The place to talk about games and other things that matterIt’s Friday! Continue reading...

The first of a 16-part series called Unbound, with music from Blackstar and starring Tavi Gevinson and Patricia Clarkson, has been posted to InstagramRelated: David Bowie's Blackstar to be turned into Instagram miniseriesThe first vignette from Instagram’s new miniseries Unbound, featuring music from David Bowie’s final album Blackstar, is as enigmatic as you’d expect from such a project. Before his death the British singer provided film-makers with unmediated access to the music and images from the album, with “no limits or preconditions”.

The company is investigating why staff are still ‘maliciously’ writing ‘all lives matter’ on campus walls, despite pleas from Zuckerberg himselfFacebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has reprimanded employees following several incidents in which the slogan “black lives matter” was crossed out and replaced with “all lives matter” on the walls of the company’s Menlo Park headquarters.“‘Black lives matter’ doesn’t mean other lives don’t – it’s simply asking that the black community also achieves the justice they deserve,” Zuckerberg wrote in an internal Facebook post obtained by Gizmodo.

FBI’s ‘unprecedented’ request violates free speech law, Apple argues in first legal response to order that it must provide access to San Bernardino shooter’s phoneApple’s lawyers believe forcing America’s largest company to help the government crack open one of its iPhones would violate the US constitution and be a misinterpretation of a 227-year-old law. Continue reading...

Lawmakers will have first chance to question an Apple representative about the company’s escalating battle with the FBI over unlocking San Bernardino iPhoneApple’s top lawyer will testify before a congressional panel next week about the company’s escalating battle with the FBI over smartphone privacy, Washington sources have confirmed.Related: Inside the FBI's encryption battle with Apple Continue reading...

Andy Burnham says Conservative claims to have presided over a fall in crime while cutting police budgets would be proved falseCrime figures for England and Wales will double once cyber offences are included in official statistics, the shadow home secretary has said, launching Labour’s police and crime commissioner campaign ahead of May’s elections.Speaking at a launch event alongside Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in Birmingham, Andy Burnham said that Conservative claims to have presided over a fall in crime while cutting police budgets would be proved false once cyber crime was routinely included in Office for National Statistics crime figures from July.

Publishers with more than 10m blocked ads have to pay 30% of the revenue from previously blocked ads to make it on to whitelistAdblock Plus creator Eyeo has revealed crucial details behind the operation of the company’s controversial “acceptable ads” programme, which allows some advertisements through its adblocking software, often in exchange for a cut of the revenue received from the ads.In a blogpost, the company explained how it decides which publishers are asked to pay a fee to let their adverts through, and gave a partial explanation as to how that fee is calculated. Adblock Plus is the most popular desktop adblocking software, and its database is also used for many popular mobile adblocking apps (such as the iOS and Android app Crystal), which also integrate the acceptable ads program. Continue reading...

In an exclusive interview with ABC News, the Apple CEO defended his company’s decision to resist the FBI’s demand for help cracking an encrypted iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters. Cook said Apple would do everything it could to protect the the US against terrorism, but not at the cost of the privacy of millions of people Continue reading...

Jason Mander assesses iPhone fatigue and slowing growth in the face of stiff competition from SamsungAs Samsung celebrates its first registered profit in years during the third quarter of 2015 and shows off new devices along with LG and others at the Mobile World Congress (MWC), Apple is having a nervous start to the new year. Yes, it posted record quarterly revenues of $75.9bn and record quarterly profits of $18.4bn, but glance behind the titanium curtain at Apple and a core problem is materialising.That problem is the iPhone, a device that still accounts for around two-thirds of Apple’s revenue. With smartphone penetration slowing considerably in western markets and an economic softness in China sparking concern that Apple will no longer see the profits and prospects of old, speculation has been rife that the firm will try and combat global economic pressure by launching a cheap device with a smaller screen before unveiling the iPhone 7. Continue reading...

