Technology | The Guardian

Story of how version 4.3.1 of Tumblr’s iOs app was born sure beats seeing the phrase ‘minor bug fixes’ againBlogging social network Tumblr had a problem. When you release an update to a mobile app on Apple’s app store, you have to include release notes: a short update of what has changed since the last version.But release notes are boring. And they’re particularly boring when they don’t actually contain much more than bug fixes. Continue reading...

Agency that hired people to write pro-Kremlin propaganda was sued by ex-employee Lyudmila Savchuk to ‘bring the internet trolls out of the shade’A Russian court has ordered a secretive pro-Putin “propaganda factory” to pay symbolic damages to an employee who sued them in a bid to expose the workings of the Kremlin’s online trolls.

Videos made in the UK by artists signed to major labels will be classified before release, in measures meant to protect children from unsuitable online contentClear age ratings will be displayed on UK-produced music videos on YouTube and Vevo, as the government seeks to protect children from inappropriate content online.The new measures, which have been agreed voluntarily by parts of the music industry after a government initiative, will apply to videos that are deemed unsuitable for children and are produced in the UK by artists who are represented by major labels. Continue reading...

The company’s chief executive acted quickly to refute allegations of a brutal work environment, but maybe what his employees need is a trade unionA company’s reputation is precious. Once lost, it is mightily hard to recover. Think Gerald Ratner, who once famously described the jewellery he was selling as “crap”. Think BP after the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Or G4S, which seemed to have trouble preventing prisoners from escaping and bungled the Olympics security contract.As a result, it is easy to see why Jeff Bezos, the Amazon chief executive, thought it necessary to respond speedily to a piece in the New York Times that claimed the company he founded was guilty of cruel employment practices. This was no ordinary exposé: the NYT piece ran to more than 5,000 words and was based on more than 100 interviews. It claimed one woman returning to work after treatment for thyroid cancer was given a poor staff review, and told the company was more productive without her. Continue reading...

Samsung UK boss says only 20% of smartphone buyers willing to switch between iOS and AndroidSamsung and Apple are fighting over the technology world’s equivalent of the “floating voter”, according to Samsung’s president of UK and Ireland.

The place to talk about games and other things that matterIt’s Monday. Today’s screenshot is from Otherland, a forthcoming MMO from Drago Entertainment. Continue reading...

A 2,100-acre former military base near San Francisco or a 32-acre fake town? Both sites have won interest from automakers and technology companies as they seek to develop the future of transportationSilicon Valley thinks it has the answer to everything. No wonder, then, that it also has the answer to the future of transportation.“I don’t think there’s any better place to test self-driving cars than California,” says Randy Iwasaki. “You’ve got a rainforest in the north, the lowest and highest points in the continental US, heavily congested urban roadways and that low, empty highway running through Death Valley.” Continue reading...

Everyone hates a rough commute. So why aren’t more companies helping their employees come up with better alternatives to driving?• Send us your tips, tales and secrets from the front lines of sustainable businessImagine that, starting tomorrow, half your company’s employees stopped driving to work. The benefits would start accruing almost immediately: less pollution, less real estate needed for parking spaces, improved quality of life and much more. So how do companies do it and, given all these benefits, why aren’t more jumping onboard?Google – which this week rebranded itself as Alphabet – may not have been the first company to offer shuttles to its employees, but the size and growth of its shuttle program have made it the most prominent, for better or for worse. Continue reading...

