Technology news

• An attractive flagship that lacks excitement

  19-10-2015 23:53 via cnet.com
  
  Sony's Xperia Z5 has decent specs for a flagship, but its familiar design means it doesn't have the excitement of its rivals.
  
  Read more

• Chrome drops 'OK Google' voice search

  19-10-2015 23:49 via cnet.com
  
  Google's desktop browser still offers voice search, but you can no longer initiate it simply by saying, "OK Google."
  
  Read more

• IBM revenue falls more than expected, cuts profit forecast

  19-10-2015 23:35
  
  International Business Machines Corp posted a bigger-than-expected drop in revenue for the fifth straight quarter, hurt by a strong U.S. dollar, and cut its full-year profit forecast, sending its shares lower. It was the 14th quarter in a row that IBM has posted a reduction in revenue, as the world's largest technology services company gets rid of low-margin businesses and looks to expand its more lucrative cloud computing business, helping companies manage their data remotely. IBM lowered its f
  
  Read more

• You've Got Fail: high school students hack CIA director's AOL account

  19-10-2015 23:23 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Hack of John Brennan’s AOL account motivated by ‘support for Palestine’Personal information of 20 apparent CIA employees posted on TwitterFederal investigators are examining claims that high school students hacked CIA director John Brennan’s personal email account and published identifying information for more than 20 alleged CIA personnel.On Monday the hackers released a spreadsheet allegedly from Brennan’s account that included the alleged CIA employees’ cle
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Philips Hue says hello to Siri

  19-10-2015 23:14 via cnet.com
  
  The Apple HomeKit-compatible, second-gen Philips Hue Starter Kit lets Siri change the color of your lights
  
  Read more

• SaaS provider Diligent buys BoardLink from Thomson Reuters

  19-10-2015 23:11 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  US$10 million all-cash deal sees rival providers of board management software combine.
  
  Read more

• Nathan Fillion asked Halo 5 devs to make him look more handsome

  19-10-2015 23:00 via cnet.com
  
  "Hey, there's a guy in Halo 5 who looks just like you, only better-looking," people tell the actor on Twitter.
  
  Read more

• While Clinton used home email, State's networks were at risk

  19-10-2015 22:55
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton has come under fierce criticism for doing business over personal email while secretary of state, putting sensitive data at risk of being hacked. But her communications may not have been any more secure had she used a State Department email address, judging by years of independent audits that excoriated the department over poor cyber security on Clinton's watch.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• How to access Android 6.0 Marshmallow's native file manager

  19-10-2015 22:53 via cnet.com
  
  Ever need to access a random file on your Android device? Read this.
  
  Read more

• Google opens up Project Fi to all -- but just for today

  19-10-2015 22:39 via cnet.com
  
  The Internet giant makes it easier to try its new wireless service, which relies on a combination of Wi-Fi and cellular service.
  
  Read more

• iOgrapher Go helps turn a GoPro into a steadier handheld video rig

  19-10-2015 21:51 via cnet.com
  
  After making all-purpose filmmaking cases for iPhones and iPads, iOgrapher has turned toward action-cam users who need a better way to shoot handheld.
  
  Read more

• Google now requires full device encryption on new Android 6.0 devices

  19-10-2015 21:48 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Brand new Google Android phones shipping with the Marshmallow software will have to be encrypted before the out-of-box setup procedure is complete.
  
  Read more

• U.S. judge dismisses Uber driver lawsuit over data breach

  19-10-2015 21:00
  
  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A U.S. judge dismissed a proposed class action lawsuit filed by an Uber driver against the ride service over a data breach disclosed by the company, according to a ruling on Monday. In February, Uber revealed that as many as 50,000 of its drivers' names and license numbers had been improperly downloaded. One driver, Sasha Antman, sued Uber alleging poor network security. U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler in San Francisco ruled that Antman had not plausibly alleged tha
  
  Read more

• Lego 'Back to the Future' parody has tons of geeky cameos

  19-10-2015 20:53 via cnet.com
  
  A fan-made Lego "Brick to the Future" short takes Marty McFly and Doc Brown to a futuristic version of the year 2015. Scooby-Doo, Doctor Who and many other geeky characters and items make cameos.
  
