Technology news

• Spells broken: Etsy bans sale of 'metaphysical services'

  18-06-2015 23:47
  
  Vendors of the supernatural can sell tangible items as long as they do not claim objects can induce weight loss or love, the arts and crafts marketplace statesSelling the services of demons on Etsy, from Astaroth to Zagan, is unacceptable to the arts and crafts marketplace. The recently public company had previously done a brisk trade in weight loss spells, ex-lover-shaped voodoo dolls, and philtres of various descriptions, but no more.“Any metaphysical service that promises or suggests it wil
  
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• Hands-on review: HP Pavilion x2 (2015)

  18-06-2015 23:39 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  With Windows 10's release coming just around the bend on July 29, it's a bit fitting to see HP introduce a new 10-inch tablet-PC hybrid. Christened the HP Pavilion x2, this 2-in-1 laptop comes with a big redesign along with some refreshed internals and a newfangled USB type C port for charging.Priced at $300 or £250 (about AU$383), the HP Pavilion x2 will come this July 21 as a direct competitor to the $499 (£419, AU$699) Surface 3. Not only do these to machine share a similar screen size, the
  
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• Fitbit shares soar on market debut

  18-06-2015 22:32 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Shares in the wearable technology maker Fitbit soar on its first day of trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
  
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• Google eyes British partnership to buy firm behind Tesco's Clubcard

  18-06-2015 21:57
  
  US technology giant aims to join forces with Permira for Dunnhumby, which the supermarket is selling off to help raise £5bn Google is considering teaming up with British private equity firm Permira to launch a bid for the business that runs Tesco’s Clubcard.The US technology firm is believed to be on a longlist of 10 parties considering a bid for Tesco unit Dunnhumby next month. Continue reading...
  
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• Can Etsy's new foundation shake up the meaning of business?

  18-06-2015 21:27
  
  The craft site is having difficulties post-IPO but its new foundation, Etsy.org, is taking aim at finance, spirituality and the role of business in societyMatt Stinchcomb doesn’t really like to think of his approach to business as sustainable.The word, he said, suggests a desire to preserve current conditions for the future. But he doesn’t want his work to keep the world the same, he said. He wants to make it better.Continue reading...
  
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• Oracle puts former HP exec Donatelli in charge of hardware unit

  18-06-2015 21:07 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  David Donatelli, who used to lead HP's enterprise unit, will oversee Oracle's engineered systems such as Exadata, server, storage and networking gear.
  
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• More low-income Americans to get high-speed internet thanks to FCC

  18-06-2015 21:06
  
  Lifeline measure subsidises broadband bills for poor households, whose lack of access shuts children out of schools and keeps adults away from vital dataHigh-speed internet access could now be more accessible to low-income Americans after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) passed a measure on Thursday to subsidise their internet bills.Fewer than half of American households making less than $25,000 a year have internet access. The FCC voted 3-2 to expand a Reagan-era measure called Lifel
  
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• Suspend Uber from London, minicab firms say after claims of flawed driver checks

  18-06-2015 19:41
  
  Lawyers for minicab firms tell Transport for London that Uber’s system for checking drivers’ documents puts the public at riskMinicab operators have called on Transport for London to immediately suspend upstart US rival Uber from operating in the capital, after a Guardian investigation raised questions about the robustness of its approval procedures for driver documents.Lawyers representing the Licensed Private Hire Car Association (LPHCA), representing companies that employ 15,000 drivers,
  
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• Huge fine for AT&T over speed brakes

  18-06-2015 19:37 via bbc.co.uk
  
  US telecoms company AT&T faces a $100m (£63m) fine for slowing down the internet speeds of millions of customers on unlimited data plans without informing them.
  
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• Playing mindgames in a neuroscience, art and tech vision of the future

  18-06-2015 18:09
  
  A gaming novice, I approached Brendan Walker’s Oscillate ‘ride’ and Karen Palmer’s Syncself 2 neurogame with trepidation, but came away a convertI’ll put my hands up: I’m not a gamer, and I have never used a virtual reality headset before. It was therefore with some apprehension as well as genuine excitement that I approached playing in the Virtual Reality Arcade and Interactive Exhibition at Sheffield Doc/Fest.Oscillate is the brainchild of Brendan Walker. A former military aeronaut
  
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• RBS sorry for IT glitch but makes no promises for future

  18-06-2015 17:57
  
  Royal Bank of Scotland executive Simon McNamara says staff working around the clock to sort payments crash but no system is failsafeRoyal Bank of Scotland cannot rule out suffering another meltdown in its computer systems despite pledging to spend £150m a year making them more resilient, one of the bank’s most senior executives said on Thursday.With the bank still battling to put 600,000 payments into customer accounts that went missing on Wednesday, the bank’s chief administrative off
  
