Technology news

• Bling out your Apple Watch in 18K gold on a budget

  25-05-2015 22:13
  
  Don't have $10,000 (about UK£6,464, AU$12,779) or more lying around to buy a gold-plated Apple Watch Edition model? That's okay, because a new service can make it look like you're a big spender for the same cost as Cupertino's cheapest wearable.9to5Mac today published an unboxing and hands-on video featuring an Apple Watch with gold plating and a link bracelet costing far less than you might imagine.That's because the customized Apple Watch was bling'ed up by a new service called WatchPlate, wh
  
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• Spotify users will feel right at home with Windows 10 Music app

  25-05-2015 20:32
  
  Microsoft has been pretty good at offering the world a peek at what Windows 10 will look and feel like when it arrives later this year, but you'll have to dig a little deeper to find out what the newly rebranded Music app will look like.Earlier today, Twitter user @BrownieTrav (via The Verge) turned up an Xbox Support page that appears to offer a closer look into what Microsoft has planned for the all-new Music app coming with Windows 10.At first glimpse, the overhauled user interface with a dar
  
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• Updated: 50 best Mac tips, tricks and timesavers

  25-05-2015 19:35
  
  IntroductionYour Mac can do millions of things, but sometimes even the best of us forget some of the cool stuff it can do - so we're here to help jog your memory. Some of these tips need recent versions of OS X - such as OS X 10.9 Mavericks or OS X 10.10 Yosemite - but not all of them do. In some cases, some are little features that Apple has sneaked into upgrades that you might have totally missed, and some might be a classic lightbulb moment of "I'd totally forgotten you could do that!&qu
  
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• VIDEO: Jet-powered bike tested in Wales

  25-05-2015 19:04 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A jet-powered bike has been tested at Pendine Sands in Wales in preparation for a land speed world record.
  
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• Meet YouTube's 8-bit movie makers

  25-05-2015 18:49 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A team which recreates popular films as 8-bit video games is attracting millions of views on YouTube.
  
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• Philip Zimmermann: king of encryption reveals his fears for privacy

  25-05-2015 18:02 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  The creator of PGP has moved his mobile-encryption firm Silent Circle to Switzerland to be free of US mass surveillance. Here he explains why Continue reading...
  
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• Google patent details Amazon Echo-style smart toys

  25-05-2015 17:41
  
  If you thought the idea of barking commands into a cylindrical black box to order supplies from Amazon was strange, get a load of what Google may be planning for the next generation of internet-connected smart toys.The US Patent and Trademark Office (via Engadget) published a patent application from Google late last week entitled "Agent Interfaces for Interactive Electronics that Support Social Cues," which could wind up being little more than child's play.Effectively an internet-conne
  
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• 'Deal to end' Nigeria fuel crisis

  25-05-2015 17:39 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Nigeria's fuel wholesalers say they have reached a deal with the government that should soon see the end of the crippling fuel crisis.
  
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• Eve Online: how a virtual world went to the edge of apocalypse and back. By Simon Parkin

  25-05-2015 17:35 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  The video game Eve Online is one of Iceland's biggest exports and has become the world's largest living work of science fiction. While rival games have come and gone, it has survived – thanks to a unique experiment in democracy Continue reading...
  
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• People try to 'summon demon' on Twitter

  25-05-2015 17:32 via bbc.co.uk
  
  #CharlieCharlieChallenge is trending worldwide as people try to talk to a "Mexican demon" named Charlie.
  
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• UK premium phone costs 'set to fall'

  25-05-2015 17:19 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Ofcom says that changes to the billing structure of 08, 09 and 118 numbers will lead to cheaper calls for consumers.
  
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• BLU Win HD LTE hands-on: An affordable dual SIM Windows Phone that exceeds expectations

  25-05-2015 17:16 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  While browsing through the Microsoft Store I stumbled across a Windows Phone priced at just $199. It turns out that the BLU Win HD LTE impressed me over the past week and is a device to consider.
  
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• How people power took on big business in the fight for net neutrality in India

  25-05-2015 14:55 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  When Indian mobile operators tried to charge extra for messaging apps like WhatsApp, a grassroots campaign for a free internet was mobilised At the 2014 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Jan Koum, chief executive of WhatsApp, made an announcement that would cause much unease 4,000 miles away in New Delhi. “We want to make sure people always have the ability to stay in touch with their friends and loved ones really affordably,” he said. “We’re going to introduce voice on WhatsApp in the
  
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• Updated: Windows email: 5 best free clients

  25-05-2015 14:30
  
  Introduction Those who work with email detest it, but it is still a daily part of many of our lives – and the provisions made for email within Windows leave a lot to be desired. As someone who works online, I send and receive many emails a day and need a trusty email client that won't break or falter. After the disaster that was Windows Vista, Microsoft ditched Windows Mail (later brought back in Windows 8), leaving a gap in the market for email conscious users of Windows. Luckily, developers
  
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• Poster family warns over stock images

  25-05-2015 13:55 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A family whose image was used in a poster campaign by the group opposing gay marriage in the Republic of Ireland say they were "naive" about stock photography websites.
  
