Google has begun ditching its Google+ social networking integration from the Play Store, as it continues to make the service far less ubiquitous. While there was once a section about people you knew and what they thought of various apps, and you needed a G+ account to leave reviews, none …
Read More »Chatbot lawyer could help homeless next
The Do Not Pay bot is being reconfigured and reborn as a new friend of the homeless. The legal aide could help those currently without a home apply for emergency accommodation with their local council and may even put them in touch with relevant charities in the future. Do Not Pay …
Read More »Microsoft just acquired a live streaming service of its own
Live streaming is a huge part of gaming these days, which became even clearer when the Xbox One launched with Twitch streaming functionality built-in. However, it looks like Microsoft wants to get into the live streaming business itself as it just acquired Beam, an ‘interactive' live streaming service, which gives …
Read More »Three expands free data roaming to 24 more countries
Three has announced that it will be expanding its ‘Feel at Home' data roaming service to another 24 countries this year. The service essentially gives customers free data roaming abroad, avoiding those nasty charges, which will be completely scrapped across the EU in 2017. Three will begin allowing customers to …
Read More »Pirates beware! KAT scammers are inbound
Popular websites are like the mythical hydra: cut off their head and two more appear in their place. When it comes to torrent sites though, they're like some kind of super hydra, as when they disappear, tens crawl out of the woodwork to replace them. In the case of Kickass Torrents, …
Read More »Slow-motion footage of Space X rocket launches are mesmerising
One of the coolest things about rockets, is that they go unbelievably fast – relatively speaking. But that makes actually seeing everything they do rather difficult, especially when you factor in all of that light and exhaust. Fortunately Space X has some ultra-slow motion footage to give us a better …
Read More »Facebook will bypass desktop ad blockers, but new opt-outs emerge
As one of the internet's biggest sellers of online adverts, Facebook has shown real concern at the rise of ad blocker software, so much so that it's found a way around them. It's not paying to be on a white list either, but has promised that affected users will have …
Read More »Verizon might be getting into the fleet tracking game
In a continued blurring of the boundaries between technology firms and automotive companies, Verizon may be looking to dip its toes into the fleet tracking market. It recently purchased a vehicle tracking firm which focuses on the Internet of Things to find out where they are and is now said to be considering …
Read More »Intel reportedly buys deep learning startup for $350 million
It looks like Intel is making moves to increase its efforts in the AI space as the chip making giant has reportedly just penned a $350 million acquisition deal for Nervana Systems, a startup company specialising in deep learning. The acquisition was announced today and while Intel itself didn't confirm the $350 million …
Read More »Hacked Bitcoin exchange will distribute losses evenly across users
Earlier this month, we learned that Bitfinex had been hacked, with $70 million worth of currency lifted from the Bitcoin exchange overnight and causing Bitcoin value to drop. Bitfinex has remained closed for the time being while a plan is put in to place and now, the exchange has confirmed …
Read More »BBC claims new TV license detectors won’t snoop on WiFi networks
From September 1st, anyone who watches the BBC iPlayer needs to pay the £150 annual TV license fee, whether they own a TV or not. Since this news hit, there have been claims The BBC will begin using WiFi packet sniffers to detect who is streaming without a license. Needless …
Read More »KickAssTorrents alleged founder ‘not responsible’ claims lawyer
The legal team representing alleged KickAssTorrents founder, Artem Vaulin, headed up by Kim Dotcom's lawyer, Ira Rothken, has submitted its defence of the man in court and it's an oldie, but a goody. It claims that Vaulin cannot be held responsible for any illegal actions undertaken by the site's users, …
Read More »Amazon facing anti-trust investigation in Japan
It's probably no surprise to most of you, but Amazon isn't always seen as the most morally upright of companies. It might have helped its founder Jeff Bezos become the third richest man in the world, but not everyone thinks it did so cleanly. In Japan, the Amazon offices have …
Read More »Would you pay to see a Tomb Raider concert?