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• Review: Lenovo ThinkPad E555

  18-06-2015 17:55 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction and designLenovo purchased the ThinkPad product portfolio from IBM a decade ago and has maintained the brand ever since. The company refreshed the entry-level enterprise laptop range, the E-series, and dropped the Edge name from it. The latest addition to it, the ThinkPad E555, follows the path of its predecessor, rigorously sticking to the design guidelines of the ThinkPad family.A word here to mention the fact that this particular model faces some stiff competition from one of its
  
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• Is Apple the future of radio? – Tech Weekly podcast

  18-06-2015 17:28
  
  Apple has promised to 'change the way we experience music forever'. But how?Last week Apple announced its long awaited plans to launch their own music streaming service. But its plans to incorporate a global radio station have left some fearing for the future of traditional music radio. Can they hope to compete with the commercial might of Apple? Olly Mann is joined by the controller of Radio 1, Ben Cooper, who tells us how he feels about Apple's new radio station 'Beats One' stealing some of hi
  
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• Cuba to expand ​internet access to battle country's dire lack of connectivity

  18-06-2015 17:14
  
  Thirty-five new Wi-Fi points with low usage costs will be a notable step in making online life easier in one of the world’s least-connected countriesCuba has announced plans to expand internet access by adding Wi-Fi capacity to dozens of state-run internet centers and more than halving the cost that users pay for an hour online.The announcement published in Thursday’s edition of the newspaper Juventud Rebelde is the first significant expansion of the internet in Cuba since President Barack O
  
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• Roger Moore backs children's fairytales app in aid of Unicef

  18-06-2015 16:00
  
  Veteran actor enlisted friends Ewan McGregor, Stephen Fry and Joan Collins for GivingTales collection of Hans Christian Andersen stories“I had one of the first Apple computers, God knows how many years ago, maybe 30 years ago, when it all started. And I could dictate into the machine, and I dictated swear words, it would translate them phonetically. I remember Gregory Peck was staying with us. He was horrified! ‘This is disgusting, Roger,’ he said …”Sir Roger Moore: tech early adopter.
  
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• BBC reveals mind control experiment – for choosing what to watch next

  18-06-2015 15:39
  
  Broadcaster’s latest prototype taps viewers’ brainwaves to choose what to choose next on its iPlayer catch-up servicePaging the Daily Mail: BBC in mind-control shock! Except this story is unlikely to become a front-page scandal, since it involves viewers’ brainwaves controlling their TVs, rather than the other way around.The broadcaster has revealed details of its latest tech experiment, which involved working with digital agency This Place to create a “Mind Control TV” prototype for u
  
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• Alibaba and Foxconn join SoftBank to invest millions in robotic industry

  18-06-2015 15:27 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Jack Ma refers to the new emotional robot model "Pepper" as the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
  
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• False flags, red herrings and wild goose chases: Why unmasking hackers is harder than ever

  18-06-2015 15:07 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Security companies and their customers are increasingly playing the attribution game - the battle to identify the world's most sophisticated hackers.
  
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• Hands-on review: DxO One

  18-06-2015 15:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction and featuresDxO has a background in creating software for correcting optical and digital imperfections in images. As well as offering desktop software to make these corrections, the company's technology is found in around 300 million imaging devices, including many popular mobile phones. DxO is also the company that produces the software that we use to analyse camera performance. This means that it has an in-depth understanding of optics and image quality, as well as how to correct
  
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• Battery-swap electric scooter debuts

  18-06-2015 14:27 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An electric scooter with swappable batteries is to go on sale in Taiwan priced $4,140 (£2,600).
  
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• Pepper robot to go on sale to public

  18-06-2015 14:19 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Pepper, the humanoid robot that its makers say can recognise and respond to human emotions, goes on sale in Japan this weekend.
  
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• ​Jenkins tightens its Docker ties with set of container plugins

  18-06-2015 14:00 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Six new Docker-related plugins represent a step-up in the integration and automation between open-source tool Jenkins and the widely-used container technology.
  
