Formula milk: Online groups hunt for baby milk during US shortage

Parents in the US are using social media to try to track down infant formula milk - and unsafe alternatives - during a shortage that's affecting North America.

This week President Joe Biden called in the military to help distribute supplies. The situation is a result of a combination of global supply chain issues, and one of the leading US manufacturers having to shut down its factory following contamination.

Rebecca Romo Teague, a radio presenter in Cape Cod, set up a Facebook group for her local community where parents can upload photos of the baby aisles in supermarkets t ...

Best Eco-Friendly iPhone 12 and 12 Pro Cases

Looking for an environmentally friendly iPhone case? Here are some "green" options that are recycled, compostable and more.

Phone case manufacturers are doing their best to create products from recycled or biodegradable materials to curb their carbon footprint. These eco-friendly phone cases now only protect your phone when you need them to but also don't harm the environment when you discard them. Some of these cases are made out of both recycled plastic and plant-based materials that are biodegradable.

Eco cases can look and feel slightly different from standard ...

10 Free Zoom Alternative Apps for Video Chats

Stay in touch with friends and family whenever and wherever with these free videoconferencing services.

While websites and apps for video chatting are nothing new, the pandemic gave them a massive surge in popularity and completely reshaped the market.

Popular preexisting services like Skype fell to the wayside, while services like Zoom quickly rose to the top. Though the demand for these video chatting services has cooled off some since 2020, there are still a variety of different options out there, each one offering its own benefits and drawbacks. And many of them are fre ...

Microsoft's Bing Applied China's Political Censorship to Some North American Searches, Report Says

The tech giant's Bing search engine reportedly didn't autofill search suggestions for terms the Chinese government typically censors. Microsoft said it was a "misconfiguration."

Microsoft's search engine applied Chinese-style censorship to some North American searches, according to a new report, raising questions about the tech giant's dedication to the flow of information across the internet.

Bing's autofill search system, which lists suggestions based on a word or the beginning letters typed into a search box, failed to work with names and terms that the Chinese ...

NASA Spacecraft Captured May Lunar Eclipse From 64 Million Miles Away

See the long-distance love letter from a spacecraft destined to explore asteroids.

NASA's asteroid-exploring Lucy spacecraft is a long way from home, but it took time to look back and enjoy the total lunar eclipse last weekend, capturing a view from 64 million miles (100 million kilometers) away in space.

The scene from that far away was much different than what we saw on Earth or even what the astronauts on the International Space Station saw when our planet cast its shadow across our lunar neighbor. "At this distance, the Earth and Moon appeared only 0.2 degree ...

Google Lets Tinder Parent Match Use Own Payment Method in Compromise

Match Group struck an agreement Friday with Google that allows Match's popular Tinder and Hinge dating apps to remain on the Google Play Store while using alternatives to the search giant's payment system.

The agreement will let users of Match apps select the payment system of their choosing rather than be required to use Google Play Billing, the app store's homegrown system, Match said in a statement. Match said it would work with Google to fix "deficiencies of Google Play Billing," including the absence of an installment payment function and the ability to bundle some fe ...

Google Chat Now Warns You About Suspicious Links

Google Drive and Gmail have similar warnings.

Not sure if that chat message is legit or not? Google has your back. Google Chat will start showing a warning banner under messages that might contain phishing links or malware downloads, according to a blog post by Google.

Phishing scams can lock you out of your device or result in identity theft. Malware attacks, which include ransomware attacks, are becoming more frequent, more successful and more expensive.

Google wrote that the warning banners "help protect users against malicious actors, keeping data safe.&quo ...

Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 Will End Up in Only a Few US Phones

The new directive comes less than a year after the Supreme Court narrowed the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

Qualcomm on Friday announced a new chip that promises faster mobile computing with much better power efficiency. But it'll only come to the US in Motorola and OnePlus phones expected later this year.

As you can probably guess, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 is a slight upgrade on the Series 8 Gen 1 that debuted earlier this year. For that added "plus," Qualcomm said its new silicon has 10% faster CPU and GPU speeds than the earlier model and has 30% bette ...

Most of US at Risk of Blackouts This Summer, Regulator Says

People from Michigan to California could lose power throughout the summer.

People from Michigan to Texas to California are at risk of losing power throughout the summer, according to a report Wednesday from North American Electric Reliability Corporation. The Midwest is at "high risk" while other parts of the US are at an "elevated risk" of energy emergencies.

NERC, a regulatory authority that oversees the reliability of electrical infrastructure in North America, said above-average seasonal temperatures, as well drought conditions, are to blame. Droughts ...

Should You Upgrade to the Pixel 6? See How It Compares to 3 Older Pixel Phones

Here's how to decide whether to swap out your Pixel 3, 4 or 5 for the new Pixel 6.

The Pixel 6 is Google's most significant smartphone upgrade in years. But it can still be difficult to know whether it's time to trade in your old phone. In general, you should only consider upgrading if your device is more than two years old. There's plenty that's different about the Pixel 6, but the Pixel 5 is still new enough to get you through at least another year. If you have an older phone that's not eligible for Android operating system updates anymore -- like the Pixel 3 -- it's time to think ...

Qualcomm's New Wireless AR Glasses Are Made to Blend With Phones

If you want to know the direction of VR and AR products these past few years, you can get an easy sneak peek by following what Qualcomm does. The chipmaker's processors are in most AR/VR headsets right now, and the company's latest reference design for AR glasses shows a wireless, phone-connected future.

Standalone AR headsets like the Hololens 2 or Magic Leap 2 have been bulky to date, or required separate connected processors. Qualcomm has already advanced a wave of early phone-connected AR glasses that connect with USB-C, but the results of that first wave of products -- includin ...

Mac Studio Deals: Where to Shop For Apple's Newest Desktop Computer

These are the best places to get your hands on Apple's advanced new desktop.

While many were expecting Apple to unveil a new model of the Mac Mini desktop at its "Peek Performance" event in March, that's not exactly what we got. What we got instead is a whole new line of compact Apple desktops, the Mac Studio. These sleek desktops are as small as they are powerful, and are akin to a supercharged version of the Mini. One of the most notable changes is that they're equipped with Apple's most advanced M1 chips -- the M1 Max, which is used by the latest MacBook Pro, and the br ...

Twitter Seeks to Curb Misinformation During Periods of Crisis With Warning Notices

The new policy focuses on misinformation during a "widespread threat to life, physical safety, health, or basic subsistence."

Twitter introduced a new policy that aims to tamp down viral misinformation during times of crisis, the company said in a blog post Thursday. The social network will now suppress misleading tweets found to include false coverage of the events of a crisis, false allegations of war crimes or use of force, and false information regarding crisis response, Twitter's head of safety and integrity, Yoel Roth, wrote in the post.

Twitter will place w ...

Subsea internet cables could help detect earthquakes

Internet cables that crisscross the sea-floor could be use to detect earthquakes and tsunamis or monitor how climate change alters ocean currents.

These telecoms cables could be used as a giant array of deep-sea scientific sensors, the UK's National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and its partners say.

Scientists tested the technique on an optical-fibre link between the UK and Canada.

The research is published in Science Magazine.

Because installing permanent sensors to monitor the ocean floor is very costly, only a few exist globally, the scientists say.

& ...

Apple Showed AR, VR Headset to Company's Board, Report Says

Apple's mixed-reality headset might be close to completion.

Apple's board of directors recently previewed the company's mixed-reality headset, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. The company's board, which meets at least four times a year, got a demonstration of the headset during a meeting last week, according to Bloomberg, citing "people with knowledge of the matter."

Apple has also ramped up development of its reality operating system, which will run on the headset, people familiar with the work told Bloomberg.

The headset reportedly combines elements of au ...

Accessibility Gains From the Pandemic Shouldn't Be Forgotten, Advocates Say

Before the pandemic, Tori Allen would take client calls over the phone. But as someone who's hard of hearing, it was difficult to understand what people were saying. After the pandemic hit, those meetings became video calls over Zoom, making it easier for her to know what was going on.

"I rely on lip reading, and even just expressions, to fully understand what someone's saying," said Allen, a director of integrated marketing.

The sudden shift to virtual and remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic had significant implications for everyone, including -- and perhaps ...

FCC Crusade to End Robocalls May Get a New Boost

The US Federal Communications Commission upped its game in 2021 when it came to fighting illegal robocallers, and the agency is continuing to turn up the heat in 2022.

Still, experts say, the battle to end robocalls is far from over.

On Thursday, the FCC voted on its latest effort to protect consumers. It's going after international scam robocall campaigns that enter American networks through so-called gateway providers. These gateway providers, which are smaller, low-profile companies that hand off calls from network to network, are often used by foreign scammers to disgui ...

Twitter steps up Ukraine misinformation fight

Twitter has said it plans to put misleading tweets from official accounts about the Ukraine war behind warning notices.

The change follows heightened scrutiny of the social media platform after the war unleashed a new surge of misinformation, sometimes from government sources.

Twitter has already limited content from more than 300 Russian government accounts, including President Putin.

But it also faces free speech concerns.

Under the company's new "crisis" policies, Twitter will prioritise labelling false posts from accounts with wide reach, like s ...

Canada to ban China's Huawei and ZTE from its 5G networks

Canada says it will ban two of China's biggest telecoms equipment makers from working on its 5G phone networks. The restrictions against Huawei and ZTE were announced by the country's industry minister on Thursday. Francois-Philippe Champagne says the move will improve Canada's mobile internet services and "protect the safety and security of Canadians". Several nations - including the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand - have already put restrictions on the firms. The four countries, along with Canada, make up an intelligence-sharing arrangement named 'Five Eyes'. It evolved during ...

Metallica Gets Its Own Metal-Themed Pro-Ject Turntable, and I Will Fight You for One

If you ever drew a Metallica logo on your school bag, you know this turntable is for you.

For the fans who stuck with Metallica's journey from '80s metal heroes through their period as the internet's punching bag, to their eventual redemption, here is a turntable seemingly worthy of a devil's horn salute. The Metallica Limited Edition Turntable is a collaboration between the band and Polish manufacturer Pro-Ject.

The turntable features an MDF plinth, which mimics the band's logo and boasts a mirror finish for extra metal cred. But it's not just flash designed for heavy rock ...

Garmin Intros New Cycling Radar With Integrated Camera

Sort of a dash cam for bikes, the Varia RCT175 continual captures rearview video while the radar shows you cars approaching.

For a lot of bikers there's always some concern about a car hitting you from behind. That's where Garmin's rearview radars come into play, warning you that cars are approaching. Now Garmin is adding a video element to the equation with its new Varia RCT715 ($400), which has both a built-in taillight as well as a camera with 1080p capture capabilities.

The RCT715 is the third model in Garmin's Varia line of cycling radars, which includes two models we r ...

Garmin Intros New Cycling Radar With Integrated Camera

Sort of a dash cam for bikes, the Varia RCT175 continual captures rearview video while the radar shows you cars approaching.

For a lot of bikers there's always some concern about a car hitting you from behind. That's where Garmin's rearview radars come into play, warning you that cars are approaching. Now Garmin is adding a video element to the equation with its new Varia RCT715 ($400), which has both a built-in taillight as well as a camera with 1080p capture capabilities.

The RCT715 is the third model in Garmin's Varia line of cycling radars, which includes two models we r ...

NY State Accuses Amazon of Discrimination Against Pregnant and Disabled Workers

The state's Division of Human Rights files a formal complaint against the e-tailing giant.

The New York State Division of Human Rights filed a formal complaint against Amazon on Wednesday, alleging that the e-commerce giant engages in workplace discrimination against pregnant and disabled employees. The agency accused Amazon of denying pregnant workers and employees with disabilities reasonable working accommodations and instead making them take unpaid leaves of absence, according to a release from the office of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

State law stipulates that employers ...

Master Microsoft Azure With This $39 Comprehensive Training Bundle

Save hundreds while getting certified on one of the most popular cloud computing platforms out there.

With tons of employees and businesses permanently switching over to remote work, a secure and efficient cloud computing platform is more important to companies than ever before. According to Microsoft, over 95% of Fortune 500 companies use Microsoft Azure as their primary cloud computing platform, and demand for certified Azure architects and designers is at an all-time high. If you're looking to earn your Azure certification and get a leg up in your IT career, we've got a deal you ...

Apple Now Offers Training to Become an IT Professional

Apple's courses will teach you how to deploy, support and manage Apple products in the workplace.

Apple has introduced new professional training and certification programs to train IT workers, or anyone who wants to make a career change. The courses explain how to deploy, manage and support iPhones, Macs and other Apple devices used in the workplace. You can sign up for the courses here.

Apple named the courses Apple Device Support and Apple Deployment and Management, and the courses are sequential.

The Apple Device Support course covers tools, services and best prac ...

President Rodrigo Chaves says Costa Rica is at war with Conti hackers

The president of Costa Rica says his country is "at war", as cyber-criminals cause major disruption to IT systems of numerous government ministries.

Rodrigo Chaves said hackers infiltrated 27 government institutions, including municipalities and state-run utilities.

The Conti ransomware cartel, which is thought to be run from Russia, has upped its ransom demand to $20m (£16m).

The criminals posted an appeal online to Costa Ricans to "go out on the street and demand payment".

Mr Chaves held a press conference on Monday to outline his " ...

HP Has New Omen and Victus Gaming Laptops for Gamers at Every Budget

The entry-level Victus and premium Omen lines get new cooling and new processors.

HP has two gaming lines, the premium Omen series and the newer, more budget-friendly Victus. Both of those are getting some mid-2022 updates, focusing on processor options, improved cooling and tweaks to bundled software.

Omen 16 improvements
The Omen 16, which sits in that middle 16-inch gaming laptop zone, has a revamped cooling system that primarily moves more air through the laptop. That includes adding a fourth vent on the outside and a fifth heat pipe inside. HP says that's enabl ...

What Google's Pixel Watch Can Learn From Its Phones

Commentary: Google has an opportunity to make its first smartwatch stand out with Pixel-specific features.

Google is known for more than just its internet services. Over the last several years, the search giant has cultivated a broad array of phones, laptops, wireless earbuds and smart home devices. It will soon add smartwatches to that list when the Pixel Watch arrives later this year. The company announced its first smartwatch during its annual I/O conference on May 11 alongside the Pixel 6A phone and Pixel Buds Pro earbuds.

Google already has a sizable presence in the sm ...

Apple to Bring Live Captions and Other Accessibility Features to iPhone Later This Year

The tech giant unveils new and expanded features for the iPhone, Apple Watch and Mac.

Apple on Tuesday highlighted a handful of accessibility features that will be available on various iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch models later this year. The tech giant said the new features aim to help people with disabilities "navigate, connect, and get the most out of Apple products."

The features that Apple previewed include Door Detection, Apple Watch Mirroring, Live Captions and expanded VoiceOver.

"At Apple, we design for accessibility from the ground up and we' ...

Apple Quietly Allows Apps to Automatically Charge You More

This policy change could allow the price of your app subscriptions to double in just two years.

If you're an Apple customer and have an app subscription on your iPhone, iPad or Mac, your app could charge you more without your consent. Apple updated its App Store policy Monday and now allows some apps to charge more for auto-renewable subscriptions without requiring customers to take any action. However, there are some conditions to the policy update.

"The specific conditions for this feature are that the price increase doesn't occur more than once per year, doesn't exc ...

US Military Reveals Intriguing New UFO Footage

The Pentagon's UFO task force brought clips to Capitol Hill for a historic Congressional hearing on Tuesday.

US military officials unveiled new footage of UFOs -- or what they're now calling unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAP -- during a 90-minute committee hearing in the US House of Representatives on Tuesday morning.

Deputy Director of Navy Intelligence Scott Bray shared clips recorded by military personnel with the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence during the first public hearing on the topic in over 50 years.

One of the videos taken in 2019 fr ...

Verizon, T-Mobile and My Personal Attempt to Replace Cable Internet With 5G

T-Mobile and Verizon's respective 5G home internet offerings have potential, but both need work to fix consistency.

Over the past few weeks, I ditched my Spectrum cable home internet and television services and embraced the future: 5G. The overhyped next generation of wireless has been labeled a solution to plenty of problems, but one of its early successes has been providing competition to the likes of Comcast Xfinity, Charter Spectrum, Altice's Optimum, AT&T and Verizon Fios.

After several weeks of trying out T-Mobile's and Verizon's respective $50-per-month solutions ...

Netflix cuts 150 US-based jobs after losing subscribers

Netflix has laid off about 150 staff, just a month after the entertainment giant said it was losing subscribers for the first time in a decade.

The redundancies, announced by the streaming service on Tuesday, will mainly affect its US office in California. They account for about 2% of its North American workforce.

Netflix said the job losses were due to the slump in the company's revenue.

The streaming service is battling an exodus of viewers this year.

"These changes are primarily driven by business needs rather than individual performance, which makes ...

Social platforms' Buffalo shooting response called inadequate

Social-media sites are facing criticism for the spread of graphic and far-right material from Saturday's attack in Buffalo, New York.

Campaign group Hope Not Hate called the response "wholly inadequate".

The gunman livestreamed the fatal shooting of 10 people at a Buffalo supermarket on Twitch.

Twitch quickly took down the livestream, on Saturday - but Meta and Twitter's moderation remains under scrutiny.

The platforms say footage from the attack and links to the shooter's manifesto are being actively removed.

The footage, captured on the gu ...

iOS 15.5 Release: Everything to Know About the New iOS Update

Apple launched iOS 15.5 on Monday. It's not the biggest update, but it brings new features to Apple Cash, Memories and more.

Apple released iOS 15.5 on Monday, bringing a few smaller changes to iPhones. Most of the updates made in this version are smaller tweaks to apps and other behind-the-scenes updates that lay the groundwork for larger future changes, rather than bigger new features like Universal Control, which we saw in iOS 15.4.

Here's everything you need to know about the launch of iOS 15.5.

iOS 15.5 release date
Apple released iOS 15.5 on Monday, May ...

Elon Musk warns Twitter deal stuck without fake account proof

Elon Musk has said his $44bn deal to buy Twitter may be in jeopardy due to a disagreement over the number of fake accounts on the social media platform.

Mr Musk tweeted that the deal "cannot move forward" unless Twitter backs up its claims that less than 5% of accounts are fake or spam accounts.

Twitter's boss has hit back at claims that the figure may be inaccurate.

Analysts have speculated that Mr Musk may be looking for ways to renegotiate the price of the deal or walk away.

On Monday, Mr Musk said he could seek a lower price for Twitter.

...

Mullvad Review: Solid Security and Privacy, But Swedish Jurisdiction is Concerning

Mullvad is a small but mighty VPN provider that offers incredible speeds along with security and performance that stacks up with the best VPNs.

Mullvad is a Swedish-based, independently owned, open-source VPN provider that puts security and privacy above all else. Every other VPN provider says it does as well, but Mullvad goes to great lengths to convey that it genuinely does put security and privacy first.

The apps are simple in design and easy to use, yet offer sufficient customization options to keep experienced VPN users happy. And Mullvad offers all the security and pr ...

Asus ROG Flow Z13 Review: Spare the Expense

Asus' gaming tablet-slash-laptop promises a lot.

In a lot of ways, the Asus ROG Flow Z13 is a terrific idea. The company's tablet-plus-detachable-keyboard gaming laptop comes to the product line launched with the Flow X13 convertible last year and its external GPU dock accessory, the XG Mobile. Detachables in the style of the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 make more sense to me than convertibles, which tend to be bulkier, cumbersome to switch positions and less lap-friendly for tablet use. With a discrete GPU and support for the XG Mobile, the Z13 seems like a great alternative.

An ...

US warns over risk of hiring North Korea IT workers

The US has warned that IT workers from North Korea are trying to get remote working jobs by hiding their true identities for the purpose of stealing money for Pyongyang.

Many of them pretend to be from other parts of Asia, according to three US government agencies.

They are allegedly helping to fund North Korea's weapons programmes, in violation of international sanctions.

The country has conducted several missile tests in recent months.

In March, North Korea tested a banned intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time since 2017.

"The D ...

iOS 15.5 Release: Everything to Know About the New iOS Update

Apple launched iOS 15.5 on Monday. It's not the biggest update, but it brings new features to Apple Cash, Memories and more.

Apple released iOS 15.5 on Monday, bringing a few smaller changes to iPhones. Most of the updates made in this version are smaller tweaks to apps and other behind-the-scenes updates that lay the groundwork for larger future changes, rather than bigger new features like Universal Control, which we saw in iOS 15.4.

Here's everything you need to know about the launch of iOS 15.5.

iOS 15.5 release date
Apple released iOS 15.5 on Monda ...

Spotify Testing New Feature That Lets Some Artists Promote NFTs

Listeners in the test group can't actually buy NFTs through Spotify, though.

Music-streaming app Spotify is testing a new feature that would allow artists to promote their NFTs on their artist profile page, Spotify said Monday. Only select Android users in the US will have access to the new feature while it's being tested.

"Spotify is running a test in which it will help a small group of artists promote their existing third-party NFT offerings via their artist profiles," a Spotify spokesperson told CNET.

Spotify chose a few artists to test this new f ...

Apple iOS 15.5 Is Available Now

The update brings new features for Wallet and Apple Podcasts.

After releasing iOS 15.5 to developers last Thursday, Apple launched the new update more widely on Monday.

Most of the changes coming with 15.5 are minor, mainly tweaks to apps and updates that seem to lay the foundation for larger changes in the future.

The update includes two main enhancements: The Apple Cash card in the Wallet app will now allow customers to send and request money, and a new Apple Podcasts setting will allow users to limit episodes stored on devices and automatically delete older ones, ...

Europeans' data shared 376 times daily in advertising sales, report says

Data about every internet user is shared hundreds of times each day as companies bid for online advertising slots, a report suggests.

The study, by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL), found that the average European user's data is shared 376 times per day.

The figure rises to 747 times daily for US-based users, the report claims.

The revenue from digital adverts is what keeps most internet services free to use.

The ICCL is currently engaged in legal action with the digital ad industry and the Data Protection Commission against what it describes as a ...

Upgrade to Apple's M1 MacBook Air for Its Lowest Price Yet (Save $150)

If you're looking for a portable yet powerful laptop, this M1-powered MacBook Air may be the computer you are looking for.

Apple's MacBook Air line has always been popular, but previously you usually had to decide between performance and portability. When the M1-powered model came out, that was no longer the case and if you've been waiting to pick one up for yourself this is a great time to do it. Amazon has the 2020 MacBook Air on sale for just $850 when you add it to your cart. The additional $100 discount at checkout (which brings it to $850) only applies to the gold model.

...

Is Google Wallet the Same as Google Pay? We'll Explain

Google announced the release of Google Wallet for contactless payments, but isn't that what Google Pay already does?

At Google I/O 2022 on Wednesday, the tech giant announced the release of Google Wallet for Android: an online wallet for your payment cards, boarding passes and more. Sound familiar? Well, yes, because Google Wallet has been around for over a decade in various iterations.

Is Google Wallet replacing Google Pay? Will Google Pay still be around? And what's the difference between them? Here's everything you need to know about the history of Google Wallet, what tha ...

iOS 16 Rumors: Release Date, Compatibility and Everything Else We've Heard

We'll likely see Apple's next big software update next month.

Apple released iOS 15.5 to developers this week and although it has some neat features, like the addition of a "Send" and "Request" buttons for the Cash section of Apple Pay, bigger updates could be on the way later with iOS 16. Apple's rumored next major software update doesn't have an official release date yet, but we're expecting to get a reveal at Apple's WWDC, now scheduled for June 6-10.

In the meantime, we have questions. Will older devices, like the 2016 iPhone 7, get iOS 16? How will ...

Try to Spot the SpaceX Crew Dragon in This Snapshot From the ISS

Kind of like Where's Waldo, but with a spacecraft.

There's been discussion about which human-made objects can be "seen from space." If you have a good enough zoom lens, you can spot even fairly small things, like a SpaceX Crew Dragon on a Falcon 9 rocket at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer was part of the Crew-3 mission to the International Space Station. He returned to Earth earlier in May and is sharing some views from his trip, including a spot-the-spacecraft challenge.

"Can you spot Crew Dragon Freedo ...

New NOAA Weather Satellite Delivers Its First Stunning Views of Earth

Storms, volcanic eruptions, wildfires, clouds. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's new GOES-18 satellite will witness them all, helping us to better forecast and understand weather, climate issues and natural disasters. NASA launched the satellite, which was originally known as GOES-T, on March 1 and it's now sending back eye-opening views of Earth.

NOAA shared the satellite's first imagery on Wednesday. A video tour shows off glorious Earth shots and intense footage of storms, dust and wildfires.

GOES-18 is a geostationary satellite, so it stays in an orbi ...

'The Lost City' Movie Is Finally Streaming 'Free' (if You Already Pay)

It isn't literally free, but it's on Paramount Plus at no added cost to subscribers (and it's free if you use a weeklong trial).

The Lost City hit cinemas on March 25 and had only been available in theaters -- until now.

New movies have faced profound disruptions since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which unhinged standard practices for when and where new movies begin streaming. Now, every studio and streaming service carves out its own rules, and it's difficult to keep track of how long you'll have to wait to stream a film and how much it'll cost when you can. ...

'Top Gun: Maverick' Won't Stream When It Hits Theaters May 24, Sorry

Top Gun: Maverick is destined for Paramount Plus -- eventually. Here's the most likely time to expect it (and why it could take even longer).Top Gun: Maverick is set to hit theaters May 24, and it's already piling up glowing reviews. But the COVID-19 pandemic, with its profound disruptions to movie-release norms, has stirred up a lot of confusion about how long fans must wait before a new movie hits a streaming service.

Where will Top Gun: Maverick stream?
Top Gun: Maverick is expected to stream first on Paramount Plus. The movie is distributed by Paramount Pictures, which ...

Xiaomi Mi Smart Projector 2: High Style, Low Brightness, High Price

This compact projector lacks the light output and battery of competitors, but it sure is slick.

It's the rare projector that crosses my path with an aesthetically beautiful design. There are plenty of cool projectors, some cute projectors and even some that could generously be called "neat." The Xiaomi Mi Smart Projector 2 is as stylish as any projector I've seen, and would look right at home surrounded by Apple devices on an Eero Saarinen table flanked by Corbusier chairs.

Unfortunately it's relatively expensive and the picture quality and features don't quite mat ...

Luna and TerraUSD Cryptocurrency Crash. This Week's Top Bitcoin and Crypto News

All the bitcoin, cryptocurrency and NFT news for the week ending May 13.Two linked cryptocurrencies collapsed and lots of people lost money. Coinbase said investors who use its platform might lose their crypto if the company ever went bankrupt. And the whole crypto complex had a week on the skids. Here's what happened in crypto last week:

Luna cryptocurrency and terraUSD stablecoin collapse
A week ago, the luna cryptocurrency traded at $80 a coin. Now it's worth less than a penny. The terraUSD stablecoin, which is designed to be worth a dollar at all times, is now worth about ...

Elon Musk's $44B Twitter Deal 'Temporarily on Hold'

But the Tesla and SpaceX CEO also says he's "still committed to the acquisition."

Elon Musk's $44 billion deal to buy Twitter is "temporarily on hold, the tech entrepreneur tweeted early Friday, alongside a link to a Reuters article about spam accounts.

In another tweet two hours later, Musk confirmed that he's "still committed to the acquisition." In the intervening period, Twitter share prices took a significant hit, tumbling over 20% in premarket trading. When markets closed Friday, shares were down nearly 10% to around $40.72, a steep discount f ...

How Electric Cars Work

Before you buy your first EV, here's a simple explanation of what's under the hood.There's plenty of hype around EVs, but has anyone explained to you how they work? Here are the basics for people who just want to know what they're buying and not geek out.

In terms of getting around there are five major components that separate an electric car from one that burns gas:

Battery Charger
Battery
Power Control Unit
Motor(s)
Gear(s)
Battery charger
Contrary to common belief, the thing on your garage wall or on a pole at the shopping center ...

Scientists Grow Plants in Moon Soil for the First Time

When NASA sends Artemis astronauts back to the surface of the moon in coming years, they should be able to grow their own salad. That's just one ramification of a historic experiment in which scientists used samples of lunar surface material, called regolith, to successfully grow plants here on Earth.

Seeds of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana, which is related to mustard greens, were deposited in tiny samples of the regolith collected on three different Apollo missions a half century ago.

While the seeds germinated and grew, they didn't exactly thrive.

"Lunar so ...

No Joke: Google's AI Is Smart Enough to Understand Your Humor

Amid a flurry of new hardware including the Pixel 7, the Pixel Buds Pro and a new Pixel Tablet, Google dropped one development at its I/O developer conference that went largely unnoticed: Its AI can now understand jokes.

Jokes, sarcasm and humor require understanding the subtleties of language and human behavior. When a comedian says something sarcastic or controversial, usually the audience can discern the tone and know it's more of an exaggeration, something that's learned from years of human interaction.

But PaLM, or Pathways Language Model, learned it without being expl ...

Crypto crash: Stablecoin collapse sends tokens tumbling

Crypto-currency markets are being rocked after a popular token lost 99% of its value, dragging down a so-called "stablecoin" with it.

The Terra Luna token fell from a high of $118 (£96), last month, to $0.09 on Thursday.

The collapse had a knock-on effect on a linked token, TerraUSD, which is normally stable.

And spooked investors are now pulling out of major crypto-currencies, sending markets plummeting.

The companies behind stablecoins try to ensure they remain in parity with assets such as the US dollar - with one token equalling $1, for example. ...

Apple Reportedly Testing iPhones With USB-C Instead of Lightning Port

Is it almost time to say goodbye to the Lightning port?

Apple in recent months has been testing future iPhone models that replace the Lightning port with a USB-C connector, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing unnamed people with "knowledge of the situation." The company is also reportedly working on an adapter that will let future USB-C iPhones use accessories designed for the Lightning connector.

The Bloomberg report comes after Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo earlier this week predicted in a tweet that USB-C could land on the iPhone 15 in 2023. Rumors have popped up ...

Elon Musk's $44B Twitter Deal 'Temporarily on Hold'

But the Tesla and SpaceX CEO also says he's "still committed to the acquisition."

Elon Musk's $44 billion deal to buy Twitter is "temporarily on hold, the tech entrepreneur tweeted early Friday, alongside a link to a Reuters article about spam accounts.

In another tweet two hours later, Musk confirmed that he's "still committed to the acquisition." In the intervening period, Twitter share prices took a significant hit, tumbling over 20% in premarket trading. When markets closed Friday, shares were down nearly 10% to around $40.72, a steep discount f ...

Apple CEO Tim Cook Highlights Accessibility at Gallaudet University Commencement

Cook celebrates an Oscar win for the Apple original CODA, about Deaf families, and talks up his company's work with the university for deaf and hard of hearing people.

Apple CEO Tim Cook reiterated his company's commitment to the environment, privacy and accessibility during a commencement address at the country's leading university for deaf people.

Cook said his company's partnership with Washington, DC's Gallaudet University underscores Apple's efforts to create inclusive products. He singled out cooperation with the Gallaudet community as being particularly important in ...

iPod Creator Tony Fadell Isn't Buying the Metaverse Hype

We need to fix the problems that already exist on today's social platforms, he says.

If anyone has an eye for where the tech industry is headed, it's probably Tony Fadell.

During his time at Apple, he led the team that developed the iPod (RIP) and the first three generations of the iPhone. Then, he co-founded the now Google-owned smart home company Nest, which raised the bar for how connected appliances should look and feel. With that kind of track record, it's no surprise he has a strong opinion on the metaverse -- a nebulous term that tech executives have used to describe ...

Two Twitter Leaders Leaving in Latest Company Shake-Up

The departures come after Elon Musk struck a deal to buy Twitter for $44 billion.

Twitter is undergoing another leadership shake-up after Elon Musk struck a deal to buy the influential social network for $44 billion.

Kayvon Beykpour, who formerly led Twitter's consumer products before becoming general manager, said he was leaving the company after seven years because he was being pushed out by Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal. Beykpour, who's on paternity leave, tweeted about his departure on Thursday.

"The truth is that this isn't how and when I imagined leaving Twit ...

Google's Promise to Simplify Tech Puts Its Devices Everywhere

Commentary: Google wants to make technology less obtrusive. But to do so, its devices need to be everywhere.

Google makes everything from connected thermostats to phones, speakers, TV dongles and laptops. Soon, you can add smartwatches and augmented reality glasses to that list. Why? To Google, the answer is simple: It wants to make technology less distracting.

The company discussed its vision for the future of computing during its annual I/O conference on Wednesday. A large part of its strategy relies on Google's expanding lineup of gadgets, which the company says will fur ...

Twitter executives ousted ahead of Elon Musk takeover

Twitter has confirmed that two of its bosses are leaving the social media company in one of the biggest shake-ups since Elon Musk agreed to buy the firm.

The executives had been leading Twitter's consumer and revenue operations.

From this week, the firm has also paused most hiring, except for "business critical roles".

The move comes as the multi-billionaire Tesla boss moves ahead with a $44bn (£36bn) takeover of the platform.

"We are pulling back on non-labour costs to ensure we are being responsible and efficient," a Twitter spokesperson ...

Android 13 Arrives at Google I/O: Here Are the New Features

The Google I/O preview for Android 13 included a revamped Google Wallet, RCS and more.

At Google I/O on Wednesday, we got a fresh and detailed look at Android 13. The new operating system was announced back in February, but will debut this fall. It builds on the changes that came with Android 12 and offers more Material You personalizations, increased tools for privacy and security, more RCS messaging support, a revamped Google Wallet and better integrations with Chromebooks, watches, TVs, cars and smart home devices. The new software makes Android and Google's vast software ecosyst ...

Android 13 Arrives at I/O With Google Wallet, RCS and Cast for Cars

The Google I/O preview for Android 13 included updates for phones, more support for foldables and better integrations with your TV, laptop, car, speakers and smart home devices.

At Google I/O on Wednesday, we got a fresh and detailed look at Android 13. The new phone OS was announced back in February, but will debut this fall. It builds on the changes that came with Android 12 and offers more Material You personalizations, increased tools for privacy and security, more RCS messaging support, a revamped Google Wallet and better integrations with Chromebooks, watches, TVs, cars and sm ...

Apple loses position as most valuable firm amid tech sell-off

Apple has lost its position as the world's most valuable company amid a broad sell-off of technology stocks.

Saudi Arabian oil and gas producer Aramco has reclaimed the top spot from the iPhone maker for the first time in almost two years.

Investors have been selling shares in technology firms as they move into what they see as less risky assets.

Bitcoin, other major cryptocurrencies and digital assets have also continued to fall sharply.

Shares in Apple fell by more than 5% in New York on Wednesday to end the trading day with a stock market valuation of $2.3 ...

Here's How Apple's iPod Lasted for 20 Years

Commentary: The gadget survived music streaming, rival players and the iPhone.

Editor's note, May 11, 2022: This commentary originally ran in October 2021 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the iPod. We're rerunning it today following the news that the iPod is finally being put out to pasture.

For a long time, the iPod and Apple were synonymous — entities that were constantly morphing and shaping, rather than reacting to, the whims of users. Yet while Apple's fortunes are still on the rise, the iPod's light has dimmed and the iPhone commands the lion's share of attention. ...

Elon Musk Vows to Unban Trump From Twitter

The tech billionaire, who's in the process of buying Twitter for $44 billion, has been sharply critical of its moderation strategies.Elon Musk will remove the ban on former President Donald Trump if his bid to buy Twitter for $44 billion succeeds, the outspoken entrepreneur said Tuesday.

Speaking at a Financial Times conference, Musk called Twitter's shutdown of Trump's Twitter account a "morally bad decision." Twitter, Facebook and other social networks barred Trump from using their services after the deadly attack on Capitol Hill by Trump supporters in January 2021.

...

Google I/O 2022: Here's How to Watch the Live Reveals

Google's annual conference starts Wednesday, and it's expected to provide an early look at Android 13 and a rumored Pixel Watch.

Google I/O, the company's annual conference for developers, starts streaming live Wednesday at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. BST), and runs through Thursday, May 12. Rumors are flying about the next Google Pixel phones, a possible Pixel Watch and Android 13, the presumed follow-up to Google's Android 12 operating system.

Though that's all speculation, it's safe to say Google has some big announcements in store for I/O 2022. Last year at I/O 2021, ...

Elon Musk would reverse Donald Trump's Twitter ban

Elon Musk says if his bid to buy Twitter is successful he will reverse Donald Trump's ban from the platform.

The richest man in the world agreed a $44bn (£34.5bn) takeover bid with the Twitter board last month.

But he said it was not a done deal and that ideally it would be completed in the next two to three months.

Twitter's decision to ban the former US president was "morally wrong and flat-out stupid", Mr Musk told the Financial Times Future of the Car summit.

Who is Elon Musk?
In January 2021, Twitter said Mr Trump's account was "per ...

Apple's iPod Touch Is Discontinued, Ending the Music Player's Legacy

The iPod helped to change the music industry after it was announced in 2001. Now the last of the company's portable music players is coming to an end.

Just as Apple's preparing to enter the iPhone's 15th year since release, the iPod Touch, its less popular cousin, is taking its final bow. Apple announced Tuesday that the iPhone-iPod hybrid device released in 2007 will no longer be available after all its supplies run out. The move marks an end not just for the handheld device but also an end to the iPod product line, which helped reshape the entertainment industry two decades ago....

Intel Doubles AI Chip Power to Expand the Revolution

Intel took the wraps off a highly anticipated AI accelerator chip on Tuesday, a key part of the chipmaker's effort to reclaim ground lost to Nvidia and other rivals in the hot computing area.

The Gaudi2, designed by Intel's Israel-based Habana Labs, is twice as fast as its first-generation predecessor, the chipmaker said at its Vision conference for Intel customers and partners. The chip should be in servers that ship by the end of the year, said Eitan Medina, Habana's chief operating officer.

AI chips like the Gaudi line accelerate the particular math calculations at the he ...

Apple to discontinue the iPod after 21 years

Apple has announced it is discontinuing its music player, the iPod Touch, bringing to an end a device widely praised for revolutionising how people listen to music.

When the first iPod was launched in 2001, it could store 1,000 tracks. Today there are more than 90 million songs on Apple's streaming service.

The iPod Touch was designed by the same team that later invented the iPhone, which quickly overshadowed the iPod.

Apple last updated the iPod in 2019.

There have been various iPod models over the years - including the Nano and Shuffle - but the iPod Touch, ...

How the Apple Watch Could Become an Even Better Fitness Tracker

Commentary: The Apple Watch could learn a thing or two from its rivals.

The Apple Watch, like many modern health trackers, can measure an almost dizzying number of statistics. It added blood oxygen saturation measurements to that growing list in 2020, and reports from The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg suggest a temperature sensor could be next. But what I really want is more ways to make sense of that data... and more context to go along with it.

Who knows whether any of these capabilities will ever arrive on the Apple Watch. Apple is doing a lot of things right, but th ...

See Nvidia's H100 Hopper Chip Up Close

Exclusive: Here are the first detailed photos of the company's new flagship AI chip.

Nvidia H100 Hopper chip
Nvidia's H100 "Hopper" is the next generation flagship for the company's data AI center processor products. It begins shipping in the third quarter of 2022. Here's a close-up look at the GPU, here shown mated to an electronics board studded with chunky power electronics.

Nvidia H100 Hopper chip
Nvidia's H100 "Hopper" processor is geared for artificial intelligence technology called machine learning. Overall, it's six times faster than ...

LG C1 vs. LG C2: Which OLED TV Should You Buy?

The new C2 promises a handful of improvements, but the "old" C1 costs hundreds less. We compared them side-by-side in our review.

It's transition time in the TV market, as new 2022 models are just starting to become available. Meanwhile "old" 2021 TVs are still on sale and will remain cheaper than their replacements for as long as supplies last -- which could be months. That brings up a dilemma for TV shoppers: Should you buy last year's TV now at a discount while you still can, or pay extra for the new version?

For the last year or so my favorite high-en ...

Taking Screenshots on Windows 10 and Windows 11 Is Easy. Here's How

Take screen captures on Windows 10 and Windows 11 with just a few keystrokes. Here's how to do it.

Whether you're downloading Windows 11 (find out how to download Windows 11 for free) or sticking with Windows 10 for a while longer, it's easy to take a screenshot to capture part of or the entirety of your display. Maybe you want to save an online receipt, or maybe you want to capture a particularly noteworthy gaming feat to show off to your friends. Windows 10 and 11 offer the same built-in tools (Snip & Sketch and Snipping Tool), and several keyboard shortcuts will let you take ...

Xbox Gamers Pestered by Issues Over the Weekend, Into Monday

The issues started Friday, and some players said they are still experiencing issues Monday.

Xbox gamers started reporting issues buying and launching games on Friday, and some players said those issues persisted into Monday.

Xbox Support said Friday that players reported issues launching games through their consoles and Microsoft's Cloud Gaming service. Though Xbox said the issues were resolved, some players still reported outages. A few hours later, Xbox said it was looking into the issues again. The pattern continued through the weekend, as players continued reporting Clou ...

QD-OLED TV: Samsung, Sony Take on LG With Quantum Dot Special Sauce

QD-OLED brings much-needed choice, and the promise of better color, to high-end TV shoppers.

The best TVs you can buy use OLED screens and until now, LG Display has been the sole producer of every OLED television in the world. In 2022 a new kind of OLED TV technology, called QD-OLED, finally goes on sale. The technology debuts in new 55-inch and 65-inch TVs from Samsung and Sony, as well as a new monitor by Alienware. QD-OLED uses quantum dots in combination with organic light-emitting diodes, and it promises even better picture quality than traditional OLED TVs and monitors.

< ...

Next Morotola Razr, Code-Named Maven, Appears to Leak in New Images

If true, it seems that Motorola is taking some notes from the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3.

More than two years after the phone's sophomore launch, new leaked images suggest that a third-generation Motorola Razr is in the works with a design that takes some influence from the original Samsung Galaxy Z Flip.

The new Razr is supposedly code-named Maven, according to reliable tipster Evan Blass and 91mobiles. The design seems to ax the single circular camera bump from the first-generation Razr from 2019 and instead may opt for a pill-shaped dual-camera cutout. The 2020 Razr didn't ...

I Have Big Hopes for Apple's iPhone 14

Commentary: There are five things I want to see on Apple's next iPhone.

Apple's iPhone 13 and 13 Pro offer great all-round performance and superb camera skills. Because of this, they sit among the best phones you can buy in 2022. But being the impatient, demanding tech addict that I am, I've set my sights on the rumored iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro.

Although Apple's next iPhone almost certainly won't debut until this fall (here's everything you should know about its rumored release date, price and new design), I thought it was worth getting my wish list in early to give Appl ...

Best Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 Cases

In the Galaxy Z Flip 3, Samsung created a compelling and more affordable foldable phone that's become a bit of a sleeper hit. Here are the top cases for it.

Judging by its sales reports, Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 3 may be the first foldable phone to go mainstream in the smartphone era. It is the dawn of a new segment in smartphones. If you've already purchased one of these modern foldables, then you'll want to make sure that you protect it with a case.

Unlike the best case list for Apple's iPhone 13 or even the Galaxy S21, the number of companies making cases for the Samsung ...

Next Morotola Razr, Code-Named Maven, Appears to Leak in New Images

If true, it seems that Motorola is taking some notes from the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3.

More than two years after the phone's sophomore launch, new leaked images suggest that a third-generation Motorola Razr is in the works with a design that takes some influence from the original Samsung Galaxy Z Flip.

The new Razr is supposedly code-named Maven, according to reliable tipster Evan Blass and 91mobiles. The design seems to ax the single circular camera bump from the first-generation Razr from 2019 and instead may opt for a pill-shaped dual-camera cutout. The 2020 Razr didn't ...

Panic Playdate vs. Analogue Pocket: Indie Gaming Handhelds Compared

Two hard-to-find retro handhelds aren't Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck replacements, but they each have their own appeal.Gaming handhelds are suddenly a big thing again. Thank the Nintendo Switch, Valve's Steam Deck and two charming but unfortunately hard to get gaming handhelds called the Analogue Pocket and the Panic Playdate.

The Pocket, which first went on sale last fall, is a completely revamped take on the classic Game Boy and actually plays retro Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance cartridges. (It's not made or officially endorsed by Nintendo.) With adapters, it also ...

Tinder-Parent Match Group Sues Google Over Play Store Billing

Match Group wants to use its own payment platform.Match Group, the company that operates dating apps such as Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid and many others, has filed a lawsuit against Google, accusing the internet giant of forcing it to use the Google Play Store's billing system, paying royalties for subscription transactions. The lawsuit, which was filed Monday in federal court in California, accuses Google of violating federal and state antitrust laws.

"Ten years ago, Match Group was Google's partner. We are now its hostage," Match Group said in a press release.

Match G ...

Google I/O 2022: Join Us Live

On Wednesday, May 11, join Lexy Savvides, Andrew Gebhart and Iyaz Akhtar for CNET's live coverage of Google's annual developer conference.

CNET's live coverage of Google I/O starts with our preshow on May 11 at 9:45 a.m. PT (12:45 p.m. ET). You can watch it right here or head over to CNET's YouTube channel. Lexy Savvides, Andrew Gebhart and Iyaz Akhtar will discuss what you can expect from Google. When the big keynote starts at 10 a.m. PT, the trio will react to all the news as it happens and respond to your comments live.

Google I/O is Google's big annual developer conferen ...

Clearview AI to Stop Selling Facial Recognition Database to Private Companies

The change comes as part of a settlement with the ACLU.

Facial recognition company Clearview AI will no longer sell its facial recognition database to most private companies or individuals in the US. The change comes as part of a settlement, filed Monday in federal court in Illinois, with the American Civil Liberties Union.

"Clearview can no longer treat people's unique biometric identifiers as an unrestricted source of profit," Nathan Freed Wessler, a deputy director of the ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, said in a release.

Clearview AI has ...

Biden Administration, Broadband Companies Strike Deal to Benefit Low-Income Americans

AT&T, Comcast, Verizon and others commit to a 100Mbps service for $30 a month as part of the infrastructure law.

Twenty broadband providers have agreed to partner with the Biden administration to offer lower-cost high-speed internet service for low-income Americans to help address the digital divide, the White House announced Monday.

The Affordable Connectivity Program will offer plans for $30 a month that provide download speeds of at least 100 megabits per second download speeds. Roughly 48 million Americans are expected to qualify for the program, or nearly 40% of ho ...

We May Hear About Google's Pixel Watch and More This Week

Google's I/O conference is this Wednesday, and the long-rumored Pixel Watch, Wear OS updates and its plans for Fitbit may be unveiled.

Google I/O 2022 may share the same focus as last year's conference: wearable technology. Several rumors, reports and leaks indicate the search giant's first smartwatch -- likely to be called the Pixel Watch -- might finally make its debut this week. (Here's how to watch Google I/O live.) The company is also expected to share updates about its Wear OS smartwatch software, which it overhauled last year in collaboration with Samsung.

Only Google ...

Smartphone Accessory Deal: This Two-Pack of USB-C Cables is Just $6

Today only at Woot, you can pick up a two-pack of fast-charging USB-C to USB-C cables for over half off.

It doesn't matter how many you've already got, you can never have too many USB cables. Particularly USB-C cables, which are becoming more universal by the day. There are even some Apple devices, which have historically stayed within their own charging ecosystem, that are making the switch to USB-C charging. And today only at Woot, you can snag this two-pack of USB-C charging cables for just $6, over half off the original $13 price.

This pack comes with two AmazonBasics 6- ...

Work, Stream and Game Through Blackouts With a CyberPower Battery Backup System

Today only, Woot has a huge selection of factory-reconditioned battery backup and UPS systems on sale, so you can keep your devices powered on no matter what.

There's nothing worse than that sinking feeling of watching your computer screen unexpectedly go black and realizing it's been hours since you last saved your work. And as we head into the summer months when wildfires, hurricanes and other natural disasters are more common, you can expect power outages to become more frequent as well. If you want to avoid this headache altogether, it's worth investing in a dependable battery b ...

Twitter: X marks the spot for Elon Musk's growth plans

Elon Musk aims to increase Twitter's revenue fivefold to $26.4bn (£21.4bn) by 2028, a presentation to prospective Twitter investors seen by The New York Times (NYT) suggests.

Last year, Twitter's revenue was $5bn.

Plans to launch a new service called X are also revealed in the report, with an aim of nine million subscribers in its first year and 104 million by 2028.

Tech industry analyst Kyle Rees says the goals are "very tentative given the state of global and industry affairs".

The NYT says the revelations are in a "pitch deck" presented ...

10 AirPods Pro Tricks You Should Be Taking Advantage of Every Day

There's a lot you can do with Apple's AirPods Pro. Here's how to make them work best for you.

Apple offers a collection of headphones, but the AirPods Pro remain among the best. Even when compared to the newer AirPods 3, the AirPods Pro still holds their own in terms of features. (Take a look at this deep dive that compares the AirPods 3 and Pro.) And that's because the AirPods Pro boast several unique features that may make them a better choice, including active noise cancellation for an improved listening experience and interchangeable silicone tips to get a more comfortable fit.< ...

How to Find the Wi-Fi Password for Any Network You've Ever Connected To

If you've forgotten a Wi-Fi password to a network you previously logged in to, your computer should still have it saved.

Are you looking for the Wi-Fi password for a network you've logged in to in the past? Whether it's a school, work or coffee shop network, the password should be stored on your laptop. But if it doesn't automatically connect to the network next time, you may have to do a little digging to find out what the password is.

If your computer has connected to that Wi-Fi network before, don't worry. The first time you connect to a network on a Mac or Windows compu ...

Fortnite Now Free to Play on Xbox Cloud Gaming for Mobile, Desktop, Console

The tech giant is experimenting with offering free-to-play games through its streaming service.

Since Microsoft's Xbox Cloud Gaming launched two years ago, more than 10 million people worldwide have streamed games through the service. That number's likely to jump a bit higher as a result of a partnership Microsoft struck with Epic Games to offer Epic's hit title Fortnite for free through Xbox Cloud Gaming. The move will effectively let people play Fortnite in a way similar to how they stream videos from companies like Netflix, regardless of how beefy their gaming device is.

...

A Memoir Blue: Gamer Moms Will Want to Spend Mother's Day Playing This Game

"I didn't realize this until many years later, as an adult, when I discovered some of the reasons for my parents' divorce," Chen told me via email. "It was shocking to realize the romanticism of youth and how age can change your perception of things. I was inspired by this concept and how it might translate into an interesting game."

A Memoir Blue offers a fresh story in an industry that predominantly features and caters to white men. According to Chen, the lack of representation in the industry does a disservice to gamers, as well as artists and coders who want ...

Apple, Google, Microsoft Back 'FIDO' Tech to Dump Passwords on Websites and Apps

If Apple, Google and Microsoft have their way, soon we'll be thinking of passwords as a bygone relic of the 20th century.

The FIDO Alliance -- FIDO is short for "fast identity online" -- said Thursday it's working with the three companies to begin offering passwordless technology to websites and apps. Instead of using unreliable password logins, apps and websites could identify who you are with a fingerprint reader, face scanner or even your phone.

"Working with the industry to establish new, more secure sign-in methods that offer better protection and elimin ...

9 Great Reads From CNET This Week: Antarctica, Nvidia, Star Wars and More

We bring you a series of stories from a breathtaking trip to Antarctica. Plus: Nvidia's powerful new AI chip, hopes for the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, and lots more besides.

Antarctica: It's cold, it's got penguins and it's a long, long way from wherever you live. All true, but there's a whole lot more to it than that. Starting with: It's a lot closer to you than you think, given how the effects of climate change there will impact places around the world.

Plus, it's just plain fascinating. CNET's Jackson Ryan traveled there for more than a month over the winter (Antarctica's sum ...

Bitcoin value drops by 50% since November peak

The value of Bitcoin continued to fall over the weekend as it dropped below $34,000 (£27,630), according to the Coinbase cryptocurrency exchange.

The world's largest cryptocurrency by market value has now fallen by 50% since its peak in November last year.

The slide in the value of digital assets comes as stock markets around the world also dropped in recent days.

On Monday, some Asian markets headed lower again with Japan's benchmark Nikkei index down by around 2%.

Bitcoin accounts for about a third of the cryptocurrency market with a total value of $650bn.< ...

Amazon Sues Alleged Paid Reviews Broker in Fight Against Faux Five-Star Ratings

The e-commerce giant struggles to tamp down on paid reviews, which are coordinated on broker websites and social media groups.

Amazon sued a Hong Kong-based company it accuses of connecting third-party retailers to customers willing to write positive reviews for discounts, the company said Friday, part of its effort to crackdown on fraud that plagues the giant e-tailer.

In two separate lawsuits, Amazon asks courts to close the operations of the company, called Extreme Rebate, the company said. It also asks the courts to require the company to hand over information on Amazon ...

Best Streaming Service of 2022: Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO Max, Hulu, Starz and More

Where does Netflix rank these days? A breakdown of the best streaming platforms and their shows, movies, sports, features and prices.

During the last three years, we've been given more TV streaming service choices than ever. With that comes a streaming subscription budget that either grows or shrinks, depending on which ones are worth your time and money. And competition for your eyes and dollars is fierce.

Your choices likely depend on which original shows and movies you want, how important a back catalog of older streaming TV shows is to you, whether you need to consider k ...

Amazon targets review firms with legal action

Amazon is taking legal action against four companies it has accused of deliberately flooding its shopping platform with fake reviews.

Three of the firms had nearly 350,000 reviewers on their books.

The companies act as unofficial brokers between Amazon sellers and individuals who write reviews, the tech giant says.

The reviewers get free products and a small fee in return for each review, and the firm charges the seller a fee for boosting its ratings on Amazon.

The sellers are not necessarily aware that this is being done by using fake reviews, Amazon said....

Meta Cambria, Quest 3: What to Expect From Meta's Next VR Headset

Meta's next big virtual reality headset looks to be more expensive and advanced, but it won't replace the Quest 2.

The Oculus Quest 2 (now called Meta Quest 2) has become a surprisingly successful virtual reality headset and remains our favorite VR device despite being almost two years old. What will Meta, the former Facebook, do for its encore? The company is expected to release four new headsets over the next few years, according to a recent report from The Information. A headset announced last year called "Project Cambria" is on deck for 2022, but don't expect it to be ...

A Year After Colonial Pipeline, Threat of Ransomware Attacks Looms

A year ago, gas prices on the East Coast surged after the operator of America's biggest fuel pipeline shut down amid a ransomware attack. The five-day-long cyber siege was a wakeup call: The country's infrastructure was vulnerable to criminals anywhere in the world.

Colonial Pipeline paid millions dollars to restore its systems, which had been frozen by alleged associates of the REvil ransomware gang. Some of the payment, made in bitcoin, was eventually recovered. But memories of panic buying at the pumps linger to this day.

Vincent D'Agostino, a former FBI agent who now lea ...

Trump, Still Banned From Twitter, Says He Won't Return After Musk Buyout

It's still unclear if Trump would be allowed back on Twitter.

Former President Donald Trump says he won't return to Twitter, the platform he was banned from following the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection, but instead he'll use his own Truth Social network to reach his fans. Trump made the comments to Fox News on Monday following news that Tesla CEO Elon Musk had struck a deal to purchase the social media network for $44 billion.

It's unclear whether he would be allowed to return to Twitter following a change in ownership.

Twitter had been one of Trump's most effective way ...

Judge Dismisses Trump Lawsuit Seeking to Lift Twitter Ban

The lawsuit has been thrown out, but the former president could file an amended complaint

On Friday, a US federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by former US President Donald Trump that sought to lift the ban on his Twitter account. The social network permanently banned Trump following the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol, after concluding that Trump's recent tweets had constituted a risk to public safety.

In Friday's 17-page ruling on Trump's suit, San Francisco Judge James Donato noted that "the First Amendment applies only to governmental abridgements of speech, and n ...

Apple, Google, Microsoft Back 'FIDO' Tech to Dump Passwords on Websites and Apps

If Apple, Google and Microsoft have their way, soon we'll be thinking of passwords as a bygone relic of the 20th century.

The FIDO Alliance -- FIDO is short for "fast identity online" -- said Thursday it's working with the three companies to begin offering passwordless technology to websites and apps. Instead of using unreliable password logins, apps and websites could identify who you are with a fingerprint reader, face scanner or even your phone.

"Working with the industry to establish new, more secure sign-in methods that offer better protection and elimin ...

Amazon targets review firms with legal action

Amazon is taking legal action against four companies it has accused of deliberately flooding its shopping platform with fake reviews.

Three of the firms had nearly 350,000 reviewers on their books.

The companies act as unofficial brokers between Amazon sellers and individuals who write reviews, the tech giant says.

The reviewers get free products and a small fee in return for each review, and the firm charges the seller a fee for boosting its ratings on Amazon.

The sellers are not necessarily aware that this is being done by using fake reviews, Amazon said....

Facebook Parent Meta Is Opening Its First Store. Here's What It's Like Inside

The 1,550-square-foot space is part of the company's campus in Burlingame, California.

At Meta's first store, I enter a well-decorated room to try out a portable video chat device known as the Portal Go.

On the device's screen, a friendly worker -- he calls himself Casey, a name many of the store attendants have used -- walks me through everything you can do with a Portal Go. He describes the device's smart camera, which pans and zooms as you move. He reads an augmented reality-enhanced version of a Dr. Seuss book as if he's a traveling parent saying goodnight to his childre ...

Acer's Next AMD-Powered Chromebook Spin 514 Promises Next-Level Multitasking, Battery Life

The redesiged Spin 514 will be one of the first to use AMD's eight-core Ryzen 5000 C-series processor for Chromebooks.

The current version of Acer's AMD-based Chromebook Spin 514 is good but there's definitely room for improvement. In fact, for a recently released Intel-powered version of the 14-inch convertible Chromebook, Acer overhauled it with 11th-gen Intel processors and upgrades. Those upgrades include a 1080p webcam, dual mics and stereo speakers flanking the keyboard. Dual USB-C ports, Wi-Fi 6, a backlit keyboard, a Gorilla Glass touchpad and a reinforced aluminum body make ...

Gucci stores to accept cryptocurrencies in US

Italian luxury brand Gucci will start accepting payments in cryptocurrencies in some of its stores in America.

Customers will be able to pay using a number of cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin.

The service will be rolled out later this month at some of its flagship outlets, including Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles and New York's Wooster Street.

Gucci, owned by France's Kering, joins a growing number of companies that have started to accept virtual currencies.

The firm said it will also take payments in Shiba Inu and Dogecoin - a so-called ...

Nvidia's Powerful New Chip Aims to Help AI Understand You Better

Nvidia will begin selling a new AI acceleration chip later this year, part of the company's efforts to secure its leadership in a computing revolution. The faster chip should let AI developers speed up their research and build more advanced AI models, especially for complex challenges like understanding human language and piloting self-driving cars.

The H100 "Hopper" processor, which Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang unveiled in March, is expected to begin shipping next quarter. The processor has a whopping 80 billion transistors and measures 814 square millimeters, whic ...

Facebook Accused of Deliberately Causing Havoc in Australia Over News Content Law

Whistleblowers who sent documents to US and Australian authorities, as well as The Wall Street Journal, accuse the company of more hardball politics.

A new report from The Wall Street Journal on Thursday revealed internal Facebook messages praising teams for seemingly hardball tactics taking down pages of the Australian government, including emergency services and charities. This all reportedly happened as the country was considering a new law that would require companies like Google and Facebook to pay for news posted to their platforms.

The report, which included documents ...

Facebook Accused of Deliberately Causing Havoc in Australia Over News Content Law

Whistleblowers who sent documents to US and Australian authorities, as well as The Wall Street Journal, accuse the company of more hardball politics.

A new report from The Wall Street Journal on Thursday revealed internal Facebook messages praising teams for seemingly hardball tactics taking down pages of the Australian government, including emergency services and charities. This all reportedly happened as the country was considering a new law that would require companies like Google and Facebook to pay for news posted to their platforms.

The report, which included documents ...

UK government sets out plans to rein in Big Tech

Large tech companies such as Google and Facebook will have to abide by new competition rules in the UK or risk facing huge fines, the government said.

The new Digital Markets Unit (DMU) will be given powers to clamp down on "predatory practices" of some firms.

The regulator will also have the power to fine companies up to 10% of their global turnover if they fail to comply.

Besides boosting competition among tech firms, the rules also aim to give users more control over their data.

The BBC approached several of the big tech firms, including Apple, M ...

Uber loses $5.9bn as Asia investment values fall

Ride-hailing and delivery group Uber has made a $5.9bn (£4.7bn) loss, mostly due to its stakes in other companies.

The firm said almost all of the loss was a result of the fall in the value of investments in businesses including two Asian ride-hailing giants - China's Didi and South East Asia's Grab.

Shares in Didi and Grab have plunged since listing in New York last year.

Despite the loss, Uber's boss highlighted its progress in recovering from the impact of the pandemic.

"Our results demonstrate just how much progress we've made navigating out of the p ...

Lenovo Slim 9i Leads New Laptop Line Overflowing With Options

From a 2.1-pound ultraportable to a 14.5-inch laptop for creators to a 16-inch for hybrid workers, there is a flood of Lenovo laptops on the way.

Chip shortages and supply chain troubles are not slowing down Lenovo when it comes to releasing new laptops. The PC maker announced four premium Slim-series models on Thursday, available with Intel or AMD processors and ranging from 13.3 to 16 inches in size.

The Slim 7i (the "i" denotes an Intel CPU) is where the line begins. The 14-inch laptop starts at $1,199 (approximately £950, AU$1,653), and, while the base configu ...

Apple, Google, Microsoft Back 'FIDO' Tech to Dump Passwords on Websites and Apps

If Apple, Google and Microsoft have their way, soon we'll be thinking of passwords as a bygone relic of the 20th century.

The FIDO Alliance -- FIDO is short for "fast identity online" -- said Thursday it's working with the three companies to begin offering passwordless technology to websites and apps. Instead of using unreliable password logins, apps and websites could identify who you are with a fingerprint reader, face scanner or even your phone.

"Working with the industry to establish new, more secure sign-in methods that offer better protection and elimin ...

Meet Nvidia's Huge H100 Chip That's Powering Tomorrow's AI

Nvidia will begin selling a new AI acceleration chip later this year, part of the company's efforts to secure its leadership in a computing revolution that's powering everything from email auto dictation to self-driving cars.

The H100 "Hopper" processor, which Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang unveiled in March, is expected to begin shipping next quarter. The processor has a whopping 80 billion transistors and measures 814 square millimeters, which is almost as big as is physically possible with today's chipmaking equipment.

The H100 competes with huge, power hu ...

Verizon Brings Back Free iPhone 13 Upgrade Promotion for New and Existing Customers

You will, however, need to have one of its recent unlimited plans.

After offering a big 5G upgrade promotion last year, Verizon is bringing back a version of the deal for 2022 as it tries to get people to move onto its latest unlimited plans and 5G devices.

On Thursday the carrier announced that it will be offering up to $800 off a new iPhone 13, in essence allowing for a free iPhone 13 Mini or 128GB iPhone 13 or a heavily discounted 13 Pro or 13 Pro Max. As with prior promotions you will need to trade in a phone to get the discount, with the exact value of the credit you g ...

TikTok Is 'Exploring' First Program Sharing Ad Money With Some Creators

TikTok is also going to let advertisers pay to place their ads next to the most popular TikTok posts each day.

TikTok said Wednesday it's "exploring" its first ad-revenue sharing program, which would give pay 50% of the money generated from some advertising to top creators, public figures and other publishers whose posts run next to those ads. To qualify for the program, a TikTok account would need a minimum of 100,000 followers initially.

The revenue sharing is linked to a new kind of advertising on called TikTok Pulse, which would start letting advertisers ...

Google Removed Over 3 Billion Ads, 5.6 Million Advertiser Accounts in 2021

The company aims to protect users by getting rid of abusive advertising behaviors.

Google's campaign to crack down on advertising violations resulted in sweeping removals and account suspensions. On Wednesday, the company shared its 2021 Ads Safety Report, revealing that it eliminated 3.4 billion ads, restricted over 5.7 billion ads and suspended more than 5.6 million advertiser accounts.

In a blog post, Scott Spencer, Google's vice president of product management, ads privacy and safety, said the search giant enhanced its enforcement strategies last year. In addition to up ...

Apple Needs to Do More With the iPhone Pro Max

Commentary: Apple needs to bring some iPad features to the iPhone Pro Max's big screen.

Apple's iPhone 13 Pro Max and 12 Pro Max have sizable 6.7-inch screens, making them the biggest smartphones in the company's repertoire. Although both are also considerably larger than the standard 6.1-inch iPhone 13, 5.4-inch iPhone 13 Mini and 4.7-inch iPhone SE, they still run the same software as Apple's smaller phones. If only there were more ways to make use of the Pro Max's giant screen.

Luckily, there are. Apple should draw inspiration from the iPhone's larger cousin, the iPad. A ...

Dish Finally Opens its 5G Network to Everyone, Starting in Las Vegas

Dish, the fourth US carrier, launches its 5G network in Las Vegas and lists over 100 cities it will expand to.

Dish, which took on the role of fourth US mobile carrier after the T-Mobile and Sprint merger finalized in April 2020, has blown past several deadlines over the years in getting its 5G network up and running. But Dish's 5G service is finally going live in Las Vegas on Wednesday, and the company has listed over 100 cities that will get covered next.

Dish said last June that Las Vegas would be its first 5G city, though the company expected to launch service in the thi ...

Google's Smartwatch Plans Might Finally Become Clear Next Week

Google might talk about the long-rumored Pixel Watch, Wear OS updates and its plans for Fitbit during its I/O conference.

Wearable technology was a major focus during last year's Google I/O, and the same may be true in 2022. Several rumors, reports and leaks indicate the search giant's first smartwatch -- likely to be called the Pixel Watch -- might finally make its debut. The company is also expected to share updates about its Wear OS smartwatch software, which it overhauled last year in collaboration with Samsung.

Only Google knows what's in store for its annual conference ...

First Apple Store Union Election in the US Is Scheduled for June 2, Report Says

Apple Store employees in Atlanta will vote on whether to unionize.

Apple has agreed with Apple Store employees in Atlanta to schedule a union election on June 2, according to documents provided to The Verge. If the vote succeeds, the workers will be the first in the company to unionize.

The employees voting next month work at the Apple Store in Atlanta's Cumberland Mall. They were the first of the company's workers to file for an election in April, though workers at other Apple Store locations have had their own union drives, including in New York City's Grand Central Termin ...

Apple Employees Criticize Return-to-Work Plan, Call for More Flexibility

In an open letter, employees say Apple's hybrid plan offers "almost no flexibility at all."

A group of Apple employees is demanding more flexibility from the tech giant ahead of its planned return to office work later this month. In an open letter, the group, calling itself Apple Together, said the company's plan for many employees to be in the office three fixed days a week offers "almost no flexibility at all" and could be damaging to diversity.

"The Hybrid Working Pilot is not an increase in flexibility, it is a smokescreen and often a step back ...

People can now get contact info cut from Google search results

Personal contact information such as your phone number, email or home address, can now be removed from Google search results.

Previously, individuals could remove links to contact information when it had been published maliciously - so-called "doxxing".

Now people can request removal if it poses other risks, for example of "harmful direct contact".

Google warns that the information will still exist online.

"It's important to remember that removing content from Google Search won't remove it from the internet, which is why you may wish ...

US Residential Solar Pricing Needs a Major Overhaul Now

Commentary: Solar prices have gone down over the past decade, but still average in the tens of thousands for a standard residential install. For solar to be a viable option for more US households, that needs to change.

Over the past decade the price of residential solar has dropped 64% due in large part to falling hardware costs. What would have cost over $30,000 for a standard 10-kilowatt system in the early 2010s is now around $20,000. That's a significant decrease, but not nearly enough to make full-scale solar a reasonable option for most people in the United States, where the m ...

Intel's Meteor Lake Chip for 2023 PCs Is Up and Running Today

Intel's Meteor Lake Chip for 2023 PCs Is Up and Running Today

Meteor Lake, a radically redesigned Intel processor due to ship in PCs in 2023, now can run Windows, Linux and Chrome OS. It's a notable achievement for a complicated new approach that combines many "chiplets" into one more capable processor.

"We have officially powered on our first disaggregated product: Meteor Lake," tweeted Michelle Johnston Holthaus, head of Intel's PC processor business, on Friday. Intel Chief Executive Pat Gelsinger announced that the chip runs the three operating systems ...

Don't Swap Your Gas-Guzzler for an Electric Vehicle to Avoid High Fuel Prices

EVs make a lot of sense, especially as fuel prices climb, but avoid knee-jerk impulses to buy an electric car just to save money at the pump.

There are plenty of great reasons to consider an electric vehicle. They usually offer stellar performance, they're smooth and quiet to drive, you can do much of your "refueling" at home (meaning you never have to visit a gas station unless you need snacks or a bathroom break) and they have zero tailpipe emissions. But despite their considerable advantages, EVs still aren't for everyone, and they don't always make the most economic se ...

Yes, I'm Autistic. No, I'm Not a STEM Genius

Commentary: You probably work with autistic people. Here's how you can better understand and support us.

Hire them, and you'll have walking supercomputers on your hands: near-infinite processing power and perfect conformity to rules. Sure, they'll short-circuit in social situations and overheat on occasion. But aside from that, they're perfect robots who won't exhibit those bothersome human emotions that can stifle their usefulness.

They are the future of Silicon Valley: Einstein, Gates and Zuckerberg, all rolled into one. As long as you keep them tucked away behind monitor ...

Amazon reports loss as online sales falter

Amazon has reported its first quarterly loss since 2015 due to lower online sales and a fall in the value of its shares in electric vehicle firm Rivian.

Online sales at the e-commerce giant slipped 3% in the first three months of the year, as the boom to its business from the pandemic starts to fade.

Meanwhile, Apple warned its sales could be hit by up to $8bn (£6.4bn) following disruptions from lockdowns in China.

Both firms face supply chain issues and the impact of the war in Ukraine.

Growth in other parts of Amazon's business, including cloud computing an ...

Intel's Meteor Lake Chip for 2023 PCs Is Up and Running Today

The chip is made of multiple pieces stacked on top of each other, a packaging innovation crucial to Intel's competitiveness.

Meteor Lake, a radically redesigned Intel processor due to ship in PCs in 2023, now can run Windows, Linux and Chrome OS. It's a notable achievement for a complicated new approach that combines many "chiplets" into one more capable processor.

"We have officially powered on our first disaggregated product: Meteor Lake," tweeted Michelle Johnston Holthaus, head of Intel's PC processor business, on Friday. Intel Chief Executive Pat Gel ...

See the ISS, a Spacecraft and a Blazing Meteor in One Incredible Video

A camera meant to capture fireballs also caught sight of the space station and the Axiom-1 mission on its way home.

The Axiom-1 mission -- the first fully private crew to visit the International Space Station -- splashed down on Earth on board a SpaceX Crew Dragon on April 26. During that return journey, a camera meant to track meteors caught sight of the spacecraft, the ISS and a blazing fireball all at the same time. Wow.

The European Space Agency Operations Twitter account shared the video on Friday, writing, "An incredible sighting: a meteor strikes, burning up in ...

I Spent Over Two Weeks With Amazon Astro. Here's My Complete Review

Amazon's ambitious robot assistant is equal parts fascinating and frustrating.

Amazon's new robot helper Astro is available to buy by invite only for $1,000. I got my hands on one to test for over two weeks -- and I needed every minute of that time. Astro works as a smart display, a roving security guard, a toy for the kids and an errand-bot. And all of those features are built on an innovative piece of hardware.

But is Astro worth the $1,000 early-access price -- let alone the $1,450 price tag Amazon plans to give it once it becomes generally available? Not yet. For now, th ...

Apple's iPhone Pro Max Has a Lot to Learn From the iPad

Commentary: Apple should borrow some of the iPad's tricks to make better use of the iPhone Pro Max's big screen.

The iPhone 13 Pro Max and 12 Pro Max are the biggest smartphones Apple has ever made. Both devices have a 6.7-inch screen, making them significantly larger than the standard 6.1-inch iPhone 13, 5.4-inch iPhone 13 Mini and 4.7-inch iPhone SE. While the hardware varies, all iPhones generally run the same software despite their size. If only there were more ways to make use of the Pro Max's larger screen.

Luckily, there is. Apple should draw inspiration from the iPh ...

Apple's iPhone Pro Max Has a Lot to Learn From the iPad

Commentary: Apple should borrow some of the iPad's tricks to make better use of the iPhone Pro Max's big screen.

The iPhone 13 Pro Max and 12 Pro Max are the biggest smartphones Apple has ever made. Both devices have a 6.7-inch screen, making them significantly larger than the standard 6.1-inch iPhone 13, 5.4-inch iPhone 13 Mini and 4.7-inch iPhone SE. While the hardware varies, all iPhones generally run the same software despite their size. If only there were more ways to make use of the Pro Max's larger screen.

Luckily, there is. Apple should draw inspiration from the iPh ...

Apple Only Gainer As Smartphone Market Shrinks Again in Q1 2022

The smartphone makers shipped nearly 9% fewer devices worldwide during the first three months of 2022, IDC found.

The tech industry has wiggled its way into all our lives, making essential tools for life in the modern age. Still, the smartphone industry continued its recent shipment declines, according to data from IDC, falling to 314.1 million units shipped worldwide. That's a 9% drop from the same time last year and 3.5% lower than even analysts had expected.

There's a lot of very good reasons this is happening, IDC said. COVID-19 is forcing Chinese citizens into isolation ...

Elon Musk sells almost $4bn worth of Tesla shares

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has sold almost $4bn (£3.2bn) worth of shares in the electric car maker, just days after he agreed to buy Twitter.

The sale has led to speculation that it will help to finance his planned $44bn buyout of the social media platform.

Twitter's board agreed on Monday to accept a takeover offer from Mr Musk.

Shares in Tesla fell sharply earlier this week over worries that Mr Musk would sell part of his stake in the carmaker to fund the deal.

However, he tweeted that he had no plans to sell any more of his shares in the carmaker.

...

Apple Watch Video Calling Is Coming to Wristcam

It's not FaceTime, but it will let you make video calls straight from your wrist.

The Wristcam, the $299 (roughly £240, AU$420) Apple Watch accessory that pairs the watch with a wristband camera, is getting updated to include live video calling from your wrist. Wristcam is announcing the update Thursday, and will be rolling out to existing and new Wristcam devices.

The Wristcam, first announced in late 2020, already supports photography and video recording through two cameras: One is a 2-megapixel selfie camera positioned just above the watch face and the other a 8-megapixel ...

DIY iPhone Repair: What Happened When I Replaced My Own Battery

My iPhone 6 needed a new battery so I decided to try replacing it myself. Here's what you should know before trying it yourself.

Apple has just launched its own do-it-yourself repairs for some of its products, but it's always been possible to crack open an iPhone and replace the parts with third-party components. I did exactly that with my old iPhone 6 to give it a new lease on life. I was pleased to find the phone on eBay for only £75 (about $100 or AU$140). That's a huge saving over a new iPhone 13 Pro, but the battery had aged to the point where the software had to artificially t ...

Microsoft Is One Step Closer to Owning Activision Blizzard After Shareholder Approval Vote

A majority of Activision Blizzard shareholders who voted approved the deal, which would sell the game maker to Microsoft for nearly $69 billion.

Activision Blizzard shareholders voted in favor of the company's proposed $69 billion sale to Microsoft on Thursday, clearing another hurdle the two companies need to clear in order to complete one of the largest ever mergers.

Microsoft and Activision leaders announced the all-cash deal in January, setting the stage to give the Xbox console maker control of one of the biggest video game companies in the world. Activision said that m ...

Amazon Fire TV Cube Now Connects With Starkey Hearing Aids on Bluetooth LE

Exclusive: It's the first streaming device to send sound directly to hearing aids in digital form.

People with hearing loss can now pair their hearing aids with the Amazon Fire TV Cube streaming device, improving the experience of watching their favorite TV shows.

The Fire TV Cube, now in its second generation, is the first streaming device from a US tech company that can turn a hearing aid into a Bluetooth headphone that's calibrated to an individual's specific hearing needs, the e-commerce and smart home giant said on Thursday.

The feature makes Fire TV Cube compa ...

What Is Web3? The Confusing Term, Explained

Who knew the internet gets sequels? If you read about cryptocurrency, NFTs and the metaverse at all, you'll inevitably come across the nebulous term "Web3." A term coined by ethereum's co-founder, Web3 is what crypto enthusiasts call the next phase of the internet.

There are two ways to define Web3. The quick, easy description is a blockchain-integrated internet or an internet where cryptocurrencies and NFTs are built into the platforms you use. The more complicated but more specific way to think about Web3 is an internet owned by users. That's the dream of crypto boosters ...

Amazon Posts a Loss as Online Shopping Slows and Fuel Costs Increase

Amazon swung to a loss in the first quarter as the receding pandemic tempted consumers away from online shopping and a souring investment in Rivian Automotive prompted a $7.6 billion "non-operating expense."

The e-commerce giant said product sales slid 1.8% and revenue from sellers on its marketplace dropped 1% in the quarter ended March 31 as it did a year earlier. The slipping performance reflected the loosening grip of the COVID-19 pandemic and the return of consumers to physical stores.

Amazon was also hit by the declining price of Rivian shares. The company in ...

Twitter adds 30 million new users in run up to Musk sale

Twitter, which this week agreed to be bought by billionaire Elon Musk, has said its user numbers grew faster than expected over the past year.

Advertising revenue has also been rising, but by less than was forecast.

Some observers have questioned Mr Musk's commercial judgement in buying Twitter, a platform that despite its high profile has not consistently made high returns.

In the latest quarter it made a profit of $513m (£412m) on revenues of $1.2bn.

Daily active users of the platform rose to 229 million, up from 199 million a year earlier, the company said ...

Apple Reports iPhone 13 and Mac Sales Strong, But COVID-19 and Chip Shortages Remain

Apple says COVID-19 disruptions and silicon shortages are hitting its business, though seemingly not as much as some other tech giants.

At nearly 15 years old, Apple's iPhone is one of the most popular consumer products of all time. During the holidays, it helped Apple ring up record revenues and profits. And even now, with war overseas and nagging inflation at home, Apple's fortunes are still largely tied to the iPhone.

The good news: People still keep buying them.

For its second fiscal quarter, covering the three months ending in March, Apple notched $50.6 billion ...

Amazon posts loss as online sales falter

A drop in online sales and rising costs have helped to push Amazon to its first loss since 2015.

Online sales at the e-commerce giant slipped 3% in the first three months of the year, as the boom to its business from the pandemic starts to fade, the firm said Thursday.

Growth in other parts of its business, including cloud computing and advertising, remained strong.

But it is wrestling with the impact of rising costs and the Ukraine war.

Overall, Amazon reported a loss of $3.8bn, much of which was driven by a hit from its investment in electric carmaker Rivia ...

Meta AI Finds New Concrete Recipes to Cut Meta's Carbon Footprint

Concrete accounts for 8% of the world's carbon dioxide emissions, but Meta is using AI to try to find new recipes that are less of a problem for climate change.

The company, formerly named Facebook, used an artificial intelligence algorithm to try to come up with new concrete recipes that release less carbon dioxide. In tests at a new data center it's building in DeKalb, Illinois, Meta found that some formulas were strong enough and reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 40%.

That's an interesting result, but it comes with caveats. For one thing, the new formulas can take longe ...

Apple's iPad and M1 Mac Sales May Signal Whether the Chip Shortage Is Finally Ending

The tech giant is set to release quarterly earnings on Thursday, offering the latest sign of how COVID-19 is impacting tech.

Two years ago, Apple was one of the first companies to warn that the COVID-19 pandemic was seriously impacting its manufacturing. Now, the tech giant may offer the first signs that things are improving.

Apple will announce its earnings for its second fiscal quarter after market close Thursday. Typically, Apple executives use quarterly earnings announcements to talk about how popular its products are, while teasing the next big hit. But over the past ye ...

Amazon's Astro Raises Questions About Privacy in the Home

Amazon's Astro home robot probes deeper into our lives than the e-commerce giant's existing technology, like its Ring security cameras and Alexa voice assistants. Astro's array of features, including cameras, sensors and onboard AI, raise privacy concerns, especially because the robot is designed to make us love and trust it.

Unlike stationary home security cameras, Astro can rove from room to room. It gets close to the people, furniture and appliances in your house. Whereas your dog knows the sound of your steps as you walk up to the door, Astro uses facial recognition scans to id ...

