobel WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the National Security Agency refused to comment on Monday on reports that the U.S. government implants spyware on computer hard drives for surveillance purposes, saying "we fully comply with the law." U.S. Navy Admiral Michael Rogers was responding to reports that the NSA had embedded spyware in computers on a vast scale and that along with its British counterpart, had hacked into the world's biggest manufacturer of cellphone SI
  
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• Review: MSI GS30 Shadow

  23-02-2015 19:25 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  IntroductionIn the pursuit of even greater mobile computing performance, some gaming laptops makers have turned to desktop parts. The latest Origin EON-15X leans on a desktop processor, while the Alienware 13hooks up to the company's Graphics Amplifier unit with a discrete desktop GPU humming inside.To help gamers scratch the same itch for bleeding edge performance, MSI created the GS30 Shadow with GamingDock. The latter of which acts as an enclosure for just about any desktop GPU you can fit in
  
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• Review: Dell XPS 13 (2015)

  23-02-2015 19:04 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction and designIf you're looking to purchase a powerful, portable and attractive laptop, the Dell XPS 13 (starting at $799, £520, AU$980) has to be one of the top contenders. It features a sleek design, a lightweight chassis and a revolutionary display that will force manufacturers to rethink how they build laptops.Although the XPS 13 warrants mention in the best Ultrabook conversation, Dell's new model has several worthy competitors. We recently awarded the new Asus Zenbook UX305 ($699
  
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• NSA chief declines comment on spyware reports, says program are lawful

  23-02-2015 17:53
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. National Security Agency declined comment Monday on reports that the United States implants spyware for surveillance purposes, saying "we fully comply with the law." Navy Admiral Michael Rogers was responding to reports that the NSA had embedded spyware on computer hard drives on a vast scale and that it and its British counterpart had hacked into the world's biggest manufacturer of cellphone SIM cards. He spoke at a forum sponsored by t
  
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• Mophie Juice Pack for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus hands-on: Portable power when one day is not enough

  23-02-2015 16:42 via zdnet.com
  
  Apple's iPhone 6 Plus provides enough power to get heavy users through a day, but sometimes when you are on the road you need more capacity. That's where Mophie comes in with the Juice Pack.
  
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• YouTube Kids app launches in the US for Android and iOS

  23-02-2015 16:14 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Standalone app is free and ad-supported, offering a mixture of TV shows, educational videos, music and child-friendly vloggers Continue reading...
  
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• From the Olympics to recruitment: why data can't replace human interpretation

  23-02-2015 16:13 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Eleanor Dallaway considers how statistics really work, the future of data-led team selection and the importance of retaining a human touch in sport and in business Continue reading...
  
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• Apple invests 1.7bn euros in centres

  23-02-2015 15:51 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Apple is to invest 1.7bn euros (£1.25bn) developing data centres in the Republic of Ireland and Denmark.
  
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• Legacy vulnerabilities easy route for hackers

  23-02-2015 15:31 via zdnet.com
  
  An HP report highlights how the bulk of exploits in 2014 revolved around vulnerabilities that were discovered before 2013.
  
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• Review: Nikon D5500

  23-02-2015 15:30 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction and featuresNikon has two DSLR series aimed at beginners. The cheaper D3000-series cameras like the D3300 are for outright novices, while the D5000-series cameras, including this D5500, are designed for people still learning but ready for some more advanced techniques.The D5500 is the newest version of Nikon's popular top-end entry-level camera, which is updated fairly regularly and, as such, with each new version the camera improves incrementally without facing too much of a massiv
  
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• Ergen takes CEO job back at Dish as Clayton to retire

  23-02-2015 15:27
  
  ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Dish Network co-founder and Chairman Charles Ergen is returning to the helm of the satellite TV provider as the company faces declining subscribers and a changing pay-TV industry.
  
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• Anki Overdrive, toys of the future, and building a real world version of the Toy Story toy box

  23-02-2015 15:24
  
  As far-fetched as it may sound, this conceit is what is driving a vision for the future of toys which is being imagined - and created - by Anki, a toy company driving the real and physical worlds to collide in a way never seen before. Anki has built what it calls a "game engine for the real world" and it is planning to go far beyond the limitations of its current racing game to build a real life version of the Toy Story toy box. In a London hotel, Boris Sofman, one of the three co-foun
  
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• Review: Lenovo B50-35 All-in-One PC review

  23-02-2015 15:20 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  IntroductionThe danger for creators of all-in-one PCs is exactly the same as the designers of all-in-one printers: by trying to cram in as many features as possible into a comparatively small space, you risk comprising on quality and pleasing nobody.Lenovo sees their B series as multimedia machines offering compact entertainment and the B50-35 is deliberately pitched in the middle of the range between 'family' and 'gamer'. Yet despite its relatively modest ambitions, the B50-35 has many features
  
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• Hollande: French Muslims have both rights, responsibilities

  23-02-2015 15:15
  
  PARIS (AP) — President Francois Hollande says France's millions of Muslims should be protected and respected and in turn they should also respect the nation's strict secular policies.
  