‘It is a droll little drive, more like a delinquent companion than a car’The Polo GTi, a 1.8-litre engine, 190bhp – it’s as poky as a Scotch bonnet, and as ready to go as a man in a pub whose eighth pint you’ve just spilled. It comes as a surprise to your fellow road user, who might mistake you for a regular Polo driver. But a regular Polo can’t pull you out of bed, while this can get you from zero to 62 in 6.7 seconds. It is somewhat ridiculous – the fabric on the seats looks like the kind of tartan a low-level conman might wear after he’d got married and his wife had told him to tone it down a bit – but it is extremely fun.You can choose between manual and automatic. I had the six-speed manual: the efficiency is not as good. It’s in the same band as the automatic, but 10 extra g/km will be significant for some. But it is a droll little drive, more like a delinquent companion than a car. It’s about as small as it could be, and pulls off like a rocket. Motorway driving is a blast: even in 6th, you get lots of torque. “Nobody’s more surprised about this than I am,” said my face as I hurtled up the rear carriages of the other motorists. Continue reading...

There’s one less “N” as location-based gaming arm spins off as an independent company, taking popular app Ingress with itGoogle’s Alphabet just lost an “N”, after location-based gaming department Niantic Labs announced that it is going independent.Niantic is the internal group behind Google’s popular game Ingress, which sees players on Android and iOS fight a worldwide battle to seize control of real-world locations by checking in nearby. Continue reading...

Ninja Jamm, Microsoft Translator, Dreamify, MSTY, Fallout Shelter, Down The Mountain, March of Empires and moreWelcome to this week’s roundup of the latest, greatest Android apps and games, covering smartphones and tablets.All these apps have been released for the first time – ie not updates – since the last roundup. All prices are correct at the time of writing, with “IAP” indicating use of in-app purchases. Continue reading...

The lawsuit was brought against the ride-sharing company in Connecticut by 15 taxi and limousine firmsUber has struck a blow against US taxi firms after a judge dismissed a lawsuit accusing it of engaging in deceptive trade practices and racketeering.The lawsuit was brought against Uber in Connecticut by 15 taxi and limousine firms who were seeking a court ban for Uber doing business within the state. They failed to show that Uber competed unfairly, tried to lure away their drivers, or misrepresented its services, fares and drivers’ insurance coverage to passengers, said the US district judge Alvin Thompson in Hartford. Continue reading...

Chinese company releases firmware update after fears new problem software could, as with Superfish, be used to let hackers access vulnerable computersSix months after apologising to users for pre-installing security-busting malware Superfish on its consumer laptops, Chinese PC manufacturer Lenovo has again had to remove another pre-installed component from its laptops over security fears.But this time, the problem software, called the “Lenovo Service Engine (LSE)”, is built into the firmware of the laptops themselves, in a low-level operating system called the BIOS, invisible even to Windows. (The BIOS is what is running the screens of white-on-black text seen on many computers as they start up). It launches when the computer is turned on, before Windows loads, and then replaces Microsoft’s start-up diagnostics program (which ensures that the system was shut down properly, that the disk isn’t corrupted, and that it’s safe to launch Windows) with its own. Continue reading...

British manufacturer’s first wireless headphones are attractive, comfortable and last a long time between charges but connectivity and buttons are a mis-stepThe P5 Wireless are British audio manufacturer Bowers & Wilkins’s first Bluetooth headphones with excellent sound but half-baked wireless and controls.

Run as fast as you can from this sci-fi comedy about arcade-game addicts who must defend Earth against space invadersRelated: Adam Sandler: still scraping the bottom of the comedy barrelAfter the awful Cobbler, Adam Sandler has defaulted to give-’em-what-they-want nostalgia: arcade-game addicts roused from schlubby middle age to take on space invaders who are zapping Earth into shiny, Capcom-like blocks. The latter creates an oddly pleasing effect, but it is the only one in a film that shills pop culture references and sexual politics – from Sandler’s relentless negging of Michelle Monaghan to the state-sanctioned pimping out of Serena Williams. Any planet where president Kevin James retains greater voice than eerily mute first lady Jane Krakowski surely isn’t worth defending. Continue reading...

Korean company must overcome several hurdles if its two new phablets are to win over users and maintain its dominant position in the smartphone marketSamsung has just launched not one but two phablets, as it attempts to keep its large-screened smartphone crown.