Daily Facebook users up again after first-ever decline

Facebook stopped losing users as 2022 got under way, even as its owner reported its slowest revenue growth in a decade.

The number of daily active Facebook users grew to 1.96 billion in the first three months of the year, parent company Meta reported on Wednesday.

That marked a turnaround from last year, when the social network reported a decline in users for the first time.

The drop wiped billions from the firm's market value.

Since executives disclosed the fall in February, the firm's share price has nearly halved.

But shares jumped 19% in after-hou ...

Chinese drone firm DJI pauses operations in Russia and Ukraine

The world's largest commercial drone-maker DJI has suspended all business activities in Russia and Ukraine.

Since the start of the war, Ukraine has urged the company to take steps to stop its drones being used by Russia.

The Chinese firm said the decision was not a statement about any country, and its drones are not for military use.

But Taras Troiak, chairman of the Ukrainian Federation of UAV Owners, told the BBC he doubted it would stop Russia's military using DJI drones.

He said that stores' supplies of drones might run out in a few months but, in his opi ...

Google Play Now Shows How Apps Will Use Your Data

Google launched a "Data safety" section in its Play app store on Tuesday. The feature is meant to show people safety and privacy guidelines before they download an app, such as how data is collected, protected and used.

"We heard from users and app developers that displaying the data an app collects, without additional context, is not enough," Google said in a post. "That's why we designed the Data safety section to allow developers to clearly mark what data is being collected and for what purpose it's being used."

The section shows:

Whe ...

Google Misses Earnings Expectations Amid Light Revenue

Google parent Alphabet posted first-quarter earnings that missed analyst expectations as the search giant's revenue came in softer than anticipated.

For the quarter ended March 31, Alphabet reported $68 billion in sales, slightly below the $68.1 billion forecast by analysts surveyed by Yahoo Finance. Earnings per share totaled $24.62, below the $25.94 forecast.

The weaker than expected results come as Google tries to diversify its revenue, in part to address its reliance on search. The company controls more than 90% of the search market, using it to generate revenue by selli ...

‘Vampire devices’ cost UK households £147 a year

UK households could save an average of £147 per year by switching off so-called vampire devices.

Vampire devices are electronics that drain a surprising amount of power even when they are on standby.

British Gas research indicates households in the UK are spending £2.2bn annually just for the privilege of leaving vampire devices on standby.

This equates to £147 a year for the average household - the equivalent of two months' electricity charges.

Lying awake
A 54% rise in the energy price cap has meant a household using a typical amount of gas and elect ...

Is Samsung's 45-Watt Phone Charger Worth It? We Put It to the Test

Samsung's Galaxy S22 Plus and S22 Ultra support faster 45-watt fast charging, one of the key features that distinguishes them from the less expensive Galaxy S22. Cheaper Samsung devices like the Galaxy S22 and S21 FE only support 25-watt fast charging instead. The catch, however, is that neither of the required power adapters come in the box with your phone and must be purchased separately.

Samsung's 45-watt fast charger sells for $50 through the company's website and on Amazon. The 25-watt charger costs a more palatable $28 through Amazon and $20 at Best Buy. With that in mind, you ...

SpaceX's Starlink Will Offer Free Wi-Fi to Hawaiian Airlines Passengers

Elon Musk's fleet of SpaceX satellites will provide Wi-Fi to passengers as early as next year.

Elon Musk is having a big week, and it's only Monday. In addition to Musk reaching a deal to buy Twitter, his space exploration company, SpaceX, is also making waves. Hawaiian Airlines will offer free Wi-Fi on flights across the Pacific, including to the continental US, Asia and Australia, through SpaceX's Starlink satellite system, the airline said.

Starlink is a collection of about 2,000 low Earth orbit satellites designed to offer fast Wi-Fi around the world. The deal with Hawai ...

Apple Tells Some App Store Developers to Update Older Apps

Apple had earlier warned developers it would remove "abandoned apps." Google has created a similar policy for its Android software.

Apple sent out warnings to developers recently, asking them to update their App Store apps or risk having them removed in the next month. The move, which some developers bristled at, appears to be part of Apple's "App Store Improvement" program to ensure app quality and security.

The notices, tweeted by at least two developers in the past few days, both appeared to impact older video games on the platform.

Apple didn ...

Cryptocurrency Is Risky. 5 Things Every Crypto Investor Should Know

If you're ready to make yourself a crypto player, our guide can help you navigate common risks.

Cryptocurrency is quickly becoming a red-hot tool for some people bent on making money through investing in digital coinage. Crypto is also controversial and can be wildly volatile. To some, bitcoin, stablecoin and NFTs represent a step forward for investors -- a kind of "Money 2.0." Advocates point to crypto's potential to democratize finance and power the metaverse. To others, cryptocurrency is simply a new, digital form of an old con primed to swindle and scam. Still others c ...

Elon Musk and Twitter Have a Deal

Musk has already floated ideas for changes he wants to make at Twitter.

Elon Musk is on the brink of taking over Twitter.

Musk and the board of the influential social network have agreed to a deal that values the company at about $44 billion, Twitter said in a press release Monday. Musk will pay shareholders $54.20 per share, representing a 38% premium on Twitter's closing stock price on April 1, when the tech mogul disclosed a 9% stake in the company. Musk is one of Twitter's largest shareholders.

The entrepreneur, who already runs Tesla, SpaceX and other companies, ...

Apple Watch With Satellite Connection, iMac With M3 Chip May Arrive in 2023, Report Says

The iPhone 14 is rumored to be getting the new satellite functionality for emergency use too. Apple may have some upgrades in store for the Apple Watch and the iMac. According to Mark Gurman's Sunday newsletter for Bloomberg, an Apple Watch with satellite connectivity and an M3-based version of the company's desktop could be in the works. The M3-based iMacs could arrive at the end of next year at the earliest, while the Apple Watch could gain the new functionality for emergency use this year or in 2023, said Gurman, a tech reporter who has a reputable track record of uncovering details a ...

Elon Musk strikes deal to buy Twitter for $44bn

21.10.The board of Twitter has agreed to a $44bn (£34.5bn) takeover offer from the billionaire Elon Musk.

Mr Musk, who made the shock bid less than two weeks ago, said Twitter had "tremendous potential" that he would unlock.

He also called for a series of changes from relaxing its content restrictions to eradicating fake accounts.

The firm initially rebuffed Mr Musk's bid, but it will now ask shareholders to vote to approve the deal.

Mr Musk is the world's richest person, according to Forbes magazine, with an estimated net worth of $273.6bn mostly d ...

SpaceX: Can meat be grown in space?

Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk both want to colonise space. Nasa is also trying to put people on to the dusty surface of Mars.

But if humans do want to set up communities on the moon or planets, what will they eat?

Plenty of experiments have been conducted to see whether plants can flourish in space.

And as of last week, a new test has begun to see if meat cells can grow.

It was a small pilot step for trialling a potential nutrient source, one possibly big leap - at least the experimenters hope - for the future of space travel.

The experiment was dreamt up ...

Twitter board meets Musk to discuss bid, reports say

Twitter's board reportedly met Elon Musk over the weekend to explore his $43bn (£33.6bn) takeover offer for the social media platform.

After the Tesla boss first revealed his bid, Twitter's management announced a so-called "poison pill" strategy to fend off a potential hostile buyout.

Mr Musk plans to finance his bid with the backing of US lender Morgan Stanley and other financial institutions.

A spokesperson for Twitter declined to comment on the reports.

Details of how Mr Musk intended to finance his offer, which were disclosed to US regulators on ...

You Might Have Aphantasia -- a Puzzling Phenomenon That Weakens the 'Mind's Eye'

Hoping to decode the mystery of mental blindness, researchers find a striking biological signature for aphantasiacs.Picture a red cherry. Great. Now, which of the following describes you?

Group 1: You're visualizing a vibrant, ruby-colored fruit like it's living in your mind.

Group 2: You're pondering the concept of a cherry without getting any mental imagery.

If you're in the former group, you might wonder whether group 2 just didn't understand the prompt, but if you're in the latter, you might find it extremely odd for group 1 to exist at all. Group 2, you might ...

Amazon Astro Is One Small Step for Robotkind

Amazon's helper bot is a significant milestone for robots, but it's not the giant leap I was expecting.

Amazon's Astro is a landmark in the field of consumer robots. We're testing it right now as we prepare to give it a full review, but it doesn't actually have to be good to be important. Just the fact that it exists and is already in people's homes is a huge step that many ambitious robots have failed to reach.

I've enthusiastically covered the consumer robots on display at trade shows like CES for years. One of my biggest wishes for the industry is a fully capable bot tha ...

Twitter Said to Be Re-examining Elon Musk's $43B Takeover Bid

Meeting between the two sides Sunday suggest company might be open to the proposal, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Twitter is re-examining Elon Musk's unsolicited offer to buy the company and take it private, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. The two sides are meeting Sunday to discuss Musk's proposal, the Journal reported, suggesting that the social media company might be receptive to Musk's offer.

Musk proposed paying $54.20 for each share of the influential social media company, an offer that values Twitter at $43 billion. The entrepreneur, who runs Tesla, SpaceX ...

Obama Slams Misinformation on Social Media: 'People Are Dying'

The former president warns of the threat misinformation poses to democracy and urges tech companies to get involved in a solution.Former President Barack Obama on Thursday warned that the spread of misinformation on social media represents a threat to democracy and urged regulation of the tech platforms.

"The very design of these platforms seems to be tilting us in the wrong direction," Obama said during a speech at a Stanford Cyber Policy Center event, adding that social media is "turbocharging some of humanity's worst impulses."

Obama pointed to the rea ...

Amazon, Google, Meta Among Targets of EU Law on Disinformation, Harmful Content

EU lawmakers reach a deal on the basics of major legislation meant to address the negative side of online platforms.Lawmakers in the European Union reached an agreement Saturday on the basic points of major legislation designed to curb negative impacts from social media sites and other digital platforms.

The Digital Services Act would, among other things, compel services including Facebook, Google, Twitter and others to crack down on the spread of disinformation on their platforms and to reveal how their algorithms recommend content to users. The DSA would also prohibit certain kind ...

You Might Have Aphantasia -- a Puzzling Phenomenon That Weakens the 'Mind's Eye'

Hoping to decode the mystery of mental blindness, researchers find a striking biological signature for aphantasiacs.

Picture a red cherry. Great. Now, which of the following describes you?

Group 1: You're visualizing a vibrant, ruby-colored fruit like it's living in your mind.

Group 2: You're pondering the concept of a cherry without getting any mental imagery.

If you're in the former group, you might wonder whether group 2 just didn't understand the prompt, but if you're in the latter, you might find it extremely odd for group 1 to exist at all. Group 2, y ...

Stripe to Enable Cryptocurrency Payments

Twitter will kick off the new service by allowing some of its creators to receive earnings in the USDC stablecoin.

Online payments processor Stripe said Friday that it will allow businesses, beginning with Twitter, to start paying customers in cryptocurrencies.

The payouts will be made with USDC, a stablecoin whose value is tied to the US dollar. Instead of being mined by computers like traditional cryptocurrencies, stablecoins are pegged to fiat currencies to maintain a stable price.

Twitter will pilot the new option by allowing some people who charge followers for ...

Google Policy Effectively Bans Outside Call-Recording Apps

The change is part of Google's crackdown on apps that use accessibility APIs for non-accessibility purposes.A new Google policy will effectively ban call-recording apps from the Play Store starting next month.

Under the change, spotted earlier by Ars Technica, call recording will no longer be allowed via Google's accessibility APIs. It's part of the tech giant's ongoing crackdown on apps that use its accessibility APIs as technical workarounds, rather than for accessibility reasons.

Since the accessibility APIs are the only way for third-party apps to record calls on Androi ...

Verizon Wireless Customers Flee Despite 5G Network Upgrades

The carrier is focused on using its C-Band spectrum for improved 5G, but it's feeling the pressure from rivals, its earnings report shows.

Verizon is feeling the competitive heat. The nation's largest wireless carrier suffered a decline in the first quarter and warned that its earnings growth would be at the lower end of its previous expectations.

Verizon lost 292,000 consumer postpaid phone subscriptions, the metric used by the industry as an indicator of success. In a Friday press release on its earnings for the quarter, Verizon chalked the loss up to "competitive dy ...

US Appeals Court Won't Rehear California Net Neutrality Case

The state law will remain in effect, after the court rejects a petition to reconsider its decision. This possibly sets up a showdown in the US Supreme Court.

The US Court of Appeals that ruled in favor of California's net neutrality law said this week that it won't reconsider its decision, dealing another blow to the broadband industry trade groups that attempted to block California from enforcing its law.

On Wednesday, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a petition to rehear the case that the three judge panel decided in January. The court's 3-0 decision upheld a ...

Meta Reviewing COO Sandberg Over Allegedly Pushing Daily Mail to Drop Stories, Report Says

The Daily Mail stories reportedly focused on Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg's former partner, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick.

Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg is facing an internal review by Facebook's parent company over reports she pressured UK tabloid Daily Mail to ditch articles about her former partner, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday citing unnamed sources.

According to the report, Sandberg contacted the Daily Mail on two separate occasions, in 2016 and 2019, to prevent stories from being printed about Kotick. Sandberg reportedly ...

Obama Slams Misinformation on Social Media: 'People Are Dying'

The former president warns of the threat misinformation poses to democracy and urges tech companies to get involved in a solution.

Former President Barack Obama on Thursday warned that the spread of misinformation on social media represents a threat to democracy and urged regulation of the tech platforms.

"The very design of these platforms seems to be tilting us in the wrong direction," Obama said during a speech at a Stanford Cyber Policy Center event, adding that social media is "turbocharging some of humanity's worst impulses."

Obama pointed t ...

Amazon Astro Is the Cute Face That Could Make You Treat Tech Like Your Friend

Amazon Astro is many devices in one. The rolling home robot's cameras bring the company's Ring security features inside the house for Ring Protect Pro subscribers. Its microphones allow the popular Alexa voice assistant to move with you throughout your day. The robot's face doubles as an internet-connected tablet, enabling video calls.

Astro's killer app, however, might be its ability to stir an emotional connection with users. The puppy-shaped robot is deliberately cute, rather than sleek and cool. Its face, with endearing animated eyes, swivels as it looks for you to deliver remin ...

iOS 16 Wish List: New iPhone Features We Hope Apple Debuts at WWDC

WWDC 2022 is just weeks away. Here's everything we want Apple to add and fix in its next big iPhone update.

The next major version of the iPhone's software will likely be called iOS 16 and debut at Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference in early June. Apple is expected to share previews of iOS 16, iPadOS 16, WatchOS 9, MacOS and other software. We're most excited about the next version of iOS since it usually includes a few impressive changes for the iPhone.

Rumors for iOS 16 are relatively sparse, which is typical for unreleased Apple software. So it will truly be a ...

ICE Uses Private Data Brokers to Circumvent Immigrant Sanctuary Laws, Report Says

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement uses data brokers to circumvent state sanctuary laws while tracking immigrants, according to a joint report released Thursday by the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado and several immigrant advocacy groups.

Though the sanctuary laws restrict ICE's ability to extract data directly from state and local law enforcement, the report outlines the extent of ICE's efforts to bypass those laws by contracting private, third-party data brokers such as LexisNexis and its subsidiary Appriss to provide real-time access to immigrants' personal data an ...

CNN streaming service to shut a month after launch

CNN's new owner says it will close the US-based news channel's streaming service just a month after it launched.

Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) says it will issue refunds to subscribers after the service is shut down on 30 April.

The head of CNN+ has resigned and hundreds more workers could be at risk of losing their jobs.

This week, $50bn (£38.4bn) was wiped off the stock market value of streaming giant Netflix after it revealed a sharp fall in subscribers.

CNN+ was launched on 29 March in an attempt to bring in revenues from news streaming subscriptions.

...

Binance crypto exchange forced to scrap swastika-like emoji

Cryptocurrency exchange Binance has had to pull a new emoji after Twitter users said it resembled a swastika.

It tweeted the situation was "obviously really embarrassing" and scrapped the design, adding it was making a new one.

Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, said it was unsure how the design passed several layers of review.

The emoji - or hashflag - featured a golden square with four "L" shaped arms reminiscent of the arms of a swastika.

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Dell G15 Gaming Laptop Goes Camo, Alienware Ships AMD-Refreshed Systems

Dell's popular starts-under-$1,000 gaming laptop, the G15, continues its trajectory away from inconspicuous and moving toward looks-like-Alienware with its 2022 AMD Ryzen-based model. It joins AMD updates of the Alienware M series laptops and Aurora desktop PC updates announced at CES 2022 which also began shipping today.

Though the 15-inch G15 essentially retains essentially the same exterior design as last year's model, the Specter Green model forgoes speckles in favor of a matching camo keyboard deck. And while it oddly seems to drop the "Ryzen Edition" branding, the 55 ...

T-Mobile Expands 5G Home Internet Availability By Another 10 Million Households

T-Mobile's home internet service is growing, and is now available to 40 million homes.

Just over a year after its launch, T-Mobile is sharing some updates for its 5G Home Internet service. On Wednesday the carrier revealed that it now has 1 million customers on the $50 per month internet option and has expanded the service's availability from 30 million "eligible households" to 40 million.

T-Mobile ended 2021 with 646,000 home internet subscribers and revealed during its most recent earnings that it had added 224,000 home internet users during the fourth quarter o ...

Women in Tech Gaining Ground in Leadership Roles, Encouraging Report Finds

A new report from Deloitte shows a growing number of women in the upper ranks of companies.

In the tech industry, women are gaining momentum in leadership positions, according to a report out Thursday from consulting firm Deloitte.

The report, titled Women in tech are cracking the industry's glass ceiling, achieving double-digit gains in leadership roles, says about one in four leadership roles at large global tech companies will be held by women this year. That's a gain of about 20% since 2019. What's more, growth in these leadership positions is outpacing other roles. The ...

Amazon Hit With More Lawsuits Over Warehouse Collapse

The complaints represent a worker who died in the collapse and four survivors.

Two lawsuits have been filed against Amazon after a tornado in December caused the collapse of its warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois. They allege Amazon failed to protect its employees through negligence.

The lawsuits were filed by the mother of one of the employees killed in the collapse, DeAndre Morrow, and four drivers who survived but suffered harm as a result: Jamarco Hickman, Evan Jensen, Jada Williams and Deontae Yancey.

The complaints allege the four drivers had tried to leave th ...

Netflix hints at password sharing crackdown as subscribers fall

Netflix has hinted it will crack down on households sharing passwords as it seeks to sign up new members following a sharp fall in subscribers.

The number of households using the streaming service fell by 200,000 in the first three months of the year as it faced stiff competition from rivals.

It was also hit after it raised prices in some countries and left Russia.

Netflix warned shareholders another two million subscribers were likely to leave in the three months to July.

"Our revenue growth has slowed considerably," the firm told shareholders on T ...

Tesla profits soar as customers pay more

Tesla has been raising prices - but that hasn't seemed to dent demand for its electric cars.

Despite the firm facing higher costs, profits at Elon Musk's electric car company soared to $3.3bn (£2.5bn) in the first three months of the year, as customers proved willing to pay more.

The firm's deliveries were up 68% - and would have been higher if not for supply chain shortages, the firm said.

Its Shanghai factory was also recently forced shut due to Covid restrictions.

As the plant reopens this month, staff will be required to sleep at the factory in an effort ...

Apple staff make bid for first union at a US store

Workers at Apple's Grand Central Station store in New York have announced a plan to start a union.

If their bid is successful it would be the first union at one of the tech giant's US stores.

The group of staff known as Fruit Stand Workers United must get signatures of support from 30% of colleagues at the store to qualify for a union election.

The move follows unionisation drives by staff at Starbucks and Amazon. Apple has not commented on the announcement.

A statement on a campaign website for the prospective union said: "Grand Central is an extraordin ...

Samsung Freestyle Portable Projector Review: Cool, Sleek, Way Too Expensive

The Freestyle promises big screen video viewing from a compact capsule, but so do others that cost hundreds less. And they actually include batteries.

Samsung sure knows how to design and market a product. The Freestyle portable projector, announced at CES 2022, made quite the splash. It's small! It makes a huge image! Your friends will love it!

Beyond the design, however, the Freestyle is hardly unique. Plenty of other portable projectors I've reviewed have built-in speakers and streaming, and most cost a lot less. In its favor, the Freestyle produces an attractive image, s ...

China's COVID Lockdowns Could Mean Millions of Fewer iPhones, Per Analyst

Apple could see a shortfall in millions of fewer iPhones if Chinese Covid precautions locking down Shanghai factories persist for weeks or months.

In response to a new COVID-19 wave in China, the country's authorities have locked down affected areas like Shanghai and Kunshan. These areas include parts suppliers that could lead to a big shortfall of millions of iPhones, according to a new Reuters report.

Shanghai has been under lockdown for three weeks at this point. If those lockdowns last more than two months and Apple isn't able to make up production elsewhere, the delays ...

Apple Store Unionization Effort in Motion at New York Flagship Location

A group of employees at Manhattan's Grand Central Terminal store has started formally collecting signatures to form a union, says a report.

A group of workers at Apple's flagship retail store in Manhattan has begun formally gathering signatures to form a union, The Washington Post reported Saturday. Organizers at Apple's Grand Central Terminal store say they voted Feb. 21 to affiliate with Workers United, the national labor union involved in recent efforts to unionize at Starbucks outlets, the paper reported.

If the organizers can collect enough signatures and then either br ...

9 Great Reads From CNET This Week: 'Infinite' VR, 2022 Smartwatches, Elden Ring and more

The outsized wonders of in-person virtual reality, the likely smartwatches for the coming year, the staggering popularity of Elden Ring, and a whole lot of other stuff.

VR brings a third dimension to computing. Strap on a headset, and you're not just looking at something, you're surrounded by it. There's a real sense of depth and volume and immersion. You are as good as there.

One outstanding example of that is a virtual reality installation called The Infinite, which puts you inside the International Space Station and enables you to gaze down on Earth from orbit. CNET's Joa ...

Forced Off TV, Pakistani Journalists Build New Audiences on YouTube

A wave of journalist firings hits Pakistani media after Imran Khan's ouster as prime minister.

When Imran Riaz Khan lost his job as an anchor at Pakistan's Samaa TV a week ago, he joined a growing list of journalists who've found themselves out of work amid the country's political turmoil.

Luckily, Riaz Khan has a YouTube channel with 2.6 million subscribers to fall back on.

Over the past two years, Riaz Khan carefully cultivated his online viewership, racking up more than 650 million views as he held forth on Pakistan's often combustible politics. As an effort to ...

Twitter Adopts 'Poison Pill' Defense Against Musk's Takeover Bid

The limited-duration shareholder rights plan makes it tougher or more expensive to acquire the company.

On Friday, the social media company said it's adopting a limited-duration shareholders rights plan, a tactic known as the "poison pill" defense that's used by companies to fend off takeover attempts like the one facing Twitter. Poison pills make it difficult for a potential buyer to acquire a majority of a company's shares by making more of them available.

"The Rights Plan will reduce the likelihood that any entity, person or group gains control of Twitter t ...

Best Apple Watch Accessories, Starting at Just $7

Save big on bands, mobile chargers, headphones and more to go with your Apple Watch Series 3, Series 4, Series 5 Series 6, SE or Series 7.

The Apple Watch is arguably the single best smartwatch for iPhone owners. For that reason, I'm willing to pay a premium price. But when it comes to accessories, Apple charges way too much for things like bands, wireless earbuds and charging docks. Why pay the full price when you can save by choosing worthwhile competitors?

Thankfully, there are excellent, affordable alternatives. Whether you're taking a trip and want a portable cha ...

Apple Reportedly Testing Next-Gen M2 Chips in New Macs Possibly Launching Later in 2022

Apple is reportedly testing a range of new Macs with its next generation of silicon, the M2 chips, which could be released later this year.

Apple is actively testing the next generation of in-house chips, the M2 series, in several different new Mac models, according to a Bloomberg report.

The company is testing four different types of M2 chips across nine new Macs. While detail about the machines being tested is scant, the report claims that the models tested with the base M2 chip include a MacBook Air, Mac mini and an entry-level MacBook Pro.

Other test models hav ...

Instagram Promotes Pro-Eating Disorder Content to Kids, Report Says

Child advocacy group Fairplay releases research about a "pro-eating disorder bubble" it says reaches roughly 20 million users.

Instagram is promoting and profiting off pro-eating disorder content that's reaching children as young as 9 years old, according to a report released Thursday by child advocacy group Fairplay.

The 21-page report, titled Designing for Disorder: Instagram's Pro-eating Disorder Bubble, focuses on the platform's algorithms that help determine what photos, posts and videos Instagram users get recommended. These algorithms, Fairplay said, shape t ...

Amazon Not Accepting Cryptocurrency Soon, May Get Into NFTs, CEO Says

Andy Jassy also says Amazon is still facing headwinds from logistics and fuel costs in an interview with CNBC.

Don't expect to pay for your Amazon purchases with bitcoin in the near future. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy told CNBC on Thursday that the e-commerce giant isn't poised to accept cryptocurrency as payment soon. However, Amazon may get involved involved in the sale of NFTs, or nonfungible tokens, another popular blockchain-powered technology, he said.

Jassy doesn't own bitcoin, he said, but acknowledged cryptocurrency's potential.

"We're not probably close to a ...

Elon Musk Offers to Buy Twitter: Everything You Need to Know

The offer is the latest development in a roller-coaster relationship between the tech mogul and Twitter.

Billionaire Elon Musk has a big offer for Twitter.

Musk proposed paying $54.20 for each share of the influential social media company, an offer that values Twitter at $43 billion. The entrepreneur, who runs Tesla, SpaceX and other companies, already owns 9.2% of Twitter.

"I now realize the company will neither thrive nor serve [its] societal imperative in its current form," Musk wrote in a letter to Bret Taylor, chairman of Twitter's board of directors, ...

NFT of Jack Dorsey's first tweet struggles to sell

The buyer of a non-fungible token (NFT) of Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey's first tweet says he "may never sell it" after receiving a series of low bids.

Malaysia-based Sina Estavi has been offered just over $6,200 (£4,720), about 0.2% of the $2.9m he paid for it.

Mr Estavi has compared the digital asset to Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa.

The tweet, which says "just setting up my twttr," was first posted in March 2006 and was auctioned off last year by Mr Dorsey for charity.

Mr Estavi bought the tweet in the form of a NFT in March 2021.

...

Elon Musk makes offer to buy Twitter

Tesla boss Elon Musk has offered to buy Twitter, saying he is the right person to "unlock" the social media platform's "extraordinary potential".

In a surprise announcement, Mr Musk said he would pay $54.20 a share for Twitter, valuing it at about $40bn.

It recently emerged that Mr Musk was Twitter's biggest shareholder after he built up a large stake in the firm.

He said that if his offer was not accepted: "I would need to reconsider my position as a shareholder".

Mr Musk also said that if the board of directors at Twitter chose ...

Intel Pledges to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions to Zero by 2040

It'll invest $300 million to adopt renewable energy and research new chemical processes to try to combat climate change.

Intel said on Wednesday it will cut its overall greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2040, the latest pledge by a Silicon Valley giant to address climate change.

The chipmaker's plan means a $300 million investment in energy conservation measures like facility upgrades to reduce power consumption. It also requires changes so chip manufacturing won't release as much carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that trap heat from the sun in the Earth's atmosphe ...

Apple Faces Reported MacBook Shipping Delays as Lockdowns Impact China's Supply Chain

Delivery dates for certain models like the MacBook Pro could be delayed until June.

Apple is facing production woes for its MacBook Pros, with delivery dates being pushed back into June, according to a report from Bloomberg. As a result of China's zero-tolerance policy for COVID-19 outbreaks, more than 30 Taiwanese companies, including major laptop manufacturer Quanta, have suspended production in China, the news outlet reported.

For Apple's highest-end MacBook Pro, delivery times are estimated as late as June 16, while deliveries of lower-end configurations of the 14-inch M ...

In-Person VR Is a Crystal Ball to the Metaverse. COVID Tried to Shatter It

Location-based virtual reality fell derelict in the pandemic. Now, with in-person experiences reviving, it's where you'll touch the metaverse's future.

The Infinite wasn't my first instance of traveling miles to try a virtual-reality adventure since the world reopened. But it was the most epic.

A massive installation that lets you explore a life-size, virtual replica of the International Space Station, The Infinite is the largest in-person VR exhibit of its kind. And as the world haltingly reopens amid COVID-19 flareups, The Infinite also comes complete with ultraviolet ster ...

TikTok Testing 'Dislike' Button for Comments

The feature is part of an effort "to foster kindness and safety," TikTok says.

TikTok is testing a "dislike" button that will let users flag comments they believe to be "irrelevant or inappropriate." The feature was designed to help members "stay in control of their interactions," the company said in a blog post on Wednesday.

The button will be a private feature: Only the person who registered a dislike will see it. A Twitter screenshot shared by Engadget showed a "thumbs down" icon next to messages, with no counter indicatin ...

I Used Loop to Hack My Insulin Pump to Better Control My Blood Sugar Levels

Loop is a DIY automated insulin delivery system with more customization and features than FDA-approved systems on the market.

I hacked my insulin pump for more control over my blood sugar levels, and I have no plans to use an approved system anytime soon. Before I get into that, here's some background on me.

In May 2021 I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 30. This came as a huge shock with many life changes. I began using insulin, started wearing a continuous glucose monitor, or CGM, to track my blood sugar levels and got an insulin pump that I wear at all tim ...

US cryptocurrency expert jailed for helping North Korea evade sanctions

A former US researcher at a cryptocurrency group has been sentenced to more than five years in prison for conspiring to help North Korea evade US sanctions using cryptocurrency.

Virgil Griffith had earlier pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate US law.

He formerly worked for the Ethereum Foundation, a non-profit organisation focused on the technology behind the cryptocurrency ether.

The sentence was the minimum amount of prison time sought by prosecutors.

He was also fined $100,000 (£76,864). The 39-year-old had been facing a maximum sentence of 20 years in ...

Shanghai lockdown: iPhone maker halts operations at China sites

A major producer of Apple's iPhone has become the latest manufacturer to halt operations because of the lockdown in Shanghai.

Technology company Pegatron says it has temporarily suspended production at two of its factories in China.

The announcement came even as authorities eased some of Shanghai's coronavirus regulations on Tuesday.

It means that some of the city's 25 million people are able to leave their homes for the first time in weeks.

The city was locked down in late March after infections surged in the key manufacturing and financial hub.

In a ...

Google, Facebook, Stripe Reveal $925M Plan to Capture Carbon Pollution

A promise to spend big now is designed to boost confidence in technology to fight climate change.

The parent companies of Facebook and Google have joined a nearly $1 billion program designed to fight climate by committing to purchase carbon capture technology when it's developed.

Meta and Alphabet said on Tuesday they had joined Frontier, a subsidiary of payment processor Stripe that pledges spending will eventually flow to approved carbon capture projects. E-commerce company Shopify and consulting firm McKinsey have also joined the Frontier program.

Frontier is an e ...

Apple Watch Won't Add Blood Pressure Monitoring Until 2024, Report Says

Toyota's first 50-state electric SUV is one of the most comfortable in its class, but will that be enough in a world where range is king?The feature hit problems in the company's tests, according to Bloomberg.

Apple Watches won't be getting a blood pressure monitor until at least 2024, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. Apple's long-rumored sensor and software updates are designed to determine if you have high blood pressure but apparently struggled with giving accurate readings during tests.

The company is also working on adding blood sugar monitoring to its smartwatches, accordin ...

ISS Astronauts on Busting Barriers and Space Smelling Like Burnt Metal Toast

Christina Koch and Anne McClain are two of only 256 people who've seen Earth from the International Space Station, but they wish everyone could.

Astronauts Anne McClain and Christina Koch have, cumulatively, lived almost a year and a half in space.

Alongside the science and space walks of their International Space Station missions, Koch and McClain also participated in an unusual assignment, even for people orbiting 250 miles above the Earth's surface: chronicle – through a 360-degree video camera – what space exploration is like and why it matters.

Their footage, ...

Apple's Tim Cook Says the Fight to Protect Privacy Is a Crucial One

Calling it "one of the most essential battles of our time," Apple CEO Tim Cook said Tuesday that his company will continue to fight for data privacy protections that are in the best interests of consumers.

Cook also pushed back against charges that his company's tight controls over its app store are anti-competitive. While Apple maintains that the controls protect consumer security and privacy, the store is the only official way to download apps to iPhones, iPads, Apple TVs and Apple Watches.

Speaking at the International Association of Privacy Professionals' Globa ...

How facial recognition is identifying the dead in Ukraine

Last month a controversial facial recognition company, Clearview AI, announced it had given its technology to the Ukrainian government.

The BBC has been given evidence of how it is being used - in more than a thousand cases - to identify both the living and the dead.

This story contains graphic descriptions that may be upsetting to some readers.

A man lies motionless on the floor, his head tilted down. His body is naked, apart from a pair of Calvin Klein boxers. His eyes are ringed with what look like bruises.

The body was found in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine - ...

Self-driving car stopped by San Francisco police

San Francisco police officers were faced with a new challenge after stopping an autonomous vehicle with no-one inside.

Officers approached the car, operated by Cruise, because it had been driving without headlights.

In the incident, captured on film, an officer remarks that there "ain't nobody in it" before the car moves to what Cruise said was a safer location.

The company said the headlights issue was a result of human error.

Cruise, which is owned by General Motors and develops self-driving technology, has been testing autonomous vehicles (AVs) i ...

Installing an EV Charger at My House Was Easy

With more and more electric vehicles coming through our test fleet -- including our long-term 2022 Mini Cooper SE -- I decided it was time to install a home charger. It's crucial for me because I live in a small desert town and the only public chargers are Level 2 units that deliver electricity at a super-slow speed of 8.3 kilowatts. The last thing I want to do is sit in the parking lot of the California Welcome Center for hours on end.

My first step was to look at my home's electrical panel and see if it could accommodate a Level 2 charger. I have a 100-amp panel and I want to char ...

Elon Musk Isn't Joining Twitter's Board After All

Elon Musk won't join Twitter's board of directors, the social network's CEO tweeted on Sunday, the latest twist in the Tesla chief's quickly evolving relationship with the social media company.

In a note to staff later made public, Parag Agrawal said Musk turned down a board seat on April 9, the day the appointment was supposed to take effect. Agrawal didn't say why Musk decided to not join the board, and a Twitter spokesman declined to share additional information outside of the CEO's statement. The decision followed Musk's disclosure on April 4 that he had accumulated a 9.2% stake ...

'The Infinite' VR Is the Closest You'll Feel to Space Without Floating

am drifting inside the International Space Station, an apparition floating from one compartment to the next. A constant mechanical thrum pulses like a heartbeat in my ears, but the station has the stillness of nighttime. I'm surrounded by details to explore, but I'm on a mission. I want to find the famous cupola, the geometrically windowed spot with my best chance of glimpsing our blue marble from 250 miles above.

Regrettably, though, I'm not literally floating. Mine was a virtual sojourn on the ISS, thanks to a massive in-person virtual reality installation called The Infinite. Do ...

Apple, Google and Samsung May Have Big Smartwatch Plans for 2022

It's shaping up to be a big year for smartwatches. While we're expecting to see typical updates like the next-generation Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch, 2022 might also mark some notable milestones. Google, for example, is rumored to launch its first Pixel Watch in the spring or fall. Fitbit, which Google owns, could also release its first watch running on Wear OS.

A Pew Research Report from 2020 says 1 in 5 Americans use a smartwatch or fitness tracker, while Counterpoint Research's data says the smartwatch industry grew by 24% year-over-year in 2021. With that in mind, it wo ...

Elon Musk will not join Twitter board, says boss

Elon Musk has decided not to join the board of Twitter, the company's chief executive Parag Agrawal says.

Mr Musk's appointment was due to become effective on Saturday after revealing last week that he had bought a 9.2% stake in the social media platform.

However, Mr Agrawal tweeted: "Elon shared that same morning that he will no longer be joining the board."

The Tesla boss remains Twitter's largest shareholder and the firm will remain open to his input, he added.

Just over an hour after Mr Agrawal's announcement, Mr Musk cryptically tweeted a singl ...

Ukraine Is Fighting Russia With Drones and Rewriting the Rules of War

The same quadcopters you can buy at Amazon are on the front lines of the battle for Ukraine.

Ukrainian nonprofit Come Back Alive has collected ammunition, rifle stands and radios to help the country's soldiers fight Russia's invasion. This week, it also delivered items more commonly used to pep up YouTube videos than fight a war: 24 DJI Mavic 3 drones.

"Our drones are our eyes," said one Ukrainian military officer who's worked with drones since 2015 and spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons. The Ukrainian military has no official drone unit, the offi ...

10 Puzzle Games on Apple Arcade

Jigsaw puzzles with thousands of tiny pieces and Rubik's cubes are fun, but mobile gaming has kicked puzzles up a notch, and Apple Arcade has some great ones. The puzzle games on Apple's $5-a-month gaming service have something for everyone and creatively push the boundaries of puzzle gaming. Dig in and build something in the vast expanse of infinity, see the world from a different perspective, and mend broken treasures and broken hearts.

In its catalog of over 200 games, Apple Arcade has more than two dozen titles in the puzzle category so far (and new games are added weekly). Her ...

Galaxy Watch 5 Rumors: Will Samsung Give Us a Battery Boost?

Samsung's Galaxy Watch 4 was lauded for its health-tracking functionality, fast performance and a slick design, when it was released last August. It was even the first smartwatch powered by the new Wear OS software that Samsung and Google created together. But if rumors become a reality, the Galaxy Watch 5 could address one of our biggest complaints about the Galaxy Watch 4: battery life.

I'm also hoping to see Samsung commit more fully to Google's software and services. The Galaxy Watch 4 currently feels caught between Google and Samsung's ecosystems, as my colleague Scott Stein w ...

Elon Musk to answer Twitter staff questions

Twitter employees will have the opportunity to hear from Elon Musk about his vision for the platform in a staff question-and-answer session.

It follows Musk's purchase of 9.2% of the social media company - for $3.7bn - and his appointment to the board.

In an email on Thursday, staff were invited to quiz the Tesla founder and billionaire over his intentions.

There has been speculation over what changes Musk would like to see made to the social network.

The company-wide meeting, known as a town hall or 'all hands', are typically run by the chief executive or a ...

Is Samsung's Galaxy S22 Ultra Worth the Upgrade? Let's Compare it to Older Phones

Samsung's Galaxy S22 Ultra is fitted with a giant screen, top-notch camera system and an S Pen stylus that you can stow inside the phone. But these fancy features are also paired with a hefty $1,200 price tag, making it one of the most expensive phones Samsung sells.

That's why it's important to think carefully about whether it's time to upgrade to the Galaxy S22 Ultra. In many cases, the most important factors to consider will be camera quality and the S Pen. If you have a relatively recent phone like the Galaxy S21 Ultra or Note 20 Ultra, you don't need to upgrade just yet. The S ...

WhatsApp's Multidevice Feature Could Teach Apple's iMessage Some New Tricks

Your phone doesn't need to be working to access texts on WhatsApps. Thanks to the web and desktop app's new Linked Devices feature, previously in beta and rolling out to the public over the next several months, you can get faster access to chats from nearly any computer or tablet you choose, while preserving much of the encryption and security that the app is known for. WhatsApps newest feature creates a cross-platform texting experience that reminds me of using iMessage across Mac and an iPhone -- but without the requirement of being stuck on just Apple's devices.

WhatsApp's deskto ...

Inside Chernobyl: We stole Russian fuel to prevent catastrophe

The former nuclear power plant at Chernobyl in northern Ukraine was taken over by Russian forces on the first day of the invasion. It's now back under Ukraine's control. The BBC's Yogita Limaye is among the first journalists to look inside it since the Russians left.

On the afternoon of 24 February, Russian forces surrounded Chernobyl with tanks and armoured vehicles, entering Ukraine from the Belarusian border, just about 16km (10 miles) away.

About 170 Ukrainian national guards who secured the plant were taken to the basement and held captive there. Then Russian soldiers s ...

Boris Johnson announces more weapons for Ukraine

Boris Johnson has announced £100m worth of weapons for Ukraine after the "unconscionable bombing" of refugees at a railway station.

The prime minister said the UK will send additional military equipment including Starstreak anti-aircraft missiles and 800 anti-tank missiles.

It comes after dozens of people died when a crowded railway station in eastern Ukraine was hit by rockets.

Vladimir Putin's daughters have also been sanctioned by the UK.

Speaking at a Downing Street press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Mr Johnson warned Russia wi ...

Mystery of alleged Chinese hack on eve of Ukraine invasion

Allegations of Chinese cyber activity as the recent conflict broke out in Ukraine have been emerging.

The details appear unusually murky but one Western intelligence official believes the aim was espionage - and the cyber-attack may have been broader than previously reported.

The Times first reported that hackers, alleged to be based in China, began targeting Ukrainian websites on 23 February, the day before the invasion.

That led to questions as to whether they had advance notice of Moscow's plans and if their intention was somehow to support Russia.

A broad ...

Energy strategy: Boris Johnson defends plan amid cost of living crisis

The PM has defended the government's new energy strategy, following criticism it does little to help people struggling with soaring bills.

Boris Johnson said it was a "long-term plan" focused on energy supply and the government had already introduced other policies to tackle rising energy costs.

The strategy, which aims to increase UK energy independence, includes plans to boost nuclear, wind and hydrogen power.

But Labour said it was "too little, too late" to help with rising costs.

And experts called for a bigger focus on energy efficien ...

Instagram: Presenter Rachel Riley received series of porn messages

A television presenter was sent 31 videos of a penis by a single man on Instagram direct messages (DMs).

Rachel Riley, who co-presents Countdown, said knowing that people have sent her these "turns my stomach".

The DMs were uncovered by disinformation researchers the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH).

Instagram, owned by Meta, said the platform offers a way to filter abusive messages so that users do not have to see them.

Abusive messages 'ignored'
The CCDH is a non-profit organisation which monitors and lobbies against online hate an ...

Amazon secures rockets for broadband project

Over the next five years, three new heavy-lift rockets will put thousands of satellites into low earth orbit as part of Amazon's Project Kuiper.

The project aims to provide broadband connections using a constellation of 3,236 satellites.

Rival Starlink is said to have more than 2,300 satellites in orbit already.

The rockets will be made by Arianespace, Blue Origin - which was founded by Amazon owner Jeff Bezos - and United Launch Alliance.

Amazon says Project Kuiper aims to provide high-speed, low-latency broadband to customers including households, businesse ...

Cryptocurrency: UK Treasury to regulate some stablecoins

The Treasury has announced that it will regulate some cryptocurrencies as part of a wider plan to make the UK a hub for digital payment companies.

So-called "stablecoins" will become recognised forms of payment to give people confidence in using digital currencies, it said.

Stablecoins are designed to have a stable value linked to traditional currencies or assets like gold.

They are considered less volatile than cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.

The Treasury also said it planned to consult on regulating a much wider range of digital currencies later ...

Twitter moves to limit Russian government accounts

Twitter has limited content from more than 300 official Russian government accounts, including that of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The accounts will no longer be recommended in timelines, notifications or elsewhere on the site, Twitter said.

The company said it would take action against any country which "restricts access to the open internet while they're engaged in armed conflict".

The platform has been severely limited in Russia since war began in Ukraine .

Currently Putin has two official accounts on the social media site: one in Russian a ...

Broadband firms 'must do more to promote social tariffs'

As the cost of living rises it is "vital" that broadband firms do more to promote discounted broadband for low-income households, the government says.

In a letter to broadband suppliers, Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries noted only 1-2% of Universal Credit claimants take up social tariffs.

Ofcom has previously said that 84% of benefit recipients were unaware of social tariff packages.

It said it had seen "limited evidence" of those tariffs being promoted.

The Good Things Foundation, which campaigns on behalf of the digitally excluded, descr ...

Twitter confirms it is working on an edit button

Twitter has confirmed that it is working on an edit button that would allow users to change tweets after they have been posted.

It comes after new board member, Tesla boss Elon Musk, asked his followers in a Twitter poll whether they wanted the feature.

Many users have long called for an edit button but there are concerns about how to execute it.

Twitter said it would start testing the idea in the coming months.

The social media firm's communications team tweeted: "Now that everyone is asking… yes, we've been working on an edit feature since last year!...

Elon Musk becomes Twitter's biggest shareholder

Elon Musk has taken a 9.2% stake in Twitter, according to a US securities filing.

The announcement sent Twitter shares soaring by more than 27% in New York trading on Monday.

Tesla's chief executive owned 73,486,938 shares in the social media platform as of 14 March, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The stake is worth $2.89bn (£2.2bn), based on Twitter's closing price on Friday.

It makes him the largest shareholder in the company, with more than four times the 2.25% holding of Twitter founder Jack Dorsey.

Mr Musk is a regular Twitt ...

Facebook users angry after accounts locked for no reason

Facebook users around the world have been waking up to find themselves locked out of their accounts for no apparent reason.

The message many received reads: "Your Facebook account was disabled because it did not follow our Community Standards. This decision can't be reversed."

One user told the BBC there was no warning or explanation given.

Parent firm Meta said it was investigating.

In a tweet, Meta's Andy Stone said: "We're aware that some users are experiencing issues accessing their Facebook accounts and we are working to resolve them as qu ...

China's WeChat suspends some accounts linked to NFTs

China's popular WeChat messaging app has suspended some accounts linked to non-fungible tokens (NFTs), to prevent speculation in the digital assets.

The platform says it has "rectified" accounts which it found to be promoting NFT market speculation, that can help to drive up prices.

There are no regulations against NFTs in China, although the trading of cryptocurrencies was banned last year.

NFTs can be bought and sold in China like any other piece of property.

For this reason they have been touted as the digital answer to collectibles. However, the ...

Lapsus$: Two UK teenagers charged with hacking for gang

Two teenagers from the UK have appeared in court charged with hacking for a major cyber-crime gang.

A 16- and 17-year-old appeared at Highbury Corner youth court, in London, on Friday charged with a number of cyber-offences.

The two boys have been released on bail, subject to certain conditions.

They were arrested as part of an international police investigation into the Lapsus$ gang, which has hacked major tech firms including Microsoft.

Both teenagers are charged with three counts of unauthorised access with intent to impair operation of, or hinder, access ...

Are tech companies removing evidence of war crimes?

In just three months, last year, TikTok removed 80 million uploaded videos that in some way broke its rules.

Powerful artificial intelligence combined with human moderators had removed them at lightning speed, 94.2% before anyone had seen them, it said.

Systems that searched for "violative content" had removed 17 million of the videos removed automatically.

And other social-media companies share a similar story - thousands of hours of content taken down every day.

Now, some are asking whether Big Tech, by removing so much content, is also removing f ...

Facebook in 'bare-knuckle' fight with TikTok

The chief executive of a political consulting firm has responded to a report alleging Meta paid his company to "undermine" TikTok.

Internal emails, apparently seen by the Washington Post, allegedly suggested Targeted Victory's campaign aimed to show TikTok "as a danger to American children".

Zac Moffatt tweeted that the Post's report mischaracterised their work and "key points are simply false".

The BBC approached Meta for comment.

A spokesperson said: "We believe all platforms, including TikTok, should face a level of scrut ...

Dyson headphones come with air vacuum for mouth

Dyson has taken its first step into wearable technology, with an eye-catching pair of over-ear headphones that come with an air-purifying mouth visor.

Best known for vacuum cleaners, Dyson has diversified in recent years with products such as fans and a hairdryer.

The headphones - dubbed Dyson Zone - are designed to tackle the growing issue of air pollution.

One reviewer said they would definitely "turn heads in the street".

Britta O'Boyle, deputy editor at gadget publication Pocket-lint, wrote: "Their design is certainly eye catching."

...

Ronin Network: What a $600m hack says about the state of crypto

Thousands, if not millions, of people could have lost money in the second largest crypto hack in history.

Ronin Network, a key platform powering the popular mobile game Axie Infinity, has had $615m (£467m) stolen.

A 20-year-old from Wiltshire, Dan Rean, is one of those affected. He told the BBC: "I have lost 0.15 Ethereum, about $500. It's bad but I have friends in a worse position."

Jack Kenny is one of those friends, and said: "I'm down about $10,000."

The 23-year-old from Ireland added: "I don't think people fully understand the si ...

Facebook drives sceptics towards climate denial

Facebook pushes climate sceptics towards increasingly extreme disinformation and conspiracy groups, a human-rights body's research suggests.

A report released Wednesday by Global Witness found Facebook's algorithm amplified doubts rather than nudging people towards reliable information.

Facebook says its systems are "designed to reduce misinformation".

Researchers created two users - climate sceptic "Jane" and "John" who followed established scientific bodies.

They then tracked what Facebook's algorithm suggested to both accounts ...

China gains a foothold in Australia's backyard

Late last week, a proposed security treaty between China and a tiny chain of islands in the Pacific sent shock waves across the ocean.

The leaked draft signalled that China could deploy troops to the Solomon Islands - and potentially establish a naval base there.

Nowhere was more alarmed than the Solomons' neighbour to the south, Australia - the bedrock regional partner of the Aukus alliance, a new security pact in the Pacific Ocean with the US and UK.

"The details of this deal are still uncertain. But even if it's smaller than the feared military base, it would ...

Rules on free lateral flow and PCR Covid tests published

Free Covid tests will still be available for some groups, including NHS staff caring directly for patients, the government has confirmed as it winds down the service for the public.

From 1 April, most people will have to pay for a lateral flow test in England.

It is part of the government's 'living with Covid' plan, although levels of the virus are high, with an estimated one in 16 people infected in the UK.

Some free testing will continue during April in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

In Wales the cut-off is July.

Where can I buy a lateral flow test? ...

More must reconsider Russian anti-virus software use, UK warns

The National Cyber Security Centre has said more organisations should reconsider the risk of using Russian technology, including anti-virus software.

But in a blog post published today, it said that for most individual users it is safe to use Kaspersky's software.

Germany recently suggested replacing Kaspersky anti-virus.

The Russia-headquartered firm said the German warnings were "made on political grounds".

Critical Infrastructure.
In 2017, The UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) announced it would write to all government departments ...

Covid: Free parking for NHS hospital staff in England to end this week

Free parking for NHS hospital staff in England introduced as a result of the pandemic will end on Friday, the government says.

Parking fees were waived in March 2020, but Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the pandemic had moved to a new stage.

He said over 93% of NHS trusts charging for parking have implemented free parking "for those in greatest need", including NHS staff working overnight.

However, unions have criticised the move as punishing struggling staff.

Announcing the removal of the benefit, the government said it was "delivering on ou ...

TikTok hit by another lawsuit over working conditions for its content moderators

New York (CNN Business)TikTok has been hit with another lawsuit from former content moderators who claim the job traumatized them.

Ashley Velez and Reece Young, former contract content moderators for TikTok, allege that their work involved reviewing "unfiltered, disgusting and offensive content," including "child sexual abuse, rape, torture, bestiality, beheadings, suicide, and murder," according to a complaint filed Thursday in a California district court against the popular short-form video platform and its parent company, ByteDance. They accuse the company of ...

InnoView 15.8″ Portable Display: More Screen Space for Small Devices

The InnoView 15.8″ portable monitor is one of the latest entries in the China-based manufacturer’s growing inventory of affordable, lightweight monitors.

Carry-around monitors can be a frustrating accessory. Too many variables risk product dissatisfaction. Performance and features can be lacking, and they might be compatible with only some of your devices.

The growing use of smartphones and tablets is driving a need for mobile solutions, and portable monitors like this add more screen real estate and ramp up productivity when on the go.

This is the company’s biggest ...

Apple reportedly cuts production of its new iPhone SE by 20%

Apple is scaling back production of its new budget iPhone SE due to weaker-than-expected demand, Nikkei Asia reported Monday.

The company has reportedly asked suppliers to cut production of the iPhone SE, its new $429 budget 5G phone, by about 2 million units to 3 million units, or about 20% of the initial orders, according to the publication. Apple also reduced orders for AirPods by about 10 million units for full-year 2022, according to the report.

This production decrease is a sign of the Ukraine war and inflation’s negative impact on electronics demand, Nikkei said.

...

Partygate: Met Police to issue first fines, sources say

The first fines for breaches of Covid-19 lockdown rules as part of a police inquiry into government parties will be issued soon, the BBC has been told.

The Metropolitan Police will issue at least 15 fixed-penalty fines initially and could start on Tuesday, Westminster sources suggest.

The investigation of 12 events held across government began in January.

It came after an internal inquiry passed information to the force. The Guardian said fines were "imminent".

Downing Street and the Met have not commented, but government sources told the BBC office ...

Ukraine war: Major internet provider suffers cyber-attack

Ukraine's national telecoms operator Ukrtelecom is restoring internet services after driving back a major cyber-attack.

The company said it restricted customer access to protect military users and critical infrastructure.

Global internet monitor Netblocks said it was the most severe disruption to affect Ukrtelecom since Russia's invasion of Ukraine started last month.

Netblocks said it saw a collapse in connectivity to 13% of pre-war levels.

However, Ukrainian users on different internet providers, who spoke to the BBC, reported no problems.

Ukrteleco ...

P&O Ferries sackings: Ferry operators face minimum wage law change

Ministers plan to force all ferry operators operating from UK ports pay at least the National Minimum Wage, in a bid to persuade P&O Ferries to reinstate 800 workers it has sacked.

Legislation will be introduced in the Commons later this week.

A source says Transport Secretary Grant Shapps hopes the company will "see reason and step back".

But unions have said workers should be reinstated on their existing terms not the National Minimum Wage.

P&O Ferries prompted outrage on 17 March when it announced that it would be replacing staff immediat ...

Gruinard Island: Fire on island used for Anthrax experiments

An uninhabited Scottish island where government scientists once conducted experiments with Anthrax has been hit by a fire.

People who saw the fire on Gruinard Island from the mainland described the scene as "apocalyptic".

They said the uninhabited island off Scotland's north-west coast was ablaze from "one end to the other" on Saturday evening.

The island was used for germ warfare experiments during World War Two.

It was declared free of Anthrax by the Ministry of Defence in April 1990.

Kate Gearing and her daughter Nessie were at ...

Big regional divide on some energy bill charges

Sharp rises in standing charges on standard electricity bills will see customers face very different cost increases depending on where they live.

Customers in South Scotland, Merseyside, North Wales and the South West of England will see the daily payments double from April.

Those in London and the East of England will see increases of less than 60%.

All consumer bills include a standing charge; a fixed daily payment covering the costs of supply and other levies.

The regulator Ofgem caps them for consumers on standard default tariffs in England, Wales and Sco ...

US charges four Russians over hacking campaign on energy sector

The US has charged four Russians government employees with cyber-attacks on the global energy sector.

They are accused of targeting hundreds of companies and organisations in around 135 countries between 2012-2018.

Their activities are said to have caused two separate emergency shutdowns at one facility in Saudi Arabia.

The conspiracy then allegedly attempted to hack the computers of a company that managed similar critical infrastructure entities in the US.

Some of the individuals are linked by the US indictment to the FSB, Russia's security service.

...

Mobile loophole for gaming drivers is closed

A loophole allowing drivers to escape punishment for handheld phone use if they are taking a photo or playing a game has closed in Great Britain.

People can now be fined up to £1,000 and receive six points on their licence for scrolling through playlists or taking pictures on a handheld device.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the government was taking a "zero-tolerance approach".

Devices can still be used hands-free while driving if secured in a cradle.

The law change, which does not apply in Northern Ireland, is an extension of an existing of ...

Russia hacked Ukrainian satellite communications, officials believe

Russia is believed to have hacked US satellite communications provider Viasat on the day of its invasion of Ukraine.

Western intelligence agencies have been investigating the incident and while they have not yet made a public accusation, they believe Russia was behind it.

It appears to be the most significant cyber-attack linked to the conflict so far, affecting military, as well as government, communications.

Overall though, Western officials say Ukraine has proved more resilient to cyber-attacks than many had expected.

Western intelligence agencies are inve ...

Lapsus$: Oxford teen accused of being multi-millionaire cyber-criminal

A 16-year-old from Oxford has been accused of being one of the leaders of cyber-crime gang Lapsus$.

The teenager, who is alleged to have amassed a $14m (£10.6m) fortune from hacking, has been named by rival hackers and researchers.

City of London Police say they have arrested seven teenagers in relation to the gang but will not say if he is one.

The boy's father told the BBC his family was concerned and was trying to keep him away from his computers.

Under his online moniker "White" or "Breachbase" the teenager, who has autism, is said to ...

Ukraine war: Fortnite owner Epic Games raises £37m for humanitarian efforts

Epic Games says it has raised more than $50m (£37m) to aid humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.

The Fortnite publisher announced on 21 March it would donate all proceeds from in-game sales, including cosmetic in-game items and virtual currency bought in a shop or online, until 3 April.

And Xbox is donating the fee it would usually take on items bought by players in Fortnite.

The amount raised so far is greater than that given by some countries.

A statement on the Fortnite website said it would send funds "as quickly as we can".

"We're not w ...

Spotify paid 130 artists more than $5m last year

Spotify has revealed it paid $7bn to music industry rights holders last year, accounting for almost 25% of the industry's total revenues.

The news came on the company's Loud And Clear website, which was launched last year with the aim of "increasing transparency" around its payments.

The streaming giant said 52,600 artists earned more than $10,000 (£7,500) from Spotify in 2021.

Of those, 130 were paid more than $5m (£3.8m) over the last 12 months.

Spotify didn't name any of the artists involved, but its most-streamed acts last year were Bad Bunny, T ...

Hundreds of companies potentially hit by Okta hack

Hundreds of organisations that rely on Okta to provide access to their networks may have been affected by a cyber-attack on the company.

Okta said the "worst case" was 366 of its clients had been affected and their "data may have been viewed or acted upon" - its shares fell 9% on the news.

It says it has more than 15,000 clients - from big companies, including FedEx, to smaller organisations, such as Thanet District Council, in Kent.

Cyber-gang Lapsus$ is behind the hack.

The ransomware group "is a South American threat actor that has ...

The three Russian cyber-attacks the West most fears

US President Joe Biden has called on private companies and organisations in the US to "lock their digital doors", claiming that intelligence suggests Russia is planning a cyber-attack on the US.

The UK's cyber-authorities are also supporting the White House's calls for "increased cyber-security precautions", though neither has given any evidence that Russia is planning a cyber-attack.

Russia has previously stated that such accusations are "Russophobic".

However, Russia is a cyber-superpower with a serious arsenal of cyber-tools, and hack ...

Ukraine: How crowdsourcing is rescuing people from the war zone

Finding a safe route out of Ukraine is not easy.

One challenge facing those looking to escape is to find one that is not under heavy bombardment from Russian forces.

The UN says more than three million people have have now fled Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion just over three weeks ago.

So how do people actually find safe passage out of the country?

One way is via transport arranged by dozens of volunteers based thousands of miles away, who liaise with fellow volunteers in Ukraine.

They, in turn, send information in real-time about safe road ...

Scottish mental health charity SAMH targeted in cyber attack

A Scottish mental health charity says it has been the victim of a "sophisticated and criminal" cyber attack.

Police are investigating the incident which has affected emails and phone lines at SAMH, the Scottish Association for Mental Health.

Charity chief executive Billy Watson said staff were devastated by the attack.

He said they were trying to keep support services running.

"It is difficult to understand why anyone would deliberately try to disrupt the work of an organisation that is relied on by people at their most vulnerable," Mr Wat ...

Multiple Apple services suffer outages

A number of Apple services experienced outages on Monday, Apple's support page has confirmed.

The areas affected included the App Store, iMessage, Maps, Apple Arcade, the iTunes store, podcasts and Apple TV+.

Apple's system status page now shows that all of its services are back up and running.

Some of Apple's network was down for three hours.

A number of iCloud services had been affected, including calendar and mail.

Apple confirmed to the BBC its systems had faced outages but has not commented on the reason for the issue.

According to outage ...

OneWeb to fly on competitor SpaceX's rockets

The London-based satellite company OneWeb will resume launches of its spacecraft using rockets operated by its American competitor, SpaceX

Both firms are building constellations in the sky to deliver broadband internet connections.

But while SpaceX can send up its Starlink system using its own rockets, OneWeb was left looking for rides when the Ukraine war forced it to abandon the use of Russian Soyuz vehicles.

OneWeb has now contracted SpaceX.

It's hoped the first of a series of launches can take place before the end of the year.

"We thank Space ...

Biden: Russia 'exploring' US cyber-attacks

President Joe Biden said on Monday that intelligence indicated a growing Russian cyber threat to the US.

He said Russia was "exploring" cyber attack, but the US would use "every tool" to prevent and respond to such a move.

Mr Biden suggested Moscow could act in retaliation for sanctions imposed on it after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Russia's foreign ministry has said bilateral ties between Moscow and the US were on the "verge of rupture".

Mr Biden has previously warned of a possible cyber attack from Russia, saying on 24 Febru ...

Covid: Spring booster jab launches for over-75s and high risk in England

People aged 75 and over, residents in care homes and those with weakened immune systems can now book an extra booster jab against Covid in England.

It comes as official figures show infection rates are rising in all age groups - including the over-70s.

The roll out follows recommendations from the UK's vaccine advisors who say additional jabs will help boost protection for the most vulnerable.

Spring boosters are already being rolled out in Wales and Scotland.

A wider booster programme - involving more people - is expected this autumn.

While vaccines ...

Morad Tahbaz: British-US national detained in Iran now in hotel

A British-US national temporarily freed from prison in Iran before being sent back to jail days later is now at a hotel, the Foreign Office has said.

Morad Tahbaz, 66, who also has Iranian citizenship, was released on furlough the same day two other British dual nationals were freed.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori returned to the UK, but Mr Tahbaz remained in Iran.

The Foreign Office said it would keep pushing for Mr Tahbaz's return home.

A spokesman said he had been moved from Iran's Evin prison to a hotel in the capital, Tehran.

Mr T ...

Murder arrest over Sabita Thanwani Clerkenwell death

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a 19-year-old woman who died in student accommodation in central London.

Student Sabita Thanwani was found with neck injuries in the halls of residence in Sebastian Street, Clerkenwell.

Police and medics went to Arbour House at about 05:10 GMT on Saturday but she died at the scene.

Maher Maaroufe, understood to have been in a relationship with Ms Thanwani, has been arrested, police said.

The 22-year-old was also arrested on suspicion of assault on police. He remains in custody.

Mr Maaroufe was arrested ...

What does Putin want and will Russia end its war?

When Vladimir Putin shattered the peace in Europe by unleashing war on a democracy of 44 million people, his justification was that modern, Western-leaning Ukraine was a constant threat and Russia could not feel "safe, develop and exist".

But after weeks of bombardment, thousands of deaths and an exodus of millions of refugees, the question remains: what is his war aim and is there a way out?

Why has Putin invaded Ukraine?
The goals he set at the start of Russia's invasion appear to have been watered down during the course of a war that he assumed would be s ...

How Kremlin accounts manipulate Twitter

Olena Kurilo became the face of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Bloodied and bandaged, the 53-year-old teacher said she couldn't believe what had happened to her and her town of Chuhuiv.

Her picture was on the front pages of newspapers across the world.

Over the next few days, Russia's government social media accounts began to post a video claiming that Olena hadn't been injured at all.

"Great photos by the way, they were all over the news," the Russian narrator says.

The video then claims Olena was photographed two days later, uninjured.

&quo ...

Heineken launches virtual beer in self-mocking metaverse 'joke'

A brewer has created a virtual beer to highlight the extremes businesses will go to to grab a slice of the next big thing - the metaverse.

Heineken set up a virtual launch to promote the "product" - an experience described by one attendee as surreal.

The metaverse does not yet exist but many believe people will one day spend their time in inter-connected virtual worlds, accessed via a VR headset.

The firm said it was "an ironic joke... that pokes fun at us and other brands".

The mock launch - to which real journalists were invited - took p ...

Australia sues Facebook over scam ads impersonating celebrities

Australia has launched legal action against Facebook's parent company Meta, alleging it allowed scam ads to target users with fake celebrity endorsements.

The tech giant had engaged in "false, misleading or deceptive conduct" by knowingly hosting the ads for bogus cryptocurrencies, a regulator said.

The US company could face financial and other penalties.

Meta is yet to comment but has previously said it is committed to keeping scammers off its platforms.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) says the ads in question used Faceboo ...

Deepfake presidents used in Russia-Ukraine war

A deepfake video shared on Twitter, appearing to show Russian President Vladimir Putin declaring peace, has resurfaced.

Meanwhile, this week Meta and YouTube have taken down a deepfake video of Ukraine's president talking of surrendering to Russia.

As both sides use manipulated media, what do these videos reveal about the state of misinformation in the conflict?

And are people really believing them?

The unconvincing fake of President Zelensky was ridiculed by many Ukrainians.

Volodymr Zelensky appears behind a podium, telling Ukrainians to put down th ...

Sunny Balwani: Elizabeth Holmes' former partner goes on trial

When Elizabeth Holmes dropped out of college at 19 to found her company, Theranos, she needed someone with more experience. Based on an idea that hundreds of diseases could be diagnosed with just a few drops of blood, her venture had begun to attract interest, and investment.

So as the company grew, Holmes, still in her mid-20s, brought in a man that she already knew. Ramesh 'Sunny' Balwani was someone who understood how to run a successful start-up.

She'd reportedly first met him during a college trip to Beijing when she was 18. He was a 37-year-old South Asian immigrant wh ...

Ukraine conflict: Putin lays out his demands in Turkish phone call

Turkey has positioned itself with great care to be the go-between with Russia and Ukraine - and this seems to be paying off.

On Thursday afternoon, President Vladimir Putin rang the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and told him what Russia's precise demands were for a peace deal with Ukraine.

Within half an hour of the ending of the phone call, I interviewed Mr Erdogan's leading adviser and spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin. Mr Kalin was part of the small group of officials who had listened in on the call.

The Russian demands fall into two categories.

The firs ...

Meta to let parents limit teenager's virtual-reality exploration

New tools will allow parents to stop teenagers accessing inappropriate games and experiences via Meta's virtual reality (VR) headset.

Questions have been raised about whether it was doing enough to protect children from inappropriate content.

Meta-owned Instagram has also rolled out further parental controls, the plans for which were revealed last year.

It comes as the UK government legislates to protect children online.

Strip clubs
The Quest headset's terms of service say users should be over 13.

"Providing age-appropriate and safe experi ...

What does Putin want and will Russia end its war?

When Vladimir Putin shattered the peace in Europe by unleashing war on a democracy of 44 million people, his justification was that modern, Western-leaning Ukraine was a constant threat and Russia could not feel "safe, develop and exist".

But after weeks of bombardment, thousands of deaths and an exodus of millions of refugees, the question remains: what is his war aim and is there a way out?

What does Putin want?
The goals he set at the start of Russia's invasion appear to have been watered down during the course of a war that he assumed would be swiftly wo ...

Ukraine war: Russians grieve for fallen soldiers

In the Church of Alexandra and Antonina lies a coffin. It is draped with a Russian tricolour. Resting on the casket: a service cap and a photograph.

Mikhail Orchikov was deputy commander of a motor-rifle brigade. He was killed in action in Ukraine. Armed Russian soldiers form a guard of honour.

An Orthodox priest walks around the casket reciting prayers and swinging an ornate metal vessel emitting burning incense. The pungent scent fills the chapel, mixing with the sweet cadences of the church choir. The dead soldier's widow, head covered in a black scarf, is being comforted ...

Ukraine conflict: Biden brands Putin a 'war criminal'

US President Joe Biden has labelled Russian leader Vladimir Putin a "war criminal" in a move likely to escalate diplomatic tensions even further.

Mr Biden delivered the remark off-the-cuff in response to a reporter's question at the White House.

It is the first time he has used such language to condemn President Putin, and the White House later said he was "speaking from his heart".

The Kremlin, however, said it was "unforgiveable rhetoric".

"We believe such rhetoric to be unacceptable and unforgivable on the part of the hea ...

Germany warns against Russian anti-virus use

Germany's cyber-security authority has warned against using anti-virus software from Russian headquartered company Kaspersky.

The Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) issued the statement in light of the conflict in Ukraine.

Russian information-technology businesses could be spied on or forced to launch cyber-attacks, it said.

Kaspersky told BBC News the warning had been "made on political grounds" and it had no ties to the Russian government.

'Offensive operations'
The BSI made no allegation of current problems with Kaspersky's prod ...

Germany warns against Russian anti-virus use

Germany's cyber-security authority has warned against using anti-virus software from Russian headquartered company Kaspersky.

The Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) issued the statement in light of the conflict in Ukraine.

Russian information-technology businesses could be spied on or forced to launch cyber-attacks, it said.

Kaspersky told BBC News the warning had been "made on political grounds" and it had no ties to the Russian government.

'Offensive operations'
The BSI made no allegation of current problems with Kaspersky's prod ...

Ukraine offered tool to search billions of faces

A system that searches a database of billions of facial images could help Ukraine uncover Russian infiltrators, fight misinformation and identify the dead, a company has said.

Facial recognition firm Clearview AI has offered its services to Ukraine's government.

The company says it has a searchable database of 10 billion faces sourced from the web.

But the technology has previously attracted fines from data regulators.

"I'm pleased to confirm that Clearview AI has provided its groundbreaking facial recognition technology to Ukrainian officials for their ...

Ukraine offered tool to search billions of faces

A system that searches a database of billions of facial images could help Ukraine uncover Russian infiltrators, fight misinformation and identify the dead, a company has said.

Facial recognition firm Clearview AI has offered its services to Ukraine's government.

The company says it has a searchable database of 10 billion faces sourced from the web.

But the technology has previously attracted fines from data regulators.

"I'm pleased to confirm that Clearview AI has provided its groundbreaking facial recognition technology to Ukrainian officials for their ...

Bitcoin cash machines ordered to shut down in UK

All UK crypto-currency cash machines (ATMs) are operating illegally and must be shut down, the Financial Conduct Authority has announced.

Crypto-ATMs look like regular cash machines and let people buy crypto-currency, such as Bitcoin, using their bank cards.

But no company offering crypto-currency services in the UK has a licence to operate a crypto-ATM.

The FCA said all such machines must be shut down or it will take action.

According to crypto-ATM directory Coin ATM Radar, there are 81 functional crypto-ATMS in the UK.

The FCA said: "We regular ...

Zoe Covid-tracking app loses government funding

An app that was widely used to track the symptoms of Covid will not have its government funding renewed as the UK adapts to living with the disease.

Co-founder of the Zoe Covid study app, Prof Tim Spector, labelled the decision "a really bad mistake".

The app had received more than £5m in grants from the UK's Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

The UKHSA said it would continue to monitor Covid-19 "through our world-leading studies and many data sources".

The Zoe app offered a new way to track diseases, with users inputting symptoms and experts ...

War in Ukraine: Instagram banned in Russia over 'calls to violence'

Russia's state media watchdog Roskomnadzor says Instagram will be blocked in the country due to "calls for violence" against Russian soldiers.

Instagram owner Meta said it would let its users in some countries call for violence against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian soldiers.

It will temporarily allow some violent posts such as "death to the Russian invaders" that usually break its rules.

However, it says it won't permit calls for violence against Russian civilians.

In response to Meta's shift in policy, Russia called on the ...

Bitcoin cash machines ordered to shut down in UK

All UK crypto-currency cash machines (ATMs) are operating illegally and must be shut down, the Financial Conduct Authority has announced.

Crypto-ATMs look like regular cash machines and let people buy crypto-currency, such as Bitcoin, using their bank cards.

But no company offering crypto-currency services in the UK has a licence to operate a crypto-ATM.

The FCA said all such machines must be shut down or it will take action.

According to crypto-ATM directory Coin ATM Radar, there are 81 functional crypto-ATMS in the UK.

The FCA said: "We regular ...

'Reselling PlayStations keeps a roof over my head'

A sudden drop in income, a mounting medical debt and a family to feed left Sheraz (not his real name) struggling to find another way of making money.

During the pandemic his wife lost her job as a beautician, and the government's pandemic support was not easily available to him.

So, he turned to "scalping" - an unfavourable term for stockpiling popular products and reselling them at a higher price for profit.

Many sought-after items are resold, including concert tickets, limited-edition trainers and games consoles.

While the general resale of footba ...

War in Ukraine: Instagram banned in Russia over 'calls to violence'

Russia's state media watchdog Roskomnadzor says Instagram will be blocked in the country due to "calls for violence" against Russian soldiers.

Instagram owner Meta said it would let its users in some countries call for violence against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian soldiers.

It will temporarily allow some violent posts such as "death to the Russian invaders" that usually break its rules.

However, it says it won't permit calls for violence against Russian civilians.

In response to Meta's shift in policy, Russia called on the ...

War in Ukraine: Facebook to allow calls for violence against Putin

The owner of Facebook and Instagram will allow users in some countries to call for violence against Vladimir Putin and Russian soldiers.

Meta says it has temporarily made allowances for some violent speech, like "death to the Russian invaders," that would usually break its rules.

However, it says it won't permit calls for violence against Russian civilians.

In response, Russia called on the US to stop the social media giant's "extremist activities".

The announcement came after Reuters news agency said it had seen internal emails outlining ...

North Korea recently tested intercontinental missile system: US

The US says N Korea recently tested parts of a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system, in what it called a "serious escalation".

Pyongyang said the launches on 26 February and 4 March focused on developing a reconnaissance satellite.

But the Pentagon now says the tests were experimental launches, before a likely full-range ICBM launch.

With a minimum range of 5,500km (3,417 miles), ICBMs can reach the US. They are designed for nuclear arms delivery.

On Thursday, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said North Korea's two tests "involved ...

Huawei board members resign over silence on Ukraine

Two non-executive directors of Huawei UK have resigned over the company's stance on the conflict in Ukraine.

The BBC understands Sir Andrew Cahn and Sir Ken Olisa felt the firm's failure to quickly condemn the Russian invasion had made their positions untenable.

Huawei UK thanked both men for their "invaluable guidance".

Asked by BBC News if Huawei would continue to do business with Russia, the company said: "We are not commenting any further."

Strong support
The BBC understands both directors felt Huawei should have quickly condemn ...

Huawei board members resign over silence on Ukraine

Two non-executive directors of Huawei UK have resigned over the company's stance on the conflict in Ukraine.

The BBC understands Sir Andrew Cahn and Sir Ken Olisa felt the firm's failure to quickly condemn the Russian invasion had made their positions untenable.

Huawei UK thanked both men for their "invaluable guidance".

Asked by BBC News if Huawei would continue to do business with Russia, the company said: "We are not commenting any further."

Strong support
The BBC understands both directors felt Huawei should have quickly condemn ...

Russia-Ukraine: Is internet on verge of break-up?

The world, both physical and digital, finds itself in unprecedented times as the conflict in Ukraine rages.

Corporate giants such as Meta, Google and Apple, who have always framed themselves as neutral tech firms, are now pinning their political colours to the mast - banning products in Russia in response to its invasion.

Meanwhile the internet itself is changing for Russian users - with Twitter and Facebook blocked, TikTok not allowing Russian users to post, and the police reportedly stopping people in the streets to look at what they are viewing on their phones.

No ...

Crypto platform blocks thousands of Russia-linked wallets

Crypto-currency trading platform Coinbase has blocked 25,000 wallet addresses related to Russia.

The platform said the addresses were related to Russian individuals or entities it believed to have engaged in illicit activity.

The addresses were blocked over fears crypto-currency could be used to evade sanctions.

Coinbase's chief legal officer, Paul Grewal, made the announcement on a company blog.

He outlined how the crypto exchange was complying with new rules imposed because of the Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

It means no access for sanctioned indiv ...

Telegram founder commits to Ukraine user privacy

The billionaire Russian-born co-founder of messaging app Telegram has told Ukrainian users their data is safe.

In a Telegram post, Pavel Durov, who lives in Dubai, wrote: "I stand for our users no matter what. Their right to privacy is sacred - now more than ever."

Telegram was Ukraine's most popular messaging app - the Observer newspaper reported.

But some experts have raised concerns about the security of users' data.

Moxie Marlinspike, who developed the encryption used by rival platforms Signal- which he created - and WhatsApp, tweeted many users ...

Why misogyny is at the heart of South Korea's presidential elections

Park Min-young, 29, spends most of his day talking to angry young men in Seoul.

His fingers relentlessly tap the keyboard as he replies to dozens of their messages at his desk in the centre of a busy campaign office for one of South Korea's main presidential candidates, Yoon Suk-yeol.

"Nearly 90% of men in their twenties are anti-feminist or do not support feminism," he tells me.

South Korea has one of the worst women's rights records in the developed world. And yet it is disgruntled young men who have been the focus of this country's presidential election. ...

Ukraine war: Chernobyl workers' 12-day ordeal under Russian guard

More than 100 workers at Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear power plant - the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster in 1986 - have been stuck there for more than 12 days, unable to leave after Russian forces seized the plant on the first day of the invasion.

Another 200 Ukrainian guards, who'd been in charge of security at the time of the assault, also remain trapped.

Workers continue to go about their duties and the atmosphere is said to be calm, but the BBC has been told that the conditions inside are difficult, with food and medicine limited.

There are also growing ...

North Korea: Construction spotted at Punggye-ri nuclear test site

North Korea appears to have started repairing a closed nuclear testing site, according to satellite images.

The Punggye-ri site was shut in 2018 and some parts were blown up, after leader Kim Jong-un promised to halt all nuclear tests.

The new finding by US analysts comes amid predictions the country could resume testing nuclear weapons and long-range missiles.

But analysts also say it could be years before Punggye-ri is ready for tests.

The satellite images showed "very early signs of activity" which took place only in the last few days, including ...

Ukraine war: The TikToker spreading viral videos

Marta Vasyuta is a regular 20-year-old Ukrainian.

And like many people of her age she's on TikTok.

Until last week she had a few hundred followers on the video-sharing app. She posted videos from nights out, and lip-synced to her favourite music.

When Russia invaded Ukraine, she happened to be in the UK visiting friends she'd met at university.

She watched in horror at reports of Russian bombs falling on Kyiv.

Since 23 February, the videos she's posted from the conflict in Ukraine have garnered tens of millions of views. For many people on TikTok, and ...

TikTok limits services as Netflix pulls out of Russia

Video-sharing site TikTok and streaming giant Netflix have limited and cut their services respectively in Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.

TikTok said it had suspended live streaming and new content from its platform as it assesses tough new laws to crack down on "fake news" about Russia's armed forces.

Netflix said it was pulling out in protest at the invasion.

Visa, Mastercard and PwC also joined the list of western firms cutting ties.

TikTok, which has around 36 million users in Russia, said its move was about ensuring the safety of its ...

Microsoft stops selling products in Russia

Earlier this week, Microsoft removed RT's mobile apps from the Windows app store.

Facebook, Google and YouTube have taken measures to restrict Russian state media from making money from ads on their platforms.

Cisco, Oracle, Netflix and Spotify have also suspended operations in the country.

Airbnb has stopped all bookings in Russia and Belarus, and has offered free housing to 100,000 refugees fleeing Ukraine.

Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities said: "We expect more tech stalwarts to head down the same path and pull the plug on Russia by this week ...

Ukraine says it is fighting first 'hybrid war'

Ukraine's cyber-security authority says it is fighting a war in the digital realm, as well as on the ground.

The ministry says it is facing constant cyber-attacks against its government and infrastructure networks, with individual officials now being targeted.

It claimed that its cyber-defences are repelling most attacks.

But it added that the cyber-conflict with Russia was unprecedented, describing it as a "hybrid war".

In the first press conference since the war began, Viktor Zhora, deputy chairman of the State Service of Special Communications, s ...

Facebook hits out at Russia blocking its platforms

Facebook has hit out at a ban on its platforms introduced in Russia on Friday amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Russia's communications regulator said the ban was a response to restrictions placed on its media there.

It said there had been 26 cases of "discrimination" against Russian media by Facebook since October 2020.

There were also reports that the use of Twitter had been restricted by the Russian regulator, Roskomnadzor, on Friday evening.

Facebook's president of global affairs, Nick Clegg, said that "soon millions of ordinary Russians wil ...

Fitbit recalls Ionic watch following skin burns

Fitbit has recalled one of its fitness-tracking smartwatches due to the risk of it overheating and burning people.

The company, now owned by Google, said it had issued a voluntary recall of the Fitbit Ionic watch.

