Technology news

• Christchurch to get 3D models of delayed earthquake projects

  14-05-2015 23:52 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority plans to model new city facilities and precincts using 3D printing.
  
  Read more

• Review: Razer Nabu X

  14-05-2015 22:14 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction, design and comfort"Razer made a wearable?" is usually the first question I get when I tell people what the latest gadget on my wrist is.The answer is: yes, Razer, the popular gaming hardware company known for taking big risks in tech has made a fitness tracker called the Nabu X. In fact, it's the second wearable, with the first being simply the Nabu. The newer one is more of an entry-level wearable, priced nicely at $50 (£45, about AU$61.79) which is practically a steal if
  
  Read more

• Piecing together the Windows as a Service puzzle for Windows 10

  14-05-2015 22:03 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  There's a piece of the Windows 10 story that may be more important to business users than the actual editions themselves: The branches that underlie Windows as a Service.
  
  Read more

• Mummies, mental health and reshuffle reactions: Podcast 218

  14-05-2015 20:09
  
  
  [ImageLibrary##270941/Landscape_15_273]
  Listen this week for an entertaining 45-minute look at the most interesting technology and science stories from the last seven days, with WIRED.co.uk's Michael Rundle, Liat Clark and Katie Collins.By: Liat Clark, Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Why do kids watch Minecraft videos?

  14-05-2015 18:45 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A look into why Minecraft videos are proving so popular
  
  Read more

• China reveals ambitious broadband plan

  14-05-2015 17:46 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The country's premier has announced investment that he says will increase speed and lower prices - and called upon telecoms firms to help.
  
  Read more

• Concerns raised over Apple Watch’s lack of theft protection

  14-05-2015 16:53
  
  Valuable smartwatch lacks activation lock protection fitted on Apple’s iPhone and can be reset without having passcodeConcerns have been raised over the ease with which thieves can reset the Apple Watch, as well as pair it with any iPhone, without the original owner’s permission.
  Apple’s first smartwatch has a passcode feature that can lock the wearable device when it is removed from the wrist, which is meant to prevent it from being used without permission. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• HoloLens could be stress-controlled

  14-05-2015 16:30 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Microsoft is exploring ways to make its forthcoming augmented reality headset respond to the wearer's stress levels.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• How Netrunner took over my life – and why it should take over yours too

  14-05-2015 15:36
  
  The bluffing of poker, great cyberpunk theme and a night out with friends combine to make Netrunner truly worthy of its un-geeky revivalChris Underwood is worried about his wife. Doing his best to ignore the 50 Netrunner players around him, he wanders the Loading Bar in Dalston, east London, like a ghost, taking furtive sips from a pint of beer. He’s the most anxious I’ve ever seen him, and I can’t stop laughing.Chris is the cheery veteran of a dozen Netrunner tournaments, all of them grue
  
  Read more

• ThinkPad X250 review: Workhorse for the road warrior

  14-05-2015 14:26 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  This business laptop crams two batteries in a svelte yet rugged form to make it easy to take it on the road.
  
  Read more

• Review: Updated: Moto G (2013)

  14-05-2015 14:25 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction and designThere's a new low cost Motorola on the market in the form of the Moto G (2014). So if you fancy the latest budget Android blower you'll want to check out the 5-inch, 4G enabled, quad-core 2014 edition - although it will cost you a little more.Motorola Moto G (2014) reviewMotorola kicked off its global smartphone revival with the keenly priced Moto G handset, which was quickly followed by the 4G enabled Moto G 4G.Both have since been replaced by the larger, 5-inch Moto G (2
  
  Read more

• YouTube watchers and selfie fans push 4G traffic past 3G

  14-05-2015 14:08 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Video and social media drive 4G traffic as EE says it now has 10 million mobile users on its LTE network.
  
  Read more

• TalkTalk to connect York to ultra-fast broadband

  14-05-2015 13:53
  
  Pilot project uses fibre-optic cables capable of operating more than 100 times faster than national broadband average Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Apple agrees to settle legal case

  14-05-2015 13:36 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Apple denied that it poached staff from battery-maker A123, but has agreed to settle the case, court papers show.
  
  Read more

• Iris-scanning smartphone puts paid to passwords in blink of an eye

  14-05-2015 13:12
  
  Smartphone made by Fujitsu and sold by Japan’s largest mobile phone operator leads the charge towards iris-recognition technology Iris-scanning technology promises to kill the password with the launch of a new smartphone that looks into users’ eyes to unlock it.The new smartphone made by Fujitsu and sold by Japan’s largest mobile phone operator, NTT Docomo, uses an infrared LED and a special camera to snap a picture of the iris of a person’s eye. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Robotic tentacle targets surgery

  14-05-2015 13:07 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Engineers construct a surgical arm inspired by the humble octopus, with a tube of coffee granules playing a key role in its action.
  
