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Oculus CEO dismisses leaked images as “old placeholders”, but do they hint at the first consumer release of the Rift headset?Virtual reality headset company Oculus has responded to the accidental leaking of what looked like images of the final version of its Rift headset on its website on Tuesday, with Palmer Luckey, chief executive of the Facebook-owned firm, explaining the images were actually “placeholder concepts”.Luckey spoke out to the Reddit community on the same day as the images were leaked, confirming that they were official Oculus images but adding that some design details wouldn’t “carry through”. Continue reading...

The world's biggest gaming expo takes place next week in Los Angeles – what can we expect to see?Every year, over 40,000 developers, publishers, distributors and journalists descend on the vast LA Convention Centre to check out the latest releases from the world's biggest gaming companies.Ahead of next week's gaming headlines, Guardian games editor Keith Stuart talks to industry experts about what to expect: superstar indie game developer Mike Bithell; game writer Will Porter, co-creator of Project Zomboid and co-writer of Alien Isolation; Philippa Warr from PC gaming site Rock Paper Shotgun and Debbie Timmins, editor-in-chief of gaming site Average Gamer. Continue reading...

Microsoft and Sony both set to tweak their consoles as gamers tire of running out of storage spaceBarring big announcements about virtual or augmented reality headsets at this year’s vast E3 games conference in Los Angeles, hardware is unlikely to be the big story.The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are now more than a year old and the focus has shifted to games. Meanwhile, Nintendo says it is far too early to talk about its NX console, revealed in March and rumoured to be based on Google’s Android technology. Continue reading...

A photograph of the director with an animatronic dinosaur, posted online as a joke, prompted choice comments from Oates. The internet is bamboozledJoyce Carol Oates: prolific author, National Book award winner, Pulitzer nominee. And … dinosaur conservationist?Oates has a Twitter feed which has come in for a fair amount of criticism in the past. “Here is the problem with your Twitter feed, Joyce Carol Oates: It is, as we like to say on the internet, the worst,” wrote our own Michelle Dean for Gawker last year, citing her “‘Cat food’ in China actually is” comment. The novelist had previously been criticised for linking rape culture to Islam on her Twitter feed, and for saying she’d be “very surprised” if women were harassed in affluent areas. Continue reading...

Encryption everywhere takes a step forward after twin support from US president and world’s biggest tech companyBoth Apple and the White House have announced new policies aimed at boosting the use of encrypted connections on the internet, suggesting that the days of insecure internet connections could be numbered.On Monday, Apple revealed the latest version of its mobile operating system, iOS 9, at the company’s Worldwide Developer Conference. Continue reading...

Mobile company to enter crowded marketplace with an offering that includes parental controls and a feature to prioritise certain devices on the networkVodafone has entered the UK’s fiercely competitive home broadband market, with a service that lets parents turn off Wi-Fi for enforced screen breaks and which supercharges the signal to certain household devices.The mobile operator already has broadband and pay-TV customers in continental Europe, and has been building its own British broadband network, which will reach telephone exchanges that pass 22m homes later this summer. Continue reading...

And 20m of them are paying for the streaming service as its conversion rate creeps upwards at a time of intense debate about ‘freemium’ musicMusic streaming service Spotify has upped its public numbers, announcing that it now has 75 million active users, with 20 million of them paying for its premium subscription tier.That’s a rise from the previous figures – 60 million active users and 15 million subscribers – announced by the company in January. The announcement’s timing is no coincidence, coming days after Apple unveiled its rival Apple Music service. Continue reading...

Open letter to US President lobbies against policy that could see US government given access to user data through softening encryptionThe technology industry has sent President Obama a new open letter urging him to stop attempting to weaken encryption, compromise security and destroy consumer trust.

From skyscrapers to houses and furniture, plywood is ideal for all kinds of designIn March, when Austrian architects announced they were going to build an 84-metre skyscraper out of wood, there were mutterings about whether this was the right material for the job. The reservations were not about its strength, but that the material doesn’t embody modernity, and so these wooden skyscrapers might seem anachronistic. Wood suffered this bias throughout the 20th century as new materials such as metal alloys and carbon fibre composites offered not just better properties but something even more alluring: newness itself. The story of how wood regained its edge encompasses the development of aircraft, modernist furniture and digital fabrication.Wood is a porous material comprised of cellulose fibres that give it strength and stiffness, and lignin polymer that effectively glues these fibres together. The density and arrangement of the fibres gives wood its grain, which is determined not just by the biology of trees but also by their growth environment. Thus the grain varies from species to species and from tree to tree. The upshot is that, like us, each piece of wood has an individual character, which is one of the reasons we love it so much. Wood is strong across the grain but has a tendency to crack along it. This is useful if you are splitting logs for a fire, but if you are building a house, a chair, a violin or pretty much anything out of wood it presents a design problem. The thinner the piece, the more cracking is an issue, which is why solid wooden furniture can be quite bulky and heavy. Counter-intuitively, the answer to this problem is to make very thin wafers of wood called veneer. Continue reading...

