Technology news

• Review: Updated: Windows 10

  28-07-2015 23:17 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Windows 10 review: IntroductionWindows 10 is an entirely new version of the veteran Windows operating system - a version that is make-or-break for Microsoft.Even though Windows 8.1 did improve things, there's no escaping that with Windows 8, Microsoft was hugely complacent, buoyed by the success of Windows 7. It drastically misunderstood its users with a fundamentally changed user interface which didn't make any logical sense and was hard to learn. It failed us. It failed itself.Thankfully 2015
  
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• Twitter beats earning expectations amid exodus of top executives

  28-07-2015 22:53 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Company posts revenues of $502.4m, compared with $312m from a year earlier, but growth remains an issue after Twitter’s CEO was forced out in JuneTwitter beat expectations – including its own – by a healthy margin on Tuesday, announcing better-than-anticipated earnings even as two more high-profile executives left amid a continuing shakeup. The company’s share price rallied 5.36% in after-hours trading.“Product initiatives we’ve mentioned in previous calls haven’t yet had meaningfu
  
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• Review: Updated: HP Pro Tablet 608

  28-07-2015 19:58 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Updated: We've updated our impressions of the HP Pro Tablet 608 after using Windows 10 on the device.As we march on closer to the Windows 10 launch this July 29, more devices are popping up left and right. One of the latest is the HP Pro Tablet 608, and what a tablet it is. HP's pro slate comes outfitted with quite a bit of kit, including a 2,048 x 1,536 display (which technically measures 7.9-inches) and quad-core Intel Core Atom processor.This is by far the highest-resolution 8-inch Windows ta
  
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• Hands-on review: Updated: HP Pro Tablet 608

  28-07-2015 19:58 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Updated: We've updated our impressions of the HP Pro Tablet 608 after using Windows 10 on the device.As we march on closer to the Windows 10 launch this July 29, more devices are popping up left and right. One of the latest is the HP Pro Tablet 608, and what a tablet it is. HP's pro slate comes outfitted with quite a bit of kit, including a 2,048 x 1,536 display (which technically measures 7.9-inches) and quad-core Intel Core Atom processor.This is by far the highest-resolution 8-inch Windows ta
  
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• 'Let children erase online past'

  28-07-2015 18:57 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A campaign promotes the idea that children should be able to delete their online past.
  
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• Amazon proposes drones-only airspace to facilitate high-speed delivery

  28-07-2015 18:30 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  The retail giant’s proposal carves out airspace from 200ft-400ft exclusively for autonomous drones, with a further 100ft above it declared a no-fly zoneAmazon is proposing that a pristine slice of airspace above the world’s cities and suburbs should be set aside for the deployment of high-speed aerial drones capable of flying robotically with virtually no human interference.The retail giant has taken the next step in its ambition to deliver packages via drone within 30 minutes by setting out
  
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• New fast memory tech outraces flash

  28-07-2015 18:16 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A new kind of computer memory that is up to 1,000 times faster than flash storage is to go on sale in 2016, helping scientists and games developers alike.
  
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• N++ PS4 review: press X to remember the pain of old wounds

  28-07-2015 18:03
  
      N++ is the final version of a devastatingly hard freeware PC platform game, exclusive to PS4. With the game out this week, Michael Rundle returns to the glory and tragedy of an old gaming flame.By: Michael Rundle, Continue reading...
  
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• To my brother I leave my Facebook account ... and any chance of dignity in death | Stuart Heritage

  28-07-2015 17:48 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Users of the social network can now nominate a ‘legacy contact’ to manage their digital presence after they die – but how on earth do you decide who to pick?As a man in my mid-30s in the year 2015, I spend the bulk of my life diligently and repeatedly carrying out one simple task – ignoring the prospect of my inevitable death. It’s quite easy, partly because I don’t appear to be imminently approaching my demise, but mainly because I’ve successfully barricaded myself inside an impen
  
