Technology news

• Silk Road operator Ross Ulbricht sentenced to life in prison

  29-05-2015 22:02 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Thirty-one-year-old behind illegal online drug emporium handed five sentences – including two for life – to be served concurrently with no chance of parole Continue reading...
  
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• More than 10,000 websites 'blackout' Congress in protest of NSA surveillance laws

  29-05-2015 18:31 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Fight for the Future provides code to block access from congressional IP addresses amid debate to re-authorize Patriot Act or pass USA Freedom Act Continue reading...
  
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• Hands-on review: Google Photos

  29-05-2015 18:30 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  So what is Google Photos?Google Photos was announced at the company's Google IO 2015 event in San Francisco, and it offers photographers free, unlimited storage (with file size restrictions – see below) and the ability to see, organize and edit their photos on any device, anywhere.It's a standalone spin-off from the Google+ Photos service, so although the basic premise is similar, you no longer have to subscribe to Google's complex and unloved social networking platform to save, show and manag
  
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• Tim Berners-Lee urges Britain to fight 'snooper's charter'

  29-05-2015 17:16 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Inventor of world wide web also advised developing world to ‘just say no’ to Facebook’s Internet.org schemeTim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the world wide web, has urged Britons to fight the government’s plans to extend the country’s surveillance powers, and act as a worldwide leader for promoting good governance on the web.
  Berners-Lee said Britain had “lost the moral leadership” on privacy and surveillance, following the revelations of the former National Security Agency contract
  
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• Updated: 7 best 2-in-1 laptops 2015: top hybrid laptops reviewed

  29-05-2015 17:07
  
  Best 2-in-1 laptopsMicrosoft's Windows 8 didn't just shake up the company's entire software empire, but the mobile computing industry as well.Given the dualistic nature of the new Windows, laptop and tablet makers responded in kind with devices commonly known as 2-in-1 laptops, or hybrid laptops.These are devices that are able to serve as both a laptop and a tablet, either in a detachable design that sees the touchscreen doubling as a tablet, or a convertible approach in which the notebook's hin
  
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• Review: EE Harrier Mini

  29-05-2015 16:59
  
  Introduction and designWith its £99 price tag and sub-5-inch display, the EE Harrier Mini is clearly the direct successor to last year's EE Kestrel. But has the market for affordable, respectably built 4G phones moved on too much for the UK network's new phone to wow in the same way?If you cast your mind back to early 2014, access to the UK's emerging 4G networks was reserved for high-end phones with premium specs and price points. EE changed all of that with the EE Kestrel.Here was a phone tha
  
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• James Watt and the sabbath stroll that created the industrial revolution

  29-05-2015 16:48 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  On a spring Sunday in May 250 years ago, the Scottish engineer had a stroke of mechanical inspiration – and changed the world Continue reading...
  
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• VIDEO: 3D printing boost for prosthetics

  29-05-2015 16:43 via bbc.co.uk
  
  How 3D printing has the potential to transform medicine
  
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• Fifa 16: it is not scandalous to include women's football

  29-05-2015 16:35 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  EA Sports has spent development time making its Fifa games more inclusive and representational – predictably, there has been an online backlash
  You might not be aware of this, but there are currently two Fifa scandals going on. One is an astonishing tale of corruption, bribery and cover-up over many years.
  Sepp Blatter suggested that hotpants would significantly improve the women’s game by making it more fun to watch Continue reading...
  
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• Your brain is wired the same way that Facebook is

  29-05-2015 16:31
  
  Neuroscientists from the University of California have discovered that during quiet moments, our brains prepare us for being socially connected to other people.In experiments, the researchers showed people photos with captions while tracking their brain activity. In one set of photos, the captions described the mental state of the person depicted, while the captions of the other set merely described the picture. A third set showed the number of the picture accompanied by a mathematical equation.
  