  Read more

• Apple Music streaming service to use more social features than Ping

  14-05-2015 13:03
  
  Artists will be able to post media and promote one another’s work on Spotify-style service, latest media reports suggestApple’s last attempt at blending digital music and social networking flopped: Ping was unveiled in September 2010 as a way for people to follow friends and musicians within the company’s iTunes store, but shut down two years later after it failed to catch on.Now the company is reportedly planning another crack at social music, as part of its plans to relaunch its Beats Mu
  
  Read more

• Project Cars review – a strikingly authentic simulation

  14-05-2015 12:47
  
  Slight Mad Studios has upped the ante on the modern driving sim experience with this thrilling, single-minded racerThe wait has been long. Delayed more times than Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes contract renewal, Project Cars has finally arrived on the starting grid with a clear desire to make up for lost time.Driving sim fans have been waiting months to hear the roar of this game’s superbly sampled engines, and that’s been hard – particularly for PS4 owners, who haven’t yet had a proper rac
  
  Read more

• Crypt of the Necrodancer review – a truly engaging genre love-in

  14-05-2015 12:28
  
  What would happen if you combined the roguelike and rhythm action genres? Read on to find out – and rejoiceOn the face of it, the roguelike and rhythm-action game genres are not obvious bedfellows. The former is about grinding through endless dungeons, hacking and slashing at enemy monsters, the latter is about hitting buttons in time to music. It’s hard to think of two more opposing video game styles. Maybe first-person shooters and sports management sims? Or massively multiplayer fantasy g
  
  Read more

• Sega Saturn: how one decision destroyed PlayStation's greatest rival

  14-05-2015 12:09
  
  After the huge success of the Mega Drive, Sega was filled with confidence about its future. But then Sony announced PlayStation and everything fell apartContinue reading...
  
  Read more

• How can I make my five-year-old Windows laptop run faster?

  14-05-2015 11:31
  
  Hugh wants to keep his Toshiba Satellite P500 because he likes the 17in screen, but it’s getting creakier. Can he make it run like new?I have a five-year old Toshiba Satellite P500 with Microsoft Windows 7 installed. I like it because it’s got a 17.1in screen, but it’s getting slower and creakier. Could I just replace the existing hard drive with an updated one? Would this get me back to how it was performing when it was new? Hugh
  The Toshiba Satellite P500 belongs to a class of high-speci
  
  Read more

• Japan's Sharp in $1.7bn bank bailout

  14-05-2015 11:27 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Japanese electronics maker Sharp agrees a 200bn Japanese yen ($1.7bn) bailout from banks as it announces job cuts and further losses.
  
  Read more

• Hands-on review: Updated: LG G4

  14-05-2015 11:15 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction, design and displayThe LG G4 proves that there's room for one more among Android flagship phone launching in the first half of this year, and it just may be worth the wait.Its standout feature is a premium design with a durable leather back for its lead model, one that's comfortable to grip compared to slippery smartphones with a cold, metal construction.There's a more color-accurate "quantum" display that, in side-by-side comparisons, makes other phones like the Samsung Gal
  
  Read more

• LG Watch Urbane review: big, bold and a bit gaudy

  14-05-2015 10:50
  
  LG’s challenger to the Apple Watch is the most convincing Android Wear device yet, but its design lacks subtletyThe LG Watch Urbane is the Korean company’s third smartwatch in under a year, a shiny, metal-covered, round Android Wear watch to compete with Apple’s Watch – and with a price tag to match.The Urbane is a follow-up to the chunky G Watch R and LG’s second round smartwatch to use its 1.3in plastic OLED screen.Pros: Fast, always-on screen, latest Android Wear, heart rate monitor
  
  Read more

• Zombies, Run! goes freemium after 1m sales to attract hordes of new players

  14-05-2015 10:19
  
  UK developer Six to Start has grand ambitions for its eccentric fitness app, but without ‘turning it into a terrible game’A mobile game that tries to get you fit by making you run away from hordes of zombies – actually physically run, in the real world – may sound like a niche.But for British apps developer Six to Start, it’s a niche that has yielded more than 1m sales of its Zombies, Run! game since its launch in early 2012. Related: Zombies, Run! – reviewRelated: Unfitbit: When fit
  
  Read more

• VIDEO: Could a mapping project help Nepal?

  14-05-2015 10:12 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A project teamed by volunteers to provide high quality maps of Nepal could help with disaster recovery efforts.
  