Release your inner Ranieri with these strategy sims that get you handling tactics, transfers and training from your smartphone or tabletIf you think Guardiola, Wenger and Ranieri are the cream of the football-management crop, you should have seen me take Bishop’s Stortford from non-league obscurity to Champions League glory in less than a decade.Admittedly, this was in the last version of Football Manager on my computer, but my translatable skills for real-world management are surely clear. Old Trafford, I’m waiting for your call … Continue reading...

More than 33 million people in the UK are expected to log in regularly to the social network this year, with more than half of mobile users accessing the site

Sharon has upgraded to Windows 10 and now she can’t play DVDs. What’s the solution?What do I need to do to watch a DVD in Windows 10? It was disabled when I upgraded from Windows 7. Sharon

Anyone who takes intimate images without consent, or shares them or publishes them online, could be prosecuted if the recommendations are adoptedA Senate committee recommends the government criminalise the unauthorised sharing of intimate photos, an increasingly common practice known as revenge porn.Anyone who takes intimate images without consent, and anyone who shares them or publishes them online, could be prosecuted if the report’s recommendations are adopted. Continue reading...

Laptop first, tablet second, this is the best combination of a 2-in-1 machine with all the power of a full PC squeezed into 7.7mm of tabletThe Surface Book is the first of a new line of laptops from Microsoft with a twist, the screen comes off.

The Brit awards were, as ever, a mishmash of style hits and misses – for every Vivienne Westwood dress there was a James Bay hat

Finance ministry source says France is demanding money from the US internet giant, which has come under scrutiny for alleged tax avoidance practicesFrance is seeking €1.6bn ($1.76bn) in back taxes from US internet giant Google, criticised for its use of aggressive tax optimisation techniques, a source at the finance ministry says.“As far as our country is concerned, back taxes concerning this company amount to €1.6bn,” the official, who declined to be named, said on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Marc Zwillinger used to be a prosecutor for the DoJ – but now he is a go-to tech lawyer for Silicon Valley companies fighting against government surveillanceRelated: Apple v the FBI: what's the beef, how did we get here and what's at stake?In a previous incarnation, Marc Zwillinger – the man behind Apple’s legal strategy for taking on the US government – used to order up wiretaps for the Department of Justice. Continue reading...

Boston Dynamics tests its newest version of its Atlas robot design. The latest generation is smaller than its predecessor, and able to run without wires entirely. The footage shows the robot enduring ‘robot torture’, being prodded with a hockey stick before eventually being forcefully shoved over entirely with a tube. But when it’s down, Atlas isn’t out, and the robot manages to quickly get up on two legs

‘Escape the room’ events are cropping up in cities all over the world, offering players their own Crystal Maze experience. What could be more romantic?“Planning a date?” tweeted my friend and game designer Mink Ette in January. “What better way to find out if you’re soul mates than being trapped in a room for 60 minutes under extreme pressure?”Mink was workshopping marketing lines for her and co-creator David Aldhouse’s new live-action room-escape game Enter the Oubliette, a dystopian-themed puzzle-solving group experience, based in a converted office building in Brixton. But to me, this sounded like an efficient way to mix business and pleasure. I needed a venue for a looming first date, I knew the guy played video games, and I figured that, whatever happens, I may at least get an article out of it. Clearly, I’m a born romantic. Continue reading...

Defendants stand accused of leaking contact information of 541 police officers, along with hacking and blocking government websites in 2012Three French members of the hacking collective Anonymous have gone on trial for accessing a police union website, collecting contact information for hundreds of police officers and disclosing the details online in 2012.A prosecutor asked a Paris court to hand the three men, aged 22 to 27, a one-year suspended sentence and a 5,000 euro fine each, a lawyer for the police officers, Daniel Merchat, told Associated Press. Continue reading...

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Tuesday he is sympathetic towards Apple in their fight with the FBI. Zuckerberg made his comments during a keynote speech at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Zuckerberg acknowledged the importance of working with government agencies to protect the country against terrorism threats, but said a ‘back door’ into encryption technologies was not the way Continue reading...

