Technology news

• VIDEO: What is Google's Project Jacquard?

  24-07-2015 22:52 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Google senior executive Regina Dugan discuses the projects coming out of the Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) unit
  
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• Review: JBL Charge 2 Plus

  24-07-2015 21:55 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Smaller Bluetooth speakers have worked against this stigma for years: because of their size, they can't be taken seriously by music lovers looking for a loud, rich sound. By and large, these miniature speakers still have a long road ahead of them before that association is dissolved. But JBL proves that with the Charge 2+, it's leading the way into the future of mini yet mighty Bluetooth speakers.The $149 (£149, about AU$202, although not available in AU at the time of press) speaker might not
  
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• VIDEO: The bag designed to thwart terrorists

  24-07-2015 21:04 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists have developed what they're describing as a bomb proof material that could be a major step forward in aircraft security.
  
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• Vodafone says it would invest if BT's broadband arm becomes separate firm

  24-07-2015 20:51 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Company joins calls for BT and Openreach to be split to share fibre-optic cables between providers as Ofcom reviews broadband market
  Vodafone has fuelled the debate about the future of BT, saying it would be prepared to become a shareholder in any new company owning the UK’s largest telephone and broadband network.Rivals are calling for BT to be split in two, with its Openreach division, which builds and maintains its network of copper and fibre-optic cables, spun into a separate company. Tele
  
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• Survey: Is artificial intelligence the future of IT?

  24-07-2015 19:55 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Artificial intelligence has been the subject of sci-fi films and books for decades, but it also plays a genuine role in technology. Tech Pro Research wants your opinion on how AI will impact IT.
  
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• Review: Acer Aspire S7

  24-07-2015 19:07 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction and designWith an already stunning design from last year, most of the improvements Acer made to this year's Aspire S7 come under the hood. This year's model bears the same luxurious white glass aesthetics from last year, but Acer gave the S7 a speed boost with the latest generation of Intel Core processor and integrated Intel HD graphics.To give the Aspire S7 its minimalist and refined style, Acer chose to go a different route than most of its competitors. Unlike the metal-clad Dell
  
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• Ebooks are unfamiliar waters for digital pirates, according to UK survey

  24-07-2015 19:04 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Publishing sector has the lowest level of illegal downloads in the entertainment industry, with book piracy at half the rate of copyright theft in film and musicFor publishers, fresh from winning a landmark ruling forcing internet service providers to block illegal ebook download sites in Russia and the US, pirates are the enemy. Author Paulo Coelho believes that “the more people ‘pirate’ a book, the better”. But research commissioned by the government shows that that the literary world
  
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• Review: Updated: Canon G3 X

  24-07-2015 18:30 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction and featuresThe Canon G3 X was announced at the start of this year, although details were few and far between at the time. Its massive zoom range of 24-600mm equivalent appeared to be the stand-out feature at the time, and now that the camera has been officially unveiled the 25x zoom lens still looks to be its USP; rival cameras from Panasonic and Sony have a far more limited focal range, albeit with a faster (wider) aperture at their longer end.The G3 X has the same one-inch 20-meg
  
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• Uber's free ice-cream sweetener fails, after users lose cool over lack of delivery

  24-07-2015 18:18 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Taxi app firm offers delivery of ice-cream products in all 58 of its operating countries – but users are left annoyed at lack of availability Taxi app firm Uber hasn’t had the best of publicity recently, with cars burned out during protests against the company, anger over its extortionate surge pricing and one of its drivers attacking a passenger with a hammer. Perhaps it make sense then, that Uber has decided to trundle out its ice cream delivery trick again. And rather than surge pricing f
  
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• WTO strikes 'landmark' IT trade deal

  24-07-2015 18:11 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The World Trade Organisation (WTO) strikes 'landmark' deal to cut tariffs on $1.3 trillion (£838bn) worth of technology products.
  
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• Jeep hack prompts 1.4m car recall

  24-07-2015 17:52 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Car giant Fiat Chrysler recalls 1.4 million vehicles in the US after security researchers showed that one of its cars could be hacked.
  
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• 3D-printed plane flies from UK ship

  24-07-2015 17:04 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A 3D-printed aircraft is launched from a Royal Navy ship and landed safely on a Dorset beach.
  
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• Logi BLOK Protective Keyboard Case: Slightly rugged, very productive (review)

  24-07-2015 16:37 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Logitech's first products under the new Logi brand are three protective cases for the iPad. The keyboard version turns the iPad Air 2 into a workhorse that can stand up to bumps on the road.
  
