Technology news

• 'Star Wars Battlefront' powers EA's profit, revenue beat

  10-05-2016 23:57
  Video-game publisher Electronic Arts Inc, known for titles such as "FIFA" and "Battlefield", reported quarterly revenue and profit above analysts' estimates, riding on the success of its "Star Wars Battlefront" game and new launches. The company said its "Star Wars Battlefront" game, which was launched in November, sold more than 14 million units for the year ended March 31. EA released three smaller games in the fourth quarter - "Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2", martial arts game "EA Sport
  
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• Slack is channeling Facebook with a new 'Sign in with Slack' button

  10-05-2016 23:39
  
  The "Sign in with Facebook" and "Sign in with Google" buttons have been a fixture on the web for years now, allowing Internet surfers to quickly create accounts on tons of websites with one click. No new usernames or passwords required. SEE ALSO: How to master Slack at your office Now that the chat app Slack is growing in popularity, the team behind it is throwing its collective head into the dedicated login button ring, The Next Web  reported Tuesday. Slack announced that it released an AP
  
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• Senators debate limits on NSA spy databases - CNET

  10-05-2016 23:38 via cnet.com
  
  Two surveillance programs, first revealed in documents leaked by Edward Snowden, are up for renewal in 2017. The Senate kicked off the debate early.
  
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• Disney kills toys-to-life franchise 'Disney Infinity'

  10-05-2016 23:38
  
  Disney has pulled the plug on its toys to life franchise Disney Infinity, and will step out of the "self-published console games business" entirely. It will also close down the game's developer, Avalanche Software.By: Matt Kamen, Continue reading...
  
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• Google thinks black links are the new blue video - CNET

  10-05-2016 23:35 via cnet.com
  
  Some users reported seeing Google's famous blue search links turn black. They weren't happy.
  
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• The Witcher 3: Blood & Wine - Everything you need to know about the final expansion video - CNET

  10-05-2016 23:22 via cnet.com
  
  The Witcher 3's final expansion, Blood and Wine, is the biggest yet. With over 20 hours of content, here's everything you can expect at release.
  
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• There are thousands more bots for Facebook Messenger in the works

  10-05-2016 23:02
  
  Facebook Messenger will soon get a lot more crowded. There are more than 10,000 developers building bots for Facebook's messaging platform, Messenger's head of product said in an interview Tuesday. SEE ALSO: Why messaging bots are a looming security threat Speaking in an interview at TechCrunch Disrupt on Tuesday, Stan Chudnovsky said there are "tens of thousands" of developers currently working on bots for the platform. That represents a huge increase from the few dozen bots that
  
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• Wal-Mart sues Visa for resisting use of PIN-based transactions

  10-05-2016 22:55
  (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc filed a lawsuit against Visa Inc, saying the payments network operator was resisting the use of personal identification numbers (PINs) by customers for purchases made on debit cards at its stores. Wal-Mart and other U.S. retailers have pushed their payment partners to allow customers to use PINs instead of old-school signatures in a bid to prevent counterfeit card fraud. Wal-Mart also said it pays Visa more for signature-based transactions rather than those made u
  
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• 11 spectacular suits of animal battle armor (pictures) - CNET

  10-05-2016 22:40 via cnet.com
  
  Once upon a time, horse, elephant and camel armor were real components of warfare. Today, people also enjoy dressing up their cats and dogs in fantastical body armor with spikes, tusks and chain mail.
  
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• Dog battle armor turns Fido into a mutt-at-arms - CNET

  10-05-2016 22:36 via cnet.com
  
  Dogs make perfect knights. They're loyal, brave and great at sitting in laps. Elevate your pup to knighthood with a custom suit of battle armor.
  
