Technology news

• ZTE Axon Pro review: High specs, solid design, but not a super value

  07-08-2015 18:21 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Compared to an iPhone or Samsung Galaxy, ZTE delivers a decent option and a good first attempt at a flagship in the US.
  
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• VIDEO: Robotic-snake car charger revealed

  07-08-2015 18:15 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An electric car charger that can find its own way into a vehicle has been unveiled by Tesla.
  
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• 'Is nothing sacred?': Twitter responds to news of Jumanji remake

  07-08-2015 18:10 via feeds.theguardian.com
  Sony Pictures’ slate for 2016 and 2017, which includes a remake of the Robin Williams family film, has prompted cries of ‘too soon’ and ‘travesty’Twitter users have reacted with fury to the prospect of a remake of the hit 1995 movie Jumanji, which starred Robin Williams as a man released from a magical board game in which he had been trapped for 26 years.Industry stories of a Jumanji reboot had been quietly circulating for some time, but Sony Pictures’ slate announcement on 5 August
  
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• Review: BQ Aquaris E45 Ubuntu Edition

  07-08-2015 17:20 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction and designIn a world dominated by two mobile operating systems, Google's Android and Apple's iOS, it can be hard to find a phone you like if you're not particularly enamoured with either approach. There are alternatives such as Windows Phone, but they have struggled to gain mindshare, their struggles often blamed on a poor app ecosystem.Canonical, the company behind the popular Linux distribution Ubuntu, announced its ambitions to bring its operating system to smartphones back in 20
  
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• Review: Vodafone Smart Ultra 6

  07-08-2015 16:55 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction and designAs recently as one year ago, there wasn't a great deal to say about the budget smartphone market. Aside from hero devices such as the original Moto G, consumers who bought into lower-end handsets would find often find themselves frustrated by mediocre screens and battery life. Manufacturers operated under a maxim of frugality, and even the most bone-scraping of cuts would be made.Fast-forward to the present, and things have changed considerably. China has awoken, and with
  
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• Review: BT Ultra HD YouView box

  07-08-2015 16:40 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction and featuresAs a West Ham United supporter I usually give the Community Shield a miss but this year, thanks to BT Sport and its new Ultra HD channel, I was more than happy to settle down to watch Europe's first ever live 4K UHD broadcast. With my newly installed Humax DTR-T4000, piping its 2160p images at 50 frames per second into an HDMI input of a Samsung 48JU7000T, I was as happy as Larry as I settled down to decide whether UHD would live up to the hype. Then I remembered there h
  
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• Review: Acer Liquid Jade Z

  07-08-2015 16:08 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction and designAcer is known to many as the Taiwanese makers of respectable computing equipment, competing strongly with the likes of Asus. Yet, the story does not end there. Like John Everyman and his plucky donkey, Asus has opted to enter the smartphone race. This is no easy proposition, especially when the likes of Apple and Samsung, with their marketing billions, are struggling to compete with the likes of Xiaomi and Meizu in offering quality devices at an affordable price. Selling a
  
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• Revolutionary tidal fence is set to trap the sea’s power

  07-08-2015 15:56 via feeds.theguardian.com
  UK-designed turbines aim to harness tidal energy to produce cheaper electricity − without endangering marine life, reports Climate News NetworkA British company has announced plans for an array of unique marine turbines that can operate in shallower and slower-moving water than current designs.Kepler Energy, whose technology is being developed by Oxford University’s department of engineering science, says the turbines will in time produce electricity more cheaply than off-shore wind farms. C
  
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• Apple Music and whisky in space: Podcast 229

  07-08-2015 15:49
  
  
  Listen this week for an entertaining 45-minute look at the most interesting technology and science stories from the last seven days, with WIRED.co.uk's Michael Rundle, Liat Clark and Katie Collins.By: WIRED.co.uk, Continue reading...
  
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• Jaguar Land Rover cuts prices in China after falling sales hit Tata profits

  07-08-2015 15:47 via feeds.theguardian.com
  Luxury carmaker suffers 7% drop in sales in vital China market partly due to slowdown in economy, but European sales surge 28%Jaguar Land Rover is cutting prices in China after being hit by sliding sales in the world’s biggest car market.Demand for the British-designed luxury sedans and four-wheel-drives has slumped during a slowdown in the Chinese economy and continued campaign against corruption that is deterring some Chinese from making extravagant purchases. Continue reading...
  
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• Typo Keyboard for iPad Air: Best yet, with new lower price (review)

  07-08-2015 15:10 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  This keyboard from Ryan Seacrest's company is the best one for the iPad Air 2.
  
