Technology news

• Zynga founder Mark Pincus to return

  08-04-2015 22:40 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Troubled game maker Zynga says Mark Pincus will return to lead the company he founded.
  
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• Don't want to get motion sickness in a self-driving car? Take a nap

  08-04-2015 22:31
  
  A new study finds almost half of those who would ride in a self-driving car would do things such as read, text or watch movies – increasing their odds of feeling ill Continue reading...
  
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• No-phone policy at Masters forces break from social media

  08-04-2015 22:26
  
  AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Derek Jensen's profile picture features Rae's Creek and the Ben Hogan Bridge, and a picture of the Masters logo. It'll stay that way for several hours.
  
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• Zynga CEO resigns, founder Mark Pincus steps in

  08-04-2015 22:22
  
  (Reuters) - "FarmVille" creator Zynga Inc said Chief Executive Don Mattrick resigned effective Wednesday. The gaming company said founder and chairman Mark Pincus will return as chief executive. (Reporting By Lehar Maan in Bengaluru; Editing by Don Sebastian)
  
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• Review: UPDATED: Amazon Echo

  08-04-2015 22:08 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Design and sound qualityUPDATE: Alexa has grown progressively smarter over the past few months with the addition of several knowledge categories including sports, entertainment and trivia. Besides iHeartRadio and TuneIn, Amazon has also added support for Pandora for music streaming, as well as WeMo switches and Philip's Hue light bulbs. "Hi Alexa, my name is Nick.""I'm sorry, I don't understand the question.""That's OK," I continue, "Alexa, I like the Red Hot Chili Pe
  
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• Hands-on review: Dell Venue 10 7000

  08-04-2015 21:54 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Since the iPad made waves in the business world years ago, its rivals have spent countless hours and dollars on sprucing up their slates to make them worthy of companies' BYOD, or Bring Your Own Device, plans. Dell is one of those companies meeting Apple on the frontlines, and it's latest weapon is its sharpest tablet yet: the Dell Venue 10 7000.Upon first glance at this 10.5-inch Android slate, I had to ask the representative showing it off: what's up with the name? (Especially given the recent
  
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• Diverse emojis for iOS8.3 are here

  08-04-2015 21:43 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Diverse emojis are finally here and this is Newsbeat's guide to how you find them.
  
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• Court questions Google on patent values in Microsoft case

  08-04-2015 21:28
  
  By Dan Levine SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court appeared skeptical on Wednesday toward Google Inc's bid to charge Microsoft Corp a high royalty rate to use some of the Internet search provider's Motorola Mobility patents. Microsoft sued Motorola in 2010, alleging Motorola breached its commitment to license some of its industry standard patents on fair terms. After a 2012 trial, a Seattle federal judge found that the appropriate rate for Motorola to license certain wireless
  
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• VIDEO: New drones fly with 4K video cams

  08-04-2015 20:55 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Bestselling drone-maker DJI unveils new quadcopters capable of filming in the 4K ultra high definition video format.
  
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• Apple faces local battles as it prepares global payments push

  08-04-2015 20:15
  
  By Eric Auchard FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Apple has made mobile payments look easy, after a decade of mostly failed experiments by banks, telecom operators and retailers to woo consumers away from cards and cash. Apple Pay has taken the United States by storm since its launch in September, and the company has said it already accounts for around $2 out of every $3 spent using "contactless" payments on the three big U.S. card networks. Unlike the consumer electronics business where Apple reg
  
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• US military tactics falling behind those of adversaries, Pentagon official warns

  08-04-2015 20:00
  
  Robert Work: ‘Our technological superiority is slipping. We see it every day’Deputy defense secretary wants to bring US military into ‘post-insurgency era’ Continue reading...
  