It will give people who purchased the device a refund of $299 (£225) and a discount on a replacement product.

The Fitbit Ionic was manufactured between 2017 and 2020, and about 1.7 million of them were sold internationally.

None of its other fitness trackers are affected by the recall.

Fitbit had received more than 170 reports of the lithium ...

Netflix pauses future projects in Russia

Streaming giant Netflix has announced it has paused all future projects and acquisitions from Russia.

The company said it was assessing the impact of the current invasion of Ukraine.

Filming for the production of Russian language series Zato will be halted.

Elsewhere in tech, cloud computing company Oracle also said it has suspended operations in Russia.

The two companies are the latest US technology firms to take action against Russia as attacks on Ukraine's cities have escalated.

On Tuesday, Apple also announced that it was halting sales in Russia.< ...

Bafta Games Awards: Returnal and It Takes Two lead nominations

It Takes Two, a co-operative game about a family break-up, and action title Returnal lead the way in the race for this year's Bafta Games Awards.

They have each been nominated for eight of the famous golden masks.

Bafta has been recognising the cultural impact of games since 2004 and the awards are arguably the most prestigious in the gaming industry.

Ratchet and Clank, Forza Horizon 5, Psychonauts 2 and Deathloop have also been nominated in multiple categories.

After two virtual ceremonies during the Covid pandemic, this year will see a return to an in-perso ...

Ukraine crisis: Crypto exchange boss rejects Russian user ban

The boss of one of the world's biggest crypto-currency exchanges has ruled out restricting ordinary Russians from using the service.

Binance founder and chief executive Changpeng Zhao, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Many normal Russians do not agree with war."

Major cryptocurrency exchanges have been asked by Ukraine to block Russian users.

One financial expert warned the war could become a "crypto conflict".

In a tweet sent on Sunday Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minster Mykhailo Fedorov asked major crypto-currency exchanges to block the a ...

Ukraine crisis: Satellite data firm asks for war images

Firms and space agencies that collect satellite imagery are being urged to share Ukraine and Eastern Europe data.

The plea comes from Ukrainian-based satellite data firm EOS Data Analytics (EOSDA).

It has said that it will put data suppliers in touch with Ukraine's deputy prime minister Mykhailo Fedorov.

EOSDA's founder Max Polyakov said that it would provide "actionable intelligence" to those resisting the Russian invasion.

He asked for "recent and real-time high-to-medium resolution optical and radar satellite imagery" to assist in both ...

Netflix pauses future projects in Russia

Streaming giant Netflix has announced it has paused all future projects and acquisitions from Russia.

The company said it was assessing the impact of the current invasion of Ukraine.

Filming for the production of Russian language series Zato will be halted.

Elsewhere in tech, cloud computing company Oracle also said it has suspended operations in Russia.

The two companies are the latest US technology firms to take action against Russia as attacks on Ukraine's cities have escalated.

On Tuesday, Apple also announced that it was halting sales in Russia.< ...

Apple to halt sales and limit services in Russia

Apple has become the latest major firm to halt all product sales in Russia, in a widening corporate backlash to the country's invasion of Ukraine.

The iPhone giant said it was "deeply concerned" about the Russian invasion and stands with those "suffering as a result of the violence".

Apple Pay and other services such as Apple Maps have also been limited.

Google has also removed Russian state-funded publishers such as RT from its features.

Mobile banking apps in Russian, such as Russia's VTB Bank's app, may soon not function fully on device ...

Elon Musk's Starlink arrives in Ukraine but what next?

A lorry full of Starlink dishes has arrived in Ukraine, with the country's deputy prime minister thanking Elon Musk, who runs the firm.

It is not clear where they are heading - but it is likely that they will be used by the government itself.

Currently internet access in Ukraine is fairly good but it is expected to deteriorate as the conflict worsens.

Meanwhile businesses are trying to get their hands on the dishes, as back-up systems.

Ukraine's deputy prime minister Mykhailo Fedorov asked for Mr Musk's help, and tweeted a picture of the Starlink dishes arriv ...

Ukraine crisis: Russian news agency deletes victory editorial

A Russian news agency has published and then deleted an article prematurely praising Russia's success in invading Ukraine.

It applauds Russian President Vladimir Putin for solving the Ukraine "problem", saying that "Ukraine has returned to Russia" through military action. It suggests the author anticipated a rapid victory and the piece was published prematurely.

The article, published by the state-owned RIA-Novosti news agency on Saturday (26 February) and described by Christo Grozev of fact-checkers Bellingcat as "extremely shocking, even for Kremli ...

Ukraine invasion: How the war is being waged online

Russia's invasion of Ukraine, it has been said, would be the first to introduce a new front line - the internet.

And cyber-attacks have been raging on both sides, with warnings things could escalate.

But a digital war is being waged in many other ways too - from questions about whether technology companies should block content to Russia, to online censorship, the spread of disinformation, and Ukraine's internet facing disruption as missiles fall.

What is going on in the cyber-war?

The Anonymous hacking collective has declared cyber-war on the Russian governme ...

Ukraine crisis: Google Maps live traffic data turned off in country

Google has disabled live traffic data from being displayed on its Maps app in Ukraine.

The app displays this information by collecting anonymous data from Android smartphones, which shows how busy roads and different places are.

But it has now been switched off in the region temporarily to protect users.

Google confirmed the move to the BBC, having told Reuters it took the action for the safety of local communities, after consulting regional authorities.

Although traffic data has been disabled, normal maps navigation features are still functioning properly in ...

Ukraine invasion: Russia restricts social media access

Russia has limited Twitter in parts of Russia, Twitter has confirmed.

In a statement, the company said "We're aware that Twitter is being restricted for some people in Russia and are working to keep our services safe and accessible".

On Friday Russia restricted Facebook after a clash over "censorship".

Russia's communications regulator Roskomnadzor accused Facebook of violating "the rights and freedoms of Russian citizens".

Facebook said it had refused to stop fact-checking and labelling content from state-owned news organisation ...

Millions in Bitcoin pouring into Ukraine from donors

Cryptocurrency analysts say at least $13.7m (£10.2m) has so far been donated to the Ukrainian war effort through anonymous Bitcoin donations.

Researchers at Elliptic, a blockchain analysis company, say the Ukrainian government, NGOs and volunteer groups have raised the money by advertising their Bitcoin wallet addresses online.

More than 4,000 donations have been made so far, with one unknown donor gifting Bitcoin worth $3m to an NGO.

The median donation is $95.

On Saturday afternoon, the official Twitter account of the Ukraine government posted a message: &q ...

Valve releases Steam Deck handheld PC to select few

Valve's new handheld PC, the Steam Deck, has officially been released - but only to a select few people.

The hardware was originally slated for release in December 2021, but was pushed back due to supply chain issues.

Despite the hardware having been released, many orders are only available "after Q2 2022".

When asked if it would be able to fulfil these pre-orders, Valve president Gabe Newell pointed to unexpected high demand.

"The shortages are not due to supply shock, they're due to a demand shock," he said.

"It's just this ...

Russian vigilante hacker: 'I want to help beat Ukraine from my computer'

"This site can't be reached."

That was the message greeting visitors to dozens of Ukrainian websites on Wednesday afternoon.

From 16:00 local time webpages for banks and government ministries started going down.

Naturally, fingers quickly pointed towards Moscow - Russia's cyber army once again accused of hacking to spread fear and confusion online as troops massed on Ukraine's borders.

But the BBC has learned that at least some of the cyber-attacks that afternoon and since have come not from the Kremlin but from groups of so called "patriotic&q ...

Ukraine invasion: Russia restricts access to Facebook

Russia has limited access to Facebook over the platform's stance on the accounts of several Moscow-backed news outlets amid the invasion of Ukraine.

Russia's communications regulator Roskomnadzor accused the network of "censorship" and violating "the rights and freedoms of Russian citizens".

Facebook said it had refused to stop fact-checking and labelling content from state-owned news organisations.

The move came a day after Russia launched its attack on Ukraine.

It is unclear what the regulator restrictions mean, or to what extent Faceboo ...

Bitcoin less green since China ban, research suggests

Bitcoin has become less green since China cracked down on mining the cryptocurrency, new research suggests.

Mining refers to the process of creating new bitcoins using banks of powerful computers.

The share of renewable energy powering mining fell from 41.6% in 2020 to 25.1% last August as miners stopped using Chinese hydro and moved to the US, where gas supplies much of their power.

Researchers estimate Bitcoin now causes carbon emissions comparable to Greece.

"We see the network becoming less green than ever before," Alex de Vries, one of the auth ...

Ukraine conflict: Fighting rages near Kyiv after Russia invasion

Ukraine's army is trying to repel a full-scale Russian invasion, with fierce battles taking place close to the capital Kyiv.

Fighting is raging at an airfield on the outskirts of the city, and it could become a springboard for the Russian army into Kyiv if its troops seize it.

The Russian assault is being fought on several fronts after it attacked from the east, north and south on Thursday.

Ukraine says dozens of people have been killed, while thousands have fled.

Moscow launched the offensive in the early hours of the morning, shortly after President Vladimi ...

Ukraine crisis: 'Wiper' discovered in latest cyber-attacks

Ukraine has been hit by more cyber-attacks, which its government says are "on a completely different level".

Earlier on Wednesday, the websites of several Ukrainian banks and government departments became inaccessible.

At the same time a new "wiper" attack, which destroys data on infected machines, was discovered being used against Ukrainian organisations.

The incident represents the third wave of attacks against Ukraine this year, and the most sophisticated to date.

The latest attack began on Wednesday afternoon when internet connectivity ...

Study: UK firms most likely to pay ransomware hackers

Some 82% of British firms which have been victims of ransomware attacks paid the hackers in order to get back their data, a new report suggests.

The global average was 58%, making the UK the most likely country to pay cyber-criminals.

Security firm Proofpoint's research also found that more than three-quarters of UK businesses were affected by ransomware in 2021.

Phishing attacks remain the key way criminals access networks, it found.

Phishing happens when someone in a firm is lured into clicking on a link in an email that contains malware, which in turn can ...

Virgin Hyperloop to focus on cargo, not people

Virgin Hyperloop, a futuristic train service that promised a new era of travel for passengers, will be focusing on cargo instead, it has revealed.

The company told BBC News the change in direction was due to global supply-chain issues and Covid.

The Financial Times, which first reported the story, said it had also laid off more than 100 staff members.

Experts have expressed doubts about the engineering challenges and practicalities of Hyperloop travel.

The company said: "The global supply chain has experienced dramatic changes in the past year, due in pa ...

Cyber-attacks bring down many Ukraine websites

Ukraine has been hit by more cyber-attacks, which its government says are "on a completely different level".

Earlier on Wednesday, the websites of several Ukrainian banks and government departments became inaccessible.

Internet connectivity company NetBlocks tweeted: "The incident appears consistent with recent DDOS attacks."

Distributed denial of service attacks are designed to knock a website offline by flooding it with huge amounts of requests until it crashes.

'Outages continuing'
"Another mass DDoS attack on our state [has ...

Ukraine: EU deploys cyber rapid-response team

A cyber rapid-response team (CRRT) is being deployed across Europe, after a call for help from Ukraine.

The newly formed team of eight to 12 experts, from Lithuania, Croatia, Poland, Estonia, Romania, and the Netherlands, has committed to help defend Ukraine from cyber-attacks - remotely and on site in the country.

An official warned attacks were likely.

"We can see that cyber-measures are an important part of Russia's hybrid toolkit," the CRRT official said.

It comes after the UK and the US blamed Russia for cyber-attacks earlier this month that te ...

OnlyFans accused of conspiring to blacklist rivals

OnlyFans has been accused of conspiring to blacklist the social media accounts of adult performers working for rival websites, BBC News has learned.

Legal documents, previously unreported, claim OnlyFans directed an unidentified social media company to disable accounts of performers by placing their content on a terrorism database.

It is alleged that OnlyFans representatives paid bribes to the firm's employees to facilitate the practice. OnlyFans says it is aware of the legal claim and it has "no merit".

UK website OnlyFans - best known for hosting pornogra ...

Fast grocery-delivery apps face backlash from cities

Apps that deliver groceries in minutes are facing a backlash from city authorities over how they operate.

Last week, Amsterdam and Rotterdam banned the opening of any new "dark stores" - distribution hubs for on-demand groceries - following complaints they cause disruption.

And now New York City Council's Gale Brewer has said the apps are "misusing" empty city-centre retail units.

Getir told BBC News it would work with cities to find solutions.

'Cause nuisance'
Billions of dollars are being invested in fast grocery-delivery services ...

Tonga volcano: Internet restored five weeks after eruption

The submarine internet cable connecting Tonga to the rest of the world has been repaired, five weeks after an underwater volcanic eruption hit the tiny Pacific island nation.

The 15 January eruption and tsunami caused wide destruction, killing three people and damaging hundreds of homes.

In the immediate aftermath, the country was cut off from global reach because the underwater cable had been severed.

Makeshift satellite services provided only limited communication links.

While some low-grade internet services were set up about a week after the explosion, a ...

UK plans 'significant' sanctions on Russia

Boris Johnson will chair a meeting of the government’s emergency committee on Tuesday morning to agree on what Downing Street called “a significant package of sanctions” against Russia.

This won’t be the moment the West imposes overwhelming economic sanctions. That’s being saved for the invasion of Ukraine that Western leaders believe is imminent.

Instead, more limited restrictions are planned in response to Russia’s decision to recognise the independence of two breakaway regions of Ukraine.

In a call with Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky, Boris Johnson said signi ...

Truth Social: Banned from Twitter, Trump returns with a new platform

Donald Trump's social-media platform, Truth Social, has launched, in a limited form, on the US Apple App Store.

The app had similarities to Twitter, commentators noted - Mr Trump was banned from Twitter, Facebook and YouTube last year.

And some early users had difficulties registering accounts.

Project lead and former congressman Devin Nunes said it was expected to be fully operational by the end of March.

Some of those trying to register had been told: "Due to massive demand, we have placed you on our waitlist," the Reuters news agency reported.

...

Ukraine tensions: France in new bid to defuse crisis

France says Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed on the need to "prioritise a diplomatic solution" to the crisis over Ukraine and secure a ceasefire in the east of the country.

In a phone call with President Emmanuel Macron, Mr Putin also agreed that foreign ministers from both countries would meet "in the coming days".

Western nations believe Russia is ready to invade Ukraine, which Moscow denies.

Meanwhile, Ukraine says talk of an imminent invasion is "inappropriate".

President Macron's call on Sunday was the latest effo ...

Tesla investigated over 'phantom braking' problem

The US government is investigating reports of Tesla cars braking unexpectedly on motorways.

The so-called "phantom braking" problem is being looked at by US regulator the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

It received 354 complaints in the past nine months and its investigation will cover approximately 416,000 Tesla Model 3 and Model Y vehicles from 2021-22.

Drivers say the issue occurs using the Autopilot driver assistance system.

The feature gives the vehicle control over some elements of braking and steering when driving, alt ...

Ashutosh Kaushik: Indian actor fighting for the 'right to be forgotten'

How long should you be punished for a mistake?

That's the crux of Indian actor and reality show celebrity Ashutosh Kaushik's petition that the Delhi high court is due to hear on Thursday.

The actor wants the court to grant him the "right to be forgotten", stating that his life is still being held hostage to a mistake he "erroneously committed more than a decade ago".

Experts say the "right to be forgotten" - or the "right to erasure" - is simply the right to have your publicly available personal information removed from the int ...

Wordle: New York Times changes upset fans

Wordle moved from its original web address to one run by the New York Times (NYT) last weekend and some players are not happy.

Those still playing the daily word game on the original website - because they downloaded it or have not refreshed their browser - are getting different words to solve from the NYT version.

That is because the paper has removed five-letter words it deemed offensive.

But it has denied the other big fans' complaint - that it has got harder.

The game, which asks players to find a five-letter word each day with clues along the way, has gr ...

Apple boss Tim Cook faces backlash to £73m pay package

Investors are being urged to vote against a $99m (£73m) pay package awarded to Apple boss Tim Cook last year.

Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) said it has "significant concerns" over the size of the award, up from $14.8m the year before.

Mr Cook, whose net worth is reportedly more than £1bn, received the pay in shares, salary, and for other costs.

The BBC has contacted Apple for comment.

In a letter to shareholders, the ISS said there are "significant concerns" over the "design and magnitude" of the package. "Half of ...

Amazon workers in Alabama vote again on joining union

Amazon warehouse workers in Bessemer, Alabama, are voting again on whether to join a union.

It follows a ruling from the US National Labour Relations Board (NLRB), that Amazon had interfered with the previous election.

More than 6,000 workers are eligible to vote to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU).

Workers have until March 25 to vote, and results will be counted at the end of March.

Two other Amazon warehouses in Staten Island are also preparing to hold elections.

'Objectionable behaviour'
The first election in Bes ...

Google moves to make Android apps more private

Google's plan to limit data tracking on its Chrome browser has been extended to cover apps on its Android-based smartphones.

Its so-called Privacy Sandbox project aims to curb the amount of user data that advertisers can gather.

Rival Apple now forces app developers to ask permission from users before tracking them.

The news will be a blow to firms like Meta, which rely on putting their code on apps to track consumer behaviour.

Meta said this month that Apple's changes would cost it $10bn (£7.3bn) this year. Google's Android operating system is used by about ...

Twitter expands its crackdown on trolling and hate

Twitter is to expand its Safety Mode feature, which lets users temporarily block accounts that send harmful or abusive tweets.

The system will flag accounts using hateful remarks, or those bombarding people with uninvited comments, and block them for seven days.

Half of the platform's users in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland will now have access.

And they can also now use a companion feature called Proactive Safety Mode.

This will proactively identify potentially harmful replies and prompt people to consider enabling the mode.

T ...

Elon Musk's brain chip firm denies animal cruelty claims

Neuralink, the firm set up by Tesla boss Elon Musk to develop a device which connects our brains to computers, has denied animal cruelty claims.

A complaint filed last week to the US Department of Agriculture alleged cruel treatment of macaque monkeys which are being used to test the technology.

In a blog, Neuralink said it worked with animals in the "most humane and ethical way possible".

The firm hopes to begin human trials of the device later this year.

In the blog - posted in response to recent criticism - Neuralink emphasises its commitment to ...

Norfolk County Council sues Apple in class action

A case led by Norfolk County Council against Apple has been granted class-action status by a judge in California.

The Council claims a pension fund it runs lost money after Apple allegedly misled shareholders in 2018 about the performance of its business in China.

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers' decision means Apple could face significantly larger damages if it loses.

The BBC has approached Apple for comment

Norfolk County Council is involved in the case because it runs the multi-billion pound Norfolk Pension Fund whose members include council employees, as wel ...

74% of ransomware revenue goes to Russia-linked hackers

New analysis suggests that 74% of all money made through ransomware attacks in 2021 went to Russia-linked hackers.

Researchers say more than $400 million worth of crypto-currency payments went to groups "highly likely to be affiliated with Russia".

Russia has denied accusations that it is harbouring cyber-criminals.

Researchers also claim "a huge amount of crypto-currency-based money laundering" goes through Russian crypto-companies.

Follow the money
Chainalysis, which carried out the research, said it was able to follow the flow of ...

Fusion race kicked into high gear by smart tech

A US company is speeding up the path to practical fusion energy by using Google's vast computing power.

By applying software that can improve on its own, TAE Technologies has cut down tasks that once took two months to just a few hours.

Google has lent the firm its expertise in "machine learning" in order to help accelerate the timeline for fusion.

Nuclear fusion promises a plentiful supply of low-carbon energy, using the same process that powers the Sun.

Existing nuclear power is based on fission, where a heavy chemical element is split to provide ...

Crypto exchange Binance to take $200m stake in Forbes

Binance, one of the world's biggest cryptocurrency firms, will take a $200m (£147.6m) stake in Forbes in the latest twist for the 105-year-old media brand.

Forbes, known for its ranking of billionaires, said the deal would help make it a leader supplying information about digital assets, like Bitcoin.

But news of the investment sparked questions among media watchers about potential conflicts of interest.

Binance sued Forbes in 2020 for defamation, later dropping the case.

Analysts also noted that crypto assets have proven particularly vulnerable to manipulati ...

Arm boss: We can do it by ourselves

After years of major regulatory struggle in the UK, US and EU, what would have been the biggest computer-chip deal in history is now dead in the water.

But the new boss of Arm, the Cambridge-based company often described as one of the UK's biggest technology success stories, is upbeat.

And although he blames the failure of Arm's planned sale to Nvidia on a "challenging regulatory environment", Rene Haas - in his first week as chief executive - is keen to emphasise it will be just fine on its own.

"We are very excited about the future for Arm as an inde ...

Apple moves to stop AirTag tracking misuse

Apple plans to introduce a number of changes to make it harder to misuse AirTags to track someone.

The button-sized devices are designed to work with Apple's 'Find My' network to locate lost items.

The company said its changes to the device will make suspicious tags easier to find, and alert users earlier that an AirTag may be travelling with them.

In January, a number of women told the BBC they had been followed using AirTags.

Apple launched AirTags in April last year. The small, circular devices can be attached to luggage or keys - anything you could lose.< ...

Samsung phones with parts made from fishing nets

Samsung has announced a range of new Galaxy smartphones, offering improved cameras and the option of a stylus.

The firm talked up the use of recycled materials such as repurposed fishing nets and used water bottles.

Its "Galaxy for the Planet" is a five-year plan to eliminate plastics in packaging and stop manufacturing waste going to landfill.

Experts welcomed the green initiative.

The nylon fishing nets are turned into polyamide resin pellets used in the production of brackets which hold the volume and power keys in place. Discarded water bottles ...

BT to introduce inflation-busting price rises

BT has said most customers will see bills rise by more than 9% from the end of March as households are squeezed by cost of living pressures.

The telecoms giant said broadband and phone bills will jump by 9.3% following a "dramatic increase" in data usage over the last few years.

Affected customers will pay an extra £3.50 a month on average from 31 March.

But households on certain packages, as well as those claiming benefits, will be exempt.

Surging food prices push inflation to 30-year high
What is the UK's inflation rate and why is the cost ...

Wordle developer donates in-app spend to charity

The developer of a game with the same name as smash hit Wordle has donated money made from his app to charity, after people mistakenly downloaded it.

Steve Cravotta said he had seen more than 200,000 downloads of his Wordle game in a week, after its namesake went viral.

While the hit web-based Wordle has no app, people were spending money on in-app purchases in Mr Cravotta's game.

That money will go to an educational charity - the amount was not disclosed.

Changing colour
The app-based Wordle asks players to guess anagrams of words within a time limit ...

Apple AirTags - 'A perfect tool for stalking'

Amber Norsworthy lives in Mississippi with her four children.

It had just turned 3pm when she got home on 27 December. She received a notification on her phone.

"My phone made a ding that I'd never heard before", she says.

The notification told her that an unknown device had been following her movements.

Ms Norsworthy, who's 32, went on to the 'Find My' app on her iPhone.

"It showed me my whole route. It said 'the last time the owner saw your location was 15:02' and I was like, 'that's now, I'm at home'."

She rang the polic ...

Sony slides on Microsoft-Activision Blizzard tie-up plan

Shares in Japanese technology giant Sony have slumped in Tokyo trade after Microsoft said it plans to buy mega games company Activision Blizzard.

The deal worth $68.7bn (£50.5bn), would be Microsoft's biggest ever buyout and the largest deal in gaming history.

It would see the US firm owning popular gaming franchises including Call of Duty, Warcraft and Overwatch.

The deal would be a major step for Microsoft's Xbox gaming brand in its battle against Sony's PlayStation.

It also comes a year after Microsoft bought another influential gaming company, Bethesda fo ...

Should bad science be censored on social media?

When it comes to understanding science and making health decisions, it can have life-or-death consequences.

People dissuaded from taking vaccines as a result of reading misleading information online have ended up in hospital or even died.

And inaccurate or completely made-up claims about 5G and the origins of Covid-19 have been linked to violence and vandalism.

But completely removing information can look a lot like censorship, especially for scientists whose careers are based on the understanding that facts can and should be disputed, and that evidence changes.

...

Aldi opens its first till-free supermarket

Aldi has opened its first checkout-free supermarket where people can shop without having to scan a product.

The grocer is operating a "trial" store in Greenwich, London, which allows customers to complete their shop and pay without going to a till.

Instead, customers can download the Aldi Shop&Go app, and will then be automatically charged for their purchases once they leave the store.

Aldi's new store follows similar moves by Tesco, Sainsbury's and Amazon.

The supermarket's new site will also allow customers to buy alcohol, using facial-age est ...

US airlines warn of impending 5G flight disruption

The 10 biggest US airlines have warned that the impending switch-on of 5G mobile phone services will cause "major disruption" to flights.

They said the start of Verizon and AT&T 5G mobile phone services, planned for Wednesday, would cause a "completely avoidable economic calamity".

Airlines fear C-band 5G signals will disrupt planes' navigation systems, particularly those used in bad weather.

The warning was issued in a letter sent to US aviation authorities.

The chief executives of American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airline ...

Tonga tsunami: Communications 'may be down for two weeks'

It may take as much as two weeks to fully restore communications in Tonga after a massive volcanic blast that triggered a tsunami.

Some of the islands' communications and power have now been restored, but the internet may be out for a while longer because of damage to an undersea cable.

After the eruption, Tonga's main island was blanketed in ash and its western coastline is said to be devastated.

Up to 80,000 people there could be affected.

"We're getting sketchy information, but it looks like the cable has been cut," the Southern Cross Cable Netwo ...

North Korea hackers stole $400m of cryptocurrency in 2021, report says

North Korean hackers stole almost $400m (£291m) worth of digital assets in at least seven attacks on cryptocurrency platforms last year, a report claims.

Blockchain analysis company Chainalysis said it was one of most successful years on record for cyber-criminals in the closed east Asian state.

The attacks mainly targeted investment firms and centralised exchanges.

North Korea has routinely denied being involved in hack attacks attributed to them.

"From 2020 to 2021, the number of North Korean-linked hacks jumped from four to seven, and the value extrac ...

Google will spend £730m to 'reinvigorate' its UK offices

Google is backing a return to the office with an investment that will expand its UK capacity by 50% and "reinvigorate" the work environment.

The search giant is spending £730m ($1bn) and expects headcount to rise from 6,400 to 10,000.

It is buying one of the London sites, Central Saint Giles, in which it is currently a tenant.

Google's UK boss Ronan Harris told the BBC the investment reflected the firm's faith in the office as a place of work.

"We want to reinvigorate the work environment. We're making this commitment to rebuild. We're buying t ...

Tech Tent: Has Theranos changed Silicon Valley?

Elizabeth Holmes told investors she could diagnose hundreds of diseases with just a few drops of blood. She couldn't.

Last week she was found guilty of fraud. But with so much money sloshing around in Silicon Valley, will the verdict change anything?

On this week's Tech Tent, we speak to people who think the Theranos debacle could be good for Silicon Valley in the long term - and to some who don't.

"There's a cynical view out there that everybody lies, and everybody knows everybody lies," says Robert Weisberg, a legal expert from Stanford University.

< ...

Meta faces billion-pound class-action case

Up to 44 million UK Facebook users could share £2.3bn in damages, according to a competition expert intending to sue parent company Meta.

Dr Liza Lovdahl Gormsen alleges Meta "abused its market dominance" to set an "unfair price" for free use of Facebook - UK users' personal data.

She intends to bring the case to the Competition Appeal Tribunal.

A Meta representative said users had "meaningful control" of what information they shared.

'Excessive profits'
Facebook "abused its market dominance to impose unfair terms and ...

Ukraine cyber-attack: Russia to blame for hack, says Kyiv

The Ukrainian government has accused Russia of being behind Friday's cyber-attack on dozens of official websites.

About 70 government websites were temporarily down, in the largest such attack on Ukraine in four years.

Before the sites went offline, a message appeared warning Ukrainians to "prepare for the worst". Access to most of the sites was restored within hours.

The US and Nato condemned the attack and have offered support to Ukraine. Russia has not commented on the hack.

Experts at Ukraine's information ministry published a timeline of how ne ...

Twitter agrees to Nigeria's demands to end seven-month ban

Twitter has agreed to register in Nigeria and pay local taxes to end a seven-month ban, the BBC understands.

This will come as a big surprise to many Nigerians, who had assumed that the Nigerian government had backed down following months of negotiations, says the BBC's Nduka Orjinmo in Abuja.

Nigeria suspended the social media firm last June after it deleted a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari.

It accused Twitter of siding with secessionists.

Before ending the ban, the Nigerian government insisted that Twitter:

Register in Nigeria
Appoint a ...

Apple removes Wordle clones from App Store

Multiple copycat versions of the hugely popular word game Wordle have been removed from the App Store, Apple has confirmed to BBC News.

BBC News found several similar-looking games still available, however. A different game with the same name has been on the store for five years.

On Google Play, the equivalent for Android phones, there were two games called Wordle but neither was similar.

The name is not believed to be trademarked or the design copyrighted.

Wordle challenges players to find a five-letter word in six guesses, with a new puzzle published every ...

Largest darknet stolen credit card site closes

The administrators of the largest illegal marketplace on the darknet for stolen credit cards are retiring after making an estimated $358m (£260m).

The anonymous owners of UniCC thanked the criminal fraternity for their business, citing age and health for the closure.

Many other illegal darknet marketplaces have also shut down voluntarily over the winter for unknown reasons.

Police say the trend leaves them with mixed feelings.

The darknet is a part of the internet only accessible through special browsing software.

'We are not young'
Cryptocurre ...

Meta monopoly case from FTC given go-ahead

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has been given the go-ahead to take Facebook to court over anti-trust rules.

The competition and consumer regulator is trying to make Facebook - now called Meta - sell off Instagram and WhatsApp.

A previous version of the same action failed last year because of a lack of detail.

The FTC has since revised the case and a federal judge has said the claim is now "far more robust" and can go ahead.

Meta said it was sure it would prevail in court.

Seeking 'divestiture'
The FTC's claim revolves around th ...

A year on, has Trump benefited from a Twitter ban?

In 2016, fresh from his stunning presidential victory, Donald Trump sat down to be interviewed on the prestigious US news show 60 Minutes.

He was asked about his use of social media.

"I'm going to be very restrained, if I use it at all," he said.

That didn't quite work out. He used it continuously, racking up more than 20,000 tweets during his presidency.

Mr Trump's strategy was to dominate the news cycle. Twitter in particular helped him do that.

Journalists in newsrooms around the world waited for his first daily tweet to drop. "He's ...

Fact-checkers label YouTube a 'major conduit of online disinformation'

Fact-checking organisations around the world say that YouTube is not doing enough to prevent the spread of misinformation on the platform.

Some 80 groups have signed a joint letter to the Google-owned platform's chief executive Susan Wojcicki.

The letter says it is "one of the major conduits of online disinformation and misinformation worldwide".

The organisations want YouTube to take firmer action against anti-vaccine videos, and election disinformation.

Among the signatories from Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas are UK chari ...

People devote third of waking time to mobile apps

People are spending an average of 4.8 hours a day on their mobile phones, according to app monitoring firm App Annie.

In 2020, UK regulator Ofcom found similar amounts of time spent, although its research included watching TV.

App Annie's report indicates that apps were downloaded 230 billion times in 2021, while $170bn (£125bn) was spent.

TikTok was the most downloaded app worldwide, with users spending 90% more time there compared to 2020.

"The big screen is slowly dying as mobile continues to break records in virtually every category - time spent, dow ...

Moxie Marlinspike leaves encrypted-messaging app Signal

Moxie Marlinspike, the co-founder and chief executive of encrypted-messaging app Signal, has resigned.

He blogged it was a "good time to replace myself as CEO" after working on Signal for over a decade.

Signal recently enabled crypto-currency payments within the app, which has concerned some users.

Mr Marlinspike remains a board member of the Signal Foundation, while the board's executive chair, Brian Acton, becomes interim chief executive.

Sitting alone
Mr Marlinspike - whose real name is Matthew Rosenfeld - blogged he had always hoped to re ...

Pokémon Go: Police fired for chasing Snorlax instead of robbers

Two Los Angeles police officers were fired for chasing Pokémon rather than fleeing robbers, court documents show.

The pair were parked nearby when a radio call came in for officers to respond to a shop robbery.

But a review of their in-car camera footage showed they had been playing Pokémon Go and chose to pursue a nearby Snorlax - a relatively rare catch - instead of providing back-up.

The pair denied playing the game but were sacked after an investigation.

Virtual creatures
Details of the case emerged when the most recent documents about their appeal ...

Virgin Mobile and O2 users will not face EU roaming charges

Virgin Mobile and O2 phone users will not face roaming charges following announcements by other networks to reintroduce extra fees after Brexit.

It means customers travelling to Europe will be able to use their mobile data and make calls and texts on the same deal as they have in the UK.

Vodafone, EE and Three are set to reintroduce roaming fees this year for customers travelling to Europe.

Consumer champion Which? urged the UK and EU to "strike a deal" on charges.

Before the UK left the EU, users were able to use their calls, texts, and data allowa ...

Oculus Quest 2: Meta to discuss children's VR safety with watchdog

The Information Commissioners' Office (ICO) is to talk to Meta about how its virtual reality (VR) business Oculus complies with the regulator's "children's code".

The code aims to ensure that online services likely to be accessed by children are appropriate for their use.

A campaign group recently found evidence of harassment of under-18s in a popular third-party VR chat app.

Meta says it is working to implement the code with the ICO.

"We're committed to meeting the obligations under the code, and to providing young people with age-appropriate ...

Sulli Deals: Police arrest man for making app to auction Muslim women

Police in India have arrested a man suspected of creating an app that put up photos of more than 80 Muslim women for "sale" online last year.

The open source app - Sulli Deals - had been hosted on web platform GitHub in July 2021.

The 25-year-old was arrested days after a similar app - Bulli Bai - uploaded photos of more than 100 Muslim women.

Four students, including a 21-year-old student who allegedly created the second app, were arrested.

Fourth man held over app to auction Muslim women
In both cases, there was no actual sale, but the purp ...

Tesla adds chill and assertive self-driving modes

Tesla's automated driver assist feature has added an assertive driving mode.

The setting will follow other cars more closely, change lanes more frequently, not leave the overtaking lane, and perform rolling stops.

Such driver behaviour by humans is often discouraged by safety groups.

However, it could sometimes be safer for an automated system to be more assertive, like a human driver, rather than being overly cautious, one motor safety expert said.

The three driving profiles - chill, average, and assertive - were first added in Tesla's October update. That u ...

Virgin Mobile and O2 users will not face EU roaming charges

Virgin Mobile and O2 phone users will not face roaming charges following announcements by other networks to reintroduce extra fees after Brexit.

It means customers travelling to Europe will be able to use their mobile data and make calls and texts on the same deal as they have in the UK.

Vodafone, EE and Three are set to reintroduce roaming fees this year for customers travelling to Europe.

Consumer champion Which? urged the UK and EU to "strike a deal" on charges.

Before the UK left the EU, users were able to use their calls, texts, and data allowa ...

Crisis-hit Sri Lanka asks China to restructure its debt

The president of crisis-hit Sri Lanka has asked China to restructure its debt repayments as part of efforts to help the South Asian country navigate its worsening financial situation.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa made the request during a meeting with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi on Sunday.

In the last decade China has lent Sri Lanka over $5bn (£3.7bn) for projects including roads, an airport and ports.

But critics say the money was used for unnecessary schemes with low returns.

"The president pointed out that it would be a great relief to the country if atten ...

France fines Google and Facebook over cookies

French regulators have hit Google and Facebook with fines totalling 210m euros (£175m) over use of cookies.

Data privacy watchdog the CNIL said both sites were making it difficult for internet users to refuse the online trackers.

Consent for the use of cookies is key to the EU's data-privacy regulation and a major priority for the CNIL.

The social-media firms have three months to comply or face penalties of 100,000 euros for each day of delay.

Cookies are little packets of data that allows web browsers to store information and provide, for example, targeted a ...

Google loses Sonos smart speakers patent fight

Smart-speaker firm Sonos has won a major legal battle against Google over patents it said the firm had infringed.

The decision means that Google's smart speakers and other smart home tech that uses the offending systems cannot be imported to the United States.

Sonos contends that Google will have to "degrade" its speakers if it refuses to pay Sonos a licensing fee.

But the tech giant says it has already devised workarounds to prevent any interruptions.

Google says it disagrees with the ruling, by the US International Trade Commission, and will " ...

CES 2022: Colour changing cars and remotes that eat wi-fi

One of the tech calendar's biggest annual events, CES, has been taking place in Las Vegas this week.

The pandemic and fears over the spread of the Omicron variant meant numbers of attendees were down and some of the largest firms, including Meta, Google and Amazon, pulled out.

But there was still plenty of weird and wonderful technology on show.

Here's a look at some of the trends and more outlandish offerings from the show floor.

Where's the remote?

TVs have always been a big draw at CES - with the emphasis on big, as every year they seem to gain mor ...

Bitcoin prices fall to lowest in months after US Fed remarks

Bitcoin prices have fallen to their lowest level in months following remarks from the US Federal Reserve.

The crypto-currency dropped in value from $47,000 (£34,700) earlier this week to less than $42,000 (£31,000) per digital coin.

It follows minutes from a meeting of the Federal Reserve, which suggested it may raise interest rates.

Political events in Kazakhstan have also raised concerns about the network's capacity.

Because of its global and decentralised nature, attributing a rise or fall in the price of Bitcoin to a single cause is difficult. But many co ...

NFT marketplace OpenSea valued at more than $13bn

An online marketplace OpenSea says it is now worth $13.3bn (£9.8bn) following a new investment of $300m.

The platform enables trade in NFTs (non-fungible tokens), unique pieces of digital code that can be associated with a digital asset such as a work of digital art.

Some NFTs have sold for millions of dollars.

OpenSea says trades on the platform rose 600-fold last year, but some critics say the valuation is too high.

"In 2021, we saw the world awaken to the idea that NFTs represent the basic building blocks for brand new peer-to-peer economies," wr ...

Drone helps save cardiac arrest patient in Sweden

An autonomous drone has helped to save the life of a 71-year-old man who was suffering a cardiac arrest.

The drone delivered a defibrillator to a doctor helping the man, who became ill while shovelling snow outside his house in Trollhattan, Sweden.

The man, who didn't wish to be named, told the BBC it was "fantastic" that it arrived so quickly.

The company behind the drone says it meant that defibrillation could begin before the arrival of an ambulance.

Everdrone says it took just over three minutes from the alarm being raised until the Automated Ex ...

China Mobile shares rise in Shanghai debut after US exit

China Mobile shares have risen as they started trading in Shanghai after raising $7.7bn (£5.7bn) in China's biggest public offering in a decade.

The shares opened 9.4% higher before ending the day just 0.5% higher.

China Mobile's smaller rivals, China Telecom and China Unicom, have already made the move to their home country.

The three firms were delisted from the New York Stock Exchange after a Trump-era decision to restrict investment in Chinese technology companies.

China Mobile's Hong Kong-listed shares also rose in early trade after the company said it w ...

Kosovo bans cryptocurrency mining after blackouts

Kosovo has banned the mining of cryptocurrencies to curb electricity use as it grapples with an energy crisis caused by soaring global prices.

The government says security services will identify and clamp down on sources of cryptocurrency mining.

The mining is energy intensive and involves verifying digital transactions to get cryptocurrencies as a reward.

While all of Europe faces sharp price rises, Kosovo is enforcing rolling blackouts amid an electricity shortage.

The Balkan state's largest coal-fired power plant was shut down last month over a technical i ...

Vodafone and EE delay EU roaming charges return

Vodafone is delaying the reintroduction of roaming charges in Europe by three weeks.

The phone network had planned to bring in post-Brexit roaming fees on 6 January, matching other networks who plan to do so in 2022.

But it said more time was needed for testing, and the change will now come in at the end of January.

EE has also delayed resuming its roaming charges, which were planned for January, until March.

Before the UK left the EU, users were able to use their calls, texts, and data allowance in their mobile plans in any EU country. But the EU trade deal ...

Wordle creator promises viral game will stay simple and ad-free

A free and simple online word game that has gone viral will never become attention-grabbing or ad-laden, its creator has promised.

Wordle challenges people to find a five-letter word in six guesses, with a new puzzle published every day.

It has amassed a following of 300,000 people in three months.

But creator Josh Wardle told the BBC Radio 4's Today programme that he never intended for it to go viral and wants to maintain its simplicity.

The game is available online through a free website - but does not have a smartphone app.

"I am a bit suspici ...

Asus recalls product after users 'smell smoke'

Asus has been forced to issue a product recall after reports from some users that its motherboards were melting.

Reports emerged on social media that a number of affected Z690 Hero motherboards made by the computer company were burning and producing smoke after normal use.

Asus acknowledged the fault and said it could "potentially affect" specific units manufactured in 2021.

The Z690 Hero is a high-end motherboard for use within powerful gaming laptops.

The motherboard is the bit into which you plug all the other parts of a PC.

The majority ...

Apple becomes first firm to hit $3tn market value

US technology giant Apple has become the first company to hit a stock market valuation of $3tn (£2.2tn).

The firm's share price has risen by around 5,800% since co-founder and former chief executive Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone in 2007.

However, its value slipped a little from that milestone, to end Monday's trading session in New York at $2.99tn.

Apple has been one of the big winners of the pandemic, as coronavirus lockdowns saw spending on gadgets jump.

"Hitting $3 trillion is another historical moment for Apple as the company continues to prov ...

Elon Musk: Tesla criticised after opening Xinjiang showroom

Electric car maker Tesla has been criticised in the US after opening a showroom in China's controversial Xinjiang region.

The company, headed by billionaire Elon Musk, opened the showroom in the city of Urumqi on New Year's Eve.

However, the move has been welcomed by some in China.

China has been accused of slavery and genocide against the Uyghur minority group in the resource-rich western region of the country.

Republican senator Marco Rubio, who sponsored a bill signed into law by President Joe Biden in December that requires firms to prove that goods impor ...

Top US phone firms reject call to delay 5G rollout

Two of the biggest US phone firms have rejected a government request to delay the rollout of 5G services this week.

The US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) made the request over concerns about aviation safety.

However, AT&T and Verizon did say they will implement temporary safeguards.

Plane makers have warned that C-Band spectrum 5G wireless signals may interfere with sensitive aircraft electronics and could disrupt flights.

In a joint letter, the chief executives of AT&T and Verizon said the propos ...

Why BlackBerry held the tiny keys to my heart

Many vintage BlackBerry phones will stop working on Tuesday as the company turns off support for its operating system. For journalist, Bill Wilson it means the retirement of a faithful work-horse.

"Is that a Blackberry, I didn't know they were still going?" has been many a conversation opener over the past decade, and particularly over the past five or six years.

From airport security to pubs and restaurants, even in hospital intensive care, strangers have looked on curiously and even asked to hold and look at my Q10 phone with its distinctive qwerty keyboard.

...

Year in tech: The stories making headlines in 2021

2021 introduced us to tech terms including Metaverse and NFT (non-fungible token).

Facebook took a dramatic new direction, heading off into virtual reality.

The internet, which had held up remarkably well over a series of lockdowns, experienced a few wobbles.

And we learned that those chips in all our devices, which we take for granted, weren't infinite.

Here's our rundown of some of the biggest stories on the BBC Technology site over the past year.

January: Winter of disconnect

Even though he lost the presidential election at the end of 2020, ...

China ride-hailing giant Didi sees losses deepen after crackdown

Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Global has seen its losses deepen after Beijing ordered online stores not to offer the company's app.

The firm reported an operating loss of $6.3bn (£4.7bn) for the first nine months of year as revenues in China fell by 5% in the third quarter.

The Chinese crackdown came just days after Didi made its New York stock market debut at the end of June.

This month, it said it will move its share listing to Hong Kong from the US.

In recent months, Didi has become one of the most high profile targets of Beijing's clampdown on the count ...

Tesla to recall 475,000 cars in the US

Tesla is to recall more than 475,000 cars in the US, according to documents filed with the US safety regulator.

The electric vehicle firm announced it was recalling 356,309 vehicles because of potential rear-view camera issues affecting 2017-2020 Model 3 Teslas.

A further 119,009 Model S vehicles will also be recalled because of potential problems with the front trunk, or boot.

The total recall figure is almost equivalent to the 500,000 cars Tesla delivered last year, Reuters reports.

The BBC has approached Tesla for comment.

A safety report, submitte ...

CES 2022: More firms cancel in-person appearances

More tech companies have cancelled in-person appearances at next month's CES technology industry trade show, amid concerns about the spread of Covid-19.

The latest to withdraw are chip maker AMD and PC manufacturer MSI.

Amazon, Facebook, Google, Intel and Microsoft have already said they will not attend in-person.

Organisers had hoped January's event - one of the industry's most important showcases of new consumer gadgets - could return to close to normal.

In January 2021 the Las Vegas show was held as a virtual event, after the Consumer Technology Associatio ...

Apple puts Indian iPhone factory 'on probation'

Apple has placed an iPhone factory in southern India "on probation" following protests over food poisoning and living conditions.

An audit by Apple found that remote dining rooms and dormitories used by workers did not meet requirements.

Around 250 women who worked at the Foxconn plant were affected by food poisoning, with more than 150 ending up in hospital, local media reported.

Foxconn apologised and said it was investigating the situation.

"We are very sorry for the issue our employees experienced and are taking immediate steps to enhance t ...

La double authentification a-t-elle atteint sa limite ? C’est en tout cas la question que pose une récente étude menée par des chercheurs de l’université de Stony Brook. Ces derniers ont découvert pas moins de 1200 kits de piratage en libre accès sur Internet, permettant de contourner cette mesure de sécurité pourtant autrefois considérée comme imparable.

Lorsqu’elle est arrivée auprès du grand public, la double authentification a été présentée comme la solution à — presque — tous les problèmes du web. À l’aide d’un simple SMS envoyé sur le téléphone de l’utilisateur ou d’un code sur son adresse mail, le dispositif a mis un énorme bâton dans les roues des pirates. Finie l’époque où il suffisait de récupérer un mot de passe pour avoir accès à un compte. Il faut désormais également obtenir ce précieux sésame qui, bien souvent, parvient à rester confidentiel.

Avec le temps, des méthodes pour contourner cet obstacle imposant ont bien évidemment vu le jour. Cette année, un dangereux malware bancaire capable d’espionner les SMS de ses victimes, pour ne citer que lui, a fait trembler les chercheurs en cybersécurité. Mais jusqu’à maintenant, ces techniques sont restées relativement confidentielles. Jusqu’à maintenant. En effet, une étude de l’université de Stony Brook, en partenariat avec Palo Alto Networks, démontre que ces outils se démocratisent de plus en plus.

LA DOUBLE AUTHENTIFICATION BIENTÔT INUTILE ?
Ainsi, il est beaucoup moins difficile qu’avant de mettre la main sur un kit de piratage, le plus souvent mis en vente par des individus malintentionnés. Là où il fallait autrefois explorer le dark web pour trouver de tels outils, ces derniers s’exposent désormais sans gêne sur Internet. Ces kits permettent, sans effort ou presque, de subtiliser le cookie d’authentification créé par le dispositif de sécurité et sauvegardé par le navigateur.

Sur le même sujet : Apple veut rendre la double authentification plus sûre avec des SMS liés à un domaine

Il existe deux moyens pour réaliser cet exploit. Le pirate peut, au choix, infiltrer l’appareil de sa victime avec un malware capable de voler les données souhaitées, ou bien lancer une attaque de type homme du milieu pour intercepter l’information avant qu’elle n’arrive auprès du site concerné. Selon les chercheurs, ces kits sont efficaces sur la plupart des plus gros sites et applications. Ils en ont compté pas moins de 1200 au cours de leur étude.

Comme dit plus tôt, les pirates peuvent déjà depuis plusieurs années contourner la double authentification. En revanche, une telle distribution des kits de piratage, qui plus est avec une telle simplicité d’obtention, a de quoi inquiéter les chercheurs. À l’image d’Instagram qui a récemment activé le dispositif, les prochains sites et applications rejoignant le mouvement pourraient bien le faire avec un certain train de retard.

A former TikTok moderator is suing the company, claiming it failed to protect her mental health after "constant" exposure to traumatic video content.

Candie Frazier says she reviewed videos that featured "extreme and graphic violence" for up to 12 hours a day.

She says she suffers from "significant psychological trauma", including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

TikTok says it strives to promote "a caring working environment".

In September TikTok announced 1 billion people were using the app eac ...

Elon Musk criticised after China space complaint to UN

Elon Musk is facing a social media backlash after China complained that its space station was forced to avoid collisions with satellites launched by his Starlink Internet Services project.

The country's space station had two "close encounters" with Starlink satellites this year, Beijing claimed.

The incidents behind the complaints, lodged with the UN's space agency, have not yet been independently verified.

Starlink is a satellite internet network operated by Mr Musk's SpaceX.

Mr Musk is well known in China even as his electric carmaker Tesla comes ...

Alexa tells 10-year-old girl to touch live plug with penny

Amazon has updated its Alexa voice assistant after it "challenged" a 10-year-old girl to touch a coin to the prongs of a half-inserted plug.

The suggestion came after the girl asked Alexa for a "challenge to do".

"Plug in a phone charger about halfway into a wall outlet, then touch a penny to the exposed prongs," the smart speaker said.

Amazon said it fixed the error as soon as the company became aware of it.

The girl's mother, Kristin Livdahl, described the incident on Twitter.

She said: "We were doing some physical ...

Riot Games to pay $100m in discrimination case

Riot Games, the studio best known for League of Legends, has agreed to pay $100m (£74.3m) to settle a 2018 class-action gender discrimination case.

The settlement will "remedy violations against approximately 1,065 women employees and 1,300 women contract workers", California's Department of Fair Employment & Housing (DFEH) wrote.

DFEH said the firm engaged in "systemic sex discrimination and harassment".

Riot Games said it must "take responsibility for the past".

The company will pay $80m (£59m) to members of the class actio ...

Covid in Scotland: Boxing Day cases highest on record

Scottish Covid cases hit record numbers over the Christmas weekend.

The daily case figures recorded over the 25, 26 and 27 December were the highest totals seen throughout the entire pandemic.

Christmas Day saw 8,252 cases confirmed. Boxing Day registered 11,030 cases and Monday's total was 10,562.

The Scottish government warned that due to a lag in reporting results, the actual number of Covid cases each day may be higher.

It said the daily figures published related to test results reported that day, with the majority of the tests taken before the Christmas ...

No new Covid rules in England before new year - Javid

There will be no further Covid restrictions in England before the new year, Sajid Javid has said.

But the health secretary said people should "remain cautious" and celebrate outside on New Year's Eve if possible.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said ministers would continue to monitor the data and urged people to get their "first, second or booster jab without delay".

Meanwhile, both England and Scotland reported record cases over Christmas.

Some 113,628 new infections were reported in England on 25 December, 103,558 on 26 December and 98,515 ...

Covid-19: New rules in force for three UK nations

New Covid restrictions have come into force in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as the nations try to halt the surge in infections.

All three nations have introduced curbs on the hospitality and leisure industry, resumed social distancing rules and put limits on the size of gatherings.

Boris Johnson has not announced any further restrictions in England.

But the prime minister said he would not hesitate to act if necessary.

Daily coronavirus figures are not being reported over Christmas Day and Boxing Day, but Friday saw a new high of 122,186 UK cases.

...

Christmas Day TV: Nine million tune in for Queen's message

The Queen's Christmas message, in which she spoke movingly about her late husband and empathised with families missing loved ones, was the most-watched TV show on Christmas Day.

An audience of 8.96 million saw the festive address on BBC One, ITV and Sky News, according to overnight ratings.

The BBC's Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special and Call the Midwife were the next two most popular shows.

In the battle of the soaps, ITV's Coronation Street came out on top.

In her first annual Christmas message since the death of Prince Philip, the Queen, 95, describe ...

Russia fines Google over illegal content breach

A Moscow court has fined Google 7.2bn roubles ($98m; £73m) for repeated failure to delete content deemed illegal in Russia.

Details of the offending content were not specified in the announcement by the court's press service.

This is the first time in Russia that a technology giant has been hit with a fine based on their annual turnover.

Google told AFP news agency that it would study the court ruling before deciding on further steps.

Russian authorities have increased pressure on tech firms this year, accusing them of not moderating their content properly, a ...

Tesla disables gaming while driving feature

Tesla has agreed to make changes to its Passenger Play feature that allowed games to be played on its touchscreen while the car is in motion.

It follows an investigation launched by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The agency said it had been informed by Tesla that a software update would disable the feature while driving.

Elon Musk's car firm had faced criticism that the feature was dangerous.

The New York Times reported that Tesla had contacted the NHTSA directly.

"Passenger Play will now be locked and unusable whe ...

Intel apologises to China over supplier advice

US microchip maker Intel has apologised following a backlash over its letter urging suppliers not to source products or labour from China's Xinjiang region.

The company's letter sparked criticism in China, with calls for a boycott.

The letter said Intel had been "required to ensure" its supply chain did not use labour or source goods from Xinjiang, following restrictions imposed by "multiple governments".

China has been accused of human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

The region is home to many of country's Muslim Uyghur population and there ha ...

TikTok ousts Google to become favourite online destination

Move over Google, TikTok is the world's new most popular online destination.

The viral video app gets more hits than the American search engine, according to Cloudflare, an IT security company.

The rankings show that TikTok knocked Google off the top spot in February, March and June this year, and has held the number one position since August.

Last year Google was first, and a number of sites including TikTok, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft and Netflix were all in the top 10.

Cloudfare said it tracks data using its tool Cloudflare Radar, which monitors we ...

Chinese regulator pauses partnership with Alibaba

China's telecommunications regulator has paused a partnership with Alibaba Cloud after one of the firm's engineers discovered the Log4shell security flaw.

According to state-backed Chinese media, the suspension is because the firm did not report Log4shell to The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) in time.

The company first alerted the foundation overseeing the flawed code.

Alibaba Cloud has not yet commented on the suspension.

The firm is part of the Chinese tech giant, Alibaba Group.

Log4Shell is the name given to a security flaw ...

Zee-Sony merger will create an Indian entertainment giant

Japanese conglomerate Sony's Indian arm has finalised a deal with local rival Zee Entertainment to form the country's second largest entertainment network.

The merged entity will include more than 75 television channels, film assets and two streaming platforms.

It is poised to become a major player in the country's fast-growing entertainment industry, challenging rivals such as Walt Disney's Hotstar.

India has more than 900 million TV viewers and some 800 channels.

These channels offer a variety of shows ranging from sports, melodramas to reality television.< ...

Arsenal fan token posts broke advertising rules, says watchdog

A web page and a Facebook post by Arsenal football club promoting crypto-based fan tokens broke advertising rules, a watchdog has ruled.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) argued the club had "failed to illustrate the risk of the investment".

It ruled "the ads must not appear again in the form complained about".

Arsenal said it would seek an independent review of the ruling, adding that the club had provided information on the financial risks.

Several top-tier football clubs offer fan tokens.

But critics, including some supp ...

Big tech names withdraw from Las Vegas CES conference

Amazon, Facebook and Twitter are among firms to announce that they will not send teams to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), due to take place in Las Vegas in January.

It comes as concerns grow about the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.

Other firms, including Google and self-drive unit Waymo, still plan to attend.

The organisers said the conference would run from 5 January for four days, with health precautions.

Those will include proof of vaccination, mask-wearing, and on-site Covid testing.

Attendees will need to be fully vaccinated agai ...

US safety body to probe Tesla on in-car gameplay

An investigation has been launched in the US into more than half a million Tesla cars that are equipped with touchscreens.

It follows a complaint filed by a user who discovered he could play games while driving.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is looking into some 580,000 Tesla Models 3, S and X made from 2017 to the current day.

Tesla has not yet responded to the investigation.

The feature under scrutiny is called Passenger Play, and it allows users to play games on their in-car touchscreen.

It does warn that playing whi ...

Gaming disorder: Inside the clinic helping addicted teens

For Stephen and Louise, life with their 16-year-old son Alex can be tough.

Alex's compulsive desire to play first-person shooters like Counter-Strike late into the night, has caused years of anguish for the family. He has also recently been diagnosed with autism.

He has been a patient at the NHS's specialist clinic for treatment of addiction to video games, since earlier this year.

The National Centre for Gaming Disorders is the only treatment facility of its kind in the UK.

His parents referred him to the clinic themselves, but he hasn't engaged with the tre ...

Boeing and Airbus warn US over 5G safety concerns

Bosses from the world's two biggest plane makers have called on the US government to delay the rollout of new 5G phone services.

In a letter, top executives at Boeing and Airbus warned that the technology could have "an enormous negative impact on the aviation industry."

Concerns have previously been raised that C-Band spectrum 5G wireless could interfere with aircraft electronics.

US telecoms giants AT&T and Verizon are due to deploy 5G services on 5 January.

"5G interference could adversely affect the ability of aircraft to safely operate ...

Arsenal fan token posts broke advertising rules, says watchdog

A web page and a Facebook post by Arsenal football club promoting crypto-based fan tokens broke advertising rules, a watchdog has ruled.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) argued the club had "failed to illustrate the risk of the investment".

It ruled "the ads must not appear again in the form complained about".

Arsenal said it would seek an independent review of the ruling, adding that the club had provided information on the financial risks.

Several top-tier football clubs offer fan tokens.

But critics, including some supp ...

UK donates 225 million stolen passwords to hack-checking site

UK law enforcement has donated a tranche of 225 million unique passwords to a cyber-security project helping to protect users from hacking.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) recovered the database from cyber-criminals who had collected real users' email addresses and passwords.

That list has been added to free online service Have I Been Pwned (HIBP).

It lets anyone search through hundreds of millions of passwords to see if theirs is in the hands of criminals.

Troy Hunt, the security researcher who runs the site, announced on Friday that it now has a "pipel ...

Fake Covid passes advertised for sale online

Fraudsters are directing people on Facebook to sites claiming to sell fake Covid vaccine passes for those haven't been jabbed, the BBC has found.

People in the UK are required to prove their vaccination status in order to access some places and to avoid self-isolation after travelling abroad.

But posts on the social media site are offering unvaccinated people false certification to get around the rules.

Facebook said it would remove the content "whenever we find it".

NHS Covid passes were introduced in England in some settings, as part of the UK gov ...

Amazon-owned Twitch bans Amazon account after breast revealed on air

Amazon-owned livestreaming site Twitch has banned an Amazon Prime Video channel after a presenter appeared to accidentally reveal her breast during a live show.

The official Spanish-language Prime Video channel was suspended from Twitch on Sunday, with no public reason given.

However, it followed a segment on the talk show Esto es un Late where the incident took place.

Twitch has strict rules around partial or full nudity on camera.

"For those who present as women, we ask that you cover your nipples. We do not permit exposed underbust," the service' ...

BBC Bitcoin mining report used in crypto-scam

Chiranjeevi lives in Hyderabad, India, with his young family.

He is a smiley, glass-half-full kind of guy - naturally positive and full of energy.

He's smart, too, and works in an Indian tech company.

He's the least likely person, you'd think, to fall victim to an online scam.

Yet in October he was defrauded out of his life's savings - $4,000 (£3,000).

He couldn't believe it.

"I was so stressed. I was just lost. I told my wife and she said, 'I thought you were intelligent. How did you lose so much money?'"

He messaged me in l ...

How to avoid gadget frustration on Christmas Day

Congratulations: you've outdone the chip shortage and conquered the crowds, or maybe Santa's due to be very good to you. Either way, you've got some new technology under the Christmas tree.

But these aren't wooden blocks or teddy bears. Tech toys often need a little preparation before Christmas morning.

Here's a quick crash course in what needs to be done before the day.

Power: Batteries, bricks, and cables
The oldest piece of Christmas advice still stands: bring batteries.

It's not just light-up toys - a surprisingly large amount of modern technology ...

Meta bans surveillance-for-hire firms for targeting users

Facebook owner Meta says it has banned seven surveillance companies for targeting users on its platforms.

A new report by Meta says about 50,000 users will receive warnings about the "malicious activities".

It accused surveillance firms of actions like creating fake accounts, befriending targets and using hacking methods to harvest information.

The company accused the companies of targeting individuals including journalists and human rights activists.

It said in its report that some 1,500 pages had been suspended by Meta across Facebook, Instagram a ...

US sanctions drone-maker DJI

The US has imposed more restrictions on Chinese drone-maker DJI and seven other Chinese companies.

On Thursday, the Treasury Department put the companies on an investment exclusion list, banning US citizens from buying and selling shares in them.

It has been alleged that DJI's drone technology has been used for the surveillance of Uyghur Muslims in China.

However the ban is largely symbolic as DJI is not a publicly-traded company.

Consumers in the US can continue to buy and use DJI drones.

In 2020, the Department of Commerce barred US companies from e ...

Anti-5G necklaces found to be radioactive

Necklaces and accessories claiming to "protect" people from 5G mobile networks have been found to be radioactive.

The Dutch authority for nuclear safety and radiation protection (ANVS) issued a warned about ten products it found gave off harmful ionising radiation.

It urged people not to use the products, which could cause harm with long-term wear.

There is no evidence that 5G networks are harmful to health.

The World Health Organization says 5G mobile networks are safe, and not fundamentally different from existing 3G and 4G signals.

Mobile ...

GirlsDoPorn victims win rights to their videos

Hundreds of people tricked into making explicit videos for porn websites have been awarded the rights to the videos and millions of dollars in damages.

The sites, GirlsDoPorn and GirlsDoToys, had been the subject of a long-running legal battle.

The US Department of Justice has ruled that rights to videos and images produced by the now-defunct sites belong to the women.

More than 400 victims can now ask for the online footage to be removed.

They are likely to enforce notices ordering the firms, including Pornhub and Google, to take down the material.

G ...

TikToker Demi Skipper trades up from a hairpin to a house

Imagine if all you needed to own your own house was a worthless hairpin.

Well that is exactly the feat Demi Skipper has achieved - by trading up items on TikTok.

She started the Trade Me Project in May 2020 and swapped various things along the way, including a pair of earrings, an iPhone and three tractors.

And the 30-year-old, from San Francisco, California, is now the proud owner of a house in Nashville, Tennessee.

Inspired by Kyle MacDonald, who traded his way from a single red paperclip to a house, in a series of online trades in 2006, Ms Skipper swapped ...

Millions more get fibre broadband but take-up lags

Eight million UK homes now have access to full-fibre broadband, a record rise of three million since last year.

But fewer than a quarter of those have chosen to upgrade to a full-fibre package, regulator Ofcom's annual Connected Nations report says.

Many could upgrade without paying more than they currently did, Ofcom said.

The number of upgrades was rising, with 750,000 homes moving to full-fibre services in 2021, but the rapid rollout meant take-up was likely to lag behind.

Feature film
Uswitch.com telecoms expert Ernest Doku said: "Taking full ...

Sainsbury's payroll hit by Kronos attack

Sainsbury's is among major businesses in the UK and US affected by a cyber-attack on a payroll system provider.

On Saturday, Kronos confirmed it was dealing with a ransomware attack on its computer systems.

Many companies such as Sainsbury's rely on Kronos to log, store and process the hours employees have worked.

The supermarket chain is understood to have lost a week's worth of data for its 150,000 UK employees. But it said they would be paid before Christmas.

Valuable data
Multiple departments, including payroll, human resources (HR) and accounting ...

Watchdog bans seven ads in crypto 'red alert'

Seven cryptocurrency adverts have been banned by the UK's advertising watchdog.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) says monitoring cryptoassets, like Bitcoin, is a "red-alert priority" following concerns that many ads fail to fully convey the risks of investing.

The banned ads included a promotion by a pizza chain and Facebook ads for a large cryptocurrency exchange.

The ASA says it hopes to produce new guidance on cryptocurrency advertising.

All seven ads or promotions were "banned for irresponsibly taking advantage of consumers' inexpe ...

Log4shell: US demands Christmas Eve deadline for hack fix

US cyber-security officials have ordered federal agencies to protect their systems against a major computer vulnerability by Christmas Eve.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) set a 24 December deadline for security patches.

Security experts have called Log4shell one of the most serious security flaws in the past decade.

CISA head Jen Easterly has called it "a severe risk".

Separately, Microsoft has warned some nation-state hacking groups are using Log4shell.

"Multiple tracked nation-state activity groups origina ...

Online Safety Bill: New offences and tighter rules

New criminal offences and major changes have been proposed in the UK's landmark Online Safety Bill, which seeks to regulate social media and tech giants.

A new parliamentary report calls for adding scams and offences, like sending unwanted sexual images and promoting violence against women and girls.

A named senior manager at the tech giants should also be made personally liable in court for failures, it said.

Those behind the report said "we need to call time on the Wild West online".

Damian Collins, chairman of the joint committee issuing the repo ...

Apple launches Android app to address AirTags tracker fears

Apple has launched an app for competitor Android's smartphones, which will inform users if there is a tracking device nearby.

Apple's AirTags are small location trackers that can be attached to items such as keys or bags in case they are lost.

But they could also be used with malicious intent, such as being planted on people without their knowledge.

The new app allows Android users to detect nearby trackers they do not own.

AirTags work by leveraging millions of Apple devices, each of which can detect nearby tags, to create a powerful tracking network.

< ...

Spoiler alert: This story contains a major plot development in the Sex and the City reboot And Just Like That.

Fitness equipment maker Peloton has offered a humorous response after the brand featured in the HBO Max show.

At the end of last week, the firm's shares slumped after a key character died while using one of the company's exercise bikes.

The company approved the show's use of its bikes but said it was not told that Mr Big, played by actor Chris Noth, would die after the workout.

But Peloton has now released an advert that brings the character back to life.

In the first episode of And Just Like That John James Preston, more commonly known by his nickname Mr Big - the on-off partner and eventual husband of Sarah Jessica Parker's Carrie Bradshaw - died after suffering a heart attack during a workout on a Peloton.

The company's shares have slumped by more than 16% since the show first aired on 9 December.

Peloton responded by saying said that Mr Big's lifestyle and family history was the likely cause of his death and using one of its exercise bikes "may have even helped delay his cardiac event."

On Sunday, it released a parody advert, in which Mr Big was brought back to life - with the caption: "And just like that... he's alive".

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
View original tweet on Twitter
Presentational white space
In the advert, Mr Noth and real-life Peloton instructor Jess King - who also starred in the HBO episode - are seen sitting by a fire. He asks her if she would like to take another ride. Actor Ryan Reynolds, whose advertising firm produced the promo, provides the voiceover.

This is not the first time that one of Peloton's adverts have been in the news.

In 2019, the company's shares slumped after a backlash over its Christmas advert, which showed a woman being given an exercise bike for Christmas by her partner.

She then records her workouts over the following year in a vlog and presents it to him as a way of saying thank you.

"A year ago, I didn't realise how much this would change me," she says. Critics of the 30-second promo said it was "sexist" and "dystopian".

Coronavirus creates boom in digital fitness
Peloton was given a major boost by the pandemic beneficiary, as people who were forced to stay at home looked for ways to stay in shape.

The company's shares rose five-fold in 2020 before losing most of those gains this year.

Investors are concerned that the company will struggle to grow in the future.

Peloton has faced other problems in recent months. In May, the company withdrew its treadmills after reports of a death and several injuries.

In August, it cut the price of its flagship exercise bike as people headed back to the gym and did less exercise at home.

It came as losses widened at the firm in the fourth quarter of the year and revenue growth began to slow.

Flaw prompts 100 hack attacks a minute, security company says

A flaw in widely used computer code is prompting 100 new hacking attempts every minute, a security company says.

Check Point said it had seen attempts to exploit the vulnerability on over 40% of corporate networks globally.

One US official said the security flaw, Log4shell, posed a "severe risk", with companies warning it was being actively used by criminal groups.

Fixes have been issued but need to be implemented. Popular applications and cloud services have been affected.

'Specific address'
Written in the programming language Java, Log4J, t ...

Alibaba fires woman who claimed sexual assault

Chinese e-commerce firm Alibaba has fired a woman who said a colleague and a client had sexually assaulted her.

The dismissal letter said she had spread falsehoods that had damaged the company's reputation.

The employee went public with her allegations in August because she said Alibaba had failed to take action. She said the assaults took place during a business trip.

The colleague was then sacked, but a criminal case against him was dropped.

The client is still thought to be under police investigation.

The well-publicised case has highlighted the ha ...

The technology helping keep women safe on the streets

Half of all women have felt unsafe at some point walking alone in the dark, according to recent figures from the Office for National Statistics.

They might call a friend, share their location on WhatsApp, or have their keys to hand - all strategies to stay secure.

Sexual harassment against females has been under the spotlight for most of this year, with women across the UK turning to their own methods to feel better when they are out at night.

So could technology play a role in making women feel safer on our streets?
Since the murders of Sarah Everard and Sabi ...

Meta releases social VR space Horizon Worlds

Meta has released its social virtual reality space, Horizon Worlds, after more than a year in private test mode.

It is the first major such release since Facebook renamed itself Meta and announced its plans to "build the metaverse" of connected digital worlds.

The app lets users build their own mini-games and activities on top of Meta's base game - similar to Roblox or other creator-focused apps.

There is no way for creators to make money directly from their worlds.

Instead, Meta has put $10m (£7.6m) into a "creator fund" to reward communi ...

Irish health cyber-attack could have been even worse, report says

An independent report into a cyber-attack on Ireland's health service in May has found the consequences could have been even worse than they were.

Ransomware locked staff out of their computer systems and "severely" disrupted healthcare in the country.

But the report said it would have been worse if data had been destroyed or Covid-19 vaccination systems or specific medical devices had been hit.

It added the attack had "a far greater" impact than initially expected.

The report, by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), commissioned by the healthcar ...

Canadian man charged over ransomware attacks

A Canadian man has been accused of co-ordinating ransomware and other cyber-attacks on individuals, businesses and government agencies.

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) announced that 31-year-old Matthew Philbert had been charged with fraud and unauthorised use of computers.

The US State of Alaska has also brought charges against Mr Philbert.

He was arrested on 30 November and remains in police custody awaiting a court date.

The OPP said the arrest was made following a 23-month investigation which involved the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the US FBI and ...

Maker of suicide pod plans to launch in Switzerland

The company behind a 3D-printed pod which can help carry out assisted suicide has said it is confident it could be used in Switzerland as early as next year.

Sarco commissioned a Swiss legal expert, who found that the machine did not break any laws in the country.

But other lawyers questioned his findings.

And assisted-suicide organisation Dignitas said it would be unlikely to meet "much acceptance".

Assisted suicide, in which somebody is given the means to end their own life, is legal in Switzerland. About 1,300 people died there in this way in 202 ...

UK to phase out 2G and 3G by 2033

The UK will phase out 2G and 3G mobile services by 2033, the government says.

The switch-off date has been agreed with mobile-network operators Vodafone, EE, Virgin Media, O2, and Three.

In July, EE owner BT revealed plans to phase out 3G by 2023, and 2G later in the decade. And many other companies have already begun phasing out technology that support the services.

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said the move would help the UK make a smoother transition to faster networks.

She said: "5G technology is already revolutionising people's lives and busines ...

TikTok jumps on online shopping bandwagon

The social media platform TikTok is making a big push into shopping.

The video sharing app is famous for its short lip sync videos, dance routines and humour.

And its popularity has soared during the pandemic.

TikTok is now producing its first live shopping and entertainment event on Wednesday where people can buy products directly on the platform, tapping into the rise of "social shopping".

"We think it's a really significant moment. E-commerce is a big opportunity for TikTok and it's something we're investing in significantly," said Rich ...

Instagram announces changes ahead of political grilling

Instagram has announced new features it says will help teenagers and parents manage time spent on the app.

Parents will be able to see how much time their children spend on Instagram and set time limits, while teens will get reminders to take a break.

It comes a day before Instagram chief Adam Mosseri is due to appear before US Senators investigating online safety.

Instagram has been under increasing pressure over teens' use of the platform in recent months.

Its internal research suggesting that teens blamed Instagram for increased anxiety was the first in a ...

Byju's and the other side of an edtech giant's dizzying rise

Digambar Singh says he has been chasing Byju's, an online tutoring firm and the world's highest-valued edtech start-up, for a refund for months now.

Mr Singh, an accountant, says he paid 5,000 rupees (£48; $66) up front and borrowed an additional 35,000 rupees - a loan he claims was facilitated by Byju's - to buy a two-year math and science programme for his son.

"A sales representative came to my home and asked my son all kinds of difficult questions which he couldn't answer," Mr Singh said. "We were completely demotivated after their visit."

He ...

Wall Street watchdogs probe Trump media firm deal

Donald Trump's deal to float his social media firm on the stock market is being investigated by Wall Street watchdogs.

Regulators are probing Digital World Acquisition Corp, the firm set to merge with Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG).

According to a filing on Monday, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requested documents about its investors and trading.

TMTG plans to launch a social media app called Truth Social early next year.

The filing states that the SEC also asked to see information detailing the relationship between Digital World an ...

Far-right target critics with Twitter's new media policy

Far-right groups are using Twitter's new private media policy to target anti-extremism accounts, activists say.

The social media giant last week said images or video of private individuals shared without permission would be removed on request.

Activists report that members of the far-right are using the policy to have accounts identifying them suspended.

Twitter said a number of accounts were mistakenly suspended following a flood of "coordinated and malicious reports".

New policy
The introduction of the new rule last week is an extension of ...

Ride hailing app Grab falls in $40bn market debut

Grab - the Uber of South East Asia - has made its stock market debut on New York's Nasdaq trading platform.

Shares initially rose in the Singapore-based operator of the ride-hailing and payments app, before falling sharply.

The share sale valued Grab at more than $40bn (£30bn), making it the largest ever US listing by a South East Asian firm.

Instead of a conventional share sale, Grab went public using a shell company designed to make the process cheaper.

Using a special purpose acquisition company (Spac) has become an increasingly popular strategy with start ...

China app giant Didi plans US stock market exit in move to Hong Kong

Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Global has announced plans to take its shares off the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and move its listing to Hong Kong.

The firm has come under intense pressure since its US debut in July.

Within days of the initial public offering (IPO) Beijing announced a crackdown on technology companies listing overseas.

Earlier on Thursday the US market watchdog unveiled tough new rules for Chinese firms that list in America.

"Following careful research, the company will immediately start delisting on the New York stock exchange and s ...

US challenges Nvidia takeover of chip designer Arm

The US Federal Trade Commission has challenged the proposed takeover of chip designer Arm by Nvidia.

The FTC said the proposed acquisition would give Nvidia too much control over computing technology that competitors rely on.

Arm licenses its designs and technology to big tech companies, including Apple, Qualcomm, Sony and Samsung.

Nvidia said it would "work to demonstrate that this transaction will benefit the industry".

The company produces high-performance graphics cards for gaming, chips for mobile computing and also develops software and artifi ...

US creditors can now DM debtors on social media

Debt collectors are now allowed to contact Americans on social media and by text message, according to new rules enacted by a US agency this week.

The rule from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) opens the door for creditors to slide into the DMs of millions of Americans who have loans.

Critics say the messages could be lost online or lead to invasions of privacy and a proliferation of new scams.

Advocates say the change is a simple update to rules created in the 1970s.

The change, which was approved by the CFPB last year under the Trump administ ...

Match settles legal fight with Tinder founders for $441m

US online dating giant Match Group has agreed to pay the founders of Tinder $441m (£331.4m) to settle a legal battle over the dating app's worth.

Tinder's founders first sued Match and its former owner IAC in August 2018, claiming they had undervalued the app to avoid paying billions of dollars.

When Match and media giant IAC bought the founders out in 2017, the firm was valued at $3bn.

But Tinder's founders claim it was really worth $13bn at the time.

The case has been on trial since mid-November at the New York Supreme Court.

Match Group's shares dr ...

Ride hailing app Grab falls in $40bn market debut

Grab - the Uber of South East Asia - has made its stock market debut on New York's Nasdaq trading platform.

Shares initially rose in the Singapore-based operator of the ride-hailing and payments app, before falling sharply.

The share sale valued Grab at more than $40bn (£30bn), making it the largest ever US listing by a South East Asian firm.

Instead of a conventional share sale, Grab went public using a shell company designed to make the process cheaper.

Using a special purpose acquisition company (Spac) has become an increasingly popular strategy with start ...

Microsoft Edge buy now pay later scheme met with criticism

Microsoft is under fire from angry users after announcing plans for a built-in "buy now pay later" function in its Edge web browser.

Such schemes let buyers divide payments into smaller chunks over time - but have been criticised for their risk of users getting into debt.

Microsoft has added one provider to the checkout page of shopping sites as a default payment option.

But users have accused Microsoft of greed and a "cashgrab" mentality.

Thanks to a user-based tagging system, those accusations have been turned into tags on the official a ...

Cryptocurrency executives to be questioned in Congress

Executives of eight major cryptocurrency firms have been called to testify before a US congressional committee on 8 December.

Witnesses called to appear include Coinbase's Alesia Haas, Circle's Jeremy Allaire and Bitfury's Brian Brooks.

It will be the first time companies representing the controversial sector have been questioned in this way.

US politicians across the political spectrum have called for more scrutiny of crypto-currencies.

Elizabeth Warren on the left of the Democratic Party has called for tougher regulation of the sector and Donald Trump has d ...

Reith Lectures: AI and why people should be scared

Prof Stuart Russell, founder of the Center for Human-Compatible Artificial Intelligence, at the University of California, Berkeley, is giving this year's Reith Lectures.

His four lectures, Living With Artificial Intelligence, address the existential threat from machines more powerful than humans - and offer a way forward.

Last month, he spoke to then BBC News technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones about what to expect.

How have you shaped the lectures?
The first drafts that I sent them were much too pointy-headed, much too focused on the intellectual roots ...

Facial recognition firm faces possible £17m privacy fine

An Australian firm which claims to have a database of more than 10 billion facial images is facing a potential £17m fine over its handling of personal data in the UK.

The Information Commissioner's Office said it had significant concerns about Clearview AI, whose facial recognition software is used by police forces.

It has told the firm to stop processing UK personal data and delete any it has.

Clearview said the regulator's claims were "factually and legally incorrect".

The company - which has been invited to make representations - said it was cons ...

Black Friday: Will you get the tech you want for Christmas?

As people rush to snap up their Black Friday deals, there are mounting worries that some gadgets won't be available for Christmas.

Silicon, which is in most products, is in short supply because of high demand and manufacturing problems since the start of the pandemic.

The world now faces one of the most extreme chip shortages it has seen.

It means that this year, people may be disappointed when it comes to giving and receiving tech as presents.

Gamers face disappointment
According to technology experts Trusted Reviews, the Nintendo Switch is the UK's m ...

Amazon protests: 31 arrested as Extinction Rebellion targets retailer

More than 30 people have been arrested after climate change activists blocked UK Amazon warehouses on Black Friday, the retailer's busiest day of the year.

Extinction Rebellion targeted 13 UK sites, including the retail giant's largest distribution centre in Dunfermline, Fife.

It said it was to draw attention to alleged exploitation of Amazon workers and wasteful business practices.

Amazon said it took its "responsibilities very seriously".

The campaign group said blocked multiple entrances using bamboo structures, lock-ons, and banners and had plan ...

Amazon protests: 31 arrested as Extinction Rebellion targets retailer

More than 30 people have been arrested after climate change activists blocked UK Amazon warehouses on Black Friday, the retailer's busiest day of the year.

Extinction Rebellion targeted 13 UK sites, including the retail giant's largest distribution centre in Dunfermline, Fife.

It said it was to draw attention to alleged exploitation of Amazon workers and wasteful business practices.

Amazon said it took its "responsibilities very seriously".

The campaign group said blocked multiple entrances using bamboo structures, lock-ons, and banners and had plan ...

Mr Goxx, the cryptocurrency-trading hamster, dies

The cryptocurrency-trading hamster Mr Goxx has died.

The rodent, who shot to internet fame for his ability to often outperform human investors using a specially built trading cage, died on Tuesday.

The furry financier's official Twitter account announced the hamster's death to his 18,000 followers on social media.

"You proved to us, that the internet doesn't necessarily have to be a toxic wasteland," his owners told the BBC.

"We are absolutely overwhelmed with the uncountable and touching condolences which we've received across all channels.

...

US restricts trade with a dozen more Chinese technology firms

The US government has added a dozen more Chinese companies to its restricted trade list, citing national security and foreign policy concerns.

Washington says that some of the firms are helping develop the Chinese military's quantum computing programme.

