Saturday 22 November 2014

Samsung asks the US government to block NVIDIA's chips




The patent war between NVIDIA and Samsung isn't going to wind down any time soon. Samsung has backed up its countering lawsuit against NVIDIA with a US International Trade Commission complaint asking the agency to block imports of NVIDIA's GeForce... read more

This Machine Turns Water And CO2 Into Petrol



This Machine Turns Water And CO2 Into Petrol

Despite all the efforts to the contrary, it's an uncomfortable truth that our world mostly still runs on oil, made from dead little creatures and pumped from under the ocean. So a machine that could generate oil, without the need for drills or rigs or pipelines, just by combining hydrogen and CO2, sounds quite attractive.
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Apple Pay Could Be Coming To Small Businesses, Thanks To Square



Apple Pay Could Be Coming To Small Businesses, Thanks To Square


Since it launched last month, Apple's mobile payment system has been doing pretty well for itself . But the list of participating stores, while impressive, is dominated by big names. Thanks to plans to team up with Square , a credit-card processing service for small firms, that could all change.
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One year in, here's what our readers think of the Xbox One




Since the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One launched in North America last year, our readers have had plenty of time to get to know both systems. Last week, we took a look at what you had to say about the PlayStation 4 one year in. Now, we're shining a... read more

Adobe’s Cloud Photoshop Suggests We May Finally Realize The Dream Of Streamed Computing


chromebook-photoshop

I’ve been writing about tech for nearly a decade now, and in that time, one thing has always seemed perpetually promising, and yet also ultimately unsatisfying: remote streaming consumer computing. I’m not talking about remotely connecting to your work PC to grab a couple of files, but actually using programs interchangeably with your own local apps, despite some being hosted and… Read More

Sony asked the public to redesign its logo in 1981. It didn't work out.




Once upon a time, Sony decided that its now-iconic logo was due for a redesign. The year was 1981, and Sony was on the cusp of a revolution — the first Walkman was released just 18 months earlier. What better time to redesign a logo dating from the ‘50s? But the company didn't enlist a design team to come up with a new logo. No, Sony decided to make the redesign a public spectacle.
It launched the so-called "Sony International Logotype Design Contest," and took in nearly 30,000 submissions from around the world. A committee was formed and viewed every single entry before narrowing the list down to 59. The finalists were shown to the board of directors, company executives, designers, and sales managers. As executives were looking through...
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Philae comet lander is sleeping, but not quiet




Philae's fate remains unknown as it snoozes underneath a cliff on comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko. But in the last few days, its ground crew has released a handful of updates that give us a better idea of what it's gone through since it left Rosetta for... read more

What Concept Product Should Have Been Made?



What Concept Product Should Have Been Made?

Thanks to the blight blessing of crowdfunding, the internet has more product concepts and design ideas and badly-rendered napkin sketches than ever before. But despite the seemingly endless number of people willing to give money to hastily-thought-out sketches, some legitimately great ideas have never seen the light of day.
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BitTorrent Claims Its Users Do Actually Buy Stuff



BitTorrent Claims Its Users Do Actually Buy Stuff

The (somewhat unlikely) fact that people who pirate movies are also more likely to spend money on movies has been well-known for a few years now. But thanks to a survey conducted by BitTorrent, we can now put a number on just how generous the pirates are.
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Why Is The Nexus 6 Secretly Hiding A LED Notification Light?



Why Is The Nexus 6 Secretly Hiding A LED Notification Light?

When it comes to smartphones, Easter eggs normally mean a hidden drawer of emoji, or maybe the ability to make the voice control sing you a song. But in the case of the Nexus 6, it means that there's a hidden LED notification light, fully functioning, but deactivated and hidden from view by Motorola.
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Monday 10 November 2014

Leaked photos reveal the new Microsoft Lumia 535


Leaked photos reveal the new Microsoft Lumia 535

A large number of images claiming to show off the new Microsoft Lumia 535 have leaked onto the internet giving us a detailed look at Microsoft's new handset.
The Lumia 535 is set to be Microsoft's first smartphone since the Redmond company ditched the Nokia brand name.
Both Microsoft and Nokia have teased a new Lumia launch on November 11, and these new photos unveiled by WMPoweruser might have just spoiled the surprise.
They also correspond with the teased image Nokia and Microsoft posted on Facebook, along with some earlier leaked photos of a new Microsoft Lumia device.

