Technology news

• Melt-proof ice cream, fishing drones: Podcast 233

  04-09-2015 19:11
  
  
  Listen this week for an entertaining look at the most interesting technology and science stories from the last seven days, with WIRED.co.uk's James Temperton, Daniel Culpan and Cara McGoogan.
   By: WIRED.co.uk, Continue reading...
  
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• Why is Apple customers' appetite for its products insatiable?

  04-09-2015 19:00 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Apple’s latest launch event next week is unlikely to surprise – the real conundrum is how the company convinces people to keep on buying“Siri, give us a hint,” said Apple’s invitation to its media event next Wednesday. But few needed a hint to know that the chief executive, Tim Cook, will unveil new phones and iPhone software, plus a greatly improved Apple TV set-top box controlled via Siri, Apple’s voice-activated system. Related: Will Apple reveal the iPhone
  
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• Car sales surge 10% in August to highest level in eight years

  04-09-2015 18:56 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Growth beats expectations, extending record run of rising sales to 42 months, with demand for hybrids and electric cars up by half Poor weather in August might have dampened high street clothes sales but it seems to have triggered a stampede into car showrooms with a near-10% increase in monthly vehicle sales.The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said new car registrations rose by 9.6% year-on-year to 79,060 vehicles with the Ford Fiesta, Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf models lea
  
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• Hands-on review: IFA 2015: Lenovo IdeaPad 100S

  04-09-2015 18:50 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  It’s not hard to see why Chromebooks have dominated the budget laptop scene for the last few years. They offer all the basic functionality you need from a computing device for a fraction of the price and double the battery life you would get on a Windows machine.Now, Lenovo wants to double dip in the affordable, cloud-based laptop space with a new IdeaPad 100S running Windows 10. With a $189 (about £123, AU$269) starting price, this 11.6-inch laptop is a potential Chromebook killer.
  
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• Hacked Jeep USB update criticised

  04-09-2015 18:44 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Security researchers criticise Fiat Chrysler for posting a USB stick with a software update on it to customers in the US.
  
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• Review: Updated: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ330

  04-09-2015 18:15 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction and featuresHow to use the techradar camera channelThe Panasonic FZ330 builds on the success of the ground-breaking FZ200 bridge camera, launched back in 2012. The FZ200 set the bar high with its 24x zoom lens, constant f/2.8 aperture and its ability to capture raw files as well as JPEGs. Whilst its relatively small sensor size may be regarded as a handicap, the FZ330 boasts SLR-rivalling functionality, and is designed to appeal to both enthusiasts and users of compacts and beginner
  
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• When people say Nicholas Fraser's vine isn't the best of 2015: why you always lyin'?

  04-09-2015 17:37 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  It’s had more than 16 million loops, but why is a vine sung to the tune of Next’s Too Close an internet hit? Because, ironically, it speaks the truthAlong with Blackstreet’s No Diggity and Boyz II Men’s End of the Road, it was one of the defining R&B jams of the 90s. Now, 18 years after its release, Next’s Too Close has provided the source material for one of the best vines on the internet. A good vine is funny. A great vine is hilarious, but also, crucially, ex
  
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• VIDEO: Dutch start-up mixes work and wine

  04-09-2015 17:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Short on money but big on ideas, a Dutch start-up company has found a novel way to save money on rent while occupying a prime position in the heart of Amsterdam.
  
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• Stella Creasy outs internet trolls in YouTube video clip

  04-09-2015 16:32 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Labour deputy leadership candidate reads out some of the offensive messages sent to her during her campaignLabour deputy leadership candidate Stella Creasy has responded to internet trolls by releasing a video in which she reads out some of the offensive messages she has been sent during the campaign.Creasy admitted that some of the messages may have been provoked by the deluge of emails people have received over the past few months from contenders not only in the deputy leadership contest, but
  
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• Have smartwatches finally had the injection of style they need?