This latest move comes as tensions grow between the US and China over the status of Taiwan and other issues.

Trade was among the items discussed at a virtual summit between the leaders of both countries earlier this month.

Eight Chinese-based technology firms were added to the so-called "Entity List" ...

Amazon workers plan Black Friday strikes

Amazon workers in 20 countries - including the US, UK, and several in the EU - are planning protests and work stoppages on Black Friday.

The shopping-centric day is among Amazon's busiest all year.

The Make Amazon Pay group says: "Amazon takes too much and gives back too little."

It is backed by a coalition of labour groups, trade unions, grassroots campaigns and non-profit-making organisations in individual countries.

In the UK, that includes the:

GMB Union
Trades Union Congress
Momentum
War on Want
International ...

Apple digital-ID scheme delayed to 2022

Apple's much promoted digital driver's licence feature is now to be delayed to early 2022.

Announced in September, the scheme will allow residents in eight US states to store state IDs and driver's licences inside the Apple Wallet app on their iPhone.

The delay follows Apple's announcement it was looking for "sole control" over how states rolled out the feature.

Reports have stated the new feature will come at a cost to the taxpayer.

Conflicting information
The delay was first noticed on an update to Apple's iOS 15 page, by technology website ...

Apple sues Israeli spyware firm NSO Group

Apple is suing Israeli spyware firm NSO Group and its parent company for allegedly targeting iPhone users with a hacking tool.

NSO's Pegasus software can infect both iPhones and Android devices, allowing operators to extract messages, photos and emails, record calls and secretly activate microphones and cameras.

NSO Group said its tools were made to target terrorists and criminals.

But it has allegedly also been used on activists, politicians and journalists.

NSO Group says it only supplies Pegasus to military, law enforcement and intelligence agencies from c ...

Italy fines Apple and Amazon over Beats headphones

Italy's competition watchdog has fined Amazon and Apple more than €200m (£168m) for allegedly flouting competition regulations.

The fine relates to Beats headphones, a brand bought by Apple for $3bn (£1.8bn at the time) in 2014.

A 2018 agreement between the tech giants meant only selected resellers could sell the products on Amazon's Italian website.

Both Apple and Amazon said they plan to appeal against the fines.

The Italian Competition Authority said the actions of the two companies also violated European Union rules, and affected competition on pricing....

Crypto US constitution bidder refunds hit by high fees

The people behind a failed bid to buy a rare original copy of the US constitution are facing an avalanche of refunds - up to $40m for 17,000 donors.

The ConstitutionDAO team used a "decentralised" approach - largely unregulated and using cryptocurrency - to amass the fortune.

But large fees for those crypto-transactions are eating up huge sums of money in the refund process.

The group said issuing refunds was its top priority.

ConstitutionDAO - short for "decentralised autonomous organisation" - raised the vast sums of money in the Ethereu ...

El Salvador Bitcoin city planned at base of Conchagua volcano

El Salvador plans to build a Bitcoin city at the base of a volcano, with the cryptocurrency used to fund the project, its president has announced.

The city will be circular to represent the shape of a large coin and will be built in the south-eastern region of La Unión, President Nayib Bukele said.

The site would take advantage of the Conchagua volcano's geothermal energy to power Bitcoin mining, he added.

El Salvador recently became the first country to use Bitcoin as legal tender.

The move led to large-scale protests over fears the cryptocurrency would brin ...

Facebook and Instagram encryption plans delayed by Meta until 2023

Plans to roll out end-to-end encryption on Facebook and Instagram have been delayed amid a row over child safety.

Meta - as Facebook's parent company is now called - said messaging encryption on the apps would now come in 2023.

The process means only the sender and receiver can read messages, but law enforcement or Meta cannot.

However, child protection groups and politicians have warned that it could hamper police investigating child abuse.

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), has claimed that private messaging "is the ...

Tesla drivers left unable to start their cars after outage

Tesla drivers say they have been locked out of their cars after an outage struck the carmaker's app.

Dozens of owners posted on social media about seeing an error message on the mobile app that was preventing them from connecting to their vehicles.

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk personally responded to one complaint from a driver in South Korea, saying on Twitter: "Checking."

Mr Musk later said the app was coming back online.

The Tesla app is used as a key by drivers to unlock and start their cars.

Owners posted a multitude of complaints on ...

Theranos trial: Elizabeth Holmes makes surprise testimony

An entrepreneur accused of scamming investors for millions of dollars with a bogus blood test has surprised a US court by testifying in her defence.

Elizabeth Holmes is accused of making false claims about her firm Theranos, including that its technology could detect diseases with a drop of blood.

Ms Holmes, 37, faces multiple charges of fraud and could spend years in jail if found guilty. She denies wrongdoing.

At its peak her firm was valued at $9bn (£6.5bn).

Taking the stand Ms Holmes said her work at Theranos had made her believe in the company's technolo ...

'Piracy' website offers NFT art as free downloads

An Australian artist and programmer has created a website that claims to let people download "every NFT" on the Ethereum blockchain in one go.

NFTs are digital tokens that proponents say can prove ownership of digital items - including artwork.

Many have sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars, even though anybody can view the attached artwork.

Geoffrey Huntley, who created the NFT Bay "piracy" website, said he wanted to show people what they were buying.

As reported by the tech news site Motherboard, Mr Huntley's website is modelled aft ...

Facebook gives users 'more control' over news feed

Facebook says it is introducing new features to give people more control over what appears in their news feeds.

The social network has been under intense scrutiny in recent years for how its algorithms promote content.

Now, it says it is testing controls to "adjust people's ranking preferences" and customise the feed.

That includes, for example, increasing the number of posts from friends and family, and decreasing those from groups and pages.

It will also make controls that already exist "easier to access", it said - such as the favourite ...

Climate change: Conspiracy theories found on foreign-language Wikipedia

Several foreign-language Wikipedia pages seen by BBC News are promoting conspiracy theories and making misleading claims about climate change.

A number, including some in Swahili, Kazakh and Byelorussian, suggest scientists are divided over its causes.

The overwhelming scientific consensus is global warming is caused by humans.

A representative of the Wikimedia Foundation, which runs Wikipedia, said they were "worried" by the findings and more volunteer editors were needed.

The "climate change" entry on Chinese Wikipedia lists solar activi ...

Instagram: US states investigate how platform targets children

A group of US states is investigating how Instagram targets children, despite it posing potential risks to them.

The group - made up of both Democrat and Republican states - is investigating Instagram and Facebook's parent company Meta to determine if consumer protection laws were broken.

It comes after a company whistleblower testified in the US that the company knew its products can harm children.

A Meta spokesman on Thursday denied that their platforms are unhealthy.

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, a Democrat who first announced the inquiry, t ...

Apple announces self-service repair scheme in win for campaigners

Apple has announced a "self-service repair" programme so "customers who are comfortable" can fix their own devices.

At launch, in early 2022 in the US, it will cover replacing the batteries, screens and cameras of recent iPhones.

But Apple's new repair store will sell more than 200 parts and tools.

It comes after months of increasing pressure on Apple from the grassroots right-to-repair movement, which wants individuals and independent repair shops to be able to fix electronics.

"Self Service Repair is intended for individual technici ...

Crypto bid to buy US constitution print raises millions

A crowd-funded effort to buy a rare 1787 copy of the US constitution at auction claims to have received more than $13m (£9.6m) worth of cryptocurrency donations.

The group, ConstitutionDAO, says it plans "to put the constitution in the hands of the people", and hopes to raise at least $20m.

But it is not clear how ownership will be arranged if the bid succeeds.

The BBC has approached the group for comment.

Published in 1787, auctioneers Sotheby's estimates a sale price of up to $20m, when the auction takes place on 18 November.

There are 13 ...

Arm-Nvidia deal: UK orders further inquiry

A $40bn (£29bn) takeover of UK chip designer Arm by US giant Nvidia will be subject to an in-depth inquiry by the UK's competition watchdog.

Citing security and competition concerns, Digital Secretary Nadine Dorries told the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to launch a phase two investigation.

An initial inquiry by the CMA found "significant competition concerns".

Nvidia said, however, that the merger would boost competition and innovation.

The firm said in a statement: "We will continue to work with the UK government to resolve its conc ...

Halo Infinite given early multiplayer launch for 20th anniversary

The latest game in the Halo series has been released three weeks early to coincide with the franchise's 20th anniversary.

Halo: Infinite was originally supposed to be released last year but was delayed until December 2021.

But on Monday, at an Xbox 20th anniversary event, Microsoft revealed the multiplayer part of the game was being released the same day.

The single-player campaign is still being withheld until 8 December.

Halo was, at its peak in the mid-2000s, known as much for its online multiplayer as for the story-led campaign.

With this latest g ...

Apple digital ID scheme comes with conditions and costs

Apple's much promoted digital driver's licence feature comes at a cost to the taxpayer, according to reports.

Announced in September, it will allow residents in eight US states to store state IDs and driver's licences inside the Apple Wallet app on their iPhone.

Apple has "sole control" of several aspects of the rollout, CNBC reports.

But Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Utah "bear the burden of maintaining [the feature], at taxpayer expense".

Using public-record requests and other means, CNBC acquired ...

Gigabit broadband: Internet seen as top homebuyer priority

A fast internet connection is now one of the most important factors for homebuyers, according to a survey of 294 estate agents across the UK.

Questions about connectivity, usually "full fibre" broadband, are up 69% since the pandemic began, the research, by Omdia for telecoms equipment maker Huawei, suggests.

Speeds of more than 300Mbps are being sought by 34% of buyers - and, according to 33% of the estate agents, can add £5,000 to the sale price of a home - while 23% want 1Gbps.

Asked to name the single most important factor is for homebuyers:

23% ...

Apple to fix iPhone 13 Face ID screen repair glitch

Apple has promised to fix a problem with its iPhone 13 that means that screen repairs performed by unofficial parties break its Face ID feature.

The model contains a chip that "pairs" a screen with a specific phone and requires special software tools to "match" a new one.

Repair firms have found that without those tools, the facial-identification security function no longer works.

Apple, whose repairers use the tools, says it will issue a software update.

The feature has been widely criticised by right-to-repair advocates, who suggest it w ...

Singles Day: Alibaba's annual event sees slowest ever sales growth

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba's Singles Day is known for being the world's biggest online shopping extravaganza.

But this year it has been a more toned down affair as Beijing cracks down on businesses and economic growth slows.

Sales for the 11-day event rose at their slowest rate since it was launched in 2009, up 8.5% on last year.

However, customer spending still hit a fresh record high of 540.3bn yuan ($84.5bn; £63.2bn).

This year marks the first time that sales for Alibaba's Singles Day, which the company refers to as the "11.11 Global Shopping Fe ...

Vodafone to offer ultra-fast broadband to millions

Vodafone has signed new deals with CityFibre and BT Openreach which it claims will make it the largest provider of ultra-fast broadband in the UK.

The telecoms giant does not own its own fixed-line network and instead leases from other companies.

Eight million UK residents will have access to its service by Spring 2022.

Analysts say the move should be good for consumers, as other providers push to have a similar reach.

Gigabit broadband: Half-a-million rural homes to get boost
Vodafone first partnered with CityFibre in 2017, in a deal thought to be wor ...

Ancient Olympia to be digitally preserved

Ancient Olympia is to be digitally preserved, in a new deal between the Greek government and Microsoft.

The collaboration uses artificial intelligence to map the site, and augmented reality to help restore the original home of the Olympic Games.

It will allow viewers to explore the area as it stood more than 2,000 years ago.

Microsoft has ambitions to rival Facebook with its own plans for the so-called metaverse.

It recently announced Microsoft Teams metaverse for meetings and is keen to transform Minecraft and other games it owns into more immersive 3D world ...

Apple v Epic: Court denies delay on App Store changes

A US federal judge has denied a plea by Apple to delay changes to its App Store as a result of its landmark legal battle with Epic Games.

Apple largely won the fight with the maker of Fortnite. However, it was told it could no longer ban developers from telling customers about non-Apple payment options.

Apple appealed against that ruling.

However, it has been denied permission to delay implementing the change while its appeal is ongoing.

That means that from December, app makers will for the first time be allowed to tell their customers that they do not have ...

Uber sued by Justice Department for overcharging disabled people

The US Justice Department (DoJ) is suing ride-hailing app Uber over allegations it has been overcharging disabled people.

The DoJ claims Uber's "wait time" fees are discriminating against disabled passengers who need more than two minutes to get into a car.

It says Uber needs to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

But Uber said wait time fees were not intended to apply to disabled riders and that it had been refunding fees.

Kristen Clarke, assistance attorney general for the DoJ's civil rights division said the lawsuit aimed to se ...

Google app finds pets' 'art doubles'

They say dogs resemble their owners, but has your pet's portrait already been painted by Picasso or Rembrandt?

Google's "Pet Portraits" uses machine learning to match pets to their "art doubles" held in the collections of institutions around the world.

The furry-friend matching tool has been added to Google's Arts & Culture app for Android and iOS.

A similar 2018 feature for human faces saw 120 million selfies uploaded.

According to Google, a computer vision algorithm recognizes where your pet is, and crops the image.

Then, &qu ...

Robinhood trading app hit by data breach affecting seven million

US share-trading app Robinhood has been hit by a security breach that has exposed the names or email addresses of more than seven million people.

The company says the breach affected "a limited amount of personal information for a portion of our customers".

And it does not believe the most sensitive information it gathers - US social security numbers and financial information - was revealed.

Robinhood said it had rejected a demand for payment and reported the attack.

Such ransom demands are not uncommon in cyber-attacks and usually amount to a promi ...

Twitter poll calls on Elon Musk to sell 10% stake in Tesla

Voters in a Twitter poll have urged Elon Musk to sell 10% of his stake in Tesla in order to pay tax.

More than 3.5 million Twitter users voted in the poll, launched by Mr Musk on Saturday, with nearly 58% voting in favour of the share sale.

The vote could see him dispose of nearly $21bn (£16bn) of stock in the electric carmaker.

He has promised to abide by the result, in response to a "billionaires tax" proposed by US Democrats.

But Mr Musk, one of the world's richest men, has yet to comment publicly on the verdict, or how and when he would sell his ...

REvil: Day of reckoning for notorious cyber gang

A global police operation has dealt a devastating blow to one of the most prolific cyber-crime gangs in history.

The co-ordinated action against the REvil gang was announced on Monday by Romanian police, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and Europol.

The raids, which took place both on and offline, led to the arrests of two alleged hackers in Romania and one from Ukraine.

REvil has been blamed for major hacks on global businesses in recent years.

The US also announced that it had successfully retrieved more than $6m (£4m) in cryptocurrency from the gang in a ...

Instagram: A blessing or a curse?

Wake up, reach for your phone, open Instagram and start scrolling.

It is an all-too familiar routine for many of us. But how does the app affect our mental health?

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen warned that Instagram was "more dangerous than other forms of social media", after it was revealed that the company's own research showed it could be harmful.

At the time, Instagram said the research showed its "commitment to understanding complex and difficult issues".

As politicians continue to scrutinise social media, the BBC spoke to fiv ...

US offers $10m bounty for Colonial Pipeline hackers

The United States government has offered a bounty of up to $10million (£7.4m) for information about the hacking group known as DarkSide.

In May, a DarkSide ransomware attack shut down a vital 5,500-mile-long fuel pipeline on the east coast of the US.

The pipeline carries 45% of the fuel used on the east coast.

The bounty is offered for information which can lead to the "identification or location of any individuals" in a leadership position with DarkSide.

What is ransomware?
A separate $5m reward has been offered for information leading to th ...

Zuckerberg's metaverse: Lessons from Second Life

This week, I travelled back in time to visit the future.

It has been about 10 years since I first entered the virtual world of Second Life, arguably the internet's first attempt at what every tech giant is now racing to build: the so-called metaverse.

The term metaverse was coined in the 1990s in a science-fiction novel, Snow Crash, where it served as a virtual-reality successor to the internet, where people live large portions of their lives in virtual environments.

Second Life peaked in the late 2000s with millions of users and hundreds of excitable headlines about ...

US offers $10m bounty for Colonial Pipeline hackers

The United States government has offered a bounty of up to $10million (£7.4m) for information about the hacking group known as DarkSide.

In May, a DarkSide ransomware attack shut down a vital 5,500-mile-long fuel pipeline on the east coast of the US.

The pipeline carries 45% of the fuel used on the east coast.

The bounty is offered for information which can lead to the "identification or location of any individuals" in a leadership position with DarkSide.

What is ransomware?
A separate $5m reward has been offered for information leading to th ...

Labour Party members' data hit by cyber incident

The Labour Party has been affected by a "cyber incident" involving its members' data.

Labour said it was told on 29 October that it had been affected by the event by a third party firm that handled membership data on its behalf.

As a result, "a significant quantity" of party data was "rendered inaccessible on their systems".

The Information Commissioner's Office and National Cyber Security Centre are both looking into the incident.

In a statement, Labour said it was working closely with the two authorities, as well as the Nationa ...

NSO Group: Israeli spyware company added to US trade blacklist

The Israeli company behind the controversial Pegasus spyware has been added to a US trade blacklist.

Pegasus has reportedly been used by nation states to target the phones of rights activists and journalists.

The US has now put its maker, NSO Group, on its "entity list", banning business dealings with them.

NSO Group said it was "dismayed" by the decision, adding that its technology helped maintain US national security by "preventing terrorism and crime".

It has long maintained that its software is sold only to military, law enfo ...

Facebook to end use of facial recognition software

Facebook has announced it will no longer use facial recognition software to identify faces in photographs and videos.

There have been growing concerns about the ethics of facial recognition technology, with questions raised over privacy, racial bias, and accuracy.

Regulators had not yet provided a clear set of rules over how it should be used, the company said.

It has faced a barrage of criticism over its impact on its users.

Until now, users of the social media app could choose to opt in to the feature which would scan their face in pictures and notify them ...

COP26: Leaders agree global plan to boost green technology

More than 40 world leaders say they will work together to turbo-charge the uptake of clean technologies by imposing worldwide standards and policies.

The announcement will be made at the climate summit COP26 in Glasgow on Tuesday.

Five high-carbon sectors will be targeted at first, including agriculture and electricity.

It aims to encourage global private investment in low-carbon technologies.

Similar international attempts have been made previously to push clean tech - but nothing as ambitious as this multi-lateral agreement.

Its backers want to reas ...

Squid Game crypto token collapses in apparent scam

A digital token inspired by the popular South Korean Netflix series Squid Game has lost almost all of its value as it was revealed to be an apparent scam.

Squid, which marketed itself as a "play-to-earn cryptocurrency", had seen its price soar in recent days - surging by thousands of per cent.

However, as the BBC reported, it was criticised for not allowing people to resell their tokens.

This kind of scam is commonly called a "rug pull" by crypto investors.

This happens when the promoter of a digital token draws in buyers, stops trading ac ...

Chinese version of Fortnite to close in November

Fortress Night, the Chinese version of the popular game Fortnite, is to close later this month.

Epic Games, which owns Fortnite, has so far provided no reason for the decision to close the online shooter game.

An announcement said the game, which has been available in China as a "test" for two years, would come to an end on 15 November.

China sets strict limits on the time children can spend playing online games.

The last-player-standing style combat game stopped new sign-ups on 1 November, the announcement said, two weeks ahead of the planned shutd ...

Wikipedia in Chinese editing war of words

Wikipedia's ability to retain balance on Chinese issues has been called into question following the global platform's ban preventing several mainland Chinese "editors" writing and updating pages.

Against the backdrop of tensions between Hong Kong and mainland China, the quelled demonstrations of 2019 and 2020 have turned into a war of words between Wikipedia editors who are pro-democracy and those who are pro-Beijing.

Anyone can edit most Wikipedia pages, but only a fraction of users tend to do so - and only some of those on a regular basis.

Matters came to ...

Facebook's metamorphosis - will it work?

The corporation formerly known as Facebook has a new name Meta.

There will still be a Facebook, and an Instagram and all the familiar platforms, as this is simply a renaming of the parent company alone.

The new name also invites people to participate on its "next chapter" - a 3D journey into the metaverse, which it sees as the future of the internet.

But some analysts wonder if the public will trust the firm enough to take part in Mark Zuckerberg's new vision.

Does Meta matter?
The new name produced millions of online searches for the specifi ...

Tech Tent: Looking both back and forward

This week's Tech Tent has a nostalgic feel. It was recorded in the dim, distant past when Meta was called Facebook and was facing huge reputational problems.

We hear from Damian Collins, a long-term critic of Facebook who chaired the UK parliamentary committee which heard from whistleblower Frances Haugen this week.

And we talk to Saurabh Shukla, founder and editor-in-chief of NewsMobile, a third-party fact-checking partner of Facebook in India.

He tells us about the challenges of tackling the dangerous misinformation on the social network blamed for inciting racial ...

Facebook changes its name to Meta in major rebrand

Facebook has changed its corporate name to Meta as part of a major rebrand.

The company said it would better "encompass" what it does, as it broadens its reach beyond social media into areas like virtual reality (VR).

The change does not apply to its individual platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp, only the parent company that owns them.

The move follows a series of negative stories about Facebook, based on documents leaked by an ex-employee.

Frances Haugen has accused the company of putting "profits over safety".

In ...

Chinese payment-terminal company searched by FBI

The FBI and other US agencies have searched Florida premises used by Chinese payment-terminal provider Pax Technology.

The search had been "in furtherance of a federal investigation", the FBI said.

US media reports suggest it was prompted by concerns about the security of Pax Technology products.

The company said no allegation of wrongdoing had been made. "Pax Technology takes security very seriously," it said.

"As always, Pax Technology is actively monitoring its environment for possible threats.

"We remain committed to ...

Facebook changes its name to Meta in major rebrand

Facebook has changed its corporate name to Meta as part of a major rebrand.

The company said it would better "encompass" what it does, as it broadens its reach beyond social media into areas like virtual reality (VR).

The change does not apply to its individual platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp, only the parent company that owns them.

The move follows a series of negative stories about Facebook, based on documents leaked by an ex-employee.

Frances Haugen has accused the company of putting "profits over safety".

In ...

Tech giants try distancing themselves from Facebook

TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube are the latest technology giants to have been quizzed by US senators over concerns about their youngest users' safety.

During nearly four hours of questioning, on Monday, they tried to differentiate themselves from Facebook, which has faced increasing scrutiny from politicians in recent months.

But they were told: "Being different from Facebook is not a defence.

"That bar is in the gutter. It's not a defence to say that you are different."

In his opening remarks, senator Richard Blumenthal added: "We're hearin ...

Start-up launches £495,000 hoverbike in Japan

A Japanese start-up is hoping to convince motorists to swap their cars for a $680,000 (£495,000) hoverbike.

ALI Technologies' XTurismo Limited Edition went on sale in Japan, earlier on Wednesday.

Electronics giant Mitsubishi and footballer Keisuke Honda are two backers of the Tokyo-based company.

ALI Technologies says the hoverbike can fly for 40 minutes at up to 100km/h (62mph) on a single charge.

Flying car completes test flight between airports
The company aims to have manufactured 200 single-rider 300kg (47-stone) hoverbikes by mid-2022.

Ea ...

Facebook earns $9bn despite whistleblower scandal

Facebook has posted better-than-expected profits for the third quarter, as it continues to face bad press over leaked internal documents.

The social media giant made $9bn (£6.5bn) of profit in the three months to September, up from $7.8bn last year.

However, it was hit by a new privacy update to Apple's iOS 14 operating system, which made it harder for brands to target ads at specific users.

It comes amid fresh claims of unethical behaviour made by a former employee.

Frances Haugen has released a cache of internal documents to the public, alleging that Facebo ...

Cyber-attack hits UK internet phone providers

An "unprecedented" and co-ordinated cyber-attack has struck multiple UK-based providers of voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services, according to an industry body.

Industry body Comms Council UK said several of its members had been targeted by distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks in recent weeks.

"An overall threat has been made to the entire industry," a spokesman added.

Ofcom said it was aware of the situation.

DDoS attacks work by flooding a website or online service with internet traffic in an attempt to throw it offline, o ...

Frances Haugen says Facebook is 'making hate worse'

Whistleblower Frances Haugen has told MPs Facebook is "unquestionably making hate worse", as they consider what new rules to impose on big social networks.

Ms Haugen was talking to the Online Safety Bill committee in London.

She said Facebook safety teams were under-resourced, and "Facebook has been unwilling to accept even little slivers of profit being sacrificed for safety".

And she warned that Instagram was "more dangerous than other forms of social media".

While other social networks were about performance, play, or an excha ...

Pixel 6: Hands-on with Google's 'magic eraser' phone

Google has revealed a new smartphone that can erase unwanted objects or passers-by from photographs.

Its "magic eraser" feature is being launched with the Pixel 6 smartphone, which is powered by a chip of its own design.

The BBC's David Molloy went hands-on with the device to find out how well magic eraser works.

Tesla withdraws self-driving beta over software issues

Tesla has withdrawn its latest "full self-driving" car software update after drivers complained of problems.

Some drivers reported intermittent issues such as safety alerts sounding, despite no danger being present.

The latest version was rolled back on Sunday afternoon, less than a day after it was released.

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk said there were "some issues" with this version, but it was "to be expected with beta software".

A few hours earlier, Mr Musk said the launch would be delayed because the company's quality ass ...

Twitter's algorithm favours right-leaning politics, research finds

Twitter amplifies tweets from right-leaning political parties and news outlets more than from the left, its own research suggests.

The social-media giant said it made the discovery while exploring how its algorithm recommends political content to users.

But it admitted it did not know why, saying that was a "more difficult question to answer".

Twitter has previously faced claims of anti-conservative bias on its platform.

Twitter's study examined tweets from political parties and users sharing content from news outlets in seven countries around the w ...

Ofcom orders phone networks to block foreign scam calls

Major phone networks have agreed to automatically block almost all internet calls coming from abroad if they pretend to be from UK numbers, Ofcom has confirmed.

Criminals have been using internet-based calling technology to make it look like a phone call or text is coming from a real telephone number.

Almost 45 million consumers were targeted by phone scams this summer.

Ofcom said it expected the measures to be introduced at pace as a "priority".

So far, one operator has already implemented the new plans, the regulator told the BBC, while other phon ...

Will Apple be the last US tech giant left in China?

There was a time when the US tech giants were all in China - even Facebook. Today, Apple's huge presence in the country looks increasingly conspicuous.

Last week Microsoft, which still operates in China, announced it was to shut down its social network, LinkedIn, there.

The company said having to comply with the Chinese state had become increasingly challenging - so it pulled the plug.

Apple has its own censorship problems in the country.

The BBC reported last week that two popular religious apps had been removed from Apple's App Store.

It later emerg ...

Tech Tent: The world in 2031

Will robots take over most tasks from manual workers over the next decade? Will we find innovative new energy sources to help us battle climate change? And will we really all be living in virtual worlds?

This week Tech Tent gets out its crystal ball and asks some big thinkers to work out what the world will look like a decade from now.

The Metaverse
If Mark Zuckerberg is to be believed, by 2031 we will all be living and working in the metaverse, a series of virtual worlds which will become the most important new technology platform since the arrival of the web.

< ...

Nigerian romance scam suspects targeted 100 women - FBI

Eight Nigerian men accused of an internet dating scam have appeared in a South African court after a massive international operation involving the FBI and Interpol.

Authorities in the US, where the investigation originated and most of the alleged victims are based, have applied for their extradition.

They are accused of defrauding more than 100 victims of almost $7m (£5m) in total over the past decade.

They have not commented on the charges.

It is the biggest such bust in South Africa, according to police spokeswoman Col Katlego Mogale.

The suspects, ...

Trump to launch new social media platform TRUTH Social

Former US President Donald Trump has announced plans to launch a new social media network, called TRUTH Social.

He said the platform would "stand up to the tyranny of big tech", accusing them of silencing opposing voices in the US.

Social media played a pivotal role in Mr Trump's bid for the White House and was his favourite means of communication as president.

But Mr Trump was banned from Twitter and suspended from Facebook after his supporters stormed the US Capitol.

Social media firms were under pressure throughout Mr Trump's presidency to ban hi ...

Nearly 45 million received scam calls in three months, Ofcom says

Almost 45 million people in the UK were targeted by scam text messages or phone calls over the summer, according to telecoms regulator Ofcom.

About half reported getting a scam call or text at least once a week.

A survey of 2,000 adults in September found that almost a million people had been misled by a message or a call which they received.

Text scams are most common among 16 to 34-year-olds, with two-thirds receiving one between June and August.

The elderly are more often targeted using their landlines, with 61% of those over 75 receiving a scam phone call ...

Activision Blizzard: More than 20 staff leave after harassment claims

Gaming giant Activision Blizzard says more than 20 employees have "exited" the company following numerous sexual harassment and discrimination claims.

The firm has spent the last several months dealing with a handful of lawsuits and claims about its allegedly toxic workplace environment.

More than 20 other employees have faced disciplinary action, it said in a letter to staff on Tuesday.

Some of those known to have left include high-profile game developers.

Activision did not say it fired any specific individual or that any of those departures were ...

Google's Pixel 6 processor brings AI photo features

Google has unveiled its latest smartphone, containing the tech giant's first self-designed computer chip.

The Pixel 6 contains Google's "Tensor" processor, which it says enables new phone features powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning.

It is also the first phone in the series with a "Pro" model, designed to compete at the high end of the market.

"The whole goal when we started was to reach this point," said Rick Osterloh, Google's head of devices.

"Really, this is our original vision that we're finally able ...

Pornhub owner settles with Girls Do Porn victims over videos

Pornhub's parent company has settled a lawsuit brought by 50 women who said they were victims of a sex-trafficking operation.

The women said that Girls Do Porn, an adult content provider, coerced them into having sex on camera and lied about how the material would be shared.

The 50 women had sued Pornhub, alleging the firm knew of the allegations but continued a partnership anyway.

Terms of the settlement were not made public.

In a statement, Pornhub parent company MindGeek said it had zero tolerance over the posting of illegal content on its platforms.

...

Apple unveils new computer chips amid shortage

Apple has unveiled its M1Pro and M1Max chips used to power new MacBook Pro laptop computers.

Apple says the M1 Max chip, with 57 billion transistors is the most powerful it has ever built.

The new chips were announced almost a year after the firm revealed its first Mac computers powered by silicon of its own design.

It comes after reports that Apple cut its iPhone 13 production targets amid the global computer chip shortage.

Industry analyst Mikako Kitagawa of Gartner said "the performance boost is pretty impressive".

Apple claims the new ch ...

Facebook to hire 10,000 in EU to work on metaverse

Facebook is planning to hire 10,000 people in the European Union to develop a so-called metaverse.

A metaverse is an online world where people can game, work and communicate in a virtual environment, often using VR headsets.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been a leading voice on the concept.

The announcement comes as Facebook deals with the fallout of a damaging scandal and faces increased calls for regulation to curb its influence.

What is the metaverse?
"The metaverse has the potential to help unlock access to new creative, social, and economi ...

I get abuse and threats online - why can't it be stopped?

Online abuse against women is on the rise, but why aren't the police, the government and social media companies doing more to stop it?

I'm the BBC's first specialist disinformation reporter - and I receive abusive messages on social media daily. Most are too offensive to share unedited. The trigger? My coverage of the impact of online conspiracies and fake news. I expect to be challenged and criticised - but misogynistic hate directed at me has become a very regular occurrence.

Messages are laden with slurs based on gender, and references to rape, beheading and sexual acts. ...

Apparently, it's the next big thing. What is the metaverse?

The metaverse is a concept being talked about as the next big thing by tech companies, marketers, and analysts.

It's attracting attention - and money - from some of of tech's biggest names, such as Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Epic Games' Tim Sweeney.

What is the metaverse?
To the outsider, it may look like a souped-up version of Virtual Reality (VR) - but some people think the metaverse could be the future of the internet.

In fact, the belief is that it could be to VR what the modern smartphone is to the first clunky mobile phones of the 1980s.

Inst ...

Apple takes down Quran app in China

Apple has taken down one of the world's most popular Quran apps in China, following a request from officials.

Quran Majeed is available across the world on the App Store - and has nearly 150,000 reviews. It is used by millions of Muslims.

The BBC understands that the app was removed for hosting illegal religious texts.

The Chinese government has not responded to the BBC's request for comment.

The deletion of the app was first noticed by Apple Censorship - a website that monitors apps on Apple's App Store globally.

In a statement from the app's maker, ...

Self-driving Waymo cars clog up dead-end San Francisco street

Residents in a "dead-end" street in San Francisco say they are being plagued by an influx of self-driving vehicles.

Autonomous-driving firm Waymo's cars have been going up and down the cul-de-sac at all hours "for weeks", according to local news station KPIX.

Residents say vehicles sometimes have to queue before making multi-point turns to leave the way they came.

Waymo says the vehicles are just "obeying road rules" designed to limit traffic in certain residential streets.

"There are some days where it can be up to 50," ...

Facebook helps AI take a first-person view of life

A long-term artificial intelligence (AI) research project led by Facebook could help answer the eternal question: "Where did I put that thing?".

The Ego4D project aims to improve AI's understanding of the world from an "egocentric" first-person perspective.

The hope is to improve the utility of devices such as augmented reality (AR) glasses.

For example, it could enable them to assist with tasks such as remembering where you put the keys.

In a blog post, Facebook argues that "next-generation AI will need to learn from videos that show ...

Microsoft shutting down LinkedIn in China

Microsoft is shutting down its social network, LinkedIn, in China, saying having to comply with the Chinese state has become increasingly challenging.

It comes after the career-networking site faced questions for blocking the profiles of some journalists.

LinkedIn will launch a jobs-only version of the site, called InJobs, later this year.

But this will not include a social feed or the ability to share or post articles.

LinkedIn senior vice-president Mohak Shroff blogged: "We're facing a significantly more challenging operating environment and greater co ...

Apple shares drop on iPhone 13 production fears

Apple's shares dropped on Tuesday following reports it could slash its iPhone 13 production targets due to the ongoing global computer chip shortage.

The electronic giant had expected to make 90 million iPhones in the last quarter of 2021, reported Bloomberg.

However, Apple was now having to tell its partners that the total will be lower by as many as 10 million units, sources told the business magazine.

Apple shares fell 1.2% in after-hours trading on the news.

Semiconductor manufacturers Broadcom and Texas Instruments were also down 1%, as sources said they ...

US leads Bitcoin mining as China ban takes effect

China's share of global Bitcoin mining has fallen to effectively zero, research by the Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index (CBECI) suggests.

In June China told banks to stop facilitating transactions, and issued bans on mining.

At its peak in Sept 2019 China accounted for over three quarters of all Bitcoin mining.

China's crackdown initially led to a 38% fall in mining globally CBECI said.

However this was partially offset by a 20% "bounceback" over July and August, "suggesting that some Chinese mining equipment has been successfull ...

Apple shares drop on reports of iPhone 13 chip shortage

Apple's shares dropped on Tuesday following reports it could slash its iPhone 13 production targets due to the ongoing global computer chip shortage.

The electronic giant had expected to make 90 million iPhones in the last quarter of 2021, reported Bloomberg.

However, Apple was now having to tell its partners that the total will be lower by as many as 10 million units, sources told the business magazine.

Apple shares fell 1.2% in after-hours trading on the news.

Apple iPhone 13 brings portrait mode for video
Why is there a chip shortage?
Semicon ...

Why does the internet keep breaking?

I doubt Mark Zuckerberg reads the comments people leave on his Facebook posts.

But, if he did, it would take him approximately 145 days, without sleep, to wade through the deluge of comments left for him after he apologised for the meltdown of services last week.

"Sorry for the disruption today" the Facebook founder and chief executive posted, following almost six hours of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram being offline.

Facebook blamed a routine maintenance job for the disruption - its engineers had issued a command that unintentionally disconnected Faceboo ...

Facebook whistleblower to appear before UK Parliament

Frances Haugen, the Facebook whistleblower who accuses the technology giant of putting profit ahead of safety, will give evidence to the UK Parliament later this month.

Ms Haugen will appear before the Online Safety Bill committee on 25 October.

It is examining a law to impose obligations on social-media companies to protect users, especially children.

Ms Haugen alleges Facebook harms children's mental health and stokes division in society.

Facebook firmly denies any such allegations, with boss Mark Zuckerberg labelling them "illogical".

'Da ...

Google gives security keys to 10,000 high-risk users

Google is giving free physical USB security keys to 10,000 users at high risk of being hacked - such as politicians and human rights activists.

The USB keys provide two-factor authentication - an additional layer of security beyond a password.

Google says it wants to encourage people to join its "advanced protection programme" for high-profile users.

It follows news that the firm sent thousands of warnings to Gmail users who were targeted by hackers.

The warnings were issued after Google detected in late September a campaign targeting about 14,000 G ...

Google, YouTube ban ads on climate misinformation

Google says it will stop ads running on climate change-denying YouTube videos and other content, and prohibit ads promoting these claims.

The company says it is responding to concerns from advertisers.

The ban will cover ads for - and the monetization of - content that contradicts the "scientific consensus around the existence and causes of climate change".

It will be enforced by "automated tools and human review".

The policy will apply to content "referring to climate change as a hoax or a scam, claims denying that long-term trends s ...

The hi-tech headbands that claim to reduce your stress

Emma Baumert admits that when she first put on the high-tech headband she felt silly. "But I also felt so cool wearing it, because I'm such a nerd."

The 24-year-old from Illinois is a member of the USA Bobsled/Skeleton development team.

An all-round athlete, she is also a qualified weightlifting coach, and this year gained a masters degree in exercise physiology.

The headband she now uses is a neurofeedback or EEG (electroencephalogram) device. Growing in popularity among sports people, they measure the wearer's brainwaves.

As a stressed brain gives ...

Samsung apologises for Russian app download error

Phone-maker Samsung has apologised for a software update sent to UK customers stating Russian government-mandated apps had been downloaded.

It blamed a technical error for the incorrect wording and said no Russian apps had been installed.

A new law in Russia that demands smartphones offer software from the country came into effect in April.

One expert said that Samsung had not fully explained what went wrong and that customers would be concerned.

Russia introduces new internet controls
Russia successfully tests its unplugged internet
Russia bans ...

Facebook to act on illegal sale of Amazon rainforest

Facebook says it will begin clamping down on the illegal sale of protected areas of the Amazon rainforest on its site.

The social media giant changed its policy following a BBC investigation into the practice.

The new measures will apply only to conservation areas and not to publicly owned forest.

And the move will be limited to the Amazon, not other rainforests and wildlife habitats across the world.

According to a recent study from the think tank Ipam (Instituto de Pesquisa Ambental da Amazonia), a third of all deforestation happens in publicly-owned forest ...

Twitch blames server error for massive data leak

Livestreaming site Twitch says an "error" caused the unprecedented leak that posted vast amounts of sensitive data online this week.

The data appeared to include Twitch's internal code and documents, as well as the payments made to thousands of top streamers.

Twitch now says the breach was caused by a "server configuration change" that "exposed" some data.

But it has not confirmed if all the data posted online is genuine.

The Amazon-owned company said the breach had involved "a Twitch server configuration change that was sub ...

Amazon opens first UK non-food store

Amazon is expanding its presence on the High Street by opening its first non-food store in the UK.

The shop, in the Bluewater shopping mall near Dartford, will sell around 2,000 of its most popular and best-rated products.

It's called Amazon 4-star, because every item has been given more than four stars by customers.

However, one retail expert said the shop could be "muddled and uninspiring".

This will be the first Amazon 4-star store outside the US, where there are already more than 30 outlets.

The range of products, which takes in books, c ...

Twitch confirms massive data breach

Game-streaming platform Twitch has been the victim of a leak, reportedly divulging confidential company information and streamers' earnings.

More than 100GB of data was posted online on Wednesday.

The documents appear to show Twitch's top streamers each made millions of dollars from the Amazon-owned company in the past two years.

Twitch confirmed the breach and said it was "working with urgency" to understand the extent of it.

In a statement posted on Twitter, the company said it would "update the community as soon as additional information is ...

What happened to Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram?

Facebook has apologised after it stopped working for users around the world for several hours on Monday.

WhatsApp and Instagram - which are owned by the company - were also down.

What was the problem?
In a nutshell, Facebook's systems stopped talking to the wider internet.

It was as if "someone had pulled the cables from their data centres all at once and disconnected them from the internet", explained web infrastructure firm Cloudflare.

Facebook's explanation was a little more technical.

It said "configuration changes on the bac ...

Amazon's algorithms taken to task in landmark bill

The methods Amazon and other employers use to monitor, reward and discipline warehouse workers are being shaken up in California.

State governor Gavin Newsom has signed a bill prohibiting the workers from being fired for failing to meet a quota that does not allow for rest breaks.

Amazon workers have complained of having to work gruelling hours, with harsh penalties for being "off task".

The online retailer has not commented on the new law.

Bathroom facilities
The bill, the first of its kind, comes into force in January 2022.

Companie ...

YouTube to remove all anti-vaccine misinformation

YouTube has said it will remove content that spreads misinformation about all approved vaccines, expanding a ban on false claims about Covid-19 jabs.

Videos that say approved vaccines are dangerous and cause autism, cancer or infertility are among those that will be taken down, the company said.

The policy includes the termination of accounts of anti-vaccine influencers.

Tech giants have been criticised for not doing more to counter false health information on their sites.

In July, US President Joe Biden said social media platforms were largely responsible fo ...

Cryptocurrency expert admits aiding North Korea

A cryptocurrency expert who gave a talk at a Pyongyang conference has admitted conspiring to help North Korea evade sanctions.

Virgil Griffith, a former senior researcher with the Ethereum Foundation, pleaded guilty on Monday.

The US Department of Justice said he had "jeopardised the national security of the United States" by undermining sanctions.

His lawyer told the Wall Street Journal Griffith was "sincerely remorseful."

Launder money
In April 2019, Griffith attended the Pyongyang Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Conference, with ab ...

Amazon announces Astro the home robot

Amazon is launching Astro, its first household robot, powered by its Alexa smart home technology.

The company said it can be remote-controlled when not at home, to check on pets, people, or home security.

It can also patrol a home automatically and send owners a notification if it detects something unusual.

Amazon said it was more than "Alexa with wheels" and had been programmed with a range of movements and expressions to give it personality.

It demonstrated asking Astro to "beatbox" - and the robot bopped its head and made expressions wh ...

Instagram for kids paused after backlash

Plans to make an "Instagram experience" for under-13s, dubbed Instagram Kids, have been paused.

Facebook would use the time to listen to "parents, experts, policymakers and regulators", Instagram head Adam Mosseri wrote.

It follows leaked internal research the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) said showed Instagram was "toxic for teen girls".

But in a recent blog, Facebook head of research Pratiti Raychoudhury called this allegation "simply not accurate".

Instagram requires users to be at least 13 before they create an account ...

Mr Goxx, the crypto-trading hamster beating human investors

Like many people, Mr Goxx is dabbling in cryptocurrency, hoping to strike it rich.

He's notable for two reasons: first, he is making money, with his lifetime career performance up about 20% - beating many professional traders and funds.

Second, Mr Goxx is a hamster.

The business-minded rodent has a trading office attached to his regular cage. Every day, when he enters the office, a livestream starts on Twitch, and his Twitter account lets followers know: Mr Goxx has started a trading session.

By running in his "intention wheel", he selects which cry ...

German elections: Centre left take narrow lead in tight vote

Germany's centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) are edging towards election victory, as projected results look increasingly bleak for the party of outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Ms Merkel's successor, Armin Laschet, is still vowing to form a government, but his conservative CDU party has seen its worst performance in history.

The SPD currently leads by a small margin, but results are not yet final.

Their leader Olaf Scholz says his party has a clear mandate to rule.

Exit polls predicted a dead heat, but this election has been unpredictable from the start, an ...

Fuel supply: UK suspends competition law to get petrol to forecourts

The government is to suspend competition law to allow oil firms to target fuel deliveries at petrol stations following recent panic buying.

Officials said the move would make it easier for companies to share information and prioritise parts of the country most at need.

It follows days of long queues at the pumps, after fears of disruption to the fuel supply sparked panic buying.

Ministers are also considering deploying the Army to deliver fuel.

The option is under discussion, and could be discussed at a possible cabinet meeting on Monday.

The Petrol R ...

Facebook Files: 5 things leaked documents reveal

This week, Facebook has faced a series of accusations about its internal workings, based on revelations in the Wall Street Journal and elsewhere.

Much of the information comes from Facebook's own internal documents, suggesting the company now has some whistle-blowers in its ranks.

The documents will provide governments and regulators with plenty to pore over as they consider their next moves.

However, Facebook has defended itself against all the accusations.

Here are five things that were revealed this week:

Celebrities were treated differently by Fac ...

China declares all crypto-currency transactions illegal

China's central bank has announced that all transactions of crypto-currencies are illegal, effectively banning digital tokens such as Bitcoin.

"Virtual currency-related business activities are illegal financial activities," the People's Bank of China said, warning it "seriously endangers the safety of people's assets".

China is one of the world's largest crypto-currency markets.

Fluctuations there often impact the global price of crypto-currencies.

The price of Bitcoin fell by more than $2,000 (£1,460) in the wake of the Chinese announceme ...

EU rules to force USB-C chargers for all phones

Manufacturers will be forced to create a universal charging solution for phones and small electronic devices, under a new rule proposed by the European Commission (EC).

The aim is to reduce waste by encouraging consumers to re-use existing chargers when buying a new device.

All smartphones sold in the EU must have USB-C chargers, the proposal said.

Apple has warned such a move would harm innovation.

The tech giant is the main manufacturer of smartphones using a custom charging port, as its iPhone series uses an Apple-made "Lightning" connector.

...

Apple threatened Facebook ban over slavery posts on Instagram

Apple threatened to remove Facebook's products from its App Store, after the BBC found domestic "slaves" for sale on apps, including Instagram, in 2019.

The threat was revealed in the Wall Street Journal's (WSJ) Facebook Files, a series of reports based on its viewing of internal Facebook documents.

Facebook says it prohibits human exploitation "in no uncertain terms".

It says it has been "combating human trafficking on our platform for many years".

The firm added: "Our goal remains to prevent anyone who seeks to exploit oth ...

Lithuania urges people to throw away Chinese phones

Consumers should throw away their Chinese phones and avoid buying new ones, Lithuania’s Defence Ministry has warned.

A report by its National Cyber Security Centre tested 5G mobiles from Chinese manufacturers.

It claimed that one Xiaomi phone had built-in censorship tools while another Huawei model had security flaws.

Huawei said no user data is sent externally and Xiaomi said it does not censor communications.

"Our recommendation is to not buy new Chinese phones, and to get rid of those already purchased as fast as reasonably possible," said Defenc ...

Extremists using video-game chats to spread hate

Extremists are using mainstream video games and gaming chat platforms to spread hate, BBC Click has found.

Over three months, researchers found anti-Semitism, racism and homophobia on platforms, including DLive and Odysee, where users stream and chat about games such as Call of Duty and Minecraft.

Campaigners say including extremist narratives among everyday conversations can be a pathway to radicalisation.

These conversations then move to spaces such as private Telegram channels.

"Once you're in that world, then the radicalisation starts to happen," ...

NFT-based fantasy football card firm raises $680m

French firm Sorare, which sells football trading cards in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), has raised $680m (£498m).

The NFT-based cards are used by fans to create fantasy football teams which can then "play" each other.

The funding was led by tech investor Softbank, with ex-England international Rio Ferdinand also putting in money.

NFTs are controversial, with concerns over financial risk and environmental impact.

An NFT is a "one-of-a-kind" digital asset that can be bought and sold like any other piece of property.

As with ...

China: Children given daily time limit on Douyin - its version of TikTok

Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, will limit use of the platform for children to 40 minutes a day.

The rules will apply to users under 14, who have been authenticated using their real names, and who will be able to access it between 06:00 and 22:00.

Parent company Bytedance announced the app’s Youth Mode in a blog post, saying it is the first short-video company in the industry to have these limits.

It comes as China cracks down on teenagers' use of technology.

According to Douyin's user agreement there is no minimum age on the platform, but under 18s must o ...

Tech Tent - what next for Wikipedia?

It's the go-to site for information on just about everything but until recently Wikipedia has mostly avoided the battles over abusive behaviour and fake news that have plagued the social media giants.

Now, just as a new chief executive takes over, a bitter dispute has erupted between volunteer editors of the online encyclopedia's Chinese language edition over how events in Hong Kong are portrayed.

This week's Tech Tent asks whether Wikipedia can continue to prosper in the era of misinformation.

Listen to the latest Tech Tent podcast on BBC Sounds
Listen live e ...

High-speed internet via airborne beams of light

A novel way of delivering high-speed internet via beams of light through the air has successfully transmitted data across the Congo River.

It means that citizens in Brazzaville and Kinshasa could get faster and cheaper broadband.

Project Taara is one of Alphabet X's (formerly Google X) so-called moonshot ideas.

It grew out of Project Loon, a broadband project using balloons in the stratosphere, since shut down.

The latest experiment means that a "particularly stubborn connectivity gap" between the two African cities - Brazzaville in the Republic of ...

OpenSea admits insider trading of NFTs it promoted

An employee at OpenSea, the largest digital collectible marketplace, used inside knowledge to buy NFTs before they were promoted on the website.

NFTs are unique digital tokens attributed to art which have risen in popularity over the past year, with some selling for millions.

CEO Devin Finzer said the incident was "incredibly disappointing" and did not represent the team's values.

An independent review has been launched, OpenSea said.

In a blog post, Mr Finzer confirmed an employee “purchased items that they knew were set to display on our front pag ...

Wikipedia blames pro-China infiltration for bans

Wikipedia has suffered an "infiltration" that sought to advance the aims of China, the US non-profit organisation that owns the volunteer-edited encyclopaedia has said.

The Wikimedia Foundation told BBC News the infiltration had threatened the "very foundations of Wikipedia".

The foundation banned seven editors linked to a mainland China group.

Wikimedians of Mainland China accused the foundation of "baselessly slandering a small group of people".

'Rapid response'
"This case is unprecedented in scope," foundation ...

TikTok faces privacy investigations by EU watchdog

TikTok is under investigation by The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) - its lead regulator in the EU - over two privacy-related issues.

The watchdog is looking into its processing of children's personal data, and whether TikTok is in line with EU laws about transferring personal data to other countries, such as China.

TikTok said privacy was "our highest priority".

The Irish DPC said it was specifically looking into GDPR-related issues.

These are the EU privacy laws which can potentially lead to enormous fines of up to 4% of a company's global ...

Microsoft's passwordless plans lets users switch to app-based login

Microsoft has announced users can now delete all passwords from their accounts and instead login using an authenticator app or other solution.

The technology giant made passwordless accounts available for business users of its products in March.

And that system is now being made available to all Microsoft or Windows users.

It said "nearly 100% of our employees" were already using the new, more secure system for their corporate accounts.

If passwordless login is enabled, users re-logging in to a Microsoft account will be asked to give their fingerpri ...

Apple rushes to block 'zero-click' iPhone spyware

Apple has issued a software patch to block so-called "zero-click" spyware that could infect iPhones and iPads.

Independent researchers identified the flaw, which lets hackers access devices through the iMessage service even if users do not click on a link or file.

The problem affects all of the technology giant's operating systems, the researchers said.

Apple said it issued the security update in response to a "maliciously crafted" PDF file.

University of Toronto's Citizen Lab, which first highlighted the issue, had previously found eviden ...

Apple iPhone 13 brings portrait mode for video

Apple has announced its new iPhone 13, which can film "portrait mode" videos with a depth of field effect.

The new cinematic mode "anticipates when someone is about to enter the frame" and shifts focus to them, Apple said - something known as "pull focus".

It is the only smartphone that lets users edit this effect after shooting, Apple boss Tim Cook said.

However, most other features on the new model were incremental updates over previous versions.

The event was also overshadowed by news of a new security flaw in Apple devices wh ...

Apple iPhone risk from powerful motorbike vibrations

IPhone owners should beware picking up bad vibrations from powerful motorbikes, as they may damage camera systems, Apple has said.

The technology giant published a warning iPhones should not be attached to powerful bikes, in a support document spotted by MacRumors.

Engine vibrations can harm phones' optical-image stabilisation or closed-loop autofocus systems, it says.

Owners of scooters and mopeds should also use "vibration-dampening mounts".

On social media, several users have said their phones have been damaged after being attached to a motorcycl ...

Fake Walmart news release claimed it would accept cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrency Litecoin saw a sudden surge in price on Monday over a press release about Walmart accepting it for payment - which turned out to be fake.

The release, published through a legitimate press channel, claimed that Walmart would accept the currency through all its digital stores.

Walmart later told US media outlets the announcement was "inauthentic".

By that time, several major news websites and press agencies had spread the supposed news.

It is not clear how the announcement made it on to Global Newswire, a service widely used to distribu ...

Apple dealt major blow in Epic Games trial

Apple has been dealt a major blow in its ongoing trial against Fortnite-maker Epic Games.

A court in Oakland, California, has ruled that Apple cannot stop app developers directing users to third-party payment options.

Apple had argued that all apps should use Apple's own in-app payment options.

In a high profile trial, Epic Games had challenged the up-to-30% cut Apple takes from purchases - and argued that the App Store was monopolistic.

On Friday, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers ruled that "the court cannot ultimately conclude that Apple is a monopolist&qu ...

Cressida Dick: Tech giants make it impossible to stop terrorists

The Metropolitan Police commissioner has accused tech giants of making it harder to identify and stop terrorists.

The tech giants' focus on end-to-end encryption was making it "impossible in some cases" for the police to do their jobs, Dame Cressida Dick wrote in the Telegraph on Saturday.

On Wednesday, Home Secretary Priti Patel launched a new fund for technologies to keep children safe.

She also called on tech firms to put user safety before profits.

But cyber-security experts have told the BBC that they are not sure the solutions the government w ...

'Anti-radiation' phone stickers still sold on Amazon

Stickers that claim to protect users against electromagnetic fields (EMF) from phones remain for sale on Amazon.

The listings remain eight months after scientists told the BBC the smartDOT stickers had "no effect".

This week the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) also criticised the claims on the makers' website.

The firm has told the BBC it is changing its website, product descriptions, advertising and marketing - including on Amazon.

On Wednesday, the ASA found that Global EMF Solutions Ltd had made unsubstantiated claims on the Energydots webs ...

Apple dealt major blow in Epic Games trial

Apple has been dealt a major blow in its ongoing trial against Fortnite-maker Epic Games.

A court in Oakland, California, has ruled that Apple cannot stop app developers directing users to third-party payment options.

Apple had argued that all apps should use Apple's own in-app payment options.

In a high profile trial, Epic Games had challenged the up-to-30% cut Apple takes from purchases - and argued that the App Store was monopolistic.

On Friday, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers ruled that "the court cannot ultimately conclude that Apple is a monopolist&qu ...

PayPal raises fees between UK and Europe

PayPal is introducing new fees for payments between businesses in the UK and those in Europe, from November.

British businesses will be charged a 1.29% fee for payments from the European Economic Area and vice versa.

Most currently pay about 0.5% in similar charges, which have remained unchanged since before the UK left the EU customs union and single market.

PayPal said it was now incurring extra costs, such as the rise in interchange fees between the UK and EEA.

European rules capping credit and debit card interchange fees at 0.2% and 0.3% no longer apply t ...

Ray-Ban Stories: Facebook reveals its video camera glasses

Facebook has revealed its first pair of "smart glasses" that contain two cameras for taking photos and videos.

The specs, called Ray-Ban Stories, are a collaboration with the luxury eyewear brand.

Facebook is expected to release fully-fledged augmented reality (AR) spectacles.

But Facebook's head of AR and VR told BBC Click's Chris Fox they were still in development.

Fortnite gamer's mum becomes pro herself

The mum of one of the world's best professional Fortnite players has signed a contract with a gaming organisation to develop her own career.

Anne Fish, 58, has managed her son Benjy "Benjyfishy" Fish, since he went professional three years ago.

The British gamer says she began playing the game in February to improve her understanding.

She quickly amassed a large following online and has now signed a paid contract with an esports firm.

"I never thought in a million years that I would ever be playing Fortnite or streaming online or ever be in a p ...

Facebook accused of allowing sexist job advertising

Facebook has been accused of breaking equality law in the way it handles job adverts.

Campaign group Global Witness said it failed to prevent discriminatory targeting of ads and its algorithm was biased in choosing who would see them.

In an experiment, almost all Facebook users shown adverts for mechanics were men, while ads for nursery nurses were seen almost exclusively by women.

Facebook says its system shows people ads they may be most interested in.

Global Witness submitted two job ads for approval, asking Facebook not to show:

one to women
...

Fear and excitement in El Salvador as Bitcoin becomes legal tender

El Salvador has become the first country to accept Bitcoin as legal tender in a move that has got the nation and the world debating the opportunities and dangers of cryptocurrency.

From today, businesses will be obliged where possible to accept the controversial digital coins as payment.

Millions of people are expected to download the government's new digital wallet app which gives away $30 (£22) in Bitcoin to every citizen.

Bitcoin fans around the world have been buying $30 worth of the digital coins as a show of support and to help boost the value of the volatile c ...

Tripwire boss steps down over support for Texas abortion law

The president of game-studio Tripwire Interactive has stepped down after tweeting support for a controversial new abortion law in Texas.

The Texas law bans abortions from as early as six weeks into pregnancy.

John Gibson tweeted he was "proud" of the legal outcome and was a "a pro-life game developer".

Some of the studio's partners rapidly distanced themselves from Mr Gibson, with one announcing it would cancel its contracts over the issue.

And two days after the tweet was posted, amid an avalanche of criticism, Tripwire said: "Effect ...

TikTok overtakes YouTube for average watch time in US and UK

App users in the UK and US are spending more time on TikTok than on YouTube, a new report suggests.

Data from app monitoring firm App Annie indicates that average time per user spent on the apps is higher for TikTok, indicating high levels of engagement.

App Annie characterised TikTok as having "upended the streaming and social landscape".

However, YouTube retains the top spot for overall time spent - not per user - as it has many more users overall.

The Google-owned video giant has an estimated two billion monthly users, while TikTok's most recent ...

Facebook apology as AI labels black men 'primates'

Facebook users who watched a newspaper video featuring black men were asked if they wanted to "keep seeing videos about primates" by an artificial-intelligence recommendation system.

Facebook told BBC News it "was clearly an unacceptable error", disabled the system and launched an investigation.

"We apologise to anyone who may have seen these offensive recommendations."

It is the latest in a long-running series of errors that have raised concerns over racial bias in AI.

'Genuinely sorry'
In 2015, Google's Photos app labell ...

Apple employees make US labour watchdog complaints

Two employee complaints against Apple are being considered by the US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

One alleges retaliation for raising safety concerns, while the other focuses on alleged suppression of questions about pay equity.

Apple has declined to comment on individual cases, but says it investigates when a concern is raised.

The complaints come as an online campaign says it's received more than 600 stories of workplace problems.

The NLRB is an independent US agency which protects the rights of private sector employees to join together to improve ...

Apple delays plan to scan iPhones for child abuse

Apple has delayed plans to roll out detection technology which would have scanned US users' iPhones in search of child sexual abuse material.

It follows widespread criticism from privacy groups and others, worried that the on-device tracking set a dangerous precedent.

Apple said that it had listened to the negative feedback and was reconsidering.

There were concerns the system could be abused by authoritarian states.

The so-called NeuralHash technology would have scanned images just before they are uploaded to iCloud Photos. Then it would have matched them ag ...

Sir Salman Rushdie to serialise book via email newsletter

Author Sir Salman Rushdie will serialise his next book on publishing platform Substack.

The platform proposed the idea which will see the book, and other writing, delivered to subscribers' emails.

In a post, Sir Salman said he hoped to have "a closer relationship with readers, to speak freely, without any intermediaries or gatekeepers".

Substack began as a platform for journalism, but has recently attracted fiction writers.

Writers charge a subscription for their newsletters from which the platform takes a cut, usually 10%.

Under its Substac ...

WhatsApp issued second-largest GDPR fine of €225m

WhatsApp has been fined €225m (£193m) by Ireland's data watchdog for breaching privacy regulations.

It is the largest fine ever from the Irish Data Protection Commission, and the second-highest under EU GDPR rules.

Facebook, which owns WhatsApp, has its EU headquarters is in Ireland, and the Irish regulator is the lead authority for the tech giant in Europe.

WhatsApp said it disagrees with the decision, and the severity of the fine, and plans to appeal.

The fine relates to an investigation which began in 2018, about whether WhatsApp had been transparent enoug ...

Investigation into hacked "map" of UK gun owners

Authorities are investigating after a map claiming to show the addresses of thousands of firearms owners in the UK was published online.

Gun-selling site Guntrader announced a data breach affecting more than 100,000 customers in July.

This week, reports emerged that an animal rights activist blog had published the information.

The group had formatted the data so it could be easily imported into mapping software to show individual homes.

The National Crime Agency, which has been investigating the data breach and its fallout, said it "is aware that informa ...

Twitter tests safety mode feature to silence abuse

Twitter is launching a feature that it hopes will help crack down on abuse and trolling, both of which have become huge issues for the platform.

Safety Mode will flag accounts using hateful remarks, or those bombarding people with uninvited comments, and block them for seven days.

The feature will work automatically once enabled, taking the burden off users to deal with unwelcome tweets.

It will initially be tested on a small group of users.

The feature can be turned on in settings, and the system will assess both the tweet's content and the relationship betw ...

YouTube signs Twitch video-game streamer Dr Lupo

YouTube has poached one of Twitch's top video-game streamers.

Ben "Dr" Lupo, who reportedly signed a multi-million dollar exclusivity deal with Twitch in 2019, will now stream exclusively on YouTube.

The American, 34, known for playing Fortnite, Destiny, Escape from Tarkov and Among Us, has the 26th most followers on Twitch, at 4.5 million.

Twitch said it wished him "nothing but the best in everything that comes next".

He made the announcement in a glossy promotional video complete with computer graphics and welling orchestral music.

...

Fake Banksy NFT sold through artist's website for £244k

A hacker has returned $336,000 to a British collector after he tricked him into buying a fake NFT advertised through the artist's official website.

A link to an online auction for the NFT was posted on a now-deleted page of banksy.co.uk.

The auction ended early after the man offered 90% more than rival bidders.

Banksy's team told the BBC "any Banksy NFT auctions are not affiliated with the artist in any shape or form".

With NFTs, artwork can be "tokenised" to create a digital certificate of ownership that can be bought and sold.

Th ...

Covid in Scotland: Cases doubling weekly after restrictions eased

Covid cases in Scotland have roughly doubled every week since restrictions eased, leading to an increase in hospital admissions.

More than 500 people with Covid-19 are in hospital and case numbers hit a record high at the weekend.

According to the latest WHO figures, Lanarkshire and Glasgow's health board areas had Europe's highest case rates.

National clinical director Prof Jason Leitch said the NHS was stretched and elective surgeries could be delayed.

Scotland wanted "to get on top" of the virus and may need a "reverse gear" on some res ...

China cuts children's online gaming to one hour

Online gamers under the age of 18 will only be allowed to play for an hour on Fridays, weekends and holidays, China's video game regulator has said.

The National Press and Publication Administration told state-run news agency Xinhua that game-playing would be only allowed between 8pm to 9pm.

It also instructed gaming companies to prevent children playing outside these times.

Earlier this month a state media outlet branded online games "spiritual opium".

Inspections of online gaming companies will also increase, to check that the time limits are bein ...

Afghanistan: Final flights arriving as UK's campaign ends

The final flights bringing British troops home from Afghanistan are arriving, as the UK's 20-year military campaign ends.

The last British flight has left Kabul, and the ambassador to Afghanistan, Sir Laurie Bristow, arrived at RAF Brize Norton on Sunday morning.

Further flights are expected to arrive at the RAF base in Oxfordshire later.

More than 15,000 people, including about 2,200 children, have been evacuated by the UK since 14 August.

About 800 to 1,100 eligible Afghans, including those who worked for the UK government, and 100 to 150 British nationals ...

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is self-isolating

Scotland's first minister is self-isolating after being identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive for Covid-19.

Nicola Sturgeon revealed on Twitter on Sunday evening that she had been notified by NHS Test and Protect.

The SNP leader said that in line with the current guidelines, she would self isolate pending a PCR test result.

Ms Sturgeon also thanked the NHS Test and Protect contact tracers "working so hard" on the service.

Record Covid cases as NHS faces 'perfect storm'
Covid in Scotland: Where are the latest cases?< ...

Apple tweaks app pay rules in $100m settlement

Apple app developers will soon be able to email customers and tell them how to avoid Apple's payment systems.

The current rules ban app makers from mentioning that there are ways to pay that avoid Apple's 30% cut, even through e-mail outside the store.

But as part of a $100m (£73m) legal settlement with developers, the tech giant is changing its policy.

Apple said the change was a "clarification" and part of its "efforts to evolve the App Store".

The terms are still subject to judicial approval. Once active, developers will be able to use ...

Overwatch to change cowboy character McCree's name

Jesse McCree, a character in Blizzard's Overwatch game, will be renamed in the wake of fallout over sexual harassment allegations against the company.

The in-game McCree, a revolver-toting cowboy character, was named after a real-life Blizzard staff member.

In August, he and two other executives left the company without explanation.

In a statement, the Overwatch team said it was "necessary to change the name... to something that better represents what Overwatch stands for".

"Going forward, in-game characters will no longer be named after real e ...

Data protection 'shake-up' takes aim at cookie pop-ups

The UK's new Information Commissioner will be charged with a post-Brexit "shake up" of data rules, including getting rid of cookie pop-ups.

John Edwards has been named the next head of data regulator the ICO.

The government said Mr Edwards, currently the New Zealand Privacy Commissioner, would "go beyond the regulator's traditional role".

The job would now be "balanced" between protecting rights and promoting "innovation and economic growth".

Mr Edwards has been named as the government's preferred candidate, and said it ...

Twelve-year-old boy makes £290,000 from whale NFTs

A 12-year-old boy from London has made about £290,000 during the school holidays, after creating a series of pixelated artworks called Weird Whales and selling non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

With NFTs, artwork can be "tokenised" to create a digital certificate of ownership that can be bought and sold.

They do not generally give the buyer the actual artwork or its copyright.

Benyamin Ahmed is keeping his earnings in the form of Ethereum - the crypto-currency in which they were sold.

This means they could go up or down in value and there is no back-up fr ...

The real victims of mass crypto-hacks that keep happening

Taxi driver Chris is obsessively checking his phone for updates.

"I'm set to lose almost 2,500 euros (£2,100) worth of cryptocurrency coins," he says.

Chris describes himself as "a small crypto-holder from Austria" and is one of many victims of a hack attack on cryptocurrency exchange Liquid Global last week.

The company has insisted it will pay all customers who lost out in the $100m (£72.8m) attack.

But until they get the money back, many customers are worried.

Every time 38-year-old Chris picks up a customer in his ageing Volksw ...

OnlyFans suspends policy change after backlash

OnlyFans has announced that it will delay making changes to policy on content creation, following a widespread backlash by its users.

The content subscription service announced plans last week to block sexually explicit photos and videos from October.

On Wednesday, it tweeted that it has "suspended the planned 1 October policy change".

It is currently unclear if the delay will be permanent.

OnlyFans wrote on twitter that it would "continue to provide a home for all creators".

"Thank you to everyone for making your voices heard ...

Sensors and AI to monitor Dorset social care patients

One hundred people in Dorset who need social care are to be monitored by artificial intelligence (AI) as part of a three-month pilot.

Sensors installed in homes will track behaviour and electricity usage which the AI will analyse to spot potential health problems.

Lilli, the UK-based firm behind the technology, says it could cut costs and the number of care visits required.

But one expert said the scheme might feel invasive to some patients.

People discharged from hospital often require care and support during their recovery, particularly those with joint rep ...

Virgin Hyperloop unveils new pod concept video

Virgin Hyperloop has released a video illustrating its plans for passenger pods using magnetic levitation to travel above 1,000km/h (600mph) through tubes containing a near-vacuum.

Rather than connecting to form a train, the pods will travel in convoy, able to leave and join a static track individually, like cars on a motorway.

Last year, Virgin Hyperloop completed its first crewed test-track journey, reaching speeds of 170km/h.

But a critic says the video is "hype".

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Chip giant's IPO hit by Beijing crackdown on business

Chinese electric car maker BYD's plan to sell shares in its computer chip making unit has been suspended, the latest share offering to be hit by Beijing's crackdown on businesses.

The listing has been put on hold due to a regulatory investigation into the law firm advising the company.

The plan to list on Shenzen's Nasdaq style market ChiNext was filed in May.

The suspension comes amid a broader regulatory tightening on industry by Chinese authorities.

Over the weekend, the Shenzen Stock Exchange said Beijing Tian Yuan Law Firm, one of China's biggest legal s ...

Covid: Most popular Facebook link in US spread vaccine doubt

A news article about a doctor who died after receiving a Covid-19 vaccination was Facebook's most viewed link in the US in the first quarter of 2021, a previously shelved report shows.

The piece - updated after a report said there was no proven link to the vaccine - was popular with vaccine sceptics.

The New York Times claimed that Facebook initially held back its report because it would "look bad".

Facebook said the delay was in order to make "key fixes".

The company had already published its "Widely Viewed Content" report for t ...

Afghanistan: Will fingerprint data point Taliban to targets?

"We would go into villages and enrol people into this biometric data system," US Marine Special Operations Command veteran Peter Kiernan recalls.

"You had a device about 12 inches by six inches wide. It would scan their fingerprints, it would scan their retina, it would also take a picture of them."

It's been a busy week for Mr Kiernan. In Afghanistan, he was in charge of 12 local interpreters. Some are still in the country when we speak, and he's trying to help them leave.

For those who worked with US forces, leaving is a matter of urgency.

...

Computer Space and beyond: 50 years of gaming

What is now a multi-billion pound industry started out as a humble arcade machine created by a group of college students in 1971.

Before then, playing video games had been a geeky pastime for small groups on university tech campuses, but in 1971, Nolan Bushnell, a student at the University of Utah, joined up with Jim Stein, a Stanford University researcher, to make a game.

They were both players of a game called Spacewar!, which was being run in a university lab. From Nolan's experience of working at amusement parks, the pair saw potential in making an arcade version of a vi ...

OnlyFans to ban sexually explicit content

The subscription site OnlyFans, known for its adult content, has announced it will block sexually explicit photos and videos from 1 October.

People will still be able to post nude content on the site.

But this will need to be consistent with OnlyFans' policies.

The announcement comes after BBC News had approached the company for a response to leaked documents concerning accounts which posted illegal content.

OnlyFans said the change had come after pressure from banking partners.

The site has grown during the pandemic and says it has 130 million users. ...

Afghanistan: Will fingerprint data point Taliban to targets?

"We would go into villages and enrol people into this biometric data system," US Marine Special Operations Command veteran Peter Kiernan recalls.

"You had a device about 12 inches by six inches wide. It would scan their fingerprints, it would scan their retina, it would also take a picture of them."

It's been a busy week for Mr Kiernan. In Afghanistan, he was in charge of 12 local interpreters. Some are still in the country when we speak, and he's trying to help them leave.

For those who worked with US forces, leaving is a matter of urgency.

...

Facebook reveals most-seen posts are inane questions, not politics

After being accused of spreading right-wing content, Facebook has revealed that its most-viewed posts include asking if sugar goes with spaghetti.

Its first-ever report on the contents of people's news feeds in the United States focuses on how many people see a post rather than any other measurement.

It shows a word search promising to reveal "your reality" was the most popular post for three months in 2021.

Similarly frivolous question posts with giant text formed most of the top 20.

"Please settle this debate, does sugar go in spaghetti?" ...

OnlyFans: Platform to ban sex videos after BBC investigation

Internal documents, leaked to BBC News, reveal that OnlyFans allows moderators to give multiple warnings to accounts that post illegal content on its online platform before deciding to close them.

Described as a "compliance manual", the documents also show that staff are asked to be more lenient towards successful accounts on the British content-sharing service.

Moderation specialists and child protection experts say this shows OnlyFans - which is best known for hosting pornography - has some "tolerance" for accounts posting illegal content.

OnlyF ...

Apple censors engraving service, report claims

Apple censors references to Chinese politicians, dissidents and other topics in its engraving service, a report alleges.

Citizen Lab said it had investigated filters set up for customers who wanted something engraved on a new iPhone, iPad or other Apple device.

And Apple had a broad list of censored words, not just in mainland China but also in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Apple said its systems "ensure local laws and customs are respected".

"As with everything at Apple, the process for engraving is led by our values," chief privacy officer Jane ...

40 million T-Mobile customers hit by US data breach

More than 40 million T-Mobile customers have been hit by a US data breach, the company has admitted.

It blamed the breach on a "highly sophisticated cyberattack".

It said it is "taking immediate steps to help protect all of the individuals who may be at risk from this cyberattack".

The firm said that while criminals stole personal information, no financial details were leaked as a result.

Facebook faces mass legal action over data leak
BA settles claim by thousands hit by data breach
The breach only came to light following on ...

Tesla Autopilot: US opens official investigation into self-driving tech

The US federal agency in charge of road safety is opening an official investigation into Tesla's "self-driving" Autopilot system.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it was acting following 11 Tesla crashes since 2018 involving emergency vehicles.

In some cases, the Tesla vehicles "crashed directly into the vehicles of first responders", it said.

The investigation will cover roughly 765,000 Tesla cars made since 2014.

That includes those in the Model Y, Model X, Model S and Model 3, the NHTSA said - the entire c ...

The little-known human stories behind emoji designs

You may not think much about the emoji you use to text every day but there are compelling human stories behind them.

"My father's music is message music, to uplift the world from its slumbering mentality," says reggae musician Andrew Tosh, speaking from his home in Kingston, Jamaica.

His father, Peter Tosh, was one of the three founding members of the 1960s band The Wailers, along with Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer.

Peter Tosh's story doesn't end happily; he was murdered in a horrific attack in the 1980s, but he left both a musical and a political legacy.

...

Twitter's new design to get fix after headache complaints

Twitter is making changes to its new redesign, after users complained of headaches and discomfort.

Unveiled only last week, the redesign mainly involved high-contrast colours and a custom-designed font, Chirp.

At the time, the social network said it "might feel weird at first" but would improve content consumption and clean up "visual clutter".

But many, especially with accessibility needs, found it confusing, hard to read and uncomfortably bright.

Twitter algorithm prefers slimmer, younger faces
Twitter trials upvote and downvote b ...

Tesla Autopilot: US opens official investigation into self-driving tech

The US federal agency in charge of road safety is opening an official investigation into Tesla's "self-driving" Autopilot system.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it was acting following 11 Tesla crashes since 2018 involving emergency vehicles.

In some cases, the Tesla vehicles "crashed directly into the vehicles of first responders", it said.

The investigation will cover roughly 765,000 Tesla cars made since 2014.

That includes those in the Model Y, Model X, Model S and Model 3, the NHTSA said - the entire c ...

Social media fraud: The influencers promoting criminal scams

On social media, there's a new type of influencer. But instead of promoting clothing lines and lifestyle products, they promote fraud.

They flash stacks of cash, hide their faces, and some even lure new recruits by selling guides on committing fraud.

You'd think these scammers and their illegal products would be hard to find, and once upon a time, they were, hidden in the shadows of the dark web. But not anymore.

As part of an investigation for BBC Panorama, I discovered just how easy it was to make deals with fraudsters and purchase fraud guides online. I also unmas ...

CCTV watchdog criticises Hikvision Uyghur response

The UK's CCTV watchdog has criticised a Chinese firm for not saying if its cameras are used in Uyghur internment camps.

Professor Fraser Sampson, said: "If your company wasn't involved in these awful places wouldn't you be very keen to say so?"

In July, MPs said Hikvision provided the "primary camera technology" used in Uyghur internment camps.

The company said it respected human rights.

On 8 July, MPs on the foreign affairs committee published a report which said: "Cameras made by the Chinese firm Hikvision have been deployed through ...

Apple regrets confusion over 'iPhone scanning'

Apple says its announcement of automated tools to detect child sexual abuse on the iPhone and iPad was "jumbled pretty badly".

On 5 August, the company revealed new image detection software that can alert Apple if known illegal images are uploaded to its iCloud storage.

Privacy groups criticised the news, with some saying Apple had created a security backdoor in its software.

The company says its announcement had been widely "misunderstood".

"We wish that this had come out a little more clearly for everyone," said Apple software ...

The fiendish new trick cyber-criminals are using to evade capture

"Follow the money" - for generations it's been the mantra of investigators looking for criminals.

In the cyber-realm, this battle between criminals and the authorities has been raging for years.

Despite the anonymous nature of cryptocurrencies, dozens of cyber-criminals have been caught in the last two years thanks to new techniques able to track their funds around the cryptocurrency blockchain - a public list of all transactions between wallets.

But could the tide be turning?

A new service has launched on the darknet offering criminals a way to che ...

Crypto heist hacker returns most of the stolen funds

A hacker who stole just over $600m (£433m) worth of cryptocurrency has now returned most of the stolen assets.

On Thursday, Poly Network confirmed on Twitter that $268m worth of Ether tokens had now been recovered.

Over the last 24 hours, the hacker has returned $342m worth of tokens relating to three crypto-currencies to the firm.

The individual also posted several pages of notes to the blockchain, disclosing why they hacked the firm and the offers Poly Network made to them.

In a twist that's worrying some cyber-security experts, the hacker claims the firm o ...

Lord of the Rings: Amazon moves show to UK from New Zealand

Technology giant Amazon's TV and film business is moving production of its multi-million dollar Lord of the Rings series to the UK from New Zealand.

The as-yet-untitled fantasy epic is set thousands of years before the events in JRR Tolkien's books The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

The company said the move was part of a plan to expand its production space and consolidate its footprint in the UK.

Amazon Studios spent $465m (£336.5m) on the first season of the show.

With four more seasons expected to be made, that would make it one of the most expensive se ...

China sues Tencent over WeChat Youth Mode

Beijing prosecutors have filed a civil legal action against Tencent over claims its messaging-app WeChat's Youth Mode does not comply with laws protecting minors.

Youth Mode prevents younger users from accessing payments, playing certain games and finding nearby friends.

However, prosecutors have not specified exactly how the app is allegedly violating Chinese law.

Tencent said it would "investigate" the claim.

"We will earnestly inspect and check the functions of WeChat Youth Mode, accept user suggestions humbly and sincerely respond to civil ...

Apple defends new photo scanning child protection tech

Apple has defended its new system that scans users' phones for child sexual abuse material (CSAM), after a backlash from customers and privacy advocates.

The technology searches for matches of known abuse material before the image is uploaded to its iCloud storage.

Critics warned it could be a "backdoor" to spy on people, and more than 5,000 people and organisations have signed an open letter against the technology.

As a result, Apple has pledged not to "expand" the system for any reason.

Digital privacy campaigners warned last week that a ...

A-level results: Students have been treated fairly - watchdog

Students getting results this week can feel satisfied that their grades are fair, the head of the exams watchdog has said.

Simon Lebus from Ofqual - which oversees exams in England - strongly defended the system for deciding A-level and GCSE results this year.

He said teacher assessments give a "much more accurate reflection" of what students can achieve.

But he said while pupils can appeal a teacher's judgement, the bar is high.

Students will get their A-level and Scottish Higher results on Tuesday, and GCSE results on Thursday. Grades have been de ...

Larry Page: Google co-founder granted New Zealand residency

Larry Page, Google's co-founder and one of the world's richest men, has been granted New Zealand residency under a category for wealthy investors.

Applicants are required to invest at least NZ$10m ($7m, £5m) in New Zealand over three years.

Mr Page entered New Zealand in January, when its borders were still closed because of Covid-19.

But the government said he was allowed in because of a medical emergency application involving his son.

Mr Page, 48, had applied for residence in November. However, his application could not be processed because he was offshore ...

Apple criticised for system that detects child abuse

Apple is facing criticism over a new system that finds child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on US users' devices.

The technology will search for matches of known CSAM before the image is stored onto iCloud Photos.

But there are concerns that the technology could be expanded and used by authoritarian governments to spy on its own citizens.

WhatsApp head Will Cathcart called Apple's move "very concerning".

Apple said that new versions of iOS and iPadOS - due to be released later this year - will have "new applications of cryptography to help limit ...

China cracks down on celebrity online culture Published9 hours ago

Sina Weibo - China's Twitter equivalent - is to remove an online celebrity list following criticism by state media of celebrity culture on social media.