What do you get?

Microsoft might find itself all out of surprises for the launch event tomorrow, as along with these photos we also know a good deal about the specs of the Lumia 535.

Microsoft Lumia 535

It's tipped to pack a 5-inch qHD screen, a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 200 processor, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage.
It'll also have a 5 megapixel rear camera and a VGA front facing snapper, 1,900mAh batter and will support dual SIM cards.

Microsoft Lumia 535

Its dimensions are said to be 140.2 x 72.45 x 9.32mm and it will weigh 145.7g. With all this information out in the wild, will Microsoft still have any surprises up its sleeve for tomorrow's event?

    LG wins Android Lollipop race with G3 rollout


    LG wins Android Lollipop race with G3 rollout

    Some LG G3 devices will soon be sporting the Android Lollipop software update, after the South Korean firm announced it was the first to ready the new operating system for a non-Nexus device.
    Android 5.0 is yet to even make it onto the likes of the Nexus 5 and Nexus 7, but it's not all good news for LG G3 owners - the Lollipop rollout has only started in Poland.
    In terms of when your G3 may see the new Android upgrade LG has said Poland will "be followed by other key markets in the near future."
    It's not clear exactly when LG is planning on making it available to the wider market, but TechRadar has been told separately that UK owners should expect Android 5.0 to arrive towards the end of November/the beginning of December.

    First place!

    Previous Android updates have always been blighted by the slow adoption of manufacturers, with customers often having to wait months between Google's launch and the software actually hitting their handsets.
    LG's speedy release, which eclipses even some of Google's own Nexus devices, is a positive step forward and we hope the likes of Samsung, HTC, Sony and Motorola all take note.
    That said it looks like it's still going to take a few weeks for Lollipop to hit all G3s worldwide, and those with older LG handsets will have to wait longer for an update.

      Apple finally cracks the case of the disappearing iMessages


      Apple finally cracks the case of the disappearing iMessages

      Until now, anyone who's switched from an iPhone to an Android phone may have experienced "vanishing" messages. The reason being that iMessages are still activated, and any blue bubbles sent to you won't actually arrive.
      But Apple has finally solved the problem with a tool that'll let you disconnect your phone number from iMessage, should you jump ship to a non-Apple device. You don't even need your old iPhone to do it.
      Apple has posted the instructions on its website. You'll need to enter your number into a box, and a six-digit code will then be sent to that phone. Put that number into the next box and - hey presto - it'll be deregisted from iMessage.
      If you do have your old iPhone, you can put your new SIM back into the old Apple handset, head into Settings, and switch iMessage off manually.

        Sainsbury's new app will let you skip the checkout




        Scan-and-pay isn't a new concept inside Britain's major supermarkets, but Sainsbury's is keen to ensure it plays a key role in its shopping future. The grocery chain today announced that it will soon begin trialling a new shopping app that's designed... read more

        Fitbit's activity trackers vanish from Apple's online store




        Those rumors of Apple pulling Fitbit activity trackers from its stores appear to have been well-founded. SlashGear and others have noticed that Fitbit's gear is no longer available from Apple's online store; search for "Fitbit" and you'll come up... read more

        BBC gives Radio 1 its own video channel on iPlayer




        In a bid to serve the differing radio tastes of the nation, the BBC's line-up of numerical stations have provided live broadcasts and catch-up content for a number of years. Radio 1, which primarily serves around 40 percent of Brits between the age... read more

        Raspberry Pi's new computer is somehow even smaller and cheaper




        Everyone's favorite mini-computer has just gotten even smaller. The Raspberry Pi Foundation is today introducing the Model A+, a revamped version of its low-end Model A board priced at just $20 (£20 in the UK). While the processor and RAM -- a... read more

        Harvard Is Privately Tracking Student Attendance With Cameras



        Harvard Is Privately Tracking Student Attendance With Cameras

        Everyone's skipped the occasional class here and there, but clearly Harvard University is taking it seriously. It's started tracking the attendance of its students using secret cameras—and it didn't tell them it was doing so.
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        Tuesday 4 November 2014