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• U.S. FCC imposes $25 million fine on AT&T over customer data breach

  08-04-2015 19:58
  
  The Federal Communications Commission reached a $25 million (16.8 million pounds) settlement with AT&T Inc over a consumer data breach at call centres in Mexico, Colombia and the Philippines, the U.S. communications regulator said on Wednesday. The breaches led to unauthorised disclosure of names and full or partial Social Security numbers and illegal access to account information of about 280,000 U.S customers of AT&T, a senior FCC official told reporters on a conference call. We’ve c
  
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• Hillary Clinton hires Google executive as tech chief

  08-04-2015 19:36
  
  By Emily Stephenson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Likely 2016 Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has hired a Google executive to serve as her chief technology officer, a person familiar with the campaign's planning said on Wednesday. Clinton hired Stephanie Hannon, Google's director of product management for civic innovation and social impact, to run her technology operations, according to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Clinton, the former secretary of st
  
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• Apple Watch reviews are in: an 'elegant', overpriced gadget 'you don't need'

  08-04-2015 19:06
  
  Three weeks before the much-hyped smartwatch hits the shelves, news and tech sites take the Apple Watch for a test drive – with mixed results Continue reading...
  
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• Hillary Clinton hires Google executive as tech chief - Washington Post

  08-04-2015 18:44
  
  Likely 2016 Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has hired a Google executive to serve as her chief technology officer, overseeing the creation of websites and apps to reach out to voters, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday. Clinton hired Stephanie Hannon, Google's director of product management for civic innovation and social impact, to run her technology operations, the Post said, citing Democrats with knowledge of the move. Clinton is widely seen as the frontrunn
  
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• Slow apps, low battery life limit appeal of Apple Watch - reviewers

  08-04-2015 18:26
  
  Apple Inc's "beautiful" and "stylish" smartwatch could make life easier for people on the move, reviewers say, but the gadget gets poor marks for battery life and slow-loading apps. The watch, the first new product to be launched by Apple under Chief Executive Tim Cook, will hit stores on April 24. "For now, the Apple Watch is for pioneers," the Wall Street Journal's Geoffrey Fowler wrote. "I won't pay the $1,000 (670.34 pounds) it would cost for
  
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• Apple releases iCloud Photos app

  08-04-2015 18:11 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A new photo storage app from Apple automatically stores full-resolution images in the cloud and lower quality ones on mobile devices.
  
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• Drones stream live video to YouTube

  08-04-2015 18:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The world's bestselling drone firm unveils new models that are easier to take off and land and stream footage to YouTube Live.
  
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• SPOILER ALERT: Google is trying to get rid of spoilers

  08-04-2015 17:42
  
  New technology could mean that annoying plot revelations will soon become a thing of the past Continue reading...
  
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• The Courage of Bystanders Who Press 'Record'

  08-04-2015 16:33
  
  On October 14, 2007, a middle-aged man was growing irate at the arrivals terminal of the Vancouver International Airport. Robert Dziekanski had been stuck in the airport for 10 hours with a visa problem, unable to find his older mother. Four members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrived to investigate the commotion. One of them gave Dziekanski an instruction in English.
  
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• Apple Watch sleek and stylish but not for everyone, reviewers say

  08-04-2015 16:15
  
  (Reuters) - Apple Inc's smartwatch is a "beautiful", "stylish" and "elegantly made" piece of technology that could make life easier for people on the move, reviewers said, but it also has shortcomings and a price that could limit its appeal. The watch, the first new product to be launched by Apple under Chief Executive Tim Cook, will hit stores on April 24. "For now, the Apple Watch is for pioneers," the Wall Street Journal's Geoffrey Fowler wrot
  
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• Same Surveillance State, Different War

  08-04-2015 15:58
  
  It's been a long 22 months since the first of thousands of classified government documents became public in what has turned into a drumbeat of astonishing revelations about the scope of mass surveillance carried out by the United States government. On Tuesday evening, USA Today detailed a massive surveillance operation, run by the intelligence arm of the Drug Enforcement Agency, that began in 1992. The DEA revealed the existence of the now-discontinued program back in January, and USA Today
  
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• How to survive in a digital economy where everything is free – Tech Weekly podcast

  08-04-2015 15:45
  
  In this interview originally published in 2013, Nicholas Lovell discusses the way in which agile businesses in this disruptive digital era can turn super fans into a sustainable income Continue reading...
  
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• YouTube Kids ads row: how should we pay for children's entertainment?