State-owned newspaper People's Daily criticised platforms that make stars out of "unworthy individuals".

It did not specify any companies but the article comes during a wider crackdown on online firms in China.

Weibo said its decision was due to what it described as "irrational support" some fans were showing for celebrities.

Earlier this week Economic Information Daily, also run by the st ...

Apple to scan iPhones for child sex abuse images

Apple has announced details of a system to find child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on customers' devices.

Before an image is stored onto iCloud Photos, the technology will search for matches of already known CSAM.

Apple said that if a match is found a human reviewer will then assess and report the user to law enforcement.

However there are privacy concerns that the technology could be expanded to scan phones for prohibited content or even political speech.

Experts worry that the technology could be used by authoritarian governments to spy on its citizens.

...

TikTok tests Snapchat style vanishing video stories feature

Video-sharing platform TikTok is trialling a new vanishing clips feature similar to functions on Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram.

TikTok Stories will allow users to see content posted by accounts they follow for 24 hours before they are deleted.

It comes as WhatsApp rolls out a feature for users to post photos or videos that vanish after they are seen.

This week rival social media platform Twitter shut down its Fleets disappearing stories feature.

TikTok, which is owned by China's ByteDance, told the BBC: "We're always thinking about new ways to bring v ...

Facebook and academics row over data access

A row has blown up between Facebook and academics over the use of its data for reporting trends on the social network.

Members of the Cybersecurity for Democracy team, based at New York University, tweeted they had had their accounts shut down.

Facebook said the tools they had used to gain access to its data violated user privacy.

The researchers said Facebook was now curtailing their work measuring vaccine disinformation, among other things.

'Healthy internet'
Laura Edelson tweeted Facebook had suspended the accounts of several people associated with ...

WhatsApp 'view once' brings disappearing photos and videos

WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that allows users to have photos or videos vanish after they are seen.

After the recipient opens the image for the first time, "view once" deletes it, without saving it to a phone.

WhatsApp said the feature was aimed at "giving users even more control over their privacy".

However, child protection advocates have expressed concern that auto-vanishing messages could help cover up evidence of child sexual abuse.

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is already at odds with Wha ...

Official recommends rerun in Amazon union fight

An official examining a landmark Amazon union election in Bessemer, Alabama, has called for a rerun.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has been looking into the legitimacy of April's vote.

Amazon appeared to have stopped a union from forming, winning a vote on the issue by a margin of two to one.

However the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) alleged that Amazon had illegally pressured its workers.

The NLRB has the power to force a rerun.

Stuart Appelbaum, President of the RWDSU, said: "Amazon's behaviour throughout the ...

Twitter works with news sites to tackle disinformation

Twitter will collaborate with two of the largest international news providers, Reuters and the Associated Press, to debunk disinformation on its messaging site.

The news agencies will help Twitter give more context and background information on events which create a high volume of tweets.

Twitter hopes this will counteract the spread of misleading information.

There has been renewed pressure to remove false content from the platform.

Misinformation 'spreads faster than Covid'
Twitter: Five anti-vaccine strikes and you are out
Twitter said the pa ...

Zoom settles US class action privacy lawsuit for $86m

Video-conferencing firm Zoom has agreed to pay $86m (£61.9m) to settle a class action privacy lawsuit in the US.

The lawsuit alleged that Zoom had invaded the privacy of millions of users by sharing personal data with Facebook, Google and LinkedIn.

It also accused Zoom of misstating that it offers end-to-end encryption and for failing to prevent hackers from "zoombombing" sessions.

The firm denied any wrongdoing, but has agreed to boost its security practices.

The preliminary settlement, which also includes a provision that Zoom will give its staff ...

Afterpay: Jack Dorsey's Square in Australia's biggest buyout

Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey's digital payments platform Square has agreed to take over the Australian 'buy now, pay later' firm Afterpay.

The $29bn (A$39bn; £21bn) deal is to be Australia's biggest-ever buyout.

The offer is a more than 30% premium to Afterpay's stock market closing price on Friday.

The agreement will create an instalments payment giant as the industry sees significant growth.

"Square and Afterpay have a shared purpose. We built our business to make the financial system more fair, accessible, and inclusive, and Afterpay has built a tru ...

UK Weather: Flooding in London after heavy rain

Heavy downpours and thunderstorms have caused severe flash flooding in parts of London.

There were reports of vehicles becoming stranded as water quickly rose to block dozens of roads and affected underground lines.

The fire brigade said it had taken about 300 calls - mostly about flooded basements or roads - in the space of a few hours on Sunday.

Officials have advised against travelling in the hazardous conditions.

An amber thunderstorm warning is in place for much of south-east England, with 75 to 100mm (3in to 4in) of rainfall forecast in some areas.

...

Printer ink pricier than champagne finds Which?

A study by consumer watchdog Which? has found that branded printer ink remains "staggeringly" more expensive than third-party alternatives.

In some cases printer ink is pricier that some champagnes, its survey found.

Non-branded ink cartridges perform as well or better than their branded alternatives, it suggested.

Manufacturers are suggesting customers do not use third-party ink, with some even blocking them from doing so.

Home printers have become an essential piece of kit in homes over the pandemic, crucial for both home-working and home-schoolin ...

Zuckerberg wants Facebook to become online 'metaverse'

Mark Zuckerberg has laid out his vision to transform Facebook from a social media network into a “metaverse company” in the next five years.

A metaverse is an online world where people can game, work and communicate in a virtual environment, often using VR headsets.

The Facebook CEO described it as “an embodied internet where instead of just viewing content - you are in it”.

He told The Verge people shouldn't live through “small, glowing rectangles”.

“That’s not really how people are made to interact,” he said, speaking of reliance on mobile phones.

“ ...

Face palm: When the emoji you want doesn't exist

Do you have a favourite emoji? Maybe it's the wink or the face rolling around with tears of laughter. Perhaps if you're feeling slightly more sardonic, it's the smiling face with jazz hands.

With more than 3,000 to choose from, there are plenty of options.

But what happens when the one emoji you want isn't there?

Rachel Murphy works at DroneUp, a drone services company based in Virginia Beach in the United States.

"Every day I'm writing tweets, I'm making posts, and my kneejerk reaction is to get people excited by including an emoji," she says.

...

India food delivery giant Zomato sees stellar stock market debut

Shares in Indian food delivery app Zomato have soared by more than 80% in their stock market debut.

The listing was pushed forward by four days and comes as India's stock market nears all-time highs.

The stellar performance reflected strong investor interest in internet-based consumer start-ups that are expected to do well in the pandemic.

In the run up to the listing some analysts raised concerns about the high valuation of the loss-making business.

Zomato's share offering last week drew bids worth $46.3bn as it was more than 38 times oversubscribed, with bi ...

Gun owners' fears after firearms dealer data breach

Thousands of names and addresses belonging to UK customers of a leading website for buying and selling shotguns and rifles have been published to the dark web following a "security breach".

Guntrader.uk told the BBC it learned of the breach on Monday and had notified the Information Commissioner's Office.

Police, including the National Crime Agency, are investigating.

One affected gun owner said he was afraid the breach could lead to his family being targeted by criminals.

Gun ownership is tightly controlled in the UK, making guns difficult to acqui ...

Gun owners' fears after firearms dealer data breach

Thousands of names and addresses belonging to UK customers of a leading website for buying and selling shotguns and rifles have been published to the dark web following a "security breach".

Guntrader.uk told the BBC it learned of the breach on Monday and had notified the Information Commissioner's Office.

Police, including the National Crime Agency, are investigating.

One affected gun owner said he was afraid the breach could lead to his family being targeted by criminals.

Gun ownership is tightly controlled in the UK, making guns difficult to acqui ...

British man arrested in Spain over Twitter hack

Spanish police have arrested a 22-year-old UK citizen in connection with the hacking of 130 high-profile Twitter accounts, including those of Elon Musk, Barack Obama and Kanye West.

The hacked accounts tweeted followers, encouraging them to join a Bitcoin scam, in July last year.

Also charged with hacking TikTok and Snapchat, Joseph O'Connor faces charges including three counts of conspiracy to intentionally access a computer without authorisation and obtaining information from a protected computer.

Twitter hack: 130 accounts targeted in attack
Teen 'mastermin ...

Call for online abusers to be reported to employers

A group of cyber-security experts is urging companies to set up a way for people to report their workers behaving abusively online.

A number of companies have already signed up, two of Respect in Security's founders say.

The initiative launched on Thursday.

Lisa Forte, of Red Goat Cyber Security, says she has received unsolicited explicit content from official accounts on LinkedIn and violent threats on Twitter and Instagram.

And they did not come from anonymous accounts.

'Best solution'
Social-media platforms face regular criticism for the way ...

Biden rows back on Facebook 'killing people' comment

US President Joe Biden has issued a statement clarifying that "Facebook isn't killing people", following his earlier criticism.

The president had said "they're killing people" when asked about Facebook's role in the Covid pandemic, a comment which made headlines around the world.

But he now says he was referring to leading misinformation spreaders on the platform.

Facebook had fiercely denied any responsibility.

President Biden's initial remarks were off-the-cuff comments to a reporter, who'd asked about his message to "platforms like ...

EU plans to make Bitcoin transfers more traceable

Proposed changes to EU law would force companies that transfer Bitcoin or other crypto-assets to collect details on the recipient and sender.

The proposals would make crypto-assets more traceable, the EU Commission said, and would help stop money-laundering and the financing of terrorism.

The new rules would also prohibit providing anonymous crypto-asset wallets.

The proposals could take two years to become law.

The Commission argued that crypto-asset transfers should be subject to the same anti-money-laundering rules as wire transfers.

"Given th ...

EU plans to make Bitcoin transfers more traceable

Proposed changes to EU law would force companies that transfer Bitcoin or other crypto-assets to collect details on the recipient and sender.

The proposals would make crypto-assets more traceable, the EU Commission said, and would help stop money-laundering and the financing of terrorism.

The new rules would also prohibit providing anonymous crypto-asset wallets.

The proposals could take two years to become law.

The Commission argued that crypto-asset transfers should be subject to the same anti-money-laundering rules as wire transfers.

"Given th ...

Pegasus: Spyware sold to governments 'targets activists'

Rights activists, journalists and lawyers around the world have been targeted with phone malware sold to authoritarian governments by an Israeli surveillance firm, media reports say.

They are on a list of some 50,000 phone numbers of people believed to be of interest to clients of the company, NSO Group, leaked to major news outlets.

It was not clear where the list came from - or how many phones had actually been hacked.

NSO denies any wrongdoing.

It says the software is intended for use against criminals and terrorists and is made available only to military, ...

China accused of cyber-attack on Microsoft Exchange servers

The UK, US and EU have accused China of carrying out a major cyber-attack earlier this year.

The attack targeted Microsoft Exchange servers, affecting at least 30,000 organisations globally.

Western security services believe it signals a shift from a targeted espionage campaign to a smash-and-grab raid, leading to concerns Chinese cyber-behaviour is escalating.

The Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) has also been accused of wider espionage activity and a broader pattern of "reckless" behaviour.

China has previously denied allegations of hackin ...

AI narration of chef Anthony Bourdain's voice sparks row

A new documentary about Anthony Bourdain has ignited a debate, after film-makers revealed they had used an AI simulation of the late chef's voice.

Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain was narrated using archive material supplemented by a synthetic voice reading short extracts of writing by Mr Bourdain, who died in 2018.

Director Morgan Neville called it a modern storytelling technique.

But some critics questioned whether it was ethical.

Mr Neville said that the synthetic voice was created by feeding more than 10 hours of Mr Bourdain's voice into a machin ...

Pegasus: Spyware sold to governments 'targets activists'

Rights activists, journalists and lawyers around the world have been targeted with phone malware sold to authoritarian governments by an Israeli surveillance firm, media reports say.

They are on a list of up to 50,000 phone numbers of people believed to be of interest to clients of the company, NSO, leaked to major news outlets.

It is not clear where the list came from - or whose phones had actually been hacked.

NSO denies any wrongdoing.

It says the software is intended for use against criminals and terrorists and is made available only to military, law enfo ...

Clippy returns - as an emoji

Microsoft's much-maligned mascot Clippy is coming back from the dead - but only as an emoji.

Clippy the paperclip was a simplistic virtual assistant who offered tips and advice to Microsoft Office users, from 1997 and until the mid-2000s.

Its constant pop-ups to suggest help with the simplest of tasks - such as writing a letter - annoyed many.

But Microsoft says it is now bringing back the design, for its modern Office products.

Clippy would replace the existing paperclip emoji in its Microsoft 365 products, including its cloud services and the modern, online ...

Instagram admits moderation mistake over racist comments

Instagram has admitted a mistake in its technology meant racist comments and emojis were not removed.

It comes after a flood of racist abuse was directed at England footballers Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho following the men's Euro 2020 final.

Instagram boss Adam Mosseri said content had "mistakenly" been identified as within guidelines instead of referred to human moderators.

The issue had now been fixed, he said.

“We have technology to try and prioritise reports and we were mistakenly marking some of these as benign comments, which ...

REvil: Ransomware gang websites disappear from internet

Websites for a Russian-linked ransomware gang blamed for attacks on hundreds of businesses worldwide have gone offline.

Monitors say a payment website and a blog run by the REvil group became suddenly unreachable on Tuesday.

The reason behind the disappearance is unknown, but has sparked speculation that the group may have been targeted deliberately by authorities.

It comes amid growing pressure between the US and Russia over cyber-crime.

US President Joe Biden said he raised the issue with Vladimir Putin during a phone call on Friday, after discussing the su ...

Microsoft announces Windows 365, a subscription cloud PC

Microsoft has announced a new "cloud PC" product where users can stream a Windows device from anywhere.

Windows 365 will work similarly to game streaming - where the computing is done in a data centre somewhere remotely and streamed to a device.

That means all sorts of devices - including tablets or Apple Macs - can stream a full Windows desktop PC.

It is being sold to businesses to begin with, as many firms move to a mix of office and remote working.

Microsoft is marketing the new way of using a PC as "hybrid Windows for a hybrid world".< ...

Amazon rolls out encryption for Ring doorbells

Amazon is to offer end-to-end encryption for videos captured by the Ring doorbell worldwide, following a successful trial in the US.

It means that only the smartphone on which the video is received will be able to view the files.

End-to-end encryption is a security feature favoured by privacy-focused messaging services such as WhatsApp.

However, some governments, including the UK, say it makes law enforcement more difficult.

Ring says police in the UK only have access to data that Ring owners choose to share - but adds that globally, "applicable laws&quo ...

Google fined €500m by French competition authority

Google has been hit with a €500m (£427m) fine by France's competition authority for failing to negotiate "in good faith" with news organisations over the use of their content.

The authority accused Google of not taking an order to do so seriously.

Google told the BBC the decision "ignores our efforts to reach an agreement".

The fine is the latest skirmish in a global copyright battle between tech firms and news organisations.

Last year, the French competition authority ordered that Google must negotiate deals with news organisations to sho ...

Euro 2020: Why abuse remains rife on social media

Once again, social-media companies are facing criticism as their platforms are used to racially abuse football players, following the dramatic conclusion of the Euro 2020 men's tournament on Sunday night.

And make no mistake, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the technology giants to defend these incidents. How can they not be held more responsible for the content they share to millions?

In a nutshell, social-media platforms have not been regulated in the same way as traditional media such as the BBC, because they are not categorised as publishers or broadcasters.

...

Super Mario 64 game sells for record-breaking $1.5m at auction

A sealed copy of video game Super Mario 64 has sold at auction for more than $1.5m (£1.1m), shattering records.

The 1996 cartridge was a launch title for the Nintendo 64 console, and was one of the most influential early 3D platformers.

The auction house said there were "fewer than five" copies in such good condition.

The sale dwarfed another record-breaker, an original Legend of Zelda cartridge, set just two days before.

That original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) cartridge sold for $870,000 on Friday, briefly making it the world's most expen ...

Google boss Sundar Pichai warns of threats to internet freedom

The free and open internet is under attack in countries around the world, Google boss Sundar Pichai has warned.

He says many countries are restricting the flow of information, and the model is often taken for granted.

In an in-depth interview with the BBC, Pichai also addresses controversies around tax, privacy and data.

And he argues artificial intelligence is more profound than fire, electricity or the internet.

Pichai is chief executive of one of the most complex, consequential and rich institutions in history.

The next revolutions
I spoke t ...

Pollution-eating car shown off at Goodwood Festival

海外でも気軽に5Gが使える時代が来た

世界中で5Gサービスの普及が進んでいますが、日本でモバイルルーターのレンタルサービスを展開しているグローバルWiFiが、ついに海外向け5Gルーターのレンタルを始めました。まずはアメリカ本土とハワイ向け。料金は1日あたり2970円（早割り）または3170円（定価）。1週間の滞在となると1万5000円程度かかるものの、ギガビットの高速通信をアメリカでも使うことができるのです。

A car that has been designed to strip the air of pollution as it drives along has been shown off at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Created by British designer Thomas Heatherwick, it is hoped the Airo will go into production in China in 2023, with plans to make a million of them.

The radical design is intended to address not only the pollution issue, but a ...

NHS Covid app settings changing to send fewer alerts

The NHS Covid-19 app will be altered to send out fewer isolation alerts, the BBC has learned.

The team behind the contact tracing app for England and Wales has been told to adjust the measurements which trigger the alerts, a source has confirmed.

The time frame for the change is not yet known.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps had suggested that the app might need to change for the planned lifting of restrictions in England on 19 July.

The app has so far been downloaded nearly 26m times in England and Wales.

But businesses and individuals have raised c ...

Pollution-eating car shown off at Goodwood Festival

A car that has been designed to strip the air of pollution as it drives along has been shown off at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Created by British designer Thomas Heatherwick, it is hoped the Airo will go into production in China in 2023, with plans to make a million of them.

The radical design is intended to address not only the pollution issue, but also help solve the "space crisis".

Critics are not convinced it can ever be more than a concept car.

Despite designing London's new version of the iconic Routemaster bus, Mr Heatherwick is better k ...

Euro 2020: ITV sorry for Apple TV streaming issue

ITV has apologised for an issue with its streaming of Wednesday's England v Denmark football game on Apple TV.

One viewer said on social media they had missed 14 minutes of the men's match.

The broadcaster said viewers watching on other Apple devices, such as iPads and iPhones, and its ITV Hub player had been unaffected.

But there have been other complaints about ITV Hub's livestreaming, such as it does not work on all smart TVs.

Some of those with supposedly compatible devices have said they have experienced problems and poor picture quality.

The BBC ...

Apple founder Steve Wozniak backs right-to-repair movement

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has issued a passionate endorsement of the right-to-repair movement, despite the company's opposition.

The movement wants laws passed to guarantee users access to information and parts to repair their own devices.

"We wouldn't have had an Apple had I not grown up in a very open technology world," Mr Wozniak, its co-founder with Steve Jobs in the 1970s, said.

"It's time to recognise the right to repair more fully."

'Extremely dangerous'
Existing right-to-repair rules in Europe and the US are limited to ...

Right to repair movement gains power in US and Europe

There is growing pressure on manufacturers around the world to allow consumers the right to repair their own devices.

The UK has introduced right-to-repair rules that legally require manufacturers to make spare parts available to people buying electrical appliances.

The European Commission has announced plans for right-to-repair rules for smartphones, tablets and laptops.

And later this week, US President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order asking the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to draw up rules on the repair of farming equipment.

'Safety risk ...

Trump sues Twitter, Google and Facebook alleging 'censorship'

Former US president Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against tech giants Google, Twitter and Facebook, claiming that he is the victim of censorship.

The class action lawsuit also targets the three companies' CEOs.

Mr Trump was suspended from his social accounts in January over public safety concerns in the wake of the Capitol riots, led by his supporters.

On Wednesday, Mr Trump called the lawsuit "a very beautiful development for our freedom of speech".

In a news conference from his golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey, Mr Trump railed against soci ...

Audio editor Audacity denies spyware accusation

Audio-edit software Audacity has denied accusations its new privacy policy has transformed it into "possible spyware".

The open-source free tool, with 100 million users worldwide, is popular with podcast and music editors.

Its updated policy says data can be shared with its Russia-based infrastructure company, WSM, as well as regional law enforcement.

Audacity says the only data it exchanges with its users is software updates and error reports.

But since the updated policy was published last week, there have been angry calls from concerned users to ...

Nintendo Switch OLED Model gets an upgraded screen

Nintendo has unveiled its long-rumoured upgrade to the Switch, with a new model featuring a larger, better screen.

The Switch OLED Model's main feature is its OLED screen - a technology which offers deeper blacks and better colours than most LCD screens like those on the original Switch.

It will launch on 8 October, costing £50/$50 more than the current model.

But the new revision does not feature some of the rumoured improvements fans may have expected.

The so-called "Switch Pro" was widely expected to be announced ahead of or at this year's E3 gam ...

Why are Chinese tech brands flocking to Euro 2020?

Everybody's eyes were on the ball during the tense England v Germany Euro 2020 football match this week - mine included.

But almost every time I saw a sponsored brand on the digital billboards that run the circumference of the pitch at Wembley, there appeared to be a Chinese super-brand logo on display.

During the last tournament, held in 2016, there was just one Chinese sponsor - the TV maker HiSense.

This time around, HiSense has been joined on the billboards by TikTok, Vivo and Alipay.

There are no sign of any US equivalents - neither Facebook, Google, Ama ...

US companies hit by 'colossal' cyber-attack

About 200 US businesses have been hit by a "colossal" ransomware attack, according to a cyber-security firm.

Huntress Labs said the hack targeted Florida-based IT company Kaseya before spreading through corporate networks that use its software.

Kaseya said in a statement on its own website that it was investigating a "potential attack".

Huntress Labs said it believed the Russia-linked REvil ransomware gang was responsible.

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency, a federal agency, said in a statement that it was taking action to add ...

US and UK agencies accuse Russia of political cyber-campaign

US and UK intelligence have accused Russian military hackers of being behind an ongoing cyber-campaign to steal emails and other information, including from parliaments.

The campaign is primarily focused on the United States and Europe.

There are said to be hundreds of targets around the world, including UK political parties.

The same group allegedly stole and leaked Democrat emails during the US 2016 presidential election.

The US says the group belongs to the 85th Main Special Service Center of the GRU, which is sometimes called Fancy Bear, APT28 or Strontiu ...

Parents of children called Alexa challenge Amazon

Parents of children called Alexa say their daughters are being bullied because it is the same name that Amazon uses for its virtual assistant.

Some have even changed their child's name because they say the barrage of Alexa jokes is "relentless".

They are calling on Amazon to change the default wake word for its devices to a non-human name.

Amazon says it is "saddened" by these accounts, and that alternative wake words are available.

The word Alexa has become increasingly ubiquitous in recent years as more households use voice-activated sma ...

TikTok removes more than seven million suspected under-age accounts

TikTok removed nearly 7.3 million accounts suspected to belong to under-age children in the first quarter of this year.

The video-sharing platform said the profiles accounted for fewer than 1% of global users.

Children aged 13 and over are allowed to use the platform, which is highly popular with teenagers.

This is the first time TikTok has published such figures in a Community Guidelines Enforcement Report.

It said it hoped the detail about under-age users will "help the industry push forward when it comes to transparency and accountability around user ...

Tim Berners-Lee sells web source code NFT for $5.4m

The original source code for the world wide web has been sold as a non-fungible token, making $5.4m (£3.9m).

NFTs are certificates of ownership for digital assets, which often do not have a physical representation.

They do not necessarily include copyright control - and critics say they are get-rich-quick schemes that are bad for the environment.

World-wide-web creator Sir Tim Berners-Lee sold the NFT to an unidentified buyer, through auction house Sotheby’s.

The highest bid stood at $3.5m for most of the last day of the auction - but there were a flurry of b ...

Elon Musk sets out Starlink goals

Elon Musk claims his Starlink satellite-internet system should be able to provide a connection from anywhere except the poles by August.

He spoke as rival OneWeb secured the funding it needs to complete its first-generation constellation of 648 satellites.

Starlink customers connect using small satellite receivers, dubbed Dishy McFlatFace, priced at $500 (£360).

But Mr Musk said the terminals cost more than $1,000 (£720).

Appearing remotely at Mobile World Congress, which is being held both physically in Barcelona and also online, he said Starlink "has p ...

RIP Pepper robot? SoftBank 'pauses' production

Pepper, the friendly little humanoid robot that was launched to much fanfare back in 2014, looks as if it may be retired - for now at least.

Its maker, the Japanese conglomerate SoftBank, confirmed to the BBC that production had been "paused for a while".

It would only start making the robot again "when it is needed", it said.

The firm is also slashing jobs at its global robotics operation in France, according to Reuters.

About half of the 330 jobs there will go, it reports.

Pepper had gained attention as one of the first humanoid ...

US judge throws out Facebook anti-trust lawsuits

A US federal court has dismissed two separate anti-trust lawsuits filed against Facebook.

Judge James Boasberg ruled that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)'s anti-trust complaint against the social networking giant was too vague.

Another separate anti-competition lawsuit filed by a coalition of states was thrown out because the alleged violations occurred too long ago.

Facebook's shares jumped 4.2% to $355.64 on the news.

This resulted in the social networking giant's market value rising above $1tn (£720bn) for the first time ever.

In the US District ...

Apple lists products that pose risk to pacemakers

Apple has listed products it says should be kept a "safe distance" away from medical devices like pacemakers and implanted defibrillators.

The list includes iPhone 12 models, Apple Watch and MacBook Pro.

Many consumer-electronic devices contain components, such as magnets, which can interfere with medical devices.

The BBC has asked for comment from Apple, which has promoted heart health as a feature of its products.

Some Apple Watches can take an electrocardiogram test that records the timing and strength of the electrical signals that make the hear ...

EE to reintroduce Europe roaming charges in January

Mobile operator EE will charge new UK customers extra to use their mobile phones in Europe from January.

Those joining or upgrading from 7 July 2021 will be charged £2 a day to use their allowances in 47 European destinations from January 2022.

EE, which is part of BT Group, previously said it had no plans to reintroduce roaming charges in Europe.

It is the first UK operator to reintroduce the charges since the EU trade deal was signed in December.

Since 2017, mobile networks in EU countries have not been allowed to charge customers extra to use their phones ...

Apple claims 'sideloading' apps is 'serious' security risk

Apple claims that allowing developers to distribute apps outside its official App Store would "expose users to serious security risks".

A new report from the company argues strongly against allowing so-called sideloading of apps.

The report suggests a range of hypothetical problems including ransomware and financial scams.

It comes as Apple is under pressure from regulators and some developers over its App Store.

The company is awaiting the outcome of its legal battle with Epic Games over what the games studios says are unfair terms set by Apple.

...

Google tracking cookies ban delayed until 2023

Google has delayed its plan to block third-party cookies from its Chrome internet browser.

Cookies track users' internet activity and allow digital publishers to target advertising.

They are already blocked by a number of Google's rivals, including Apple, Microsoft and Mozilla.

But critics say Google's ban forces ad sellers to go direct to the tech giant for this information instead - giving it an unfair advantage.

This is because it plans to replace the system with another one of Google's own design, which it claims is better for privacy but still allows mar ...

Is Windows 11 the beginning of the end for Skype?

Microsoft has officially announced Windows 11, its new operating system which will replace the current version over the next few years.

Among all the new features are two seemingly small but related things that jumped out.

First - Microsoft Teams, the video-calling app which saw a boom during 2020's pandemic, will be integrated into Windows 11 by default.

And second - Skype will not be, for the first time in years.

That seems to suggest that Teams is the new favourite child, and many pundits think this is the beginning of the end for what was once the king of ...

EE to reintroduce Europe roaming charges in January

Mobile operator EE will charge new UK customers extra to use their mobile phones in Europe from January.

Those joining or upgrading from 7 July 2021 will be charged £2 a day to use their allowances in 47 European destinations from January 2022.

EE, which is part of BT Group, previously said it had no plans to reintroduce roaming charges in Europe.

It is the first UK operator to reintroduce the charges since the EU trade deal was signed in December.

Since 2017, mobile networks in EU countries have not been allowed to charge customers extra to use their phones ...

Microsoft unveils Windows 11 operating system

Microsoft has unveiled Windows 11, its "next generation" operating system, at a virtual event.

The new software will let Android apps run on the Windows desktop.

Product manager Panos Panay promised smaller, faster security updates - a common complaint for Windows users - and said they would happen in the background.

Windows 11 will also let users configure multiple desktops for work, home, and gaming, like on a Mac.

Microsoft says there are currently about 1.3 billion devices running Windows 10.

An early preview version of the new system wi ...

John McAfee: Anti-virus creator found dead in prison cell

Anti-virus software entrepreneur John McAfee has been found dead in a Barcelona prison cell hours after a Spanish court agreed to extradite him to the US to face tax evasion charges.

The Catalan Justice Department said prison medics tried to resuscitate him, but were not successful.

It said in a statement that "everything indicates" McAfee took his own life.

A controversial figure in the tech world, his company released the first commercial anti-virus software.

McAfee VirusScan helped to spark a multi-billion dollar industry in the computer world, a ...

Rembrandt's The Night Watch painting restored by AI

The missing edges of Rembrandt’s painting The Night Watch have been restored using artificial intelligence.

The canvas, created in 1642, was trimmed in 1715 to fit between two doors at Amsterdam’s city hall.

Since then, 60cm (2ft) from the left, 22cm from the top, 12cm from the bottom and 7cm from the right have been missing.

But computer software has now restored the full painting for the first time in 300 years.

AI works through machine learning, where a computer is trained by processing existing information.

The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam - where the ...

Tinder boss says Covid changed how we swipe right

Tinder's signature "swipe left, swipe right" approach to match-making is no longer enough to satisfy singles used to lockdown dating, its CEO has said.

People used to match in order to meet in real life, Jim Lanzone told the BBC - but that changed when virtual dating became the norm in lockdowns.

Now the dating app is shifting towards more "holistic" profiles so users can get to know each other better online.

New changes reflect their desire to "swipe possibly", Mr Lanzone said.

In his only UK interview ahead of changes to the ap ...

Facebook's VR ads test loses first game after backlash

The first game developer signed up to test Facebook's plan to put adverts into Oculus VR games has reversed course after a backlash from players.

It comes days after Facebook announced it would place adverts inside players' headsets, starting with shooter game Blaston.

It was the only named title listed to take part.

But its maker, Resolution Games, has now said its game "isn't the best fit" for in-game advertising.

After an outcry from gamers, the company issued a statement to media outlets from chief executive Tommy Palm, saying it had seen the fe ...

Snapchat removes controversial speed filter

Snapchat is removing a feature that displays how fast a user is travelling when taking a picture or video footage.

Parent company Snap said it was because the speed filter was "barely used".

But the company is being sued by the parents of two young men, who allege the filter encouraged their sons to drive at dangerous speeds and three deaths were due to "negligent design".

Snap said it had already "disabled the filter at driving speeds", capping it at 35mph (56km/h), and added a warning.

The BBC is not responsible for the content ...

German watchdog probes Apple's market dominance

Apple is under investigation by the German competition watchdog.

The Federal Cartel Office (FCO) said the initial investigation will look at whether the company is of "paramount significance across markets".

Apple said it looked forward to "having an open dialogue" with the FCO about any of its concerns.

Facebook, Amazon and Google have faced similar probes this year, after a new German competition law enabled early action against large digital firms.

In a statement, Andreas Mundt, President of the FCO, said it would examine whether with i ...

German watchdog probes Apple's market dominance

Apple is under investigation by the German competition watchdog.

The Federal Cartel Office (FCO) said the initial investigation will look at whether the company is of "paramount significance across markets".

Apple said it looked forward to "having an open dialogue" with the FCO about any of its concerns.

Facebook, Amazon and Google have faced similar probes this year, after a new German competition law enabled early action against large digital firms.

In a statement, Andreas Mundt, President of the FCO, said it would examine whether with i ...

TikTok owner ByteDance sees its earnings double in 2020

ByteDance, the Chinese company behind the smash-hit video app TikTok, saw its earnings double last year.

An internal memo released to staff showed that the firm's total revenue jumped by 111% to $34.3bn (£24.7bn) for 2020.

The figures underscore TikTok's continued global popularity.

It comes as ByteDance and several other Chinese technology giants have come under increasing pressure from governments around the world.

ByteDance also saw its annual gross profit rise by 93% to to $19bn, while it recorded a net loss of $45bn for the same period.

The net l ...

Food-delivery apps up to 44% more expensive, survey finds

Food-delivery apps have experienced a huge boost during the pandemic - but a snapshot investigation from consumer watchdog Which? suggests they may not be the cheapest option.

It compared the costs of meals from five eateries, bought directly and ordered on apps Deliveroo, UberEats and Just Eat.

On average, a takeaway cost 23% more on an app than ordering directly.

The app companies said their commission charges were fair.

Which? found:

orders on Deliveroo were the most expensive, costing an average of 31% more than ordering directly
UberEats c ...

HarmonyOS: Hands-on with Huawei's rival to Android

Huawei has revealed a new tablet and smartwatch running HarmonyOS, its new operating system that it is developing to replace Google's Android.

The Chinese communications giant said it would develop new software after former President Donald Trump put the company on a US trade blacklist.

BBC Click's Chris Fox went hands-on with HarmonyOS and found it had a lot of similarities with Android.

Chloe Khan and Jodie Marsh rapped by watchdog

The Advertising Standards Authority has named and shamed four influencers it said repeatedly failed to disclose when their Instagram posts were actually advertisements.

The four - Chloe Khan, Jodie Marsh, Lucy Mecklenburgh and Chloe Ferry - had previously been warned about breaking advertising rules, the ASA said.

It is part of its new policy of listing repeat rule-breakers on its website.

The ASA said further sanctions would be considered if the problems continued.

Chief executive Guy Parker said: "It's not difficult - be upfront and clear when posts an ...

How market research reveals what you really think

Traditional market research, based on clipboards and questions, has a glaring weakness, according to Carl Wong, who has worked in the industry for more than 20 years.

He says people cannot answer some questions honestly because they are not aware of their own deep underlying motives.

"We are all influenced by things we're not able, or willing, to reflect on at the time a purchasing decision is taken or when we answer a survey question," says Mr Wong.

That gap in our understanding is being filled by a data-rich world that generates masses of information abou ...

Digital ad industry accused of huge data breach

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties is suing a branch of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and others over what it describes as "the world's largest data breach".

The IAB Tech Lab, based in New York, develops digital ad industry standards.

IAB members include Facebook, Google and Amazon.

The case brought by Johnny Ryan centres on the data shared between ad brokers and other firms while ad space is being auctioned as a site loads.

It's known as real-time bidding.

The IAB said it was the first it had heard of the claim, although the c ...

Lina Khan: The 32-year-old taking on Big Tech

On Tuesday, 32-year-old Lina Khan was sworn in as chair of the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

The role is a hugely powerful one, which protects consumers from bad business practices and companies from unfair competition.

And when it comes to unfair competition, there is one sector that has been singled out by Democrats and Republicans alike: Big Tech.

Worryingly for technology giants, Ms Khan has been one of their most vocal critics.

Ms Khan was born in the UK and moved to the US as a child.

In an interview with BBC Hardtalk in January, she talked ...

Web founder Berners-Lee to auction source code as NFT

The creator of the world wide web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, is selling off the original code used to create the modern internet as an NFT.

NFTs are a form of unique ownership for digital-only items and do not necessarily include copyright control.

They have also been widely criticised as a money-making scheme and bad for the environment.

Some have expressed surprise at the news given that Sir Tim famously refused to patent his invention.

The sale is being handled by Sotheby's auction house, and the money made will be put towards causes chosen by Sir Tim and his w ...

E3 2021: Nintendo shows off more Zelda Breath of the Wild 2

Nintendo showed off more of the hotly-anticipated sequel to its Zelda: Breath of the Wild in its E3 show.

New game footage revealed that the game will involve floating islands, skydiving, and new powers in the same world as its predecessor.

But it will not release this year, and is currently pencilled in for a 2022 release date.

There was also no reveal of a widely-rumoured "Switch Pro" console, which Nintendo has yet to confirm.

The Japanese firm had sought to play down reports from several news outlets that the company was set to show off a revise ...

E3 2021: Microsoft shows off Halo Infinite, Starfield and Forza Horizon 5

A Christmas release date for Halo: Infinite was among dozens of announcements at Microsoft's E3 show.

It was scheduled for release last year alongside the new Xbox, but was delayed due to the pandemic and amid outcry from players over its graphics.

A new Forza racing game and the Xbox release of Flight Simulator were also among the 30 titles revealed.

It was the first E3 since Microsoft acquired Bethesda last year for $7.5bn (£5.3bn).

Unlike other developers' conferences, the 90-minute Microsoft show was nearly entirely back-to-back game trailers and announce ...

Irish police to be given powers over passwords

Irish police will have the power to compel people to provide passwords for electronic devices when carrying out a search warrant under new legislation.

The change is part of the Garda Síochána Bill published by Irish Justice Minister Heather Humphreys on Monday.

Gardaí will also be required to make a written record of a stop and search.

This will enable data to be collected so the effectiveness and use of the powers can be assessed.

Special measures will be introduced for suspects who are children and suspects who may have impaired capacity.

The bill ...

Facebook remote working plan extended to all staff for long term

Facebook will let all employees who can work away from the office do so after the Covid pandemic is over.

The company has told employees "anyone whose role can be done remotely can request remote work".

Rival big tech firms Apple and Google have recently reversed pandemic working conditions, telling staff to return to the office in the coming months.

Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg told staff he plans to spend up to half of 2022 working remotely.

He had previously said that half of the company's 60,000 employees could be working from home w ...

EA: Gaming giant hacked and source code stolen

Hackers have stolen valuable information from major game publisher Electronic Arts (EA), the company said.

The attackers claimed to have downloaded source code for games such as FIFA 21 and for the proprietary Frostbite game engine used as the base for many other high-profile games.

News of the hack was first reported by news site Vice, which said some 780GB of data was stolen.

EA said no player data had been stolen in the breach.

The firm is one of the largest games companies in the world. It counts major series such as Battlefield, Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Or ...

Donald Trump-era ban on TikTok dropped by Joe Biden

President Joe Biden has revoked an executive order from his predecessor Donald Trump banning Chinese apps TikTok and WeChat in the US.

The ban faced a series of legal challenges and never came into force.

Instead, the US Department of Commerce will now review apps designed and developed by those in "the jurisdiction of a foreign adversary", such as China.

It should use an "evidence-based approach" to see if they pose a risk to US national security, Mr Biden said.

TikTok did not offer comment on the news.

Mr Trump ordered the ban on ...

One Fastly customer triggered internet meltdown

A major internet blackout that hit many high-profile websites on Tuesday has been blamed on a software bug.

Fastly, the cloud-computing company responsible for the issues, said the bug had been triggered when one of its customers had changed their settings.

The outage has raised questions about relying on a handful of companies to run the vast infrastructure that underpins the internet.

Fastly apologised and said the problem should have been anticipated.

The outage, which lasted about an hour, hit some popular websites such as Amazon, Reddit, the Guardian and ...

Apple pays millions in iPhone-repair explicit photo case

Apple has paid a multi-million dollar settlement to a woman whose photos and videos were shared online by technicians repairing her iPhone.

Explicit images and videos were uploaded to Facebook and other places, and made to look as if they had been posted by her.

Apple was not named in the lawsuit but its involvement came to light in an unrelated case.

It has now confirmed the incident and apologised.

In a statement, Apple said: "We take the privacy and security of our customers' data extremely seriously and have a number of protocols in place to ensure d ...

Websites begin to work again after major breakage

A major outage has affected a number of high profile websites including Amazon, Reddit and Twitch.

The UK government website - gov.uk - was also down as were the Financial Times, the Guardian and the New York Times.

Cloud computing provider Fastly, which underpins a lot of websites, said it was behind the problems.

The firm said there had been issues with its global content delivery network (CDN) which it was fixing.

In a statement, it said: "We identified a service configuration that triggered disruption across our POPs (points of presence) globally and ...

Colonial Pipeline: US recovers most of ransom, justice department says

The US has recovered most of the $4.4m (£3.1m) ransom paid to a cyber-criminal gang responsible for taking the Colonial Pipeline offline last month.

DarkSide - which US authorities said operates from eastern Europe and possibly Russia - infiltrated the pipeline last month.

The attack disrupted supplies for several days causing fuel shortages.

According to the firm, the pipeline carries 45% of the East Coast's supply of diesel, petrol and jet fuel.

On Monday, Deputy Attorney-General Lisa Monaco said investigators had "found and recaptured" 63.7 Bitco ...

iOS15: Apple continues privacy war with app tracker reports

Apple device users will now be able see when individual apps request to access features such as the microphone, camera and phone gallery, plus which third parties they have connected with in the last seven days.

The new "app privacy report" feature was unveiled at the firm's annual developers' conference, WWDC.

Apple has prioritised privacy lately, including a war on ad-tracking.

No new hardware was announced at the event, despite earlier speculation.

Privacy
The new privacy report goes further than Apple's existing "nutrition labels&quo ...

Facebook suspends Trump accounts for two years

Facebook Inc has suspended former US President Donald Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts for two years.

He was barred indefinitely from both sites in January in the wake of posts he made on the US Capitol riots, but last month Facebook's Oversight Board criticised the open-ended penalty.

Facebook said Mr Trump's actions were "a severe violation of our rules".

Mr Trump said the move was "an insult" to the millions who voted for him in last year's presidential election.

Facebook's move comes as the social media giant is also ending a po ...

Xiaohongshu social media account blocked after Tiananmen post

A social media account for popular Chinese e-commerce app Xiaohongshu has been blocked after it issued a post on the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.

It had posted "Tell me loudly: what's the date today?" on microblogging platform Weibo.

The post to its 14 million followers was swiftly deleted.

Its Weibo page has been replaced by a message saying it is being investigated for violations of laws and regulations.

Xiaohongshu has yet to comment publicly on the matter. As of Monday morning, its account on Weibo remained locked, but the ...

Apple updates AirTags after stalking fears

Apple has released a software update for AirTags following concerns they could be used to track people secretly.

AirTags were released in April and were promoted as a way for people to keep track of their belongings.

However, critics warned that the coin-sized tracker could be easily used to monitor someone's real-time location.

Following the update, AirTags will beep if they are away from their owner's iPhone - at a random time between eight and 24 hours - to alert people nearby.

AirTags should update their software automatically when they are close to the o ...

Facebook suspends Trump accounts for two years

Facebook Inc has suspended former US President Donald Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts for two years.

He was barred indefinitely from both sites in January in the wake of posts he made on the US Capitol riots, but last month Facebook's Oversight Board criticised the open-ended penalty.

Facebook said Mr Trump's actions were "a severe violation of our rules".

Mr Trump said the move was "an insult" to the millions who voted for him in last year's presidential election.

Facebook's move comes as the social media giant is also ending a po ...

Norton antivirus adds Ethereum cryptocurrency mining

In a surprise move, one of the world's best-known anti-virus software makers is adding cryptocurrency mining to its products.

Norton 360 customers will have access to an Ethereum mining feature in the "coming weeks", the company said.

Cryptocurrency "mining" works by using a computer's hardware to do complex calculations in exchange for a reward.

It is not clear what the business model for Norton Crypto is, or if Norton will take a cut of earnings.

The company pitched the idea as a safe and easy way to get into mining, an "important p ...

Twitter Blue subscription service launches in Australia and Canada

Twitter is launching its new subscription service, Twitter Blue, in Australia and Canada on Thursday.

The paid-for extra service will add features such as an "undo tweet" button, bookmarks, and a reader mode, Twitter said.

The limited launch is designed to "gain a deeper understanding" of what customers are looking for.

But the company also said the free-to-use version of the platform would also remain.

"We've heard from the people that use Twitter a lot, and we mean a lot, that we don't always build power features that meet their nee ...

US delays tariffs in 'tech tax' row

The US has announced and immediately suspended tariffs on about $2bn (£1.4bn) of imports in retaliation for taxes on its tech firms.

The 25% tariffs apply to certain goods from the UK, as well as Austria, India, Italy, Spain, and Turkey.

US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said the delay would allow more time for discussions on tax.

"The US remains committed to reaching a consensus on international tax issues," she said.

It comes after a year-long US investigation into digital services taxes put in place by the six countries, which tax tech firms ...

Donald Trump's 'communications' platform permanently taken offline

Donald Trump's communications platform has been permanently shut down, his spokesperson told CNBC.

"It was just auxiliary to the broader efforts we have and are working on," senior aide Jason Miller said.

The platform, titled From the Desk of Donald J Trump, launched last month and served as a way for the former president to publish his own content including press releases and videos.

Mr Trump was banned from Facebook and Twitter after the Capitol Hill Riots.

From the Desk of Donald J Trump had a section on the former president's official website, b ...

eBay sellers can no longer use PayPal under new terms

New terms of use for eBay have come into effect which mean the online auction house will now pay sellers directly rather than through PayPal.

PayPal was acquired by eBay in its early days in 2002, and the two firms have worked in partnership ever since.

The changes mean that while eBay buyers can still pay with PayPal, sellers will be paid straight into their bank accounts.

But some sellers have threatened to stop using the service over the move.

EBay's forums have several posts from sellers who say they are reluctant to use the new system and give eBay direc ...

JBS: World's largest meat supplier hit by cyber-attack

The world's largest meat processing company has been targeted by a sophisticated cyber-attack.

Computer networks at JBS were hacked, causing some operations in Australia, Canada and the US to temporarily shut down, affecting thousands of workers.

The company believes the ransomware attack originated from a criminal group likely based in Russia, the White House said.

The attack could lead to shortages of meat or raise prices for consumers.

The ransomware surge ruining lives
Colonial Pipeline boss confirms $4.4m ransom paid
In a ransomware attack, ...

Gaza conflict: Instagram changes algorithm after alleged bias

Instagram is changing the way it showcases content after being accused of suppressing pro-Palestinian messages during the recent Gaza conflict.

The app had favoured original content in its "stories" feature over existing, re-shared posts, but will now give them equal treatment, it said.

The current system had a "bigger impact than expected" on some types of posts.

But that was an unintended side-effect rather than an attempt to censor any particular viewpoint, Instagram said.

During the recent Gaza conflict, social media platforms were hea ...

Privacy group targets website 'cookie terror'

A privacy group has lodged hundreds of complaints against what it calls "cookie banner terror" online.

Noyb, headed by well-known Austrian privacy advocate Max Schrems, is targeting companies which it says deliberately make it hard to opt-out of tracking cookies.

"By law, users must be given a clear yes/no option," the group said.

Marketing groups have blamed the EU's strict privacy rules for creating the problem.

Cookies are used for all sorts of purposes, but one of their major uses is for third-party advertising tracking - which is why ...

Amazon offers 'wellness chamber' for stressed staff

Amazon plans to put "wellness chambers" in its warehouses so that stressed workers can sit inside and watch videos about relaxation.

In a video shared on its Twitter account, Amazon said the "AmaZen" chamber would help staff focus on their mental health.

But it deleted the post after a wave of ridicule from other social media users.

The US retail giant has been repeatedly criticised over working conditions in its facilities.

Amazon has not replied to the BBC's request for comment.

On 17 May, the company announced a scheme called Wo ...

Buying a pink NFT cat was a crypto nightmare

The hype surrounding NFTs (non-fungible tokens) has been hard to ignore.

Bright, colourful digital-only art that is selling for millions - who wouldn’t be intrigued?

But my first experience of investing in this world was a nightmare - with far too much time, money and stress wasted on… well, not very much.

Because an NFT doesn’t have a physical representation like a painting, it exists only as a digital asset.

So all I was paying for was a record of ownership - basically, to have my number displayed on a website next to a cartoon cat.

What are NFTs an ...

Legality of collecting faces online challenged

Clearview AI, a US firm with a database of three billion facial images from the internet, is facing a new legal challenge from privacy campaigners.

Privacy International and others argue its methods of collecting photos and selling them to private firms and the police "go beyond what we could ever expect as online users".

Clearview has said is has no contracts with any EU-based customers.

It said it had complied with requests to remove images of EU citizens.

Under GDPR rules, European citizens can ask the company if their faces are in its database a ...

Instagram lets users hide likes to reduce social media pressure

Instagram is offering its users the option to hide the number of likes they receive on posts on the app.

The aim is to “depressurize people’s experience” on the platform, the social media giant said.

Users with the feature enabled will now see the username of a follower who has liked the post, “and others”, instead of a number.

The tool has been tested in several countries since 2019, but it is now being rolled out globally.

“This has taken longer than I had hoped, but I am pretty excited about… giving people more control over the experience,” Instagram's bos ...

Iran bans cryptocurrency mining for four months after blackouts

Iran has announced a four-month ban on the energy-consuming mining of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin after cities suffered unplanned blackouts.

President Hassan Rouhani told a cabinet meeting the main cause of the blackouts was a drought that had affected hydro-electric power generation.

But he said cryptocurrency mining, 85% of which is unlicensed, was draining more than 2GW from the grid each day.

An estimated 4.5% of all Bitcoin mining takes place in Iran.

According to analytics firm Elliptic, the activity allows the country to bypass sanctions and earn ...

Instagram lets users hide likes to reduce social media pressure

Instagram is offering its users the option to hide the number of likes they receive on posts on the app.

The aim is to “depressurize people’s experience” on the platform, the social media giant said.

Users with the feature enabled will now see the username of a follower who has liked the post, “and others”, instead of a number.

The tool has been tested in several countries since 2019, but it is now being rolled out globally.

“This has taken longer than I had hoped, but I am pretty excited about… giving people more control over the experience,” Instagram's bos ...

Bitcoin Mining Council to report renewable energy usage

A new Bitcoin Mining Council has been created to improve the crypto-currency's sustainability, following a meeting of "leading" Bitcoin miners and Elon Musk.

The Tesla CEO tweeted the development was "potentially promising".

It's hoped the council will "promote energy usage transparency" and encourage miners to use renewable sources.

The process of creating Bitcoin consumes large amounts of electricity.

Its value fell earlier this month after Tesla withdrew its support of the crypto-currency, citing environmental concerns.

< ...

AI emotion-detection software tested on Uyghurs

A camera system that uses AI and facial recognition intended to reveal states of emotion has been tested on Uyghurs in Xinjiang, the BBC has been told.

A software engineer claimed to have installed such systems in police stations in the province.

A human rights advocate who was shown the evidence described it as shocking.

The Chinese embassy in London has not responded directly to the claims but says political and social rights in all ethnic groups are guaranteed.

Xinjiang is home to 12 million ethnic minority Uyghurs, most of whom are Muslim.

Citizen ...

Epic v Apple: What have we learned?

The much-hyped Epic v Apple trial is due to finish on Monday in California.

Epic Games is suing Apple over the way it runs its App Store. It says the store is a monopoly and charges exorbitant fees on games like Epic's popular Fortnite.

Apple makes Epic pay a 30% commission on in-app payments.

The judge may take weeks, if not months, to make a ruling. But during the three-week trial we've seen some interesting revelations.

There is no legal definition of a game
Epic wanted to broaden its lawsuit out to all apps on the App Store. Apple wished to narrow ...

Epic v Apple: What have we learned?

The much-hyped Epic v Apple trial is due to finish on Monday in California.

Epic Games is suing Apple over the way it runs its App Store. It says the store is a monopoly and charges exorbitant fees on games like Epic's popular Fortnite.

Apple makes Epic pay a 30% commission on in-app payments.

The judge may take weeks, if not months, to make a ruling. But during the three-week trial we've seen some interesting revelations.

There is no legal definition of a game
Epic wanted to broaden its lawsuit out to all apps on the App Store. Apple wished to narrow ...

Florida governor signs bill to ban Big Tech 'deplatforming'

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a first-in-the-nation bill that can penalise tech companies for deplatforming politicians.

The legislation states that platforms can only suspend accounts for 14 days, and will be fined as much as $250,000 (£176,000) per day for violations.

NetChoice, a tech lobbying group whose members include Twitter and Facebook, testified against the bill in March.

The bill, believed to be the first of its kind, will take effect on 1 July.

Mr DeSantis has been vocal about Big Tech, arguing that platforms such as Twitter, Facebook a ...

Covid: Parts of England to trial self-isolation support

More ways of supporting people to self-isolate in areas with higher coronavirus infection rates are to be piloted in nine parts of England.

There will be "buddying" services for people needing mental health support and alternative accommodation for those in overcrowded homes.

Social care support and translation services will also be available.

It is hoped the schemes will encourage more people to get tested and self-isolate if required.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said this was "vital" in the fight against new Covid variants.

&qu ...

Covid: India tells social media firms to remove 'India variant' from content

India's government has instructed social media companies to remove any content that refers to the "Indian variant" of Covid-19.

The IT ministry said the World Health Organization (WHO) listed the variant as B.1.617 and any reference to "Indian" was false.

Geographical terms have been used to describe a number of other variants, including the UK and Brazil.

India's government has faced criticism over its handling of Covid-19.

It also drew anger last month after it ordered Twitter to remove posts critical of some of its actions during the pa ...

Tinder tweak urges people to think before sending abuse

Dating app Tinder will detect abusive messages and ask the writer to stop and think before sending them, in an effort to tackle harassment.

The automated system will learn to detect "harmful language" from messages reported by users.

Tinder said the "Are you sure?" system had "reduced inappropriate language in messages sent" in trials by about 10%.

Instagram and Twitter already use similar systems to detect abusive comments and tweets.

Instagram asks users "are you sure you want to post this?" if its systems spot bullyi ...

Apple v Epic: Tim Cook appeared on the stand in Epic legal row

Apple boss Tim Cook took the witness stand for the first time in his company's major legal battle with Epic Games over an alleged monopoly.

Epic, maker of the hit video game Fortnite, claims Apple's tight control over iPhone apps hurts competition.

During his appearance, Mr Cook argued that keeping control of the App Store helped keep iPhones secure.

He also said he did not know if the App Store made a profit, telling the court Apple did not break down the figures.

Facing questions about the level of profit the App Store generates from the 30% commission it t ...

Apple criticised for storing data inside China

Apple has confirmed that it is storing Chinese customers' data inside data centres based in China, following reports by the New York Times.

However it said it had "never compromised the security" of either its customers or their data.

Apple said it was complying with Chinese law about the data storage of its nationals.

However, one expert told the BBC it was effectively "handing over the keys" to the Chinese government by doing this.

China has long been accused of using technology to track its citizens and for the purpose of mass surveilla ...

Ransomware: Should paying hacker ransoms be illegal?

A cyber-crime spree wreaking havoc around the world has reignited calls for governments to ban ransom payments to hackers.

Ransomware criminals are holding computer systems hostage on a daily basis, demanding large payments from victims to restore order.

The CEO of Colonial Pipeline has admitted his company paid hackers nearly $4.5m last week after their attack forced the firm to stop transporting fuel.

But research from Bitcoin analysts Elliptic suggests this is just a drop in the ocean.

Since last August, the hackers responsible, DarkSide, have made at leas ...

Six announcements from Google I/O

Last year Google's developer conference was cancelled. Google I/O was back this year with several new announcements. Here are the things that caught our eye.

More inclusive camera
Google says it is creating a smartphone camera that more accurately depicts skin tone.

"For people of colour, photography has not always seen us as we want to be seen, even in some of our own Google products" said Google's Sameer Samat.

Google says it's making changes to auto white balance adjustments "to bring out natural brown tones".

The company says it ...

Google AI tool can help patients identify skin conditions

Google has unveiled a tool that uses artificial intelligence to help spot skin, hair and nail conditions, based on images uploaded by patients.

A trial of the "dermatology assist tool", unveiled at the tech giant's annual developer conference, Google IO, should launch later this year, it said.

The app has been awarded a CE mark for use as a medical tool in Europe.

A cancer expert said AI advances could enable doctors to provide more tailored treatment to patients.

The AI can recognise 288 skin conditions but is not designed to be a substitute for me ...

Why is Huawei still in the UK?

It's not just the unseasonally cold weather that's creating a somewhat chilly climate for Huawei's UK operations.

It's been banned from the UK's 5G infrastructure and it faces ongoing scrutiny from the National Cyber Security Centre over its security practices, and whether it has links with the Chinese government, which it denies.

On a consumer level, its handset sales have plummeted all over Europe since the US introduced a trade ban, which makes them incompatible with essential Google apps, including Gmail, Google Maps and the Play Store.

And yet while you or I mig ...

Four men arrested in anti-Semitism video investigation

Police have arrested four men in connection with a video which appeared to show anti-Semitic abuse being shouted from a car in north London.

Boris Johnson earlier condemned the "shameful racism" aimed at British Jews, which had "no place" in society.

The person who filmed the video told the BBC they cried after witnessing the scene, adding: "I don't feel safe."

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the incident was "utterly disgusting", adding: "There must be consequences".

It comes amid rising tension between I ...

Cyber attack 'most significant on Irish state'

A cyber attack on Irish health service computer systems is "possibly the most significant cybercrime attack on the Irish state", a minister has said.

Speaking on broadcaster RTÉ, Ossian Smyth said the attack "goes right to the core of the [health] system".

However, he also said that it was "not espionage".

Taoiseach (Irish PM) Micheál Martin said that he had consulted with cyber security experts and that the state would not be paying a ransom.

He said it would "take some days" to assess its impact.

"What's ...

Reminders on rise as WhatsApp update deadline looms

Users yet to accept new terms and conditions for the messaging platform WhatsApp will now receive "persistent" reminders ahead of the 15 May deadline.

The changes relate primarily to the way businesses interact with customers.

Since they were announced, in January, there has been concern about the prospect of increased data sharing with WhatsApp's parent company, Facebook, but this will not be changing.

And most of the app's two billion users had already accepted, the company said.

Those who do not will start to lose functionality - beginning with b ...

Tesla will no longer accept bitcoin over climate concerns, says Musk

Tesla has suspended vehicle purchases using bitcoin due to climate change concerns, its CEO Elon Musk said in a tweet.

Bitcoin fell by more than 10% after the tweet, while Tesla shares also dipped.

Tesla's announcement in March that it would accept the cryptocurrency was met with an outcry from some environmentalists and investors.

The electric carmaker had in February revealed it had bought $1.5bn (£1bn) of the world's biggest digital currency.

Elon Musk's SpaceX to launch dogecoin moon mission
Bitcoin could derail China's climate change targets
...

NHS app ready to become vaccine passport next week

England’s NHS app will be available to use as a vaccine passport from Monday, the government has said - but only for those who have had both doses of the jab.

A paper version will also be available - by calling 119 but not through a GP.

Both will be available from Monday, 17 May, when the ban on foreign travel is eased.

The NHS app is separate to the NHS Covid-19 app, which is used for contact tracing.

People can already use the NHS app to:

request repeat prescriptions
arrange appointments to see their doctor
view medical records
...

Tesla crash: Autopilot was off, says preliminary report

The autopilot function on a Tesla car involved in a fatal crash in Texas in April was "not available" at the time, according to a preliminary report.

Police said one victim was found in the front passenger seat, the other in the back after it crashed and caught fire.

The early findings suggest the car's autopilot was "not available" on the road where the accident happened.

But cruise-control could have been in operation, the National Transportation Safety Board said.

Police said there was nobody in the driving seat when the vehicle, which ...

Colonial hack: How did cyber-attackers shut off pipeline?

Investigators at the largest fuel pipeline in the US are working to recover from a devastating cyber-attack that cut the flow of oil.

The hack on Colonial Pipeline is being seen as one of the most significant attacks on critical national infrastructure in history.

The pipeline transports nearly half of the east coast's fuel supplies and prices at pumps are expected to rise if the outage is long lasting.

How can a pipeline be hacked?
For many people, the image of the oil industry is one of pipes, pumps and greasy black liquid.

In truth, the type of mode ...

Colonial hack: How did cyber-attackers shut off pipeline?

Investigators at the largest fuel pipeline in the US are working to recover from a devastating cyber-attack that cut the flow of oil.

The hack on Colonial Pipeline is being seen as one of the most significant attacks on critical national infrastructure in history.

The pipeline transports nearly half of the east coast's fuel supplies and prices at pumps are expected to rise if the outage is long lasting.

How can a pipeline be hacked?
For many people, the image of the oil industry is one of pipes, pumps and greasy black liquid.

In truth, the type of mode ...

Biden declares state of emergency over fuel cyber-attack

The US government declared a state of emergency on Sunday after the largest fuel pipeline in the US was hit by a ransomware cyber-attack.

The Colonial Pipeline carries 2.5 million barrels a day - 45% of the East Coast's supply of diesel, gasoline and jet fuel.

It was completely knocked offline by a cyber-criminal gang on Friday and is still working to restore service.

The emergency status enables fuel to be transported by road.

Experts say fuel prices are likely to rise 2-3% on Monday, but the impact will be far worse if it goes on for much longer.

Mu ...

TripAdvisor sorry for Auschwitz review error

Review platform TripAdvisor has apologised after initially opting to leave up an offensive review of the Auschwitz Museum in Poland.

The review has now been deleted and the poster banned, it said, blaming a screening "failure".

The museum complained about the post, in which the reviewer joked about bringing a baby to the gas chambers of the death camp.

The post also flippantly described the experience as "fun for the family".

The Auschwitz Museum said that when it contacted TripAdvisor, it was initially informed that the posting fell withi ...

IBM 2nm chip breakthrough claims more power with less energy

IBM says it has made a significant breakthrough in computer processors by creating a 2nm chip in its test lab.

The process used to make computer chips is measured in nanometres (nm) - with a lower number usually signifying a leap forward.

IBM claims its test chip can improve performance by 45% over current 7nm commercially available products.

It is also more energy efficient - using 75% less energy to match current performance, IBM said.

It claims the tech could "quadruple" mobile phone battery life, and phones might only need to be charged every fo ...

Facebook's Trump ban upheld by Oversight Board for now

Donald Trump's ban from Facebook and Instagram has been upheld by Facebook's Oversight Board.

But it criticised the permanent nature of the ban as beyond the scope of Facebook's normal penalties.

It has ordered Facebook to review the decision and "justify a proportionate response" that is applied to everyone, including ordinary users.

The former president was banned from both sites in January following the Capitol Hill riots.

The Oversight Board said the initial decision to permanently suspend Mr Trump was "indeterminate and standardless", ...

Tim Cook warns of Apple product shortages

Apple has warned of potential product shortages later in the year.

A computer-chip shortage has been accelerated primarily by pandemic-driven disruptions over the past year.

Industries around the world are struggling to meet a surge in demand for products such as cars, high-tech gadgets and smartphones.

And Apple chief executive Tim Cook says supply issues could affect products that feature its own M1 chip, which include the new iPad Pro and iMac 2021.

The shortage could threaten Apple's profits, which it revealed on Wednesday were up 54% year-on-year.

< ...

Facebook: Smoking and alcohol ads 'target Australian children'

Facebook approved adverts targeting teenage children interested in gambling, smoking and extreme weight loss, a report says.

Research by the lobby group Reset Australia created a Facebook page under the name Ozzie News Network to explore the advertising options.

And it was able to create targeted ads, based on profiling by the technology giant, for as little as A$3 (£2.16).

Facebook told BBC News it reviewed each ad before and after publication.

'Digital threats'
“Keeping young people safe across Facebook and Instagram is vital,” a spokesman said.

...

Cyber-attack hackers threaten to share US police informant data

Washington DC's Metropolitan Police Department has said its computer network has been breached in a targeted cyber-attack, US media report.

A ransomware group called Babuk is reportedly threatening to release sensitive data on police informants if it is not contacted within three days.

The FBI is investigating the extent of the breach, US media reported, citing the Washington DC police department.

Ransomware is used to scramble computer networks and steal information.

Attackers target companies or organisations and can lock their systems, then demand large su ...

Facebook and Google 'failed to remove scam adverts'

Facebook and Google failed to remove online scam adverts after fraud victims reported them, according to consumer watchdog Which?

Google had failed to remove 34% of the scam adverts reported to it, compared with 26% at Facebook, the study indicated.

Both companies said they removed fraudulent adverts, which are banned on their platforms.

But Which? said a more proactive approach was needed.

The report also found:

15% of those surveyed had fallen victim to a scam advert and reported it
of these, 27% had been on Facebook and 19% on Google
...

Facebook v Apple: The ad tracking row heats up

A new feature is being introduced to iPhones and iPads this week which is causing a huge rift between Apple and Facebook.

It will allow device users to say no to having their data collected by any app.

Facebook has been put in a spin by this because user data - and the advertising it can generate - is what makes the company so profitable. This update could deal a severe blow to its business model.

What's it about?
The row focuses on a unique device identifier on every iPhone and iPad, called the IDFA (identifier for advertisers). Companies which sell mobile ad ...

Tesla's Autopilot 'tricked' to operate without driver

The Autopilot feature in Tesla vehicles can be tricked into operating without a driver, an influential consumer magazine in the US has found.

Consumer Reports engineers looked into claims that Autopilot can operate without a driver present.

They tested the Model Y on a closed track and concluded the system could be "easily tricked".

It comes days after a fatal Tesla crash in Texas. Police believe no one was in the driver's seat.

Tesla's Autopilot is an advanced driver assistance system that Tesla says "enhances safety and convenience behind the ...

Tesla's Autopilot 'tricked' to operate without driver

The Autopilot feature in Tesla vehicles can be tricked into operating without a driver, an influential consumer magazine in the US has found.

Consumer Reports engineers looked into claims that Autopilot can operate without a driver present.

They tested the Model Y on a closed track and concluded the system could be "easily tricked".

It comes days after a fatal Tesla crash in Texas. Police believe no one was in the driver's seat.

Tesla's Autopilot is an advanced driver assistance system that Tesla says "enhances safety and convenience behind the ...

Google and Apple attacked on app store 'monopoly'

Senators have grilled Apple and Google in Washington over "anti-competitive" behaviour related to their app stores.

Representatives from Tile, Spotify and Match also gave evidence, accusing the two tech firms of charging exorbitant fees and copying their ideas.

Both Apple and Google's app stores charge fees of up to 30% for in-app purchases.

The two companies said the fees were justified to provide security for users.

The Senate Judiciary Committee's antitrust panel focussed on claims that Apple's App Store and Google's Google Play are anti-competit ...

Apple event: AirTag, iPad and iMac lead line-up

Apple has shown off its latest product line-up in its first big event of 2021.

The firm is increasing the number of products which will contain its own in-house developed M1 chip, as the sector struggles with a global semiconductor shortage.

It finally unveiled its much-anticipated tracker tile, the AirTag, which will launch at the end of April.

And it announced its first significant update to the iconic iMac desktop computer in recent years.

It also showcased a new iPad Pro, complete with M1 chip and 5G connectivity.

What was not discussed, but was l ...

Are Apple and others' tech launches a better watch because of Covid?

"Developers, developers, developers, developers, developers."

In 2000, footage of a sweaty, high energy Steve Ballmer, the then chief executive of Microsoft, became a viral hit after he walked on stage and shouted the same word over and over again.

It was one of many moments over the last 30 years of a live tech event throwing up a must-see moment.

But recently, tech fans have been starved of live launches because of the Covid pandemic.

The keynote speeches, the long demos popularised by Apple's Steve Jobs, among other tech luminaries, have all but ...

Priti Patel: Facebook encryption plan ‘must not not hamper child protection’

Facebook's plans to roll out encryption across its messaging services could jeopardise ongoing work to combat child abuse, the Home Secretary is to warn.

Such encryption means only the sender and recipient can read messages.

"We cannot allow a situation where law enforcement's ability to tackle abhorrent criminal acts and protect victims is severely hampered," Priti Patel will tell a charity-hosted event.

Facebook says its plans for wider encryption protects users' privacy.

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), whic ...

Facebook board delays decision about Trump's possible return

Facebook's Oversight Board has delayed its decision regarding former US President Donald Trump's possible return to Facebook and Instagram.

Mr Trump was banned from Facebook in January after the Capitol Hill riots.

The Board said the delay was due to the time it has taken to review over 9,000 public responses to cases.

A decision was originally due by 21 April. In a statement on Twitter, the Board said it would make a decision "in the coming weeks".

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
View original tweet on Twitter...

Google Earth time-lapse feature winds clock back 37 years

Google Earth has launched a time-lapse feature that lets users wind back the clock and see how the world has changed over several decades.

The feature uses millions of satellite images from the past 37 years to let people scroll through time.

It allows people to see, for example, the retreat of glaciers alongside global warming, or the deforestation of the Amazon over time.

The company says it is the biggest update to Google Earth in four years.

Google Earth uses similar technology to the widely used Maps product, but is more focused on geology and exploratio ...

Omegle: 'I'm being used as sex-baiting bot' on video chat site

Warning: this story contains disturbing adult themes.

Michael was 14 when he first went on to the video chat site Omegle.

He'd heard about it at school and was intrigued by its notorious reputation for unpredictable and weird encounters.

Within a few hours of being paired at random with strangers, he says he was linked up with an older woman who persuaded him to show her his penis.

"I'm not sure if she was an adult or not, but she was definitely older than me," he says.

"I can remember her asking if I wanted to see her naked. She invite ...

Estate agent's hi-tech house tour exposes personal data

An estate agent has apologised after a 3D tour of a house for sale in Devon was published with a substantial amount of personal information visible.

Financial paperwork in the study could be read by zooming in on the image.

It included a shares dividend cheque, an insurance policy document and an invoice for a stairlift. Some family photos had also been left unblurred.

Fowlers estate agent said the private data in the virtual tour had "slipped past" its staff and the home owner.

The house was available on the property platform Rightmove, and appears ...

Users can appeal Facebook's editorial decisions

Facebook's Oversight Board is to begin reviewing content which has been allowed to remain on the platform despite requests to remove it.

Previously the board only heard appeals from users about content they felt had been unfairly removed - or referrals which came from Facebook itself.

The board has the power to overrule Facebook's original content decisions.

Its 20 members include former Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt and ex-Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger.

Anyone can submit content to the board for re-review, providing it has been reported to F ...

Microsoft makes $20bn bet on speech AI firm Nuance

Microsoft Corp plans to buy a tech firm known for helping to develop Apple's Siri speech recognition software in a deal valued at $19.7bn (£13.3bn).

The purchase of Nuance Communications is the second largest in Microsoft's history, after its acquisition of networking site LinkedIn in 2016.

Microsoft said it would bolster its software and artificial intelligence expertise for healthcare companies.

So-called "telehealth" and remote doctor visits have boomed in lockdown.

This growth is forecast to continue after the pandemic.

"Nuance prov ...

Environment takes centre stage at London games festival

The Now Play This festival was a virtual event this year with a focus on games which looked at the environmental issues the world is facing.

Games included exploring a deserted Venice in the year 2089 and creating and maintaining a lake and the ecosystem around it, Cristina Criddle found out more for BBC Click.

Elon Musk's Neuralink 'shows monkey playing Pong with mind'

Neuralink, Elon Musk's computer to brain interface firm, has released a video it claims shows a monkey playing the video game Pong with its mind.

Its brain signals were sent wirelessly via an implanted device.

The hope is that the interface could eventually allow people with neurological conditions to control phones or computers remotely.

One expert said the fact no wires were used represented "significant progress", but more data was needed.

The macaque monkey, named Pager, was first taught to play the video game with a joystick, and was rewarded w ...

Clubhouse: Is the audio app really worth $4bn?

Live-audio app Clubhouse is creating plenty of chatter - about itself.

Elon Musk, Oprah Winfrey, Kanye West, Demi Lovato and Mark Zuckerberg are among the celebrities to have popped up on the service. And you can find chats about everything from Bitcoin and Buddhism to relationships and R&B music on it.

Even so, the idea that this one-year-old app could be worth $4bn (£2.9bn) is startling.

It stems from a Bloomberg report saying the San Francisco-based start-up is seeking fresh funds at this level.

But it was only in January that venture capital fund Andr ...

The woman who took on Google and won

Everyone has their breaking point. And when it comes it can be a small thing, an incident that usually wouldn't matter.

Shannon Wait's moment was when her Google-issued water bottle broke. The data centre she worked in was hot, so she asked for another one. However, she says the Google subcontractor refused to give her one.

That moment sparked a chain reaction that led to an announcement last week. Google signed a statement saying the company's workers had the right to discuss pay and conditions with each other.

It might seem bizarre that even needed to be said.

...

Tool checks phone numbers from Facebook data breach

People can now enter their phone numbers into a website to see if they appeared in a recent Facebook data breach.

Details of more than 530 million people were leaked in a database online, largely consisting of mobile numbers.

People can use the Have I Been Pwned online tool to check if their numbers or emails were compromised.

Facebook says the data is from an “old” breach in 2019 but privacy watchdogs are now investigating.

The data
Facebook said it had "found and fixed" the breach more than a year-and-a-half ago.

But the information ...

Online porn websites promote 'sexually violent' videos

One in eight porn videos promoted to first-time users of the UK's leading adult sites are labelled with text describing sexually violent acts, according to a study.

It analysed titles and descriptions of 131,738 videos on Pornhub, XVideos and XHamster's launch pages.

One researcher said the prevalence of descriptions of rape, physical abuse and incest was "shocking".

The sites have challenged the study and said they remove illegal content.

The findings are published in the latest issue of The British Journal of Criminology.

The researchers i ...

Amazon v the union: The vote the online giant fears

Amazon workers in Bessemer, Alabama, have voted in a historic poll to decide whether they want to be represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.

The results are not expected until next week - but if they say yes, it will become Amazon's first US union.

Amazon argues its wages and benefits are industry-beating and has gone into battle to persuade workers to vote no.

Most agree the outcome could have major implications for US labour laws.

'Fake' Amazon workers defend company on Twitter
Amazon withdraws job adverts for union 'spies'...

Huawei’s business damaged by US sanctions despite success at home

Chinese telecoms giant Huawei has admitted that sanctions imposed on it by the US in 2019 have had a major impact on its mobile phone business.

The US took action amid claims that the company posed a security risk and last July, the UK said it would exclude the company from building its 5G network.

Growth elsewhere in the company meant that it did make a profit overall.

But chairman Ken Hu, referring to the impact of the sanctions, told the BBC: "It has caused a lot of damage to us."

Mr Hu, speaking at the launch of Huawei's 2020 report, called for ...

'Fake' Amazon workers defend company on Twitter

‘Fake' accounts claiming to be Amazon workers have been praising their working conditions on Twitter.

Votes are currently being counted in Alabama to decide whether Amazon warehouse workers will form a union.

But last night, a series of anti-union tweets were sent from accounts claiming to be staff.

Twitter has now suspended many of the accounts, and Amazon has confirmed at least one is fake.

Most of the accounts were made just a few days ago, often with only a few tweets, all related to Amazon.

“What bothers me most about unions is there’s no ability ...

Facebook undersea cable to boost South East Asia internet

Facebook and Google are planning two new undersea internet cables to connect South East Asia to North America.

The project with regional telecoms companies aims to supply faster internet to Singapore and Indonesia.

This comes after Facebook withdrew three projects to connect the US to Hong Kong with similar cables, following government concerns over spying.

The cables require regulatory approval from the national governments involved.

“Named Echo and Bifrost, those will be the first two cables to go through a new diverse route crossing the Java Sea, and they ...

AI: Ghost workers demand to be seen and heard

Artificial intelligence and machine learning exist on the back of a lot of hard work from humans.

Alongside the scientists, there are thousands of low-paid workers whose job it is to classify and label data - the lifeblood of such systems.

But increasingly there are questions about whether these so-called ghost workers are being exploited.

As we train the machines to become more human, are we actually making the humans work more like machines?

And what role do these workers play in shaping the AI systems that are increasingly controlling every aspect of our l ...

Covid vaccine: Social media urged to remove 'disinfo dozen'

Facebook, Twitter and Google have been urged by a US lawmaker to ban a dozen people who it is claimed are spreading the vast majority of disinformation about Covid vaccinations.

Representative Mike Doyle made the call to remove their accounts during a US congressional session on how the three firms were dealing with fake news.

He challenged Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey and Sundar Pinchai to deplatform the dozen people immediately.

None have responded to the call so far.

Facebook said that it was looking into the matter to see if the accounts violated its comm ...

Google, Facebook Twitter grilled in US on fake news

Tech bosses Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai and Jack Dorsey are being grilled by US politicians over the proliferation of disinformation on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

This latest hearing is the first since the storming of the US Capitol.

Politicians believe that was a tipping point for greater regulation.

They have said they plan to change the legislation that protects online platforms from liability for content posted by third parties.

The session began in combative style with the chair Mike Doyle asking all three executives whether they felt they bore re ...

Intel chief Pat Gelsinger: Too many chips made in Asia

Intel's new chief executive has told the BBC it is not "palatable" that so many computer chips are made in Asia.

The majority of processors are currently manufactured in the region, with Taiwan's TSMC and South Korea's Samsung the dominant players.

US-based Intel plans to set up a new division to make chips for other companies based on their own designs.

Until now, its focus had been on manufacturing its own chips in its factories across the world.

Pat Gelsinger has said Intel will invest $20bn (£14.6bn) in two new fabrication plants in the US state ...

Donald Trump plans social media comeback, says adviser

Former US President Donald Trump will soon return to social media "with his own platform", his adviser has said.

"I do think that we're going to see President Trump returning to social media in probably about two or three months," Jason Miller told Fox News.

He said the platform "will be the hottest ticket in social media" and would "completely redefine the game".

Mr Trump was suspended from Twitter and Facebook after January's deadly riots at the US Capitol in Washington DC.

The attack on 6 January by Trump supporters ...

NHS boss's Twitter accounts hacked by PS5 scammers

NHS executive Helen Bevan had her two Twitter accounts, with nearly 140,000 followers, stolen by hackers and used to promote fake PlayStation 5 sales.

She now has the accounts back but has received dozens of messages from people who fell for the scam.

Ms Bevan also paid money to someone who said they could help - but they turned out to be a scammer too.

She said she wanted to highlight the importance of extra security measures.

NHS Horizons chief transformation officer Ms Bevan mistakenly thought she had activated two-factor authentication (2FA), which requir ...

Gigabit broadband: First areas to benefit announced

The government has announced the first stages of its plans to get superfast broadband to the majority of homes in the UK.

Originally it had promised to roll out gigabit-speed broadband to every home in Britain by 2025 but that was reduced to 85% coverage in November.

The budget remains at £5bn - but only £2.1bn of that will be made available up to 2024.

The infrastructure build should start in 2022, the government said.

The first to benefit will be homes and businesses in Cambridgeshire, Cornwall, Cumbria, Dorset, Durham, Essex, Northumberland, South Tyneside ...

Chip shortage: Samsung warns of 'serious imbalance'

Samsung, the world’s biggest computer-chip manufacturer, has warned of a “serious imbalance” in the semiconductor industry, as global shortages cause disruption.

It also said it might skip the launch of the next Galaxy Note smartphone, to streamline its lineup.

There are growing fears market shortages could slow economic recovery after coronavirus.

EU, US and Chinese governments are seeking to boost production.

“There’s a serious imbalance in supply and demand of chips in the IT sector globally,” Samsung's co-chief executive and mobile chief, Koh Dong-jin, sa ...

Technology and science move to the heart of UK security

National power will be defined not by the number of tanks and ships a country possesses but by its science and technology, and the quality of its algorithms.

That is the message of the UK's Integrated Review, which says the government's aim is for the country to become an innovation "superpower" by 2030.

"This will be essential in gaining economic, political and security advantages in the coming decade," it says.

It marks a major strategic shift in thinking. But delivery will not be straightforward.

US v China
A global tech race is ...

Bitcoin: Fake Elon Musk giveaway scam 'cost man £400,000'

Sebastian will always remember the moment he lost £407,000, with equal parts anger and shame.

The night leading up to it had been otherwise forgettable.

He and his wife watched a series on Netflix, before she went to bed and left him on the sofa messing about on his phone.

Then he received a Twitter notification with news from Elon Musk.

Sebastian told the BBC: "Musk tweeted, 'Dojo 4 Doge?' and I wondered what it meant.

"There was a link to a new event below, so I clicked on it and saw that he was giving away Bitcoin!"

Sebastian ...

Why the GameStop story is far from over

GameStop's shares slumped by 40% in 25 minutes on Wednesday, after a few days of frenetic growth.

Earlier that day the share price had soared to nearly $350 (£250) - 100 times more than this time last year.

What does this tell us?
One of the wildest stories of the year is still very much alive
Many amateur traders are still both making money - and getting hurt
Our understanding of what happened in late January, when GameStop's share price was making headlines around the world, remains incomplete
Why is it shocking?
In February, the prevaili ...