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• Predicting where to park? Israel's got an app for that

  23-02-2015 14:18
  
  By Tova Cohen TEL AVIV (Reuters) - When it comes to helping drivers, there's no shortage of in-car technology from GPS navigation to collision-warning systems. In Britain, JustPark provides a mobile app that enables users to rent people's private parking spaces. German carmaker BMW has been trialling a similar service called ParkNow. Anagog, a Tel Aviv-based firm, has developed an app that can guide drivers to empty on-street parking using real-time, crowd-sourced data from mobile phon
  
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• The Order: 1886 – is this what people want from a new games console?

  23-02-2015 14:11 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Sony’s steampunk shooter has been criticised for its linear design and short playtime – but it looks beautiful. And it’s sellingWith its evocative representation of Victorian London, its interesting steampunk narrative and its cinematic sense of scale and pace, The Order: 1886, looks very much the benchmark new-generation console title. There’s just one problem. It’s not much of a game. Developed by Ready at Dawn and Sony’s own Santa Monica studio, and released last week, the title h
  
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• Dish Network CEO Clayton to retire in March

  23-02-2015 13:52
  
  ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Dish Network CEO Joseph Clayton is retiring next month.
  
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• Facebook’s privacy policy breaches European law, report finds

  23-02-2015 13:50 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Belgian privacy commission study concludes company’s use of user data violates privacy and data protection laws, despite January update
  A report commissioned by the Belgian privacy commission has found that Facebook is acting in violation of European law, despite updating its privacy policy.
  Related: Seven things we learned from Facebook's latest financial results Related: Mark Zuckerberg 'not sure' about Internet.org advertising Related: Native American activist to sue Facebook over site
  
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• Phones can be tracked by battery use

  23-02-2015 13:41 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Android phones can be tracked without using their GPS or wi-fi data by studying their power use over time, a study finds.
  
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• 'Superfish'-style vulnerability found in games and parental control software

  23-02-2015 13:27 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Komodia’s SSL hijacking package that could leave users open to security breach discovered in other software besides Lenovo-bundled adware
  A serious security problem caused by advertising software installed on Lenovo laptops is more widespread than first thought, security researchers have warned.The ‘Superfish’ vulnerability affected dozens of laptops shipped between September and December 2014, exposing users to a hijacking technique that is also now thought to affect parental control tool
  
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• Hands-on review: HTC Desire 620

  23-02-2015 13:08 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  HTC's Desire range has been aiming to please the mid range end of the market for a number of years now but so far it hasn't been able to meet the grade.Following on from the all-round mediocre HTC Desire 610, the Desire 620 comes up with exactly what that phone wanted to achieve.You can pick up a Desire 620 for around £169.99 (about $260, AU$330) at the moment, making it a more expensive choice in this market.DesignThe HTC Desire 620 fits well in the hand with the 5-inch 720p display easy to re
  
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• Robot attends school in place of injured student

  23-02-2015 13:03
  
  A Pennsylvania student injured in a car crash was still able to attend classes with the help of a robot. Cole Fritz is a junior at Commodore Perry High School in Mercer County, Pennsylvania. Cole controls the device from his computer keyboard at home, which he said was similar to playing a video game. School officials said the device saves them money.
  
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• Exploding Kittens card game raises $8.8m on Kickstarter

  23-02-2015 12:54 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Blend of ‘kittens and explosions and laser beams and sometimes goats’ becomes third-biggest campaign of all-time on crowdfunding siteCard game Exploding Kittens has become the third biggest Kickstarter campaign of all-time, raising $8.8m (£5.7m) on the crowdfunding website.The game’s initial funding goal was just $10k, but it attracted 219,382 backers for its promised mix of “kittens and explosions and laser beams and sometimes goats” during its 30-day campaign.“The deck is mad
  
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• Gemalto: Our SIM cards are secure, despite NSA hack claim

  23-02-2015 12:35 via zdnet.com
  
  Company investigates claim of hacking attack by NSA and GCHQ.
  
