Technology news

• NSA pranksters plant 'listening' devices in New York and take snooping abroad

  22-05-2015 22:07 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Next time you gossip or brag about cheating on your partner, check under the table. Group’s stunt highlights extent of the real NSA as the debate continues Continue reading...
  
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• Apple TV's rumored local channel service may dash hopes of WWDC unveiling

  22-05-2015 20:43
  
  Apple may venture into unchartered waters with its own TV service, by offering up access to live programming on local channels...eventually. Re/code reports Apple is looking to set its upcoming Web TV service apart from the competition by giving customers in cities around the US programming from their local channels. Its main rival, Sling, boasts affordable online TV without the cable company hassle at around $20/month, while rumors indicate that Apple plans to price its service in the $30-40 ra
  
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• Office Now may be Cortana for your work life

  22-05-2015 20:35
  
  Soon, you'll be able to speak to your phone to tell it to "Send my financial presentation deck to Sarah," thanks to a personal Office assistant feature.Cortana, the digital assistant that will ship with Windows 10, may land in Office in the future to serve as your work assistant. The unannounced feature, now known as Office Now, is said to be a rebrand of the earlier rumored Work Assistant.How it worksLike Cortana, Office Now is a virtual assistant. However, Office Now will live within
  
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• HP split will cost billions

  22-05-2015 19:38
  
  Hewlett-Packard will absorb more than $2 billion (around £1.29 billion, or AU$2.56 billion) in costs as part of its move to split the company in two later this year.Speaking after a lukewarm results release, CEO Meg Whitman told analysts that "dis-synergy" costs for the split will total between $400 million (around £258.3 million, or AU$511 million) and $450 million (around £290.6 million, or AU$575 million) that will be "divided equally between the two companies," accordi
  
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• Review: Vodafone Smart Prime 6

  22-05-2015 19:08 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction and designWe're at a time in smartphone evolution when budget phones are actually not all that bad (see also: digital cameras and laptops) – and that means you can save yourself some money without ending up with a real clunker of a handset.Apple and Samsung may hog the limelight, but not everyone cares what a Snapdragon is, or necessarily want to spend the money to get one. Do you want your phone to run first-person shooters smoothly or just cover the basics? There are more people
  
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• Keitai: Make your smartphone more secure with these top tips

  22-05-2015 18:53
  
  MakeyoursmartphonemoresecureAnother seven days has passed and that can only mean one thing - it's time for the next instalment of Keitai (formerly 7 days in phones)! This week we teach you how to secure your smartphone, Winston gets a text and Mel B (a.k.a Scary Spice) ends up in jail.Catch up on Keitai (formerly 7 days in phones)Make your smartphone more secure 1. Enable the lock screenIt's mobile security 101. Every smartphone these days gives you a range of lock screen options, whether it's a
  
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• 3D printer lends a hand to girl born without fingers - video

  22-05-2015 18:26 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Eight-year-old Isabella Rudd from Dartford, who was born with no fingers on her right arm, has been given new mobility by a prosthetic created by a 3D printer. The hand, built from biodegradable plastic, cost the Rudd family only £50. Isabella can now pick up objects and ride a bike, which she couldn't do before Continue reading...
  
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• Will Hollywood ever embrace VR?

  22-05-2015 18:15
  
  The trials and tribulations of VR cinemaIt seems next year will be the big one for virtual reality. HTC's Valve-sponsored Vive is hitting the shops right at the end of 2015 with the Oculus Rift and Sony's Morpheus getting released early on in 2016. But what does that mean for your home cinema - are movies in VR a real possibility? Well, yes they are but it's far from simple. So, what then are the issues that might surround movies in VR?The technology is still quite limited One of the things you
  
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• Top Amazon UK executives quit as directors of British arm

  22-05-2015 18:08 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Managing director and finance director resign from board ahead of clampdown on tax structures of big tech companies Continue reading...
  
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• Google has a tiny plan for the Internet of Things

  22-05-2015 17:44
  
  Google's ready to take over just about any device that connects to the internet whether or not it has a digital screen.First reported by The Information, Google is working on a new OS codenamed "Brillo" that is incredibly small and will need just 32MB or 64MB of RAM to run successfully for it to be able to be squeezed into even the smallest of Internet of Things (IoT) device.It's expected that the new OS will be released under the Android banner with the group working on the initial de
  
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• Temple University physics professor accused of passing tech secrets to China

  22-05-2015 17:23 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Xi Xiaoxing, 47, of suburban Philadelphia, released on $100,000 bond after appearing in federal court on Thursday on four counts of wire fraud Continue reading...
  