        Warner becomes first major label to strike licensing deal with SoundCloud




        SoundCloud can finally say it's got the support of at least one major music label: Warner Music Group. The streaming site has signed a licensing agreement with Warner and will pay the label royalties whenever one of its songs is played on SoundCloud. Warner will also earn money if a song from its catalog is cut up and spliced into mashups on the site, according to The Wall Street Journal, where news of today's deal was first reported.
        Warner was allegedly hesitant to sign any pact with SoundCloud until the company promised to deliver a premium subscription offering to consumers sometime in the first half of 2015. The free, ad-supported service that millions of consumers use every month will remain available, though we don't yet know...
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        ​2015 Honda Africa Twin: Finally An ADV Bike Built For Dirt



        ​2015 Honda Africa Twin: Finally An ADV Bike Built For Dirt

        This is the all-new 2015 Honda Africa Twin in production form, just covered in dirt and fractalized camo. Why should you care? It just re-invented the adventure motorcycle class with honest-to-god, dirt-focussed performance.
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        The Best Hidden Features of VLC



        The Best Hidden Features of VLC

        VLC is easily one of our favorite media players (and yours too ). However, it's not just a one-trick pony. Under the surface, there's a wide range of features that you might not have known it could do.
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        Amazon lends Prime perks to other online retailers




        In an effort to get Prime in more places around the web, Amazon announced its first effort with an outside retailer today. AllSaints, a British clothing retailer, is the first to opt in to the online shopping giant's paid membership. Customers can... read more

        Soundcloud Just Made Its First Deal with a Major Record Label



        Soundcloud Just Made Its First Deal with a Major Record Label

        First came the ads , now SoundCloud has a deal with a bonafide record deal with Warner Music Group. Which means, now that SoundCloud has made it honest with a real record company, it's really growing up.
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        10 Tricks That Will Improve Your Safari Knowledge



        10 Tricks That Will Make You a Safari Master


        A new, streamlined interface! Less strain on your laptop's battery! Easier sharing options! There's a lot to like about the new version of Safari that Apple rolled out with OS X Yosemite, but you might not have got round to noticing all of the new options that are available. We're here to put that right and point out some of the software's best new features and settings (and how to revert to a more Mavericks-style look if you want to).
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        Saturday 1 November 2014

        New X-Shot Blasters Have You Targeting Bugs, Not Your Co-Workers



        New X-Shot Blasters Have You Targeting Bugs, Not Your Co-Workers

        The folks over at Blaster Labs managed to get some surprisingly advanced info on a couple of new dart guns that Zuru will be adding to its X-Shot line in the fall of 2015—a full year ahead of their official release.
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        Your 3D-printed Christmas ornament could end up in the White House




        It's the day after Halloween, and that means it's time to throw out those pumpkins and start preparing for Christmas. The White House is wasting no time — it's figuring out which ornaments it's going to hang on the tree. A new competition announced this week encourages would-be Christmas elves to design 3D printed ornaments. A selection of the winning entries will be hung on the White House Christmas tree and will enter the Smithsonian's collection of ornaments at its National Museum of American History. They'll also be posted on the Smithsonian's website devoted to 3D designs.
        The competition runs through November 10th — you'll need to submit your design to Instructables before then if you want to enter. The ornaments should "reflect...
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        F1 Tests 'Virtual Safety Car' That Forces Drivers To Slow Down



        F1 Tests 'Virtual Safety Car' That Forces Drivers To Slow Down

        In the event of a crash or some other dangerous situation on the track, may forms of motorsport deploy a safety car that leads the race cars around at a safer speed. But in the wake of Formula One driver Jules Bianchi's terrifying crash at the Japanese Grand Prix, F1 officials are testing a system that could make safety cars obsolete.
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        The Strange Beauty of GE's Magnet Factories and Wind Turbines



        The Strange Beauty of GE's Magnet Factories and Wind Turbines

        Instagram has a few core themes: Things we buy. Trips we go on. Food we eat. But the systems that made all those things possible—engines, electricity, long-haul trains, shipping containers—have their own place on Instagram too. And it's wonderful.
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        Living with the G3: Can LG's newest flagship be as good as its predecessor?




        You typically expect the latest smartphones to represent clear steps forward over their predecessors. However, I've been hearing a lot of people characterize the LG G3 as a baby step ahead of the G2, or even a step backward. That had me more than a... read more

        Gmail for Android is ready to handle all your email accounts




        The new version of Gmail for Android is slated to make its way to Google Play in the near future, but if you cannot wait to use it, you can download the APK right now and load it up. You'll notice some major changes the moment you launch it, since... read more