Why the GameStop story is far from over

GameStop's shares slumped by 40% in 25 minutes on Wednesday, after a few days of frenetic growth.

Earlier that day the share price had soared to nearly $350 (£250) - 100 times more than this time last year.

What does this tell us?
One of the wildest stories of the year is still very much alive
Many amateur traders are still both making money - and getting hurt
Our understanding of what happened in late January, when GameStop's share price was making headlines around the world, remains incomplete
Why is it shocking?
In February, the prevaili ...

Netflix considers crackdown on password sharing

Netflix is trialling a crackdown on password sharing.

Some users have reported seeing a screen saying, "If you don't live with the owner of this account, you need your own account to keep watching."

A spokesperson told the BBC: "This test is designed to help ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorised to do so."

A decision has yet to be made as to whether the company will roll this out across its network.

In the trial, users can verify they are allowed to access the account by a code, sent via text or email.

Netflix is ...

Facebook asks judge to throw out FTC anti-trust lawsuit

Facebook has asked a US judge to dismiss anti-trust charges levelled against the company.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and 45 other states sued Facebook for alleged anti-competitive behaviour in December.

The lawsuit requested the breaking up of the company, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp.

On Wednesday, Facebook described the complaint as "nonsensical" and asked the judge to throw the case out.

In a statement, Facebook said the case "ignores the reality of the dynamic, intensely competitive high-tech industry in which Facebook ope ...

EU seeks to supercharge computer chip production

The European Commission has set an ambitious target to boost production of cutting-edge computer chips by the end of the decade.

It wants 20% of such chips, in terms of value, to be manufactured within the EU by 2030. It was 10% in 2020.

The pledge comes at a time when supply has failed to meet demand, causing problems for car-makers and others.

Part of the challenge will be that the US and mainland China are also seeking to increase their own output.

At present, Taiwan's TSMC and South Korea's Samsung dominate, with the two companies being the only ones capa ...

Microsoft email server hacks put Biden in a bind

The scale of a hack on Microsoft Exchange is beginning to emerge, with tens of thousands of organisations potentially compromised.

The attack used previously unknown flaws in the email software - and sometimes stolen passwords - to steal data from targets' networks.

Microsoft says the attackers are "state-sponsored and operating out of China".

And while it initially thought the number of attacks had been "limited", it has since reported "increased use" of the tactics - probably because other hackers are piling in to take advantage of the ...

Why popular YouTubers are building their own sites

Whether he's showing off astronomically expensive computer gaming hardware or dumpster-diving for the cheapest PC builds possible, Linus Sebastian's videos always strike a chord, and have made him one of the most popular tech personalities on YouTube.

But Google-owned YouTube gets most episodes of Linus Tech Tips a week late.

Now, they debut on his own site called Floatplane, which attracts a much smaller crowd.

"Google has been very, very good to me," Linus says. "But it's a lot of eggs in one basket."

And with a staff of two dozen, he ca ...

Why popular YouTubers are building their own sites

Whether he's showing off astronomically expensive computer gaming hardware or dumpster-diving for the cheapest PC builds possible, Linus Sebastian's videos always strike a chord, and have made him one of the most popular tech personalities on YouTube.

But Google-owned YouTube gets most episodes of Linus Tech Tips a week late.

Now, they debut on his own site called Floatplane, which attracts a much smaller crowd.

"Google has been very, very good to me," Linus says. "But it's a lot of eggs in one basket."

And with a staff of two dozen, he ca ...

Tech Tent: The new 'space race' for computer chips

Silicon chips are at the heart of many of the biggest technology stories of our time.

Without them, car plants around the world have come to a halt. The technology to make them is now seen by the United States as a key weapon in its trade war with China. And access to the latest and most-powerful versions will determine who wins the artificial intelligence race.

In this week's Tech Tent podcast, we look at the semiconductor industry and try to answer five important questions about chips.

What's behind the current shortages?
From Ford and General Motors in the ...

YouTube to lift Trump ban if violence threat falls, says CEO

YouTube's chief executive has said the platform may lift Donald Trump's suspension, if the threat of "real-world violence" decreases.

Susan Wojcicki said the company will look at government warnings and violent rhetoric to determine when it's safe to lift the suspension.

Following the Capitol Hill riot on 6 January that left five dead, Mr Trump's account was suspended.

YouTube said he had violated their incitement of violence policy.

"It's pretty clear that right now where we stand, that there still is that elevated risk of violence," the ...

Reddit chief: I was late to spot GameStop stock mania

Reddit boss Steve Huffman has told BBC News he supported the aims of controversial sub-Reddit WallStreetBets.

A long-time fan of the group, he said he had been slow in spotting its effect on GameStop's huge share-price spike in January.

"I was actually a little late to the party, because I didn't realise that Reddit had leaked into the real world again", he said.

GameStop's share price ended up reaching nearly $500 (£350) before falling.

WallStreetBets had been hyping up the computer-game retailer's shares.

The idea was if enough Reddit user ...

Contraception app Natural Cycles swipes at new rival from Clue

Natural Cycles, the first app to be cleared by US regulators for use as a contraceptive, has criticised the approval of a new birth control service from period tracker app Clue.

Natural Cycles knocked Clue's product for relying purely on period dates and also said its approval process had not been as thorough.

But Clue said the regulator had determined its digital Birth Control service was "safe and effective".

It is due to launch in the US in 2021.

The idea behind both apps is that they offer an alternative to traditional forms of contraception, an ...

Biden urged to back AI weapons to counter China and Russia threats

The US and its allies should reject calls for a global ban on AI-powered autonomous weapons systems, according to an official report commissioned for the American President and Congress.

It says that artificial intelligence will "compress decision time frames" and require military responses humans cannot make quickly enough alone.

And it warns Russia and China would be unlikely to keep to any such treaty.

But critics claim the proposals risk driving an "irresponsible" arms race.

"This is a shocking and frightening report that could le ...

MyHeritage offers 'creepy' deepfake tool to reanimate dead

Genealogy site MyHeritage has introduced a tool which uses deepfake technology to animate the faces in photographs of dead relatives.

Called DeepNostalgia, the firm acknowledged that some people might find the feature "creepy" while others would consider it "magical".

It said it did not include speech to avoid the creation of "deepfake people".

It comes as the UK government considers legislation on deepfake technology.

How do deepfakes work?
Deepfake Queen to deliver Channel 4 Christmas message
The Law Commission is ...

Bitcoin energy use 'bigger than most countries'

We've all heard the stories of Bitcoin millionaires.

Elon Musk is the latest.

His electric car company Tesla made a paper profit of more than $900m (£646m) after buying $1.5bn (£1bn) -worth of the cryptocurrency in early February.

Its high profile support helped pushed the price of a single Bitcoin to more than $58,000.

But it isn't just the digital asset's price that has hit an all-time high. So has its energy footprint.

And that's caused blowback for Mr Musk, as the scale of the currency's environmental impact becomes clearer.

It also helped ...

Amazon rainforest plots sold via Facebook Marketplace ads

Parts of Brazil's Amazon rainforest are being illegally being sold on Facebook, the BBC has discovered.

The protected areas include national forests and land reserved for indigenous peoples.

Some of the plots listed via Facebook's classified ads service are as large as 1,000 football pitches.

Facebook said it was "ready to work with local authorities", but indicated it would not take independent action of its own to halt the trade.

"Our commerce policies require buyers and sellers to comply with laws and regulations," the Californian tech ...

Spot: Boston Dynamics condemns robot paintball rampage plan

A US art installation that will let people control a paintballing robot in a mock art gallery has been condemned by the firm that made the robo-dog.

Boston Dynamics criticised the project, calling it a "provocative use" of its quadruped robot, Spot.

It warned that if the "spectacle" goes ahead, Spot's warranty might be voided, meaning it could not be updated.

The group behind it, MSCHF, argues that Spot or robots like it will probably be used for military applications.

The group is known for creating viral stunts, stories and products.

...

Google-linked smart city plan ditched in Portland

A smart city project started by Google's sister firm Sidewalk Labs to track mobility patterns in the US city of Portland has been shelved.

Last year, Sidewalk also ditched an ambitious project to build a digital city in Toronto, following controversy about the scale of its plans.

Portland confirmed the project would no longer go ahead.

Sidewalk said the scheme had most recently been in the hands of a spin-off company, Replica.

Replica told the BBC it was unwilling to share data to the level of detail requested by the city.

"At Replica, we believe ...

Huawei Mate X2 folding phone unveiled despite chip supply worries

Huawei has unveiled a revamped foldable smartphone, which it says has a much smaller internal gap when closed than that of its main rival Samsung.

The Mate X2 marks a major redesign for the Chinese firm. When shut, the large display is now hidden inside the device rather than exposed over its exterior, as was the case with past generations.

But its price - about £2,000 ($2,800) - is likely to limit demand.

And US trade bans also threaten the firm's ability to produce them.

The company's consumer devices chief acknowledged the challenges it faced in his openin ...

Margaret Mitchell: Google fires AI ethics founder

Google has fired the founder and co-head of its artificial intelligence ethics unit, claiming she violated the company's code of conduct.

In a statement, Google said an investigation found Margaret Mitchell had moved files outside the company.

The ethics unit has been under scrutiny since December, following the departure of another senior figure, Timnit Gebru.

Both women had campaigned for more diversity at Google and raised concerns about censorship within the company.

Dr Mitchell announced the news in a tweet, which read "I'm fired".

For ...

Clubhouse downloads double in two weeks, analytics firm says

Audio chat app Clubhouse has doubled its download numbers in just over two weeks, according to download estimates by one analytics firm.

App Annie reports that the app saw global downloads grow from 3.5 million to 8.1 million between 1 and 16 February.

The invite-only app has surged in popularity amid appearances by some high-profile celebrities.

But that popularity has also seen the firm attract significant criticism.

Experts highlighted that data from the app is sometimes routed through Chinese servers - even if users are in the United States or other count ...

Nvidia limits crypto-mining on new graphics card

Graphics card-maker Nvidia says it will deliberately reduce the efficiency of its latest card by 50% when it is used to mine the crypto-currency Ethereum.

Crypto-currency enthusiasts have contributed to a shortage of graphics cards by snapping up supplies to use for non-gaming purposes.

Nvidia said it had intervened to make sure its products "end up in the hands of gamers".

But it will also sell a bespoke crypto-currency mining processor.

What is the issue?
Graphics cards (GPUs) are a crucial component of a gaming PC.

A modern card ca ...

'Most healthcare apps not up to NHS standards'

A firm which reviews healthcare apps for several NHS trusts says 80% of them do not meet its standards.

Failings include poor information, lack of security updates and insufficient awareness of regulatory requirements, said Orcha chief executive Liz Ashall-Payne.

The firm's reviews help determine whether an app should be recommended to patients by NHS staff.

There are about 370,000 health-related apps available online, Orcha said.

App developers can categorise their apps themselves and the ones reviewed by the firm include those tagged health, fitness and med ...

Chinese users flock to Clubhouse amid soaring popularity

Audio-only social network iPhone app Clubhouse has seen an explosion of new users in the last week, including Chinese people discussing politics.

According to mobile analytics firm Sensor Tower, the app was downloaded 2.3 million times by 31 January.

The chat app is free, but currently invite-only.

However, Chinese users are paying up to $77 (£56) for invitations from e-commerce sites, according to the FT.

Clubhouse was launched in May and valued at almost $100m. The app allows users to join and participate in pop-up public or private audio chatrooms.

...

How will 'chipageddon' affect you?

For the most part they go unseen but computer chips are at the heart of all the digital products that surround us - and when supplies run short, it can halt manufacturing.

There was a hint of the problem last year when gamers struggled to buy new graphics cards, Apple had to stagger the release of its iPhones, and the latest Xbox and PlayStation consoles came nowhere close to meeting demand.

Then, just before Christmas, it emerged the resurgent car industry was facing what one insider called "chipageddon".

New cars often include more than 100 microprocessor ...

Broadband switching should be less 'hassle', says Ofcom

People who want to swap broadband providers should be able to do so more simply, regulator Ofcom has said.

It follows its own research suggesting 40% of people are put off switching because it is considered too complex.

Under its proposals, customers would just contact their chosen new provider and the switch would happen automatically.

There is currently a mismatch between the number of superfast connections available and those taking them up.

Fibre broadband: The cost of delivering in rural areas
One in four UK homes can access 1Gbps broadband
...

Apple Face ID to work for mask wearers

The next update to the iPhone operating system will let owners use a face scan to unlock their handsets even when wearing a mask - but there is one big caveat.

At present, trying to use the Face ID feature with part of the face covered triggers a screen asking users to type in their passcode, which many find frustrating.

The iOS 14.5 upgrade should solve that.

But users also need to be wearing one of Apple's more recent smartwatches.

A Watch Series 3 or later, which the user must have earlier unlocked, is required, to provide an extra level of security to mak ...

GameStop investor battle moves on to silver as prices surge

Silver prices have hit an a eight-year high after calls to buy the metal on social media sparked a trading frenzy.

It comes a week after amateur investors piled into shares in the games retailer GameStop, causing them to jump 700%.

On Monday silver rose by as much as 11% to $30 an ounce, while shares in some mining firms were up as much as 60%.

Small time traders swapping tips on Reddit are thought to be behind the trend, as they seek to drive prices up.

However, some users of the site dispute this, alleging the "Silver Squeeze" is secretly being co ...

Google halts Play Store 'review bombing' by GameStop traders

Google has removed a wave of negative reviews of popular stock-market trading apps targeted by furious investors.

Platforms such as Robinhood have been hit after preventing independent traders buying GameStop and AMC shares.

Users of a Reddit message board had managed to upset the market by buying the shares and inflating their value, hitting established hedge funds.

Many online traders, feeling betrayed by Robinhood's restrictions, have hit back with critical reviews of the app.

Google has removed tens of thousands of one-star reviews for the widely-used tra ...

Joe Biden's tech - what can the president use?

You might think the world's most powerful man would have access to any gadget he chooses - but when it comes consumer tech, Joe Biden may be sorely disappointed.

The electronic devices around the US president are perhaps the most prominent hacking targets in the world.

"The odds are zero, that [Russia] aren't targeting world leaders," Harvard Kennedy School lecturer Bruce Schneier says.

Back in the 2000s, this wasn't such a big problem - the only personal devices that could be hacked were computers and non-smart mobile phones.

And why would the pres ...

Facebook's Oversight Board orders takedowns restored

Facebook's Oversight Board has made its first rulings about content, deciding four out of five of the removed posts referred to it have to be restored.

The board was set up to hear appeals from users about content they felt had been unfairly taken down - as well as cases referred by Facebook itself.

The five posts covered a range of issues, including hate speech, nudity, misinformation and violence.

The takedown the panel upheld was for a "demeaning slur" against Azerbaijanis.

This post had been correctly removed for using a term of disdain "me ...

Apple Christmas sales surge to $111bn amid pandemic

Apple sales have hit another record, as families loaded up on the firm's latest phones, laptops and gadgets during the Christmas period.

Sales in the last three months of 2020 hit more than $111bn (£81bn) - up 21% from the prior year.

The gains come as the pandemic pushes more activity online, fuelling demand for new technology.

Apple now counts more than 1.65 billion active devices globally, including more than 1 billion iPhones.

Apple's gains follow the release of its new iPhone 12 suite of phones, which executives said had convinced a record number of peop ...

Beware fake Covid vaccination invites, NHS warns

The NHS has warned people to be vigilant about fake invitations to have the coronavirus vaccination, sent by scammers.

The scam email includes a link to "register" for the vaccine, but no registration for the real vaccination is required.

The fake site also asks for bank details either to verify identification or to make a payment.

The NHS says it would never ask for bank details, and the vaccine is free.

Cyber-security consultant Daniel Card told BBC News that traffic data indicates thousands of people had clicked the link to the fake site - althou ...

Twitter pilot to let users flag 'false' content

Twitter is asking its users for help in combating fake news.

It has announced a pilot that allows people to submit notes on tweets that may be false or misleading.

The initiative, named 'Birdwatch', is being trialled among a small group in the US initially. The firm acknowledged the new system would have to be "resistant to manipulation attempts".

Companies like Twitter are looking at how they can better moderate their platforms.

Twitter said on Monday: "We know this might be messy and have problems at times, but we believe this is a model wort ...

Zuckerberg's Biden problem

Before the Cambridge Analytica story had broken. Before Facebook's acknowledgement that its platform had been used to help incite ethnic cleansing in Myanmar. Before the WhatsApp lynchings in India. Before QAnon and the Proud Boys - Mark Zuckerberg had the world at his feet.

So much so in fact, that at the start of 2017 he decided to tour America.

In a Facebook post, he said he wished to "talk to more people about how they're living, working and thinking about the future".

His goal was to speak to people in all 50 states - to get out and engage with real Am ...

Cyber criminals publish more than 4,000 stolen Sepa files

Cyber criminals who stole thousands of digital files belonging to environmental regulator Sepa have published them on the internet.

The public body had about 1.2GB of data stolen from its digital systems on Christmas Eve.

Sepa rejected a ransom demand for the attack, which has been claimed by the international Conti ransomware group.

Contracts, strategy documents and databases are among the 4,000 files released.

The data has been put on the dark web - a part of the internet associated with criminality and only accessible through specialised software.

...

Covid-19: Amazon offers to help with US vaccine delivery

Amazon has offered to help distribute Covid-19 vaccines in the US, in a letter to new president Joe Biden.

The letter, penned by the firm's chief executive Dave Clark, said that the e-commerce giant stood "ready to assist you in this effort".

Amazon has come in for criticism about its handling of the pandemic, with some staff claiming conditions in its warehouses were not safe.

But it is also asking for vaccines for its workers to be prioritised.

The firm has signed an agreement with an unnamed healthcare provider to administer vaccines on site at i ...

PS5: Restock of new PlayStations causes chaos online

New stock of the PlayStation 5 console has led to thousands of gamers waiting in virtual queues online.

More than 160,000 people were trying to access Currys PC World website at one point on Wednesday, which had only a limited supply.

The recommended retail price starts at £449 - but eBay bids are currently running to thousands of pounds.

Experts said a rise in bots buying consoles added to the high demand had led to technical difficulties.

Sold out
PlayStation said the demand was unprecedented.

On Wednesday morning, a message on the Currys PC ...

Laptop of the Year: Honor MagicBook 14

There has been some fierce competition for the coveted spot of Tech Advisor's laptop of the year. But in the end, it came down to the best balance of features and cost – and no device does it better than the Honor MagicBook 14, which comes in at the very affordable price of £549.99.

The original MagicBook 14 was launched at the beginning of the year, and was the company’s first big step into the Western laptop market. Later in the year we also saw a re-released version with some upgraded specs and a few minor tweaks to justify its slightly higher £669 price tag.

Both generat ...

Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro camera faces serious problems and looks like a hardware issue

While we are waiting for the full review to come out (or maybe check out the existing review of the not-so-different Xiaomi Mi 10T), it would be a good idea to take a closer look at what seems to be one of the major flaws of the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro. Before moving on, I have to highlight that this is my personal experience with a handset that I purchased and it could be a hardware problem that only affects my unit or a certain batch.

In most cases, mobile phone photography tests involve night shots of various buildings and landscapes, without focusing on shots that involve a single lig ...

Nikon Z6 II review: A sensational second coming

During the spring of 2019 we spent weeks shooting with the Nikon Z6 around South Africa's wine region and pretty much fell head-over-heels for that superb full-frame camera.

So when Nikon announced its follow-up, the Z6 II, just 18 months after the original debuted, we wondered what more it could bring to the table. The answer is more processing power, for more speed in burst shooting, along with a wider buffer for capturing more shots consecutively, and dual card slots.

Don't think of the Z6 II as an upgraders camera, then, just think of it as the original enhanced for new ...

Dell's XPS 17 Proves Big-Screen Laptops Are Back, and They're Awesome

A few years back, a lot of major laptop makers began quietly paring down the number of 17-inch laptops they made (aside from monstrously large gaming rigs), with Apple and Dell dropping the 17-inch MacBook Pro and XPS 17 respectively. However, thanks to improvements like smaller bezels and improved energy efficiency, thin and light laptops with plus-sized screens and big performance are making a comeback.

After Apple re-envisioned its big-format laptop as the 16-inch MacBook Pro in 2019, Dell made a similar move by bringing back the XPS 17 this year. While the circumstances are diff ...

Razer Book 13 vs. Dell XPS 13 9310: Same CPU, Same Display, Big Differences

The Razer Book 13 and Dell XPS 13 are some of the sexiest 13-inch laptops in the market at the moment, but we're not here to talk about looks. Instead, we're going to try and compare them as objectively as we can to see which system comes out on top. After all, hard numbers are hard to argue against at the end of the day.

See our individual reviews on the Dell XPS 13 9310 and Razer Book 13 for more detailed information on each. Note that this comparison deals only between the two FHD configurations listed below as other SKUs have different CPU and display options.

Case

...

ASUS Announces the TUF Gaming VG289Q1A Gaming Monitor

ASUS has announced the TUF Gaming VG289Q1A Gaming monitor, which features a 28-inch screen size, a 4K resolution, and a maximum refresh rate of up to 60 Hz. These features make this monitor perfect for any gaming setup. ASUS has not announced any pricing for this gaming monitor or any availability information for the TUF Gaming VG289Q1A Gaming monitor.

The TUG Gaming VG289Q1A Gaming monitor offers a 4K resolution and a refresh rate of up to 60 Hz

The TUF Gaming VG289Q1A Gaming monitor features a resolution of 4K, or 3,840 x 2,160, which offers a large amount of screen space ...

Lenovo Yoga 7i Review: Premium Intel Evo Laptop On A Budget

As time goes on, Intel's 10-nanometer Tiger Lake processors will pounce on more laptop designs, given that it has only been a handful of weeks since the chip maker launched its latest mobile CPUs (which replace Ice Lake). Lenovo was quick out of the gate, however, and the company sent us an interesting sub-$1,000 Tiger Lake configuration from its rather plentiful 2-in-1 lineup. Specifically, the Lenovo Yoga 7i that arrived on our doorstep, and it's a flexible 14-inch convertible which is also the first to land in our lab armed with an 11th Gen Core i5-1135G7 processor in tow.

Our da ...

Blue Screen of Death returns! Windows 10 users' worst nightmare is back

Windows 10 fans are once again having to endure another problematic update release, in a Groundhog Day-style scenario that keeps on plaguing PC fans. This year has seen plenty of patches released by Microsoft that, while fixing some issues or adding new features, has also caused plenty of unintended knock-on effects. Only recently Windows 10 users saw the release of the October 2020 patch (one of the major landmark upgrades of the year) cause a slew of glitches such as driver compatibility issues.

While other patches released by Microsoft have caused a litany of problems, such as is ...

HP Omen 30L Review: A sleek 4K gaming tower with a modern design

When it comes to tower PCs, you have two camps: those who insist on the superiority of building your own and those who want something out of the box that works.

The new HP Omen 30L falls into the latter category, but HP, like other PC makers, borrows from the DIY crowd with success. Yes, it's a pre-made system, but its new one-button toolless entry, pre-wiring for expansion, and multiple RGB lighting zones make it feel a bit more custom.

I use the Omen Obelisk myself, so stepping up to the Omen 30L with new RTX 3080 graphics and 10th Gen Core i9 has me a bit jealous. And i ...

Intel NUC 11 Performance to arrive with up to a Core i7-1165G7 and in three chassis variants

Intel is supposedly due to announce the NUC 11 Performance this month, according to Fanless Tech. However, @9550pro has already revealed the full details of the device, and it has also been spotted on UserBenchmark. Intel will offer the NUC 11 Performance with a choice of three Tiger Lake processors, the leaked slide states, ranging from the Core i3-1115G4 to the Core i7-1165G7. All are 28 W processors and boost above 4 GHz. The Core i3 includes a lesser GPU though, with Xe Graphics reserved for the Core i5 and Core i7 SKUs.

Only the Core i7-1165G7 model has appeared on UserBenchmar ...

Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Review: AMD Does It Again

The Lenovo ThinkPad L14 is successor to last year’s 14-inch ThinkPad L490. During last year’s review, we noticed that neither the display nor the CPU performed particularly well despite what turned out to be an overall decent package. This year, for the first time in the history of Lenovo’s L-series, you can choose between an Intel and an AMD processor. Lenovo’s L-series sits right in-between the higher-quality T-series and the more affordable entry-level E-series and is aimed primarily at business users. Given that the L14 shares many of its exterior attributes with its predecessor we are ...

Windows 10 command line tool will help you keep track of all your storage

Microsoft has added a new built-in command line tool called DiskUsage to Insider builds of Windows 10 that reports how much disk space folders use.

As first reported by BleepingComputer, the news outlet discovered the new utility when testing Windows Insider builds 20277 and 21277. DiskUsage is capable of scanning entire drives or specified folders and reporting how much drive space each folder is using.

The utility is located in System 32 and is still in the early stages of development. Currently some features are now working as expected and there are even some spelling err ...

ASROCK B550 TAICHI RAZER EDITION REVIEW

Since the debut of ASRock’s Taichi brand, we’ve been fans of its quality blend of price, performance, and features. It’s also one of few sub brands that doesn’t go all in on a ‘gaming’ theme, which is something many people appreciate. I know I do. With the Razer influence, however, that’s changed somewhat here. The traditional yin/yang and cog machinery aesthetic has been left off with the release of the B550 Taichi Razer Edition. 

This reinvented ASRock Taichi board features a minimalist, yet unmistakably premium appearance that integrates Razer Chroma RGB support. It sure is a lov ...

AMD Ryzen 7 5800H CPU destroys predecessor and could worry Intel in leaked benchmark

A benchmark of AMD’s Ryzen 7 5800H has allegedly leaked on Geekbench, with some positive results. The benchmark was posted to Twitter by well-known leaker ASPIK (@TUM_APISAK) and can be compared against its predecessor, the Ryzen 7 4800H, and also the existing Comet Lake-H CPUs from Intel.

As ever, treat any leak with caution, but if this benchmark score is a genuine reflection of performance then the AMD Ryzen 7 5800H would be giving some serious competition to Intel's Tiger Lake-H family of high-end processors that will be launching in early 2021.

Trouble for Tiger Lake?...

Intel Debuts 'World's Fastest SSD,' the PCIe 4.0 Optane SSD P5800X

Intel is taking Optane to the next level with its SSD P5800X, which it bills as the fastest SSD in the world. The next-gen Optane SSD leverages the PCIe 4.0 interface, second-gen Optane media, and a new SSD controller to deliver truly astounding performance and endurance specifications.

Compared to the first-gen Optane DC P4800X, Intel says the 5800X offers an impressive 3X performance improvement in random read/write workloads, peaking at 1.5 million 4K random IOPS, and 3X more sequential performance at a peak of 7.2 GB/s. 

The drive also delivers up to 4.6 million IOPS in ...

New leaked Microsoft Surface Pro 8 details confirm memory configurations and LTE support

The Surface Pro 8 has already leaked plenty of times, but now Roland Quandt has revealed the memory configurations of Microsoft's upcoming 2-in-1. So far, we know that the design of the Surface Pro 8 will remain unchanged from its predecessor, which featured an outdated design itself. The Redmond-based company will switch the Surface Pro to Intel's Tiger Lake-U platform though, which should bring a healthy graphics boost for the Surface Pro 8 compared to the Surface Pro 7.

According to Quandt, LTE connectivity will return as of the Surface Pro 8, which is unsurprising. We suspect th ...

MSI RTX 3060 TI GAMING X TRIO REVIEW

While we all wish we could afford an Nvidia RTX 3090 or AMD RX 6900 XT, us rank and file PC gamers are more interested in more affordable and worldly options such as the RTX 3060 Ti. We've already checked out the Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition card here at PCG and were impressed by its generational performance uplift and general characteristics. 

There’s always room for improvement though, and we've come to expect that from the premium tier partner cards such as in the MSI RTX 3060 Ti Gaming X Trio card we have here. It’s an absolute monster of a card. Is it worth the premium o ...

Standard DDR5 memory speeds 'will surpass those of overclocked DDR4' when it arrives in 2021

The first consumer DDR5 memory kits will arrive in 2021, presumably just in time for Intel Alder Lake and AMD's Zen 4.

This year will come to a close without any consumer platforms supporting DDR5 memory modules, but next year will likely see at least two of them—Intel's Alder Lake and AMD's Zen 4 architectures. In preparation, Team Group says it has developed consumer-grade DDR5 memory, and claims it is the first to enter the validation phase with key motherboard partners.

They include all the big names, those being ASRock, Asus, Gigabyte, and MSI. Team Group says it has be ...

ASUS ROG ZEPHYRUS M15 GU502L GAMING LAPTOP REVIEW

Coming in at the middle of the Zephyrus gaming laptop line-up, the Asus ROG Zephyrus M15 GU502 packs an Intel Core i7 10750H and an Nvidia GTX 1660 Ti into its svelte form. This nifty combo affords some steady gaming performance, especially when you consider the relatively reasonable price point of $1,299 (£1,000). But for this price, I'd still expect a little more from its other features than what I actually got.

I will admit I genuinely gasped when taking the M15 from its packaging. As the box opens, the laptop pushes out to meet you like some fancy, overpriced pop-up book. It doe ...

Windows 10 taskbar change could be a problem for those who haven’t activated the OS

Windows 10 has witnessed a taskbar change which, if it stays in place – at the moment it’s just in testing – could have an impact on those who haven’t paid for their copy of the operating system, and haven’t yet activated it.

The plan is to take some of the options currently available when you right-click the taskbar, and move them into the taskbar category under the Settings app (in personalization).

As Windows Latest reports, in fresh preview builds of Windows 10, Microsoft is experimenting with moving some options to the Settings app, including the ability to show or hide ...

MSI Prestige 14 Evo laptop review: Intel is catching up

If you're looking for both a powerful and compact business laptop for mobile use in the price range between 1,000 and 1,500 Euros (~$1,213 and ~$1,819), you might like the MSI Prestige 14 Evo. The A11M-005 model that we tested, which costs just under 1,300 Euros (~$1,577), offers a modern quad-core chip from Intel's Tiger Lake generation with the Core i7-1185G7. This is supported by 16 GB of DDR4 RAM and a 512 GB M.2 SSD. The display is a matte Full HD IPS panel with a slim bezel design. The device was developed in close cooperation with Intel (Evo platform).

The competitors of the ...

Core i5-11400 and i9-11900K Rocket Lake CPUs Show Up in New Benchmarks

Leaks for Intel's upcoming Core i5-11400 and Core i9-11900K Rocket Lake CPUs are starting to show up, including a few benchmarks. APISAK Tweeted two new benchmarks, one showcasing the i9-11900K running on an RTX 2080 Ti in an Ashes of the Singularity run, and a SiSoftware benchmark result has appeared for the Core i5-11400.

In the Ashes of the Singularity run, the Intel Core i9-11900K, with a base clock of 3.5ghz, scored 6400 points in the benchmark, with an average CPU frame rate of 64 fps. This score seems incredibly low for Intel's next-gen flagship. For perspective, you can find ...

The 16:10 ThinkPad X1 Nano's European pricing is revealed

Lenovo launched the X1 Nano as a new kind of 13-inch ThinkPad with an ultra-low weight and up to i7 Tiger Lake silicon. It has just appeared via a new sales avenue in Germany: CampusPoint, an online store ostensibly aimed at students.

Nevertheless, its listings might give consumers in other European countries an idea of how much they might have to pay should they want one of these ultrabooks when they arrive on their own markets.

The site has 4 SKUs of the Nano available, all of which have matte 2K IPS displays. Their base model here has the Intel Core i5-1130G7 processor, 1 ...

Lenovo K12 and K12 Pro announced

Just as expected, Lenovo announced its K12 series in China and to no surprise the two are just rebranded Motorola phones for the Chinese market. The K12 is identical to the Moto E7 Plus while the K12 Pro is simply a rebadged Moto G9 Power which was announced in Europe last month.

The Lenovo K12 comes with a 6.5-inch HD+ LCD with a waterdrop notch for its 8MP selfie cam. It’s powered by the Snapdragon 460 chipset paired with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage.

You get a 48MP primary camera next to a 2MP depth sensor. The battery comes in at 5,000 mAh while the software side is covered ...

Cyberpunk 2077 Runs At Playable FPS On Ryzen 5 4500U APU

Cyberpunk 2077 is launching soon, but that hasn't stopped one person from already messing with the game on an Aya Neo gaming tablet equipped with a Ryzen 5 4500U with Vega integrated graphics. Shockingly the gamer is able to play Cyberpunk at an 800P resolution at 30 FPS at the lowest settings. Sure it's not the prettiest experience and its way below the minimum Cyberpunk 2077 system requirements, but the fact that it runs is amazing in and of itself.

The Aya Neo is a gaming tablet made in China that is very similar in form factor to a Nintendo Switch -- but unlike a Switch, it runs ...

DELL 32-INCH CURVED 4K MONITOR (S3221QS) REVIEW

The Dell 32-inch Curved 4K S3221QS (catchy, I know) is a versatile monitor, enough for a variety of use cases including gaming. Yet it probably won’t blow you away for any one of them. It’s a great choice if you want something that can give you solid experiences across the board, but if your aim is high quality, high refresh gaming then it might not be the right fit for you.

First off, I was immediately surprised by how heavy the Dell S3221QS is. Most of the weight is in the stand, which feels great. Despite a relatively small footprint, the monitor stands solidly with practically n ...

Google opens up its Fuchsia OS to the public

Almost half a decade since news first leaked about Google’s Fuchsia OS, the company has announced that it is expanding the Fuchsia open source community and opening it up to contributions from the public.

Google’s Fuchsia OS is a bit of an enigma, and the company rarely talks about it, despite its code living on GitHub since 2016. 

It’s an open secret that Fuchsia is Google’s long-term project to create a general-purpose operating system, built from the kernel up, but this is the first time the company is engaging with it in the public.

Proper open source

Goo ...

Chuwi presents thin and light 13.3-inch LarkBook with modest specs for just under $400

Chuwi is back with a new slim and light 13.3-incher that weighs just under 1 Kg (2.2 lbs) and is only 11.9 mm thick (under 0.5 inches). The Chinese company is notorious for including rather outdated specs for most of its products to keep production costs as low as possible, and the LarkBook clearly proves this point. At least you do not need to sell a kidney to afford this fancy piece of hardware as the estimated AliExpress price is around $450.

Speaking of outdated specs, the LarkBook is powered by a quad-core / quad-thread Intel Celeron N4100 ULV CPU with 6 W TDP, which is still d ...

Galaxy A52 leak hints Samsung won’t mess with success

The Galaxy A51 is arguably more important than the S20 — it’s the affordable phone you’re more likely to buy, the phone that caters to a wide audience instead of enthusiasts. And Samsung apparently knows it. Well-known leaker OnLeaks has shared renders of what he says is the Galaxy A52 5G, and it looks like Samsung isn’t in a rush to reinvent one of its best-selling designs.

The images suggest the Galaxy A52 will hew very closely to the template Samsung established with the A51. You’ll still get a 6.5-inch display with a hole-punch selfie camera, an under-the-screen fingerprint read ...

Apple introduces AirPods Max, the magic of AirPods in a stunning over-ear design

AirPods Max feature incredible high-fidelity audio, Adaptive EQ, Active Noise Cancellation, and spatial audio

Cupertino, California — Apple today announced AirPods Max, innovative wireless headphones that bring the magic of AirPods to an over-ear design with high-fidelity sound. AirPods Max combine a custom acoustic design, H1 chips, and advanced software to power computational audio for a breakthrough listening experience with Adaptive EQ, Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency mode, and spatial audio. AirPods Max come in five gorgeous colors, including space gray, silver, sky blu ...

Razer launches a more budget-oriented Blade 15 gaming laptop with some big caveats

Razer may be offering the world’s most compact 15-inch gaming laptops, but most of the variants are not exactly budget-friendly, even when specced with slower dGPUs. In an effort to make its solution more affordable throughout the Holiday season, Razer is now announcing the Razer Blade 15 Base Edition priced at only $1,499.99. However, the enticing price comes with some unfortunate compromises.

The Core i7-10750H CPU from Intel is plenty fast for a budget model, and, while the included 16 GB of DDR4-2933 RAM might be a bit slower than the industry standard 3200, it certainly is not ...

Microsoft is finally fixing one of the biggest issues with its Windows 10 updates

Windows 10 could soon get a whole lot better thanks to a fresh idea from Microsoft. The Redmond firm has just announced a new concept called the "Windows Feature Experience Pack" which look set to bring more features and regular fixes throughout the year.

So, instead of Windows 10 fans having to wait for Microsoft's two big blockbuster updates, which are usually released in the Spring and Autumn, the "Feature Experience Pack" will allow the company to roll out improvements away from these main upgrades. It could also mean it's easier to for the tech giant to mend ...

ASRock Launches Legacy M.2 Graphics Card

ASRock has introduced its first graphics card in an M.2-2280 form-factor. The M_2 VGA module is designed to add legacy display connectivity to any system that has an M.2 slot with a PCIe interface. 

The ASRock M_2 VGA module uses Silicon Motion's SM750 display controller with 16MB of embedded memory and a PCIe x1 interface. The card has a 15-pin header to connect a D-Sub output that supports resolutions of up to 1920×1440. Since this is a single-chip board, its power consumption is rated at 1.49 Watts, which is almost negligible by today's standards in the PC world. Meanwhile, the u ...

ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero Motherboard Review

ASUS' ROG VIII Dark Hero is gaining a lot of hype for its sleek aesthetics, but there's more under the hood! Let's take a look.

Introduction, Specifications, and Pricing

The Crosshair from ASUS has been the gaming platform for AMD users since it was introduced in 2006. Within this platform, the Hero has been the mid-range board for the last eight generations to the top end Crosshair Formula that has a few upgrades of its own. That said, the Hero has been one of the most popular boards for gamers and enthusiasts building on the AMD X570 platform. With the release of the AMD R ...

Microsoft is finally fixing one of the biggest issues with Windows 10 updates

Windows 10 could soon get a whole lot better thanks to a fresh idea from Microsoft. The Redmond firm has just announced a new concept called the "Windows Feature Experience Pack" which look set to bring more features and regular fixes throughout the year.

So, instead of Windows 10 fans having to wait for Microsoft's two big blockbuster updates, which are usually released in the Spring and Autumn, the "Feature Experience Pack" will allow the company to roll out improvements away from these main upgrades. It could also mean it's easier to for the tech giant to mend ...

LG Gram 2021 launch event announced with four lightweight laptops up for release

LG will present its new Gram laptops in South Korea on December 16, the company has confirmed. The event will commence at 18:00 KST (UTC +9), according to a post on the dedicated LG Gram website. LG is yet to announce anything globally, which suggests that the December 16 event will be limited to South Korea. Nevertheless, LG will probably release its new Gram laptops outside its home market, so the launch event will be relevant to international audiences.

Based on recent findings, LG plans to upgrade its Gram series to Intel's new Tiger Lake architecture. The timing of LG's event h ...

Nikon Z Finally Gets its Fast Ultra-Wide Zoom: A Review of the Z 14-24mm f/2.8

Back in September, Nikon announced its fast ultra-wide zoom lens: the Nikkor Z 14-24mm f/2.8, completing its trinity of fast zooms for Z-mount cameras. How does it perform?

Jared Polin has been waiting impatiently for fast glass from Nikon and is excited to finally get his hands on a lens that, for him, makes Nikon’s Z-mount a truly viable option for professional photographers. Nikon zooms with f/2.8 maximum apertures have taken a while to come to market — and it seems that they're still proving hard to get a hold of.

Nikon made its announcement in mid-September, stating tha ...

Biggest MacBook design change in years just leaked

While the iPhone 12 has several color options, the MacBook has remained boring on the design front for several years. At the moment, the darkest MacBook you can buy is ‘space grey’, which isn’t all that dark. This seems like a strange oversight, given our love of black tech products. 

But it looks like Apple is finally planning on catching up if a new patent is to be taken at face value. Interestingly, the patent begins by revealing the reasoning behind the absence of black MacBooks — and it comes down to their metal casing.

“Enclosures for portable electronic devices can in ...

Lenovo might announce ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga in the next week

Earlier this year, the names of two new ThinkPad X1 models were leaked: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano and ThinkPad X1 Titanium. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano is already available in the USA - the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium meanwhile is nowhere to be found. The last time we heard about it were a few leaked promo videos on Youtube.

2020 is drawing to a close and by this point, we expected to see the ThinkPad X1 Titanium in early 2021, maybe with an announcement at the virtual CES. However, there are new signs that at least the public announcement might still come in this year.

Lenovo ...

Acer Predator X35 Review

The world of gaming monitors is grander and more diverse than ever before. Depending on your budget, you can find yourself spoiled for choice: HDR, ultrawide, adaptive sync, high refresh rate, multiple high resolutions… the list goes on. But what would happen if you put them all in one? That’s the question Acer must have asked, because the answer is the Predator X35.With this monitor, Acer is out to check all of the boxes. It’s a 35-inch ultrawide with a full 1440p resolution, a 200Hz refresh rate, true HDR with 1000-nit peak brightness and 512 zones of local dimming, G-Sync Ultimate, an 18 ...

NZXT Kraken X73 RGB AIO CPU Cooler Review

Explaining all the details of these new NZXT Kraken X-3 RGB AIOs may be repetitive reading for those of you who caught our original review of the Kraken X-3 and Z-3 series earlier this year, if that applies to you then you might want to skip past this introduction as the only significant change with this new bunch of AIOs is the addition of RGB fans, and of course the inclusion of the 240mm Z53 which was missing from the original launch in July.

The addition of the Z53 to the Kraken AIO range means you can now enjoy the benefits of a CPU block LCD screen with a 240mm AIO, which is p ...

CORSAIR ICUE H115I ELITE CAPELLIX REVIEW

The iCue H115i Elite Capellix is the latest CPU chiller from Corsair and boy is it colourful. You’d better like lights if you're planning on picking up this all-in-one cooler. This thing has a lot of lights. OK, the RGB functionality is far from the only thing Corsair’s latest all-in-one water cooling solution has going for it. But it is very much central to the proposition.

The model currently roasting our retinas is the H115i and thus a 280mm member of a model line also available in 240mm and 360mm form factors. The aforementioned RGB-ness concerns the fans and the top cover of th ...

AMD's Ryzen Threadripper Pro, New Muscle in Workstation CPUs

AMD’s Threadripper Pro processors for workstation desktops are finally here. These chips disrupt a market that Intel has dominated since AMD discontinued its Opteron lineup in 2017. In fact, they have the potential to upend it by offering up to an incredible 64 processing cores on a single CPU die. That's far more in core count than an Intel Xeon W-class chip, and still more than a match for two Xeon scalable chips, while obviating the complexity and cost of multiple-CPU implementions.

Read on to find out if a Ryzen Threadripper Pro is worth considering in your next workstation.

...

How to Fix Audio Level Problems in Windows 10

Windows 10 includes a custom volume mixer, which sounds like a great idea on paper—who wouldn’t a way to control the volume of individual apps? It’s incredibly useful when you need to dial back your game audio a bit so you can hear your guildmates on Discord (or the YouTube video you’re listening to in the background). It’s not so useful when you forget it exists.

For the past week or two, some YouTube videos I’ve watched have sounded a little faint. I didn’t think much of it at first, assuming I simply bumped the dial on the external DAC I use with my headphones. I cranked that up ...

New Apple Leak Reveals Stunning MacBook Pro Upgrade

Thanks to Apple’s new M1 processor, the latest MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac Mini machines are breaking benchmarks left, right, and center. That's enough for many of the geekrati to level up to the ARM-based hardware, but Apple has something spectacular planned for 2021.

Building on his previous reports, noted Apple analyst Ming Chi-Kuo lays out a stronger case for Apple switching to mini-LED displays in the MacBook hardware next year. With Apple’s suppliers gearing up for a massive switch in production, it’s clear that the LED panels offering improved colors, higher contract, a ...

AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT BIOS files leaked and analysed

Tech enthusiasts gleaned some pre-launch insight into the AMD Radeon RX 6800/XT graphics cards ahead of launch thanks to developer Patrick Schur sharing an AIB card BIOS with veteran tech reviewer Igor Wallossek. Now it looks like history is repeating, with the dynamic duo teaming up to produce insightful analysis of an 'AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT' before it becomes official.

The Igor's Lab blog, spotted via VideoCardz, says that Schur sent along two AMD Navi22 AIB BIOS files for analysis. Before we go on to that it is worth stopping and considering the questions – qhat is an AMD Radeon ...

New Second Gen EVE V 2-in-1: Tiger Lake 3840x2400 with Thunderbolt 4

Sometimes for a company to get its projects over the line, it requires the help of crowdsourcing ideas. One such company is Eve Tech, or EVE for short, and looking to build on the success of its first-generation EVE V 2-in-1 dubbed the "Surface Pro Killer". Today the company has officially lifted the lid on its second-generation EVE V. The new EVE V 2-in-1 includes a whole host of impressive features and specs including Intel's Tiger Lake mobile processors with Xe integrated graphics, Thunderbolt 4, Wi-Fi 6, and a 13.4" 4K (3840 x 2400) with 10-point multitouch. The design of ...

The Asus RT-AX86U Is a Wi-Fi 6 Router That Doesn't Sacrifice Looks for Power

Wi-Fi 6 has accelerated its creep into mainstream wireless networking, urged along by the similarly accelerating spread of gigabit internet. Until the last few months or so, purchasing a Wi-Fi 6 device has largely been a decision more about future-proofing and less about immediate gain. That’s quickly changing, however, with all manner of wireless device manufacturers releasing products boasting about blazing this and blistering that, and it’s finally time to take a serious look at 802.11ax routers.

The Asus RT-AX88U was an early entrant in the field, and the company now has several ...

ASRock x Razer: New Razer Taichi Edition X570 and B550 AMD Motherboards

ASRock and Razer have today announced a product collaboration. Two of ASRock's premium models for AM4 are being updated with Razer styling and Razer Chroma connectivity: the X570 and B550 Taichi Razer Edition. Built upon the popular Taichi series, both of the new Razer Edition variants include a 16-phase power delivery, with official support and compatibility with Razer's Chroma RGB ecosystem.

Whenever Razer does a collaboration with any company in the hardware industry, it gets people excited and talking. One of the most prominent brands globally with its green inspired peripheral ...

HP's latest privacy tool for laptops is meant to thwart prying eyes

It’s getting pretty difficult to make a laptop that stands out. There are countless thin and light notebooks with comfortable keyboards, beautiful screens and enough power for most professional workflows. To really make an impression, manufacturers have to introduce some unique features that rise above mere gimmickry. HP’s latest attempt is something called Presence Aware on the EliteBook 1040, which lets the machine know when you’re in front of it so that it can dim the screen when you leave and wake up when you return. There’s also a new AI noise reduction tool to make your voice sound cl ...

Jabra Elite 85t review: AirPods Pro-beating noise cancelling Bluetooth earbuds

Jabra is back with its fourth-generation Bluetooth true wireless earbuds, the Elite 85t, with improved fit, better sound and active noise cancelling to rival Apple’s AirPods Pro.

The Elite 85t cost £219.99 and top the range that includes its predecessors the £170 Elite 75t and £140 Elite 65t.

The new earbuds have a lighter and more balanced fit compared with the Elite 75t. The redesigned oval-shaped silicone ear tips don’t enter your ear canal quite so deeply, but are no less secure. The remainder of the earbud sits comfortably outside your ear, avoiding resting on any delic ...

Is Windows Defender Good Enough to Protect Your PC by Itself?

I mostly write reviews of VPNs, articles and features about VPNs, and responses to emails (of varying degrees of hostility) from or about VPN services. In nearly all of these contexts, I've tried to explain that VPNs (although excellent for securing your internet traffic) don't replace password managers, antivirus suites, or the use of two-factor authentication (2FA). But recently a reader asked me if I was implying that the security software from Microsoft was somehow lacking. That's a question worth considering.

Here's what our intrepid reader sent me. Note that this excerpt has b ...

G.Skill Trident Z Royal DDR4-4000 C17 2x16GB Review: Outshining The Competition

High-speed memory kits are often associated with sloppy timings: Once you surpass that DDR4-4000 mark, it requires a lot of resources to cherry-pick the best integrated circuits (ICs) that meet the requirements. G.Skill is one of a handful of memory vendors willing to invest time and resources into bringing high-speed memory kits that aren't held back by loose timings to the enthusiast market.

G.Skill offers a wide variety of DDR4-4000 memory kits with densities that start at 16GB (2x8GB) and go up to an awe-spiring 128GB (4x32GB). The CAS latency timings on these kits generally spa ...

Huawei P Smart 2021 Smartphone Review - Is Huawei's first "home-made" SoC any good?

In its midrange P Smart 2021 smartphone, Huawei uses a processor that comes from the manufacture of a Chinese partner for the first time. The Kirin 710A is considered the first SoC that Huawei developed itself. For quite a while, the Chinese manufacturer SMIC and the HiSilicon division have been working together in the commercializing of the 14-nm process in China.

Although the "original" Kirin-710 SoC is already manufactured in the modern 12-nm production process, it is manufactured by TSMC in Taiwan. Until now, the Kirin chips have been designed by the HiSilicon division ...

Ryzen 5000 CPU support is coming to 400 series chipsets sooner than expected

What just happened? Good news for AMD Ryzen 5000 series CPU owners looking to run their shiny new processors in older 400 series motherboards as multiple board suppliers have seemingly decided not to wait until 2021 to roll out updated BIOSes supporting the new chips.

AnandTech points out that several ASRock B450 motherboards now have updated BIOSes available to download that add Zen 3 support. Indeed, a quick check reveals that many B450 boards do have new BIOSes that were made available on November 19 but the descriptions are vague, only saying that they optimize system compatibil ...

Security researcher accidentally discovers Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 zero-day

A French security researcher has accidentally discovered a zero-day vulnerability that impacts the Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 operating systems while working on an update to a Windows security tool.

The vulnerability resides in two misconfigured registry keys for the RPC Endpoint Mapper and DNSCache services that are part of all Windows installations.

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\RpcEptMapper

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Dnscache

French security researcher Clément Labro, who discovered the zero-day, says that an attacker that has ...

Our favorite pre-built gaming PC is the best way to get an RTX 3080 right now

Most years we're all about building the best PC you possibly can from Black Friday deal parts, but 2020 isn't exactly a normal year. AMD's brand new CPUs are scarce, and even old graphics cards are hard to find. The latest Nvidia RTX 30-series and RX 6800 from AMD? Forget about it—we can't find them in stock, let alone on sale.

But there is a way to get one of these new cards, if you don't mind getting a whole PC right along with it. Buying a prebuilt gaming PC right now is the easiest way to get your hands on an RTX 3080 right now. Conveniently, Dell has chopped about $50 off the h ...

Initial reviews show the limitations of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold

The ThinkPad X1 Fold is finally here and in the hands of reviewers. Sadly, it is not all rosy for Lenovo's first foldable. The ThinkPad X1 Fold starts at US$2,499, although that only gets you 256 GB of storage and no accessories. Lenovo charges US$2,749 for the detachable keyboard and pen, and another US$50 if you want a Windows 10 Pro licence. Prices rise to US$3,099 though if you want 1 TB of storage, instead of 256 GB.

For that money, you could pick up practically any high-end laptop or 2-in-1, although they lack the foldable display that the ThinkPad X1 Fold has. However, MKBHD  ...

Shortage Disaster: AMD RX 6800 & 6800 XTs Out of Stock Everywhere

If you had hopes of getting a shiny new RDNA 2 graphics card from AMD this upcoming Black Friday, you'll likely be very disappointed. Even though AMD's launch for third-party custom Radeon RX 6000 graphics cards officially occurred today, every single tech store has sold out its entire stock in both aftermarket and reference flavors. That isn't surprising, as some retailers didn't even have stock to begin with. 

Both graphics card manufacturers and some stores have gone to Twitter to share the problems with the RX 6000 series volume. Simply put, just like the Ampere shortages, AMD a ...

Intel’s New eASIC N5X Series: Hardened Security for 5G and AI Through Structured ASICs

The programmability of a processor is a scale is all about flexibility and performance – something highly programmable and customizable is adaptable to all sort of situations, but often isn’t as fast. However, something that has a very specified compute pathway can go very fast, but can’t do much beyond that pathway. On the flexible side, we have FPGAs, that can be configured to do almost anything. On the fixed side, we have ASICs, such as fixed function hardware for AI. Somewhere in the middle is what’s called a ‘Structured ASIC’, which tries to combine as many benefits from the two.

...

Apple M1 chip performs admirably against AMD's Ryzen 5000 workstation with RTX3080

Despite obvious handicaps, Apple’s M1-based MacBooks delivered a laudable performance in a head-to-head against the latest performance workhorses from AMD.

The tests were performed by custom high-end desktop assemblers Puget Systems who wanted to test the performance penalties of Apple’s decision to move away from Intel processors to ARM-based ones.

Puget pitted two of their AMD PCs equipped with Ryzen 5800X and Ryzen 5950X against the MacBook Air and Pro, and were themselves impressed by the Apple M1’s performance given the obvious impediments of the new architecture that p ...

Make every game awesome with this gargantuan 55-inch Alienware OLED monitor

There's no getting away from the fact that the Alienware AW5520QF is a massive screen. It's awesomely massive though, not annoyingly so. But at 55-inches you're going to need a big ol' desk just give this somewhere to sit, and you'll want to be sat back from it as well. Because even with its native 4K resolution, you're looking at a fairly low 80ppi (pixels per inch), where we usually avoid anything less than 100ppi for normal viewing distances, but you know, some things are worth making an exception for. This is one of those things.

Playing on a screen this big is going to give all ...

Overclocker hits 7GHz on DDR4 memory. Who needs DDR5?

The longer it takes for DDR5 memory to grab a foothold in the market (none of AMD's or Intel's consumer platforms support the next-gen memory standard...yet), the higher overclockers will continue to push DDR4 RAM. Now the record to beat is a hair over 7GHz.

That is incredibly fast for DDR4 memory. It was just over a year ago when I naively wondered if overclockers would break the 6GHz barrier on DDR4, and sure enough, some did with a kit of G.Skill memory. Now 14 months later, bragging rights belong to Micron and its Crucial Ballistix Max memory.

Micron got a huge assist fr ...

Laptops with NVIDIA RTX 3000 GPUs and AMD Ryzen 5000H APUs to arrive in 1H 2021 from as little as US$999

The desktop versions of NVIDIA's new GeForce RTX 3000 graphics cards may still be almost impossible to come across, but the company has a lot more Ampere-based SKUs planned, including three mobile variants. According to a new report by Wccftech, ASUS and MSI will begin selling RTX 3070 and RTX 3080 laptops from as early as January 2021. There will be equivalents from HP, Dell and Lenovo, but laptops from these OEMs will not arrive until April 2021.

NVIDIA will continue to supply the ageing GTX 1650, GTX 1650 Ti and GTX 1660 Ti to manufacturers too, although these will be paired with ...

AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT and RX 6800 Review: Nipping at Ampere's Heels

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT and Radeon RX 6800 have arrived, joining the ranks of the best graphics cards and making some headway into the top positions in our GPU benchmarks hierarchy. Nvidia has had a virtual stranglehold on the GPU market for cards priced $500 or more, going back to at least the GTX 700-series in 2013. That's left AMD to mostly compete in the high-end, mid-range, and budget GPU markets. "No longer!" says Team Red. 

Big Navi, aka Navi 21, aka RDNA2, has arrived, bringing some impressive performance gains. AMD also finally joins the ray tracing fray, both w ...

Windows 10 20H2 update: New features for IT pros

Jesus Vigo reviews the newest additions to Windows 10 (20H2) as they pertain to IT pros. These updates can help you make the most of the latest release to Microsoft's flagship OS.

Released in October 2020, the most recent update to Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system has only just begun gaining steam in mass deployment worldwide. Whether it's come down to the global pandemic, compliance testing, or simply out of an abundance of caution, the slowness is finally picking up steam and more devices are starting to make the transition to update version 20H2.

Beginning with thi ...

Tested: iPhone 12 smokes the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra in real-world speed

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is a beast of a phone in most respects between its huge screen, capable cameras and gobs of memory, but how fast is it compared to Apple’s latest mainstream phone? Not very, it seems. Gary Sims has pitted the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra against the regular iPhone 12 in his realistic Speed Test G benchmark, and the results are… not pretty.

Simply put, the iPhone 12 obliterated the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra across the board. Apple’s device claimed the largest advantage in the CPU-oriented test, where it finished in 32.5 seconds versus Samsung’s 38, but it also won b ...

MSI launches Suprim GeForce RTX 30 graphics cards

Just ahead of the weekend MSI took the wraps off a new range of graphics cards. The Suprim range is an Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 focussed sub-brand which is aimed squarely at the premium market. Described as "a prestigious concept... with high quality materials and meticulous engineering that can be seen, felt, and experienced," it is easy to understand the brand philosophy. I think it has been influenced by the recent move of the premium gaming laptop market in becoming somewhat more subtle to try and appeal to the creator market too.

At the time of writing there are three Su ...

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano features lower powered Tiger Lake UP4 CPUs & 1.35mm travel keyboard

When Lenovo announced the new 13 inch 16:10 flagship ThinkPad X1 Nano in late September 2020, a few things were left in the dark. For example, the exact release date. In the press-release, Lenovo did not give us a release date beyond the 4th quarter 2020, which by now would mean December. Depending on the locale, even an early 2021 looks increasingly likely. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 1 is not listed in Lenovo's PSREF database yet, which is an indicator that availability is more than a few weeks away.

Availability was not the only question we had about the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Na ...

Intel Tiger Lake-H Beats AMD Ryzen 4000 in Geekbench 5

There has been a lot of hype around Intel's upcoming 11th Generation Tiger Lake-H mobile chips, but few benchmark results to back up the excitement. That has changed since apparent Core i7-11370H (via Tum_Apisak) results emerged today in the Geekbench database to offer a sneak peek of what's to come.

The Core i7-11370H is indeed a mysterious processor. It's seemingly a quad-core chip with Hyper-Threading, which raises some alarms. Previous Core i7 H-series procesors typically come with six or eight cores. Geekbench 5 picked up the Core i7-11370H as a Tiger Lake-U processor, conveyin ...

Sony's next mid-range Xperia smartphone will have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 chipset; Snapdragon 875 being lined up for Xperia 1 III

It seems that Sony has at least two new Xperia smartphones in the works. According to some sleuthing by @NodSikharulidze, the Japanese company is developing one smartphone with an SM6350 chipset and another with the SM8350. Qualcomm has already confirmed that the SM6350 is the model number of the Snapdragon 690, while the company is thought to have assigned SM8350 to the Snapdragon 875.

Android Next and GSMArena believe that Sony is preparing an Xperia 10 III with the Snapdragon 690, along with an Xperia 1 III using the Snapdragon 875. This belief seemingly stems from Sony having re ...

Intel's manufacturing is broken and new Rocket Lake CPUs prove it

Intel’s upcoming Rocket Lake CPUs prove it is in a crisis of existential proportions. The next six months will decide both its fate and the future direction of the PC as a whole. Hyperbolic? Much? Actually, no.

It’s a somewhat speculative interpretation, to be sure. But tales of Intel’s woes have become so routine of late that the very existence of Rocket Lake and what it implies has been largely overlooked. Rocket Lake says very, very bad things about the viability of Intel’s entire business model. And that, in turn, makes it very significant for the PC as a whole.

Rocket L ...

ASRock announces its custom Radeon RX 6800 series graphics cards

ASRock has announced its custom-cooled Radeon RX 6800 series graphics cards. The four cards announced by ASRock are the flagship Radeon RX 6800 XT Taichi X 16G OC, the mid-range Radeon RX 6800 XT and Radeon RX 6800 Phantom Gaming D 16G OC, and the entry-level Radeon RX 6800 Challenger Pro 16G OC.

Featuring AMD RDNA 2 GPU architecture, the new ASRock Radeon RX 6800 series support the DirectX 12 Ultimate standard and hardware-accelerated raytracing. All cards have 16GB of GDDR6 memory and support PCIe 4.0. The cooling solutions of these cards use ASRock’s Striped Axial fan design for ...

Microsoft releases Windows 10 Build 20262 with lots of welcome fixes

Although Insiders in the Dev Channel do occasionally get to try out upcoming features in Windows 10, more often than not the new builds Microsoft rolls out focus on fixing problems and tweaking settings.

That’s certainly been the case with the previous two flights, and today’s new release, Build 20262 (FE_RELEASE) is no different.

Fixes in this release include:

Fixed an issue resulting in certain apps launching unexpectedly transparent in recent builds, with no content visible.

Fixed an issue where old SleepStudy etls were unexpectedly not being cleaned up....

EVGA drenches Nvidia's GeForce RTX 3090 and 3080 cards in liquid cooling

EVGA is not letting a little thing like a shortfall of GPUs (compared to demand) stop it from launching more cards around those very GPUs that are proving so elusive. Just the opposite, EVGA has launched a combined eight new liquid cooled GeForce RTX 3090 and 3080 graphics cards, plus a couple of do-it-yourself kits for those who already managed to score certain EVGA models.

Like every other 3090 and 3080 on the planet, these new models are out of stock. So they have launched in the sense that EVGA has unveiled them and erected products pages, with pricing information.

The e ...

REVEALED: The little-known iPhone trick that allows you to take a screenshot without clicking a single button

iPhone users have discovered a 'mind-blowing' trick to save time when taking a screenshot.

The little-known hack involves changing the settings to allow screen grabs to be taken quickly by simply double tapping the back of the phone. 

But the setting is only available on iPhone X and above with iOS 14.

The feature was revealed on both Facebook and TikTok where thousands raved about the new find. 

To activate the feature, click on 'accessibility' in settings followed by 'touch' before turning on the 'back tap' button.

Once the double or triple tap has ...

Windows 10 users to be plagued with annoying adverts if they refuse to ditch Chrome

Windows 10 users may soon be targeted by a barrage of full-screen adverts unless they ditch Google Chrome and switch to Microsoft's Edge browser instead. It's no secret that Microsoft wants more Windows users to move over to its internet-browsing software but this latest drive could be its most aggressive to date.

According to the team at Windows Latest, it appears that Microsoft could be planning to target Chrome users with adverts. That may not sound like anything new except this time, in a bid to make sure you don't miss it, the message could take over the whole screen.

T ...

Here’s your first good look at Samsung’s gigantic battery smartphone

Samsung’s battery-centric Galaxy M12 phone might just exist as more than rumors and an empty case. OnLeaks and Voice have posted what they say are accurate design renders for the M12, indicating just what will house that claimed 7,000mAh battery.

The leak appears to corroborate reports that it’s a no-frills design with a plastic unibody back, a flat 6.5-inch screen, a fingerprint sensor in the power button and a teardrop notch for the selfie camera. A two-tone finish helps distinguish the M12 from the Galaxy A42 5G. The standout is a quad rear camera array, although we wouldn’t expe ...

Why building your own gaming PC isn't just about cost

We all know the glory of an extravagant gaming rig - the lights, the tubing, the sheer unadulterated power. And you probably already know that building a PC yourself is cheaper than buying a pre-built gaming PC. But that’s not all that makes a hand-crafted rig so special. Those of you with an affinity for all things that buzz and whirr, from ginormous Nvidia RTX 3080 cards to dinky NVMe SSDs, should know there's nothing quite like putting all the pieces together with your own hands.

But let's go back in time for a moment. During the 1980s the world experienced the home computer boom ...

Google Pixel 4a 5G: Review results

The Pixel 4a 5G is the largest Pixel smartphone, thanks to its 6.2-inch screen. With the 6-inch Pixel 5, Google goes against the current trend by not considerably increasing the screen size.

The 499-Euro (~$590) Pixel 4a 5G shares a lot of features with the 630-Euro (~$743) Pixel 5. Both smartphones have very restrained design. However, the polycarbonate housing of the Pixel 4a 5G does not provide as much grip as the housing of the Pixel 5. Nonetheless, the Pixel 4a 5G still feels very good in the hand. And there are surprises: The Pixel 4a 5G comes with a 3.5-mm headphone jack unli ...

The little-known iPhone trick that allows you to take a screenshot without clicking a single button

iPhone users have just discovered a 'mind-blowing' trick to save time when taking a screenshot.

The little-known hack involves changing the settings to allow screen grabs to be taken quickly by simply double tapping the back of the phone. 

But the setting is only available on iPhone X and above with iOS 14.

Scroll down for video

The feature was revealed on both Facebook and TikTok where thousands raved about the new find. 

To activate the feature, click on 'accessibility' in settings followed by 'touch' before turning on the 'back tap' button.

...

Best tablets 2020: our guide for all budgets

As the UK heads towards the holiday season, being able to easily entertain ourselves, read the news, play games and – more importantly than ever – video call our loved ones means having the right tablet can make a real difference.

Unlike most laptops, tablets have fairly good video cameras, support apps and make it simple to fire up that Zoom call. Here are the best available across a range of budgets.

Amazon Fire HD 8

Amazon’s Fire tablets are low-cost media consumption machines that get the job done without breaking the bank. They start at only £50 with the Fire 7 ...

HP EliteBook x360 1030 G7 Convertible Review: A Spectre Dragonfly Hybrid

The EliteBook x360 1030 G7 is HP's latest high-end ultra-thin business subnotebook positioned to be above the more affordable EliteBook 830 or ProBook families. It is, in many ways, the gray version of the more visually ravishing HP Elite Dragonfly. Nonetheless, the EliteBook x360 1030 G7 introduces several changes both inside and out to make it better than both the outgoing EliteBook x360 1030 G4 and first generation Dragonfly.

SKUs are plentiful ranging from the 10th gen Core i5-10210U up to the Core i7-10810U CPU with vPro, FHD to 4K UHD AMOLED touchscreen, 8 GB to 32 GB of LPDDR ...

Microsoft plans to update your Windows 10 computer whether you like it or not

If you haven't hit the update button on your Windows 10 PC in a while then you might find Microsoft will soon be doing it for you. It seems the Redmond firm can't wait any longer for some users to switch to its very latest operating system and that means some users will soon be upgraded whether they like it or not.

Those affected by this automatic upgrade will be anyone who is still using Windows 10 version 1903 on their PCs with this ageing software no longer being supported by Microsoft from next month.

According to Windows Latest, Microsoft has now started informing users ...

Intel begins rollout of the first Wi-Fi 6E adapters for faster connectivity

I haven't even owned my Wi-Fi 6 router for a full year yet and already there is a (slightly) newer wireless standard that is inching into the marketplace. That would be Wi-Fi 6E and, well, that's the way it goes—technology never sits still. In this case, Intel is standing ready with its AX210, the first Wi-Fi 6E adapter.

This is not a proper launch (no press release, no big announcement), and there might not be one until early next year. In the meantime, a marketplace seller on Newegg is selling and shipping the adapter from China (via Tom's Hardware) for $33. Intel has also apparen ...

Vivo X60 and X60 Pro mistaken for the Xiaomi Mi 11 and Mi 11 Pro in hands-on image

The Xiaomi Mi 11 and Mi 11 Pro are already hotly anticipated, but the photo above is not of them. Seemingly first published on Weibo by the likes of DigitalChatStation, outlets like Gizchina asserted that the photo is of Xiaomi's next flagships, which are reputedly due early next year. To the credit of DigitalChatStation, they did not explicitly state that we were looking at the Mi 11 series.

Instead, they merely hinted that the devices pictured would be announced by the end of the year. As a second photo demonstrates, the devices pictured are running OriginOS, the custom version of ...

Samsung’s revolutionary SSD behaves like a (powerful) PC - and you'll never guess why

The first virtual edition of FMS 2020 (Flash Memory Summit, not Football Manager) is well underway and the first announcements are already trickling through, with Samsung’s intriguing new enterprise SSD snatching the spotlight.

Meet the SmartSSD, which Samsung Semiconductor refers to as a Computational Storage Drive (CSD).

It is designed to “accelerate a variety of applications including database management, video processing, artificial intelligence layers, and virtualization”. In other words, like the coprocessors of yesteryear and the GPU of today, the CPU can offload spec ...

New M1 MacBook Air smokes Core i9 16-inch MacBook Pro in Geekbench

Yes, you read that headline correctly: according to a new listing in the Geekbench 5 database, the M1 MacBook Air absolutely destroys the Core i9 16-inch MacBook Pro in both single- and multi-core tests. 

The scores apparently come from the MacBook Air 10,1. According to the Geekbench post, this MacBook Air runs macOS 11.0.1 and uses an “Apple Silicon” processor. The laptop posted an impressive 1687 and 7433 in the single- and multi-core tests, respectively.

Comparatively, the top-of-the-line 16-inch MacBook Pro with a Core i9-9880H performs about 35% worse in Geekbench 5’s ...

Microsoft releases Windows 10 Build 20257 with loads of important fixes

Insiders in the Dev Channel can look forward to test driving exciting new features in Windows 10 before anyone else. However, not every new build that gets rolled out can be a show stopper.

Sometimes, instead of exciting additions, what you get from a new flight is a bunch of fixes, which is the case in new Build 20257.

Changes and Improvements in this release include:

Based on feedback, Microsoft is updating its Start menu tile theming logic such that the tile background for Win32 apps will no longer adjust based on detected contrast ratio, except in the case of pin ...

Intel Launches Its First Wi-Fi 6E-Capable Wireless Card

Intel has launched its first WiFi 6E-capable M.2 wireless card, the Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210. As of writing, we're only seeing it shipping from China. It comes in a M.2 2230 form factor and supports both the 802.11ac and 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6 & Wi-Fi 6E) protocols. If you have a laptop or desktop motherboard with an M.2 WiFi module, this M.2 card will fit right in.

Of course, the real beauty of this card is its ability to run the new WiFi 6E standard. The Federal Communications Commission passed this upgrade to WiFi 6 just this year. WiFi 6E devices to operate on the 6 GHz band, rather ...

Kioxia launches its first PC PCIe 4.0 SSDs just in time for the next-gen storage explosion

The market for faster solid state drives is ripe for expansion with next-gen game consoles and PCs alike sporting storage architectures that can help developers tap into the speed potential of PCIe 4.0 models. And right on cue, Kioxia, formerly known as Toshiba Memory, has come out with a new line of PCIe 4.0 SSDs.

Kioxia's new XG7 and XG7-P represent the company's first-ever client (read: not datacenter) PCIe 4.0 models. Compared to the previous generation XG6 series, which are PCIe 3.0 drives, Kioxia says its latest offerings deliver twice the sequential read performance and 1.6x ...

The Xbox Series X and PS5 are breeding a new wave of affordable 32-inch 4K 144Hz gaming monitors

Next gen consoles aren't just kickstarting a new interest in solid state storage, they're also responsible for a new wave of affordable, high-spec gaming monitors. That's great news if you want high-refresh 4K action, but don’t fancy paying an absolute fortune. 

Monitors from Viewsonic, Acer, and Philips are among a new generation of displays to bring 4K high refresh to the 32-inch form factor. The really exciting bit is that the new models, including the Philips Momentum 328M1R, Acer Predator XB323QK, and Viewsonic Elite XG320U, are expected to be very competitively priced compared ...

This Windows 10 update could be a winner with tinkerers and perfectionists

Microsoft is working on a Windows 10 update that will introduce a range of new font management facilities and further expand customization options.

Windows 10 users can already select a default font from a long list of pre-sets and install new ones via a simple drag-and-drop mechanism, but the upgrade is set to introduce further granularity.

The new features, which include the ability to fiddle with the way fonts render on-screen, are expected to arrive via open source application PowerToys, built by a small group of Microsoft developers.

According to the product roa ...

Sapphire unveils its own AMD RX 6800 cards, and they're kinda gorgeous

AMD's Big Navi Big Boi, the 6800XT, will eventually hail from third-party manufacturers, but that's a little way away yet. That hasn't stopped Sapphire from revealing its plans for such boards, and they’re looking good, with the GPU manufacturer getting to flex its high-end muscles for the first time in an age.

There are actually two in fact: Sapphire’s RX 6800-series line is split into PULSE (why the caps?) and Nitro+. Those PULSE boards (honestly, it makes it sound like a backwater nightclub) fill 2.7 slots and are a classy black and red, with a heartbeat motif on the back. Its th ...

What Is the “Windows Feature Experience Pack” on Windows 10?

Windows 10 now has a strange specification named “Experience.” Standard desktop versions of Windows 10 say you have the “Windows Feature Experience Pack” installed. What does that mean? Microsoft is being secretive as always, but here’s what we know.

Another Windows 10 Mystery

If you head to Settings > System > About and scroll down to “Windows specifications,” you’ll see a line named “Experience.” It likely says you have the “Windows Feature Experience Pack” installed.

This section also tells you what edition of Windows 10 you have installed, which update vers ...

Forget the Surface Go 2 tablet, this rival has a keyboard and stylus for less than half the price

When we reviewed the new Surface Go 2 tablet from Microsoft, we found it to be "an excellent affordable Windows 10 tablet that features a premium design found in the company's more expensive devices”. 

However, if you want something even more affordable, you should check out the Pipo W11, which retails for about half the price of Microsoft’s diminutive tablet.

Pipo is not a household name, but we've known about the company since 2014 when it unveiled the Pipo W2 tablet. The W11 follows in the footsteps of its 6-year old predecessor, which back then ran on a little-known ...

As Huawei is set to drop Android, another tech giant is shunning a Google OS

IN 2021 Huawei will be introducing a massive change - dropping Android for their in-house HarmonyOS software. But the P40 Pro and P30 Pro makers aren't the only tech giant that looks set to shun a Google-made operating system.

Rumours are circulating that OnePlus could be about to drop a Google-made operating system on an upcoming device. But Nord fans who are worried about seeing a massive Android shake-up like their Huawei counterparts are getting needn't be concerned. According to the rumour mill, OnePlus won't be switching things around on their Android devices - it will be on t ...

MSI's GeForce RTX 3090 Suprim Emerges With Jaw-Dropping 1,965 MHz Boost Clock

A Redditor has received one of MSI's looming GeForce RTX 3090 Suprim as a replacement for the Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming, which the U.K. retailer didn't have in stock. The lucky owner shared some photographs and interesting information on the unreleased graphics card.

If you don't take into account the exclusive Lightning series, the Gaming X series has always delivered the fastest gaming graphics cards from MSI. However, the latest evidence lends credence to the rumors that MSI might have reshuffled its products. The introduction of the Suprim series would logically rel ...

AMD Ryzen 5000 undervolting will return better than ever in future update

Director of technical marketing at AMD, Robert Hallock, is promising new and improved undervolting capabilities are on the way for Ryzen 5000 chips, to be bundled into a future AGESA firmware update.

Currently AMD's Ryzen 5000 processors do not offer undervolting in any capacity, and that means you'll have to stick to only positive voltage tweaks today. AMD does offer the ability to run your processor within the constraints of a lower TDP, such as taking a 105W TDP part down to 65W TDP, but beyond that you're a bit stuck at the stock configuration.

At least for the time bein ...

Shuttle XH410G: 3-litre mini-PC launched with Comet Lake-S processors and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 support

Shuttle has announced its latest mini-PC, the XH410G. While the machine may look like a run of the mill mini-PC, the XH410G packs a punch. Measure 250 x 200 x 79 mm, the XH410G supports with a choice of 65 W Intel processors, an expansion slot and multiple ports.

Specifically, Shuttle has designed the XH410G with an LGA1200 socket, meaning that it supports Comet Lake S from the Celeron G5900 to the Core i9-10900. The machine also has two SO-DIMM slots, an M.2 2280 slot and a 2.5-inch bay that can take up to 9.5 mm drives. Additionally, Shuttle has included an M.2 2230AE slot for Wi- ...

THE BEST PEN-BASED NOTE-TAKING APPS FOR YOUR CHROMEBOOK

Have you ever tried to use your Chromebook for note-taking with a stylus? Some devices are more suited to the task than others, with the Lenovo Chromebook Duet being the best, in my opinion. There are a lot of pen-enabled apps that you can use, but which ones are truly the best? Today, we’re going to tell you which three we think are the most featureful and provide the best experience on Chromebooks. Then, we’ll give you a few runners up that you can try out as well. If you’re interested in seeing which apps are best for sketching and drawing on a Chromebook, you can check out our round-up ...

If the Apple Silicon MacBook looks like this, I need it

The MacBook Pro you see in this article is like a dream come true. The work is a set of concept illustrations made into 3D rendered goodness by the folks at Zone of Tech. In this device is a true meeting of worlds, with industrial design elements from the recent past of both the MacBook and the iPad Pro, including but not limited to a giant trackpad, a super bright and colorful display, and bezels that are equal on all sides and corners.

The MacBook Pro ARM (Apple Silicon) Concept appeared in a Tweet from Daniel (ZoneOfTech) this week with a pointer toward the next-generation machin ...

WhatsApp now lets users send disappearing messages

WhatsApp will soon have a disappearing message feature, designed to enable users of the chat app to cut down on their digital footprint.

Once the update, which is rolling out from Thursday, hits phones, users will be able to set an option for each individual chat they are in – whether one-on-one or a group – to delete messages automatically seven days after they have been sent.

Unlike some competitors, such as the secure messaging app Signal, WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, decided against offering flexibility to users. There is no option to change the length of time m ...

AMD RYZEN 9 5900X REVIEW

Let's cut straight to the chase: the performance of the Ryzen 9 5900X and AMD's latest Zen 3 architecture is good. It's really very, very good. It pretty much delivers on the promise that AMD laid out at the chip reveal on October 8, and if nothing else that should make for very worrying reading for Intel. For us gamers that is nothing but good news, because there is now real choice when it comes to the best CPU for gaming for your next build. 

It isn't a one horse race anymore.

Intel has managed to stay competitive through AMD's successive performance improvements to Zen th ...

TicWatch Pro 3 GPS review: A powerful Wear OS smartwatch in more ways than one

T here is very little positive that anyone will remember 2020 for but it has been a decent year for Android-friendly smartwatches.

In recent months we’ve seen the Galaxy Watch3 continue Samsung’s impressive offerings and the Oppo Watch, which is as fine a rendition of the Wear OS experience as any other.

Both have their odd niggles and now they face serious competition for the title of best Android smartwatch of 2020: The new TicWatch Pro 3 GPS.

The design maybe a little restrained but with the TicWatch Pro 3 Mobvoi has improved on its past efforts and counters the l ...

Apple AirPods Pro 2 release date, rumours, features and specs

Apple's AirPods Pro came out at the end of October 2019, offering a different design to the original AirPods, along with sweat and water resistance, customised fit, active noise cancellation and advanced on-device controls. 

What might their successor bring to the party though? Here is everything we have heard so far about the second generation of Apple AirPods Pro, which we are calling AirPods Pro 2.

Release date and price

Q4, 2021

$249

A report from Bloomberg suggests the Apple AirPods Pro 2 could be released in 2021, with other sources suggesting i ...

Xiaomi Cooks Up Palm Size Intel Mini-PC, Starting at $149

According to a recent Gizmochina report, Xiaomi has launched a crowdfunding campaign to bring the brand's Ningmei Rubik’s Cube Mini to the market. 

Xiaomi's upcoming mini-PC utilizes a similar recipe as the Chuwi Larkbox and GMK NucBox. The device measures 62 x 62 x 42mm, which is around the size of a Rubik's Cube. That's probably where Xiaomi drew its inspiration for naming the mini-PC. The Ningmei Rubik’s Cube Mini features a metallic body, but Xiaomi still managed to keep the weight at only 145g.

A Celeron J4125 processor from Intel powers Xiaomi's latest mini-PC. The Cel ...

DELL XPS 13 (LATE-2020) REVIEW: GREATNESS, REFINED

ThisThis is an easy review. Today, we’re looking at the XPS 13 9310, Dell’s best-in-class 13-inch ultraportable laptop. It’s identical to the Dell XPS 13 9300, which I reviewed back in April, in every way, except one: it has Intel’s new 11th Gen Tiger Lake processors.

The new XPS 13 starts at $999.99. The base model includes a Core i3-1115G4, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, Intel’s UHD integrated graphics, and a 1920 x 1200 non-touch display. But the most exciting feature of the Tiger Lake line is Intel’s new Iris Xe integrated graphics. Models with those graphics start at $1,099.99 ( ...

LG quietly unveils a fast 27-inch FreeSync Premium gaming monitor

At first glance, LG's new 27-inch UltraGear 27GN800-B gaming monitor appears virtually identical to another one with a similar model number (27GN850-B). Both are equipped with a fast screen and offer similar specifications across the board, but the new 27GN800-B is actually a little different (and hopefully ends up a little bit cheaper to boot).

