Technology news

• U.S. State Department upgrades network security against cyber attacks

  13-03-2015 23:07
  
  The U.S. State Department on Friday said it was upgrading the security of its unclassified computer network to defend against cyber attacks, leaving some employees unable to send outside emails or access the internet. Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the agency, which in November said it had suffered a cyber attack, was improving "the security of its main unclassified network during a short, planned outage of some Internet-linked systems." The agency carried out an upgrade in Nove
  
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• Slender Man stabbing: Wisconsin girls must be tried as adults, judge says

  13-03-2015 22:43 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Wisconsin law says those aged 10 and older must be charged as adults for severe crimes, but an appeal to move case to juvenile court is possible Continue reading...
  
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• Uber sued over driver data breach, adding to legal woes

  13-03-2015 22:08
  
  Uber Technologies Inc has been hit with a proposed class action lawsuit over a recently disclosed data breach involving the personal information of about 50,000 drivers, the latest in a series of legal woes to hit the Internet car service. The suit, filed Thursday in federal court in San Francisco by Sasha Antman, an Uber driver in Portland, Oregon, says the company did not do enough to prevent the 2014 breach and waited too long -- about five months -- to disclose it. Antman says Uber violated
  
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• China puts tech bill that concerns West on hold - U.S. official

  13-03-2015 21:31
  
  By Krista Hughes WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China has put a hold on a draft counter-terrorism law that would require technology firms to hand over sensitive information to government officials, a senior U.S. official said in a good sign for Western businesses who saw the rule as a major impediment to working in the world's second largest economy. President Barack Obama said in an interview with Reuters on March 2 that he had raised concerns about the law directly with Chinese President Xi Jinpi
  
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• Review: mini review: UE Mini Boom

  13-03-2015 20:50 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  The adage "never judge a book by its cover" applies to more than just books. In the case of the Ultimate Ears (UE) Mini Boom: don't judge this Bluetooth speaker by its size. If you do, you'll miss out on an affordable option that defies its small appearance with awesome sound for a fraction of the price of some bigger tweeters.At $99 (£79, AU$99), Ultimate Ears's miniature speaker confidently shows that size doesn't always matter. Competition beware, the UE Mini Boom is on a mission to
  
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• Exclusive - Apple Watch not on shopping list for 69 percent of Americans-Reuters poll

  13-03-2015 20:36
  
  By Alexei Oreskovic SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc's new smartwatch may be a tough sell, with 69 percent of Americans indicating they are not interested in buying the gadget, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. The poll was taken after Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook rolled out the product on Monday, and only about half of respondents said they had heard news of the timepiece in the last few days. Also, in an encouraging sign for Apple, roughly 13 percent of survey respondents who did no
  
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• Review: Western Digital DL4100

  13-03-2015 20:10 via feedproxy.google.com
  Introduction and specsAs someone who works in technology and does a ton of work at home, I always perform backups on my computers. I have external drives, I have internal RAIDs, and I have cloud backups, but they always require manual setup. I live in a world where everything seems to be automated and finding a way to simplify backup and transfer processes is a must. Well, there is a solution - enter the Western Digital My Cloud DL4100 Network Attached Storage (NAS), which offers the options and
  
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• Woman in Silicon Valley bias suit faces tough jury questions

  13-03-2015 20:04
  
  By Dan Levine SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A former Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers partner who has sued the venture firm for gender discrimination faced tough questions on Friday from jurors about her communication skills, a decision to have an affair with a fellow partner, and other issues. Ellen Pao was quizzed by jurors on some of the central issues in the trial which has helped sparked a broad discussion about gender in Silicon Valley after four days of questions from lawyers. Pao has tes
  
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• China puts draft counter-terrorism law on hold - U.S. official

  13-03-2015 19:34
  
  China has effectively put a hold on a draft counter-terrorism law that would require technology firms to hand over sensitive information to government officials, a senior U.S. official said. Tensions over cybersecurity and technology policy are a major irritant in U.S.-China relations and President Barack Obama said in an interview with Reuters on March 2 that he had raised concerns about the law directly with Chinese President Xi Jinping. "They have decided to suspend the third reading of
  
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• Woman in Silicon Valley suit faces tough jury questions

  13-03-2015 19:28
  
  The woman suing a prestigious Silicon Valley venture capital firm for alleged gender discrimination says she would not enter into an affair with a male colleague as she did, but she didn't think it was ...
  