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• Nissan unveils a home battery to take on Tesla's Powerwall

  10-05-2016 22:26
  
  LONDON — Nissan announced a new home energy-storage device Monday, made out of recycled batteries sourced from its Leaf electric cars. The xStorage system, which Nissan unveiled at an event in East London and is produced in partnership with power =-management company Eaton, is essentially the company's  answer to Tesla's Powerwall. SEE ALSO: Tesla's Powerwall may be the future but it's not a battery breakthrough The product, which will be powered by 12 Nissan Leaf battery modules,&nbs
  
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• NASA's biggest-ever batch of new planets includes 9 in the habitable zone - CNET

  10-05-2016 22:10 via cnet.com
  
  Data from the Kepler space telescope has helped identify over a thousand new exoplanets, including nine that might be right for hosting life.
  
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• 3 reasons you should install Opera VPN for iOS right now - CNET

  10-05-2016 22:10 via cnet.com
  
  Also, one setting in the browser that you might want to turn off.
  
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• Senate committee questions Facebook over news selection

  10-05-2016 21:22
  A U.S. Senate committee launched an inquiry on Tuesday into how social media website Facebook selects its news stories after a report that company employees blocked news about conservative issues from its "trending" list. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation asked Facebook Chairman and Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg in a letter to answer questions about the company's news curation practices and its trending topics section. The investigation comes after Gizmodo reported o
  
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• Watch a baby test out this smart infant seat video - CNET

  10-05-2016 21:21 via cnet.com
  
  Is the 4moms MamaRoo really as good as an extra pair of arms?
  
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• Watch out, YouTube. Amazon lets anyone upload videos to Prime - CNET

  10-05-2016 21:19 via cnet.com
  
  The retail giant wants to bring more eyeballs to Prime by letting anyone submit videos to earn money. Also, Periscope promises to keep videos alive forever, and there's now a way to play old Nintendo Virtual Boy games on Cardboard.
  
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• Happy 50th birthday, Subaru boxer engine! - Roadshow

  10-05-2016 21:10 via cnet.com
  
  The horizontally opposed engine was created in 1897, and Subaru is one of only a few automakers to rely almost entirely on its layout.
  
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• Jet.com tests grocery delivery service - CNET

  10-05-2016 21:04 via cnet.com
  
  Online retail startup adds fresh food to its lineup as part of a pilot program on the East Coast.
  
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• This backpack turns into an electric skateboard (video) video - CNET

  10-05-2016 21:03 via cnet.com
  
  Need a lift? The $700 Movpak carries you -- and your stuff -- up to 20 mph.
  
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• The Movpak is real: a backpack that turns into an electric skateboard (hands-on) - CNET

  10-05-2016 21:03 via cnet.com
  
  It's exactly what it sounds like.
  
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• Smartphone and Internet usage is on the rise in developing economies

  10-05-2016 20:54
  
  Connectivity and the technology that connects us continues to grow and expand across the globe. As countries with advanced economies slowly inch toward 100% usage of smartphones and the Internet, developing countries have been closing the gap. SEE ALSO: Emerging and Developing Nations Want Internet Freedom As of 2015, about 54% of adults in 21 countries with developing economies are using the Internet, up from 45% in 2013, according to a report from the Pew Research Center. An even larger increa
  
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• Mountain Dew unveils new sport: Drone hunting - CNET

  10-05-2016 20:42 via cnet.com
  
  Technically Incorrect: The fizzy drink decides the world has been lacking a new pursuit. The pursuit of flying objects.
  
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• Senate committee seeks answers from Zuckerberg over news selection

  10-05-2016 20:20
  A U.S. Senate committee launched an inquiry on Tuesday into how social media website Facebook selects its news stories after a report that company employees blocked news about conservative issues from its "trending" list. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation asked Facebook Chairman and Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg in a letter to answer questions about the company's news curation practices and its trending topics section. The investigation comes after Gizmodo reported o
  
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• Senate committee asks Facebook about claims of bias in trending topics - CNET

  10-05-2016 20:04 via cnet.com
  
  The commerce committee has sent a letter to CEO Mark Zuckerberg inquiring about allegations that conservative issues were actively kept out of trending topics.
  
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• Pebble Time watches now have boosted automatic health tracking, and even insights - CNET

  10-05-2016 20:02 via cnet.com
  
  New fitness tracker improvements and iOS message-reply modes come to the latest firmware, plus a lot of new fitness graphs in the phone app.
  