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• Week in Tech: Week in Tech: Google IO steals the show with Android M, Brillo, and brilliant Photos

  29-05-2015 16:07
  
  This week everything's gone Googly: we've seen a host of announcements from Google on Android M, Android Pay, virtual reality and Google Maps too. There's even a search algorithm that can detect accents and change search results accordingly. But while Google hogged most of the headlines this week, we also saw some interesting moves at Apple, and tech provided FIFA with its only good press this week. Google IO: all about Android MGoogle IO is the search and software giant's annual event for devel
  
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• Review: EE Harrier

  29-05-2015 16:06
  
  Introduction and designEE launched its first own-brand smartphone last year named the EE Kestrel.Also bearing an avianname, this handset was a rebrand of the Huawei Ascend G6, and was very much a contender at the low end of the market, baring little other than 4G connectivity.This year, EE has debuted two new handsets that keep the bird-theme alive:the Harrier and Harrier Mini.I've been having a look at the larger of the two handsets to see whether it can find a foothold in the middle market.The
  
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• 'No plans' to make smartwatches legal while driving, says Government

  29-05-2015 15:35
  
  New technology means the law has to adapt, and sometimes that can take quite a while. Smartwatches are in the position right now where not many understand the legality of their use, especially on the roads. A Canadian man was fined earlier this week for using his Apple Watch while driving, to the surprise of man - so we investigated what the case was in the UK.The Department for Transport responded with a resounding no. A spokesman said, "Drivers must give their full attention to the road,
  
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• Buying Guide: 10 best iPad Air 2 cases 2015

  29-05-2015 15:30
  
  Best iPad Air 2 casesApple released the iPad Air 2 to great fanfare in October last year, bettering its predecessor by shaving off precious millimetres to take it down to a dizzying 6.1mm thick; improving the screen's colour and fidelity; including the Touch ID sensor, and bumping up the power with Apple's latest A8X chip to round off the winning package.Unlike previous iPads, the iPad Air 2 has exactly the same bezel sizes, but the thinner form means that many cases compatible with the original
  
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• How to charge your smartwatch with your trousers

  29-05-2015 15:22
  
  A team of renewable energy researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a type of solar cell that can be woven into fabric, harvesting energy when exposed to the sun.The cells are made using a mineral called perovskite, which makes them not only cheap but also extremely efficient. Normal, flat cells made from this material have an impressive efficiency of 20%, and can be made 400 times thinner than conventional silicon cells.Weaving the cells into thread is no easy task though. T
  
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• Thanks to lasers, we're learning more about dinosaurs

  29-05-2015 15:15
  
  Palaeontologists hunting for new information about dinosaurs have a powerful new tool to add to their arsenal: lasers.A team at the University of Kansas has used commercial-grade lasers to scan fossil samples. The resulting scans reveal complex details that can't be seen with traditional visual enhancers like ultraviolet light. The price of laser technology has dropped significantly over the past decade, allowing researchers to more easily access the kind of medium-power short wavelength lasers
  
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• Russian internet 'troll' sues former employer

  29-05-2015 14:48 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Lyudmila Savchuk says lawsuit will shed light on secretive practice of paying people to post political comments online. The Moscow Times reports Continue reading...
  
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• Updated: LG G4 release date: where can I get it?

  29-05-2015 14:48
  
  The LG G4 has started to ship, so whether you're taken by the plastic version or fancy splashing out on a leather backed model we've got all the details you need right here.Read our extended hands on: LG G4 reviewCarphone WarehouseThe high street retailer has the LG G4 in stock and on sale right now, with a free leather backed handset in black (exclusive to Carphone) or brown setting you back £35 per month. It's also offering the grey, plastic backed model - but it doesn't look or feel anywhere
  
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• From MouthOff to Monument Valley: ustwo's path to apps fame

  29-05-2015 14:21 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  The inventive London-based studio is planning more games and music-industry moves, as well as investment in startups, in a drive to never be second-guessedIn January, creative studio ustwo made a splash by releasing sales figures for its Monument Valley mobile game.The game and its Forgotten Shores expansion had cost $1.4m to make, but more than 2.4m sales generated revenue of nearly $5.9m, while the game scooped sackfuls of awards. Related: The best apps of 2014 for Android, iPhone and iPadRela
  
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• Ross Ulbricht begs judge: 'Please leave light at end of tunnel' with sentencing

  29-05-2015 14:11 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Convicted Silk Road operator asks judge for leniency as prosecutors demand lengthy sentence to set example for would-be deep web entrepreneurs Continue reading...
  
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• Microsoft Universal Mobile Keyboard is the best in class (review)

  29-05-2015 13:56 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  It's not just good for typing, it's a real writer's keyboard.
  
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• ​Equinix to buy UK datacentre rival Telecity for £2.35bn

  29-05-2015 13:53 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  US datacentre giant Equinix will buy Telecity to become the biggest datacentre player in Europe's growing enterprise cloud market.
  
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• Porn, adware found on FBI web domain

  29-05-2015 13:50 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Porn and adwarehave briefly taken over several web domains formerly owned by the FBI and used them to direct people to adware and malware sites.
  
