Technology news

• Amazon to restore encryption to Fire tablets after complaints

  05-03-2016 23:35
  “We will return the option for full-disk encryption with a Fire OS update coming this spring,” company spokeswoman Robin Handaly told Reuters via email on Saturday. Amazon's decision to drop encryption from the Fire operating system came to light late this week. On-device encryption scrambles data so that the device can be accessed only if the user enters the correct password.
  
  Read more

• Apple case exposes ongoing government rift over encryption policy

  05-03-2016 23:16
  By Joseph Menn and Dustin Volz SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Even as the Department of Justice battles Apple in court over access to encrypted data, the Obama administration remains split over backing requirements that tech manufacturers provide law enforcement with a "back door" into their products, according to a dozen people familiar with the internal debate. FBI Director James Comey and the DOJ - who are fighting to access an iPhone tied to the San Bernardino attacks – have long tried and
  
  Read more

• Teen charged for allegedly stealing nude pic from teacher's phone - CNET

  05-03-2016 21:31 via cnet.com
  
  Technically Incorrect: After engineering teacher Leigh Anne Arthur is asked to resign for leaving her phone open to an alleged student thief, charges are brought against the teen for nicking her nude picture and posting it online.
  
  Read more

• Prodigio machine brings app-connected smarts to Nespresso's pod coffee brewing line video - CNET

  05-03-2016 21:19 via cnet.com
  
  With a starting price of $249, the Nespresso Prodigio is the first of the company's capsule-based espresso machines to offer smart capabilities and wireless Bluetooth control.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• KitchenAid Pro Line Series Blender Release Date, Price and Specs - CNET

  05-03-2016 19:44 via cnet.com
  
  Starting at $600, the KitchenAid Pro Line Series blender features a high-octane 3.5 peak horsepower motor and metal controls designed to take a beating.
  
  Read more

• This audiophile left vinyl for digital music, and is now returning to LPs - CNET

  05-03-2016 19:39 via cnet.com
  
  An old friend of the Audiophiliac long ago abandoned LPs in favor of digital music, but a change of heart is bringing him back to the older format.
  
  Read more

• U.S. Commerce Department to place restrictions on ZTE Corp

  05-03-2016 18:54
  The U.S. Commerce Department is set to place restrictions on exports of U.S. products by Chinese telecoms equipment maker ZTE Corp for allegedly violating U.S. export controls related to Iran, according to documents seen by Reuters. The restrictions will take effect on Tuesday and will require ZTE’s U.S. suppliers to apply for an export license before shipping anything to ZTE in China. The license applications generally will be denied, according to the restrictions imposed on ZTE and three
  
  Read more

• We're fighting an invisible war -- in cyberspace - CNET

  05-03-2016 18:43 via cnet.com
  
  Destructive skirmishes are taking place in cyberspace right now, and increasingly they're spilling into people's daily lives.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Artificial intelligence brings its brains and money to London

  05-03-2016 17:05
  
  Following two big acquisitions by US tech companies of AI startups based in academia, the capital is emerging as a hub for young scientist-entrepreneursDeep in the heart of Imperial College, London, a computer is learning how to play Pac-Man. Like many humans, it struggles to get the hang of the classic 1980s video game at first. With time though, experience helps it decide which manoeuvres will allow it to evade the clutches of a relentless gang of animated ghosts.This is just one of dozens of
  
  Read more

• 10 tips for using your new dehydrator - CNET

  05-03-2016 17:00 via cnet.com
  
  New to dehydrating foods? Here are 10 tips to make your first batches of fruit, vegetables or meat a success.
  
  Read more

• Stop buying disposable headphones! These classics all trump the latest 'phones - CNET

  05-03-2016 16:47 via cnet.com
  
  The Audiophiliac put together a collection of seven classic, mostly very affordable headphones that still sound great
  
  Read more

• Walkers don Google cameras to map 2,500 miles of ancient trails

  05-03-2016 14:03
  
  Some of the most beautiful walks in England and Wales will be appearing on Google Street View from 17 March. Here we meet the ‘cyborg’ rangers capturing the stunning scenery for a global audienceIf “the Google effect”on Britain is anything like “the Wild effect” in the US, there will soon be unprecedented numbers of people walking the national trails that traverse some of the most beautiful countryside in England and Wales.Wild was the name of a book in 2012 a
  
  Read more

• ​How to pick the perfect smart scale - CNET

  05-03-2016 14:00 via cnet.com
  
  Interested in buying a smart scale? This guide will outline what to look for and provide recommendations on top scales we've personally tested.
  
  Read more

• Attacks targeting ISIS, Ukraine bring cyberwar out of shadows - CNET

  05-03-2016 14:00 via cnet.com
  
  Destructive skirmishes are taking place in cyberspace right now, and increasingly they're spilling into people's daily lives.
  