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• Review: Sony KDL-55W805C

  28-07-2015 17:25 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction and features As I went through the motions of unboxing and setting up the Sony KDL-55W805C, I have to admit I found it hard to muster up much enthusiasm. The thing is, I've been so spoiled this year with outstanding cutting-edge TVs boasting such next-generation glories as native 4K UHD resolutions and HDR playback that the idea of testing a TV with just an HD pixel count already feels like stepping back in time. Fortunately my initial apathy towards the 55W805C didn't last long. Pa
  
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• Review: Heat Genius

  28-07-2015 16:55 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Features and performanceSmart heating systems are all the rage these days. Every home should have one. But it's only when you start using something like Nest, Tado, Hive, Honeywell's Evohome or Heat Genius for several months that you realise just how wasteful your old, dumb central heating can be.A traditional heating system typically operates with a thermostat and a seven-day programmable timer. For each day, you'll preset the times at which you want the heating to switch on and off, and specif
  
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• AUDIO: Motorola wants battery breakthrough

  28-07-2015 16:50 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Motorola's chief executive says he would love a battery tech breakthrough, but believes it will be a long time before phones last a full week between charges.
  
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• Hands-on review: Moto X Play

  28-07-2015 16:46 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Motorola's freshly-announced lineup of 2015 Moto devices included two variants of the Moto X: the aesthetics-focussed Moto X Style, and the more entertainment-orientated Moto X Play.One of the biggest selling points of the Moto X Play is the battery 3,630mAh, which Motorola promises will last two days on a single charge, even when using 4G LTE and other battery-intensive features. It also includes Motorola's Turbo Charge technology, which the company claims is the fastest quick-charging tech on
  
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• Hands-on review: Moto X Style

  28-07-2015 16:39 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Motorola has announced two versions of its flagship Moto X handset this year, the Moto X Style and the Moto X Play.The Moto X Style is more expensive than the Moto X Play, but offers a slightly better spec than its sibling.Motorola has clearly taken inspiration from its previous work on the Nexus 6 – I put one next to it during my hands-on time and it's very similar in look and feel, especially size wise.It has dimensions of 124 x 76 x 11mm and a weight of 179g. That may seem like a thick
  
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• Google minus: underperforming social network Google+ scaled back

  28-07-2015 16:33 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Users of YouTube and other services will no longer need a Google+ account to join, in attempt to downsize reach of failed rival to Facebook and Twitter Oh, Google+, we hardly knew you. Because we never used you. Even though your parent company systematically forced us all into signing up for accounts. You were the new odd kid in class nobody wanted to talk to, but we were all forced to.Now, in a blog post entitled “Everything in its right place”, which may or may not be a Radiohead reference
  
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• Hands-on review: Moto G (2015)

  28-07-2015 16:30 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  The Moto G has been a hugely popular phone in the past two years, bringing a new level of power to the 'affordable' smartphone market – and with the new Moto G, the brand is hoping to continue that trend.The talk on stage was of the new Moto G being the 'Moto G-killer' and with the spec list on offer, it looks promising.The big upgrades here are to the camera and the design, with IPX7-rated protection against water (thus enabling you to take it into the shower… if that's your kind of
  
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• Review: 13-inch MacBook Air (early 2015)

  28-07-2015 16:12 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  IntroductionThe arrival of Apple's 12-inch MacBook earlier this year marked the beginning of the end for its MacBook Air line-up. At least, that's what people said at the time.The new MacBook is more portable, lighter, has a gorgeous high-resolution display and can go for almost as long as the Air on a single charge. Who would pick a machine stuck in the past over a laptop from the future?As it turns out, the future's not all it's cracked up to be. The new MacBook's inconvenient USB Type-C port,
  
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• Amazon courts startups, SMBs with Launchpad fulfillment service

  28-07-2015 15:39 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Launchpad is an indication that Amazon's fulfillment network and ecosystem for third party sellers is becoming a differentiator.
  