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• Our charity's gaming-style video helps show conflict through a child's eye

  24-07-2015 16:29 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Instead of shock tactics War Child aims to reflect the reality of what children in war zones witness and experience as part of their daily livesThe reality of what children face in conflict emergencies is stark, shocking and unacceptable. And, when campaigning about this issue, you have a choice: relay the facts or convey a story. While the first option is educational, the second is motivational. And, if it is to have an impact, an advocacy campaign has to do the latter. For us at War Child, it
  
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• Why the internet of things favours dominance

  24-07-2015 16:01 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Tech developers face huge complexity building applications for connected environments – leading to the reinforcement of power hierarchiesThe grand vision of the internet of things is currently an exercise in imagination. It is about what happens when more and more of the real, physical world comes online, as devices and sensors proliferate, connecting everything.The promise is that the internet of things won’t just connect our homes, hospitals, schools and streets – it will enable whole ne
  
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• Review: Thinksound On1

  24-07-2015 16:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  There's a crowd who loves tons of features packed into their headphones. Then, there are those who only desire the bare essentials, nothing more. In my opinion, the latter isn't getting enough attention from today's headphone manufacturers. But that's what Thinksound is all about. Its On1 are a prime example of headphones that don't try too much, but gets mostly everything right in the process. For a retail price of $299 (£179, AU$399 through online distributors), do these offer enough to pleas
  
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• Review: Asus Chromebook Flip

  24-07-2015 16:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction and DesignChromebooks have come along way from their cheap, plasticky days. In fact, most modern models are attractive in their own right. The Samsung Chromebook 2 introduced a leatherette finish, and who could forget the aluminum-clad Chromebook Pixel 2. Meanwhile, the Dell Chromebook 11 and Acer Chromebook C740 are battle hardened for school. And even the Acer Chromebook 15 gussies up its plastic exterior with a textured finish. Now, the Asus Chromebook Flip C100 is looking to be
  
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• France approves 'Big Brother' surveillance powers despite UN concern

  24-07-2015 14:25 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  UN says powers given to intelligence agencies, which include phone-tapping and computer-hacking, are ‘excessively broad’ and intrusiveFrance’s highest authority on constitutional matters has approved a controversial bill that gives the state sweeping new powers to spy on citizens.The constitutional council made only minor tweaks to the legislation that human rights and privacy campaigners as well as the United Nations have described as paving the way for “very intrusive” surveillance a
  
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• Patched from the dead: the classic games we'd like to see fixed

  24-07-2015 14:24 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  As classic Star Wars game Knights of the Old Republic II is patched for the first time a decade, what other games should be fixed for the modern era?Released in 2005, Obsidian’s Knights of the Old Republic II is still hailed by many fans as one of the greatest Star Wars games ever made – so perhaps it’s appropriate that, like the greatest Jedi Masters, it has been given life after death.The PC version of the game, originally released in a notoriously buggy, unfinished state, has just recei
  
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• Broadband 'levy' for super-fast net

  24-07-2015 14:19 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Broadband bills could rise as the UK government decides how to bring very high speed net access to remote areas.
  
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• Review: Garmin Forerunner 225

  24-07-2015 14:10 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction Go back ten years and buying a GPS running watch usually meant handing over some cash to Garmin, Polar or maybe Timex. For a long time these guys kept a niche audience of stat-obsessed runners to themselves. But fast-forward to 2015 and that's all changed. From the TomTom Cardio Runner and Mio Fuse to the Adidas SmartRun, Suunto Ambit and Fitbit Surge (not to mention Endomondo, Strava and Nike+ Running), there are dozens of brands and smartphone powered run-tracking apps queuing up
  
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• VIDEO: Why a smile could change this advert

  24-07-2015 14:07 via bbc.co.uk
  
  How our emotions and biometrics could change the way advertising works.
  
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• 'Dark web' drug dealer is jailed

  24-07-2015 14:03 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A 29-year-old man from Ceredigion is jailed for two years after admitting 'dark web' drugs offences.
  
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• Apple warns of laptop data problem

  24-07-2015 14:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Apple is warning users of its latest Macbook Pro about an issue with the laptop that may cause data corruption.
  
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• ​EC gives thumbs up to Nokia's Alcatel-Lucent merger, China next

  24-07-2015 13:27 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  The European Commission has given its approval for Nokia's proposed €15.6bn merger with Alcatel Lucent.
  
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• Gamers face tournament drug tests

  24-07-2015 13:21 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The world's biggest video game tournament company launches an anti-doping scheme, after a top player admits taking a performance-enhancing drug.
  
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• Connecting artificial intelligence with the internet of things

  24-07-2015 13:11 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  With the two technologies set to meet, lines between sci-fi and a high-tech new reality continue to blur. Industry experts see no reason to be fearfulIt’s no secret tech luminaries like Elon Musk and Bill Gates worry about humanity flirting with disaster though a digital version of the Icarus myth – in our case, the power of artificial intelligence being the sun that eventually burns our wings.
  Even so, not every futurist or technology pioneer is quite so alarmed that our experiments with AI
  
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• Uber sued for £198m in Canada

  24-07-2015 12:33 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Taxi-booking app Uber is hit with £198m joint legal action by taxi drivers in Canada's biggest city Toronto.
  
