Technology news

• VIDEO: £1m ransomware demand for council

  30-01-2016 23:42 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Lincolnshire County Council's computer systems have been closed for four days after being hit by computer malware demanding a £1m ransom.
  
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• Light the way with 'Ghostbusters' Stay Puft candle - CNET

  30-01-2016 23:05 via cnet.com
  
  Conjure up a romantic mood with this marshmallow-scented Stay Puft candle. Plus he's a lot less threatening than the giant version that attempts to destroy New York City.
  
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• The Super Bowl ad that might send a shiver down your spine - CNET

  30-01-2016 22:48 via cnet.com
  
  Technically Incorrect: Online mortgage provider Quicken Loans wants everyone to use a phone to get a mortgage. Is this asking for trouble?
  
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• Possibly the best way to listen to music: First listen to silence - CNET

  30-01-2016 18:47 via cnet.com
  
  Use silence to give your ears and brain a rest, and your music might sound better.
  
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• SMEG C30GGRU review - CNET

  30-01-2016 17:28 via cnet.com
  
  The SMEG C30GGRU is a gorgeous, fire-engine red gas range. Unfortunately, looks are about all this $3,200 oven has going for it.
  
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• The Koss ESP-950 headphone dazzles the Audiophiliac - CNET

  30-01-2016 17:20 via cnet.com
  
  It's a classic audiophile design: the large, over-the-ear Koss ESP-950 sounds like no other headphone.
  
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• Hackers try to con the wrong mom. Knitting circle not the same - CNET

  30-01-2016 17:06 via cnet.com
  
  The eagle-eyed Char Yarema noticed something wasn't right when shopping online. But experts say not enough people know how to stay safe.
  
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• Opinion: Your PS Vita may be gathering dust, but it's no console failure

  30-01-2016 17:00
  
  Sony PlayStation VitaOh PS Vita, what did you do deserve this? Once a powerful, robust bit of handheld kit, you could have co-ruled the world as a herald and trusty companion to PlayStation 4. Sony even began marketing it that way in 2014, but it was too little, too late by that stage. And while the PS4 has gone on to achieve incredible sales feats worldwide, the poor Vita stagnates. It seems, for all intents and purposes, that the PS Vita is as good as dead and ready for its dotage in the Kutar
  
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• Hands-on review: Polycom RealPresence Trio 8800

  30-01-2016 17:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Remote working, globalisation and multi-site operations all mean that modern businesses rely heavily on conference calls to hold virtual meetings. To do this effectively you need something a bit more sophisticated than a simple speaker phone and there are an increasing number of specialist solutions on the market.Polycom's RealPresence Trio is a communications hub that can be used for both voice and video calling. It aims to be easy to use and effective as well as stylish enough to grace the boa
  
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• The competition to design a Hyperloop pod is underway

  30-01-2016 16:45
  
  The Hyperloop system proposed by Elon Musk's SpaceX company is moving closer to becoming a reality, and over a hundred teams of engineers have descended on College Station, Texas this weekend to present their ideas for a passenger pod to run through the system.SpaceX's team of judges are going to pick between 15 and 24 finalists who will then be invited to test out their designs on the half-scale track currently being set up in California.That should happen sometime in June and will mark a signi
  
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• How Europe is fighting to change tech companies' 'wrecking ball' ethics

  30-01-2016 16:08 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  As Silicon Valley firms hail the benefits of disruption, some European leaders are pushing to develop the industry’s moral compass. This is a real chance to make better decisions, fight fatalism and build a humane futureFacebook, Google, Amazon and other internet behemoths are involved in a form of technological innovation that is acting as a “wrecking ball”, the president of the European parliament declared in Brussels this week. “The aim is not just to play with the way
  
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• Obama wants Congress to pledge $4bn for computer science in US schools

  30-01-2016 15:57 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Federal budget proposal seeks billions for grants to states and $100m for competitive grants for school districts over the next three yearsPresident Barack Obama said on Saturday he will ask Congress for billions of dollars to help students learn computer science skills and prepare for jobs in a changing economy. Related: Obama outlines rules for closing gender pay gap and giving women 'fair shot'Continue reading...
  
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• Nokia-Samsung patent verdict expected within days

  30-01-2016 14:37
  Nokia and Samsung are expected to settle their two-year patent dispute within days, with analysts forecasting a one-time payment of hundreds of millions of euros for the Finnish company. Nokia entered into a binding arbitration with South Korea's Samsung in 2013 to settle additional compensations for a five-year period starting from early 2014. The International Chamber of Commerce's arbitration court is due to make its ruling on the issue imminently.
  