The ongoing investigation to find out who was behind the leaked nude photos of stars including Jennifer Lawrence has focused in on two houses in ChicagoThe search for the hackers behind last year’s leaked celebrity photos has led the FBI to Chicago, where a raid saw two residences searched, according to The Hollywood Reporter.Related: Jennifer Lawrence denounces nude photos hack as 'sex crime' Continue reading...

PR staffer’s request for journalists to censor reporting do not reflect position of Huawei, the Chinese electronics company saysHuawei has rejected accusations of “paranoia and secrecy” after a PR staffer told a group of journalists on a government-organised tour in Shanghai that they could not mention the Chinese electronics company in their reporting from the day.The group, which included the Australian Financial Review’s Angus Grigg, had been invited to Huawei’s Shanghai development campus as part of a tour of Chinese science and technology firms arranged by the government for foreign and local journalists. Continue reading...

Technology giant promises to blur faces and car licence plates if they are captured, as it continues work on Street View-style serviceApple is taking a leaf out of Google’s book by putting a fleet of vehicles on the streets of the UK and Ireland to photograph streets for its Maps application.The news follows speculation in February that Apple was working on a rival to Google’s Street View service, after a car leased to Apple and covered in cameras and scanning equipment was spotted on the streets of San Francisco. Continue reading...

Free services usually mean we pay in data and privacy. Is there a better business model for connected homes?As more connected products come to market, from smart thermostats on our walls to connected wearables on our wrists, how will we pay for it?Will we sign contracts as we do with mobile phones, getting hardware for “free” and paying for services? Or will we get discounts or free devices by handing over our personal data, as we do with Google and Facebook? Continue reading...

The place to talk about games and other things that matterIt’s Wednesday everybody. Today’s screenshot comes from adventure game Broken Sword 5, which was successfully Kickstarted in 2012 for smartphone release and is coming to Xbox One and PlayStation 4 this summer. Continue reading...

Our father, John Horlock, who has died aged 87, was a highly respected man of great intellect, whose main academic interests were in aerodynamics, fluid dynamics and energy. He loved all kinds of music, cricket, football (Spurs) and the radio. He was a kind and generous man who, along with our mother, Sheila, was always there to discreetly support us (and indeed many other people along the way).Born in Edmonton, north London, John grew up in Winchmore Hill with his much-loved parents, Harold and Olive, and older sister, Beryl. He attended Latymer school, where he first met Sheila Stutely, a talented singer who later became a music teacher and a JP. They married in 1953. Continue reading...

Michael Haneke’s next film will no longer be his previously announced project about disparate online characters brought togetherWhen Flashmob was announced, it seemed like an eccentric idea for Michael Haneke to take on. A drama about a group of online characters brought together by a flashmob wasn’t what you’d expect from the director of The White Ribbon and Amour.Related: Not coming soon: the films still stuck in purgatory Continue reading...

Open letter sent to Obama from groups representing Apple, Google, Facebook and Microsoft as report suggests fear of surveillance costs economy $35bn a yearUS tech industry groups have urged Barack Obama not to pursue policies which might weaken encryption as a new report suggests that fear of government surveillance costs the economy by more than $35bn in revenue each year.Related: If the FBI has a 'backdoor' to Facebook or Apple encryption we are less safe | Trevor Timm Continue reading...

Does your bank support Apple Pay? Where can you use it? Your questions, answeredApple Pay is coming to Britain in July in its first expansion outside of North America, Apple confirmed at its annual worldwide developer conference.Sometime in July, users of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, as well as Apple Watch owners, will be able to start making payments in shops around the country using their mobile phones. Continue reading...

It took three years for Google to match Apple’s security permissions for personal data within apps, Hiroshi Lockheimer tells the GuardianNew privacy features available in Google’s forthcoming Android M software update will give users of Android mobile phones and tablets more control over how their personal data is used.

Our expert offers shortcuts and tips to getting the most out of Spotify, Tidal, Deezer and the rest – and saving you money at the same timeRun to the beat Continue reading...

The Syrian Electronic Army claimed responsibility, posting: ‘Your commanders admit they are training the people they have sent you to die fighting’The US Army said on Monday it temporarily took down its website after a group calling itself the Syrian Electronic Army hacked into the site and posted messages.