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• Motorola launches new Moto G and two Moto X smartphones

  28-07-2015 15:30 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  New Moto G adds waterproofing, while Moto X attempts to beat Samsung and Apple with cheaper prices and better camerasMotorola is launching a new version of its popular low-priced Moto G and two new versions of its Moto X, as it attempts to compete at both the low and high end of the smartphone market.
  It is continuing its strategy of producing Android devices that undercut the competition, challenging both inexpensive Chinese manufacturers and the premium Samsung and Apple brands. Continue readi
  
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• Ministers back campaign to give under-18s right to delete social media posts

  28-07-2015 15:25 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  iRights campaign says young people should be able to easily edit or delete comments or pictures they have posted on sites such as Facebook and TwitterGovernment ministers have backed a campaign calling for under-18s to have the right to delete embarrassing and damaging material they have posted on social media that could later harm their job or education prospects.The iRights coalition has set out five rights that young people should expect online, including the ability to easily edit or delete
  
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• VIDEO: OnePlus 2 phone on sale 'by invite'

  28-07-2015 15:20 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Chinese phone manufacturer OnePlus releases its new device, the OnePlus 2, but people can only buy it if they are invited.
  
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• Windows 10: ten things you need to know before it launches

  28-07-2015 14:42 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  It’s free! It’s out tomorrow! It has Minecraft! … for a bit. For some people. Continue reading...
  
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• OU students' progress to be monitored

  28-07-2015 14:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Students at the Open University will have their working patterns monitored to see if they need extra support during their course.
  
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• Windows 10 will win yesterday's battle, but what about tomorrow's war?

  28-07-2015 14:00 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Windows 10 will fix the failings of Windows 8, but that may not be enough in a mobile-centric world.
  
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• ​Hawking, Musk and Wozniak call for ban on offensive AI weapons

  28-07-2015 13:48 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Scientists fear autonomous killer quadcopters are just years away and have called for new rules to prevent their proliferation.
  
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• Google unlinks Google+ from YouTube

  28-07-2015 13:15 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Google reveals plans to sideline its social network Google+ by changing the way users log in to its products and services.
  
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• Android bug affects 'billion' phones

  28-07-2015 12:56 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A bug in the Android mobile operating system is discovered by researchers, who say it affects nearly a billion devices.
  
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• VIDEO: Will gamers flock to Angry Birds 2?

  28-07-2015 12:48 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Rovio Entertainment, creators of the smash hit mobile game Angry Birds, are set to release their new game, Angry Birds 2, as Jeremy Howell reports.
  
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• France and the UK are on the edge of Kafkaesque surveillance

  28-07-2015 12:19 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Surveillance laws being debated around the world should avoid the recent fate of the French – and the scorn of Franz KafkaThe problem of our laws, wrote Kafka, is that they can involve arbitrary, secretive acts on the part of elites. The law, on this view, has “brought only slight, more or less accidental benefits, and done a great deal of serious harm, since it has given the people a false sense of security towards coming events, and left them helplessly exposed”. “We live”, Kafka con
  
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• ​VCs plough €3bn into Europe's startups as Spotify swells Swedish funding

  28-07-2015 12:17 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Europe's online firms shaking up traditional businesses continued to dominate venture capital financing in the second quarter of the year.
  
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• ​Which Lenovo PCs will get free Windows 10 upgrade tomorrow?

  28-07-2015 11:26 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Lenovo has detailed how its laptop, tablet, and desktop customers can get their Windows 10 upgrade later this week.
  
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• EU satellite gears up for data flood

  28-07-2015 10:35 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Europe's Sentinel-2a satellite, which will "carpet map" the Earth's land surface day-in, day-out, is on course to go into full operation in early or mid-October.
  
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• Stagefright: new Android vulnerability dubbed 'heartbleed for mobile'

  28-07-2015 10:31 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  An attacker can take over the vast majority of Android phones with just a text message, security researcher reportsA major security flaw in Android lets an attacker take control of a phone simply by sending a text message – and for the vast majority of Android users, there’s no fix available yet.Even the small number of people using Google’s own line of Android phones, sold under the Nexus brand, are vulnerable to some of the effects of the bug, according to Joshua Drake, the researcher wh
  
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• Tech experts caution on killer AI

  28-07-2015 10:11 via bbc.co.uk
  
  More than 1,000 tech experts, scientists and researchers have written a letter warning about the dangers of autonomous weapons.
  
