Technology news

• Elon Musk: upgrade to Tesla Model S car makes it 'faster than falling'

  17-07-2015 22:33 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Musk announces Tesla Motors will debut a new roadster in four years and says upgrade to current Model S means car can go zero to 60mph in just 2.8 secondsElon Musk has made it official: his electric car company, Tesla Motors, is planning to debut an unnamed new Roadster in four years, and it won’t be based on the Lotus like the last one.But Musk isn’t done with the old cars yet. The electric tech mogul held a press conference on Friday to tell reporters how fast his old car goes with its new
  
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• Microsoft gears up for Cortana on Android preview

  17-07-2015 20:59 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Microsoft's offer to get an early version of its Cortana app for Android into the hands of a limited number of testers has resulted in the code leaking.
  
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• Apache Atlas, Parquet progress; Whirr retired

  17-07-2015 20:09 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Data governance and columnar storage gain in prominence. Scripted cloud deployment of Hadoop clusters becomes redundant.
  
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• Mac Tips: How to delete locked files on Mac

  17-07-2015 19:00
  
  Got an Apple, Mac or iOS tech question? We have the answer. This time we have a reader who wants to know how to get rid of files that he's tossed into his Mac's Trash but can't be deleted because they have "protected" status. We'll show you how to get rid of such files with a few simple steps.QuestionI have a 21-inch iMac and have recently moved some of the files from my backup disc to the trash, but they won't delete. I'm getting a message saying that they are protected. Is their any
  
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• Users' data compromised after technical glitch at Home Office contractor

  17-07-2015 18:55 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  VFS Global, which provides visa services on behalf of the UK, released online application forms that allowed users to access other people’s data
  A contractor that provides visa services on behalf of governments around the world, including the UK, has suffered a serious technical glitch that allowed personal data to be compromised. VFS Global, which acts for around 45 governments, released online application forms this week that used sequential reference numbers, allowing users to access other
  
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• PC shipments tank in Europe, Middle East and Asia

  17-07-2015 18:12
  
  Although some data suggests a stagnant global PC market, research from analyst firm IDC indicates an ongoing decline of dramatic proportions. PC shipments in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) declined 21.6% during the second quarter of 2015, compared with the same quarter last year. This is just 17.2 million units, comprising both laptops and desktops. Neither type of device was immune to the shipment decline. Laptop shipments slipped to 18.5%, while desktop shipments declined 26.4%. HP
  
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• Explained: How to create a timelapse video

  17-07-2015 17:40
  
  IntroductionAll videos are simply still images viewed in sequence one after another, usually at 25 frames per second. With a timelapse, we simply prolong the capture time by taking a photo every few seconds. When stitched together into a video sequence, the stills play back at that high frame rate, creating a clip that shows the passing of several minutes or even hours in a few seconds.It's a magical effect that works particularly well on landscapes with moving clouds, but you can use it for oth
  
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• High court quashes regulations allowing people to copy CDs

  17-07-2015 17:33 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Move follows judge’s recent ruling that government was legally mistaken in deciding not to introduce compensation scheme for musicians who faced lossesThe high court has quashed regulations introduced by the government to allow members of the public to lawfully copy CDs and other copyright material bought for their own private use. The move follows a judge’s recent ruling that the government was legally incorrect in deciding not to introduce a compensation scheme for songwriters, musicians a
  
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• A candle and some water could keep your phone charged in an emergency

  17-07-2015 17:12
  
  During a disaster, there are few options for charging the electronic devices that are so important to our modern lives. But now there's one more, courtesy of a company called Stower, and this one depends on very basic elements.It's kickstarting a 'Candle Charger' that exploits a nifty physics trick to charge any USB-powered device using just fire and water. That trick is the thermoelectric effect - a property of certain semiconductors. The effect turns a thermal gradient - when one part of the m
  
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• Freedom of Information Act review 'may curb access to government papers'