Developer Duck Duck Moose hopes to capitalise on kids’ interest in drawing, sharing and watching videos, but with educational intentChildren’s app developer Duck Duck Moose has launched a new app that aims to blend the creative features of apps like Instagram and Snapchat with the educational resources on YouTube.WonderBox has been released as a free app for iOS devices, with Android to follow. The company is targeting parents as well as children in what it’s pitching as a safe space for families to create and share ideas. Continue reading...

Digital media business with brands including sport, tech and news valued at $1bn, with NBC said to be close to investing further $200m into BuzzFeedNBC Universal has made a $200m (£128m) investment in Vox Media and is reportedly poised to sink a similar amount into BuzzFeed.Vox – which owns eight brands including sports-focused SB Nation, video game site Polygon, technology site The Verge and news site Vox.com – said the strategic partnership would further help to grow its business. The NBC deal values Vox at $1bn. Continue reading...

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

Developer Noodlecake Studios saw high piracy for previous game Wayward Souls, and decided to have some fun at the downloaders’ expenseMobile games developer Noodlecake Studios is having some fun at online pirates’ expense, uploading a version of its latest game to filesharing services that is impossible to complete.The company took the decision to self-pirate the Android version of Shooting Stars after noting high rates of piracy for its previous release, Wayward Souls. Continue reading...

Internet watchdog Roskomnadzor emailed Reddit to request removal of subreddit thought to be /r/trees, complaining staff are ‘too relaxed during August’The Russian government’s technology and internet watchdog is threatening to block Reddit across the country if it does not remove a thread dedicated to growing cannabis.The federal service for supervision of communications, information, technology and mass media (Roskomnadzor) has taken to one of the largest social networks in Russia, VK.com, requesting the takedown, after it received no direct response from Reddit. Continue reading...

A Darpa grant given to Kelland Thomas of the University of Arizona will fund the creation of musical machines that learn to improvise like jazz musiciansThe shadowy arm of the US Defense Department devoted to funding cutting-edge technology is building an interactive robotics system powerful enough to perform an incredibly difficult task: a trumpet solo.Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa), the US military’s technology research arm, has handed over its first cheque to Kelland Thomas, associate director of the University of Arizona School of Information (and a jazz musician in his own right) to fund musical machines. Continue reading...

Three Uber employees bailed after computers seized in the autonomous Chinese territory, while India is predicted to overtake US after Asia pushThree Uber employees have been released on bail after a raid on the company’s Hong Kong offices in a probe into its illegal operations within the autonomous Chinese territory.

App that would allow publishers to highlight and push news events to Facebook users is said to be in alpha-stage testingFacebook could be preparing to take on Twitter at its own game, with a standalone news application for mobile phones.The product, which is reportedly in “alpha” stage testing as part of the company’s Facebook for Business initiative, would allow users to follow specific topics and receive instant alerts of up to 100 characters of text when a breaking news event occurs. Continue reading...

Operation Creative, backed by ad industry and film, music and TV trade bodies, seeks to stop legitimate brands’ campaigns appearing on pirate websitesA police operation to starve websites offering pirated films, music, books and TV shows of income has resulted in a decrease of more than 70% in advertising appearing on illegal sites.The Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit said there has been a 73% decrease in advertising from the UK’s top spending companies appearing on illegal websites since it launched a crackdown in 2013. Continue reading...

Vulnerability revealed in diagnostic dongles used for vehicle tracking and insurance that lets them take control using just an SMSResearchers have hacked a car, remotely activated its windscreen wipers, applied its brakes and even disabled them, all via simple text messages.

Many of us are familiar with Apple’s iOS assistant – but have you ever thought about the lives behind the voice that answers your queries and requests?Apple users are all familiar with Siri, the company’s voice-activated personal assistant that helps out with everything from speed dialling, scheduling meetings and searching for directions. Users of iOS have had the privilege of Siri’s help since its introduction as part of iOS 5 for the iPhone 4S in 2011, and the function was also added to the third-generation iPads a year later.Since then Siri has become a firm favourite and often hits the news – for good and bad. Siri has befriended an autistic child, been accused of homophobia, fought for trans rights, mocked maths dunces, come out as a talented rapper and possibly inspired a Spike Jonze film (which Siri did not appreciate). Continue reading...