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• Snapchat COO Emily White resigns

  13-03-2015 19:21
  
  (Reuters) - Photo-messaging app developer Snapchat's Chief Operating Officer Emily White has resigned, the company said on Friday. Technology website Recode first reported the departure. (http://on.recode.net/1Akr38I) White's departure follows co-founder and Chief Executive Evan Spiegel's decision to be a more hands-on and operational CEO, sources told Recode. (Reporting by Subrat Patnaik and Edwin Chan; Editing by Kirti Pandey)
  
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• US at odds with Google on computer search-warrant proposal

  13-03-2015 19:05
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — A Justice Department proposal that could make locating and hacking into computers that are part of criminal investigations easier is raising constitutional concerns from privacy groups and Google, who fear the plan could have broad implications.
  
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• Vapor IO introduces the Open Data Center Runtime Environment

  13-03-2015 18:53 via zdnet.com
  
  The Vapor IO model also goes beyond software and proposes a redesigned rack mount system called the Vapor Chamber.
  
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• U.S. CIA chief says social media 'greatly amplifies' terror threat

  13-03-2015 18:50
  
  Social media and other technology are making it increasingly difficult to combat militants who are using such modern resources to share information and conduct operations, the head of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency said on Friday. CIA Director John Brennan, in a speech in New York, said such communications only add to the difficulty of dealing with diffuse threats and attacks across the world from groups like Islamic State, known also as ISIL, and others. "New technologies can help gr
  
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• Star Wars Episode 8 and Rogue One: what we know

  13-03-2015 18:39 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  With the rumour mill working overtime, we sort the wheat from the chaff about Episode VIII and the first Star Wars spin-off film, Rogue One Continue reading...
  
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• Google to open first UK 'garage' to fix small firms' web problems

  13-03-2015 18:33
  
  Google on Friday launched its first "digital garage", a multi-million pound project it said would help 200,000 small British businesses harness the Internet to grow. Its first "garage" - a drop-in centre that will advise on building a mobile website, developing e-commerce and optimising internet search rankings - will open in the northern English city of Leeds on March 30 for six months, before moving to the next of five British cities in total.   Eileen Naughton, Google
  
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• Game's 'insane' boost from TV show

  13-03-2015 18:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  How House of Cards helped Monument Valley
  
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• China delays next stage of draft counterterrorism law - U.S. official

  13-03-2015 17:46
  
  China has effectively put a hold on a draft counterterrorism law that would require technology firms to hand over sensitive information to government officials, a senior U.S. official said this week. "They have decided to suspend the third reading of that particular law, which has sort of put that on hiatus for the moment," White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Michael Daniel said on Thursday during a discussion at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. President Barack
  
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• Ellen Pao gender discrimination trial grips Silicon Valley

  13-03-2015 17:46 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Reddit interim CEO’s $16m lawsuit exposes pervasive sexism that hinders promotion of women in technology and venture capital, reporters say Continue reading...
  
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• Dough! Vending machine that makes pizza from scratch angers Italian purists

  13-03-2015 17:25 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Paduan engineer predicts ‘high-quality vending machines’ using fresh products will become ubiquitous – but traditionalists are dismissive even before unveiling Continue reading...
  
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• Sid Meier's Starships review – deep-space exploration with a nod to the past

  13-03-2015 16:33 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Civilisation creator’s latest focuses on building starships and conquering the galaxy, and is perfectly tuned for lapsed gamers who loved his earlier work Continue reading...
  
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• Jamie Oliver site hit by virus again

  13-03-2015 16:33 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Cyber-thieves have returned for second helpings at the website of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.
  
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• Hackers trigger panic, missteps when advisers fail to plan

  13-03-2015 16:27
  
  Financial advisory firms are so busy trying to prevent computer hacking that they sometimes neglect an equally vital issue: what to do when hackers succeed. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), Wall Street's self-funded watchdog, in a February report faulted some firms for having shoddy security policies, including their responses after cyber attacks. Their warnings come as FINRA and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission make computer-security preparedness a priority f
  
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• Snow White by Nosy Crow: 'Getting children sparkly-eyed about storytelling'

  13-03-2015 14:30 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to the App Store the famous fairytale goes, with the latest app from a children’s publisher that prioritises reading over digital gimmicks Continue reading...
  
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• Mario Vs Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars review

  13-03-2015 14:05 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Wii U & 3DS; Nintendo; £TBA Continue reading...
  