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• E-books, why so old-fashioned? Here's a Web wakeup call - CNET

  10-05-2016 19:56 via cnet.com
  
  Groups that advance Web and e-book technology want to join forces. That could make e-books livelier, richer and easier to read online.
  
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• 11 ways 'Civil War' is Marvel's 'Empire Strikes Back' - CNET

  10-05-2016 19:56 via cnet.com
  
  Star-spangled Avenger meets Star Wars when Marvel's latest blockbuster takes a darker turn. No, really, hear us out.
  
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• Fitbit Zip review - CNET

  10-05-2016 19:49 via cnet.com
  
  The Fitbit Zip remains one of our favorite entry-level fitness trackers.
  
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• Viking Horde malware attacks Android devices - CNET

  10-05-2016 19:35 via cnet.com
  
  A new strain of malware is targeting Android devices via infected apps at the Google Play app store, says security firm Check Point.
  
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• Google, Oracle compete for innovation label in Android retrial

  10-05-2016 19:32
  By Dan Levine SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Oracle Corp and Google faced off on Tuesday in a $9 billion intellectual property retrial, with Oracle accusing Google of stealing programming to become the world’s leading smartphone player and Google saying it acted legally as a true innovator. Oracle claims Google's Android smartphone operating system violated its copyright on parts of the Java programming language, while Alphabet Inc's Google says it should be able to use Java without paying a fe
  
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• Apple's notebook shipments plummet - CNET

  10-05-2016 19:30 via cnet.com
  
  The company's shipments in the first three months of 2016 fell by 40 percent from the holiday-shopping quarter -- a plunge more than double the drop among the top notebook vendors as a whole.
  
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• Uber stops short of union with NYC drivers guild - CNET

  10-05-2016 19:28 via cnet.com
  
  The new organization, the first of its kind for Uber, represents the interests of 35,000 New York drivers.
  
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• Get ready for AmazonTube (The 3:59, Ep. 42) - CNET

  10-05-2016 19:25 via cnet.com
  
  The e-commerce giant creates Amazon Video Direct, an open platform for user-generated videos -- just like YouTube.
  
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• Amazon out to slay YouTube, anyone can upload videos video - CNET

  10-05-2016 19:13 via cnet.com
  
  The retail giant wants to bring more eyeballs to Prime by letting anyone submit videos to earn money. Also, Periscope promises to keep videos alive forever, and there's now a way to play old Nintendo Virtual Boy games on Cardboard.
  
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• Meghan Trainor pulls music video over digitally downsized waist - CNET

  10-05-2016 19:10 via cnet.com
  
  Pop star Meghan Trainor takes down a video for her latest single after concerned fans noted her waist appeared to be digitally altered to appear smaller than it really is.
  
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• Get a close-up view of Falcon 9's landing with new SpaceX video

  10-05-2016 19:10
  
  Incredible footage shows SpaceX's "fastest and hottest" Falcon 9 landing from three angles.More details: http://on.mash.to/1T7JhJp
  
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• Watch: Billionaire Blazers owner stunned by Steph Curry shot - CNET

  10-05-2016 19:08 via cnet.com
  
  When the Golden State Warriors star hit a shot that helped cement his team's win, the reaction from Paul Allen promptly became an Internet sensation.
  
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• Japanese artist guilty of 'obscenity' for 3D printing vagina

  10-05-2016 19:07
  
  A Japanese artist who distributed 3D printer files of her own vagina has been found guilty of obscenity charges in her homeland.By: Matt Kamen, Continue reading...
  
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• Durex calls for condom emoji to be introduced in open letter

  10-05-2016 19:01
  
  The open letter to the Unicode Consortium follows Durex’s #CondomEmoji campaign launched ahead of World Aids Day.
  
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• Amazon takes on YouTube with Direct Video service

  10-05-2016 18:56
  
  Amazon Direct Video lets users upload original video content and receive royalties, similar to YouTube's partner programme.By: Matthew Reynolds, Continue reading...
  
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• Is Sheryl Sandberg leaning out a little?