  Read more

• I survived Camp Nerd Fitness, zombie dog and all

  19-10-2015 20:48 via cnet.com
  
  For four days this month, CNET's Michael Franco took part in a different kind of camp for adults. He came back changed -- and not just because he was turned into a zombie.
  
  Read more

• Fan 'improves' new Star Wars' poster by adding more Jar Jar Binks

  19-10-2015 20:40 via cnet.com
  
  The new promotional poster for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is pretty awesome already, but one fan thinks he can make it even better by incorporating everyone's favorite Gungan.
  
  Read more

• Lenovo's Yoga 900 laptop hybrid steps up the power

  19-10-2015 20:37 via cnet.com
  
  Moving to faster processors fixes the major shortcoming in last year's high-end Yoga
  
  Read more

• US Department of Transportation will require drone registration

  19-10-2015 20:30 via cnet.com
  
  A task force will develop a registration process for unmanned aircraft systems for consumer and commercial pilots for the holiday shopping season.
  
  Read more

• The massive 27-inch Lenovo Yoga Home tablet brings back the tabletop PC

  19-10-2015 20:30 via cnet.com
  
  This big all-in-one doubles as a futuristic touchscreen tabletop perfect for sharing.
  
  Read more

• Lenovo gives the new Yoga 900 a big power boost

  19-10-2015 20:30 via cnet.com
  
  With new Core i5 and Core i7 processors, the new super-slim Yoga is a big step up from last year's model.
  
  Read more

• Hands-on review: Lenovo Yoga Home 900

  19-10-2015 20:30 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  If you use your desktop computer for entertainment as much as you use it for productivity, the Lenovo Yoga Home 900 (starting at $1,549, about £1,000, AU$2,133) might be right for you. This 27-inch touchscreen all-in-one can easily serve as the centerpiece for your living room, but it's also got enough hardware under the hood to help you power through important work.Unlike traditional all-in-ones, the Yoga Home features a flexible hinge that enables you to position it as a standard monitor
  
  Read more

• Hands-on review: Lenovo Yoga 900

  19-10-2015 20:30 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Few laptops manage to turn heads like Lenovo's Yoga 3 Pro did when it landed back in January. Once your eyes clocked its six watchband-styled hinges, literally crafted from hundreds upon hundreds of pieces of metal, you knew that Lenovo had struck design gold.The company has now launched the Yoga 900, the successor to the Yoga 3 Pro. Keeping the same design, it makes a number of key improvements both under the hood and on the outside. If you're thinking about picking up the newest Windows 10-pow
  
  Read more

• A massive 27-inch tablet for work and play

  19-10-2015 20:30 via cnet.com
  
  The Yoga Home 900 is the latest tabletop PC big enough for the entire family to gather around.
  
  Read more

• Crackdown: Amazon sues to stop phony product reviews

  19-10-2015 20:26
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon is stepping up its fight against bogus product reviews on its site, suing more than 1,000 people for allegedly offering to post glowing write-ups for as little as $5 apiece.
  
  Read more

• My stay at Camp Nerd Fitness (pictures)

  19-10-2015 20:19 via cnet.com
  
  CNET's Michael Franco and hundreds of other nerds spend four days at a woodsy Georgia fitness camp geared to those who love sci-fi and gaming. There are zombies. There isn't cake.
  
  Read more

• Pluto's weird surface has puzzling pitted terrain

  19-10-2015 20:14 via cnet.com
  
  Pluto's surface is totally the pits in a new NASA image showing odd formations of dimples, troughs and curved indentations.
  
  Read more

• Yokohama wants tire spoilers to be the next big efficiency innovation

  19-10-2015 19:56 via cnet.com
  
  Airflow can have a pronounced effect on your car's rolling resistance and fuel economy.
  