This October marks 20 years since Lara Croft's polygonal form first graced our screens, so understandably there are a few celebrations planned. One of the less expected ones though, is a concert at the Hammersmith Apollo, which will take place in December, featuring the full Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. Headed by famed conductor, Robert …
Read More »Valve doubling down on office space in big move
Valve's inner workings always feel a little shady. It works on secretive projects we don't hear about for years at a time, has a strange, horizontal team structure – it's hard to figure out how it all works. We do know one thing though, and that's that it's run out …
Read More »Megaupload revival will link file transfers with bitcoin transactions
Kim Dotcom has been making headlines again recently following on from the announcement that he is reviving Megaupload, with a launch date set for January 2017. Since then, he has revealed a little more information on how the new Megaupload will work and as it turns out, every file transfer …
Read More »Tesla Model 3 could have its own self-driving AI
Although the Tesla Model 3 has a lot going for it in terms of pricing, fuel economy and clever engineering, one area where it may really stand out is its ability to operate autonomously. While expected to have some form of Tesla Autopilot, it may be that by the time …
Read More »You no longer have to be a developer to buy the Hololens
Earlier this year, Microsoft officially began selling its first Hololens devkit, though there were some hoops to jump through before purchasing one. For a start, you had to be a developer and you had to register for approval with Microsoft. Oh, and you also had to have $3000 handy. Now, …
Read More »Too legit to quit: CS GO betting site seeks gambling license
One of the world's largest Counter Strike: Global Offensive betting sites, CSGO Lounge, has announced that it is applying for an official gambling license, in order to legitimise itself. This comes after it received a cease and desist letter from Valve, as well as a lot of negative attention from …
Read More »Washington state suing Comcast for $100 million over near-worthless service
Comcast has found itself on the wrong end of a $100 million lawsuit, with the state of Washington suing the provider, claiming that it illegally deceived customers with a ‘near-worthless protection plan’ and received $73 million over five years for it. According to the lawsuit, Comcast failed to disclose the …
Read More »BBC iPlayer will require a TV license from next month
For years, plenty of cord cutters have managed to avoid paying for the UK’s antiquated TV license by using on-demand services like BBC iPlayer instead of watching live. However, it looks like the rules are set to change soon as from the 1st of September, BBC iPlayer watchers will apparently …
Read More »Tesla swallows up SolarCity, shares tank, but long-term looks good
SolarCity, one of the U.S.' largest solar panel providers, has accepted a bid from Tesla Motors to merge the two entities together. Both were founded by Paypal billionaire Elon Musk, so this might not seem like a big move, especially considering the crashing share prices, but in the long term …
Read More »Warner Bros sets sights on Reddit with new Google DMCA requests
Google gets millions of DMCA takedown requests per day for search results but once in a while, we come across specific requests that really stand out. This seems to be the case this week as it looks like Warner Bros latest batch of link removal requests contained a link to …
Read More »Getty Images isn’t backing down from photographer lawsuit
Getty Images might be facing a potentially $1 billion lawsuit after it allegedly breached a photographer's copyright, but it won't be rolling over any time soon. It's now warned that if the dispute cannot be settled, it will hit back hard. With a worth in the low billions, it has …
Read More »Microsoft is cutting more jobs, close to 3000 people affected
Ever since acquiring Nokia, Microsoft has been routinely cutting down on its workforce. First the company planned to cut 18,000 jobs by the end of March 2015, then shortly after that a further 7,800 job cuts were announced. In May of this year another batch of 1,850 jobs were cut …
Read More »Gary Johnson would consider pardoning Snowden, Ulbricht, Manning
Although the U.S. has a more entrenched two party system than even the UK, it does have other parties, they just don't have much of a voice. This general election cycle however has seen the Libertarian party gain quite a lot of traction and its head, Gary Johnson, has said …
Read More »Space X completes first successful test of landed booster rocket
After a troubled 2015, Space X has been landing first stage boosters from its Falcon 9 rocket all year. But the only way these recycled boosters can save the company money is if they can actually be re-used. On the road to that first re-usable rocket system, Space X has …
Read More »Alleged KickAssTorrent founder hires Kim Dotcom’s lawyer
If there is one big advantage to taking on a famous and inflammatory client, it's that if you do a good job, people will hear about it. That's what seems to have happened with Kim Dotcom's lawyer, Ira Rothken, who has now been hired by the man accused of founding …
Read More »Amazon boss is now world’s third richest man
Elon Musk and Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, may like to spar over Twitter in only the way fellow billionaires can, but financially they aren't in the same ballpark. While Musk may have a personal fortune around $12 (£9) billion, Bezos' stockpile of Amazon shares has now made him the third …
Read More »LG wants bendable smartphone displays to be the future
It looks like bendable smartphone displays might be the future as not only is Samsung working on the technology, but LG has also stepped into the ring, with a massive £1.3 billion investment, hinting that we may see a big push for bendable smartphone displays over the next few years. …
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