  08-04-2015 15:30
  
  If parents aren’t comfortable about advertising around what their kids are watching online, will more of them be keen to pay for it?My now five-year-old son was never very good at supermarkets when he was a toddler.Or, to put it another way, he was exceptionally good at having massive, aisle-shaking tantrums in supermarkets when he was a toddler, usually after being told we were there to buy groceries, not to buy 18 toy cars. Related: Google denies YouTube Kids app unfairly targets childrenRel
  
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• DEA sued over secret bulk collection of Americans' phone records

  08-04-2015 15:00
  
  Drug agency hoovered up billions of records of Americans calls without a warrant – which lawsuit says tested government’s surveillance powers to the limit Continue reading...
  
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• Apple faces local battles as its prepares global payments push

  08-04-2015 14:51
  
  By Eric Auchard FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Apple has made mobile payments look easy, after a decade of mostly failed experiments by banks, telecom operators and retailers to woo consumers away from cards and cash. Apple Pay has taken the United States by storm since its launch in September, and the company has said it already accounts for around $2 out of every $3 spent using "contactless" payments on the three big U.S. card networks. Unlike the consumer electronics business where Apple reg
  
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• Intel shows 3D depth camera in phone

  08-04-2015 14:47 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Intel reveals it can now fit a depth camera into a smartphone, opening the door to 3D selfies and gesture controls.
  
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• Confessions of an Apple fanboy: I’m going to miss the queues

  08-04-2015 14:45
  
  It was a delight to be one of the first to get their hands on Apple’s latest shiny thing. I’m sad the experience of standing in line all night might be overIf a leaked memo proves to be right, the ritual of long lines of Apple fanboys queuing outside stores for new product releases could be no more.While many won’t mourn the pantomime’s passing, for some the queueing, the camaraderie, the applause of the employees as they are welcoming into the store … a part of our recent cultural her
  
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• VMware launches collaboration bundle, combines Socialcast, AirWatch wares

  08-04-2015 14:00 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  VMware is bolstering its collaboration suite efforts and combining tools from Socialcast and Airwatch, two companies that were acquired.
  
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• University admissions service broke data laws over targeted advertising

  08-04-2015 13:58
  
  Ucas Media made young applicants feel obliged to let it use their information for commercial purposes, Information Commissioner’s Office rules Continue reading...
  
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• Tesla boosts range, power and price of low-end Model S

  08-04-2015 13:19
  
  DETROIT (AP) — Electric car maker Tesla Motors is going after mainstream luxury car buyers by adding all-wheel-drive and more range and power to the base version of its only model.
  
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• The Brontosaurus Would Like to Know: What Is a Species, Really?

  08-04-2015 13:07
  
  In 1989, the U.S. Postal Service released a collection of 25-cent commemorative postage stamps celebrating a series of dinosaurs. They also featured, however, the brontosaurus, or the "thunder lizard"—which had been reclassified under the genus apatosaurus ("deceptive lizard") in 1903. The brontosaurus—the gentle giant that ate plants and sneezed on children—has spent the past century as, if not an actual species, then a cultural one. This week brought some redemption�
  
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• Alibaba to help Bigcommerce clients tap China supplier network

  08-04-2015 13:03
  
  Alibaba Group Holding Ltd has forged a deal to allow online shopping startup Bigcommerce's 70,000-plus clients to more easily buy from top-ranked Chinese suppliers and manufacturers on Alibaba.com. The tie-up helps round off Bigcommerce's services, a startup which helps clients from Gibson Guitars to Ubisoft Entertainment SA create and market e-commerce websites. The Chinese company and Bigcommerce have created a software app to help Bigcommerce's customers better navigate Alibaba
  
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• Chew hopes to entice superstars to its ‘Twitch for DJs’ live-streaming service

  08-04-2015 12:58
  
  But the British startup will still focus on grassroots, insisting real power in global community is with bedroom DJs Watching a DJ at work close-up isn’t always the most riveting viewing experience. Unless you’re learning to DJ yourself, in which case it becomes much more interesting and useful.That’s one reason why British startup Chew.tv is an intriguing spin on streaming DJ mixes, as seen on sites from Boiler Room to Ministry of Sound, and as heard on services like Mixcloud. Related: Ig
  
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• ​FBI: Expect ISIS hacks if you don't patch WordPress plugins

  08-04-2015 12:19 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  FBI warns WordPress users to patch their plugins to put a stop to website hacks by ISIS sympathisers.
  