Publisher of Sports Illustrated and People could opt for tax-free deal that would not include CEO Marissa Mayer, according to reportTime Inc, the publisher of Sports Illustrated, People and Time magazine, is considering a deal to buy the core business of Yahoo Inc, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.Time has heard a presentation from Citigroup bankers on pursuing a deal with Yahoo, the Bloomberg report said, adding that Citigroup had not been retained by Time. Continue reading...

Smartphone manufacturer’s latest quick-charge technology promises safe, fast and low-temperature charging of full-size smartphone batteriesChinese smartphone manufacturer Oppo has announced that its latest technology, due to hit handsets this year, will fully charge a phone in 15 minutes.

In a battle with the FBI over demand that Apple help unlock an iPhone used by San Bernardino shooter, government insists Apple has cooperated in the pastApple’s history of working with law enforcement agencies has never included a demand for the kind of access the Department of Justice (DoJ) is seeking now, according to a person familiar with the company’s actions and a review by the Guardian.The company is in a very public battle with the FBI over its demand that Apple help it unlock an iPhone used by one of the shooters in the San Bernardino attack last year.

One day all human interaction will go through the social network – until then, here’s another way to spam your loved ones with greetings

Tavi Gevinson and Patricia Clarkson will star in the social network’s 16-part series, Unbound, created after music was given ‘with no limits or preconditions’ from BowieAlways the innovator, even after death, David Bowie’s final album, Blackstar, is set to be turned into an Instagram miniseries that begins this week.Entitled Unbound, the “InstaMiniSeries” consists of 16episodes that provide “visual interpretations” of the album. It will star Rookie Magazine founder Tavi Gevinson and Six Feet Under’s Patricia Clarkson. Continue reading...

Apple’s stand against the American government takes an important principle a step too farApple has very publicly refused to help the FBI gain access to the contents of an iPhone used by Syed Rizwan Farook, who shot 14 people in California in December last year. It is supported in this by most of the other large technology companies, among them Google and Microsoft. This refusal is at first sight completely baffling, even by the standards of Silicon Valley technolibertarianism. This newspaper is opposed to bulk surveillance, and to the operation of intelligence agencies outside the law, but no surveillance could be more tightly targeted than what the FBI is asking for here and the agency has been granted a court order in complete openness. There are very significant differences between what is happening here and the workings of secretive courts which judge requests for surveillance without any real public oversight. It is of course true that security services and still more their nervous political masters will always demand maximal powers and exploit those they have right up to the edge of the law and sometimes over it. But so will large transnational corporations. There’s no reason to regard one as automatically morally superior to the other. Both must be controlled through democratically ratified laws and courts.Apple claims that the order amounts to a demand to weaken the secrecy of all iPhones and thus “threaten the security of our customers”. The demand to examine this one phone, however reasonable in itself, is seen as the thin end of a very thick legal wedge. If the FBI can compel Apple in this case, what is to stop it in other cases? And if the US security services can make Apple defeat its own security measures, what is to stop other governments having a go? China, along with Hong Kong and Taiwan, already accounts for a quarter of Apple’s revenues. No one expects the Chinese government to show any respect for anyone’s privacy. Surely Apple is right to stand up to all government bullying, wherever it comes from? Continue reading...

Medical association’s claim follows spate of inflammatory statements by officials and rise in violence towards LGBT peopleThe leading psychiatric body in Indonesia is claiming that transgender people suffer from a mental health disorder and gay and bisexual people are at risk of mental health problems.In the latest outburst in an increasingly divisive domestic debate on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues, the Indonesian Psychiatric Association said transgender people “can be categorised as persons with mental disorders”, which it said “may cause suffering and obstacles in functioning as a human being”. Continue reading...

From Samsung’s even more curvy Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge to Cat’s thermal camera phone, the best new tech from day one at Barcelona’s Mobile World CongressThe first day of the biggest trade show in smartphones has been and gone with a myriad of shiny new gadgets launched from Samsung, Sony, HP, LG, HTC and even Cat. Here’s what’s hot from Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress. Continue reading...