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• Week in Gaming: Revealed: the secret diary of Hideo Kojima's 'tech tour'

  30-01-2016 14:17
  
  Page 1Hideo Kojima is finally free. Not free in the way America is free, or free in the way "Buy Five, Get One Free" is free - he's broken loose from the shackles of Konami like the dogs in Homeward Bound, and now he's running around the globe like a very happy Golden Retriever that's also quite good at making video games. During his voyage of discovery, Kojima (known best for Metal Gear Solid and tweeting lots of pictures of sausages) has been spotted at studios in the UK, on boats in Amsterdam
  
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• Used iPhone 6 could be the bargain you're looking for - CNET

  30-01-2016 14:00 via cnet.com
  
  In this edition of Ask Maggie, CNET's Marguerite Reardon offers advice about getting a great value from buying an older used model of the popular iPhone.
  
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• Looks are deceiving with this little red range (pictures) - CNET

  30-01-2016 14:00 via cnet.com
  
  The SMEG C30GGRU is a red gas range that's easy on the eyes, but hard on the baked goods. Take a look at some of the features of this $3,200 and some of the testing results.
  
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• Call this oven Fred Durst, because it's baking limp biscuits video - CNET

  30-01-2016 14:00 via cnet.com
  
  The bright red SMEG C30GGRU range looks appealing, but its oven? Not so much.
  
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• Meet the LaFerrari, CNET style (CNET On Cars, Episode 82) video - Roadshow

  30-01-2016 13:50 via cnet.com
  
  LaFerrari is a supercar done our way, we deliver the bottom line on auto start-stop, and show you the 5 best cars CNET has reviewed in the last year.
  
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• The best fitness apps for Android and iPhone - CNET

  30-01-2016 13:45 via cnet.com
  
  These are the best apps to help get you in shape.
  
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• The future of e-commerce: bricks and mortar

  30-01-2016 13:00 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Amazon leads the way into the real world as online real estate – once heralded as the next frontier for retail – becomes crowded and expensiveRemember when the future of retail was online? Now it seems that online retailers have decided they can’t get by without bricks and mortar.Amazon raised eyebrows in November when it opened its first brick and mortar extension – a bookstore in Seattle’s University Village. The online giant’s rise, after all, is blamed for
  
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• Facing complex challenges, Twitter should focus on its strengths

  30-01-2016 13:00 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  CEO Jack Dorsey’s turnaround effort has seen the social networking firm’s shares fall 41% since October. Perhaps it should stop trying to be what it is notTwitter’s chief executive, Jack Dorsey, dug deep at an emergency morale-boosting session at the company’s San Francisco headquarters on Thursday, urging staff to post tweets expressing their commitment to the embattled social networking firm. Related: Twitter's US users fall by a third in two years - reportContinue read
  
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• Google is testing a superfast 5G network powered by drones

  30-01-2016 12:37
  
  We know Google has long since moved beyond web search and email to all kinds of strange and exotic projects: self-driving cars, advanced robotics, high-speed internet and much more besides. Now it's been revealed that the tech giant is also working on ultrafast 5G networks powered by drones.The secret project, codenamed SkyBender, is currently in a trial phase at Spaceport America in New Mexico, the Guardian reports. The plan could potentially offer data speeds around 40 times faster than the ma
  
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• In Depth: Here's our wish list for the ultimate fitness tracker

  30-01-2016 12:15
  
  Design, battery life, compatibilityFitness trackers are quickly becoming the must-have accessory for health-conscious enthusiasts and guilt-ridden couch potatoes alike. They come in many different shapes and sizes, and are a great alternative if you don't want to spend a lot of dough buying a smartwatch. There isn't a shortage of trackers out there. Actually, there appears to be a new model on the market every other month, thanks to their ease of use and portability.The wearables are inexpensive
  
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• Obama wants $4B to help students learn computer science

  30-01-2016 12:09
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama said Saturday he'll ask Congress for billions of dollars to help students learn computer science skills and prepare for jobs in a changing economy.
  
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• Managing Office files on an iPad

  30-01-2016 12:00
  
  Managing Office files on an iPadMicrosoft Office for iPad is closely integrated with OneDrive, Microsoft's cloud-based storage system. Sign up for a OneDrive account and you'll get 7GB of online storage space for free (with an additional 20GB of space if you subscribe to Office 365).The 20GB of additional space gives Office for iPad users a generous 27GB of OneDrive storage; typically this is more than enough for saving all your Office documents. You can store any kind of files with OneDrive (im
  
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• Why politics is encouraging the hybrid cloud

  30-01-2016 11:30
  
  Introduction and data politicsWho cares where data resides? The cloud is the engine of the global economy, its anti-geographical design perfect for a business world that now ignores national boundaries. That's what's fuelled the rise of the internet economy, but it's coming under threat from more and more data privacy law. The EU – keen to keep its citizen's data from the US government – had its Safe Harbour agreement invalidated in late 2015, but transatlantic negotiations now under
  
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• Surface makes Microsoft money while the iPhone may be in trouble video - CNET

  30-01-2016 10:50 via cnet.com
  
  Microsoft's gamble into hardware seems to be paying off. Link to all the stories we talked about
  
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• Sharing is caring: how one hospital is leading the way on transparency

  30-01-2016 10:37 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Screens all around Golden Jubilee hospital in Clydebank reveal ‘brutally transparent’ stats on everything from hand hygiene to superbug ratesThe dials on the dashboard screen flicker between red and green, to indicate targets missed or met, outside the orthopaedic ward of the Golden Jubilee national hospital in Clydebank. The information displayed here is free of medical jargon and simple to understand, led by what relatives themselves said they wanted to know about the place where t
  
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• Google deal prompts call for corporate sales tax in UK

  30-01-2016 10:02 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Tory peer Nigel Lawson says ability for multinationals to move profits around world makes corporation tax redundant
  The corporate tax system should be radically overhauled in the wake of the row over how much Google should pay in the UK, the former Conservative chancellor Nigel Lawson has said. Related: Google's tax deal with the UK: key questions answeredContinue reading...
  