  Read more

• 2016 VR, meet 1993 VR - CNET

  05-03-2016 14:00 via cnet.com
  
  The hype back then was as big as the hype now
  
  Read more

• Enthusiasts use Google cameras to map Britain's walking trails - video

  05-03-2016 13:58
  
  Watch rangers and volunteers using sophisticated Google Trekker cameras to map Britain’s ancient paths and byways Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Why we're not ready to declare any lock the winner in the CNET Smart Home - CNET

  05-03-2016 13:55 via cnet.com
  
  I wanted to install voice-controlled deadbolts, but the contenders fell short and spooked me in the process.
  
  Read more

• Geneva Roadshow editor's picks video - Roadshow

  05-03-2016 13:50 via cnet.com
  
  As we say Au Revoir to the 2016 Geneva motor show, the gang at Roadshow took one last look on the show floor to pick their favorites
  
  Read more

• Microsoft, Google and Facebook join Apple's fight with the feds video - CNET

  05-03-2016 10:50 via cnet.com
  
  Huge companies agree with Apple's stances including unlikely allies. Also, will Android apps come to Windows 10? The answer is complicated.
  
  Read more

• China looks to ramp up Internet growth, and its controls

  05-03-2016 10:39
  
  BEIJING (AP) — China's government has highlighted big data, encryption technology and "core technologies" such as semiconductors as the key elements of its push to grow into a tech powerhouse, according to a new five-year plan released Saturday that envisages the Internet as a major source of growth as well as a potential risk.
  
  Read more

• Amazon flip-flops, will protect user data on Fire tablets after all - CNET

  05-03-2016 08:48 via cnet.com
  
  The Internet retailer says it will bring back encryption technology for its devices after taking it away, a move cybersecurity experts panned.
  
  Read more

• On the road: Seat Alhambra car review – ‘It’s as dependable as a labrador’

  05-03-2016 07:00
  
  I can’t think of many people except for Abraham who’d sacrifice nippiness and thrill for so much spaceI thought for ages it was called the Seat Abraham and pictured myself as a Biblical patriarch – “Another six sons? No problem. Not much room in the boot, mind” – before someone pointed out that nobody names a car after anyone religious and it was an Alhambra. Without my six sons (seven in all, of course), I found it really annoying; I don’t wan
  
  Read more

• After blasting Clinton, ex big league pitcher turns to Facebook followers for support - CNET

  05-03-2016 03:39 via cnet.com
  
  ESPN analyst Curt Schilling looks to users of the social network for a reprieve as he wonders about his job-status following comments he made about the presidential candidate.
  
  Read more

• Does an extremist's iPhone contain a "cyber pathogen"?

  05-03-2016 03:25
  
  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A local prosecutor has offered an unusual justification for forcing Apple to help hack an iPhone used by a San Bernardino mass killer: The phone might have been "used as a weapon" to introduce malicious software to county computer systems.
  
  Read more

• SpaceX rocket fails attempted barge landing for fourth time - CNET

  05-03-2016 02:20 via cnet.com
  
  Elon Musk's SpaceX really wants to be able to launch rockets for space missions and land them on platforms at sea, but so far, none of the trial landings have stuck.
  
  Read more

• Trump loses his voice... mail - CNET

  05-03-2016 02:11 via cnet.com
  
  A group of youngsters intending to prank call the Republican presidential candidate end up changing his voice mail password and message, according to Gawker.
  
  Read more

• If 'House of Cards' schemer Frank Underwood joined the US presidential race - CNET

  05-03-2016 01:59 via cnet.com
  
  Commentary: CNET's Eric Mack imagines how Kevin Spacey's Machiavellian character might manipulate the race to finally get what he wants, and you might be surprised by who comes out on top.
  
  Read more

• Meerkat, star of last year's SXSW, is ditching live streaming - CNET

  05-03-2016 01:57 via cnet.com
  
  It's hard out there for a startup, especially when Facebook and Twitter are now offering the exact same thing.
  
  Read more

• Prosecutor: iPhone could ID unknown San Bernardino attacker

  05-03-2016 01:55
  
  Information contained in an encrypted iPhone could help finally answer whether there was a third assailant in the San Bernardino terror attack that killed 14 people, according to court papers filed by ...
  
  Read more

• New GM braking system gets rid of master cylinder, vacuum pump - Roadshow

  05-03-2016 00:10 via cnet.com
  
  ZF TRW's new setup, to be used on GM trucks by the end of the decade, does away with parts that have been key to braking for many years.
  
  Read more

Follow @TechnologyUKnws on Twitter!