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• Did Microsoft threaten facility closures because of tech reforms?

  22-05-2015 17:13
  
  Microsoft and a handful of other technology companies threatened to shut down facilities across a swathe of constituencies if IT reforms were passed by the Conservative government, according to one former government worker.First reported by The Guardian, Steve Hilton, a former chief of strategy for Prime Minister David Cameron, explained that executives from Microsoft called Conservative MPs in various areas of the country to say they would close down facilities in their areas in IT reform went
  
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• StubHub's new app is an entertainment planner, not just a ticket system

  22-05-2015 17:12
  
  Online ticketing marketplace StubHub has just given its mobile app a big overhaul to bring more personal new features and a better user interface to smartphones and tablet.StubHub wants to reduce the time you spend browsing listings by bringing relevant events to you, based on preferences and events you've been to in the past — if your favourite band is in town then the new mobile app should keep you in the loop."Those apps have been very transactional, and we do that really well," B
  
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• Snapchat to hire journalists for 2016 US presidential race

  22-05-2015 16:35 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Photo-sharing platform continues move into news and media by building content teamContinue reading...
  
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• Review: Microsoft Lumia 640 LTE

  22-05-2015 16:24 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction and designThe Microsoft Lumia 640 is among the first in a new breed of Windows Phones. With a larger screen, more RAM and a different design language from its predecessor, this is Microsoft stamping its logo (literally) on the Lumia range. And what a change this proves to be.The old Nokia did things a little differently. Budget devices made by the Finnish firm were notoriously bare-bones; this could be seen in the decision to omit Gorilla Glass and limit RAM in models such as the Lu
  
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• Lizard Squad member pleads guilty over 23 counts related to 'swatting'

  22-05-2015 16:16 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Hoax calls from 17-year-old Canadian tricked armed police into raiding homes of women who played online battle game League of Legends A Canadian teen has plead guilty to more than 23 counts related to a series of “swatting” incidents across Canada and the US.Swatting, one of the teen’s tactics, involves calling in hoaxes to police in an attempt to encourage the dispatch of a heavily-armed Swat team.Continue reading...
  
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• Warning over Android reset systems

  22-05-2015 16:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Using the "factory reset" option to wipe Android phones may not remove all valuable data, warn security experts.
  
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• Supermarket lights send 'GPS' data

  22-05-2015 15:58 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A first-of-its-kind lighting system has been installed at a supermarket that tells an app where shoppers are standing and which way they are facing.
  
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• Shop lights talk to smartphone app

  22-05-2015 15:58 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A first-of-its-kind lighting system has been installed at a supermarket that tells an app where shoppers are standing and which way they are facing.
  
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• VIDEO: Giving India's Adivasi a voice

  22-05-2015 15:49 via bbc.co.uk
  
  How a news network is bringing news to India's Adivasi tribespeople
  
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• Malware is not only about viruses – companies preinstall it all the time

  22-05-2015 15:33 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Since I started free software in the 80s, developers have grown to routinely mistreat users by shackling behaviour and snooping – but we have ways to resist In 1983, when I started the free software movement, malware was so rare that each case was shocking and scandalous. Now it’s normal.To be sure, I am not talking about viruses. Malware is the name for a program designed to mistreat its users. Viruses typically are malicious, but software products and software preinstalled in products can
  
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• Splatoon review

  22-05-2015 14:50 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Wii U; Nintendo; £27.99-£34.85 Continue reading...
  
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• Google patents 'creepy' cuddly toys

  22-05-2015 14:37 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A patent reveals that Google has looked into making internet-connected toys that would link up to its servers to control smart devices in the home.
  
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• ​Apple patents tiny hotspot designed for joggers and campers

  22-05-2015 14:01 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Apple has designed a mobile hotspot that could make the Apple Watch less dependent on an iPhone connection.
  
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• UK sells off unused net addresses

  22-05-2015 13:33 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The UK government has started selling off big chunks of internet addresses that it no longer uses.
  