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• ​Google patents way to give robots personalities - and mimic the dead

  08-04-2015 11:43 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Google has designed a system to store and distribute personalities to robots.
  
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• Twitter’s stock price rises after Google buyout rumours – not for the first time

  08-04-2015 11:35
  
  Market watcher’s unsubstantiated rumours of a Google takeover of Twitter leads to stock price rise, but is an acquisition likely?Rumours that Google is looking to buy Twitter propelled the social network’s stock price to a 4% rise on Tuesday, but this isn’t the first time it’s happened.Reports from market analysis firm Briefing.com indicated Twitter had hired Goldman Sachs to fend off two possible takeover attempts, including one from Google. The unconfirmed rumours, on which Twitter dec
  
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• YouTube: Hank Green tells fellow creators to aim for '$1 per view'

  08-04-2015 10:43
  
  Online video veteran sees crowdfunding as the answer to his peers’ complaints about YouTube’s low advertising rates Continue reading...
  
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• ​Basho's Riak 2.1 database zooms in on better write speeds

  08-04-2015 10:00 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  The work that Riak company Basho has put into the NoSQL database's write speeds appears to have paid off with its 2.1 iteration.
  
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• Review: Startech Universal USB 3.0 4K Laptop Docking Station

  08-04-2015 09:30 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction and featuresWith 4K monitors becoming more widely available and with prices falling below £300/$300, one would have expected laptop manufacturers to smarten up and produce 4K friendly products. Well, it seems that this didn't happen unless you run an Apple MacBook/MacBook Pro/MacBook Air.Some flagship products like the Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro still do not carry a mini-DisplayPort, opting instead for the more ubiquitous mini-HDMI connector. The latter, in its v1.4 iteration, is unfortunat
  
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• Google searched and Apple watched in ATO tax audit

  08-04-2015 09:16 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Apple, Google, and Microsoft have all admitted that they are being audited by the Australian Taxation Office.
  
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• Google, Apple and Microsoft defend tax set-up that shifts revenue offshore

  08-04-2015 09:13
  
  Executives tell Senate inquiry paying tax overseas for Australian sales is how the global tax system works, while News Corp Australia demands Netflix pays GST Continue reading...
  
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• ​Global semiconductor market hit $340 billion in 2014: Gartner

  08-04-2015 09:04 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  The global semiconductor market saw a 7.9 percent increase in total revenue last year, hitting $340.3 billion, according to new research by Gartner.
  
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• Threat Modeling, book review: Know your enemy

  08-04-2015 08:04 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  As cybersecurity breaches continue to hit the headlines, this comprehensive guide to risk assessment and threat protection is a must-read for security professionals.
  
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• Interview film 'flown into N Korea'

  08-04-2015 07:36 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A North Korean defector to the South says he has flown thousands of copies of controversial comedy The Interview over the border by balloon.
  
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• Piracy code lodged with Australian regulator

  08-04-2015 06:48 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  A code that will see Australians sent warning notices for alleged infringement of TV shows, films, and music online has been lodged with the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
  
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• ​NewSat needs $70m to keep Jabiru-1 project alive

  08-04-2015 06:30 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  NewSat is on the verge of not being able to complete its Jabiru-1 satellite project, as negotiations with lenders continue.
  
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• Singtel buying U.S. cyber security firm Trustwave for $810 million

  08-04-2015 06:05
  
  By Aradhana Aravindan SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore Telecommunications, Southeast Asia's largest telecommunications operator by revenue, is buying U.S.-based cyber-security firm Trustwave for $810 million, marking its biggest acquisition outside the main telecoms sector. The deal comes as Singtel is moving away from being a pure-play telecoms company and pursues expansion in areas such as "digital life", which includes mobile video and digital advertising, and cyber security thr
  
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• ​PayPal Australia gets a new boss

  08-04-2015 04:15 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  PayPal Australia has appointed Libby Roy as vice president and management director, after Jeff Clementz announced that he would be returning to the US to take up another role with the company.
  
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• ​Bitcoin too small to be a threat to Australian market: RBA

  08-04-2015 04:07 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  The use of digital currencies such as bitcoin in Australia is too minimal to impact the local financial market, representatives from the Reserve Bank of Australia have told a Senate committee inquiry into digital currency.
  
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