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• Apple pay $700,000 a year for Tim Cook's security

  07-08-2015 14:51 via feeds.theguardian.com
  New figures buried in SEC filing, which also shows Apple chief executive gained the security team in 2014Tim Cook’s security expenses cost Apple almost $700,000 (£450,000) a year, according to new figures filed with America’s securities and exchange commission.The docs, discovered by news site Patently Apple buried in a SEC filing from March, count the security detail among the Apple executive’s benefits in kind. Under the heading “all other compensation”, the filing breaks down
  
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• Is your Android vulnerable to the Stagefright bug? There's an app for that

  07-08-2015 14:16 via feeds.theguardian.com
  Critical security bug remains unpatched in the majority of the over 1bn devices in use, but Stagefright Detector checks to see if your phone is affectedIf you have an Android smartphone you are probably vulnerable to a security bug that could allow anyone to take over your phone using just a multimedia message.For users there’s not a lot you can do. The bug, called Stagefright, affects the multimedia handling capabilities of every Android smartphone using the mobile operating system, of which
  
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• Lean Out, book review: Still waiting for change

  07-08-2015 13:53 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  America's tech industry is a tough place to work if you don't fit the (young, white, male, straight) employee stereotype, as this essay collection documents.
  
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• 'Biggest update' to fix Android bug

  07-08-2015 13:47 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Samsung, LG and Google pledge to provide monthly security updates for smartphones running the Android operating system.
  
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• Bangladesh blogger hacked to death

  07-08-2015 13:37 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Niloy Neel, a Bangladeshi blogger known for his atheist views, is hacked to death in Dhaka - the fourth blogger to be murdered in recent months.
  
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• Japan court rebuts lost Bitcoin plea

  07-08-2015 13:35 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A Japanese court has ruled against a man hoping to claim compensation over lost bitcoins, saying the virtual currency can't be owned.
  
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• Elite: Dangerous's Planetary Landings to touch down this year

  07-08-2015 13:13 via feeds.theguardian.com
  Frontier Developments moves towards the complete Elite: Dangerous with the arrival of HorizonsFrontier Developments’ slow march towards the complete Elite: Dangerous package will take a huge step forward this year, with the arrival of Horizons, a “second season” of expansions for the gigantic space-exploration game.
  The first of these expansions will be Planetary Landings, and allows players finally to touch down on the celestial bodies littering Elite’s universe. It’s a feature that h
  
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• How cats took over the internet: new exhibition is catnip for feline fans

  07-08-2015 13:00 via feeds.theguardian.com
  A new exhibition at New York’s Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) celebrates the history of cats online – from Kitty Cams to Nyan Cat – and the trend’s connection with technology and pop culture“To be honest, I’m allergic,” confesses Jason Eppink. The associate curator of digital media at New York’s Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI), should be thankful his aversion to felines won’t affect the institution’s new exhibition: How Cats Took Over The Internet. It is a continuation o
  
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• Stolen webcam footage 'not policed'

  07-08-2015 12:58 via bbc.co.uk
  
  YouTube should do more to police and remove video clips made using hijacked webcams, say digital safety campaigners.
  
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• Pro Evolution Soccer 2016: this year, PES really is back

  07-08-2015 12:02 via feeds.theguardian.com
  It’s become a cliche to herald each edition of the Fifa rival as a return to form – but with added skill and aggression and a Euro 2016 tie-in, it’s hard not to this timeThe Pro Evolution Soccer series has had a rough time of things over the last decade. Confused aims and a focus on areas that didn’t deserve attention saw the series slip from the top of the football simulation game league to be just solidly mid-table. But that has been changing since PES 2014, and last year’s effort wa
  
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• Have Uber's 'phantom cars' disappeared?

  07-08-2015 11:54 via feeds.theguardian.com
  The researcher who first highlighted the company’s cars now says they’re no longer thereHas Uber exorcised its phantom cars from the street?A week after the company denied claims that the cars displayed on its app were a misleading “visual effect”, the researcher who brought the initial accusation now says the phantoms have vanished. Continue reading...
  
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• Review: HTC One M8s

  07-08-2015 11:36 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  IntroductionWondering why there's no HTC One M9 Mini? One may turn up someday, but until then the HTC One M8s is here to give us 90% of what that phone would provide, apart from being significantly smaller than the top dog. The HTC M8s nicks the shell off last year's best HTC phone, the One M8, which means it looks and feels top-end while costing a good £150 less than the most expensive mobiles. Sounds like a good deal, doesn't it? At about £340/$550/$720 SIM-free or free on a contract of £20
  
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• HTC hits downward spiral as it cuts staff and models

  07-08-2015 11:35 via feeds.theguardian.com
  Taiwanese smartphone maker suffered its biggest ever loss as sales falter under stiff competition from Apple, Samsung and XiaomiStruggling Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer HTC is cutting staff and shrinking the number of smartphones it makes, as its profits nosedive.
  HTC, once a key player in Android and Windows Phone smartphones, has stumbled in recent years as competition from the dominant player Samsung and smaller, cheaper rivals has cut its market share. Continue reading...
  
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• Professional exams are child's play

  07-08-2015 09:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  As a six-year-old boy passes his third Microsoft professional exam, psychologists weigh up the merits of extending children.
  
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• VIDEO: Getting rid of reflections in photos

  07-08-2015 09:00 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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• Mozilla urges users to update Firefox with file stealing exploit in wild

  07-08-2015 08:59 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  A violation of the same origin policy within Firefox's built-in PDF Viewer is being exploited, which is fixed in newly released Firefox versions.
  