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• Amazon launches music streaming in UK

  28-07-2015 10:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Retailer Amazon enters the UK streaming market with Prime Music, a new service available to Amazon Prime customers as part of their annual subscription.
  
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• Amazon Prime Music launches in the UK

  28-07-2015 10:00 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Amazon attempts to undercut Spotify and Apple Music with a 1m-track music streaming service bundled with its Prime delivery, books and music serviceAmazon is launching its Prime Music streaming service in the UK, in a move that will see it aim to undercut Spotify and Apple Music.The service is bundled as a free add-on to Amazon’s Prime delivery service, which also includes books, movies and photo-storage services as “value added” extras. Continue reading...
  
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• NSA access to phone data ending in November

  28-07-2015 08:31 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  The US government intelligence agency's access to telephone metadata will be cut off at the end of November, although records will be kept for litigation purposes.
  
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• GST changes capture online retail elephants but miss 'millions of mice': CPA

  28-07-2015 08:06 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  While agreeing with the principle of lowering the GST threshold for online purchases, CPA Australia has said that the complexities involved with making the change are only now starting to sink in.
  
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• NSW opts for own transaction portal for now

  28-07-2015 08:02 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  For the time being, the NSW government will be designing its own digital transaction portal on Service NSW, while it discusses joining myGov.
  
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• Google moves to decouple Google+ and YouTube

  28-07-2015 05:38 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Following feedback from its users, Google+ is getting a makeover, with the search engine giant admitting that decisions it had made in the social networking space previously, were not necessarily the best, and it will start with decoupling YouTube comments.
  
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• Hands-on review: OnePlus 2

  28-07-2015 05:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  The OnePlus One was a surprise hit when it was first announced thanks to its powerful specs and affordable price point. It lived up to our expectations as an excellent device, leaving its successor with big shoes to fill.So far, the OnePlus 2 has been doing just that. Its lovely screen coupled with its new Oxygen OS and familiar old features have made it an impressive device. The low prices are back again as well. The 64GB OnePlus 2 will be available with an invite in the US and Europe starting
  
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• Baidu shares dive on earnings miss

  28-07-2015 04:32 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Sometimes referred to as the Chinese answer to Google, Baidu reported that revenues rose 38 percent from a year earlier, but not enough to meet expectations.
  
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• Review: LG 65EG960T 4K OLED

  28-07-2015 02:55 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction and featuresWhen it comes to televisions, there's no finer technology currently available than that of the Organic Light Emitting Diode. We've all heard the hype about incredible contrast ratios and unsurpassed brightness – but does the fancy-schmancy OLED acronym really improve the television watching experience? And, more importantly, does it justify the added cost? Add to that the other hyped-about TV tech of the moment, 4K (or Ultra HD), as well as a slightly curved displa
  
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• Apple 'fake factory' raided in China

  28-07-2015 01:45 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A factory which officials say made up to 41,000 fake Apple iPhones is raided in China, leading to nine arrests.
  
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• Federal govt calls for joint effort to back STEM education in Australia

  28-07-2015 01:31 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Students, parents, teachers, schools, and the government are all responsible for driving the uptake of STEM skills in Australia, according to ​Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry and Science Karen Andrews.
  
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• VIDEO: DIY astronomers probe Pluto's secrets

  28-07-2015 01:22 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Amateur astronomers have begun studying the images of Pluto sent back by the New Horizons probe.
  
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• Self-driving cars are a distant prospect

  28-07-2015 01:03 via bbc.co.uk
  
  What's putting the brakes on driverless cars?
  
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• Moto X specs leak one more time before tomorrow's event

  28-07-2015 00:13
  
  With Motorola's event slated for tomorrow, it's strange to see another Moto X leak to appear online.The new leak comes from HelloMotoHK on its Google+ page, listing the 2015 Moto X to come packing a very large 3600mAh battery, along with a dual-SIM option.Interestingly, the post says the Moto X will have a 5.5 FHD 1080p resolution screen, instead of a QHD screen which has been rumored previously. It also lists the handset to have a 21-megapixel camera, a 5-megapixel front-facing camera and a mic
  
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