The place to talk about games and other things that matterIt’s Wednesday! Today’s game is Zombie Vikings from Swedish indie developer, Zoink. Continue reading...

When Chris Mullin publishes his long-awaited sequel to A Very British Coup (MI5 ousted my fictional PM, 11 August), he’ll certainly have to update the opening sentence. On my rare visits to the Athenaeum, it always seems to be full of left-leaning academics. I suspect the news of a Corbyn victory would be greeted there by the popping of Bollinger corks.

Unite union calls on luxury carmaker to guarantee future of its UK workforce after JLR signs an agreement to open a factory in SlovakiaJaguar Land Rover (JLR) is under pressure to guarantee the future of its UK workforce after the luxury carmaker signed a letter of intent to build a factory in Slovakia.Des Quinn, the Unite officer for JLR, said the company’s global expansion “should not be to the detriment of the UK workforce who have built the foundations for that global success”. Continue reading...

The senior vice-president of product will lead a “slimmed down” Google as Page will head Alphabet, the new parent company announced on MondayWhen Google announced a surprise restructuring on Monday, a very big spotlight suddenly shone on Sundar Pichai, the executive who will replace Larry Page as Google’s CEO.Pichai’s appointment is part of restructuring that will end with a “slimmed-down” company. This smaller, search-focused Google will be the largest subsidiary of a new parent company called Alphabet. With Page leaving to head Alphabet, the position of Google CEO became available. Continue reading...

‘Slimmed down’ Google will be largest subsidiary of parent company, whose structure is said to be similar to that of Warren Buffet’s Berkshire HathawayGoogle is dead. Long live Alphabet.Related: Meet Sundar Pichai: the man who will replace Larry Page as CEO of Google Continue reading...

The place to talk about games and other things that matterIt’s Tuesday. The screenshot is from space strategy game Stellaris from Paradox, the publisher behind historical titles Crusader Kings and Europa Universalis. Continue reading...

The software company will also offer four weeks with full pay to non-primary caregivers as part of tech industry push to sweeten benefits to retain top talentAdobe is the latest tech company to extend its paid parental leave policy after Netflix said it would offer corporate employees up to a year of paid leave to care for new babies.Adobe Systems Inc said Monday that it will offer parents who are the primary caregivers 16 weeks of paid leave after the birth or adoption of a child. That’s in addition to 10 weeks of paid medical leave following childbirth, so a new mother could take a total of 26 weeks off – up from the current nine weeks. Continue reading...

Move fuels rumours that company is planning imminent launch of UK grocery service that will pit it against supermarketsAmazon has moved a step closer to launching a grocery service in the UK, taking over the lease on a warehouse previously used by Tesco.

The question of our age might turn out to be the reverse of the Turing test: will people become programmable like machines?We’re told that eventually sensors will be everywhere. Not just in phones, tablets, and laptops. Not just in the wearables attached to our bodies. Not just at home or in the workplace. Sensors will be implanted in nearly everything imaginable and they will be networked, tightly connected, and looking after us 24-7-365.So, brace yourself. All the time, you’ll be be monitored and receive fine-grained, hyper-personalised services. That’s the corporate vision encapsulated by the increasingly popular phrase “internet of everything”.

Company says it will revise protocol after admitting Talal Ali Cammout, who was arrested for attacking a passenger, was granted approval to drive by mistakeUber has pledged to improve its vetting procedures after admitting that a man arrested in Dallas on suspicion of sexually assaulting a passenger was granted approval to drive for the company by mistake. Continue reading...