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• Review: Updated: HP ProLiant MicroServer Gen8 review

  22-05-2015 13:30 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  IntroductionThe long-time baby of HP's ProLiant server family has finally been given a Gen8 makeover, with a smart new look and all-new internals to bring it up to current standards. Intel rather than AMD silicon becomes the order of the day here, with a choice of processor accompanied by up to 16GB of ECC-protected RAM, on-board RAID, a couple of Gigabit network ports and USB 3.0 support. It even gets an integrated HP Lights Out (iLO) management controller, further enhancing the appeal of this
  
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• VIDEO: A tour of London's 3D Print Show

  22-05-2015 13:28 via bbc.co.uk
  
  As the London 3D Print Show rolls into town, the BBC's Theo Leggett offers a whistle-stop tour to assess the industry.
  
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• ​Google, Samsung get closer to giving passwords the finger with FIDO certification

  22-05-2015 13:00 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  The FIDO alliance has certified 31 products and services under two protocols which aim to do away with the need for passwords.
  
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• Uber’s first self-driving car spotted in Pittsburgh

  22-05-2015 12:39 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  A car fitted with cameras and laser scanners has been seen driving on public roads in the US, as Uber’s research centre starts testing technologyThe first test vehicle for Uber’s self-driving car programme has been spotted driving around the streets of Pittsburgh covered in cameras and sensors.
  The modified Ford branded with “Uber’s Advanced Technologies Center”, was spotted on residential streets by the Pittsburgh Business Times. Uber announced in February that it would open a researc
  
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• 'I feel sick' emoji on the way

  22-05-2015 12:37 via bbc.co.uk
  
  You'll have to wait until 2016, but you will be able to tell your friends you feel sick with one simple picture.
  
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• Swipe right to buy: Tinder starts selling music with discounted Zedd album

  22-05-2015 12:08 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Dating app is experimenting with music download sales, shortly after driving more than a million fans to watch artist Jason Derulo’s latest videoIn 2015, you can watch news on Snapchat, watch comedy clips on Spotify, and send money to friends in Facebook Messenger. So the news that you can now buy albums on Tinder shouldn’t come as a big surprise.Well, album in the singular. Tinder is selling the latest album by dance musician Zedd, in what looks like an experiment for an expansion of advert
  
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• Think factory reset wipes your data from Android phones? Think again

  22-05-2015 11:40 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Researchers have found that 500 milllion handsets may still leave users' personal details accessible even after a full factory reset.
  
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• YouTube heats up rivalry with Twitch with smoother live streams of games

  22-05-2015 11:32 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  YouTube promises gaming broadcasters their viewers will have ‘silky smooth playback’ and inks new partnerships with game-capture firmsGaming has become one of the most popular categories on YouTube thanks to the Let’s Play videos published by creators like PewDiePie, The Diamond Minecart and Stampy.Now YouTube wants to get more gamers broadcasting live, as it takes on Amazon’s live-streaming service, Twitch. YouTube is adding the ability to stream live video at 60 frames-per-second (fps)
  
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• YouTube adds 60fps live-streaming video as it ramps up battle with Twitch

  22-05-2015 11:32 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Google’s video service promises silky smooth playback for gaming and fast-action videos alongside partnerships with game-capture firmsGaming has become one of the most popular categories on YouTube thanks to the Let’s Play videos published by creators like PewDiePie, The Diamond Minecart and Stampy.Now YouTube wants to get more gamers broadcasting live, as it takes on Amazon’s live-streaming service, Twitch. YouTube is adding the ability to stream live video at 60 frames-per-second (fps) �
  
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• British songwriters body BASCA takes aim at Google and SoundCloud

  22-05-2015 11:32 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Chairman tells internet firms ‘you are undermining the value of our music’ as well as making it harder for licensed streaming services to surviveThe chairman of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA) has criticised Google and SoundCloud – by clear reference, if not by name – in a speech at its Ivor Novello Awards.Delivering the introductory speech at the event, Simon Darlow focused on the licensing arguments around streaming music, and specifically on companies
  
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• So You've Been Publicly Shamed & Hate Crimes in Cyberspace, book reviews

  22-05-2015 11:27 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  What's it like to be vilified on the internet, and how can protection from online abuse be balanced with freedom of speech? These two books explore the issues.
  