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• Square reader to card skimmer in less than 10 minutes

  07-08-2015 08:27 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Two self-described hackers have shown the Black Hat audience how to convert a Square mobile payments reader into a credit card skimmer.
  
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• Explained: How to watch the Presidential Debate live stream tonight

  07-08-2015 06:16
  
  How to watch the Republican Presidential DebatesUpdate: Tonight's Presidential Debate live stream has ended, and Donald Trump sure made headlines by attacking other Republican candidates. Here's how to watch the full video.Brace yourself for 15 consecutive months of presidential debates, which started with tonight's Fox News and Facebook-hosted 2016 Republican Primary Debate.You can still catch the full video of the back-and-forth between Donald Trump, Jeb Bush and eight other top-tier candidate
  
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• Telco national security law passage planned for spring

  07-08-2015 02:49 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  The Australian Parliament will be introducing the telco national security laws during the spring session, with hopes to pass the legislation in that time.
  
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• Explained: How to use Maps on Apple Watch

  07-08-2015 02:46
  
  Using Apple Maps on the Apple WatchApple Maps has long been the unwanted navigation app on our iPhones, and is often quickly shuffled off into a bloatware folder after downloading Google Maps. At least, that's always been the case for me whenever I get a new iPhone. Imagine my disappointment then when I realized using Apple Maps would be the only way to get directions on my wrist. However, after using the much hated Apple Maps with my Apple Watch, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it works
  
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• Queensland Education director stands down over OneSchool IT glitch

  07-08-2015 02:28 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  The Department of Education and Training's acting deputy director-general of corporate services has voluntarily stood down over the IT error that prevented 644 suspected child abuse cases from not being reported to police.
  
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• One man proves anyone can chat with ISS astronauts

  07-08-2015 02:19
  
  Amateur radio enthusiast Adrian Lane has managed to get in touch with astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) right from his backyard shed.Speaking to the Telegraph, the 52-year-old Lane explained how he plotted the orbital route of the ISS before tuning into the ISS's amateur radio signal and sending out his own unique signal.To his surprise, an American ISS crew member answered back. The two were able to talk for about 50 seconds before they lost contact.Technically, anyone can cal
  
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• Tesla Model S hack marks third incident in two weeks

  07-08-2015 02:06
  
  Talk about a hat trick. Hackers – sorry, security experts – at mobile cybersecurity firm Lookout have successfully compromised a Tesla Model S. This is the third connected car hack in the last two weeks, as of this writing.Researcher Kevin Mahaffey published his findings on the Lookout blog conveniently on opening day of the 23rd annual Def Con hacking conference in Las Vegas. While he plans to divulge even more details during a talk at the three-day event, Mahaffey was quick to point out th
  
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• HTC announces NT$8 billion loss for second quarter of 2015

  07-08-2015 01:50 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Thanks to fierce competition from Apple and Samsung, as well as poor sales in China, HTC is expected to struggle for the next four quarters.
  
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• Department of Corrections goes bi-modal to slash reoffending

  07-08-2015 01:48 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  New Zealand's prison service, which added 30 percent more screens in the last year, looks for increased speed and agility from the cloud.
  
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• Watching movies on Oculus Rift will soon be less lonely

  07-08-2015 01:27
  
  The Oculus Cinema app replicates sitting in a private cinema or home theatre, but has so far had the viewer sitting and watching the movie alone.But Oculus wants to get a bit more realistic with what is generally a more social activity - going to the movies with friends or family.Speaking to Road to VR, Oculus creator Palmer Luckey explained that the point of the app isn't to be sitting in a movie theatre alone, instead, "you want to replicate the experience of being in a movie theater or h
  
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• TechRadar Deals: Best laptop deals 2015: cheap laptops of the week 7 August

  07-08-2015 01:20
  
  Browsing for laptop deals? Looking to buy laptops that are both cheap and powerful this weekend? You've come to the right place!This page is updated every Friday around mid day and crammed full of the latest, most up-to-date and best deals on laptops of all shapes and sizes, so that you can find the perfect laptop model at your perfect price.So if you want to buy a new laptop, be it a Mac or a Window model, whatever your budget, whatever your needs, this is the place to be. Today is the 10th day
  
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• The architects building film careers

  07-08-2015 01:07 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A steady stream of architects are using their digital animation skills to cross over into the film industry.
  
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• VIDEO: How architects build careers in film

  07-08-2015 01:07 via bbc.co.uk
  
  As architects increasingly need to learn digital software skills, many are being drawn to the world of film animation.
  
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• US military's joint staff hacked as officials point the finger at Russia

  07-08-2015 01:03 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Unclassified email access for about 2,500 civilian and uniformed personnel severely restricted since late July but rest of Pentagon appears unaffectedRussia is the leading suspect in a sophisticated cyber-attack on the unclassified email network of the US military’s joint staff that prompted the Pentagon last month to restrict access to portions of that network, US officials said on Thursday. Early reports firmly linked Russia to the attack, said one official, who declined to be named since th
  
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