  04-09-2015 16:14 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  New collection launched at IFA trade show in Berlin shows improved designs that better mirror traditional watches rather than ‘geek-gear’Smartwatches are still a technology niche loved by a few early adopters, but considered ugly, expensive and pointless by the majority of people.
  Early editions from Samsung and Pebble were considered chunky and ugly even by many technology enthusiasts, but designs improved a little with Google’s first wave of Android Wear watches, with the rou
  
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• Arrest after drone disrupts US Open

  04-09-2015 15:41 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A teacher in New York is arrested on charges of flying and crashing a drone into a row of empty seats during a tennis match at the US Open, police say.
  
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• US justice department cracks down on mobile phone surveillance

  04-09-2015 15:32 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  New rules require federal law enforcement officials to get search warrant before using ‘Stingray’ tracking technology, tricking phones to believe it’s a cell towerAmerican federal law enforcement officials will be required to get a search warrant before using secretive and intrusive mobile phone-tracking technology under a new US justice department policy.Continue reading...
  
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• Facebook offers education software

  04-09-2015 15:31 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Facebook is taking steps into the educational market, supporting a radical new approach to the curriculum in the US.
  
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• How the duck army stormed the internet

  04-09-2015 15:06 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  What happens when you post a video of screaming duck toys on the internet? For the first episode of Guardian Tech’s new podcast Updog we spoke to the creator of the viral duck army video and discovered a horrifying truthThe hottest thing on the internet this week, you’d have been hard pressed to have missed the video of a trolley-full of screeching duck toys.Short, but sweet, it went viral almost immediately sparking parodies and pastiches. So what’s the story behind it? Contin
  
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• Tech Weekly presents Updog; Duck Army - podcast

  04-09-2015 14:34 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  In our new podcast dedicated to the biggest viral video, meme or internet cultural quirk Alex and Elena talk to the man behind The Duck ArmyAll hail our duck overlords!The video is short and sweet, but that hasn't stopped it from taking over our timelines. We're talking about the Duck Army, of course. For the first episode of Updog, we've spoken to the man behind the meme.Continue reading...
  
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• Man takes to the skies in world-first pentacontakaitetracopter

  04-09-2015 14:28 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  YouTuber gasturbine101 flies in a 54-rotor homemade vehicleStop the search: the greatest Briton in history has been found – sitting astride a makeshift helicopter comprised of 54 drone rotors dressed like one of Monty Python’s Gumbies.YouTuber gasturbine101 built the world’s first pentacontakaitetracopter (that’s a vehicle with 54 blades), and flew it almost three meters above the ground, alarming his cameraman in the process.Continue reading...
  
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• ​Google breaks out new Street View app for iOS and Android

  04-09-2015 14:17 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  The new Street View app offers users a window into the world through 360 degree photos.
  
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• Teacher charged over drone crash at US Open

  04-09-2015 13:32 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Daniel Verley, 26, arrested after drone crashed in Louis Armstrong stadium during Flavia Pennetta win over Monica Niculescu A teacher from New York has been arrested for allegedly crashing a drone into an empty section of seats at the US Open tennis tournament.Daniel Verley, 26, faces charges of reckless endangerment and operating a drone in a New York City public park outside of a prescribed area. Continue reading...
  
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• Google bumps up its driverless car tests and steers clear of deer

  04-09-2015 13:14 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  After two months of road-tests, prototype self-drive cars from Google are due to make an appearance on the public streets of Austin, Texas.
  
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• US mobile phone tracking curtailed

  04-09-2015 12:52 via bbc.co.uk
  
  US law enforcement agencies must now apply for a warrant to use fake mobile phone towers to track criminals.
  
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• ​Apple exploring hydrogen fuel cell batteries that could last weeks

  04-09-2015 12:36 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Apple has filed patent application fleshing out its ideas for fuel cells that allow devices to last longer than ever.
  