  10-05-2016 18:54 via theguardian.com
  
  The Facebook chief has written that life as a single parent is far harder than she realised when she wrote her bestseller Lean In – and has vowed to support working mothersName: Sheryl SandbergAge: 46 Continue reading...
  
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• Tablet Tuesday: Get a refurbished iPad Air (Wi-Fi+4G) for $237.99 - CNET

  10-05-2016 18:43 via cnet.com
  
  From the Cheapskate: That's a post-rebate price, but still one of the best deals ever on a flagship Apple tablet. Oh, and don't forget the free data plan from T-Mobile. Plus: two sweet bonus deals!
  
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• Nokia stock falls 7 percent after vague long-term profit outlook

  10-05-2016 18:37
  By Jussi Rosendahl and Eric Auchard HELSINKI/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Nokia's sales of network traffic equipment fell more than expected in the first quarter and will decline this year, the Finnish company said, as buyers hold off orders while it merges operations with recently purchased rival Alcatel Lucent. For the full year, Nokia forecast falling network sales and an operating margin of more than 7 percent, compared with 6.5 percent in the first quarter and analysts' average estimate of 9.4 per
  
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• Phone notifications cause 'ADHD-like symptoms'

  10-05-2016 18:35
  
  A study has found that when people have notifications turned on they reported "more symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity" than when their phones were on silent.By: Emily Reynolds, Continue reading...
  
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• This robot dog will come when you call it

  10-05-2016 18:27
  
  Robot dogs that you can control via remote are certainly fun, but they fall short of the kind of realism we expect from modern-day automatons. What we really want is a pet that doesn't need to be walked, but will come when called. WowWee's CHiP could be that robo-dog. SEE ALSO: This robot can perform soft tissue surgery better than a human It's been more than six months since we were first introduced to CHiP. The $199 robot toy has been a moderate success on Indiegogo, raising over $178,000 from
  
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• This dextrous robot can teach itself to spin a tube of coffee beans

  10-05-2016 18:27
  
  A robotic arm that can dextrously manipulate objects has been developed by a team at the University of Washington in what is being hailed as a major breakthrough.
   By: Emily Reynolds, Continue reading...
  
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• Updated: Best free Android apps of 2016: 100 you must download

  10-05-2016 18:08
  Best free Android appsYou've got an Android device, either because you didn't want, or couldn't afford, an iPhone - and in years past that meant you had to live with substandard apps. Thankfully, those days are well and truly over, with reams of great little programs standing toe to toe with the best Apple's App Store has to offer.What's the best phone of 2015?Admittedly, the huge quantity of apps doesn't mean they're all quality - far from it in fact. To make sure you never install a duff app h
  
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• Take a ride with Blue Origin's rocket as it comes in for a landing

  10-05-2016 18:05
  
  Landing a rocket back on Earth after flying to the edge of space is no easy feat, but a new video from Jeff Bezos' spaceflight company Blue Origin makes it look easy.  The newly released footage allows viewers to go on a ride-along with the New Shepard rocket as it starts coming back through Earth's atmosphere, eventually landing back on a pad at the company's test facility in Texas. As the rocket comes back to the ground, you can actually see part of the booster become discolored by the in
  
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• Jeff Bezos-backed Blue Origin rocket comes in for a landing in new POV video

  10-05-2016 18:05
  
  Landing a rocket back on Earth after flying to the edge of space is no easy feat, but a new video from Jeff Bezos' spaceflight company Blue Origin makes it look easy.  The newly released footage allows viewers to go on a ride-along with the New Shepard rocket as it starts coming back through Earth's atmosphere, eventually landing back on a pad at the company's test facility in Texas. As the rocket comes back to the ground, you can actually see part of the booster become discolored by the in
  
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• Oracle paints Google as unfair competitor in retrial over Android

  10-05-2016 18:04
  By Dan Levine SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - An attorney for Oracle Corp told jurors on Tuesday that Alphabet Inc's Google deliberately took Oracle's intellectual property without permission, kicking off a $9 billion retrial. Oracle claims Google's Android violated its copyright on parts of the Java programming language, while Google says it should be able to use Java without paying a fee under the fair-use provision of copyright law.
  
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