  17-07-2015 17:08 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Conservatives announce cross-party commission, which will be asked to decide whether act is too expensive and overly intrusiveMinisters have launched a cross-party review of the Freedom of Information Act that is likely to be viewed as an attempt to curb public access to government documents. The move comes just hours after papers released on Friday under FOI disclosed that British pilots have been involved in bombing in Syria.Matthew Hancock, the Cabinet Office minister, laid a statement before
  
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• Crash involving self-driving Google car injures three employees

  17-07-2015 16:56 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Driverless car hit while stationary in traffic by human driver travelling at 17mph in another vehicle, resulting in the first self-driving car injuriesThree Google employees have been injured in a crash involving one of the company’s self-driving cars.Google revealed the accident happened on 1 July when its car was rear-ended while stationary on a public road in Mountain View, California. Continue reading...
  
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• Two thirds of our readers plan to upgrade to Windows 10 in 2015

  17-07-2015 16:56
  
  In the build up to the launch of Windows 10 in 12 days, we have produced a series of polls – to be more precise - related to Microsoft's forthcoming operating system.Our first poll was about whether our readers will upgrade to Windows 10 in 2015. Given that the OS will be available for free to a year for people who run genuine versions of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, results turned out to be surprising to say the least.Only two thirds of the respondents in our survey said that they would upgr
  
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• VIDEO: Useful tips for setting up a VPN

  17-07-2015 16:33 via bbc.co.uk
  
  BBC Click's Kate Russell with her tips for setting up your own virtual private network using a Raspberry Pi.
  
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• Jailed YouTuber seeks UAE pardon

  17-07-2015 16:25 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An American jailed in Dubai without even knowing the charges against him, is seeking a royal pardon from Dubai's ruler
  
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• Chunks of Britain's geology are being recreated in Minecraft

  17-07-2015 16:11
  
  Following in the footsteps of Denmark and Antarctica, parts of the UK are being recreated in Minecraft by the British Geological Survey in an attempt to teach people about the geology beneath our feet.Parts of West Thurrock, York and Ingleborough have been recreated in the blocky videogame using the Ordnance Survey's topographic maps and the British Geological Survey's own data about what lies beneath.The result is six maps - three of each area with just the geology, and three with the landscape
  
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• Hands-on with the Aukey Bluetooth sports earbuds: Can't be beat for just $30

  17-07-2015 15:47 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  If you enjoy listening to music or podcasts while you workout, commute, walk, or relax, then Bluetooth headsets are the way to go. You can now experience wireless music for just $30.
  
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• Sexist, racist – the web hounding of Ellen Pao shows the trolls are winning | Helen Lewis

  17-07-2015 15:46 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  The vilification of the former Reddit chief executive highlights an internet blighted by intolerant white menCould a woman ever have won the affection of Reddit – the closest thing the internet has to a frat house? With the resignation of Ellen Pao as interim chief executive of the link-sharing and discussion site, we may never know. Because which woman would be brave and foolish enough to take on a high-profile role at the site now?In the eight months after taking on the job, Pao did what Red
  
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• Internet surveillance powers are unlawful says judges, but government gets nine months to fix it

  17-07-2015 15:43 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Legislation to enable snooping on email, phone and web data is unlawful and must be rethought - but the court gives the government time to get it fixed.
  
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• Internet surveillance powers are unlawful say judges, but government gets nine months to fix it

  17-07-2015 15:43 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Legislation to enable snooping on email, phone and web data is unlawful and must be rethought - but the court gives the government time to get it fixed.
  
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• Ripping music and films illegal again

  17-07-2015 15:42 via bbc.co.uk
  
  It's now illegal - again - to copy CDs or DVDs you've bought onto your MP3 player, your computer or other devices.
  
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• Week in Tech: Week in Tech: Watch wobbles, HTC M9 whines and sad news from Nintendo

  17-07-2015 15:34
  
  Amazon dominated the tech headlines this week with its Black Friday-esque Prime Day, in which lots of people were offered discounts on things they didn't really want to buy. But while Prime Day shifted stock Apple was uncharacteristically quiet about Apple Watch sales, HTC raised our hopes only to dash them again and a generation of gamers mourned the premature death of a gaming giant.Is the Apple Watch a flop or not? Is the Apple Watch a triumph or a turkey? According to number crunchers Slice
  
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• Is SnapChat-style digital decay on the rise – and should it be welcomed?