‘World’s first’ 4G action cam is like a GoPro that can live stream to the internet without needing a smartphone or computerMobile network EE is taking on GoPro and Periscope with a new action camera capable of streaming up to 10 minutes of live video over 4G without a smartphone or computer.

Twitter exchange suggests Harry Potter author will also draw on Native American traditions for the ‘magizoology’ script she is working onJK Rowling has confirmed on Twitter that the existence of a long-mooted American school of witchcraft and wizardry could be revealed in new Harry Potter spin-off movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.During an ad-hoc question and answer session with fans on the social network, the British author was asked to name the institution which US students of magic might attend in the Potter universe. While she refused to do so, Rowling did reveal a series of titbits regarding the hitherto-unidentified school. Continue reading...

The biggest show in video games is back next week, promising a packed schedule of revelations Continue reading...

Down from 33% in 2002, the number of women in the digital sector is expected to rise back to 30% by 2022Just 27% of those employed in Britain’s digital industries are women, according to a new report from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES), a public body which aims to advise the government and others on those issues. The proportion is down from an already low figure of 33% in 2002, and well below the UK average of 47% for female employees.The research highlights the continuing failure of the sector to train and retain female employees, particularly given the fact that Britain is expected to need 1.2 million new digital workers by 2022. More than 800,000 of those new workers will be needed to replace workers leaving the sector, while the rest will be needed to support expected growth. Continue reading...

Jimmy Iovine and Eddy Cue train their sights on Spotify, YouTube and other rivals: ‘Most of these other companies see themselves as utilities’Apple isn’t just gunning for Spotify with its new Apple Music streaming service. It’s gunning for radio broadcasters.Its combination of live radio station Beats 1 and a range of non-live stations programmed by DJs aims to seduce listeners away from traditional radio, and then sell some of them a $9.99-a-month streaming subscription. Continue reading...

Billed as the first Australian event of its kind, it’s a shame the games didn’t reflect the energetic culture showcased by Game On’s speakers and sessionsThe games I enjoy most are the ones that allow you to make of them what you will, rather than be dictated to by a linear progression. The Witcher 3 has just come out and I already know I’ll be shunning the main story and bountiful shagging in favour of days spent in the wilderness picking flowers and bathing under waterfalls. Once hooked, I won’t be getting any work done in the real world, nor in the Witcher’s virtual Northern Kingdoms, effectively creating Inception for sloths by procrastinating twice.For the same reason, Vivid Sydney’s Game On interactive event was an engrossing experience with a similar “sandbox” appeal: there was just enough variety and freedom in the expansive Australian Technology Park to allow most people to go along and carve out their own experience among all the consoles, pinball machines and people pottering around in an Iron Man costume. Continue reading...

Connected appliances, heating and more are making homes smarter. But what can you do if you live in a centuries-old dwelling? Continue reading...

The place to talk about games and other things that matterHello Tuesday. Continue reading...

New ‘low power’ mode makes iPhones last longer as Apple focuses on speed, reliability and a smarter Siri with new updateThe next update to Apple’s iOS iPhone and iPad operating system was unveiled on Monday and introduced a new intelligent search assistant, greater speed and security.Related: El Capitan: Apple unveils next version of OS X software Continue reading...

Site’s arbitration committee looks certain to strip Richard Symonds of right to unearth users’ IP addressesWikipedia’s “high court” looks likely to reprimand one of its senior administrators over the way he investigated claims that the former Conservative party co-chairman Grant Shapps used an account to edit his own page and those of rival Tories.

Apple’s contactlesss system that allows payment with an iPhone or Apple Watch to be available in the UK from next monthApple Pay will come to the UK in July, Apple confirmed at its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco on Monday.It will be available at more than 250,000 locations - more than the number of merchants it had in the US for last year’s launch. Continue reading...

New version of Mac desktop operating system will concentrate on speed, reliability and battery life with intelligent searchApple announced the latest update to its OS X desktop software on Monday, which the company says will make it faster and easier to use.OS X 10.11 El Capitan, named after a mountain within Yosemite national park, will be available as a free update in the autumn. Continue reading...

Media organisations including Guardian, ESPN, New York Times, Conde Nast and Hearst will produce content specifically designed for new serviceApple revamped its news service on Monday, making a play to take on Facebook as the two tech giants court readers and publishers to be the top platform for news.Media organisations including the Guardian, ESPN, the New York Times, Conde Nast and Hearst will produce content specifically designed for the new service, which will replace Newstand, Apple’s current news app.