Smartphone security called into question by researchers who discovered fingerprint data and sensors are often ‘world readable’ and easy to hackResearchers from FireEye have found that data that could be used to clone a user’s fingerprint was stored as an unencrypted “world readable” image file on HTC smartphones.

Information Commissioner’s Office making enquiries into data breach that also affected TalkTalk and iD users and exposed 90,000 customer credit cardsThe UK’s data protection watchdog is investigating the hacking of Carphone Warehouse, which compromised the personal data and bank details of 2.4 million customers.

Jordan Maron’s first game Fortress Fury already has 2m downloads and fansWith nearly 8.8 million subscribers and 1.8bn views for his YouTube channel, Jordan “CaptainSparklez” Maron is one of the most popular gamers on the online video service.Maron’s most popular videos are his musical parodies of songs including Coldplay’s Vida la Vida and Psy’s Gangnam Style produced using the Minecraft game, but his daily videos have helped him to build a fervent online fanbase. Continue reading...

The music discovery service was created for a web that no longer exists, its founders sayMusic discovery site This Is My Jam is to close after four years, citing the difficulty of running the music-focused startup in an age of increasing online centralisation and ever-stricter copyright regimes for embedded audio.The site, founded by London-based former Last.fm employees Matt Ogle and Han Donovan, allowed users to highlight a single song as their “jam”, and share it on other social networks, as well as listen to a playlist of all their friends’ selections. That approach, described by Donovan as “notable data” rather than big data, made the service popular with fans eager to explore niche favourites as well as keep up with the latest releases. Continue reading...

N++ is simple but no easy ride; a Rambo-style elephant is not that original; and Angry Birds 2 is another winnerPS4, Metanet Software, cert: 7Don’t expect N++ to present an easy ride. This is a platformer that boils down the central elements of the genre to a pure, minimalist offering and never shies away from asking more from its players, insisting you overcome a barrage of seemingly impossible jumps spread over thousands of single screen 2D stages. Continue reading...

Initial investigation suggests customers’ names, addresses, dates of birth and bank details may have been accessed

As an avid video-game player from his college years, Simon Parkin, author of a new book about gaming culture, was intrigued to discover that they were being blamed for a string of deaths in Asian internet cafes, and that one government had even legislated against them. Can the peculiar form of obsession they inspire in people sometimes prove fatal?

The author of Death By Video Game, Simon Parkin, on what made him write the book and why he thinks the industry can overcome sexism and racism

Put on your thinking cap for a theatrical Crystal Maze in which you must solve a puzzle or remain locked in a roomWhat are escape games?

Some experiences are best forgotten, but driving Seat’s rugged new 4x4 estate is not one of them

It’s not just football that has put the seaside town back on the map. It wants to be a digital global hub tooFriday afternoon, the day before the big day, and the crowds are out on the beach at Bournemouth, making the most of the sun and sand. Kids are doing the hokey cokey in the bandstand, Harry Ramsden’s is enjoying a thriving trade in fish and chips, and the screams of thrill-seekers ring out as they plummet down the zip wire between the pier and the beach.“I’m sitting here looking out of my window and I can see the seafront,” says Mark Cribb, owner of Urban Guild, which runs restaurants and a hotel. “There are California-style lifeguard huts, swimming schools, surfers. It’s got a vibe and an energy that most people don’t know about.” Continue reading...

A new crop of exclusive matchmaking sites are screening potential users based on their education and professional history, net wealth and even tax recordsIt used to be that if you wanted to meet someone of a certain caliber, you would venture to a particular bar. There would be a line at the door with a strict doorman and inside would be a collection of beautiful people, all deemed special because they’d made it past the velvet rope. Now there’s an app for that.Forget Tinder. Forget OkCupid. Who has time for all that swiping? Instead, young professionals looking for a suitable mate are flocking to apps like The League and syncing their LinkedIn profile in the hopes that their resumes will help seal the deal and find them someone special. Continue reading...