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• ​Google holds patent giveaway for startups to ward off trolls

  24-07-2015 12:27 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Google wants to give two patent families to 50 startups to bolster a tech industry led anti-troll network.
  
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• Metal Gear Squalid: has Kojima gone too bloody far this time?

  24-07-2015 11:52 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  A new poster for Metal Gear Solid V makes the game look like a snuff movie. But is it just a distraction from an uncertain future for the classic series?I’ve always denied that video games have anything to do with my near-constant violent urges, but Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain has now forced a reassessment of just how desensitised one can become to gore and nudity. Earlier this week my partner was using the PC to book some train tickets and the next thing I know, she’s joking about
  
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• VIDEO: Air traffic control's busiest day

  24-07-2015 11:49 via bbc.co.uk
  
  As thousands head off on their summer holidays, air traffic control in the UK is expecting its busiest day.
  
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• Blackberry may cut device launches to just one a year, says CEO

  24-07-2015 11:21 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  BlackBerry may follow Apple and release just one or two phones a year, according to chief executive John Chen.
  
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• Rocket League review – a turbo-charged joy to play

  24-07-2015 10:52 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  The concept is as silly as it is simple: football with rocket-powered cars. But it’s the execution that really makes this multiplayer fun-fest really take offWhatever you think of video games as an entertainment medium, you’ve got to admit that replacing footballers with rocket-powered cars is an attractive idea. And Rocket League hits like a rocket-powered train. From the first seconds, as the engine growls under your all-powerful trigger finger, this feels not just fresh but perfectly-form
  
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• Step forward for computing by light

  24-07-2015 10:23 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Engineers and physicists have discovered a property of silicon which could aid the development of faster computers.
  
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• The internet of things – Tech Weekly podcast

  24-07-2015 10:07 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  What does it mean to live in a world where our possessions can track our every move?Once the domain of science fiction, the internet of things is now here – and it's not just a matter of smart fridges that can order your milk. Soon our towns, our crops and even our insides are going to be increasingly wired to the web in a data driven, hyper-connected world. How can we control who has access to this data? What happens when our connection goes down or our smart homes get hacked?Continue reading
  
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• Bitcoin company DigitalBTC sees $1.2m in negative cash flow

  24-07-2015 08:06 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Bitcoin company DigitalBTC has recorded a three-month negative operating cash flow of $1.2 million with the company once again restating its intention to shift focus to its P2P cross-platform money transfer app, AirPocket.
  
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• WikiLeaks Party deregistered in Australia

  24-07-2015 07:20 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Julian Assange's WikiLeaks Party has been deregistered after failing to maintain a sufficient number of party members under Australian legislation.
  
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• China imposes harsh fines on Uber-like services

  24-07-2015 03:25 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  The fate of taxi-hailing apps like Didi Dache, Kuaidi Dache, and Uber is now less certain in China as regulators in major Chinese cities are stepping up penalties on illegal taxi activities.
  
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• TasmaNet aims up at regional centres following investment

  24-07-2015 02:58 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Tasmanian cloud services provider TasmaNet has announced its intention to spread into regional, mainland Australia following an investment round of AU$5.3 million.
  
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• China Mobile dominates global mobile subscriptions: Ovum

  24-07-2015 01:56 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  China Mobile has come out top of Ovum's half-yearly global mobile subscription rankings, with runner-up Vodafone recording just over half of the subscriptions of the Chinese telco giant.
  
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• Anti-doping in e-sports: World's largest gaming organization will test for PEDs

  24-07-2015 01:52 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  In the wake of a top player admitting the use of Adderall in competition, the Electronic Sports League has announced plans to introduce an anti-doping policyThe Electronic Sports League, the world’s largest e-sports organization, announced Thursday its plans to implement a comprehensive anti-doping program.The ESL said in a statement it has partnered with Germany’s anti-doping agency, Nationale Anti-Doping Agentur (Nada), to “create an anti-PED policy that is fair, feasible and conclusive
  
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• VIDEO: The display screen made from thread

  24-07-2015 01:33 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A shop in New York has created a display screen made from thread - and other tech news
  
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• What next for Google's $3.2bn guru?

  24-07-2015 01:25 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An exclusive interview with the man in charge of Google Glass and the Nest range of smart tech for the home.
  
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• VIDEO: Google Glass 'going to take time'

  24-07-2015 01:25 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Tony Fadell, the man in charge of Google's troubled Glass computer, tells the BBC it is going to take time to get it right.
  
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• What is the point of Twitter?

  24-07-2015 01:02 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The dos and don'ts of Twitter for bosses
  
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• Unisys NZ tech sales plunge, service revenue grows

  24-07-2015 00:22 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Reporting a global Q2 loss, Unisys says its shift to as-a-service models and open systems is progressing.
  
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