The 27GN800-B is another LG monitor to feature an IPS panel, just like the 27GN850-B that came before it. And like its predecessor, it offers a native 2560x1440 (QHD) resolution with a respectably fast 144Hz refresh rate and 1ms gray-to-gray ...

GLORIOUS MODULAR MECHANICAL KEYBOARD (GMMK) REVIEW

The Glorious Modular Mechanical Keyboard was the world's first modular RGB mechanical keyboard when it was introduced way back in 2016, is still one of the best. The GMMK, as we'll call it from here on (otherwise that's a real mouthful), is modular in that you can hotswap any of the 104 RGB keyboard switches to create your own bespoke board.

Glorious initially set out to create an affordable line of “high-performance PC gaming accessories” for the masses, a line of quality gear to rival the industry leaders, and it has certainly hit that bar. In the process, it has managed to set so ...

Arctic's massive Liquid Freezer II 420 cooler is built for CPUs that like to blaze

For the most part, all-in-one liquid coolers come in three general sizes: 120mm (single fan), 240mm (two fans), and 360mm (three fans). That includes Arctic's Liquid Freezer II line of AIO coolers, but apparently 360mm was not big enough for some customers, who have been urging the company to go even bigger. And it did, with its new Liquid Freezer II 420.

This is still a three-fan cooling unit, but with larger 140mm fans attached to the radiator instead of 120mm fans, as found on the Liquid Freer II 360 model. It exists because, according to Arctic, fans kept asking, "Will Arct ...

Apple is almost definitely launching its first non-Intel Mac on November 10

Mac systems built around Apple's own custom silicon based on Arm are coming, as the company embarks on a two-year plan to phase Intel chips from its lineup. But when will it happen in earnest? One week from today.

I can't say that with 100 percent certainty, but I'm 99.99 percent convinced. That's because Apple has announced a third fall event (via MacRumors) for next Tuesday, November 10, to unveil "one more thing."

The previous two events in September and October have seen launches of the iPhone 12, a new iPad Air, a HomePod mini speaker, the Apple Watch Series 6 ...

HOW TO GET PRODUCTIVE WITH FULL HD EXTENDED DISPLAYS ON THE LENOVO CHROMEBOOK DUET

Since the Lenovo Chromebook Duet arrived on the scene back in January 2020 at CES, most users have been a bit enamored by the diminutive tablet with the bright, beautiful display and very low starting price. After all, getting a great tablet, kickstand cover and keyboard/trackpad combo in the box for $299 is pretty amazing and makes for a great overall Chromebook experience. Add to that mix the fact that we’re starting to see pretty deep discounts on this package for the shopping season and picking up a Duet has never been more attractive.

There’s one issue that’s been a bit of a t ...

This Windows 10/macOS combination is the perfect desktop operating system

We know that Microsoft is planning to give Windows 10 a makeover in the future, but it’s unlikely that the software giant will really go to town on the design, with the focus of its UI revamp -- codenamed Sun Valley -- being more on tweaking things and expanding on the Fluent Design language currently in use.

While some people are more than happy with how Windows 10 looks, it’s pretty bland when compared to macOS. But what if Apple and Microsoft joined forces to produce a Windows/macOS hybrid?

Over on Reddit, Kaiwave33x has put his design skills to good use to add macOS elem ...

This water-cooled RTX 3080 is the most cyberpunk design Gigabyte's made yet

Gigabyte is making a splash with the new water-cooled GeForce RTX 3080 design, now entering the maelstrom of custom Ampere graphics cards being swiftly swept away by the tide. The new Aorus Xtreme Waterforce WBs (noted by Computerbase) is overclocked by 8 percent, meaning it'll be throwing up boosts clocks of 1,845MHz, and it'll do so in a full-cover, water-cooled wet suit with impeccable cyberpunk style.

Gigabyte also claims more efficient heat dissipation thanks to the "shortened distance between the water channel and the GPU", and the broad copper base plate covers the ...

G.skill launches extreme low-latency memory that's ideal for AMD Ryzen gaming PCs

G.Skill has announced two brand new kits of extreme low-latency DDR4-3600 memory—a 32GB kit smack bang in the sweet spot for gaming and a 64GB kit for memory-heavy applications, such as content creation.

The new low-latency memory kits will be rated to CL14-15-15-35, which matches the Team Extreem ARGB C14 kits currently sitting atop of our best RAM for gaming guide. G.Skill will be offering its extreme low-latency kits under its Trident X Neo, Trident Z Royal, Trident Z RGB, and Ripjaws V series—plenty of options from bling to bare. 

All kits are built using Samsung B-Die c ...

Apple to Launch MacBooks With Own Chips Next Week

Apple Inc.’s 15-year relationship with Intel Corp. will officially begin to unwind next week when new Mac computers are revealed.

The Cupertino, California-based technology giant said on Monday that it will hold an online event dubbed “One more thing” on Nov. 10. That “thing” will be Macs with main processors designed by Apple for the first time, replacing Intel chips that have been a mainstay since 2006. An Apple spokesman declined to comment.

Apple and overseas suppliers are ramping up production of three Mac laptops with Apple processors: new 13-inch and 16-inch MacBook P ...

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 folding phone will have an LG rival that looks LIGHT YEARS ahead

The world of smartphone design is starting to get pretty wild, with manufacturers looking to deviate from the the candy bar form factor thanks to new tech like flexible panels and under screen cameras.

LG, however, is setting itself apart from the foldable devices that are becoming the new standard with its Project B handset, set to sport a rollable display and following in the footsteps of its uniquely designed swivel smartphone, the LG Wing. 

LG has been working on a rollable display for a while, and we initially heard about its Project B smartphone last November, with its ...

Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti GPU could be unleashed on November 17

Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which is supposedly the next GPU to arrive in the Ampere range, could be launched in less than three weeks’ time on November 17, going by the latest speculation.

This comes from MyDrivers (via Videocardz) along with the suggestion that according to third-party graphics card manufacturers, stock levels of the 3060 Ti will be similar to that witnessed with the RTX 3070 that just hit the shelves – in other words, it’ll be very thin on the ground.

But that wouldn’t really be any surprise given that all of Nvidia’s RTX 3000 launches have failed to me ...

Moto G 5G leaks suggest another budget 5G Motorola handset is on the way

We've seen the Moto G 5G Plus already this year (called the Motorola One 5G in the US), and if the rumors are correct then the standard Moto G 5G is going to be the next affordable 5G phone to arrive from Motorola.

As per information obtained by XDA Developers and an image posted to Slashleaks, the handset is going to come running the brand new mid-range Snapdragon 750G chipset, with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage on board.

Further information revealed on Twitter points to a 6.66-inch display running at a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels, plus a 5,000 mAh battery. As the na ...

AMD Ryzen 5 5600X ends Intel's hegemony in single-thread perf; 10% faster than Core i9-10900K and 23% faster than Ryzen 9 3900X

Intel has traditionally held the single-core performance crown for many generations. AMD did get close to Intel 9th gen Coffee Lake, but Comet Lake once again showed good leads in single-core and gaming. With Ryzen 5000 Zen 3, Intel may not be in a comfortable position any longer.

User /u/losh11 (@loshan1212) first posted CPU-Z results of the Ryzen 5 5600X on Reddit. The OP had since deleted the post, but the results were shared quickly to other subreddits. CPU-Z screenshots and product packaging of the Ryzen 5 5600X were subsequently reposted by @GawroskiT on Twitter.

In th ...

Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 review

The Dell XPS 13 is the best laptop on the market, but its success has caused the XPS 13 2-in-1 to be somewhat overshadowed. It doesn't help that early versions of the laptop/tablet hybrid suffered from poor battery life and a clunky chassis. The 2020 model, however, should help the XPS 13 2-in-1 step out of the shadows of its sibling and into the spotlight. 

The new XPS 13 2-in-1 is without question among the best 2-in-1 laptops you can buy. That shouldn't come as a surprise. Dell smartly used the XPS 13 as a blueprint for the XPS 13 2-in-1, an almost identical laptop, but with the ...

Philips 48OLED+935 4K HDR OLED review

If you want a nice new shiny OLED TV, but you don’t want it to a) be massive and b) sound rotten, especially when you compare the quality of its sound to the quality of its pictures, you’ve been bang out of luck. Until now, that is.

Philips has stridden in where other TV brands apparently couldn’t be bothered to tread, and the result is the OLED+935. Oh, you can have a massive version if you want: the OLED+935 is available in both 55in and 65in screen sizes. But it’s also yours in a relatively titchy 48in version if you fancy - which is a much more realistic screen size for plenty o ...

Seagate: We Are On Track with 20TB HAMR HDDs in December

Heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) technology is expected to enable rather massive increase of hard drives capacity in the coming years. It took the industry several decades to develop this technology and its mass roll-out was delayed several times. In fact, Western Digital even decided to use energy-assisted perpendicular magnetic recording (ePMR) and microwave-assisted (MAMR) technologies before moving on to HAMR. Yet, its rival Seagate is on track to introduce HAMR-based HDDs this year. 

At its earnings conference last week Seagate reiterated plans to ship its 20 TB HAMR HDD ...

Sony Xperia 1 II with 12GB RAM benchmarked ahead of global rollout

The Sony Xperia 1 II is already out in a special 12GB RAM configuration in Taiwan. Now we get a Geekbench listing for the device which shows out the small performance gains compared to the regular 8GB RAM model.

The 12GB RAM Xperia 1 II manages a 908-point single-core run and 3387 points in the multi-core department. For comparison, the standard 8GB RAM model pushes around 895 points in the single-core test and just over 3,225 in the multi-core department.

The 12GB RAM Xperia 1 II is expected to launch in more regions on October 30.

Windows 10 update could make your browser lightning fast

Microsoft is “experimenting” with a new feature - called start-up boost - that could increase the speed with which its web browser Edge is able to launch from the Windows 10 desktop or taskbar.

The speed gain will be achieved by activating select Microsoft Edge processes when a Windows 10 machine is powered on. With these processes already running in the background, using up minimal computing resources, Edge will exist in a state of readiness that should improve launch times.

The start-up boost feature is already available as an option in Edge version 88, which was recentl ...

WhatsApp is getting two killer upgrades — how you can try them out

For many people, WhatsApp has become the conversation platform of choice, with over 2 billion people using the Facebook-owned app to keep in touch with friends and family. In addition to offering encrypted messaging, WhatsApp boasts several features that appeal to a variety of users. And it’s about to expand its bag of tricks.

Specifically, WhatsApp is gaining two new capabilities that figure to broaden its appeal — the ability to mute conversations with others indefinitely, and a way to shop directly from within WhatsApp.

The ability to simply mute some conversations for th ...

No-one can agree if AMD's RX 6800 XT can really beat the RTX 3080, but it's going to be close

Preliminary benchmarks are starting to appear, and they paint a good picture for AMD's upcoming RX 6000 series GPUs.

Multiple leaks purported to be for the unreleased AMD Radeon RX 6800XT graphics card have appeared online—although the results are far from definitive. Claiming to show performance for a high-end RDNA 2 graphics card, multiple sites and leakers are reporting the AMD RX 6800XT toppling the RTX 3080 in 3DMark test, Firestrike, while falling behind in ray-traced workloads.

These figures are all unverified at this time, and it's unlikely we'll receive any concrete ...

There’s a serious issue with Windows 10 October Update: here’s what it breaks on your PC

WINDOWS 10 fans may find themselves in a nightmare scenario following the release of the latest update to the operating system, which seems to break a few essential parts of the software.

Windows 10 users might be having second thoughts about downloading the recently released Windows 10 October Update. That's because the latest software updates from Microsoft seem to have caused some pretty serious issues with the hugely-popular operating system, including breaking the File Explorer, which is used for, well, just about everything. The updates, known as KB4579311 and KB4577671, were ...

Raja Koduri To Present at Samsung Event as Intel Mulls Chip Outsourcing

Intel's Raja Koduri is slated to present a "1000X More Compute for AI by 2025" presentation at Samsung's Advanced Foundry Ecosystem (SAFE) Forum next week, which comes as Intel mulls its strategy for outsourcing some of its production to third-party fabs. The presentation comes after Raja Koduri tweeted an image of a visit to Samsung's Giheung plant in Korea last year, sparking rumors that Intel would use Samsung to produce components for its Xe graphics solutions. Those rumors seemed spurious in the past, but Intel's recent announcement that it will outsource some chip production ...

Should I buy a 55-inch 8K TV?

2020 has been a big year for 8K TVs. After some hesitant forays into the technology, its biggest advocates are plunging ahead with multiple models featuring the high resolution – but at what sizes do you really see the benefit?

As standard, 8K TVs don’t usually get smaller than a 65-inch size – and tend to come with 75-inch and even 85-inch sizes too. In the US, the flagship Samsung 8K QLED this year, the Q950TS, only comes in an 85-inch size, which speaks to the kind of big-screen experience Samsung is pushing for its 8K sets.

There is, however, the odd appearance of a 55-i ...

Microsoft Releases Temporary Fix for Windows 10 Reset Bug

A recent Windows 10 bug found some individuals with "certain hardware configurations" unable to restore their computer to a previous state, but now there's a fix.

The "Reset this PC" feature is typically found under the Recovery section in the Settings menu. When issues arise with the PC configuration, Windows 10 users can utilize this option to return their computer to factory settings. But a recent bug disabled it for anyone still running Windows 10 version 2004.

When making an attempt at resetting, an error message would appear instead: "There was ...

Lenovo Legion Phone Duel, a bizarre new gaming phone, is available to buy now

If you're looking to buy a new gaming phone the Lenovo Legion Phone Duel is out today, and it might be great for the task if you can get around its one peculiar selling point.

You see, the Phone Duel seems designed for use held horizontally - its pop-up front camera and two rear cameras work best when you're holding the phone sideways, as presumably you'll be buying this phone if you're spending most of your screen time gaming.

The phone is available to buy now from Lenovo's website, and it'll cost you £899 (roughly $1,175, AU$1,645) - that's quite a lot for a smartphone, es ...

Smartwatch Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 GPS with Snapdragon Wear 4100 Review: Dual display and a large battery ensure a better battery life

With its display technology and powerful battery of an almost 600-mAh capacity, Mobvoi mainly wants to improve the weak battery life that is typical for WearOS – and it succeeds. The fact that the smartwatch uses "GPS" in its name, even though many wearables record routes at this point, is also justified: with GPS, Beidou, GLONASS, Galileo, and QZSS the TicWatch Pro 3 GPS is positioned very well.

Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 GPS

Processor

Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100

Memory

1024 MB 

Display

1.4 inch , 454 x 454 pixel 459 PPI, Full ...

ASUS unveils GeForce RTX 3070 KO (Korean Origin) graphics card

ASUS KO – a special series for the Korean market

ASUS has unveiled its special series called KO, which stands for Korean Origin. These series are special edition only to be sold in South Korea.

A special team of designers and managers gathered feedback from Korean users on what they expect from a graphics card in terms of design, noise, temperature, and pricing. It took half a year to complete the design. The final design was selected from 10 candidates.

The first graphics card to be part of the KO series is NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070. This graphics card has been design ...

Gigabyte Releases New AMD Powered BRIX Pro PCs

Gigabyte has spiced up its lineup of BRIX Pro mini-PCs with two new models, the GB-BSRE-1505 and the GB-BSRE-1605, powered by AMD's Ryzen Embedded processors. Pricing and availability are unavailable at this time.

These AMD powered units are similar in size compared to Gigabyte's latest Tiger Lake BRIX PCs, measuring 1‎96.2 x 44.4 x 140 mm. They aren't the smallest BRIX units Gigabyte offers, but the extra size allows these PCs to pack more USB ports and display outputs, which can be handy if you need a desktop replacement.

The differentiating factor between the two units is ...

Never worry about USB port connectivity again with this dual connector thumb drive

The transition from USB Type-A to USB Type-C has not exactly been an expeditious one, mostly because the market is already flooded with devices built around the former. That's why even the newest cutting edge motherboards typically offer more USB-A ports than USB-C ones. Kingston's new DataTraveler Duo USB flash drive can plug into either one of them.

It’s a cleverly designed flash drive with a USB-C connector on one side and a USB-A connector on the other, either of which (or both) can be hidden in the slider-style casing.

"The addition of the DT Duo adds much needed ...

AMD Radeon RX 6000 series, what we know so far

AMD Radeon RX 6000 series specifications have been known to us since Monday. This week AMD provided a lot of details to AIBs, including new (working) drivers, final SKU names, and so on. We have been able to cross-check parts of the specs and we feel confident that these are more or less final.

AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT – Navi 21 XTX

AMD’s Big Navi will feature 80 Compute Units (5120 Stream Processors). This card will be (for now) AMD exclusive. The Radeon RX 6900XT will be the AMD flagship series, which according to our sources will be in limited quantity. The card would ...

iOS 14.1 and iPadOS 14.1 now rolling out with bug fixes aplenty

This Friday Apple's newly unveiled iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro are officially becoming available, and ahead of that the company is pushing out a software update to all of its supported phones and tablets.

iOS 14.1 and iPadOS 14.1 are now rolling out, and both of these are, as the minor version number incrementation shows, small updates, focused on fixing bugs.

And there are a lot of such fixes included, for sure. Here's the full changelog courtesy of Apple itself:

- Adds support for 10-bit HDR video playback and edit in ‌Photos‌ for ‌iPhone‌ 8 and later

- Add ...

Philips OLED805 (65OLED805) review: One of the prettiest and most affordable OLED TVs in town

The Philips OLED805 marks another battle in the raging OLED price war. Those hunting for the truly vibrant imagery of OLED panels are still looking at significant outlays to ensure their pixel hungry desires are sated, but it's getting heated out there. 

The best OLED TVs – which make up a lot of best TVs overall, of course – are a hotbed of competition among biggest brands, competing to deliver the best visuals, best design and, importantly, a great price. The Philips OLED805 enters the market as a perfect combination of all three.

Sadly for our US readers, this TV is avail ...

This strange Windows 10 bug gave us a serious fright - don’t make the same mistake

We at TechRadar Pro often cover the latest Windows 10 updates and issues, but also sometimes fall victim to bugs in the operating system ourselves.

Last week, we experienced a strange Windows 10 problem that prevented our Start menu from opening, which is of course a major inconvenience.

Every time we clicked on the menu or pressed the Windows key, we were served the following message: “Critical Error: Your Start menu isn’t working. We’ll try to fix it next time you sign in.”

Check out our list of the best cloud backup services around

We've built a list of th ...

HP Envy 15 Review

Aimed at creators—photographers, videographers, graphic designers, musicians, and the like—the HP Envy 15 delivers with a gorgeous and expansively large display, modern and powerful components, and minimalist design. I’ve used the Envy 15 extensively over the past two months and I love it for the most part. But there are a few niggling issues that mar a near-perfect computing experience.

Design

As its name suggests, the HP Envy 15 is a large, 15.6-inch laptop, and I’m a big fan of its uncluttered minimalist design, which is both premium and professional looking. I especially ...

iPhone 12 vs Samsung Galaxy S20: the latest smartphone features, specs and cameras compared

Now we know what the latest iPhone looks like, we can ask how it compares with its market rival: the Samsung Galaxy S20. 

Apple's virtual iPhone launch - the first of its kind thanks to Covid-19 restrictions - was filled with technical terms and phrases like "Lidar", "Ultra-Wide Band" and "nano ceramic crystals". 

It announced a £699 iPhone 12 mini, one of four 5G-enabled phones unveiled by the tech giant and the most affordable flagship-series phone the company has announced in several years, alongside the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 ...

Intel Officially Kills Cannon Lake Graphics Support

Intel may be having difficulty bringing 10nm to desktop processors now, but this isn't the first time the 10nm process has given the company trouble. Back before Ice Lake, Intel's first 10nm mobile line was actually the ill-fated Cannon Lake. While it was originally set to be a much bigger deal, with several chips planned for launch, it eventually only saw one processor hit the market, and only in China. That processor, the Core i3-8121U, shipped with disabled internal graphics, and new code today sees Intel essentially admitting that support for the line is dead. As well as slyly hinting a ...

Hands on: Fujifilm X-S10 review

The Fujifilm X-S10 is a bold new step in the company's quest to make the ultimate mid-range mirrorless camera. By taking many of the highlights of its flagship Fujifilm X-T4, including in-body image stabilization (IBIS), and shoehorning them into a smaller, cheaper body, it's made a camera that has the potential to be one of its most popular mirrorless shooters so far.

Until now, the role of deputy to Fujifilm's X-T flagships has been filled by excellent little cameras like the Fujifilm X-T30. The X-S10 isn't a replacement for that model, but instead a slightly uncharacteristic atte ...

ASUS ROG Swift PG32UQX: 32-Inch 4K IPS Panel with 144 Hz Refresh Rate, G-SYNC, DisplayHDR 1400, and More

Chinese web store Taobao (via TFT Central) has listed one of ASUS’s most highly anticipated monitors, the ROG Swift PG32UQX. While a few of its core features were laid out by the company back in January (CES), Taobao’s listing reveals the display’s complete specifications, which look spectacular.

The ASUS ROG Swift PG32UQX is a 32-inch monitor that leverages a 4K (3840 x 2160p) IPS panel with full-array local dimming Mini LED backlight (1,152 zones). Supporting refresh rates of up to 144 Hz, the display boasts NVIDIA’s highest tier of G-SYNC certification – G-SYNC ULTIMATE – to ensu ...

The Lenovo Smart Clock Essential is like an Echo Dot for Android owners

For smart home owners, it's been a busy few weeks of announcements: last month, Amazon unveiled its slate of new smart assistant-equipped speakers and displays then, in early October, Google revealed its new Google Nest Audio device. Now it’s time for another manufacturer to follow suit: Lenovo. 

Meet the new Lenovo Smart Clock Essential. 

Lenovo’s latest smart product uses Google Assistant like the new Google Nest Audio but it’s also a smart display that can show you the time, the day, the outside temperature and a small icon for the weather.

Not only is it pretty ...

Nikon Z 6II and Nikon Z 7II announced: Nikon updates its full frame Z-series

Nikon has launched the Z 6II and Z 7II, updates to its top-end Z-series mirrorless cameras, with more powerful processing, twin memory card slots and enhanced autofocus and continuous shooting capabilities.

They seem like they have been around for ever, but the Nikon Z 6 and Z 7 were launched only two years ago in 2018. The accelerating rate of change in the full frame mirrorless camera market, however, means that now seems like a lifetime ago – so just two years after the first Z-series cameras arrived, new and updated versions are here.

These are evolutions of the original ...

Review: MSI MPG Sekira 100R

Introduction

MSI may be best known for its motherboards and graphics cards, but success in those fields has allowed the Taiwanese manufacturer to branch out considerably. These days, it's possible to kit out a high-end gaming setup with all sorts of MSI gear, ranging from keyboards and mice to monitors and even gaming chairs.

A lesser-known category is PC chassis, in which MSI has over a dozen models to choose from. One of the latest additions is the MPG Sekira 100R, priced at £120 and in for review today.

It is quite clear that Sekira 100R is intended as a visual co ...

Canon PowerShot Zoom: a pocket camera crossed with an 800mm telescope!

The Canon PowerShot Zoom has just been announced for a release in the west, after the innovative pocket camera – which features up to 800mm zoom, with image stabilized stills and video shooting – was released in Japan via crowdfunding.

One of the manufacturer's most unusual products, the Canon PowerShot Zoom is unique in the marketplace. Featuring the same 12.1MP image sensor found in the Canon SX70 bridge camera, it combines the functionality of a pocket-sized telescope or monocular – with a three-step zoom system offering 100mm f/5.6, 400mm f/6.3 (optically) and 800mm (digitally) ...

Bluetooth bugs are making contact tracing apps spit out tons of errors

At the heart of all Bluetooth-based contact tracing apps is one fundamental issue: whether they actually help in the struggle to slow the spread of Covid-19. Whether they’re effective or not can be judged on two factors: epidemiologically and technically. But, months into the pandemic, there are still no clear answers.

“They're quite unreliable,” says Douglas Leith, the chair of computer systems at Trinity College Dublin, who has been analysing how well devices can use Bluetooth to measure distance. Leith says the reliability of apps to detect other devices around them accurately an ...

Intel quietly introduces the Core i3-10100F processor

Intel has quietly rolled out the 10th generation Intel Core i3-10100F processor. HEXUS regulars will already be well aware, from the nomenclature, that this is one of Intel's processors with a disabled on-board GPU ('F' suffix). However, the best feature of the new Intel Core i3-10100F can't be decoded from the name - it boasts Hyperthreading - as well as a slightly faster boost clock, and double the RAM capacity support, compared to its processor (the Core i3-9100F), at the same price.

The Intel Core i3-10100F processor is part of the Comet Lake-S line of desktop processors built b ...

The cheapest 4K monitor right now could replace all your displays

Walmart is currently offering up the most affordable 4K monitor (that doubles as TV) on the market - even cheaper than bargain basement Amazon Prime Day displays.

At just $158, the Spectre U425CV-U even undercuts most refurbished displays we've seen to date, and this one comes with a full one year warranty. It costs around $14 a year to run and uses a 42.5-inch LED panel, supported by two feet and surrounded by an extremely thin bezel.

Uniquely among ultra cheap televisions and monitors, it sports four (yes four) HDMI inputs, meaning you could connect up to four computers at ...

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G review

Samsung hopes to change everyone’s mind with the Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G, the successor to its seminal foldable. This time, Samsung’s ditched much of what made the first Fold meh, like the dinky front display and the dodgy side-notches, and smartened up the design.

Good start, yes. But this is a £1,799 phone, so saying it has to be good is an understatement. To get a recommendation for anyone without a huge amount of disposable income, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 has to be near-perfect. So, is it?

DESIGN AND SCREEN: FOLD EVERYTHING

Combining a 6.23-inch cover display with ...

A Razer Edition motherboard is the cherry on top of your RGB battlestation

The final frontier for Razer in the PC space is to offer actual components, having already tackled keyboards, mice, headsets, controllers, and a range of other products (even toasters). Taking a step in that direction, Razer intends to sell a line of AM4 motherboards for AMD's Ryzen processors.

This was one of the many announcements at its inaugural RazerCon event over the weekend. It is also part of a bigger play to RGB all the things, as it has been doing. And it ties in with its Chroma Connect program consisting of over 50 third-party hardware partners, including new additions WD ...

Now that's build quality: Microsoft Surface Book takes a bullet for its owner, saving a life

Twitter user @itsExtreme_ (Aaron) reported that a Microsoft Surface Book saved his life by taking a stray bullet a tenant shot from the floor below. Aaron tweeted an image of his Surface Book after the incident. The convertible laptop was definitely worse for wear, with the bullet having penetrated the display and the mousepad. 

Unsurprisingly, the device no longer works. However, @itsExtreme_ has reached out to Microsoft support about the possibility of getting his laptop serviced or replaced. Considering the attention the original tweet received on Twitter, it will be interesting ...

Honor MagicBook 14 with Ryzen 5 4500U review

Introduction

Huawei and its subsidiary Honor have been expanding their presence in the laptop world for years now but have really hit their stride in the last 12 months. We've now covered the ultra premium Huawei MateBook X Pro 2020, the ultra powerful Huawei MateBook 14 2020 AMD, the affordable 16.1-inch Honor MagicBook Pro, and its more portable sibling - the Honor MagicBook 14 with the 12nm quad-core Ryzen 5 3500U that was initially available.

Now we have our hands on the upgraded version of the last one with the new Ryzen 5 4500U processor, based on AMD's newer Zen 2 arc ...

COLORFUL Launches CVN Guardian and WARHALBERD DDR4 Memory Series

October 12th , 2020 Shenzhen, China – Colorful Technology Company Limited, professional manufacturer of graphics cards, motherboards, all-in-one gaming and multimedia solutions and high-performance storage, launches the CVN Guardian RGB DDR4 gaming memory for the latest AMD platforms and the WARHALBERD DDR4 memory for the 3rd generation AMD Ryzen platform and Intel desktop platforms. The COLORFUL CVN Guardian RGB Gaming Memory sports an eye-catching heat sink with an RGB lightbar that supports motherboard RGB sync. On the other hand, the WARHALBERD is a value-oriented DDR4 memory featuring ...

ASUS ROG Strix XG438Q 43in 120Hz Gaming Monitor Review

The XG438Q is based around a VA panel, with the usual characteristics of this technology. It has very high 4,000:1 contrast, and quite high 450cd/m2 brightness. On the downside, the pixel response is 4ms gray-to-gray, which is par for the course for VA. Brightness and contrast are sufficient to enable HDR-10 support, with the ability to display 90 per cent DCI-P3 gamut to go with it.

Since this is such a big screen, it’s not packed with the adjustment. You can tilt forwards and backwards, but otherwise the position is fixed on the stand, with no swivel or height raising. There are t ...

AMD Zen 3 Ryzen 5000 Price, Specs, Release Date, Performance, All We Know

AMD has officially announced that the Zen 3 architecture will land this year and outlined the new Ryzen 5000 models, setting the stage for a new wave of powerful chips based upon a newer version of AMD's most successful architecture to date. The new Zen 3 microarchitecture will power AMD's full lineup of next-gen chips, including the Ryzen 5000 "Vermeer" desktop processors that will soon vie for a spot on our list of Best CPUs, the Ryzen 5000 laptop chips, and the EPYC Milan data center processors.

The first four new Ryzen 5000 models come as chips for the desktop PC, and ...

Acer Chromebook Spin 713 review: You can't get a better Chromebook than this for $629

For most of the last few weeks, I’ve been using an Acer Chromebook Spin 713 review unit. I was impressed by this convertible Chromebook just from the first impressions. And now? Everyday usage has confirmed my initial experience: I don’t think you can buy a better Chrome OS laptop for $629.

To help explain why, let me share a little perspective.

My daily driver is the predecessor to this laptop, Acer’s Chromebook Spin 13. Most of the updates and upgrades to the Spin 713 are either cosmetic (more on that later) or newer generation components. And yet, a similar configuration ...

iPad Pro and MacBook Pro are about to get this killer upgrade

The iPad Pro and MacBook Pro will be the first Apple devices to use new Mini-LED display technology. So says a report from DigiTimes, citing industry sources.

An earlier rumor said that an early 2021 refresh of the 12.9-inch iPad Pro will be the first Apple product to use Mini-LED, with new MacBooks coming in the second half of the year. There will apparently be 10,000 Mini-LEDs used in each display.

Check out our iPad Pro (2020) review

Learn more about Apple's next big product: the iPhone 12

Plus: Samsung Galaxy S21 could get the OnePlus 8T's best feature

...

Gigabyte Updates BRIX Pro Lineup With 11th Gen Tiger Lake Processors

Gigabyte has updated its lineup of the BRIX Pro series with Intel's latest 11th Gen Tiger Lake CPUs including new Xe integrated graphics. Gigabyte has three Tiger Lake units available, with different CPUs for each SKU, you can grab a Core i7-1165G7 Quad-Core, Core i5-1135G7 Quad-Core, or Core Core i3-1115G4 Dual-Core model.

As found by FanlessTech, connectivity is extensive on the BRIX Pro, rivaling that of entry-level PCs. Each BRIX comes with four HDMI 2.0a ports, one Thunderbolt 4/USB 4.0, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 and two Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports in the rear I/O. Wireless connectivity ...

HyperX Launches High-Capacity Impact DDR4 RAM for Laptops, SFF PCs

HyperX, Kingston's elite gaming division, today launched new Impact DDR4 SO-DIMM offerings with capacities that span up to 64GB. 

HyperX's announcement points to high-capacity kits that could be the best RAM for enthusiasts needing large amounts of memory on their notebooks or small form factor PCs.

Impact memory modules are equipped with the brand's Plug N Play feature that automatically sets up the memory to run at the advertised frequency without any manual tweaking. Compatibility-wise, Impact memory modules should play nicely on both AMD Ryzen and Intel platforms.

< ...

Windows 10 Version 2004 is Now on One-Third of PCs

Over 300 million PCs have upgraded to Windows 10 version 2004, based on the latest usage data from AdDuplex.

“[Windows 10 version 2004] is now on more than 33 percent of Windows 10 PCs, the latest AdDuplex report notes, adding that its data is based on a survey of almost 150,000 PCs.

As you may recall, Windows 10 version 2004 got off to a slow start this year, thanks to massive compatibility and reliability issues. But usage in the new version doubled last month, from 11.6 percent the previous month to 24.1 percent, indicating that most of the issues had been resolved.

...

AMD Ryzen 7 5800X leak shows a powerhouse gaming CPU that could embarrass Intel’s Core i9-10900K

AMD’s Ryzen 7 5800X has been spotted in a game benchmark where the purported chip put up a very impressive performance compared to Intel’s current flagship Core i9-10900K, getting AMD fans excited that this CPU could be a real winner in terms of its price/performance ratio.

The Ryzen 5800X was spotted in an Ashes of the Singularity benchmark (as ever, bear in mind the usual caveats about early leaks and authenticity), with the processor being an eight-core effort as previous rumors have claimed.

Sadly the clock speeds aren’t detailed for the 5800X – and neither are the syste ...

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano: Extremely lightweight 16:10 ThinkPad goes up against Dell XPS 13 9310

Lenovo's ThinkPad brand has a new flagship model: The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 1 complements the high-end ThinkPad X1 series with a new, much smaller model.

In design, the new ThinkPad X1 Nano is very similar to the existing Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8. You could call the ThinkPad X1 Nano a smaller brother of this model, as it has the same wedge-design and black Carbon fiber top-cover. The key difference between the two: While the X1 Carbon uses 14 inch displays in the more common 16:9 aspect ratio, the X1 Nano comes with a 13 inch screen in the taller 16:10 ratio. By going t ...

Linux graphical apps coming to Windows SubSystem for Linux

At the Microsoft Build 2020 virtual developers' conference, CEO Satya Nadella announced that Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) 2.0 would soon support Linux GUIs and applications. That day is closer now than ever before. At the recent X.Org Developers Conference (XDC), Microsoft partner developer lead Steve Pronovost revealed that Microsoft has made it possible to run graphical Linux applications within WSL.

It's always been possible to run Linux graphical programs such as the GIMP graphics editor, Evolution e-mail client, and LibreOffice on WSL. But it wasn't easy. You had to instal ...

IBUYPOWER GAMING RDY ELEMENT CL PLUS REVIEW

For over 20 years, iBuyPower has been making wild-looking performance-focused gaming PCs from this mech head looking thing to some RTX 3080-powered behemoths. The system we are messing with today, the Element CL Plus, tackles one of the major challenges for a lot of PC makers, liquid cooling.

What makes the Element CL Plus (the CL stands for Custom Loop) special is its approach to custom hardline liquid cooling. It's special because the system itself, with all its high-end components, manages to squeeze in an impressive-looking liquid cooling system for only $2,200. 

If you ...

LENOVO USI STYLUS REVIEW – A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME

A Pressure Sensitive Lifestyle

As an artist, the moment I saw the Pixel Slate hit the marketplace, I eagerly bought it. No longer would I need to boot up my Windows PC, grab my Wacom tablet, plug it in and try to locate my missing stylus in order to begin drawing. No longer would I need to carry around a field notes bullet journal to compose my thoughts throughout my day. Traditionally, I would sit at my desktop to draw, find a hard surface to write on in order to use my small notebook or just use my phone for tasks and notes, but I’ve long since sought out a way to increase my prod ...

ASUS also caught modifying GeForce RTX 3080 TUF and ROG STRIX PCB designs

This is a continuation of our GeForce RTX 30 series ‘stability issues’ coverage.

ASUS quietly changes RTX 3080 photos as well

We have just reported that MSI has updated the photos on their website for RTX 3080 series (GAMING X TRIO and VENTUS) featuring a new PCB design. It seems that ASUS has done the exact same thing. There is however a small difference between both manufacturers.

Unlike MSI, ASUS delayed the launch of its ROG STRIX models, likely to deliver updated designs to the reviewers. Unfortunately for ASUS and fortunately for you guys, we have a very large ...

New Google ChromeOS updates cause 100% CPU usage, could set you on fire

ChromeOS users are reporting that a new series of updates which cause a Google Play Store service to utilize 100 percent of their CPUs is making their devices hot and leading to performance issues.

As reported by BleepingComputer, after upgrading their devices to ChromeOS version 85.0.4183.108 and later users have faced a number of issues including apps that are running erratically, devices getting hot, fans running at high speed and batteries draining much too quickly.

Upon investigating these issues further, users discovered that they were caused by the Google Play 'com.an ...

AMD's Radeon RX 6000 series GPUs may have just leaked in full

We’re just a few weeks away from AMD’s RDNA 2 launch event, but full specifications for its first Radeon RX 6000-series cards may have already surfaced online. 

As part of its latest buying guide, Newegg Insider – a company blog listed on the US retailer’s front page – has listed the alleged specifications for AMD’s Radeon RX 6000 Series graphics cards. 

While these specs should be taken with a pinch of salt, they suggest that AMD is prepping three GPUs for its October 28 launch event – the RX 6700 XT, Radeon RX 6800 XT, and Radeon RX 6900 XT.

The latter, Newegg Insi ...

Gigabyte Outs A Duo of new Mini-ITX motherboard A520I AC motherboards

And with A520, these should not be expensive. Meet the A520I AC and A520M S2H. Two motherboard models that use the AMD A520 chipset have been released. Sales will start on October 2nd (Friday).

The "A520I AC" is a Mini-ITX motherboard equipped with a direct 4 + 2 phase digital power supply circuit that uses 55A DrMOS and an 8-layer PCB. In addition to Realtek 8118 Gigabit LAN, the network is equipped with IEEE 802.11ac / a / b / g / n wireless LAN + Bluetooth 4.2 as standard equipment. The main specifications are DDR4-5300 x 2 memory (maximum 64GB), storage SATA3.0 (6Gbsp) ...

Pixio PX247 Review: Cheap Speed With Impressive Performance

For those hunting the best gaming monitor, the feature list is obviously a top priority. You’ll need a fast refresh rate and Adaptive-Sync for sure. HDR and extended color would be nice too, and how about some zooty styling and cool RGB? An ultra-wide curved screen can sound cool too. But when you actually have to open your wallet, suddenly value rises to the top of the must-haves list. What does a monitor need to have to be adequate for gaming? Is there an inexpensive monitor that is more than merely competent?

Today, we’ll be trying to answer that question with a review of the Pix ...

Newegg Insider lists AMD Radeon RX 6000 series specifications

The latest entry in Newegg’s official blog lists Radeon RX 6000 series specs.

Radeon RX 6900XT

The Newegg Insider is a company blog advertised on the retailer’s front page, ran by contributing journalists, who may or may not have access to confidential information that the retailers possess. The Insider blog is used to provide product overviews and buying guides for customers. The retailer also has a YouTube channel with over 0.5 million subscribers.

Newegg one of the largest PC hardware retailers in the United States. It is to be expected that the company will have ...

Dell XPS 17 (9700) review: The 17-inch laptop is back, and it's spectacular

Dell’s XPS lineup has been among the best for years, and the company has gradually refined whatever pain points it did have, such as when it used to put the webcam below the screen. But this year, the lineup underwent a major redesign, with Dell chopping down the bezels even more, something that I wouldn’t have guessed was possible.

The firm has long touted how small the footprint is on its laptops, always saying that the XPS 15 fits in the footprint of a 13-inch laptop, and that the XPS 13 fits into the footprint of an 11-inch laptop. With the XPS 15 fitting into an eve ...

Genesis Thor 420 RGB Low-Profile Mechanical Keyboard Review: Low profile, small setbacks, good value

Genesis is a smaller name in the gaming peripheral world, but the brand is steadily gaining popularity, particularly in the e-Sports community. The Polish-based company makes and sells all sorts of peripherals, including keyboards, mice, headphones, microphones, PC cases, and more, which are specifically targeted at value-oriented customers.

Genesis sent me the Thor 420 RGB low-profile mechanical keyboard, and I've been using it almost exclusively for the better part of three months. As a primer, I have experience with both membrane and full-sized mechanical keyboards; my daily driv ...

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+ review: Android tablet to rival the iPad Pro

The Galaxy Tab S7+ is Samsung’s unreserved attempt to beat Apple’s iPad Pro with an Android tablet designed just as much for work as it is for play.

The new tablet comes in two sizes: the 11in Tab S7 costing £619 and the 12.4in Tab S7+ costing £799, as reviewed here.

Intended to compete with Apple’s top iPad Pro, it looks very similar in design. The 12.4in OLED screen is simply fantastic, rivalling the very best OLED TVs let alone smartphones and tablets. It has iPad Pro-like thin bezels around the edge of the display, flat metal sides, rounded corners and even antenna lines ...

European Commission to challenge Apple tax bill verdict

The European Commission plans to appeal against a ruling that Apple does not have to pay 13bn euros (£11.6bn) in back taxes to Ireland.
The EU's General Court had ruled in July there was no evidence Apple had broken any rules on tax paid there.
Ireland never disputed the arrangement but the European Commission, which brought the case, argued it enabled Apple to avoid taxes on EU revenues.
The EU said paying the correct amount of tax was "a top priority".
In 2016, a court ruled that Ap ...

Amazon unveils flying Ring security drone and Luna games service

Amazon's smart home security division Ring has unveiled a flying camera that launches if sensors detect a potential home break-in.
It is designed to activate only when residents are out, works indoors, and is limited to one floor of a building.
The firm also unveiled an online games-streaming service and a voice-activated screen that swivels about.
But one campaign group described the drone camera as Amazon's "most chilling home surveillance product" yet.
"It's difficult to imagine why Amazon thinks anyone wants flying internet cameras linked up to ...

AMD Dimgrey Cavefish Reportedly Points To Navi 23 GPU

Continuing with AMD's tendency for fishy codenames, the chipmaker (via @Komachi Ensaka) has added support for a Dimgrey Cavefish graphics card to Mesa 20.3-devel. Much like Sienna Cichlid and Navy Flounder, Dimgrey Cavefish is presumed to be a RDNA 2 graphics cards that'll surely unsettle the gaming graphics card hierachy as we know it.

AMD has already committed to lift the curtains for the Radeon RX 6000 series, which have been popularly baptized as Big Navi, on October 28. Therefore, it's not too surprising that the chipmaker's trio of next-generation graphics cards are doing thei ...

AMD Ryzen 7 5700U Materializes In New Benchmark

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (via @TUM_APISAK) has emerged in an Ashes of the Singularity submission. The model name makes it pretty clear that the chip hails from AMD's next-generation lineup that succeeds the Ryzen 4000-series (codename Renoir) APUs.

Where the Ryzen 7 5700U's belongs is currently a mystery, but there are two prospects that are being thrown around: one is Lucienne and the other is Cezanne. AMD's affection for using famous painters' surnames as the codenames for its processors is well known, and sometimes the chipmaker's selection might provide some clues.

A quick ...

HOW TO ENABLE AN EASIER PICTURE-IN-PICTURE MODE FOR CHROMEBOOKS

If you’ve ever attempted to use picture-in-picture (PIP from this point on) on a Chromebook, you likely understand a bit of the frustration that comes with the territory. For instance, you’ve always needed to right-click twice on YouTube videos to get the proper context menu to appear and choose to enable PIP. Even then, however, it didn’t always work or the option would sometimes disappear. It’s been so unreliable for me that I’ve never picked up on the habit of actually using the feature.

When I was actually using it, I was leveraging the Google-made PIP Chrome extension that, od ...

Latest Galaxy Z Fold 2 software update enables eSIM functionality

Samsung released the Galaxy Z Fold 2 globally last week. Some pre-order customers had already got their hands on the device by then. There were a few who couldn’t find the eSIM option on their new foldable device. That’s because the eSIM functionality wasn’t enabled at that time.

As many of you would be aware, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 has one physical SIM slot and an embedded SIM, quite like the Galaxy Fold. The embedded SIM wasn’t available out of the box but the latest Galaxy Z Fold 2 software update rolling out today addresses this.

Latest Galaxy Z Fold 2 update finally enable ...

HP Envy x360 13 (2020) review: This small 2-in-1 is more premium than its price

Between its small, slim design and its snappy AMD processor, HP's midrange convertible laptop is worth seeking out.

If I was still commuting regularly on a bus or train, the HP Envy x360 13 two-in-one laptop would be on my shortlist. It would also be a top consideration if I were shopping for an older high school or college student. It's small, stylish and light at just less than 3 pounds (1.3 kg). Battery life is long despite the size. And the AMD Ryzen 5-4500U processor delivered performance beyond that of pricier Intel chips. Add in fast Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 and, essentially ...

AMD Big Navi might still be faster than the RTX 3080

We’re just weeks away from the launch of AMD’s RDNA 2 GPUs, but a firmware listing may have prematurely outed the specs for the the company’s highly-anticipated Big Navi cards.

An eagle-eyed Redditor found a listing in the new ROCm (Radeon Open Compute) firmware that reveals some of the specs for the so-called Sienna Cichlid GPU - otherwise known Navi 21 or Big Navi - which will arrive as the flagship of the RX 6000 series

The listing hints that the GPU will feature 80 compute units (CUs) and a 256-bit memory bus. If each Compute Unit (CU) in AMD's RDNA 2 architecture still ...

Intel NUC 11 PRO ‘Tiger Canyon’ detailed

A new series of Intel’s Next Unit of Computing (NUC) has been detailed. 

The next generation Tiger Lake NUC has been detailed

Intel is adding a new series of NUCs called 11 PRO (Tiger Canyon). The PRO series is meant for business and commercial use. These are not the same series as Panther Canyon (NUC 11 Performance), also featuring Tiger Lake, as those are meant for consumers.

Intel Tiger Canyon aka NUC 11 PRO will feature up to 11th Gen Core i7-1185G7 processor based on Tiger Lake-U architecture. This is a quad-core CPU with eight threads offering up to 4.8 GHz tur ...

Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition revealed with nearly top specs for a lower price

The Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition is a more affordable version of the flagship phone ‘for the fans,’ which means it prioritizes cameras and display quality at a more favorable price than the rest of the Galaxy S20 line, starting at $699 / £699 / AU$1,149 for the sub-6 5G model.

The phone goes as low as £599 / AU$999 for the 4G-only version, which isn’t coming to the US, though a different mmWave 5G $749 version is coming to the US through Verizon. All S20 Fan Edition models can be pre-ordered starting September 23, while the S20 Fan Edition release date is set for October 2, except ...

Adata's first desktop PC is a 5-liter NUC with integrated graphics

We were fairly impressed with Adata’s first foray into gaming PCs, which began a few months ago with the XPG Xenia 15, a genuinely impressive laptop with better-than-expected battery life. For its followup act, Adata is trying its hand at a mini PC with its new XPG Gaia.

The Gaia is based on Intel’s NUC 9 Extreme Kit, or otherwise known as Ghost Canyon. That is not necessarily a bad thing, just perhaps a bit uninspired for Adata’s introductory desktop.

Built for “gamers, esports pros, and tech enthusiasts,” Adata appears to have simply taken the ...

NHS Covid-19 app: England and Wales get smartphone contact tracing for over-16s

People living in England and Wales are being urged to download the government's official contact-tracing app following its official release.
NHS Covid-19 instructs users to self-isolate for 14 days if it detects they were nearby someone who has the virus.
It also has a check-in scanner to alert owners if a venue they have visited is found to be an outbreak hotspot.
Anyone over the age of 16 is being asked to install the app onto their smartphone.
That is a change from trials, which were limited to the over-18s.
The move reflects a desire by health chiefs f ...

AMD Navy Flounder and Sienna Cichlid GPU Specs Leak in ROCm Update

A sharp-eyed redditor found a listing in the new ROCm (Radeon open compute) firmware update that reveals some of the specs for the highly-anticipated RDNA2 Sienna Cichlid (Big Navi) and Navy Flounder (Navi 22 or 23) graphics cards. Things could change over the next month as AMD fine-tunes its gear, so take these specs with a grain of salt - even though the numbers come from an official firmware update, these specs aren't confirmed.

The firmware update indicates Sienna Cichlid (Navi 21, i.e., Big Navi) will feature 80 CUs and a 256-bit memory bus. The CU count for this GPU is interes ...

Chrome OS is getting a light theme, here it is in action

Over the last few years, one of the more major enhancements to operating systems like iOS and Android is the addition of a dark mode. Chrome OS is going in the opposite direction by bringing a dedicated light theme, which we managed to get our hands on early.

With a dedicated system-wide theme switcher, apps for Android and iOS have recently been able to match that desired color theme. Considering Chromebooks are able to run Android apps, as well as the fact that web apps can also respect your light/dark mode settings, it was surely only a matter of time before Chrome OS got a prope ...

Samsung 980 Pro M.2 NVMe SSD Review: Redefining Gen4 Performance

Samsung’s 980 Pro is set to redefine the company’s product line up, and perhaps the entire high-performance market, with a combination of the speedy PCIe 4.0 interface paired with a new controller and flash, all of which delivers brutal performance in many types of applications. That isn't too surprising given the drive's rated speed of up to 7/5 GBps of sequential read/write throughput and 1 million IOPs.

For the first time, the company’s flagship Pro series SSD doesn't come with 2-bit MLC flash. Instead, the 980 Pro uses Samsung’s latest 3-bit TLC flash to reduce costs, essentiall ...

Windows 10 antivirus is getting a huge upgrade

Microsoft has unveiled a series of changes to its Windows 10 antivirus service that will bring all the company’s extended detection and response (XDR) facilities under one roof.

Announced at the company's Ignite 2020 event, the changes will see Microsoft 365 Defender (formerly Microsoft Threat Protection) and Azure Defender consolidated under the umbrella of the Microsoft Defender antivirus service.

The company claims the offering will provide the “broadest resource coverage of any XDR in the industry”, using AI to analyze attacks across different vectors and deliver automat ...

HP Pavilion 14 launched with Intel Tiger Lake processors, an NVIDIA GeForce MX450 GPU and a UHD display

HP has unveiled the new Pavilion 14, which has received a complete overhaul. The Pavilion 14 now features 11th Gen Intel Core processors and an optional NVIDIA GeForce MX450 GPU in a more compact design. HP boasts that the Pavilion 14 has an 84% screen-to-body ratio, 16% quieter fans and 27% increased airflow. Theoretically then, the Pavilion 14 should look more modern than its predecessor without sacrificing performance or cooling.

The new model will be available in six colours, although HP notes that final colour options will vary by country. The Pavilion 14 will combine two colou ...

Apple Watch Series 6 review: still the greatest but with one big pitfall

Want to understand the success of the Apple Watch? Sure, you could look at how it has, for some time, outsold the entire Swiss watch industry. Or you could look at the number of copycats.

For starters there’s the Amazfit Bip S, the Huawei Watch Fit and the Xiaomi Mi Watch. Oppo likes the Apple Watch so much that it doesn’t just look similar, it’s also got the same name: Oppo Watch. Say it quickly and it even sounds the same.

So what do you do as the clear frontrunner? You make your product better without stuffing up your lead. Such a mentality is not the friend of radical re ...

Coronavirus: 'Government must publish contact-tracing app data'

A leading health charity is demanding details about how England and Wales' contact-tracing app fared in tests.
The app is due to launch on Thursday.
It has been trialled in the London Borough of Newham as well as the Isle of Wight, but data from from the pilots has not been made public.
The Health Foundation said it was particularly concerned the tech could exacerbate existing inequalities, leaving some people at greater risk of being infected.
The government has responded saying: "We have spoken with groups with protected characteristics, such as age, ethni ...

Dell Quietly Slashes Price of the 4K 120Hz OLED Alienware 55 Monitor by $1000

Dell was the first company to unveil a large-format gaming display — the Alienware 55 — based on an OLED panel back at CES 2019. It just so happens that Dell appears to be the first maker to slash pricing of such a product, too. 

The Alienware 55 uses a 55-inch OLED panel featuring a 4K resolution, 400 nits peak brightness, a 130,000:1 contrast ratio, a 0.5 ms gray-to-gray response time, as well as a 120 Hz maximum refresh rate. This high refresh rate along with support for VESA’s Adaptive-Sync technology in its AMD FreeSync Premium as well as Nvidia G-Sync-compatible implemen ...

Mobvoi TicWatch 3 Pro is coming in three days with Wear OS

Mobvoi launched a new TicWatch GTX last week that may have left some drooling over the price but dissatisfied over its features. For those still wishing for a formidable Wear OS smartwatch won’t have to wait long. The company has already confirmed that the TicWatch 3 Pro is landing this week and, if the leaks are correct, it could yet again be one of the more notable if not the most notable smartwatches running on Google’s Android-based wearable platform.

Mobvoi hit smartwatch news radars after it was reported that Google made an investment in the Chinese company’s ...

AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT specs: Navi 21 GPU with 16GB could cost $499

I’m knee deep in reviewing NVIDIA’s new GeForce RTX 3080 graphics cards, and now the RTX 3090 to have a day one review, but the world hasn’t stopped.

We now have some new rumored specs on the AMD’s next-gen Radeon RX 6900 XT graphics card, where Rogame tweets it will be powered by the Navi 21 GPU and have 16GB of GDDR6 memory. The 16GB of GDDR6 memory is coming from Samsung, and will reportedly be on a 256-bit memory bus.

Not only that, but there is also the Navi 22 GPU that should power a slightly slower card that should materialize into the Radeon R ...

Samsung launches Odyssey G7 T1 Faker Edition gaming monitor in South Korea

Samsung had unveiled its Odyssey series of gaming monitors earlier this year at CES 2020. The lineup consisted of the Odyssey G7 and the Odyssey G9, featuring curved QLED VA displays, a 240Hz refresh rate, HDR, 1ms GTG response time, and G-Sync. The company has announced today that it has launched a special edition version of the Odyssey G7, which is inspired by T1’s star League of Legends player Faker.

The South Korean firm has designed the Odyssey G7 T1 Faker Edition gaming monitor in collaboration with SK Telecom’s esports organization T1. The special-edition monitor comes with F ...

Microsoft buys Fallout creator Bethesda for $7.5bn

Xbox-owner Microsoft has acquired the games company behind blockbuster titles including Doom, Fallout, Skyrim and Wolfenstein.

It is paying $7.5bn (£5.85bn) for Bethesda's parent ZeniMax Media.

Xbox has said that the publisher's franchises would be added to its Game Pass subscription package for consoles and PCs.

This could help make the forthcoming Xbox Series X more attractive than the PlayStation 5 to some players.

Both machines are due to launch in November.

Game Pass already gives players access to more than 200 games. Microsoft includes first-pa ...

WeChat: Judge blocks US attempts to ban downloads of Chinese app

A judge has blocked a US government attempt to ban the Chinese messaging and payments app, WeChat.

US Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler said the ban raised serious questions related to the constitution's first amendment, guaranteeing free speech.

The Department of Commerce had announced a bar on WeChat appearing in US app stores from Sunday, effectively shutting it down.

The Trump administration has alleged it threatens national security.

It says the app could pass user data to the Chinese government.

Is the US about to split the internet?
What Ti ...

TikTok and WeChat: US to ban app downloads in 48 hours

TikTok and WeChat will be banned from US app stores from Sunday, unless President Donald Trump agrees to a last-minute deal.
The Department of Commerce said it would bar people in the US from downloading the messaging and video-sharing apps through any app store on any platform.
The Trump administration says the companies threaten national security and could pass user data to China.
But China and both companies deny this.
WeChat will effectively shut down in the US on Sunday, but people will still be able to use TikTok until 12 November, when it could also be ful ...

HP EliteBook 840 G7 First Impressions

The new HP EliteBook 840 could be the perfect business-class laptop for the pandemic, with better performance and efficiency. It can even withstand being sanitized with normal household wipes.

As some of you may know, I’ve long been a fan of HP’s EliteBook series, but I haven’t actually reviewed one since last year: That was the EliteBook x360 1040 G5, a convertible laptop that is among the very best I’ve ever reviewed, with a nearly-flawless typing experience that I still use as my baseline for other reviews.

Flash forward to 2020 and the new EliteBook 840 is a familiar and ...

TicWatch Pro 3 listing confirms specs, dual-display, new health features for the Wear OS watch

Last month an early retail listing confirmed the presence of Mobvoi’s upcoming TicWatch Pro 3. Now, another retail listing for the TicWatch Pro 3 has confirmed nearly all of the specs and features of the upcoming Wear OS smartwatch. Here’s what we know.

A listing on Malaysian retail Shopee (since removed, pictured below) gives us perhaps our best look at the TicWatch Pro 3 with several images of the watch and its features. Of course, it mentions the new Snapdragon 4100 chipset, claiming an 85% boost in CPU performance and 150% boost in GPU performance. We can also clearly see that t ...

Leaked 85-inch Surface Hub 2S product images confirm specifications of 2020-bound interactive whiteboard

WalkingCat has revealed that Microsoft plans to release a new version of the Surface Hub. Microsoft released 55-inch and 84-inch versions of the Surface Hub five years ago, but it opted to only bring a 50-inch edition of the Surface Hub 2S to market last year. However, it did announce an 85-inch model last April, which may be the version that we are looking at here.

According to the two images, the device has an 85.6-inch Pixelsense display that operates at 4K. The display also has a 16:9 aspect ratio and is coated anti-glare glass. It is only a 60 Hz panel though, unlike the 120 Hz ...

AMD Ryzen 9 5900X would have 12 cores and Yes ZEN3 would be Series 5000

Chatter on the web is getting bigger that ZEN3 based desktop processors, might see a name change, not Ryzen 4000 but Ryzen 5000. This rumor has been ongoing for days now, and there's more and more merit to that story.

A new tweet from Patrick Schur, software engineer, and a bit of a AMD Ryzen series news leaker, revealed that the Ryzen 9 5900X and Ryzen 7 5800X processors will feature 12 and 8 cores respectively. He also suggests that the upcoming Zen3-based series will change its nomenclature to 5000. This information has been rumored for a few weeks since if AMD does not change it ...

Chrome OS 87 may move media playback controls to Quick Settings on Chromebooks

Last month, I pointed out that a new Global Media Controls feature was in the works for Chrome OS 86. I didn’t say it at the time, but my hope was that this would remove the annoying (at least to me) media playback controls in the Notifications stack on my Chromebook. It looks like I may get my wish with Chrome OS 87.

Work has begun with a target version of 87 on media controls right in the system tray, as spotted by Chrome Story. Code only started appearing earlier this week, so much of what’s planned could be changed, but here’s a video demo of the current progress:

You ca ...

PS5 vs Xbox Series X: How do they compare?

If we had a console war klaxon, now would be the time to sound it!

Sony has just revealed more details about the PS5, so how does it compare to the XBox Series X which will also be released in November?

Take a look below to see how these monster machines match up, as they battle it out for Christmas 2020 supremacy.

Price and release date
Sony has now revealed that the PS5 will match the Xbox Series X in price, costing £449.99.

However the new console will come out nine days later than its competitor in the UK, releasing on 19 November.

Microsof ...

Sony announces the Xperia 5 II with 120Hz screen and actually useful game enhancements

Sony is continuing its refresh of its smartphone line to focus on photography and video with the new Xperia 5 II. It’s the smaller sibling of the very tall and weirdly expensive Xperia 1 II, and this newer phone betters it in several regards. It’s cheaper, for one thing, going on sale on September 29th for $949. The other major improvement is that Sony has put in a high-refresh-rate 120Hz panel.

Oddly, though, Sony says it’s not shipping until December 4th and even more oddly, it will have 5G but won’t work with the 5G networks in the US — just like the Xperia 1 II.

The basi ...

AMD Radeon RX 6900XT leaks in new photos

New photos of alleged AMD Radeon RX 6900XT leak

A YouTuber RedGamingTech has leaked more photographs of the alleged Radeon RX 6900XT graphics card. It seems that the source of the photographs is the same as JayzTwoCents’s who also shared some of these photos yesterday.

It is worth noting that the graphics card name has not been confirmed. It is only alleged that the highest-end model will be called RX 6900XT. AMD is likely to unveil multiple graphics card SKUs based on RDNA2 architecture. The flagship model should feature Navi 21 GPU (known as Big Navi), while the rest of th ...

Potential Radeon RX 6800 or RX 6700 Reference Design Emerges

Tech YouTuber JayzTwoCents recently shared an image of what appears to be another Radeon RX 6000 (a.k.a. Big Navi) graphics card that may eventually contend for a spot on our best graphics cards page.

Unlike the beefy Radeon RX 6000 that AMD teased in Fortnite, this newly leaked variant features a less substantial cooling solution, insinuating that it could be a SKU that's on the lower end of the Big Navi spectrum. It's plausible that AMD might use the triple-fan configuration for the flagship model, such as the Radeon RX 6900, while saving the dual-fan setup for something like a Ra ...

Nvidia RTX 3080: PCIe 4.0 vs 3.0 scaling analysis

If you haven’t already read our full RTX 3080 review, I would recommend doing so first. That will give you an idea of how this new GPU compares to the likes of the RTX 2080 Ti, GTX 1080 Ti and more. In this article, we are only looking at performance of the RTX 3080, but tested on different CPU platforms.

Here, we are comparing three sets of data. First of all, the data we used for our review – the RTX 3080 Founders Edition tested with an Intel i9-10900K overclocked to 5.1GHz, restricting us to PCIe 3.0 due to the Z490 platform. To give us an idea of PCIe Gen4 performance with this ...

The cheapest 8-core AMD Ryzen laptop now costs less than the cheapest Core i7 notebook

Lenovo no longer lists the AMD Ryzen-powered IdeaPad 5 on its own site, and we don't know why. Fortunately, the laptop is still available at Walmart - and at a seriously affordable price too.

On paper, the IdeaPad 5 (model numbers 81YM0060US, 81YM005YUS or 81YM0061US) has a lot going for it. With a rock-bottom price, the machine significantly undercuts the previous cheapest AMD Ryzen 8-core laptop.

What do you get for your money? A choice of three colours, a 14-inch full HD IPS display, an AMD Ryzen 7 4700U CPU, 8GB of DDR4 memory (soldered), a 256GB PCIe SSD and a 57WHr bat ...

PlayStation 5 matches the price of the Xbox Series X

Sony has matched the price of the forthcoming flagship PlayStation 5 to that of Microsoft's Xbox Series X.
Last time round, the PS4 significantly undercut the Xbox One at launch.
Sony also confirmed the PS5's "digital edition" - which does not have a disc drive - would cost about 40% more than the low-end Xbox Series S.
Both PS5 consoles are set to be released on 19 November in the UK, and 12 November in the US, Japan and Australia.
That puts them slightly later than Microsoft's 10 November launch date.
Sony was the clear leader in the previous g ...

Intel Core i7-10875H facing supply issues, manufacturer quietly launches Core i7-10870H instead

Intel launches two new Comet Lake-H processors.

Meet Intel Core i7-10870H and Core i5-10200H

There were no official announcements, but Intel has added two SKUs to the Comet Lake-H lineup. A fourth 8-core high-end processor has been launched according to Intel’s own website.

Interestingly, the processor was allegedly launched due to supply issues of the higher-end model, the Core i7-10875H. This processor is very popular among high-end gaming notebooks. After all, this is the fastest Core i7 processor in the lineup.

Compared to the 10875H, the 10870H offers a ...

iPhone 12 already looks outdated as Samsung lines up new flagship

Apple is lining up its next flagship with the upcoming iPhone 12, but despite news of an improved A14 processor giving the innards an overhaul with a 15% boost in performance, and 30% less power draw, the chassis leaves a lot to be desired. 

Still touting the candybar design, and a sizeable notch, not a lot has changed with Apple's aesthetic, but its classic form factor is beginning to look outdated compared to Android competitors, and Samsung's plans for its own future flagships will either force Apple to rethink its approach, or see it left in the dust.

Samsung made waves ...

Apple Fitness+ subscription service unveiled alongside Series 6 Watch

Apple has unveiled a new personalised workout subscription service alongside new smartwatches and tablet computers.
Fitness+ collects health data gathered by an Apple Watch and then displays it alongside workout videos shown on a larger display.
The platform will compete with existing fitness apps on iOS from Peloton, Les Mills and Fiit.
It also poses a challenge to Fitbit, whose wearables benefit from their own health-coaching subscription service.
As many had forecast, Apple decided to hold back details of its next iPhones for a separate event.

Yoga and ...

OnePlus 8T render shows the new phone, but this leaks contradicts others

There's yet another OnePlus 8T leak today, and this time there's a render of what the forthcoming Android phone will look like as well as the all-important specs.

This new OnePlus leak, however, is different from the recent outing of the 8T and 8T Pro, which was seemingly confirmed by the OnePlus website. The source, PriceBabain collaboration with reliable leaker @Onleaks, suggests that there's no Pro version coming, contradicting what we heard just hours ago.

We'll note that at least one rumor previously called into question the existence of the higher-specced OnePlus 8T Pr ...

iPhone 12 won't have 120Hz screen after all, says analyst

The iPhone 12 is possibly (although unlikely) only hours away from being unveiled, but whenever it finally arrives it seems its screen won't be as good as we hoped. According to noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (via MacRumors), Apple's new iPhone will have a 60Hz refresh rate, not 120Hz.

That would make it inferior in terms of display response and smoothness compared to the Samsung Galaxy S20, Note 20, the OnePlus 8 Pro and a handful of other high-end Android handsets.

A higher refresh rate makes fast-moving images like gaming and action movies look smoother. The iPhone 12 range w ...

Microsoft differentiates Xbox Series X and Series S in new product pages

Microsoft has launched dedicated webpages for both the Xbox Series X and its little sibling, the Xbox Series S. 

The difference in marketing language is stark, billing the Series X as "the fastest, most powerful Xbox ever" while pitching the Series S as packing "next-gen performance in the smallest Xbox ever" and calling it "the best value in gaming." In creating two distinct pages for each console, Microsoft seems to be differentiating between the two consoles in an effort to clear up any confusion surrounding its next-gen hardware strategy.

Th ...

LG Wing smartphone has a swivel screen

South Korean tech firm LG has unveiled a smartphone with a larger screen which swivels out to reveal a second, smaller one underneath.

The Wing's second screen can either act independently of the larger screen while it is displaying a film, for example, or can complement it as a controller for gaming and media.

However, some of this functionality relies on using pre-installed browsers.

One expert said it was one of the "more radical designs" he had seen.

"It's a very tricky design to evaluate without using it - it is reminiscent of some of the ...

This little-known Windows tablet rivals the Microsoft Surface Go 2

The Chuwi Hi10x is, in our opinion, the best alternative to Microsoft's Surface Go 2 - the recently released Windows-based tablet that goes head-to-head against the iPad with its 10.5-inch form factor.

The follow-up to the Chuwi Hi10 is a huge improvement on the original, which we reviewed it back in 2016, and makes for an enticing proposition indeed.

Including a capacitive stylus pen and original keyboard docking station, the Hi10X comes in at under $250 (£200/AU$350), which is still far lower than the 64GB version of the Surface Go 2 (which, as a reminder, comes without ad ...

LG Wing smartphone has a swivel screen

South Korean tech firm LG has unveiled a smartphone with a larger screen which swivels out to reveal a second, smaller one underneath.
The Wing's second screen can either act independently of the larger screen while it is displaying a film, for example, or can complement it as a controller for gaming and media.
However, some of this functionality relies on using pre-installed browsers.
One expert said it was one of the "more radical designs" he had seen.
"It's a very tricky design to evaluate without using it - it is reminiscent of some of the desi ...

A new Covid-19 contact-tracing app will be launched across England and Wales on 24 September, the government has announced.
The app will let people scan barcode-like QR codes to register visits to hospitality venues and will implement Apple and Google's method of detecting other smartphones.
Businesses are being asked to display QR code posters to support the app.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock described the launch as "a defining moment".
The first version of the NHS contact-tracing app, intended for the whole of the UK, was trialled on the Isle of Wight in May but later abandoned.
"We need to use every tool at our disposal to control the spread of the virus including cutting-edge technology," said Mr Hancock.
"The launch of the app later this month across England and Wales is a defining moment and will aid our ability to contain the virus at a critical time."
According to the latest figures published by the Office for National Statistics, there were an estimated 3,200 new cases a day in England during the first week of September, compared with 2,000 the week before.
Some hospitality venues have already been using their own QR code-based systems for test and trace but are now being asked to switch to the NHS version instead.
Universities, hospitals, leisure premises, civic centres and libraries are being asked to display posters in communal areas such as cafes, where people gather for longer than 15 minutes.
An alternative system, such as a handwritten register, must also be maintained for visitors who do not have smartphones, the Department of Health and Social Care said.
Do I have to give my contact details if I eat out?
Covid-19 tracing app is released in NI
Scotland's Covid app downloaded almost 600,000 times
Welsh Health and Social Services Minister Vaughan Gething said launching a joint app with England was "the most practical option".
He added that the move reflects "movement across our shared border".
"It makes sense to use the same app, working in exactly the same way, regardless of which country you're in."

It has had a long and troubled gestation but the team behind the NHS Covid-19 app are hoping that they've finally got it right at a time when it can make a significant contribution to limiting the spread of the virus.
Back in April, an app seemed to be a key weapon in the government's armoury but since Baroness Dido Harding took over the Test and Trace programme, it's been relegated to the "cherry on the cake".
Around the world there are still doubts amongst those working on contact tracing apps about just how good Bluetooth is as a way of measuring the distance between people.
But the fact that pubs, restaurants and other hospitality businesses are now being told they have to do a better job of logging contact details of visitors presents an opportunity.
They may now see having QR codes for visitors as a simple way of complying with the rules, and that could encourage take-up of the app.
There has been some confusion about whether businesses will be complying with the rules on collecting customer data if they rely on the app. But I've been told that they will be compliant even though the nature of the app means none of the data will be visible either to them or to the authorities.

Coronavirus: England and Wales' contact-tracing app gets launch date

A new Covid-19 contact-tracing app will be launched across England and Wales on 24 September, the government has announced.
The app will let people scan barcode-like QR codes to register visits to hospitality venues and will implement Apple and Google's method of detecting other smartphones.
Businesses are being asked to display QR code posters to support the app.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock described the launch as "a defining moment".
The first version of the NHS contact-tracing app, intended for the whole of the UK, was trialled on the Isle of Wight ...

Razer Blade 15 Advanced (2020) Review

Earlier this year, I was able to spend some time testing the Razer Blade 15 Advanced (2019) gaming laptop, featuring an RTX-2060 and an older Intel processor, and thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. For the past few weeks, I've been testing the 2020 version of the Blade 15 Advanced, with a 10th Gen Intel processor and an RTX-2080 Super w/Max-Q tuning. Razer Blade 15 Advanced (2020)

The updated internals have added to the overall cost of the Blade 15 Advanced, with the model I've been testing normally priced at $2,999 (however, it can be found on sale for $2,799).

Does ...

MSI launches its the MAG B550 TORPEDO Motherboard

Meet the new MAG B550 TORPEDO. For the 3rd Gen Ryzen processors & Ryzen 4000 G-series processors, the new MAG B550 TORPEDO motherboard is designed to be the best choice in its class.

 The MAG B550 TORPEDO has the same military theme as all the other members in the MAG family. The 10 Dual Rail Power System with smart power stages and the stunning extended heatsink allow the MAG B550 TORPEDO to stably supply the power needs for multi-core processors. It supports up to AMD Ryzen 9 3950X 16 cores processors.

Besides the heatsink on the power stage components, the MAG B550 TO ...

Asus and Zotac Massively Slash GeForce RTX 2000-Series Pricing

Nvidia and its add-in-board (AIB) partners are set to release GeForce RTX 30-series ‘Ampere’ graphics cards on September 17. But before launching something new, they need to get rid of existing GeForce RTX 20-series products. Apparently, this is exactly what Asus and Zotac are doing in some countries. 

Asus slashed prices of its GeForce RTX 2080 Super graphics cards by 50% in the Philippines, according to its Facebook page. Zotac also cut down price of its GeForce RTX 2080 Ti board by a whopping 55% in Malaysia, the company announced. Furthermore, those who purchased the board on or ...

Motorola Edge Plus Smartphone Review – High-End Again at Last

Cheap no more! The Edge Plus is Motorola's attempt to compete with the best of the best the smartphone market has to offer. An assertive price and decent connectivity may look good on paper, however they are nothing out of the ordinary. But is it enough to go head to head with Samsung and Apple?

Back in May of 2020 we had the chance to review the Motorola Edge, a high-quality device somewhere in-between upper mid-range and high-end. The Motorola Edge Plus, or Edge+, is unambiguous about its ambitions, and regarded by Motorola as a true high-end flagship smartphone. At an asking pric ...

Huawei to shift phones to its own Harmony operating system from 2021

Huawei has announced plans to pre-install its own Harmony operating system on its smartphones from next year.
The Chinese company said it would also offer the software to other manufacturers to use as an alternative to Android.
Huawei is currently the world's second bestselling handset-maker, after a brief time in the top spot.
But others have tried and failed to challenge Google and Apple's dominance.
Google's Android accounted for 85.4% of smartphones shipped last year, according to research company IDC, and Apple's iOS the remaining 14.6%.
And those fig ...

AMD Threadripper Pro 3995WX Thinkstation Listed for $18,000: Benchmarks Emerge

AMD's Ryzen Threadripper Pro 3995WX is one heck of a chip. It recently found itself atop PassMark's leaderboard (as spotted via @TUM_APISAK), leaving heavy hitters, such as the Ryzen Threadripper 3990X and EPYC 7702, in the rear view mirror. That makes it all the more exciting that this powerhouse CPU has landed in a new system. But who can actually afford it? 

Debuted back in July, the Threadripper Pro series builds upon the success of the Ryzen Threadripper 3000-series (codename Castle Peak), while also borrowing a page out of the EPYC 7002-series' (codename Rome) playbook. The Ze ...

SiPearl working on a giant 72-core processor for supercomputers

A Twitter post by a French politician inadvertently revealed details about SiPearl’s upcoming high-performance processor powered by Arm’s Neoverse Zeus cores. 

The SiPearl Rhea system-on-chip will be used for an experimental ‘towards exascale’ supercomputer platform, with Rhea’s successor, SiPearl’s Cronos, used for the first European exascale supercomputer. 

The SiPearl Rhea SoC is based on 72 Arm Neoverse Zeus cores and to that end will be able compete against Amazon’s Graviton 2 and Ampere’s Altra processors. The processor also features 68 mesh network L3 cache slices alo ...

Alleged AMD Radeon RX 6000 engineering sample spotted

A photograph showing an engineering sample of the alleged RDNA2 graphics card has been published online.

Is this Big Navi?

A picture of a mysterious engineering sample has emerged on Bilibili. It is not possible to determine which graphics processor does the graphics card has, but one could guess this might be one of the upcoming Big Navi variants (or any other NAVI 2x family processor at this point). The timing for this leak is definitely interesting.

Some labels have been attached to the board, such as ‘Typical Samsung 16Gb‘ indicating the memory type used for this ...

The Armari Magnetar X64T Workstation OC Review: 128 Threads at 4.0 GHz, Sustained!

Blitzing around a race track in a fast car only ever convinces you of one thing: I need to go around the track even faster. I need a better car, I need a better engine, better brakes, or better tires. I need that special go faster juice, and I need to nail the perfect run. The world of professional computing works the same, whether it comes down to rendering, rapid prototyping, scientific compute, medical imaging, weather modelling, or something like oil and gas simulation, the more raw horsepower there is, the more can be done. So enter the new Armari Magnetar X64T – an overclocked 64-core ...

Android 11 system update from Google adds privacy controls

New privacy controls and a screen-recording tool are among features being added to Android phones in the latest major update to Google's mobile operating system (OS).
Android 11 also makes it easier to keep track of chat messages across multiple apps, and control smart home gadgets.
Google has made efforts to encourage third-party device manufacturers to roll out its system updates more quickly than they used to.
But some brands lag behind others.
The tech giant has said that in addition to its own Pixel brand, the following firms would be the first to offer down ...

Rumored Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Specs Hit the Sweet Spot

Nvidia might have already announced its GeForce RTX 30-series graphics cards, but the Ampere rumor mill never rests. Hardware insider @kopite7kimi, who was spot on with Ampere's specifications before launch, just revealed alleged specifications for another undetermined SKU that could well earn a spot on our Best Graphics Cards list.

According to the tweet, the leaker doesn't know if the card in question is the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti or GeForce RTX 3060 Super. In either case, the graphics card will reportedly leverage the GA104 silicon, similar to the the one that's confirmed to be insi ...

ASRock Launches Ryzen 4000 Mini PC With 2.5G Networking

ASRock Industrial Computer's latest 4X4 BOX-4000 series of Mini PCs is here to disrupt the small form factor (SFF) market. Available with three different processor options, the 4x4 BOX-4000 series targets both home and business users.

The 4X4 BOX-4000's plastic enclosure has a 4.3 x 4.6 x 1.9-inch (110.0 x 117.5 x 47.9mm) footprint and weighs just 2.2 pounds (1kg). The mini PC can sit comfortably on your desk or you can mount it behind your screen, thanks to the included VESA mounting bracket. 

The 4X4 BOX-4000 employs AMD's latest Ryzen 4000-series (codename Renoir) APUs th ...

Samsung's Note20 Ultra Variable Refresh Rate Display Explained

In August 2020, Samsung launched the new Note20 Ultra – an interesting device that we have on our review test bed. It's safe to say that over the last few generations, there hasn’t been all that much exciting about the Note line of devices - the phones typically use the new silicon and camera technologies that were introduced in the Galaxy S-series of the same year, and the Note lends on its form factor, only improving upon the design and software experience around the S-Pen. This year’s Note20 Ultra, based on our testing, generally also follows the same formula, but with the important exce ...

ASRock Launches Ryzen 4000 Mini PC With 2.5G Networking

ASRock Industrial Computer's latest 4X4 BOX-4000 series of Mini PCs is here to disrupt the small form factor (SFF) market. Available with three different processor options, the 4x4 BOX-4000 series targets both home and business users.

The 4X4 BOX-4000's plastic enclosure has a 4.3 x 4.6 x 1.9-inch (110.0 x 117.5 x 47.9mm) footprint and weighs just 2.2 pounds (1kg). The mini PC can sit comfortably on your desk or you can mount it behind your screen, thanks to the included VESA mounting bracket. 

The 4X4 BOX-4000 employs AMD's latest Ryzen 4000-series (codename Renoir) APUs th ...

Samsung's Note20 Ultra Variable Refresh Rate Display Explained

In August 2020, Samsung launched the new Note20 Ultra – an interesting device that we have on our review test bed. It's safe to say that over the last few generations, there hasn’t been all that much exciting about the Note line of devices - the phones typically use the new silicon and camera technologies that were introduced in the Galaxy S-series of the same year, and the Note lends on its form factor, only improving upon the design and software experience around the S-Pen. This year’s Note20 Ultra, based on our testing, generally also follows the same formula, but with the important exce ...

Apple fires back in Fortnite App Store battle

Apple has fired back against claims by the maker of the Fortnite game that its control of the App Store gives it a monopoly.

In a response to the August lawsuit filed by Epic Games, Apple called those arguments "self-righteous" and "self-interested".

It denied that its 30% commission was anti-competitive and said the fight was "a basic disagreement over money".

Apple also said Epic Games had violated its contract and asked for damages.

The filing is the latest in a legal battle that started last month, after Fortnite offered a di ...

'Biggest update ever' to fix Android flaw

Samsung, LG and Google have pledged to provide monthly security updates for smartphones running the Android operating system.
In July, a major bug was discovered in the software that could let hijackers access data on up to a billion phones.
Manufacturers have been slow to roll out a fix because many variations of Android are widely used.
One Android expert said it was "about time" phone makers issued security fixes more quickly.

Android has been working to patch a vulnerability, known as Sta ...

Galaxy Z Fold2: Samsung's third attempt at a folding smartphone

Samsung has revealed its third attempt at a folding smartphone: the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G.

Its original Galaxy Fold smartphone was delayed for several months after several early reviewers found the screens broke or were easily damaged.

BBC Click's Chris Fox went hands-on with Samsung's latest version to see what it had changed since its first attempt.

Lenovo releases first Fedora Linux ThinkPad laptop

For years, ThinkPads, first from IBM and then from Lenovo, were Linux users' top laptop pick. Then, in 2008 Lenovo turned its back on desktop Linux. Lenovo has seen the error of its ways. Today, for the first time in much too long, Lenovo has released a ThinkPad with a ready-to-run Linux. And, not just any Linux, but Red Hat's community Linux, Fedora.