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• We will rebuild: Kent earthquake shakes Twitter into sarcasm overload

  22-05-2015 11:13 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  With no reports of injuries or structural damage after 4.2-magnitude quake, the garden of England becomes ripe for ridicule Continue reading...
  
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• Microsoft faces claims it threatened MPs with job cuts in constituencies

  22-05-2015 10:02 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Conservative party strategy chief Steve Hilton attacks lobbying industry with allegation that company aggressively targeted MPs over IT reform Microsoft executives telephoned Conservative MPs threatening to shut down a facility in their local area because of planned IT reforms, David Cameron’s former strategy chief has claimed.Steve Hilton, who worked for Cameron in opposition and for two years in Downing Street, made the allegation as he argued the dominance of corporate lobbying in the UK wa
  
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• Will London's mayor put the brakes on Uber?

  22-05-2015 09:43 via bbc.co.uk
  
  In a move likely to be popular with London's black cab drivers, Boris Johnson is backing laws which could restrict growth of the taxi app Uber.
  
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• DevOps: Is it about efficiency or just saving money?

  22-05-2015 09:39 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Is DevOps a more effective method for software development, or is it just about cutting costs - or can it do both?
  
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• Opal card data handed over to NSW Police, Immigration

  22-05-2015 08:37 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Transport for New South Wales has confirmed that in just six months, NSW Police has made 166 requests for data on the Opal travel card.
  
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• '24-hour window' to halt cyber-hate

  22-05-2015 08:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Intervention by police within the first 24 hours of a terrorist event could be key to halting the spread of cyber-hate, a new study finds.
  
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• Australian government proposes spectrum sharing and trading

  22-05-2015 07:36 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  The Australian government has proposed a massive overhaul of spectrum legislation, with an eye to allow telcos to share and trade spectrum amongst themselves.
  
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• Warhammer 40,000 Forbidden Stars review: an absorbing evening of combat

  22-05-2015 07:00 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  This deep, strategic board game of interstellar warfare and galactic empire building is a love letter to the 28-year-old tabletop game
  If you’re remotely interested in strategy games, there’s a good chance you’re already familiar with Warhammer 40,000. In the nearly 30 years since it was first released, the science-fiction tabletop battle game has amassed legions of fans around the globe, spawned multiple video game adaptations and turned its publisher, Nottingham-based Games Workshop, int
  
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• Behind a pizza-slice smile: the dark side of Pac-Man

  22-05-2015 07:00 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  The pill-munching arcade classic is 35 years old today, but while Pac-Man looks cute, many writers have discovered a sinister secret withinOn 22 May 1980, Japanese arcade machine manufacturer Namco changed video games forever. Its new release, Pac-Man, was designed to appeal far beyond the teenage boys pumping coins into early shooters like Space Invaders and Galaxian. Designer Shigeo Funaki specifically set out to create a “comical” game that everyone could enjoy, especially women. His love
  
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• Russia 'will block' Google, Twitter and Facebook if they withhold blogger data

  22-05-2015 04:08 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Kremlin demands internet services comply with its laws, which require official registration of bloggers with more than 3,000 readers a dayRussia’s media watchdog has written to Google, Twitter and Facebook warning them against violating Russian internet laws and a spokesman said they risked being blocked if they did not comply.Roskomnadzor said it had sent letters this week to the three US-based internet companies asking them to comply with laws that critics of President Vladimir Putin have de
  
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• Dallas Buyers Club piracy letters won't be sent for months

  22-05-2015 04:01 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  The law firm representing Dallas Buyers Club LLC has indicated it could be two months before some 4,700 Australians begin receiving letters over allegedly illicitly downloading the film of the same name.
  
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• Thunder Networking records poor Q1 performance

  22-05-2015 03:40 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  The Chinese company is looking for growth through deeper cooperation with Xiaomi and a new smart router project.
  
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• Government invests NZ$360m in broadband rollouts

  22-05-2015 02:52 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  New Zealand has upped its total investment in its ultra-fast broadband and rural broadband project to NZ$2 billion.
  
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• VIDEO: The camera developed for your dog

  22-05-2015 01:04 via bbc.co.uk
  
  BBC Click's Jen Copestake looks at some of the best of the week's technology news
  
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