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• Lots of people on Vine are trying to summon a demon

  25-05-2015 13:12
  
  If you've got two pencils, some paper, a cameraphone and no problem with looking ridiculous on the internet, you can take part in the Charlie Charlie Challenge that is currently taking over Vine and Twitter. Once we had chain emails that promised a grizzly end if you didn't forward them on to everyone in your address book, now we have Vine-based Ouija boards. By drawing a grid, writing yes in two corners and no in the other two then chanting "Charlie, Charlie, are you there?" you can f
  
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• Fat-shamed 'Dancing Man' gets own back at star-studded Hollywood party

  25-05-2015 12:15 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Sean O’Brien, who was mocked by cyberbullies after video of him dancing was posted online, flown to Los Angeles to party with celebritiesA man “fat-shamed” on social media after a video of him dancing was posted online has got his own back by partying with celebrities in Los Angeles.Sean O’Brien was ridiculed by trolls after the video was posted on 4Chan this year. The 46-year-old financier from Liverpool attracted global support and was nicknamed the “Dancing Man” by a social media
  
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• Instaspam? Introducing Instagram's new email digest

  25-05-2015 12:13 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  ‘Highlights’ will hit users’ inboxes to show them what they’ve missed on the photo-sharing serviceDo you like receiving email? Do you have an Instagram account? Then we have good news for you. The photo-sharing network is going to start taking its lead from parent company Facebook and sending regular email updates to users collating the best posts from people they follow.If you don’t like receiving email, and have an Instagram account, then we have bad news. The same thing’s going to
  
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• Forget the internet of things – we need an internet of people

  25-05-2015 11:57 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  From cars to umbrellas, everyday objects are becoming increasingly connected. But the question we need to ask is – should they be?The internet of things is a vision of ubiquitous connectivity, driven by one basic idea: screens are not the only gateway to the ultimate network of networks.
  With sensors, code and infrastructure, any object – from a car, to a cat, to a barcode - can become networked. But the question we need to ask is: should they be? And, if so, how? Continue reading...
  
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• Solar aircraft to be flown across the Pacific in world record bid

  25-05-2015 11:07 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Longest solo plane flight in history will be attempted in Solar Impulse II aircraft powered by nothing but sunlightContinue reading...
  
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• Solar Impulse awaits 'moment of truth'

  25-05-2015 10:44 via bbc.co.uk
  
  In what will be its greatest challenge yet, the zero-fuel aeroplane Solar Impulse will soon try to fly non-stop from China to Hawaii - a journey of more than 8,000km across the Pacific Ocean.
  
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• Celebrities back Twitter campaign to find missing children

  25-05-2015 10:29 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Missing People will be tweeting details of a different child every 30 minutes on Monday with the support of stars including Stephen Fry and Simon Cowell Continue reading...
  
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• VIDEO: Watch strap IDs its wearer's veins

  25-05-2015 09:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A start-up is developing a watch strap that contains a tiny camera, which takes a photo of a users' veins from their wrist to identify them.
  
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• Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush review – perfect for younger gamers

  25-05-2015 09:00 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  (Wii U, Nintendo, cert: 3, out now) Continue reading...
  
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• Amazon now paying tax in Germany and UK

  25-05-2015 08:58 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Amazon has reportedly moved to have its local profits taxed within Germany and the United Kingdom from the start of this month.
  
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• Code Name: STEAM review – accessible strategy adventure

  25-05-2015 08:30 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  (3DS, Nintendo, cert: 12, out now)Boasting an exaggerated comic-strip presentation, steam-powered weapons, Abraham Lincoln, Queen Victoria and a host of literary characters, it’s clear that the diminutive size of the 3DS was no bar to the imagination behind Code Name: STEAM. But what appears to be a fantastical and flippant adventure also conceals a well-engineered, finely balanced, turn-based strategy game.Here, developer Intelligent Systems revisits the detailed battles of its Advance Wars s
  
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• Human Services data centre consolidation nears completion

  25-05-2015 08:22 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  The Australian Department of Human Services has almost completed its massive data centre consolidation project, with the opening of a new centre in Fyshwick.
  
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• Omega Quintet review – more for anime fans than mainstream gamers

  25-05-2015 08:00 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  (PS4, Idea Factory International, cert: 12, out now)Idol singers – Japan’s hordes of manufactured female performers – aren’t a concept really seen in the west, making this colourful Japanese role-playing game centred on them a curious release. But move past the culture shock, and there is a solid entry into the genre here, offering a detailed turn-based combat system and surprisingly fun characters.In the world of Omega Quintet, a phenomenon dubbed “Blare” threatens humanity’s surv
  
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• Netflix accidentally bills Australian customers multiple times

  25-05-2015 06:30 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Some Australian users of streaming video service Netflix have reported being charged up to 13 times for their monthly's subscription.
  
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• VIDEO: Solar plane pilot set for six-day leg

  25-05-2015 05:40 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The first round-the-world solar-powered flight, known as the Solar Impulse Two, is hoping to make the next and most difficult leg of its journey.
  
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• Telstra on track with decade-long Racing Victoria deal

  25-05-2015 05:00 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  By early 2016, thoroughbred fans will have the ability to stream past and present Victorian Racing meets via the Telstra Digital Video Network.
  
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• Is infidelity a billion-dollar business?

  25-05-2015 03:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Is infidelity a billion-dollar business?
  
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• The generation that tech forgot

  25-05-2015 02:45 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Why tech firms can no longer ignore the over-65s
  
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• BlackBerry jobs to go from software, hardware, apps businesses

  25-05-2015 02:38 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  The Canadian former handset giant announced over the weekend that it will be cutting an unspecified number of workers.
  
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• Mobilising from retail to online

  25-05-2015 02:15 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  One boutique fashion retailer went with cloud-based POS from day one, a decision that, according to owner Ellie Weekley, has made the launch and subsequent day-to-day management of the online store much easier.
  
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• AUDIO: Jimmy Wales: 'I'm pathologically optimistic"

  25-05-2015 00:24 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales tells Radio 4's Desert Island Discs he should surround himself with more pessimistic people.
  
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