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• Viral video chart: Apple Watch gold and Barack Obama reads mean tweets

  13-03-2015 13:59 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Why the gold Apple Watch costs $10,000, the US president reads fan mail on Jimmy Kimmel and a horse’s tale from a south London charity Continue reading...
  
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• Steve Jobs rejected liver transplant offer from Tim Cook

  13-03-2015 13:56 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  New biography of the late Apple co-founder reveals closeness of the relationship between him and his successorSteve Jobs rejected an offer of a liver transplant from Tim Cook in 2009, a new biography of the late Apple co-founder reveals.Despite becoming increasingly ill from cancer, Jobs angrily turned down the proposal by the man who would go on to run Apple after he died. His relationship with Iger had become so strong that Steve had wanted Iger to join the Apple board, which Iger couldn’t d
  
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• Jay-Z wins battle for music streaming company

  13-03-2015 13:40 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Minority shareholders in Sweden’s Aspiro accept £36m offer as competition in the streaming market intensifiesJay-Z has won control of a Swedish music streaming company after more than 90% of shareholders accepted the star’s $54m (£36m) offer.A spokesman for Project Panther Bidco, a company controlled by the 45-year-old rapper, said on Friday that all the conditions for completing the acquisition of Aspiro had now been met. Related: Tidal takes on Spotify with lossless-quality streamin
  
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• Privacy fears over 'smart' Barbie that can listen to your kids

  13-03-2015 13:18 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Campaigners call for ban on Mattel doll that uses voice-recognition technology to respond to children’s questions – and send recordings to third partiesA “smart” Barbie doll that can have “conversations” with children should not go on sale, privacy advocates have said.Billed as the world’s first “interactive doll”, the toy uses voice recognition technology similar to that employed by Apple’s Siri and Google’s Now digital assistants to understand what a child is saying to Ba
  
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• Adobe Ink and Slide review: Expensive, and iPad Air 2 users beware

  13-03-2015 13:04 via zdnet.com
  
  Adobe's active, pressure-sensitive Ink stylus and passive Slide ruler are nicely designed and integrate well with the Creative Cloud ecosystem. However, it's a pricey bundle, and the Ink stylus currently does not work satisfactorily with Apple's latest iPad Air.
  
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• VIDEO: Meet the Neighbours - Estonia

  13-03-2015 12:43 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Estonia has E-voting, one of the many ways citizens of the Baltic state interact with the government online.
  
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• Gamers targeted by ransomware virus

  13-03-2015 12:17 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Gamers are being targeted with a computer virus that stops them playing their favourite titles unless they pay a ransom.
  
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• Halifax trials heartbeat ID technology for online banking

  13-03-2015 12:09 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Electronic wristbands use customers’ heartbeats to verify their identities and could mean the end of passwords and pin codes Continue reading...
  
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• Jurors to question woman at centre of Silicon Valley discrimination suit

  13-03-2015 12:07
  
  By Dan Levine SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Jurors will have an opportunity to pose their own questions on Friday to the ex-partner who filed a sexual discrimination case against Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, which could reveal their impressions in the third week of trial. Ellen Pao has answered questions on the stand for the past four days, saying a lawsuit was her only way to help women advance at the venture capital firm. At least 37 states, including California, permit jurors to pose the
  
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• BBC gives away one million Raspberry Pi-like Micro Bits to UK students

  13-03-2015 11:54 via zdnet.com
  
  The BBC will hand out one million Micro Bit devices to year 7 students later this year in a one-off campaign to spark up creative and coding skills among youngsters.
  
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• Teddie Drew obituary

  13-03-2015 11:54 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
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• Apple engineer spoof video: is Spanish Laughing Guy the new Downfall?

  13-03-2015 11:43 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  El Risitas, the ‘Apple engineer’ from a clip poking fun at the new MacBook has gone viral. But who is he really? Where did the meme originate from? And can it unseat Hitler?Shoulders shaking and wiping tears from his eyes, the Apple MacBook engineer with a thick moustache screeches with laughter. He straightens up and slaps a table. “Wait! It gets better!” he cries. “It was so thin the battery wouldn’t fit inside! That’s all our customers need! I got promoted!” Move over Hitler:
  
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• Tim Cook offered liver to Jobs

  13-03-2015 11:29 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A new book about Steve Jobs reveals that his successor Tim Cook offered the dying Apple chief executive a portion of his liver.
  