  Read more

• Mis-selling fears hamper funds' fintech revolution

  19-10-2015 19:52
  
  By Sinead Cruise and Simon Jessop LONDON (Reuters) - British fund firms are falling behind in the so-called 'fintech' revolution, fearing that a boom in investment via phone apps could spawn the next financial mis-selling scandal. With smartphone apps already transforming the way people bank, tech-savvy savers are impatient for similar software to aid easier and cheaper 'on-the-move' investment. "We have all embraced mobile banking and many of us wouldn't be without it but increasing ease of con
  
  Read more

• Ford flux capacitor option promises time-traveling Fiesta

  19-10-2015 19:52 via cnet.com
  
  We can all dream, can't we? Ford gets in on the Back to the Future Day fun by pretending to offer a flux capacitor upgrade.
  
  Read more

• Boost Mobile picks up two new prepaid phones for under $150

  19-10-2015 19:47 via cnet.com
  
  These new budget smartphones offer Android Lollipop without a contract.
  
  Read more

• How self-driving cars will be the mapmakers of our future cities

  19-10-2015 19:45 via cnet.com
  
  Here Maps has a plan to make itself a resource in the new age of autonomous vehicles.
  
  Read more

• Doodle 4 Google contest dangles college scholarship

  19-10-2015 19:44 via cnet.com
  
  The student with the top Google Doodle wins a $30,000 college scholarship and the chance to grace Google's home page for a day.
  
  Read more

• Tesla Autopilot fail videos emerge, because nobody likes to listen

  19-10-2015 19:32 via cnet.com
  
  A mixture of increased expectations and lowered defenses could spell trouble for Tesla's semi-autonomous technology.
  
  Read more

• US to require drone registration amid wide-ranging safety concerns

  19-10-2015 19:21 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  FAA chief cites ‘troubling trend’ of close calls with pilots and wildfire-fighting operations in creating taskforce to determine regulation of private dronesHobbyist drone owners have flown too close to the fire for the last time: the US government announced this morning that it would require some publicly available drone aircraft to be registered to their owners, a move prompted by the growing number of reported close calls and incidents that pose safety risks, officials announced M
  
  Read more

• Chinese-built reactor at Bradwell could have 'major impact' on estuary

  19-10-2015 19:06 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Plans for new Essex plant alarm conservationists and come on top of worries about security implications of China’s involvement in UK nuclear industryConservation charities have expressed alarm at plans for a Chinese-built nuclear power station in Essex, with one saying the plant could have “major impacts” on the estuary location, a haven for birds and marine life.The new reactor in Bradwell, on the heavily protected Blackwater estuary, east of Chelmsford, could be confirmed thi
  
  Read more

• How to disable the camera shortcut on Nexus 5X, 6P

  19-10-2015 19:04 via cnet.com
  
  Not a fan of double-pressing the power button to launch the camera on your shiny new Nexus? It's OK, you can turn it off.
  
  Read more

• Huge, rugged Kyocera DuraForce XD striding over to AT&T

  19-10-2015 19:02 via cnet.com
  
  The 5.7-inch tough phone will feature Android and a thick, durable design that meets military specifications.
  
  Read more

• Google to give away software to Microsoft Office defectors

  19-10-2015 18:56
  
  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google is escalating an attack on Microsoft's lucrative Office software in an attempt to hit its longtime rival where it will hurt the most.
  
  Read more

• What does the Countering Extremism Strategy mean for tech in the UK?

  19-10-2015 18:44
  
  The UK Government has outlined its vision for an internet in which communication is monitored, the general public censors itself and one another, and the government funds the voices it likes online.By: Cara McGoogan, Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Google Nexus 5X lands in US, UK and other key markets

  19-10-2015 18:43 via cnet.com
  
  The new Nexus device carries on the tradition as a budget-friendly phone without the frills and features often added by Android device makers.
  