  17-07-2015 15:29
  
  Introduction and digital hoardingData is everywhere. While your photos, documents and emails for the last two decades are probably archived and accessible somewhere, your tweets, social media updates, instant messages and blogs are not only on the internet for all time, but fully indexed and searchable by Google. It was the fashion a few years ago to ditch worldly possessions, live out of a laptop and declare yourself a 'digital minimalist'. There were excitable news reports on the 'cult of less
  
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• Five years on, people are really struggling to archive your tweets

  17-07-2015 15:04
  
  140 characters doesn't sound like much, but when half a billion tweets are sent daily it's almost impossible to keep up. That's the conclusion of a researcher tracking the progress of an attempt by the US Library of Congress to archive the entirety of Twitter.The Library made the pledge in 2010, back when the microblogging network was a smaller fish. Even then, there was already a four-year backlog of 21 billion tweets - each with more than 100 bits of metadata accompanying its 140 characters.Ac
  
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• The serious science (and business) of gaming

  17-07-2015 14:45 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The gaming industry has been demonstrating its value as a method of scientific investigation.
  
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• Here are our earliest gaming memories - what's yours?

  17-07-2015 14:30
  
  Games we loved as kidsThis week the gaming community lost a true asset. Nintendo's President, Saturo Iwata, passed away, leaving behind an incredible legacy that impacted on so many of our childhoods. Not only was Iwata a figure of humility and humour, but he genuinely loved games, and a journey through the many 'Iwata Asks' interviews reveals secrets and anecdotes about some of Nintendo's most-loved games and consoles of all time.YouTube : www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFeahp4-L8UThis got us thinking
  
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• Microsoft gives away anti-abuse tool

  17-07-2015 14:14 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Microsoft releases a free tool that lets websites spot when images of child abuse are being shared by users.
  
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• MPs win surveillance powers challenge

  17-07-2015 13:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Two MPs win a High Court battle against the government over laws they say allow police to "spy on citizens" without proper safeguards.
  
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• Spam email levels at 12-year low

  17-07-2015 12:59 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Junk mail or spam has fallen to less than 50% of all the email scanned in June by security firm Symantec.
  
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• Warhammer – a beginner's guide to the legendary battle game

  17-07-2015 11:55 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  It’s brought chaos to kitchen tables for over 30 years. With new update Age of Sigmar on the way, here’s what you need to know about the fantasy wargame
  If you’re remotely interested in strategy gaming, you’ve probably heard of Warhammer. In its 32-year history the tabletop game of fantasy battles has provided a gateway into gaming for generations of players, and it remains one of the most recognisable franchises in the industry.But creator Games Workshop recently brought the game’s th
  
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• Windows 10: updates will be mandatory for home users

  17-07-2015 11:44 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Consumer users of Windows 10 will have no choice but to accept the installation of automatic updates, even if they break software for themMicrosoft’s Windows 10 will force automatic updates on to home users with systems that that cannot be disabled.
  The latest preview build of Windows 10 for home users, which is considered to be the final version due to be released to the public in the very near future, has an automatic Windows Update system that cannot be turned off. Continue reading...
  
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• Sustainable, modular Fairphone 2 hits pre-order

  17-07-2015 11:18 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Fairphone has just opened up orders for its more environment-and-people-friendly mobile.
  
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• How the internet of things can prevent or help you get pregnant

  17-07-2015 09:00 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  With the help of smartphone apps and FitBit-like devices, women can now track and understand their monthly menstrual cycles and pregnancies digitally
  Every morning Kayla Strata takes her temperature using a basal digital thermometer and checks her cervical fluid. She then enters those readings into a smartphone app to determine where she is in her monthly cycle. Known as the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM), this is a way to track ovulation to either help a woman become pregnant or prevent a pre
  
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• ​Telstra turns the car into a Wi-Fi hotspot with 4GX device

  17-07-2015 08:08 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Australians will soon be able to transform their cars and hotel rooms into Wi-Fi hotspots using Telstra's prepaid 4GX car Wi-Fi device.
  