Is bathroom item’s 12-figure price tag an administrative error – or evidence of ‘the best towel ever made’?Ever thought that stepping out of the shower and drying yourself on $100 dollar bills might be just a little too ostentatious? Ever wanted to bathe in liquid gold but didn’t want to be judged in times of global austerity?Well, never fear, for Amazon is selling a $800bn towel set, or $796bn, to be fair (£521bn). We’re guessing that stockists Portlight have made a fat-fingers keyboard mistake, or someone at the company has a very, um, dry sense of humour. Continue reading...

What started as an April Fools’ Day prank, before gaining unexpected momentum in recent weeks, went out with a whimperAfter two months, and more than a million clicks, the weirdest social experiment on the internet is over: Reddit’s Button has hit zero.And it ended, not with a bang, but a whimper: hiding behind the end of the countdown was nothing more than a simple message reading: “The experiment is over.” Even that was underwhelming, having been accidentally revealed multiple times owing to server crashes. Continue reading...

But a growing number of developers are thinking hard about how they present gender, race and socio-economic differencesA growing number of children’s app makers are upping their efforts to ensure their products do a better job of reflecting the diversity of their young audiences.This was the verdict of a discussion at Tech With Kids’ Developing Apps for Kids conference in San Francisco, where moderator Raul Gutierrez of developer Tinybop admitted that his industry has more work to do on diversity. Continue reading...

Tech reporter Sam Thielman visited the Darpa Robotics Challenge in Pomona, California, to watch 25 robotics teams compete for $2m in prize money and the distinction of having scored highest in a challenging obstacle course designed to mimic the conditions of a nuclear meltdown. Some participating robotics teams are small and feisty, others are well-funded and robust, but all have a true love of technology. And the robots seem to have even more personality than their masters (even when walking a bit like grannies). Continue reading...

US traffic safety agency developing technology to disable cars if excess blood alcohol levels detected in driversSmart cars of the near future could refuse to start if the driver exceeds the drink-drive limit.

Students have been caught using wireless equipment to communicate but now authorities are flying six-propeller craft over testing centres to detect signalsAuthorities in China are employing surveillance drones in an effort to stamp out cheating in college entrance exams.Related: Nine-hour tests and lots of pressure: welcome to the Chinese school system Continue reading...

Ahead of Apple Pay’s Europe launch at WWDC, survey finds cost and lack of customer demand and access to data has stalled retailer interest in USAs Apple prepares to expand Apple Pay to Europe at WWDC, anecdotal evidence suggests that the company’s forecast for US adoption may be too optimistic and that many retailers remain skeptical about the payment system.Chief executive Tim Cook made the confident prediction in January that 2015 would be “the year of Apple Pay”. Since then, Apple has aggressively courted retailers – and claimed significant success. A spokesman said “about half” of the top 100 US merchants will accept Apple Pay this year, with more to follow in 2016. Continue reading...

Apple Music, the long-awaited Spotify rival that will offer unlimited content for a monthly fee, launches on Monday

The place to talk about games and other things that matterMonday! Continue reading...

(iOS, Insomnia Games, £2.29)With Jurassic World about to hit cinemas, the toothy reptiles are sure to regain some of the popularity they may have lost in the years since Steven Spielberg’s original dinosaur romp. Hence, then, Bad Dinos, an attempt to put a novel spin on the creaking tower-defence genre – with some success.The usual formula of placing weapons around a curling course to destroy herds of roaming raptors/T rex/insert your carnivore of choice, before they can escape is present and correct, as are the special powers to help you when the cold-blooded menace is too much to handle. The twist is the ability to ensnare some of the beasties, train them and then target them back on their scaly friends. It adds a tactical nuance to a style of game that can often become terribly repetitive. Rather than just blasting at whatever comes on to the screen, now there’s a decision about which type of creature to spare, catch and brainwash and when to release them to maximum effect. Continue reading...

(PS4, PC, Paradox Interactive, cert: 16)Magicka 2 starts out cheerily – all the wizards are dead. Given the chaos the magically inclined caused in the first game, that’s not so bad. Then the twist: enter a great evil that just happens to need some colour-coded mages to stop it. Like its predecessor, Magicka 2’s greatest strength is its anarchic tendencies, its in-depth spellcasting system often rewarding you for trying unlikely magic combos. Each spell requires tapping in “codes”, one element at a time from a selection of 10. The results are far-reaching: “fire + shield” can make you immune to fire damage, or weapons can be elementally charged for greater effect.Experimentation is half the fun, even when you go wrong. The flipside is that it gets complex, fast. In battle, you need to be incredibly quick-witted (and fleet of finger) to hammer out spells, which soon frustrates. It’s also repetitive when played solo, though Magicka 2’s flaws are somewhat alleviated when played co-op with friends. Continue reading...