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• Destiny: House Of Wolves review

  29-05-2015 13:31 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  PS3/4, Xbox One/360; Activision; £19.99 Continue reading...
  
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• Hatred: gaming's most contrived controversy

  29-05-2015 13:23 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Soon-to-be-released Hatred has already garnered column inches and been banned from streaming service Twitch. Not bad for a schlock-horror clicheYou have to hand it to Polish studio, Destructive Creations – it set out to build a narrative of controversy and rebellion from the start, and it succeeded. In October 2014, the team released a ludicrous trailer for its isometric third-person shooter, Hatred. A gravel-voiced killer is pictured gathering an arsenal of weapons with which to embark on a m
  
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• Encryption 'key to free speech'

  29-05-2015 12:59 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Encryption software that makes it hard to spy on what people do and say online is "essential" for free speech, says a UN report.
  
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• ​Microsoft clamps down on high app prices in Windows Store

  29-05-2015 12:41 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  If your Windows Store app is more expensive than a comparable rivals, Microsoft may give it the boot.
  
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• iPhone text crash bug hits Twitter and Snapchat

  29-05-2015 12:38 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Unfixed iOS bug allows booby-trapped messages to break Snapchat text chat and can be sent via Twitter direct messages or mentions Apple’s text messaging bug that can crash iPhones with simple text also affects Twitter and permanently breaks Snapchat text chat.
  The bug, which causes Apple’s text handling system to choke on certain characters from Arabic, Marathi and Chinese and crashes the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch or Mac, also affects apps running on iOS. Continue reading...
  
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• ​Apple snaps up augmented reality firm Metaio

  29-05-2015 11:24 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  The race to dominate augmented reality is heating up with Apple buying AR firm Metaio.
  
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• First Minecraft magazine to launch in the UK

  29-05-2015 11:15 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Dennis Publishing strikes deal with Mojang, creator of building game, with first print run set for 45,000 copies Continue reading...
  
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• Good Math, book review: Challenging concepts, well explained

  29-05-2015 10:30 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  More accessible than Hofstadter or Martin Gardner's classic mathematical columns, Good Math is a fun, if demanding, introduction to the strange, fascinating fundamental concepts of mathematics that underpin programming.
  
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• Dimension Data sends 76 Australian jobs offshore

  29-05-2015 08:46 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  NTT-owned Dimension Data has moved a number of its Australian support delivery jobs overseas.
  
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• Google makes Android more family-friendly with new features for parents

  29-05-2015 08:18 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Apps for kids have own sections on the Google Play store, plus pages for Peppa Pig, Frozen, Star Wars and other brands Continue reading...
  
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• Japan remains Google Play's top country by revenue

  29-05-2015 07:39 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  App Annie has said the vast majority of revenue on Google Play is made from Japan, the United States, and South Korea
  
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• Apple publishes recovery instructions for bug that crashes iOS devices

  29-05-2015 06:26 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  iMessage issue solved by asking Siri to read and reply to unread messages – but it’s only a temporary fix in advance of full software update Continue reading...
  
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• Ingogo closes AU$12 million Series C funding round

  29-05-2015 03:33 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  With public listing imminent, Australian taxi app and mobile payments platform, Ingogo has taken its total funding to AU$12 million
  
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• Australian government to auction regional 1800MHz spectrum

  29-05-2015 03:10 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  4G services in regional and remote Australia could get a shot in the arm with government plans to auction spectrum in the 1800MHz band for use in regional and remote locations of Australia by the end of this year.
  
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• Marine Rescue Queensland trains squadrons with Office 365

  29-05-2015 01:27 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Marine Rescue Queensland has begun managing and triaining the 1,500 volunteers across the state using Microsoft Office 365.
  
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• VIDEO: Robotic roach acts as aircraft carrier

  29-05-2015 01:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  BBC Click's LJ Rich looks at some of the best of the week's technology news.
  
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• VIDEO: House viewings streamed on Periscope

  29-05-2015 01:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A Cambridgeshire property director says he is "blown away" by the success of streaming house viewings on Periscope.
  
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• North Korean hackers 'could kill'

  29-05-2015 01:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Pyongyang's hackers are capable of attacks that could destroy critical infrastructure and even kill people, a high-profile defector warns.
  
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• Looking for the future workplace

  29-05-2015 01:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Is the future workplace a shiny tech paradise or robot led dystopia?
  
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