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• Hands-on review: Toshiba Satellite Radius 15 (2015)

  18-06-2015 14:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Hate Windows 8.1 all you want but don't deny that it hasn't changed Windows laptops as we once knew them. Thanks to the focus on touch functionality with Microsoft's last operating system, touchscreens and 2-in-1 hybrids have become all the rage. Now with Windows 10 on the horizon, we're finally starting to see the first few drops of change in what's sure to be a storm of evolution in the next few years.Yesterday, Toshiba introduced a whole new lineup of machines and what they all share in commo
  
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• Hands-on review: Toshiba Satellite L

  18-06-2015 14:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction and designToshiba's 15.6-inch Satellite L ($529.99, about £259, AU$640), which is intended for students, is designed to compete in a vast market. Excellent laptops, like the affordable Acer Chromebook 15 C910 ($499.99, £249, AU$620) or the sleek, luxurious and expensive 13-inch MacBook Air ($999, £249, AU$620) for example are both capable of providing high schoolers and collegians with enjoyable experiences that are suitable on the go. Obviously, student laptops come in all shape
  
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• Hands-on review: Toshiba Satellite C

  18-06-2015 14:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Toshiba's 15.6-inch Satellite C ($395, about £250, AU$511) is an affordable student laptop that punches much higher than its price tag. It competes in a space largely occupied by Chromebooks, such as the eerily similar Acer Chromebook 15 C910 ($499.99, £249, AU$620), but it's also hoping to compete with even cheaper Windows machines, like the 15-inch Lenovo IdeaPad 100 ($299, £250, AU$387). You won't get much accomplished on a laptop like the Satellite C. It's meant for web browsing and Solit
  
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• Hands-on review: HP Envy 15 (2015)

  18-06-2015 14:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  HP has always presented its Envy series up as a range of higher-end laptops that are still within reach of the everyman. So it's not too surprising to see how this series has produced mixed results, whether it's a plastic creaky frame or dismal screen resolution.This year, however, HP has pulled out all the stops to make a better all-around machine that's lighter and thinner, all while delivering better battery life. It might sound like the usual slew of marketing promises, but the HP Envy 15 is
  
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• Yes, androids do dream of electric sheep

  18-06-2015 13:57
  
  Google sets up feedback loop in its image recognition neural network - which looks for patterns in pictures - creating hallucinatory images of animals, buildings and landscapes which veer from beautiful to terrifyingWhat do machines dream of? New images released by Google give us one potential answer: hypnotic landscapes of buildings, fountains and bridges merging into one.The pictures, which veer from beautiful to terrifying, were created by the company’s image recognition neural network, whi
  
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• Engineers, unless we wave our arms a bit we'll never inspire the next generation

  18-06-2015 13:21
  
  Today I was thrilled to be announced as the recipient of this year’s Royal Academy of Engineering Rooke Award, but I’m concerned that engineering in general is hiding in plain sightPicture the scene. We’re filming a TV documentary called Dambusters: Building the Bouncing Bomb, doing the first test drop of our “bomb”. But when the drop cable gets badly tangled, filming grinds to a halt and it looks like the show may be cancelled. Ian, the director, is pacing around with his phone in han
  
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• WeChat faces shut down in Taiwan

  18-06-2015 12:54 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  Chinese technology giant Tencent may face penalties including pulling out business of the island if Taiwanese authorities deem it failed to register properly its popular messaging app WeChat.
  
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• WeChat faces shutdown in Taiwan

  18-06-2015 12:54 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Chinese technology giant Tencent may face penalties, including ceasing its business on the island, if Taiwanese authorities deem it failed to register properly its popular messaging app WeChat.
  
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• Google's new Nest Cam is always watching, if you let it into your home

  18-06-2015 12:53
  
  Live-streaming video camera stores up to 30 days of video with audio in the cloud and performs advanced analysis of itGoogle has released another product in its Nest Internet of Things lineup. This time it’s an internet-streaming home security camera, which means Google could be watching your every move, if you let it.
  The Nest Cam, leaked a week before its official unveiling, is the product of another Google acquisition – Dropcam. Continue reading...
  
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• EFF data protection report criticises WhatsApp but praises Apple

  18-06-2015 12:26
  
  Electric Frontier Foundation’s ‘Who Has Your Back’ ratings give full marks to Dropbox, while messaging service is criticised for data request policies
  Apple, Dropbox and Automattic are amongst the companies earning a five-star rating for their defence of user data in the latest edition of the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s annual report, “Who has your back?”The report, which assesses companies on five criteria, ranging from their support for pro-privacy public policy to their discl
  
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• VIDEO: Woman's bionic hand 'most realistic'

  18-06-2015 11:53 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A new hi-tech bionic hand created using Formula 1 and military technology has been designed in Britain with the hope of transforming lives across the world.
  
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• 10 tips for more efficient printing

  18-06-2015 11:46 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  The paperless office may never happen, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be efficient with your printing strategy.
  
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• VIDEO: The car that knows your thoughts

  18-06-2015 11:44 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Spencer Kelly drives a car that looks to anticipate his wishes
  
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• Gaming firms defend paid-for extras

  18-06-2015 11:28 via bbc.co.uk
  
  With nearly every new release now offering extra downloadable content, Newsbeat’s been looking into what it means for gamers.
  