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• Hands-on review: IFA 2015: Acer Revo Build M1-60

  04-09-2015 12:06 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Acer has taken the idea of building your own PC to a whole new level with its new Revo Build M1-601. Resembling an Intel NUC, the Revo Build is a modular computer that lets you click together different parts like Lego to add functionality.Acer is pitching the mini desktop PC at people g who don't want to go as far as building traditional tower PC from scratch but seek an entertainment machine with higher level of customisability than what's available to buy today.The brains of the operation is a
  
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• Who runs Hollywood? Google has an answer, but it's not a good one

  04-09-2015 11:07 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Search engine’s ‘direct answers’ service pulls in information from antisemitic conspiracy theoriesWith its “direct answers” service, search engine Google aims to cut down on the amount of time users spend seeking information by algorithmically answering common queries.Unfortunately, sometimes it goes wrong: Continue reading...
  
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• ​Mozilla launches Firefox for iOS preview with test in New Zealand

  04-09-2015 11:06 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Mozilla has rolled out its first public preview of Firefox for iPhones and iPads.
  
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• Halo and Football Manager developers behind new War Child games project

  04-09-2015 10:51 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Studios behind some of the biggest games in the world are set to create games for new compilation marking 20th anniversary of charity’s classic Help albumMajor video game developers around the world are set to collaborate on a compilation of new games for the charity, War Child. The teams behind blockbusting titles such as Halo 5, Alien: Isolation and the Football Manager series, will each be given six days to produce a game based around themes provided by the charity, which seeks to help
  
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• VIDEO: High speed broadband targets rural areas

  04-09-2015 10:28 via bbc.co.uk
  
  In rural Britain, access to the internet remains a struggle so locals are finding other means of improving its broadband
  
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• Extra screen time 'hits GCSE grades'

  04-09-2015 10:20 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An extra hour of television, internet or computer game time in Year 10 is linked with poorer grades at GCSE, Cambridge University research suggests.
  
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• Is digital reading bad for children? – Tech Weekly podcast

  04-09-2015 09:50 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Screen time has become a battleground in family life. But could it be the key to getting more children reading?More kids than ever now have access to a tablet. The naysayers fear that too much screen-time has a detrimental affect on children's ability to concentrate on long-form reading. But is it truly a threat to their literacy? Or could inventive ebooks and reading apps actually encourage young people to take up reading and be a valuable counterpart to the book? Joining Olly Mann on the podca
  
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• 30 percent of Australians still pirate online material: Choice

  04-09-2015 09:05 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  According to a survey conducted by consumer advocacy group, Choice, 30 percent of Australians are illegally downloading, streaming, or watching shows or movies.
  
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• Apple, Google, Intel, Adobe reach $415m lawsuit settlement

  04-09-2015 04:19 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  The class-action lawsuit filed between four of Silicon Valley's biggest names, and current and former employees has been put to bed, after a US District Judge gave approval for the technology giants to reach a $415 million settlement.
  
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• Optus pairs with Airbnb for data roaming, discounted accommodation

  04-09-2015 03:19 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Optus and Airbnb are joining forces to provide users with a AU$50 voucher for accommodation, as well as a AU$30 SIM for global roaming.
  
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• Hands-on review: IFA 2015: Philips 65PUS8901 AmbiLux

  04-09-2015 02:06 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Philips might just have made the greatest console gaming TV that's ever been built. There may only be around six prototypes of these new AmbiLux TVs in existence, but I'm desperate to get one plugged into my PS4 when they launch at the end of this year.The rear-projection tech was first shown around a year ago, with the pico-projection technology only expected to find its way into product – possibly - in a couple more years.But at this year's IFA Philips has rolled out this surprising, stu
  
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• Mobile music platforms keep African artists on song

  04-09-2015 01:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Online platforms give African musicians a chance to shine
  
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• VIDEO: Mega drone carries man into the air

  04-09-2015 01:05 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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• Teenagers who watch screens in free time 'do worse in GCSEs'

  04-09-2015 01:01 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Cambridge University study suggests that 14-year-olds who spend even an hour a day watching TV or online fall behind peersTeenagers who spend hours on screens during their free time, either watching TV, playing computer games or surfing the internet, appear to achieve lower grades at GCSE, according to a study published on Friday.Research from Cambridge University suggests that 14-year-olds who spend an hour a day on screens during their leisure time score nine fewer points at GCSE when the sum
  
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