In the tight-knit online gaming community Epic Mafia, Eris was an infamous celebrity. So when news of his suicide reached the forums, many players were grief stricken. But in a virtual world where it pays to lie, could it really be true? Continue reading...

Smartphone makers are starting to create Windows 10 tablets that are more like gadgets than traditional computersWhen Windows 10 launched, Microsoft’s big push, beyond trying to convince haters of Windows 8 to upgrade, was for “one Windows for all devices”.But that dream has stalled. Windows is struggling on smartphones, claiming a 1.7% share last year, according to data from Gartner, which Microsoft chief executive, Satya Nadella, admits is “unsustainable”. Continue reading...

Mark Zuckerberg surprises Samsung Mobile World Congress event to reveal that ‘people have already watched more than a million hours of video in Gear VR’Facebook has created a “social VR” team to explore virtual-reality technology’s potential beyond games, as it prepares for the consumer launch of its Oculus Rift VR headset.Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg revealed the plans in a surprise appearance at Samsung’s Mobile World Congress press conference, while talking up the popularity of 360-degree videos on Facebook, and on Samsung’s Gear VR headset – which uses technology from Oculus. Continue reading...

A new era of titles prioritise the strange relationship we have with protagonists above solving puzzles and gaining high scores. So can you still call them ‘games’?In some ways Firewatch, the beautiful and intriguing game recently released by San Francisco-based studio Campo Santo, is a mystery adventure. You play as Henry, working for a season in a firewatch tower, far out in the Wyoming wilderness. He is alone except for a walkie talkie, but very quickly he realises that something is going on out there amid the endless ochre tinted forest. There are kids letting off fireworks and leaving threatening messages, then someone ransacks his tower. Something is happening.But then, right from the start, we realise that Henry is in turmoil. A mini-text adventure at the beginning of the game tells us that his wife is very ill, he has come here to escape his life. Quietly and subtly, we are encouraged to ask questions about what’s really going on. Can we trust Henry?

Report identifies driving down price of 1GB of mobile broadband data to 2% of monthly income as key to universal web access in world’s poorest countriesWithout urgent action, the international community will be 22 years late in fulfilling its pledge to bring affordable internet access to the world’s poorest countries, denying hundreds of millions of people access to online education, health services and a political voice, a report claims.When they met in New York last September to agree the sustainable development goals (SDGs), which will underpin the development agenda for the next 15 years, the UN’s 193 member states agreed to “strive to provide universal and affordable access to the internet in least developed countries by 2020”. Continue reading...

Some of the greatest riders of all time have won races on these classic Italian bikes. Now you can join themThis week, 110 years ago, Pietro Dal Molin founded Wilier Triestina. Since then his handsome frames have been ridden by some of the greatest riders of all time, including Marco Pantani in the 1997 Tour de France. The name of the firm is an Italian acronym for Long Live Italy, Liberated and Redeemed, while Triestina is from Trieste, the city where Wilier was founded. If you are an Italian patriot, that’s hard to beat.Wilier has a reputation for building quick, sporty bikes, but there are also a couple of classic models in the mix, including the much- loved Strada. Its colour scheme and traditional lines hark back to the 50s, and with its comfortable position, sturdy set up and mudguards it is perfect for a quick commuter, winter trainer or more ambitious weekend ‘randoneer’. Continue reading...

US law enforcement is taking on the tech giant in a case that has big implications for privacy and cybersecurity for millions of smartphone usersYou may have heard that Apple and the FBI are fighting over an iPhone recovered during the investigation of the San Bernardino massacre last December, and that it may have serious implications for your own smartphone.Apple has been asked to help break into that phone, and they have refused to comply; the FBI has gotten a court order compelling them to do so. Apple has said it will fight the order and the Feds have accused the firm of prioritising its “public brand marketing strategy” over a terrorism investigation. Continue reading...