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• On the road: Audi Q7 car review – ‘Only a hooligan would want to get mud on it'

  30-01-2016 07:00 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  It’s the kind of car you might buy if you had a drug-dealing empire and wanted to splash some cash without getting stopped by the policeThe whole family missed the Audi Q7 when it was gone: not as a relative or a pet, more like a troubleshooter for your entire existence; Nanny McPhee, except sleek and attractive – wait, that’s Mary Poppins.Crikey Moses, it’s expensive: at 63 grand, probably about as pricey as a family car could get. It is, for me, a borderline fictional c
  
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• Facebook bans private gun adverts

  30-01-2016 04:02 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Private individuals will no longer be allowed to advertise guns on Facebook and Instagram after the sites announced rule changes.
  
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• Apple said to have secret virtual-reality team - CNET

  30-01-2016 03:25 via cnet.com
  
  Apple has been building prototype headsets that could one day rival Facebook's Oculus Rift or Microsoft's Hololens, according to the Financial Times.
  
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• Facebook announces stricter policy on firearms sales

  30-01-2016 03:13
  
  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Facebook says it's cracking down on online gun sales, announcing Friday a new policy barring private individuals from advertising or selling firearms on the world's largest social network.
  
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• Stream Facebook Live Video like a superstar video - CNET

  30-01-2016 02:03 via cnet.com
  
  Learn how to broadcast live video to your Facebook friends and followers. The feature works a little differently than Periscope.
  
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• Facebook takes a shot at gun sellers - CNET

  30-01-2016 01:34 via cnet.com
  
  The world's largest social network is banning private gun sales on its site, joining a larger debate about how guns are handled in the US.
  
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• Soar over dwarf planet Ceres' surface in revealing NASA video - CNET

  30-01-2016 01:22 via cnet.com
  
  Using real images taken from the spacecraft Dawn, NASA takes you on an animated tour of the largest body in the asteroid belt.
  
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• Facebook to prohibit private firearm transactions on its service

  30-01-2016 01:14
  By Dustin Volz WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Facebook Inc prohibited global users from coordinating person-to-person private sales of firearms on its online social network and its Instagram photo-sharing service on Friday, countering concerns that it was increasingly being used to circumvent background checks on gun purchases. U.S. President Barack Obama has urged social media companies to clamp down on gun sales organized on their platforms. It updates Facebook's regulated goods policy, introduced in
  
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• White House denies clearance to tech researcher with links to Snowden

  30-01-2016 01:10 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and security researcher Ashkan Soltani says he has been denied security clearance for his new job with White HouseThe White House has denied a security clearance to a member of its technology team who previously helped report on documents leaked by Edward Snowden.
  Ashkan Soltani, a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and recent staffer at the Federal Trade Commission, recently began working with the White House on privacy, data ethics and technical outreach. The p
  
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• Hands-on review: Chrysler Pacifica

  30-01-2016 01:05 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Minivans are uncool, nowadays. The preferred method of family transport in the '80s and '90s is now ignored for crossover utility vehicles, but I don't care. I'll admit it: I love minivans – I grew up in a minivan family and learned to drive in minivans. When I had my first kid, I too bought a minivan (2011 Volkswagen Routan) and still have one (2014 Mazda 6 6-speed). So, when Chrysler unveiled the next-generation 2017 Pacifica at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) a few we
  
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• Facebook banning private sale of firearms on social network

  30-01-2016 00:58 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Licensed firearm retailers will still be able to advertise on the site, but updated policy will forbid individual users from coordinating peer-to-peer sales of gunsFacebook announced that it is banning the private sale of firearms on its social network, which can take place without background check.While licensed firearm retailers will still be able to advertise on the site, the updated policy will forbid individual users from coordinating peer-to-peer sales of guns. Facebook already prohibits t
  
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• Apple's working on long-range wireless charging for the iPhone (Apple Byte Extra Crunchy Ep. 24) - CNET

  30-01-2016 00:56 via cnet.com
  
  The iPhone 7 could bring a new dual-lens camera, we're expecting the iPad Air 3 and iPhone 5SE in March, and Apple is exploring virtual reality.
  
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• Your parents are about to join Snapchat (if they haven't already) - CNET

  30-01-2016 00:46 via cnet.com
  
  You could say it was inevitable.
  
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