  Read more

• Google must be more open on 'right to be forgotten', academics warn in letter

  14-05-2015 10:00
  
  Open letter signed by 80 experts in technology and data law argues for more public scrutiny over Google’s handling of removal requestsGoogle needs to be more transparent in the way it handles so-called “right to be forgotten” requests, with 80 leading academics writing an open letter that accuses the firm of developing its policies “in the dark”.In the detailed and strongly worded four-page letter shared with the Guardian, experts in technology law, data protection and philosophy claim
  
  Read more

• Dear Google: open letter from 80 academics on 'right to be forgotten'

  14-05-2015 10:00
  
  Full text of the letter demanding more transparency from Google over how it processes ‘right to be forgotten’ requests Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Australian government quietly expands access to retained data

  14-05-2015 09:20 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Less than two months after passing legislation that was designed to limit access to stored telecommunications data, the Australian government has quietly added Immigration and Border Protection to the list of agencies that can access data.
  
  Read more

• US House passes Bill to end domestic NSA bulk data collection

  14-05-2015 09:04 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  American residents could soon be exempt from the NSA's dragnet, unless surveillance is approved by the secretive FISA court, with the USA Freedom Act passing the US House of Representatives and heading to the Senate.
  
  Read more

• Imagining the future: early 20th century US patents - in pictures

  14-05-2015 09:00
  
  Historical patents from the turn of the last century show how aspiring inventors predicted that humans would fly. The imaginative designs, from the US Patent and Trademark office, between 1871 and 1933, show elaborate blueprints for everything from human wings, an oscillating bathtub, to a harness support for a greyhound-riding monkey Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Piracy site-blocking Bill limits right to expression: Committee

  14-05-2015 08:15 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  The Australian parliamentary committee for human rights has said that legislation to block websites that infringe on copyright may limit the right to expression.
  
  Read more

• No wallet, no worries: Denmark considering cash-free shops

  14-05-2015 08:00
  
  Politicians to vote on proposal to let retailers accept only card or smartphone payments from 2016 Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• OECD attacks tech firms' tax plans

  14-05-2015 06:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Technology companies need to stop "extremely aggressive" tax planning, the man charged with reforming global tax rules has told the BBC.
  
  Read more

• Macquarie Telecom's cloud service gets ASD security approval

  14-05-2015 05:45 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Macquarie Telecom has joined Amazon and Microsoft on the federal government's certified cloud services list after receiving security approval from the Australian Signals Directorate.
  
  Read more

• Quickflix outsources subscription licensing to Foxtel's Presto

  14-05-2015 04:30 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Quickflix's streaming video content will now be provided by Foxtel's Presto, in a deal aimed at improving the economics of the troubled business.
  
  Read more

• Apple Music may launch exclusive social network for artists

  14-05-2015 03:53
  
  Beats Music is getting rebranded "Apple Music" and adding a music-driven social network, according to a new report today.No, this isn't a reboot of Ping, the ill-fated iTunes social network that closed in 2012. This is supposed to be a more exclusive social network not open to normal users.It'll reportedly allow musicians to connect with followers and post track samples, photos, videos and concert updates.Backed up by iOS 8.4 betaToday's Apple Music rumors are backed up by iOS 8.4 beta
  
  Read more

• NBN customers complain about connection issues

  14-05-2015 03:34 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman saw connection complaints make up 44.8 percent of all NBN-related complaints between January and March 2015.
  
  Read more

• Optus customer numbers bounce back to March 2014 levels

  14-05-2015 03:19 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Australia's second-largest mobile company Optus has reported Q4 operating revenue up 11.9 percent with the net addition of 42,000 new mobile customers.
  
  Read more

• US House rejects NSA phone data trawl

  14-05-2015 02:53 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The US House of Representatives votes to end the National Security Agency's bulk collection of Americans' phone records.
  
  Read more

• VIDEO: Nato holds major anti-sub exercise

  14-05-2015 02:46 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Nato has been carrying out its largest ever anti-submarines warfare exercise in the North Sea.
  
  Read more

• Rachel Whetstone leaves Google communication role to join Uber

  14-05-2015 01:20
  
  Former chief of staff to Michael Howard joins taxi company as it battles fierce resistance to expand and float on the stock market
  Rachel Whetstone, the Briton who has been head of communications and public policy at Google for several years, has been poached by Uber for a similar role.She will become senior vice-president of policy and communications at the taxi company, which is expected to list on the stock market this year and has been valued at as much as $50bn (£31.7bn). Related: All
  
  Read more

• IN DEPTH: These are the 10 smartphone features you can't live without

  14-05-2015 01:09
  Why aren't these 10 features in every phone?Software often takes a backseat to exciting new hardware, but the outside of a phone only tells one side of the smartphone story.It's also the features inside that can make or break a device. As iOS and Android continue to evolve, we see software and hardware ideas working together more cohesively with every new update.Not all of their innovations are well-marketed. Too often, they escape the heaps of praise they should receive in place of "pencil
  
  Read more

Follow @TechnologyUKnws on Twitter!