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• Trend Micro discovers Hacking Team Android malware app that avoids Google Play checks

  17-07-2015 06:52 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  A fake news app for Android that dynamically loads and executes a payload has been found in the Hacking Team dump.
  
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• Oculus to purchase Pebbles Interfaces

  17-07-2015 06:30 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  California-based virtual-reality manufacturer Oculus has entered into an agreement that would see the Facebook-owned company acquire Pebbles Interfaces.
  
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• ​Apple, Samsung in talks with GSMA to launch electronic SIM: Report

  17-07-2015 04:33 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  The concept of a SIM card being locked to a single telco could be a thing of the past, when GSMA, together with Apple and Samsung, launches electronic SIM cards.
  
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• Huawei granted approval to make handsets in India: Report

  17-07-2015 03:30 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Huawei Technologies has recently been granted a key approval from the Indian government that paves way for the Chinese telecom giant to make handsets in one of the world's fastest-growing markets for phones.
  
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• Businesses using cloud for simplistic deployment: ABS

  17-07-2015 02:30 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  The Australian Bureau of Statistics 2013-14 Business Characteristics Survey showed that one in five businesses had been using some form of paid cloud computing service.
  
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• Microsoft deal remains sole fruit of NZ government bargaining

  17-07-2015 02:03 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  After more than a year of negotiations, all-of-government contracts with IBM, VMware, Citrix and Oracle are yet to be sealed.
  
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• VIDEO: Enigma machine sold for £149,000

  17-07-2015 01:43 via bbc.co.uk
  
  BBC Click's Nick Kwek looks at some of the best of the week's technology news.
  
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• Review: Pebble Time

  17-07-2015 01:36 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction and displayThe Pebble Time was controversially announced as another Kickstarter project, and still holds the crown for the most funded Kickstarter of all time (for now). With over $20 million pledged, it was clear the little smartwatch hyped fans of the first Pebble watch. It seemed to be the answer for the anti-Apple Watch crowd, partly because of its plucky startup story. The Pebble Time was the answer for those who desired an affordable, cross-platform smartwatch – not to menti
  
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• 'Massive leap' wins engineer award

  17-07-2015 01:13 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An Edinburgh company has won the UK's top engineering prize for its digital hydraulic power system.
  
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• Training robots to play football

  17-07-2015 01:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Why robots kicking each other isn't against the rules at RoboCup - the robot football world cup.
  
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• VIDEO: Robot footballers 'have a lot to learn'

  17-07-2015 01:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A team of robots from the University of Hertfordshire is in training for this year's RoboCup World Championships.
  
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• Fitness tech at work: friend or foe?

  17-07-2015 01:04 via bbc.co.uk
  
  How much does your company know about your fitness ?
  
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• Reddit's 'decency' reckoning has begun. Why are trolls and racists still winning?

  17-07-2015 00:30 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Decision to stop short of a full-on purge of site’s most controversial threads demonstrates awakening within Reddit to a long-acknowledged problem: the site might not be able to survive without themReddit finally began contending with the hate-filled parts of its popular internet free-for-all on Thursday, as new leadership vowed to crack down on the site’s baroque selection of pornography and to isolate other “content that violates a common sense of decency”. Dozens of so-called “subre
  
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• Google beats expectations in ad revenue profit for first time in six quarters

  17-07-2015 00:10 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Company posts better-than-expected profit as it announces 11% rise in advertising revenue in call to investors with new CFO Ruth PoratGoogle finally ended its losing streak on Thursday when it beat expectations and posted better-than-expected profit for the first time in six quarters. The company’s advertising revenue jumped 11% from last year to $16.02bn. Its consolidated revenue rose 11% to $17.73bn. The number of ads, or paid clicks, increased by 18%. Continue reading...
  
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• Reddit to hide 'abhorrent' content

  17-07-2015 00:05 via bbc.co.uk
  
  It will be more difficult to find "abhorrent" content posted to community news site Reddit, the site's chief executive announces.
  
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