  Read more

• U.S. probing reports CIA chief's personal email hacked: CNN

  19-10-2015 18:18
  
  The FBI and the Secret Service are investigating reports that CIA Director John Brennan's personal email had been hacked, although no classified information had been accessed, CNN said. The New York Post reported on Monday that a high school student claimed to have hacked into Brennan's private AOL account and the Comcast account of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson. The hacker told the Post Brennan's private account contained sensitive files including his 47-page application for top-secre
  
  Read more

• Steam Controller doesn't work for Mac gamers

  19-10-2015 18:14
  
  The days of the Mac being a barren wasteland for games are, if not completely consigned to the history books, at least heading there. Steam, arguably the closest thing PC gaming has to a default supplier, has had an OS X client since 2010, and there's no shortage of games compatible with Apple hardware.
  One thing that isn't compatible though is the just-launched Steam Controller. Valve's dedicated oddball joypad -- first announced what seems an eternity ago, in the
  
  Read more

• Amazon claims New York Times didn't check facts for work culture exposé

  19-10-2015 17:48 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Online retailer senior vice president claims newspaper failed to check backgrounds of sources and misled company about focus of articleAmazon has launched a scathing attack on the New York Times’ exposé of a “bruising” work culture at the online retailer, claiming the paper’s journalists failed to check facts and verify their sources.
  However, Times executive editor Dean Bacquet has disputed the allegations, saying he sticks by the story which was based on “m
  
  Read more

• Is Amazon Working On Augmented Reality Smart Glasses?

  19-10-2015 17:33
  
  According to Recode, Amazon has been granted a new patent for a pair of specs that the user can hook up to a mobile device such as a tablet, with images appearing directly on the lenses of the glasses
  
  Read more

• Facebook requests a say in Austrian student's privacy case

  19-10-2015 17:24
  
  By Julia Fioretti BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Facebook Inc on Monday requested the chance to voice its opinion in a legal challenge mounted by an Austrian law student against the Irish privacy regulator for refusing to investigate the U.S. company's transfers of data to the United States. Major U.S. tech companies such as Microsoft Corp and Apple Inc as well as Facebook came under fire after revelations in 2013 of the U.S. government's Prism program, which allowed U.S. authorities to harvest private in
  
  Read more

• Role play in gaming is an empathy machine

  19-10-2015 17:20
  
  During the medium's first two decades, videogames mainly presented us with the opportunity to enter situations too dangerous, rarefied or expensive for reality. More recently, the rise of easy-to-use videogame-creation software, and the lowering of the barriers of game distribution, have vastly expanded the range of people making and selling games.By: Simon Parkin, Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Xiaomi's Ninebot mini is a (non) hoverboard you steer with your knees

  19-10-2015 17:11
  
  Beijing-based Xiaomi wants to do more than make decent Android smartphones -- it also wants to find a niche in the future of potentially-illegal travel.
  The Chinese tech insurgent has unveiled a range of new consumer tech including a TV box but also, and perhaps most notably, a self-balancing scooter.By: Michael Rundle, Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• The quick-shooting, waterproof Sony Xperia Z5

  19-10-2015 16:12 via cnet.com
  
  Sony's new flagship Xperia Z5 has a lightning-fast autofocus, a 23-megapixel sensor and won't die when you use it in the rain.
  
  Read more

• HP adds a colorful new 14-inch Chromebook

  19-10-2015 16:08 via cnet.com
  
  For the same price as other Chrome OS laptops, HP's new Chromebook includes a high-res display.
  
  Read more

• #WhereIsLuke? Star Wars fans scour official poster for Jedi hero

  19-10-2015 16:05
  
  In case you've been living under a rock, and missed the teaser trailers, tie-in drones, and actual, functional droids, there's a new Star Wars film on the way.
  The latest stop for the Force Awakens hype train brings a new poster for the upcoming J.J. Abrams-directed movie, one that presages a new, different trailer set to debut in the US during ESPN’s Monday Night Football this evening (and hitting the internet about five seconds later). Yet while t
  
  Read more

Follow @TechnologyUKnws on Twitter!