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• Bafta video game awards: Destiny triumphs, while indies dominate

  13-03-2015 11:28 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Bungie’s first-person shooter took best game, but the night belonged to smaller studios such as Ustwo, creators of smartphone puzzler Monument ValleyActivision’s online sci-fi shooter Destiny picked up best game at the Bafta video game awards on Thursday night, while The Last of Us: Left Behind triumphed in the Story and Performance categories.However, it was very much an a night for the smaller games studios.
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• Bulletproof Supersonic Car Could Reach 1,000mph

  13-03-2015 11:01
  
  A supersonic car which could set a new land speed record of up to 1,000mph has had to be given a bulletproof coating. Any flying debris from one of the wheels will be travelling so fast that extreme measures had to be taken to ensure the vehicle's safety.
  
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• Review: Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II

  13-03-2015 11:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction and featuresCamera reviewsBest mirrorless compact system cameraBest cameraThe Olympus OM-D E-M5 was the first camera in Olympus's OM-D line of Micro Four Thirds compact system or mirrorless cameras, and hence it is sometimes referred to as the original OM-D. Its built-in electronic viewfinder and more SLR-like design distinguished it from the Olympus Pen series of compact system cameras. It was also aimed at more experienced photographers than the Olympus Pen or Pen Lite.As the name
  
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• TPG mounts $1.4bn iiNet takeover bid

  13-03-2015 08:49 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  iiNet board backs bid from rival, which would make TPG Australia’s second biggest internet provider behind Telstra
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• At odds with Google, US seeks new rule on computer access

  13-03-2015 08:18
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is at odds with Google and privacy groups over the government's push to make it easier to locate and hack into computers in criminal investigations, a simmering conflict with constitutional and policy implications.
  
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• Fitbit Surge review: a fitness tracking watch that's not quite super

  13-03-2015 08:00 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Fitbit’s latest fitness-tracking watch has constant heart rate monitoring, GPS and can count stair climbs, but is let down by data analysisThe Fitbit Surge is a top of the range “fitness superwatch”, with constant heart rate tracking and GPS but does it really deserve that self-proclaimed “super” prefix?The premium wrist-worn fitness tracker from Fitbit, one of the first companies to make a smartphone-connected device, the Surge claims to be able to do it all, and with a battery that l
  
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• Rivals call for BT break-up in review of UK telecoms sector

  13-03-2015 07:54
  
  By Paul Sandle LONDON (Reuters) - Broadband providers Sky and TalkTalk have called on Britain's telecoms regulator to break up BT, the market leader whose network they rely on, in the biggest review of the sector for a decade. BT's rivals have stepped up their charge against the country's dominant fixed-line group ever since it announced its planned acquisition of EE, Britain's biggest mobile operator, at the end of last year. Regulator Ofcom said on Thursday it would examine
  
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• Rare talent: inside the studio building Banjo-Kazooie's spiritual successor

  13-03-2015 07:00 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Playtonic is a new studio, but its staff helped create some of the greatest games of the 90s. Now they want to bring the glory days back with Project Ukulele Between 1994 and 2002, there wasn’t another game studio in the world like Rare. Founded by brothers Tim and Chris Stamper and co-owned by Nintendo, the developer found a way to combine idiosyncratic British wit with the rich design sensibilities of the Super Mario creators. The result was some of the decade’s most beautiful and engrossi
  
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• TPG's iiNet buyout won't harm NBN: Turnbull

  13-03-2015 06:01 via zdnet.com
  
  TPG's AU$1.4 billion acquisition of iiNet is 'what the market does', according to Australian Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
  
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• Obama says doesn't text, tweet, or have a smart phone that records

  13-03-2015 04:52
  
  By Jeff Mason LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - President Barack Obama doesn't send text messages, rarely composes his own tweets, and isn't allowed to have a smart phone that contains a recording device, he said on Thursday. "I do not physically tweet in general," the president said in an interview on the ABC programme "Jimmy Kimmel Live." "I don't text. Obama said his teenaged daughters had smart phones and exchanged text messages with their friends, but he was li
  
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• Bugcrowd seals $6 million Series A funding round

  13-03-2015 04:15 via zdnet.com
  
  ​Australian-founded online crowdsourced security testing startup Bugcrowd is preparing for a period of rapid expansion after completing a $6 million Series A funding round led by Costanoa Venture Capital.
  
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• Apple Watch knockoffs hit Chinese shelves

  13-03-2015 03:55 via zdnet.com
  
  Chinese Apple Watch lookalikes, which are mostly priced below $100, claim to offer even better functionality, including supporting independent SIM cards, memory cards, and photo taking.
  
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