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• Why reading and writing on paper can be better for your brain

  23-02-2015 12:10 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Some tests show that reading from a hard copy allows better concentration, while taking longhand notes versus typing onto laptops increases conceptual understanding and retention
  My son is 18 months old, and I’ve been reading books with him since he was born. I say “reading”, but I really mean “looking at” – not to mention grasping, dropping, throwing, cuddling, chewing, and everything else a tiny human being likes to do. Over the last six months, though, he has begun not simply to l
  
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• Will the launch of the Apple Watch spark the next app goldrush?

  23-02-2015 12:09 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Apple’s next big release is hotly anticipated by iPhone developers – and developers for Google’s rival smartwatch operating system Android Wear too Even before having used an Apple Watch, Daniel Breslan is pretty sure how people will use his app, Departure Board, on one. “When you’re waiting in a station cafe, pub, lounge, you have you own personal departure board and you do not have to move to keep checking the screens on the platform,” he explains. His new app, which is in the fina
  
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• Google being investigated by Russian competition watchdog over Android

  23-02-2015 11:41 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Anti-monopoly authority confirms investigation following complaints from competitor Yandex, alleging company abuses smartphone operating system domination
  Russia’s competition watchdog has confirmed that it is investigating Google over allegedly abusing its domination of Android smartphone software on phones made by third party manufacturers.The watchdog opened the case to assess whether Google has violated Russian anti-monopoly laws after reviewing a complaint from Russia’s biggest search c
  
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• Apple spending €1.7bn on two new datacentres in Europe

  23-02-2015 10:11 via zdnet.com
  
  The two facilities, built in Ireland and Denmark, will run entirely on renewable energy.
  
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• Apple to spend 1.25 billion pounds on new European data centres

  23-02-2015 09:31
  
  (Reuters) - Apple Inc said it would spend 1.7 billion euros (1.25 billion pounds) to build two data centers in Europe that would be entirely powered by renewable energy. The company said the centers, to be located in Ireland and Denmark, will power Apple's online services, including the iTunes Store, App Store, iMessage, Maps and Siri for customers across Europe. ($1 = 0.8808 euros) (Reporting by Supriya Kurane in Bengaluru; Editing by Ted Kerr)
  
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• BBC chooses Kenya innovators for pilot

  23-02-2015 09:21 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Two groups of Kenyan tech innovators are selected to help the BBC reach young African audiences through social and digital platforms.
  
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• YouTube's top 10 games channels watched 2.2bn times in January

  23-02-2015 08:48 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  And the top 100 gaming channels generated more than 6bn views that month, led by PewDiePie, Popular MMOs and Stampy Continue reading...
  
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• Mark Zuckerberg 'not sure' about Internet.org advertising

  23-02-2015 08:21 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Facebook initiative to bring internet access to emerging markets focused on getting people online, but not (yet) on advertising to themAdvertising is not a “near term” priority for Facebook’s Internet.org initiative to get more people online in the developing world, according to chief executive Mark Zuckerberg.Facebook launched the scheme in 2013 with fellow technology firms including Samsung, Qualcomm, Ericsson and Nokia as its effort to connect “the next few billion people” to t
  
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• Dying Light review – clunky and cliched, but hard to resist

  23-02-2015 08:00 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  PS4, Xbox One, Linux, PC, Warner Bros, cert: 18 Continue reading...
  
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• Snapchat boss sees music as a 'really interesting opportunity'

  23-02-2015 08:00 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Fresh from adding soundtrack feature to social app, Evan Spiegel hints at more plans to merge music and messaging in the future Continue reading...
  
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• Dedede’s Drum Dash Deluxe and Kirby Fighters Deluxe review – don’t expect sophistication

  23-02-2015 07:59 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  3DS, Nintendo, cert: E/3 Continue reading...
  
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• WA dishes out AU$45 million more for 85 mobile towers

  23-02-2015 07:17 via zdnet.com
  
  The Western Australia government has extended its Royalties for Regions funding, with AU$45 million going to fund 85 more mobile towers in regional locations.
  
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• Australian telcos investigate Gemalto SIM hacking claims

  23-02-2015 06:36 via zdnet.com
  
  Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone have all confirmed they use SIMs produced by Dutch SIM card maker Gemalto, the company that the latest leaks from Edward Snowden claim was hacked by US and British spies.
  
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• ​NSW Police trials 'real-time policing' with 500 smartphones

  23-02-2015 06:24 via zdnet.com
  
  NSW Police has deployed 500 Samsung Galaxy smartphones as part of a pilot program to give enforcement squads the chance to perform background checks on vehicles and persons of interest on the go.
  
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