Red Hat Senior Software Engineering Manager Christian Schaller wrote: 

This is a big milestone for us and for Lenovo as it's the first time Fedora ships pre-installed on a laptop from a major vendor and it's the first time the ...

How to take screenshots in Windows 10

From keyboard shortcuts to built-in apps, there's plenty of ways to take screenshots on a Windows 10 PC.

There's any number of reasons why you may need to take a screenshot on a Windows 10 PC. You may need to send an error report to IT, capture graphics and images for a presentation, or create a tutorial on how to take screenshots in Windows 10. 

No matter the reason you're trying to take screenshots in Windows 10, there are options. Microsoft didn't make all of them super simple, and you'll need to bring in additional apps like Paint to actually save the screen captures you ...

MSI Releases Combo PI V2 1.0.8.1 BIOS Updates for X570, B550 and A520 series motherboards

MSI has started distributing optimized BIOS updates for the X570, B550 and A520 series motherboards. Combo PI V2 1.0.8.1 BIOS are released and able to download successively from now throughout September.

The MSI news-release is very shot but the new BIOS updates affects the following:

Optimized memory compatibility

Optimized overclocking ability of memory

Mitigate S3 resume issue

Solved RAID issue of B550 platform

Now supports UMA setting for Ryzen 4000 G-Series (Renoir) processors

The release schedule is listed below, BIOS for all 500 ...

Big Navi Radeon 6000 Branding Unearthed In AMD Custom Fortnite Map And How To Find It

Only a few days ago, AMD worked with Fortnite Creative Island modder MAKAMAKES to create the custom AMD Battle Arena in Fortnite creative. Players have the option of playing three different game modes, and among the maps, there apparently was a baked-in Easter egg referencing Big Navi model numbering, or at least so it seems.

Just this evening, a personality who appears to be an AMD-sponsored Facebook streamer, GinaDarling, was live playing and streaming Fortnite on this new map, when she discovered the AMD-planted Easter egg you can see below. It certainly seems like it is referenc ...

Apple Seeds Fourth Public Beta of watchOS 7 to Public Beta Testers

Apple today seeded the fourth public beta of an upcoming watchOS 7 update to public beta testers, one week after seeding the third public beta and just a few days after seeding a new beta to developers.

The ‌watchOS 7‌ update can be downloaded after installing the proper profile from Apple's Public Beta website. ‌watchOS 7‌ should not be installed on a primary device as it is still an early beta and there could be bugs, plus there is no way to downgrade back to watchOS 6.

‌watchOS 7‌ is a major update that introduces a new Sleep Tracking feature for the Apple Watch, which is ...

The Aorus 15P is a light gaming laptop designed for esports pros

Gigabyte has announced the Aorus 15P, a portable laptop tailored to professional gaming. It’s available now on Gigabyte’s online store, starting at $1,599.99.

The company says it worked with esports teams, including G2 Esports, to design the new laptop. It weighs 4.4 pounds (2kg) — which is portable so far as gaming laptops go — and it’s 0.9 inches thick. Gigabyte says the chassis passed “a series of pressure tests” for durability.

Gigabyte is promising up to eight hours of battery life, which is certainly an optimistic prediction for a gaming rig (and this one has a per-key ...

You Probably Never Found This Wholesome Windows 95 Easter Egg

The news cycle is bleak. Easter eggs are fun. And maybe it’s the nostalgia speaking (and the recent anniversary), but Windows 95 still reigns supreme in my memory as the best operating system of all time. It’s for these three very scientific reasons that the reveal of a long-hidden Windows 95 easter egg temporarily cured my 2020-induced depression.

The Easter Egg was revealed on Living Computers: Museum + Labs’ YouTube Channel (via BoingBoing) to celebrate Microsoft’s 45th anniversary. In the video, Windows 95 developer Jeff Parsons reveals how to find a secret credits sequence.

...

TCL Says Its New E Ink Colour Display Can Handle Video

Known for its tablets, TVs, and phones, TCL has this week announced a new technology, NXTPAPER, that could totally change how you think about e ink. E ink displays are known for being great to stare at for hours and perfect for reading books (and sometimes even comics), but the latest colour displays from E Ink have low resolution and slow refresh rates, making them unusable for video. TCL claims its new NXTPAPER tech could be a solution.

TCL’s press release is a little confusing, as it appears to compare NXTPAPER both to E Ink’s displays and to traditional LCD displays that you fin ...

iPad Air 4: New renders show an updated tablet with a Touch ID-enabled power button

The iPad Air (2019) has an arguably old-fashioned look, being lumbered with a large chin and forehead so as to accommodate a classic Apple home button. However, this feature does confer the advantage of supporting the OEM's form of fingerprint authentication, Touch ID, whereas the more expensive Pro variants have sacrified it in the name of thin bezels.

Recent leaks have suggested that its successor, which could be called the iPad Air 4, (or, according to additional rumors, the iPad Air (2021)) may also adopt this slim-border design. It may make sense, especially if the new iPhones  ...

Why your next Tiger Lake laptop likely won't perform as well as all those Intel slides claim

Intel dropped a whole bunch of details on their 11th gen Tiger Lake series this week complete with detailed press releases, interviews, and performance slides. According to their own benchmark results for the Core i7-1165G7, raw multi-thread performance should rival the Ryzen 7 4700U while the integrated Xe GPU should be on par with the discrete GeForce MX350.

The problem with manufacturer-provided numbers is that they usually show the processor at its best running on a machine that isn't yet ready for retail. When pressed for an answer on what specific Tiger Lake laptop Intel were ...

Facebook to freeze political ads before US presidential election

Facebook has announced that it will not take on any new political ads in the seven days prior to the US election on 3 November.
However, the firm will still allow existing ads to continue to be promoted and targeted at different users.
Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg revealed the measure in a Facebook post.
He said that he was "worried" about divisions in the country potentially leading to civil unrest.
He added that Facebook would also label posts from candidates attempting to declare victory before the votes had been counted.
The social network ...

Chrome OS 86 bringing tab search to Chromebooks and it’s awesome

Earlier this week the Stable Channel of Chrome OS 85 was released to Chromebooks. Hot on the heels of that, the Chrome OS 86 Dev Channel was updated and I’ve been using it on my daily driver. If you’re the kind of Chromebook user I am and have one or two dozen tabs open at any given time, you’re likely going to love the new tab search feature.

Here’s a screenshot of it in action:

Above you can see I have 9 pinned tabs, two regular active tabs and a new tab page, just for good measure.

By clicking on the drop down arrow to the right of the last tab shown, there’s a dr ...

Apple more valuable than the entire FTSE 100

The valuation of US tech giant Apple has continued to surge, surpassing the entire value of all the members of the UK's top share index.

Apple's shares rose 4% on Tuesday, valuing it at $2.3 trillion (£1.7tn), compared to the £1.5tn value of all the companies in the FTSE 100.

Apple shares fell back on Wednesday, but remained ahead of the London index at the close of trading on Wednesday.

It is just two weeks since Apple became the first US firm to be valued at $2tn.

Investors have been snapping up US tech stocks as demand for tech goods has surged amid the co ...

Nvidia's new Reflex latency-busting technology aims to make you a better gamer

Nvidia is today announcing the introduction of Nvidia Reflex technology. In an attempt to put a quantifiable number on gaming PC input lag, Nvidia and its pals at monitor manufacturers are introducing screen-based technology called Reflex Latency Analyzer that is able to accurately measure system latency for the first time without specialised equipment. It's also adding per game support for a new Reflex Low-Latency Mode, which aims to lower input lag in select games.

Details remain sparse on the exact specifications for upcoming monitors with the technology, although we know Alienwa ...

Chrome OS 85 Stable Channel arrives: Here’s what you need to know

On Tuesday, Google announced that the Chrome OS 85 Stable Channel is released, with the typical staggered rollout over the coming days. As usual, Google has highlighted some of the newest features for Chromebooks, but there’s always more in terms of experimental functionality.

I’ll share what you need to know about Chrome OS 85 from the official release and cover thee additional items Google has held under wraps for now.

Wi-Fi password sync between Chromebooks

We knew that WiFi password synchronization between Chromebooks was coming and it’s finally here in Chrome OS ...

Don't download latest Windows 10 update if you own one of these popular laptops

There's a fresh Windows 10 warning out this week and ignoring it could leave your PC facing the nightmare of the dreaded blue screen of death. The new alert has been issued by the team at Lenovo who say that, after installing the August 2020 cumulative update for Windows 10 Version 2004, some ThinkPad laptops are being hit by this irritating bug.

In a post on its support page Lenovo states that "after installing the August 2020 cumulative update for Windows 10 Version 2004, users may notice one or more of the following symptoms: Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) when booting • Blue S ...

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 vs original Galaxy Fold: we compare the foldable phones

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 is here - as the follow-up to Samsung's first ever foldable phone, the original Galaxy Fold, it brings some tweaks and improvements to the established formula with some extra features thrown in.

We first heard about the Galaxy Z Fold 2 at the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 launch event, where it was teased by the company, but we didn't get all the information until a separate event a few weeks later.

So what's new in this improved Galaxy Fold phone? The form factor is largely the same, but beyond the expected iterative updates, there are some other new fe ...

Coronavirus: Apple iPhones can contact-trace without Covid app

Apple has begun letting its iPhones carry out contact-tracing without the need for users to download an official Covid-19 app.
As an alternative, owners are being invited to opt in to a scheme called Exposure Notifications Express (ENE).
This keeps a 14-day log of other phones detected via Bluetooth and serves an alert if one or more of their users is later diagnosed to have the virus.
The local public health authority will determine what the notification says.
It might tell the user to download a more fully functional app for further guidance.
However, it ...

Sabrent unveils Rocket 4 Plus NVMe M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD

7,000MB/s read and 6,850MB/s write sequential performance

Although we might have seen a glimpse of Samsung's 980 Pro, Sabrent is not giving it any room to breathe as it has unveiled its answer, the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus PCIe 4.0 SSD.

Being a faster version of the Rocket 4, the Rocket 4 Plus uses Phison's PS5018-E18 SSD PCIe 4.0 controller paired up with TLC NAND flash, hitting impressive sequential read and write performance of up to 7000MB/s for read and up to 6850MB/s for write.

The Rocket 4 Plus will be available in 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB capacities.

In order ...

RTX 3080 and 3090 specs leak: a 24GB monster looms on the horizon

According to leaked product pages from Gainward, Nvidia's new high-end card is wild, at least when it comes to memory.

Here it is: The Nvidia RTX 3090. Or at least, one variant of the new GPU from hardware company Gainward, which appears to have accidentally posted product pages for the RTX 3090 and 3080 a little bit early. 

A day before Nvidia's Ampere reveal event, where we expect Nvidia to officially show off the RTX 3090 and 3080 graphics cards, Gainward posted (and then removed) images and specs for its versions of each card, with specs that match up with previous leaks ...

TikTok owner to 'strictly' obey China's tech takeover law

TikTok's owner has said it will "strictly adhere to" new rules imposed by China over what technologies the country's companies can sell overseas.
The export controls could potentially be used to block the sale of TikTok's US operations.
The expanded list of restricted items covers some of the methods the app uses to target who sees which videos.
The app's ability to quickly identify and cater to users' interests has played a large part in its success.
Bytedance began talks to sell TikTok's American, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand division after Pr ...

Neuralink: Elon Musk unveils pig with chip in its brain

Elon Musk has unveiled a pig called Gertrude with a coin-sized computer chip in her brain to demonstrate his ambitious plans to create a working brain-to-machine interface.

"It's kind of like a Fitbit in your skull with tiny wires," the billionaire entrepreneur said on a webcast.

His start-up Neuralink applied to launch human trials last year.

The interface could allow people with neurological conditions to control phones or computers with their mind.

Mr Musk argues such chips could eventually be used to help cure conditions such as dementia, Parkin ...

Elon Musk to show off working brain-hacking device

Elon Musk is due to demonstrate a working brain-to-machine interface as part of his ambitious plans to give people superhuman powers.
His brain-hacking company, Neuralink, applied to start human trials last year.
But Friday's demonstration will involve a robot and "neurons firing in real time", a series of tweets reveals.
The interface could allow people with neurological conditions to control phones or computers with their mind.
But the long-term ambition is to usher in an age of what Mr Musk calls "superhuman cognition".
People need t ...

Apple Fortnite players left behind in new update

People who play Fortnite on Apple Macs, iPhones and iPads are to be excluded from the game's latest update.
It follows the weeks-long escalating row between the two companies, which resulted in Fortnite being pulled from Apple's App Store.
Mac computers, which do not use the App Store, are also now affected.
Fortnite's updates often make sweeping changes to the game and Thursday's introduces a partnership with Marvel comics superheroes, among other things.
Game development
Epic Games chief executive Tim Sweeney blamed Apple's plan to pull access to developer tools on 2 ...

Warning over 'dangerous' DIY beauty trends on TikTok

DIY beauty trends popular on TikTok could be dangerous and harmful, healthcare groups have warned.

Examples include applying bleach to whiten teeth, removing moles at home, and using eyelash glue to make lips appear larger, BBC News has discovered.

When these videos went viral, they encouraged others to copy the so-called "beauty hacks", which could cause permanent harm, the groups warned.

TikTok told BBC News the videos did not violate its community guidelines.

However, the British Association of Dermatologists, the British Dental Association and t ...

Apple can block Epic's Fortnite but not Unreal Engine

A US judge has ruled that, for now, Apple can continue to block the video game Fortnite from its App Store.

However the tech giant cannot terminate Epic Games' developer accounts or compromise its graphics tool Unreal Engine, which is used by many third-party game creators.

This is until a full hearing can take place on 28 September.

Apple pulled Fortnite from the App Store after Epic deliberately broke its rules in protest at Apple's policies.

Epic said Apple had also threatened to take away its access to developer tools.

In her ruling, as reported b ...

Carmakers urge FTC to fight Qualcomm ruling

A group of carmakers and tech firms is urging US regulators to take further action against chipmaker Qualcomm over its sales practices.

Tesla, Ford, Honda, Daimler, Intel and MediaTek have asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to fight a recent court ruling in favour of Qualcomm.

Qualcomm has a practice of requiring customers to sign patent licence agreements before selling them chips.

Such practices have drawn accusations the firm is stifling competition.

Qualcomm, the world's biggest maker of mobile phone chips, has contested those claims. The BBC has ap ...

TikTok to launch legal action against Trump over ban

Chinese video app TikTok is set to launch legal action to challenge a ban imposed by US President Donald Trump.

Mr Trump's executive order prohibits transactions with TikTok's owner ByteDance from mid-September.

Officials in Washington are concerned that the company could pass data on American users to the Chinese government, something ByteDance has denied doing.

The short video-sharing app has 80 million active US users.

TikTok says it has tried to engage with the Mr Trump's administration for nearly a year but has encountered a lack of due process and an ad ...

Lyft and Uber receive reprieve in California employment rights row

Uber and Lyft have been granted a reprieve in a row over drivers' employment rights in California after a court granted an emergency injunction.

The ride-hailing firms had threatened to suspend operations over an earlier ruling that they must classify drivers as employees, not contractors.

But the reprieve allows them to continue operating while the court considers their case for appeal.

The court's decision came just hours before Lyft was due to halt rides.

The court has ordered Uber and Lyft to both submit their plans for hiring employees by early September ...

Apple first US company to be valued at $2tn

Tech giant Apple has become the first US company to be valued at $2tn (£1.5tn) on the stock market.

It reached the milestone just two years after becoming the world's first trillion-dollar company in 2018.

Its share price hit $467.77 in mid-morning trading in the US on Wednesday to push it over the $2tn mark.

The only other company to reach the $2tn level was state-backed Saudi Aramco after it listed its shares last December.

But the oil giant's value has slipped back to $1.8tn since then and Apple surpassed it to become the world's most valuable traded compa ...

Iconic British music brand NME launches in Asia

Iconic UK music brand NME has launched in Asia, even as the entertainment industry is hit by the coronavirus.

NME says its new Singapore-based website will deliver a fresh approach to the Southeast Asian music scene.

The company says it will initially focus on Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines and has plans to rapidly expand in the region.

The announcement comes at a time when many other media companies are making major cutbacks due to the pandemic.

"Expect the best music writing and multimedia content, from breaking news to long-form features to a ...

Best B550 motherboard for gaming

The best B550 motherboard means picking from the latest pool of AMD motherboards rocking a second-tier chipset, and will become ever more relevant as the next generation AMD Ryzen 4000 CPUs become available towards the end of the year. But what are you missing by opting for a B550 motherboard compared to the top-end X570 AMD gaming motherboards?

Honestly, not a great deal. It's been a long time coming, however; almost a year after the original 500-series AMD Ryzen motherboard was launched this mainstream chipset has hit the market, bringing PCIe 4.0 support into the more affordable ...

Donald Trump joins TikTok rival Triller

Donald Trump has joined Triller, a New-York-based rival to China's TikTok.

After two days on the social-media app, the US president has 11,000 followers.

TikTok was banned in India two months ago. Mr Trump wants to follow suit unless it sells the app's US version and has signed executive orders targeting both it and another Chinese social-media app, Tencent's WeChat.

Both India and the US fear data collected by the TikTok could be given to the Chinese government.

TikTok strongly denies this and says none of its international users' data is stored in China.

...

Seeed Odyssey X86J4105 Review: PC and Maker Board in One

The Raspberry Pi is, by far, the world’s most popular single-board computer and, for many people, the Raspberry Pi 4 is fast enough to serve as a PC. But what if you want the flexibility of a single-board computer that has GPIO pins for physical computing but you need the speed and compatibility of an x86 PC? Enter Seeed’s Odyssey X86J4105, which marries an Intel Celeron CPU with two sets of GPIO pins, one of which is for an onboard Arduino-compatible controller and the other of which has 40 pins and claims to work with Raspberry Pi accessories.

Clearly more expensive than the prici ...

Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Solar review: the solar-powered super watch

Garmin’s latest go-anywhere, do-anything Fenix 6 Pro Solar multi-sport watch recharges from the sun, marking an important step towards the smartwatch you never need to charge.

The £739.99 Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Solar is one of the US firm’s top-of-the-line devices, capable of lasting weeks on a charge and tracking practically any stat you’d want, plus it’s able to guide you out of forests when you’re lost.

The watch is available with either a 42 or 47mm case, and in various colours and materials, here reviewed in slate grey with red accents and a 47mm case.

By every dime ...

Huawei’s Sound X is better than the HomePod. But there’s a problem

Apple, Bose, Sonos, Google and Amazon all have plenty to offer in the £200-£400 bracket Bluetooth speaker market – not to mention a more stable footing in the audio game - this may explain why Huawei has called on the services of audiophile pioneers Devialet to deliver something that will stand out. Enter the Huawei Sound X – a nicely weighted and compact speaker that more than holds its own in an already crowded market.

Made from a combination of shiny black plastic and audio-transparent knit fabric, the Sound X somehow manages to look like a hyper-realistic rendered photo even in ...

Intel Celeron N4000 vs N4100 vs N4120: What’s the difference?

Celeron CPUs have been part and parcel of Intel’s processor family for more than two decades. They've played a vital role in the company's product mix, despite not getting the sort of press coverage as its flagship CPU family, the Core series.

That’s partly due to the fact you can’t actually buy most Celeron models today. 

A fair chunk are either sold as part of a motherboard (e.g. this Seeed motherboard) or as part of a complete system - most likely a tablet or a laptop.

Intel Celeron N4000 vs Celeron N4100

The N4000 is arguably one of the most sought after ...

Dropshipping: The hustlers making millions from goods they never handle

Gabriel Beltran moved from Uruguay to Miami with the dream of making it big as a drummer.

Five years ago, he was struggling to pay his rent and living on his girlfriend's student loan.

Then he made over $20m (£15m) through a little-known online retail technique: dropshipping.

And in bedrooms around the world other savvy individuals are getting rich the same way.

The sellers never see their products. They typically remain completely anonymous. And their marketing reaches hundreds of millions of people.

Chinese goods
The process is simple: the ...

Fortnite: Epic Games sues Google and Apple over app store bans

Fortnite-maker Epic Games is taking legal action against Google after being banned from the Google Play app store, hours after doing the same with Apple.

Apple and Google both removed the hit game from their app stores after Epic Games bypassed their payment systems, to avoid giving them a cut of sales.

Both platforms take a standard 30% of purchases on their app stores.

Google said it runs an "open" system and would work to bring Fortnite back to its official app store.

On Android phones, app stores other than Google Play are available, so it it st ...

This gaming PC with an RTX 2070 Super is on sale for $1,250

Building your own desktop is typically cheaper than buying a pre-built machine, but there's definitely a reason why consoles are so popular. Some people would rather buy something that works out of the box, and sales can also turn pre-built PCs into a better value. One desktop from ABS with an RTX 2070 Super graphics card is currently on sale for $1,249.99, a $250 discount from the original MSRP. It's also the cheapest PC on Newegg right now with that graphics card.

The desktop on sale has an Intel Core i7-9700 processor, which isn't one of Intel's newer 10th-gen CPUs, but it still ...

ASRock A520 Motherboards Show Why A520 May Be a Better Option Than B550

Don't fret if the pricing for B550 motherboards is preventing you from upgrading. VideoCardz received information that ASRock is reportedly preparing up to five different A520 motherboards for budget seekers. According to the publication, A520 motherboards will launch later this month, which differs from DigiTimes' report of a September launch.

A520 is the entry-level chipset for AMD's 500-series, and being A-series, CPU overclocking is pretty much off the table. It's reasonable to expect A520 to arrive without PCIe 4.0 support, although AMD hasn't officially said otherwise.

...

Tiny CPU firm claims shocking performance wins in bid to oust Intel and ARM

Nuvia is not a household name for CPU designs, but this startup promises to revolutionize cloud server CPU performance in the coming years. 

According to the company, its Orion server system-on-chips (SoCs) based on its Arm's Phoenix cores will deliver over two times higher single-thread performance when compared to existing x86 designs, such as AMD’s Zen 2 and Intel’s Sunny Cove using a third of power. 

Nuvia’s promises seem very bold at first, but the company’s founders — John Bruno, Manu Gulati, and Gerard Williams III — have a track record of developing successful proces ...

Intel's Xe Graphics Might Mean You No Longer Need a Separate Graphics Card to Play Games

Intel has finally given actual details on its upcoming Xe GPU architecture that will power its future CPUs with integrated graphics. While Tiger Lake, Intel’s upcoming 11th generation, 10nm mobile processor, will be the first product to leverage Xe, the company also said it was designing a more powerful mobile CPU with Xe integrated graphics (code-named DG1) for creators. During a press event, Raja Koduri, senior vice president, chief architect, and general manager of Architecture, Graphics, and Software at Intel, said it will ship this year, too. Intel is also working on a discrete GPU for ...

Fortnite: Apple ban sparks court action from Epic Games

Apple has removed Fortnite from its App Store, preventing players from installing one of the world's most popular games on iPhones.

It came after a Fortnite update that let players buy in-game currency at a lower rate if they bought direct from maker Epic Games - bypassing Apple.

Epic appeared to know the ban would come, announcing it had filed a legal complaint minutes after the removal.

Apple takes a standard 30% cut of sales from its compulsory payment system.

Hours later, Google also appeared to remove the app from its Google Play Store - though it remain ...

Facebook adds 'blackface' photos to banned posts

Facebook has updated its rules to tackle posts containing depictions of "blackface" and common anti-Semitic stereotypes.

Its Community Standards now explicitly state such content should be removed if used to target or mock people.

The company said it had consulted more than 60 outside experts before making the move.

But one campaigner said she still had concerns about its wider anti-racism efforts.

'Deeply damaging'
"Blackface is an issue that's been around for decade, which is why it's surprising that it's only being dealt with now,&quo ...

AOC's new CU34G2X: 34-inch UltraWide 3440x1440 at 144Hz for $450

AOC has just revealed its new CU34G2X gaming monitor, offering a 34-inch 21:9 aspect ratio UltraWide experience with a native 3440 x 1440 resolution.

The 34-inch UltraWide has a super-fast 144Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time, so you should be pretty good for even the fastest shooters on the market. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and its battle royale mode Warzone would be pretty damn near perfect on the AOC CU34G2X.

AOC taps a VA panel for its CU34G2X monitor, with a curvy 1500R curvature. AMD FreeSync is supported on the monitor, so you might want to grab a Radeon RX 570 ...

Xiaomi’s new transparent OLED is one of the weirdest TVs ever

Xiaomi has its fingers thoroughly in a number of tech pies, and for its tenth anniversary, the Chinese tech giant announced a swathe of new products, including the Mi 10 Ultra flagship smartphone and… a completely transparent TV.

Despite having a pretty considerable novelty factor, the Xiaomi Mi TV LUX OLED Transparent Edition is actually going to be available to consumers in China from August 16, where it'll cost a cool ¥49,999 (roughly $7,200 / £5,500 / AU$10,000).

Xiaomi's transparent OLED joins the novelty TV ranks of Samsung's The Frame...

...the rotating, verti ...

Huawei's 24-Core 7nm Kunpeng CPU Allegedly Beats Core i9-9900K In Multi-Core Performance

Chinese news outlet IThome received word that Huawei is on the brink if launching the brand's new desktop PC (internally known as Pangu) for the domestic market. The system utilizes a variant of the company's Kunpeng 920, which is also known as the Hi1620. The report claims that the Kunpeng 920 3211K's multi-core performance is slightly better than the Intel Core i9-9900K Coffee Lake processor.

The Kunpeng 920, which is based on Arm's Neoverse N1 (codename Ares) microarchitecture, boasts core configurations that span from 24 up to 64 cores, running between 2.4 GHz and 3 GHz. TSMC us ...

Chrome for Windows to gain handy Incognito Mode desktop shortcut

The Windows version of Google Chrome is preparing to add a desktop shortcut to open directly into an Incognito window, perfect for whatever you use Incognito Mode for.

Incognito Mode in Google Chrome has more than its fair share of uses, be it hiding certain web pages from your history, bypassing paywalls from larger news sites, or just wanting to do a search without it appearing in your Google Search history. Whatever you use Incognito Mode for, the current best way to open an Incognito window is to first open Chrome, then use the Ctrl-Shift-N shortcut or the “New Incognito window” ...

WhatsApp braced for its biggest change in years but this upgrade comes with a warning

WhatsApp looks set to launch a big update soon and it will finally fix one of the biggest irritations of the popular chat app. As spotted by the ever-reliable team at WABetaInfo, it appears that the Facebook-owned chat app has begun testing a feature called "Linked Devices".

As the name suggests, this will allow WhatsApp's two billion users to add more than one device to their accounts meaning they can chat from a PC, smartphone and tablet without any fuss.

Currently, the only way to do this is via WhatsApp Web but this service requires the primary smartphone that' ...

watchOS 7 public beta is out now – here's what's it brings to your Apple Watch

After being announced at Apple’s WWDC 2020 event in June, watchOS 7 is finally available – or, at least, a public beta of it is anyway.

This follows a developer beta which has been available for a while, but the public beta is easier to get and is actually designed for general users (albeit those who can put up with a few bugs and non-final software). Thankfully, you won't need to pay into the Apple Developer Program, but you will need to get the iOS 14 beta on a paired iPhone first.

Grabbing the new Apple Watch software is an easy process, and we've got a step-by-step guide ...

Windows 10 update means copy-and-paste will never be the same again

Microsoft may be planning to release Windows 10X in the spring of 2021 but some of the new operating system's features could be coming to Windows 10 sooner than that including a new panel that completely changes how copying and pasting works.

As reported by Windows Latest, in Windows 10 Build 20185 the software giant has added a new panel that allows users to insert emojis, GIFs and even content from their clipboards. The new panel also includes several new features to make it easier for users to add content to their messages, documents and emails.

In addition to being able ...

The headphones that even a DJ can't break?

Before the pandemic hit Anne Frankenstein would be DJ-ing in bars or clubs most Friday and Saturday nights.

She laughs when asked if she misses it: "Not really, I kind of prefer the quiet life. I think I was playing a few too many gigs before lockdown. It's been nice to just enjoy music at my own pace."

Fortunately for Anne she has a day job - her mid-morning show on Jazz FM.

As well as making life hectic, those gigs took a toll on her kit, in particular headphones. She has "completely destroyed" headphones in the past through overuse and crushing ...

Brydge releases new line of ‘Designed for Surface’ keyboards and accessories

On August 17th, Brydge will begin selling a new lineup of Surface accessories that have the “Designed for Surface” badge, meaning that they were made in collaboration with Microsoft. The lineup includes keyboards for the Surface Pro and Surface Go, but the most intriguing product in the group is the $99.99 W-Touch standalone trackpad. It’s apparently the first standalone wireless trackpad made for Windows 10.

The W-Touch is like a Magic Trackpad 2 that’s built for Windows 10 instead, coated in a striking black with an aluminum build. It has Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity and it supports ...

5 MUST-HAVE TERMINAL COMMANDS FOR LINUX ON YOUR CHROMEBOOK

We’ve spent a lot of time over the past week exploring what is possible on Chrome OS. Thanks to some updates to the Linux container, we’ve installed Windows 10 and a variety of Linux flavors. I love tinkering with Chrome OS to see how far I can push the maturing ecosystem but today, we’re going to focus on what the Linux container is currently designed to do. That, of course, it to run the Debian framework and allow users to install compatible Linux applications on Chrome OS. Doing so doesn’t require you to be a Linux guru and thank goodness for that. I’m still learning as I go but masterin ...

HUAWEI GAMING DISPLAY TO USE A 240HZ REFRESH RATE & MINI LED PARTITION BACKLIGHT

Chinese manufacturing giant, Huawei, has a lot of issues on its hands right now. However, this is not stopping the company from developing and releasing new products. Earlier, there were reports that Huawei Display is coming soon. According to reports, this display will include low-end, mid-end, and high-end models. In addition, a recent Weibo report claims that one of the three displays that Huawei will release is for gaming. Furthermore, this gaming display will support a refresh rate of 240Hz, and mini LED partition backlight. There is currently a surge in the request for gaming since th ...

New Apple Leak Reveals iPhone 12 Design Shock

iPhone 12 surprises keep coming (both good news, bad news and unexpected twists), but now we know perhaps the biggest problem with Apple’s new iPhones. 

Mysterious industry insider ‘Mr White’ has continued his impressive track record leaking Apple hardware, by revealing the chassis for the coming iPhone 12. While this confirms the range’s move to a more angular new design, he also confirms Face ID will be the same size and, as a consequence, the large notch introduced with the iPhone X in 2017 will not be getting any smaller in 2020. 

08/08 Update: a further image of an iPho ...

TikTok threatens legal action against Trump US ban

TikTok is threatening legal action against the US after Donald Trump ordered firms to stop doing business with the Chinese app within 45 days.

The company said it was "shocked" by an executive order from the US President outlining the ban.

TikTok said it would "pursue all remedies available" to "ensure the rule of law is not discarded".

Mr Trump issued a similar order against China's WeChat in a major escalation in Washington's stand-off with Beijing.

WeChat's owner, Tencent, said: "We are reviewing the executive order to ge ...

What is Tencent?

Based in Shenzhen and founded in 1998, the Chinese company Tencent enjoys huge popularity - and profits - in China.

Its cute penguin symbol is as familiar to Chinese children as the McDonalds "golden arches" logo is to children in the West, says the BBC's China media analyst Kerry Allen.

"Tencent is thought of as so much more than just a Chinese company in China - it has gained a reputation as a family-friendly organisation that connects families, friends and work colleagues in a digital age," she said.

"It has a business model that other Chi ...

Intel Core i9-10910: Rumored Apple Exclusive Fails to Impress on Geekbench

The Intel Core i9-10910, which is believed to be an Apple-exclusive chip, has shown its face on Geekbench 5 again. Without confirmation from Intel, of course, we can't be positive of the accuracy of the results, spotted by @Leakbench. But this allows us to do an early pseudo-assessment of the CPU's performance. 

The Core i9-10910 in question, as well as the current Core i9-10900, belong to the 10th Generation Comet Lake-S family. The 14nm processors find their home inside the new LGA1200 CPU socket. They're equipped with 10 CPU cores, 20 threads and 20MB of L3 cache. One theory as t ...

ASUS Radeon RX 5600 XT TUF EVO Review

Today, we have for review the ASUS Radeon RX 5600 XT TUF Gaming EVO graphics card positioned a notch below the ROG STRIX Radeon RX 5600 XT TOP OC graphics card we reviewed earlier. The TUF Gaming line of PC hardware and peripherals by ASUS represents durable, high cost to performance products targeted at gamers. The brand itself, though, has had some bad press in recent times over sub-optimal cooler designs that weren't well received by reviewers. Since then, the company worked extensively on improving the cooler and thermals of its Navi TUF Gaming graphics cards, and the culmination of tha ...

Nearby Share file feature on Android now, Chromebooks in the “coming months”

Well, I picked a great time to pull the SIM card from my iPhone and plop it into a Google Pixel 4. Android devices running 6.0 or better now have a “Nearby Share” feature that’s functionally identical to Apple’s AirDrop for iOS and macOS. With it, you can wirelessly share files and photos between two devices.

I tested it on two Pixel phones I have and it works great. But that’s not a standard use case, of course.

Beaming a file from one person to another is the typical situation, and as long those two people have Android phones running a supported software version, it will w ...

Wear OS is set to lose music streaming features "within weeks"

If you’re enjoying streaming music using your Wear OS smartwatch, unfortunately those days are numbered.

Currently Google Play Music is the sole service that can play music from the wrist, but Google is preparing to shutter the service by the end of the year.

But Android Police has spotted that support for Wear OS will end a lot sooner – in fact, “in the next couple of weeks”.

“Users will no longer be able to use or download Google Play Music on their Wear OS by Google smartwatches. Google is investing heavily in improving integrated music services through all of you ...

First Look: macOS Big Sur Public Beta

So here we are, at the end of OS X. Two decades ago Apple parked the sixteen-year-old Classic Mac OS and leaped to version 10.0, but four years ago the company rebranded the software that drives the Mac as macOS, and the writing was on the wall. And now in 2020 it’s macOS Big Sur, version 11.0. The name is an extension of Apple’s use of California places to brand its Mac releases, but the version number is the real story. The Mac OS X era is truly over. macOS Big Sur is the start of a radically new era in the Mac’s life.

With the release of the macOS Big Sur Public Beta, Apple is in ...

AMD Ryzen 9 4950X leak has appeared – and it could take Intel's gaming crown

A new leak has detailed AMD’s Zen 3-based Ryzen 9 4950X CPU - and it should have Intel worried.

This leak comes via Igors Lab, which reveals that the so-called Ryzen 9 4950X will be a 16-core, 32-thread part with an impressive boost frequency of 4.8GHz. 

The information comes from an OPN code which reads "100-000000059-52_48/35_Y." The ’35’ at the end signifies the 3.5 GHz base clock, with ’48’ telling us the boost clock is 4.8 GHz. That’s 100MHz higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, which tops out at 4.7GHz. 

There's a whole world of ...

TikTok: Trump signs order to address 'threat' of Chinese app

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to ban transactions with TikTok's parent company ByteDance.

The executive order says the US "must take aggressive action against the owners of TikTok to protect our national security".

Under the order, beginning in 45 days, any US transaction with ByteDance will be prohibited.

TikTok denies accusations it is controlled by or shares data with the Chinese government.

On Thursday night, the US president also issued a follow-up executive order taking similar action to ban WeChat, an app owned by Ch ...

WhatsApp: with any luck, you'll never have to use this important new feature

WhatsApp has started to trial a new feature designed to stop the spread of misinformation on the immensely-popular chat app, which boasts more than two billion users worldwide. From today, you'll be able to quickly search the contents of a WhatsApp message with a single tap to make sure that you haven't been duped by a viral text which has been forwarded or copy-pasted between thousands of people worldwide.

The new feature appears in the form of a magnifying glass icon next to the text message. Tapping this will trigger a web search using your default web browser and search engine o ...

Razer BlackShark V2 Review

When it comes to esports, accuracy and precision are important, and having great audio with an excellent soundstage is a vital part of that. That’s where esports gaming headsets like the Razer BlackShark V2 come in handy.A follow-up to the glossier BlackShark, which has been lauded for its comfort, great sound quality, and cool design, this successor has a more subdued look and not much in the way of frills and thrills. But, that’s only because it’s honed in on the way it lets you experience audio in gaming instead. It’s hitting the shelves with three new technologies either developed or co ...

New Xbox Insider Preview build has a bunch of new features

If you're an Xbox Insider on the Preview Alpha ring, there's a new version 2008 preview on its way to you today. But unlike the vast majority of Xbox Insider builds, build 19041.4067 actually contains a bunch of new features.

First up is a faster and better Microsoft Store. This was announced earlier this week, and was promised for Xbox Insiders. Not only is it meant to be faster, but it should be easier to use and more secure. Right now, it's only available to some Insiders, and only in the U.S., UK, Canada (English), and Germany.

Also available to a random subset of users ...

Intel Alder Lake Already Looks Confusing: 12 Configurations Possible

Alder Lake may be one of Intel's most confusing microarchitectures to date. That's if the latest coreboot patch (spotted via Twitter user La Frite David) is accurate. Apparently, there will be a plethora of core combinations for the chipmaker's upcoming Alder Lake-S and Alder Lake-P CPUs; however, we don't know yet if every configuration will actually make it to market. 

Alder Lake has been expected to leverage a hybrid architecture with large and small CPU cores, a setup that's similar to Arm's big.LITTLE technology. Intel first used this design on its 3D Lakefield chips for laptop ...

AMD ‘Ryzen Lite’ processors make debut in ultracheap rugged Lenovo laptops

Lenovo has unveiled the second generation of the 100e notebook, the firm's popular laptop range aimed primarily at the education market.

This aggressively-priced piece of kit is powered by two new processors from AMD, announced at CES earlier this year. The AMD 3015e and the AMD 3020e do not belong to any specific family (e.g. Athlon, Ryzen or Sempron), but feature the smallest (and probably cheapest) Zen-based parts.

Given the 6W TDP, we don't expect much from these tiny Ryzen-like processors. They have two cores, either two or four threads and a base frequency of 1.2GHz, b ...

Samsung unveils Note 20 smartphones and Galaxy Z Fold 2

More than a year after the disastrous launch of its folding phone, Samsung is back with a range of new devices that it hopes will improve sales in a market hit hard by the pandemic.

Among them is the Galaxy Z Fold 2, a successor to Samsung’s first foldable device, which features a larger 6.2-inch front screen and opens up to reveal a flexible 7.6-inch display inside the device.

The South Korean technology company also unveiled two versions of its oversized smartphone, the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, upgraded tablets called Tab S7 and S7+, a new Galaxy Watch 3 sm ...

TikTok to open $500m data centre in Ireland

TikTok has said it plans to build a $500m (£375m) data centre in Ireland.

It will store videos, messages and other data generated by European users from the short-form video-sharing app.

Until now all of its users' records were stored in the US, with a back-up copy held in Singapore.

The announcement comes at a time when President Trump has threatened to ban the app in the US on the grounds its Chinese ownership makes it a national security risk.

TikTok's Beijing-based parent company Bytedance denies the charge. However, it is in talks to sell its US, Canada, ...

Google tests eye-catching Weather Tile redesign on Wear OS

Just before I/O last year, Wear OS added Tiles to the right of the watchface that provide quick access to bite-sized pieces of information. After recently adding one for hand washing, Google is tweaking the Weather tile with a bold and fresh new design.

The current Weather card shows the temperature and condition, while a bi-hourly forecast appears below. Sourced from weather.com, tapping opens the full app for current wind speed, precipitation percentage, and four-day forecast.

Google is now testing (via Reddit) an updated Weather Tile for Wear OS that has a distinctly diff ...

Sony WH-1000XM4 wireless headphones spotted in leaked video

The forthcoming Sony WH-1000XM4 wireless noise-cancelling headphones have been spotted in a leaked promotional video. The advert appears to confirm that the next-generation noise-cancellers will feature an upgraded audio chip, new voice controls, a 30-hour battery life and smarter noise-cancelling.

As expected, the XM4s – successors to the five-star, Award-winning WH-1000XM3 – seem to be almost identical in appearance to their predecessors, but it's a different story on the inside. 

Assuming the video is legit (and it certainly looks it), the XM4s will sport the latest Sony ...

AMD Radeon Adrenalin Edition 20.8.1 driver download

Download the all-new Radeon Software Adrenalin 2020 Edition 20.8.1. Next to a number of fixes, the driver adds support for Hyper Scape, Horizon Zero Dawn, Complete Edition for PC Grounded.

Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition, designed to give gamers deeply immersive gameplay and inspired by today’s era of social, connected gaming. Should you like to share or read up on user experiences, we have an open discussion thread open on these drivers right here. 

Support For

Hyper Scape

Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition for PC

Grounded The Epic preset on the Ra ...

LG OLED48CX TV REVIEW

LG’s OLED48CX is a game-changer. Not only is this the first sub 50-inch OLED television, it’s also the first TV that LG has made that supports 4K resolution at 120Hz. This makes this 48-incher a mouth-wateringly viable option for PC gamers looking to replace a traditional IPS or TN panel. Meet the new gold standard when it comes to a 4K TV that can also act as one of the best gaming monitors around.

That freshly shrunken form factor is a big deal. Previously, the smallest OLED TV you could buy was 55-inches. While a 48-inch screen is hardly bite-sized, it’s the fir ...

Apple releases fourth beta of watchOS 7 to developers

Alongside the release of iOS 14 beta 4, Apple today has also released watchOS 7 beta 4 to developers. watchOS 7 includes new features such as sleep tracking, new watch face features, fitness improvements, and more.

Update: watchOS 7 beta 4 is now rolling out via an over-the-air update to developers.

watchOS 7 beta 4 can be installed by developers through the companion Apple Watch app on iPhone or by heading to the Settings app on the Apple Watch itself. If you don’t yet see the new beta on your device, be sure to keep checking as it’s still rolling out to all developers.

...

Microsoft's TikTok grab: Inspired or naive?

Last week, Congress grilled Apple, Amazon, Google and Facebook.

Microsoft, wasn't invited to the party.

I thought Microsoft's boss would be relieved that his company was safely out of the firing line.

It appears I was wrong.

What I didn't know at the time was that Satya Nadella was in fact looking to expand deeper into social media.

Microsoft already owns LinkedIn. Acquiring video-based social-media platform TikTok, though, would make it responsible for its controversial content.

In short, it would open itself up to all the criticisms and accu ...

Call for TikTok security check before HQ decision

An influential backbench MP has called on the government to carry out a security review of TikTok before its Chinese owner decides whether to base the app in the UK.

Neil O'Brien - co-founder of the China Research Group of Tory MPs - said the intelligence services should publish a report into the matter.

President Trump is threatening to ban TikTok in the US.

This has forced the app to ditch plans to establish its headquarters there.

TikTok had been expected to pick California or New York - where it already has offices - after appointing an American ex-Disney ...

Microsoft to continue talks to buy TikTok's US operations

US tech giant Microsoft has confirmed that it is continuing talks to purchase the US operations of Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok.

Microsoft boss Satya Nadella had a conversation with President Donald Trump about the acquisition on Sunday, the tech firm said.

Microsoft stressed that it "fully appreciates the importance" of addressing President Trump's concerns.

A full security review of the app will be conducted, the company added.

Microsoft will also have to provide the US government with a list of the "proper economic benefits" t ...

MSI’S GS66 STEALTH ALMOST HAS WHAT IT TAKES TO BEAT RAZER

ForFor years, Razer has set the standard for making gaming laptops that are compact, slim, and feel great to use. MSI wants to end that streak, and its new GS66 Stealth is actually a viable alternative, at least in terms of performance. It still has a little work to do on nailing the small design details.

The GS66 Stealth doesn’t quite nail the fit and finish to take on the best, but landing short of that still gets you a polished laptop that’s stuffed with powerful components and other features that typically come with a $2,349 gaming laptop (as configured; this model starts at $1, ...

ADATA Falcon And Swordfish SSD Reviews: Affordable NVMe Storage

By now, everyone with even the vaguest of interest in PC technology can tell you how much snappier solid state drives are than even the fastest of spinning disks of yesteryear. There have been some interesting wrinkles recently, like ultra-high speed drives that ride the PCI Express 4.0 bus, but in test after test, regardless of drive type, just having a modern SSD offers enough of a boost to make an older PC feel new again. Similarly, it's basically a necessity to slap an SSD like one of the ADATA drives we'll be showing you here, into a new system build to not make any big sacrifices in r ...

Galax Cooks up DDR4-5000 RAM for Performance Purists

Galax has expanded its HOF (Hall Of Fame) line with not one, not two, but three new series of high-performance memory kits. Meet the HOF OC Lab Diamond, HOF OC Lab Diamond RGB and HOF OC Lab Phantom RGB product lines.

The trio of RAM kits stay true to their HOF roots. They come equipped with a black PCB that's passively cooled by all-white heat spreaders. In the case of the Diamond series, the heat spreaders are adorned with a diamond-shaped pattern, which is available with or without RGB lighting. The Phantom RGB series' heat spreader, meanwhile, boasts a light bar with customizabl ...

Huawei has the same app problem that doomed Windows Phone

Huawei is now the world’s biggest smartphone maker in terms of shipments, according to Canalys data, which suggests the Chinese tech firm surpassed rival Samsung in Q2 2020, albeit mostly due to its domestic sales in China. This is the first time in nine years that a company other than Samsung or Apple has led the market.

Huawei was quick to pounce on the news, particularly given the turbulent 14 months it has endured since the U.S. issued an embargo forcing it to stop using Google’s flavor of Android in its new handsets. But despite Huawei’s glee at surpassing Samsung, its future i ...

Kylie and Kendall Jenner endorsed 'knock-off' Apple products on Instagram

Kylie and Kendall Jenner are amongst dozens of influencers BBC Click has discovered to be promoting the sale of imitation Apple AirPods on Instagram.

The two celebrities have a combined following of 322 million followers.

Apple believes such cloned earphones may infringe its intellectual property rights, but is not pursuing a case against the two sisters.

However, the firm has taken previous action against influencers it believed to be hawking "knock-off" AirPods.

Kylie and Kendall Jenner declined to comment.

Lookalike tech
Click's in ...

Seagate ships 18TB HDDs, but breakthrough hard drives will arrive later this year

Seagate Technology has started shipping its hard disk drives featuring a 18TB capacity to select customers, and revealed that HDDs will be more broadly available later this year. But while 18TB drives significantly increase storage capacities of modern datacenters, Seagate has a more important launch set for the next few months, as it also intends to start commercial shipments of its drives based on heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR). 

The importance of HAMR — a technology that has been explored for 66 years now — is fundamental as it is expected to enable hard with capacities ...

The Canon EOS R5 is a CHEAT CODE for wildlife photography

The Canon EOS R5 is about to put professional wildlife photographers out of business. That's our verdict, after extensively testing the Animal AF function on the new camera, which is nothing short of witchcraft. 

Much has already been said about the Canon EOS R5, and we'll be saying plenty more in our full review (which we're currently putting the finishing touches on). However, something that simply can't be said enough is just how awesome the new animal autofocus is. 

We were expecting to be impressed, but we weren't prepared to be gobsmacked. The Animal AF is so good, and ...

Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google face claims of 'harmful' power

The heads of some of the world's biggest tech companies have appeared before Washington lawmakers to defend their firms against claims they abuse their power to quash competitors.

Amazon boss Jeff Bezos said the world "needs large" firms, while the heads of Facebook, Apple and Google argued their companies had spurred innovation.

The appearance comes as lawmakers consider tougher regulation and competition probes are under way.

Some critics want the firms broken up.

Democrats pressed the tech titans on competition issues, while Republicans were more ...

The Sony A7SIII Looks Like It's About to Dominate the Full-Frame Mirrorless Cam Market

Last year Sony sold the most full-frame mirrorless cameras in Japan, and while Canon and Nikon attempt to play catch up, today Sony is announcing its latest high-end mirrorless cam – the A7SIII – which looks like it’s about to crush the competition.

Now I fully admit that using “crush” this way is a bit hyperbolic, and because the camera won’t be available in stores until sometime in September, things could change between now and then. But if you look at the A7SIII’s specs and new features, Sony’s latest full-frame mirrorless feels like a shot across the bow of every other high-end ...

Konami is entering the desktop PC business

The division responsible for Konami's famed pachinko machines is diving into a new market: PC gaming. Japanese outlet PC Watch (via Tom's Hardware) reports that the company has three desktop models currently available to preorder, with shipping due to commence this September.

The Arespear product line is handled by Konami Amusements, which also handles arcade systems and the company's esports interests. The models range from 184,000 yen (roughly $1,750 in the US) through to 338,800 yen ($3,205) depending on the specs.

And what are they? The Arespear C300 is the low cost mode ...

Tech giants Facebook, Google, Apple and Amazon to face Congress

Unprecedented is a dangerous word in journalism, but this really hasn't happened before.

On Wednesday, four of the biggest names in tech will give evidence to members of the US Congress.

Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), Sundar Pichai (Google), Tim Cook (Apple) and Jeff Bezos (Amazon) will all be grilled.

Jeff Bezos - the world's richest man - has never testified before either house. They have never all been quizzed together.

How these tech bosses do, how they stand up to scrutiny, could be a defining moment in their future relationship with government.

Cen ...

Facebook takes the EU to court over privacy spat

Facebook has pushed back against a European Union investigation into its practices, taking it to court over privacy concerns.

Two investigations are being carried out into Facebook to find out if it breaches competition laws.

To gather information, the European Commission has demanded internal documents from Facebook that include 2,500 specific key phrases.

Facebook says that means handing over unrelated but highly sensitive data.

The European Commission says it will defend the case in court, and its investigation into Facebook's potential anticompetitive con ...

No end to Covid-19 webcam shortage

As Covid-19 lockdowns took effect around the world, millions turned to remote working and organising virtual hangouts with friends.

Overnight, webcams went from mundane computer accessories to gold dust.

Even now, the initial surge in demand, in March, has barely abated, with manufacturers struggling to satisfy the many consumers trying to buy.

And while some consumers have been successful, there is plenty of evidence many more are still searching in vain.

'Chasing demand'
Smartphones, tablets and laptops generally come with built-in cameras.

B ...

Amazon, Google and Wish remove neo-Nazi products

Amazon, Google and Wish have removed neo-Nazi and white-supremacist products being sold on their platforms following an investigation by BBC Click.

White-supremacist flags, neo-Nazi books and Ku Klux Klan merchandise were all available for sale.

Algorithms on Amazon and Wish also recommended other white-supremacist items.

All three companies told the BBC that racist products were prohibited on their platforms.

Oren Segal from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an anti-hate organisation, said the companies needed to "constantly be on top of what the algori ...

Nikon Z50 firmware update captures pets' eye portraits, among other goodies

Following the launch of the new Z5, Nikon has released a wave of firmware updates for its existing family of three Z-mount mirrorless cameras. 

The Nikon Z50 can now detect dogs' and cats' eyes and faces, in addition to those of humans, thanks to firmware version 2.00, and also receives improvements in subject tracking. Nikon Z7 and Nikon Z6 users already have these features, of course, so updating to firmware version 3.10 treats them to the ability to use the newly announced Z teleconverters (which is also included in the Z50 update). 

The Nikon Z5 will come preloaded with ...

The Surface Pro X will soon help you pretend to pay attention to calls

After first announcing it last year, Microsoft has started rolling out the Surface Pro X's highly-anticipated Eye Contact feature as part of its latest Windows 10 Insider Preview. The AI-powered software uses the tablet's custom SQ1 ARM processor to make it look like your eyes are always directly looking at the camera while video chatting.

The feature is available with any app that works with the Surface Pro X's front-facing camera, so you can use it with non-Microsoft apps like Zoom and Google Meet. However, you can't take advantage of the feature while the tablet is oriented verti ...

Intel's 7nm is Broken, Company Announces Delay Until 2022, 2023

Intel announced today in its Q2 2020 earnings release that it has now delayed the rollout of its 7nm CPUs by six months relative to its previously-planned release date, undoubtedly resulting in wide-ranging delays to the company's roadmaps. Intel's press release also says that yields for its 7nm process are now twelve months behind the company's internal targets, meaning the company isn't currently on track to produce its 7nm process in an economically viable way. The company now says its 7nm CPUs will not debut on the market until late 2022 or early 2023. 

Here's the snippet from I ...

Kill Windows 10 bloatware for good with this new open source tool

Whether you buy a brand new Windows 10 device or install the operating system on a system you've built yourself, bloatware will still be an issue. 

Microsoft's operating system ships with a number of universal apps that users normally aren't able to uninstall, but a new standalone third-party utility named Bloatbox allows users to rid their machines of such apps.

While you can normally uninstall apps loaded onto a laptop or desktop PC by Dell, Samsung or other hardware makers, you can't uninstall first-party apps from Microsoft such as the Your Phone app. Now you can use Blo ...

Blackbaud Hack: Universities lose data to ransomware attack

At least eight universities in the UK and Canada have had data stolen about students and/or alumni after hackers attacked a cloud computing provider.

Human Rights Watch and the children's mental health charity, Young Minds, have also confirmed they were affected.

The hack targeted Blackbaud, one of the world's largest providers of education administration, fundraising, and financial management software.

The US-based company's systems were hacked in May.

It has been criticised for not disclosing this externally until July and for having paid the hackers an und ...

Windows 10 disastrous new update could break your internet connection

Windows 10 May 2020 Update is the first of two feature-packed releases planned for this year. The new version of the operating system brought a redesigned Cortana app and the ability to make your PC password-less ...to name just a few new additions. Unfortunately, there were some unplanned changes that arrived with the update too, including users left unable to connect to printers, randomly deleting emails in Gmail, problems accessing files saved in OneDrive cloud storage, and stuttering video games.

And now there's another quibble to add to the ever-growing list since the roll out ...

Apple Confirms Stunning New MacBook Pro Details

As Apple focuses on its environmental impact and reducing the company’s carbon footprint, the MacBook Pro will lead the charge as part of a stunning commitment from Tim Cook and his team.

Today’s news from Apple confirms that it is working with aluminium suppliers on carbon-free processing. As an intermediate step, the 16-inch MacBook Pro will be the first hardware to use a low-carbon aluminium and forge a new and more environmentally friendly laptop. 

July 22 update: Aluminium International Today’s Nadine Bloxsome not only talks about the new process, but also notes the inv ...

Zotac Launches Compact Core i7-Powered PC For Content Creators

Zotac has announced today a new compact 5.85-liter PC that the brand bills as an excellent tool for content creators. 

The Inspire Studio SCF72060S arrives in an all-white body that measures 225 x 203 x 128mm (8.86 x 7.99 x 5.04 inches). Zotac doesn't specify the materials used in the mini-PC's construction, but the images show what appears to be a plastic exterior. You'll find an Intel Core i7-9700 octa-core processor inside the Inspire Studio SCF72060S. The processor enjoys the company of a Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Super graphics card and 32GB of DDR4-2666 memory. Only one SO-DIMM ...

Coronavirus: The great contact-tracing apps mystery

Germany and Ireland have both trumpeted their success in rolling out contact-tracing apps.

But is there any evidence that they are doing what they are designed to do - warning people they could be infected with the virus?

Not yet - and the privacy-conscious way in which they are designed could mean we will never know how effective they have been.

Last month, the UK government announced that it was abandoning a centralised NHS contact-tracing app for England and switching to a decentralised version, based on the Apple-Google toolkit. This model has been favoured by pr ...

QAnon: Twitter bans accounts linked to conspiracy theory

Twitter has announced sweeping measures aimed at cracking down on the QAnon conspiracy theory, including banning thousands of accounts.

The social media giant said it would also stop recommending content linked to QAnon and block URLs associated with it from being shared on the platform.

QAnon is a sprawling conspiracy theory whose followers support US President Donald Trump.

Twitter said it hoped the action would help to prevent "offline harm".

In a statement shared on the platform, Twitter said it would permanently suspend accounts that violate it ...

Coronavirus: England's test and trace programme 'breaks GDPR data law'

Privacy campaigners say England's test and trace programme has broken a key data protection law.

The Department of Health has conceded the initiative to trace contacts of people infected with Covid-19 was launched without carrying out an assessment of its impact on privacy.

The Open Rights Group (ORG) says the admission means the initiative has been unlawful since it began on 28 May.

The government said there is no evidence of data being used unlawfully.

The test and trace system involves people being asked to share sensitive personal information. This can in ...

Coronavirus: England's test and trace programme 'breaks GDPR data law'

Privacy campaigners say England's test and trace programme has broken a key data protection law.

The Department of Health has conceded that the initiative to trace contacts of people infected with Covid-19 was launched without carrying out an assessment of its impact on privacy.

The Open Rights Group (ORG) says the admission means the initiative has been unlawful since it began on 28 May.

It involves people being asked to share sensitive personal information.

This can include:

their name, date of birth and postcode
who they live with
pla ...

Alan Rusbridger: Facebook oversight board must avoid 'half-baked judgements'

A member of Facebook's new oversight board has warned that it should avoid launching too quickly.

Alan Rusbridger told BBC Click that it would be "great to be up and running" in time for November's US elections.

But in an exclusive interview, he said it would be damaging to "come out with half-baked recommendations now before we are ready".

He did not yet know whether it would be ready to make "key decisions on the hot potatoes" of the Presidential election.

Mr Rusbridger also acknowledged calls for existing members of the board ...

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 8) Review: Terrific Typing, Super Slim

Built for business, but great for anyone who wants to get work done, Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Carbon has long been one of the best ultrabooks you can buy. Starting at $1,331 ($1,472 and $1,989 as tested), The latest version of Lenovo’s 2.4-pound laptop comes standard with Intel 10th Gen Comet Lake, Wi-Fi 6 connectivity and a pair of VoIP function keys on the keyboard, but otherwise is identical to last year’s model. However, with improved performance and battery life to go with its sleek design and snappy keyboard, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 8) is a compelling productivity powerhouse. < ...

A possible Huawei MatePad T10 makes its way onto Geekbench

Huawei's MatePad line of tablets is thought to get new, affordable members soon. According to the leaker Roland Quandt, they are called the T10 and T10s. The new series is thought to run on the Kirin 710A processor and distinctly low-end amounts of RAM for 2020. One of them may have inadvertently confirmed this by showing up on Geekbench.

At least, a device called the Huawei AGS3-AL09HN has appeared on this benchmark. It is most likely to be the T10, as another variant called the AGS3-W09 has reportedly been certified in Indonesia as the T10s. The AL09HN runs on an octa-core process ...

Logitech Launches New 'Folio Touch' Keyboard Case With Trackpad for 11-Inch iPad Pro

Logitech today announced the launch of the Logitech Folio Touch, a new keyboard case with trackpad designed for the 11-inch iPad Pro models released in 2018 and 2020.

The Logitech Folio Touch is Logitech's first keyboard with trackpad designed for the ‌iPad Pro‌ and it serves as an alternative to Apple's own Magic Keyboard. Logitech previously released the Combo Touch, a keyboard with trackpad that works with the 7th-generation iPad, the ‌iPad‌ Air, and the 10.5-inch ‌iPad Pro‌.

Similar in design to the Combo Touch, the Folio Touch features a case that wraps around the ‌iPad ...

New DDR5 SDRAM standard sees performance boost, dual-channel DIMM

They were two years behind schedule but the industry group overseeing memory technology development and standardization has finally announced the officials specs for the new DDR5 SDRAM standard.

The JEDEC Solid State Technology Association said I'm a report issued Tuesday the new memory specifications will provide developers with twice the performance power and lower power consumption.

Among the key improvements will be a quadrupling of maximum die density, up to 64 gigabytes from 16 gigabytes under the old standard. Each DIMM can handle two 32-bit memory channels instead of ...

Ryzen 7 Pro 4750G Demonstrates How Zen 2 Will Make AMD's APUs Relevant Again

There is still no word on when AMD's Ryzen 4000-series (codename Renoir) desktop APUs will launch, but the Ryzen 7 Pro 4750G is here to delight us in the meanwhile. Someone has put the octa-core APU through its paces (via @TUM_APISAK) on Geekbench 5.

By now, it shouldn't be any surprise that Renoir will come wielding the Zen 2 microarchitecture. The 7nm APUs will retain the Vega iGPU, but Zen 2 alone is enough to put AMD's APUs on the radar again. While the previous generation of APUs maxed out at four cores, Renoir is pushing the limit to eight cores, and that's with simultaneous m ...

The Lenovo Legion will have the most powerful speakers put on a phone, says new teaser

The Pro model of the Lenovo Legion will have the most impressive audio system of any phone so far, says General Manager Chen Jin. He specifically called out the Xiaomi's Mi 10 Pro and Black Shark 3 Pro, saying that the Legion's speakers will have a nice symmetrical layout and will be tuned better.

The Legion will feature two forward-firing speakers with large cavities – 1.4 cc – and will have an all-metal construction. Check out the teaser video below for a demonstration of their power.

The two speakers will be able to produce spatial sound, which is vital in games as the di ...

Coronavirus: TikTok deletes 29,000 rule-breaking videos

TikTok says it has deleted about 29,000 coronavirus-related videos that broke its rules in Europe alone since the beginning of 2020.

The video-sharing app says it does not allow misinformation that could harm an individual's health or public safety.

It said about 3,000 of them contained medical misinformation and described the numbers as "low-level".

The number of coronavirus-themed videos breaking the rules has fallen every month, since a peak in March, it said.

On 9 July, the business published its latest transparency report, in which it said 49 m ...

Samsung DeX wireless mode might be coming with the Galaxy Note 20

Samsung DeX might finally be getting a wireless mode soon. The company has been quiet about the potential changes it might have in store for DeX by the end of the year, but new evidence found by XDA-Developers indicates that Samsung hasn’t given up on the idea of a wireless mode for its desktop environment. On the contrary, the company appears be working on this feature as we speak, and with a bit of luck, it might debut on the Galaxy Note 20 series.

New evidence of a wireless mode for DeX can be found in the Samsung Tips app under the section named Become a power user. As you can s ...

Mobvoi launches first noise-cancelling headphones to rival the Sony WH-1000XM3

Mobvoi has announced its first-ever pair of over-ear headphones, the TicKasa ANC, which come with active noise cancellation and support for Hi-Res Audio.

The company, which is best known for its TicWatch smartwatches, has previously released true wireless earbuds like the TicPods ANC and the TicPods Pro, but this is the first time that it's branched out into over-ear cans. 

According to Mobvoi, the new headphones come with "five built-in microphones and dual-microphone noise isolation" which allows the TicKasa ANC to "easily detect environmental noise, using A ...

This tiny PC packs an unbelievable amount of power thanks to an AMD Ryzen 4000 CPU

Asus recently revealed its PN50 mini PC, and now the manufacturer has spilled some more details for the UK market on the supremely compact computer (which is just a 115mm square, and 49mm thick).

Asus notes that the PN50 will be capable of driving an 8K display (at 60Hz), or you could hook up four 4K monitors (at the same refresh rate). The manufacturer further boasted that the device offers around 35% more performance over similar current-gen Asus mini PC models (this is in Cinebench R20 testing, by the way).

In the UK, there will be four different models, with the top of t ...

Ultra-cheap Windows Home 10 hybrid PC gets faster with new CPU

Kano has unveiled its second-generation Windows 10-based hybrid PC designed with education in mind. 

The new system is powered by Intel’s Celeron N4000 SoC, promising better performance than the previously used SoC, and continues to be shipped with custom educational tools. 

Ever since the inception of the OLPC project more than a decade ago, the vast majority of inexpensive PCs for education have run Linux and its derivatives, which to a large degree limited their popularity in developed countries. Kano, a maker of PCs for education, understood such limitations at some poin ...

Apple releasing iOS 13.6 today with Apple News+ Audio, Car Key feature, more

Apple is making iOS 13.6 available to all users today. The update brings new features like improved support for downloading and installing system updates, the all-new Apple News+ Audio content, as well as the exciting Car Key feature.

We’ve seen a number of new features/changes over the last few months with iOS 13. Apple launched support for Exposure Notifications (contact tracing) in iOS 13.5 while 13.5.1 brought a patch for the vulnerability that the unc0ver jailbreak took advantage of.

After that, we got the iOS 13.5.5 beta (renamed to iOS 13.6) that brought along a peek ...

Galaxy Z Fold 2 launch date LEAKED and it's sooner than we thought

The Galaxy Z Fold 2 is Samsung's third foldable smartphone, with the Galaxy Z Flip bridging the gap between it and the company's first attempt with last year's Galaxy Fold that had some serious issues before a revised launch a few months later. 

All the wrinkles should be ironed out this time around, and fans are excited to see the Fold 2 at Unpacked on August 5, but there were reports that the handset would be a no-show at the event and had been delayed until 'at least October' but it seems that plans have changed, now that a revised release date has slipped out.

According ...

Huawei: Time to ditch UK's laissez-faire policy to tech takeovers?

For Britain's telecoms industry, at least, there is now some clarity. The future of our networks will have to be built without Huawei, even if that sets our 5G rollout back a few years.

The question is how did we get here? Why did we become so reliant on a high-risk vendor and what does that imply for the way we manage homegrown technology companies in the future?

The former director of GCHQ, which has been charged with oversight of Huawei's equipment for some years, has a theory about this.

Robert Hannigan told Radio 4's Today programme there had been a failure of i ...

Acer's New Predator Triton 500 Is a Good Gaming Laptop That Costs Too Damn Much

Owning a gaming laptop is super convenient, even if you don’t need one for travel. It saves space on your desk, and you don’t have to worry about messing around with monitor placement or figuring out the best place to put your desktop tower to show off all that RGB lighting while also having enough cord length for all your peripherals. (Take it from me: Corner desks are not always the best choice for desktop PCs.) But all that convenience usually means a high price tag, and depending on the specs, some gaming laptops are either bulky, get really hot, or both. Aside from specs, aesthetics an ...

Windows 10 Version 20H2 Inches Towards Completion

Yes, I know it seems early, but today’s release of a cumulative update for Windows 10 version 20H2 indicates that this release is nearly complete.

Windows 10 version 20H2 is currently testing in the Windows Insider Beta channel, or what used to be called the Slow ring. Today, Microsoft released build 19042.388 (KB4565503) to testers, describing it as a cumulative update that only includes quality improvements.

Those improvements include:

A fix for an issue that might prevent users from using PowerShell to change the system locale on Server Core platforms.

A f ...

OnePlus Nord REVEALED in exclusive video

OnePlus has really been on the ball with the launch of the OnePlus Nord, playing to its strengths and engaging the community to build up hype before the big reveal next week which is an occasion in itself, offering fans a world first with an AR event. 

There's a mini docuseries that's been giving us a look behind the scenes, and the company has continued its trend of dropping hints and clues on its social media accounts - as it did with the OnePlus Buds which will be debuting alongside the Nord next week. It even opened up limited pre-orders before anyone had laid eyes on it, but no ...

Will you buy the Galaxy Note 20 if it sports the Exynos 990 processor?

The closer we get to the official launch of the Galaxy Note 20 series, the less likely does it seem Samsung will manage to address all major complaints consumers voiced over its previous flagship, the Galaxy S20 family. In case you haven’t heard the latest, we’re now getting conflicting information on whether the company will even attempt to fix the Exynos 990, one of the most disappointing chips it ever delivered, especially as part of a $1,000 smartphone.

It goes without saying that at this point, the only way Samsung can “fix” the Exynos 990 is by axing the entire thing and that ...

Razer gets its first 60 percent keyboard, the Huntsman Mini

Why it matters: There are plenty advantages to going with a smaller keyboard layout. Some prefer the minimalist look afforded by such a compact design while others are genuinely short on physical space and simply don’t have room for a full-sized board. Still others enjoy the portability and additional room for a mouse that a 60 percent board affords.

Razer is going all-in on the miniature movement. After announcing a smaller version of its DeathAdder V2 mouse last week, the gaming accessory maker on Tuesday unveiled the Huntsman Mini ultra-compact form factor keyboard.

The l ...

AMD's Xeon W-Killing 64-Core Threadripper Pro Lands in Lenovo ThinkStation P620

AMD's new Threadripper Pro processors include four new chips that span from 12 cores up to 64 and support up to eight channels of DDR4-3200 memory and 128 PCIe 4.0 lanes on all models, creating what AMD bills as the ultimate processor for professional workloads with up to more than twice the number of cores as Intel's competing workstation processors.

The Threadripper Pro chips debut exclusively in new Lenovo ThinkStation P620 workstations, which are custom-built to support the new chips with a specialized chassis and cooling system, but AMD says the Threadripper Pro chips will beco ...

Huawei: What does the ban mean for you?

The UK's decision to ban Huawei's 5G kits from use in mobile networks and to also stop using its equipment in full-fibre broadband networks is not without consequence for the country's internet users.

As the Digital Minister Oliver Dowden acknowledged, the decisions will have "consequences for every constituency in the country".

The Chinese firm itself has claimed customers will face bigger bills as a consequence of the billions of pounds that will be spent ripping out its kit and moving to other suppliers.

And there could be further consequences for the wi ...

Huawei: BT says 'impossible' to remove all firm's kit in under 10 years

BT's chief has said it would be "impossible" to remove Huawei from the whole of the UK's telecoms infrastructure before 2030.

The government is expected to say that no new 5G equipment from the Chinese firm can be installed after 2021, and that all its existing 5G kit must be removed later - possibly by 2025.

But it is unclear if similar deadlines will also be given for Huawei's other mobile and broadband gear.

A statement will be made on Tuesday.

"If you were to try and not have Huawei at all [in 5G] ideally we'd want seven years and we could ...

Labour joins Facebook advert boycott over 'hateful material'

Labour is joining the advertising boycott of Facebook "in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement", one of the party's senior MPs has said.

Shadow minister Rachel Reeves told the BBC the party wanted "to express our concern about the failure of Facebook to take down some hateful material".

Companies including consumer goods firm Unilever have also joined the campaign.

Facebook has said harmful posts would be removed but some could stay if they have news value.

Facebook to tag ‘harmful’ posts as boycott widens
Parties splurge ...

Huawei: Why the UK might hang up on 5G and broadband kit supplier

These are tense times for Huawei and the UK's telecoms providers.

The prime minister will shortly review use of the Chinese company's equipment, with MPs set to be informed of his decision on Tuesday.

It seems likely that Boris Johnson will set a deadline by which time the firm should stop being involved in the country's 5G network. But what's unclear is whether he'll also order it to be stripped out of other mobile and fixed-line broadband systems too.

The decision will not only have an impact on the rollout of high-speed data services but could also encourage other ...

Colorful Announces Two sub-$130 micro-ATX B550 Motherboards

With AMD's B550 models now on the shelves, a lot of focus around its launch was based on pricing - or rather the lack of very low-cost entry-level models.

The motherboard manufacturer Colorful has today unveiled two new micro-ATX sized B550 motherboards: the CVN B550M Gaming Frozen V14 and B550M Gaming Pro V14 models. Some of the primary features include a Realtek ALC892 HD audio codec, two PCIe M.2 slots with one Gen4 and one Gen3 slot, as well as a Realtek Gigabit Ethernet controller.

The most striking of the new pair from Colorful is the CVN B550M Gaming Frozen V14 model. ...

First impressions: Dell XPS 17 (9700) is simply magnificent

Dell has been doing some remarkably exciting things lately in the laptop space that are hard to ignore. Its XPS revamp, which started in late 2019, has culminated now in the recently reviewed XPS 15 (now in arctic white) and the new 17-inch XPS 17 (9700), with the latter, just arriving on our doorstep.

The XPS 17 (9700) is arguably more interesting than the XPS 15. While the XPS 15 is now like a 14-inch laptop in size, the XPS 17 is closer to what a 15-inch workstation was like in 2019.

While it is undoubtedly bigger, the XPS 17 also has a new vapor chamber thermal solution, ...

At 1TB, this is the cheapest large capacity USB drive right now

Patriot does a lot of things for tech fans; solid state drives, gaming keyboards, gaming mice, headsets as well as RGB memory modules. It's a popular brand and one that has been well received by reviewers (including us) for more than a decade. 

However, unbeknown to many is that they have a USB flash drive brand (AKA thumb drives) that is nothing short of exceptional for two reasons.

First, its flagship model, the 1TB Supersonic Rage Elite (PEF1TBSRE3USB) is one of the cheapest 1TB USB flash drives on the market. At the time of writing, it was the most affordable one, costin ...

These Are the Best Games You Can Play on a Chromebook

Android apps are now a fixture on Chrome OS and Chromebooks, but they don’t all run as smoothly as you might hope – and that includes games. If you’re looking for gaming experiences that work well on a bigger screen, run without a hitch, and even offer keyboard and trackpad support (in some cases), then these are the best games we’ve found for playing on a Chromebook.

1. Game Dev Tycoon (£5)

Play a game about developing games – why not? Game Dev Tycoon takes the tried and trusted tycoon sim format and applies it to the scenario of an up-and-coming software studio. Your job i ...

TikTok deleted 49 million 'rule-breaking' videos

TikTok says it deleted more than 49 million videos which broke its rules, between July and December 2019.

About a quarter of those videos were deleted for containing adult nudity or sexual activity, the business said, in its latest transparency report.

The video-sharing app also revealed it had received about 500 requests for data from governments and police, and had complied with about 480 of them.

The US has suggested it is "looking at" whether to ban the Chinese-owned app.

On Monday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggested that downloading Ti ...

Coronavirus: Ireland's Covid Tracker app is out - where's England's?

This morning I installed Ireland's just-released contact-tracing app on my phone, where it joined Germany's Corona Warn-App, which was released three weeks ago.

Gibraltar recently released its Beat Covid Gibraltar app, based on the Irish code.

The Republic's Covid Tracker software is also the foundation of an app Northern Ireland is promising to release within weeks. And now there's a hint Wales could go the same way.

"We remain in discussion about a range of options to achieve a working app, including development in Northern Ireland," a Welsh Government sp ...

Huawei: UK government weighs up ban of Chinese firm's telecoms kit

The government has received a report into Huawei that is likely to change its policy over the Chinese firm's role in the UK's telecoms networks.

Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden said GCHQ's National Cyber Security Centre had delivered its findings.

NCSC is believed to have said it can no longer assure the security of Huawei's products because of new US sanctions.

"We're now examining it and understanding the implications of it," Mr Dowden told BBC Radio 4's Today.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has yet to deliver its conclusions ...

Razer's First Non-Gaming Headphones Give You a Sony-Like Experience For Less

Countless companies have tried to dethrone Sony from its noise-cancelling headphone throne, but none have succeeded. Now Razer is taking a different approach with its first pair of headphones designed for a wider consumer audience – not just gamers – by paying homage to the Queen with a look that emulates Sony’s excellent and much-loved WH-1000XM3s. You can definitely hear the difference between the two, but with a price tag that’s £130 cheaper than Sony’s, the Razer Opus is a compelling alternative.

Aside from the midnight blue finish (which is the only colour option currently avai ...

Reckful: Twitch and gamers pay tribute after star's death

Tributes have been paid to video games streamer Byron Bernstein, known as Reckful, who died on Thursday.

Mr Bernstein was a well-known and loved e-sports player and had 960,000 followers on streaming site Twitch.

His brother Gary Bernstein confirmed that Reckful had taken his own life, aged 31.

Twitch said Reckful was a "streaming pioneer" and that it was "devastated" to hear of his death.

Mr Bernstein had built his following in part by playing World Of Warcraft.

When his death was reported on Thursday evening, fans held virtual me ...

George Floyd: Twitter drops 'master', 'slave' and 'blacklist'

Social media platform Twitter is dropping the terms "master", "slave" and "blacklist" in favour of more inclusive language.

The terms are frequently used in programming codes which originated decades ago.

US bank JPMorgan has also announced a similar move as more companies address racism following the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis.

Replacing the terms could cost millions and take months, according to experts.

Quaker Oats acknowledges 'racial stereotype'
Microsoft's GitHub drops master-slave jargon
...

Dell XPS 17 (9700) Review: Big-Screen Machine

Dell’s XPS lineup has long included some of the best ultrabooks and premium laptops, but it’s been over a decade since we saw a 17-inch version. The XPS 17 (9700) is a triumphant return after a decade away, with a gorgeous display that almost floats in air on thin bezels, as well as solid CPU performance and the option for a gaming-grade GPU. If you were waiting for a bigger screen with this design, you’re finally getting one (and getting the performance to match).

Design of Dell XPS 17 (9700)

Dell has followed in Apple’s footsteps with the XPS lineup, making each laptop loo ...

LG's rollable smartphone to arrive early next year with a BOE screen

While it's having none of that foldable action, at least so far, LG is apparently working on a rollable smartphone, that was pictured in 3D renders in August last year. Those renders are based on a patent LG filed for, and sometimes with patents nothing actually comes out of them in the form of a real product.

This time things seem to be different. According to a report from LG's home of Korea, the company will launch the rollable smartphone currently codenamed Project B at some point in early 2021.

Interestingly enough, the display panel will be provided by BOE, and not LG ...

Motorola Moto G Pro in for review

Say hello to the Motorola Moto G Pro - the Europe-bound counterpart to the US Moto G Stylus. The pair is basically indistinguishable, specs-wise.

So let's see what's in the box. Motorola has provided all you need to get started - an 18W charger, a USB-C cable and a complimentary silicone case.

Unlike the Moto G Stylus, the G Pro's name doesn't tease the built-in accessory, but it's there - tucked into the right bottom corner of the phone. You need to pry it out with a fingernail - there's no push-to-pull-out mechanism like on the Galaxy Note10 series. Unlike the Note10's S P ...

WhatsApp set to relaunch controversial feature after unexpected ban

WhatsApp could finally be given the green light to restore one of its most anticipated new features – after it was unceremoniously ditched last month. Last month, the Facebook-owned chat app kickstarted the rollout of its WhatsApp Payments feature after years of development.

As the name suggests, the new functionality is designed to allow WhatsApp users to send money to friends and small businesses wirelessly within the app. Following extensive testing in India, WhatsApp launched the Payments feature in Brazil - its second largest market - last month.

Days after the launch, ...

Google's Fitbit takeover probed by EU regulators

The EU is questioning whether Google's proposed takeover of Fitbit will harm competition, or give it access to too much personal data.

Fitbit makes fitness-tracking watches that monitor the wearer's heart rate and activity levels.

A group of 20 consumer groups and privacy advocates have called for Google's takeover to be blocked.

Google said it would not use Fitbit data to target advertising and would be "transparent" about the data gathered.

It announced it was buying loss-making Fitbit for $2.1bn (£1.68bn) in November 2019.

The move would ...

Best Intel Z490 motherboards

The best Intel Z490 motherboard is a must If you’ve made the decision to jump onto the Intel 10th Gen Comet Lake train and want to get the most out of your new CPU. Intel’s Z490 boards are equipped with the new LGA 1200 socket, and even the more affordable B460 options feature improved connectivity, networking, power delivery components and (take this with a grain of salt) future 11th Gen Rocket Lake compatibility.

So while you need a whole new motherboard platform for Intel’s new chips, there’s a strong chance it will last for a few CPU generations to come. ...

Gigabyte's Aorus Liquid Coolers Tame Intel Core i9-10900K at 5.2 GHz Without a Sweat

Overclocking the Core i9-10900K and keeping the processor's operating temperature under check could prove to be a difficult task. Have no fear, though, as Gigabyte thinks that the brand's lineup of Aorus liquid coolers can get the job done.

Gigabyte demostrated the Aorus liquid cooler's prowess by submitting an overclocked Core i9-10900K for some Prime95 beating for over 30 minutes. The manufacturer overclocked the Core i9-10900K to 5.2 GHz on all ten cores. CPU-Z and HWiNFO64 reported voltages of 1.392V and 1.423V, respectively. During the stress test, the processor pulled over 320 ...

Google discontinues the Pixel 3A and 3A XL

Google has discontinued its mid-range Pixel 3A and 3A XL smartphones, the company announced today . “Google Store has sold through its inventory and completed sales of Pixel 3A,” Google said in a statement to The Verge. “For people who are still interested in buying Pixel 3A, the product is available from some partners while supplies last.”

That might be disappointing to hear for people who were on the market for a more affordable Google-made phone. In his review last year, my colleague Dieter Bohn found the 3A had an excellent camera, especially for its low price.

The 3A is ...

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra official render leaks from Samsung website

An official render of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has just been leaked...by Samsung itself. And it looks a lot like previous renders of the upcoming top-tier flagship phone.

Leaker Max Weinbach was seemingly the first to reveal a pair of images, noting he’d found them on a Russian Samsung website. Other leakers quickly spread the word, with Ben Geskin even tweeting a link – which was