As it goes to war with the Justice Department, Apple defends a core philosophy: that no one, not even its makers, should be able to look inside your phoneWhen a young married couple killed 14 people at a holiday party in San Bernardino, California, the legal implications of encryption and Apple’s business model must have been the furthest thing from the minds of anyone involved.Related: Inside the FBI's encryption battle with Apple Continue reading...

Low emissions, great mileage, responsive steering, but the motorway changes your perspective

Frustrated investors have pushed the board to evaluate bids for its internet operations, signalling that CEO Marissa Mayer may be running out of timeYahoo’s board has hired three investment banking firms to evaluate potential bids for its internet operations in the clearest sign yet that CEO Marissa Mayer may not have much more time to turn around the struggling company.The move announced Friday comes just two weeks after Yahoo disclosed it would consider “strategic alternatives” while Mayer cuts costs through mass layoffs, office closures and a purge of unprofitable products. Continue reading...

An Oregon man who accessed hundreds of email accounts and stole the photos from 13 people has pleaded guilty to a felony hacking charge in Los AngelesAn Oregon man who accessed hundreds of email accounts and stole explicit photos of celebrities has pleaded guilty to a felony hacking charge in Los Angeles.Andrew Helton of Astoria, Oregon, faces up to five years in prison after pleading guilty to stealing nude or explicit photos from 13 people, including some unidentified celebrities. The plea was entered Thursday. Continue reading...

Our phones provide connection, communication and knowledge – and have become part of our identities. No wonder privacy violations bother us so muchRelated: Inside the FBI's encryption battle with AppleApple’s recent refusal to abide by a court order to unlock the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone has brought to the public’s attention an argument over cybersecurity and encryption that has been raging throughout the tech world for years. Continue reading...

Donald Trump calls for the boycott of Apple products on Friday, until the company agrees to help the US government and unlock the mobile phone of one of the San Bernardino killers. Trump made the off-the-cuff comment at a campaign event in Pawleys Island, South Carolina, a day before the state’s Republican presidential nominating contest Continue reading...

US Consumer Product Safety Commission announces that the self-balancing scooters must comply with standards issued by a safety consulting companyHoverboards that do not meet new safety standards are now subject to seizure or recall, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission announced on Friday.The federal agency sent a letter to manufacturers, importers and retailers on Thursday stating that the self-balancing scooters must comply with standards and requirements issued by a safety consulting company, Underwriters Laboratory (UL). Continue reading...

Most social media users unaware of potential threat of surveillance under snooper’s charter, rights groups sayMany Britons are exposing themselves to surveillance and fraud risks, privacy campaigners have warned after a poll found that almost half of people surveyed preferred to keep in touch with friends virtually rather than in person.The survey of 2,000 people also found that 79% maintain friendships they feel would wither without being linked through social media, and a further 72% believe online networks have strengthened their friendships. Continue reading...

Book titles which tie in with the game include Blockopedia, a bestseller in the children’s nonfiction category in 2015More than 2.5m copies of books spun-off from the Minecraft video game have now been sold across the UK, it has been revealed.

Private drones were deployed this week to monitor an electrical workers’ strike to protect members from false legal claims, reigniting the ‘very tricky issue’ of how to regulate drones used for activismFrom a small drone causing panic when it landed on the White House lawn to Amazon’s plan to make deliveries by air, privately owned drones have been raising security fears around the country. But drone technology has capabilities beyond just serving the interests of corporations – and this week a union in Philadelphia reminded us of that.The Philadelphia chapter of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers recently purchased three drones that officials say will be used to monitor construction sites and to make sure union members aren’t breaking any laws during protests. Continue reading...

A vintage children’s brand returns as a Google Cardboard VR headset, complete with animals, planets – and a virtual Statue of LibertyChildren spending time in virtual reality? That’s already a phenomenon – Minecraft – and it doesn’t require a headset.Mattel’s latest gadget steers clear of ender dragons and nether portals, though. It’s a virtual reality (VR) headset aimed at children, with its own suite of educational apps. Continue reading...