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• Wearable fitness gadget maker Fitbit valued at more than £2.5bn

  18-06-2015 11:26
  
  Company prepares for strong start as listed company after selling nearly 11m fitness tracking devices last yearWearable fitness gadget maker Fitbit has been valued at more than $4bn (£2.5bn) as it prepares for a flying start as a listed company.The firm, which makes wristbands that track a user’s daily steps and calories burned, priced its shares at a higher-than-expected $20 each on Wednesday night. It will raise around $732m (£463m). Continue reading...
  
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• Canada government websites taken down in cyber attack

  18-06-2015 11:01
  
  Hacking group Anonymous takes responsibility for bringing down the website for government services and the Canadian spy agency’s siteSeveral Canadian government websites and servers were taken down in a cyber attack on Wednesday, with the hacking group Anonymous taking responsibility in what it said was retaliation for a new anti-terrorism law passed by Canada’s politicians. The general website for government services, canada.ca, as well as the site of Canada’s spy agency, the Canadian Sec
  
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• Which version of Microsoft Office should I buy for university?

  18-06-2015 10:43
  
  Gran has bought her granddaughter a laptop for her university work, and now she needs a copy of Microsoft Office. What’s the best package? Continue reading...
  
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• Uber driver ruled to be an employee: Report

  18-06-2015 09:15 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Taxi-booking company Uber has reportedly been ordered by the California Labor Commission to pay more than $4,000 in expenses to a driver who it deemed to be an employee.
  
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• 15m households 'do not get the promised broadband speed'

  18-06-2015 08:00
  
  Research by Which? shows ‘poor’ levels of broadband service across the UKThree quarters of British households aren’t getting the promised speeds on their broadband package according to research, which found the problem affects over 15 million households.While 90% of those polled by Which? said speed was an important factor when choosing a provider, the consumer group found just 26% of households with fixed broadband connections were getting the speeds they were paying for. Continue reading
  
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• Australian agencies accessing metadata more than ever before

  18-06-2015 07:53 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  A long-awaited report into Australian government agencies accessing telecommunications data has revealed a 1.2 percent jump in authorisations for data in the last financial year.
  
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• Google, Microsoft, Mozilla team up for WebAssembly binary format for the web

  18-06-2015 07:28 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  In a bid to lower parsing time for web applications, a W3C community group has created a new compilation target for web browsers.
  
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• Competition: Win! One of two Roccat Kave XTD headsets

  18-06-2015 06:07
  
  When it comes to a premium gaming experience, sound is the most underrated factor. Whether you want to be completely immersed in a world, or you're more concerned with making sure you hear your opponent before they hear you, a quality headset is a must for any self-respecting gamer.Fortunately, Roccat has given us two Kave XTD headsets to give away, so you could be about to up your game in a major way.Retailing for $299 each, these cans provide supreme comfort for extended sessions. Plus, pair t
  
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• Hands-on review: Canon G3 X

  18-06-2015 06:00
  
  Introduction and handlingCanon's Powershot G-series cameras are aimed at enthusiast photographers who want a compact camera with the type of control that they expect from an SLR in a smaller unit. The G3X is the latest addition to the line, slipping in between the Canon G7 X and the G1 X Mark II.Although it has the rectangular shape that we expect with a compact camera, the new Canon Powershot G3X isn't a huge amount smaller than some modern SLRs, but it has the equivalent of a 24-600mm lens bui
  
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• Canon defies conventions with its new G3 X compact superzoom

  18-06-2015 06:00
  
  The G3 X has been an open secret for some time and we've been featuring it for months on our camera rumors page – but now Canon has announced it officially. The headline feature is its 25x optical zoom, offering the equivalent of 24-600mm. There are lots of compact travel zoom cameras like the Panasonic TZ70, say, that go even further, while top bridge cameras like the Canon SX60 HS and Nikon P900 offer 65x and 83x optical zooms respectively.But the point about the G3 X is that it offers a big
  
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• Dallas Buyers Club wants to know torrenters' wage and download history

  18-06-2015 04:30 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  'Are you now, or have you ever been, a torrenter?' is just one question that Voltage Pictures is seeking to ask people alleged to have illicitly downloaded Dallas Buyers Club.
  
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• Encrypting data at rest is vital, but it's just not happening

  18-06-2015 03:47 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Regulators and security strategists recommend encrypting data at rest, but few organisations do it, and most get it wrong. Good thing there are bigger problems to tackle first.
  
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• Intel picks up Canadian wearables maker Recon Instruments

  18-06-2015 03:29 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Canadian wearables technology company Recon Instruments has been acquired by Intel for an undisclosed amount.
  
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• VIDEO: Gamer headset 'tackles motion sickness'

  18-06-2015 02:18 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Oculus VR founder Brendan Iribe says the company has overcome motion sickness with Virtual Reality.
  
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