New York Times, BuzzFeed and National Geographic in the frame for deals to let publishers share revenues from advertising around their stories on the social network Continue reading...

Follows rival social networks Facebook and Instagram with trial of videos that play as they scroll onto the screen in iOS appsMobile internet army, prepare to lift up your virtual pitchforks once more: Twitter is the latest social network to test videos that play automatically in its mobile apps.The company follows Facebook and Instagram in its desire to see whether users will tolerate videos that play without being tapped on - including advertisements.“This autoplay video test will apply to Promoted Video ads, videos that users upload through Twitter’s mobile app and clips that are part of its Amplify program, which lets companies like ESPN and the NFL post videos with pre-roll ads, according to a person familiar with the matter. Videos that originate in Vine, Twitter’s company’s six-second-video app, will not play automatically on Twitter as part of this test.”Related: Yes, Twitter is putting tweets in your timeline from people you don't follow Continue reading...

Facebook’s photo and video-sharing subdisiary debuts its second spin-off app following HyperlapseInstagram has launched a new spin-off app, Layout, to help people create collages of their images before sharing them on social networks.The app is initially only available for iPhone, although an Android version will launch “in the coming months”, according to Facebook’s photo and video-sharing subsidiary.Related: The top 50 apps for creative minds Continue reading...

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Crossbench peer urges UK to set up institution countering rise of commercial concerns that dominate our relationship with the internet

Along with .porn, .adult and now more than 500 others, in June .sucks will become another new internet domain. And what’s to stop someone from registering yourname.sucks before you do? Taylor Swift wouldn’t let that happen Continue reading...

The small Midlands studio is building the “spiritual successor” to Nintendo 64 classic Banjo-Kazooie. But the team still has one eye on its old employer, RareFledgling game studio Playtonic, currently working on a “spiritual successor” to classic Nintendo 64 platformer Banjo-Kazooie, says it knows what Rare is working on – and that fans will be satisfied.Purchased by Microsoft in 2002, the legendary developer had been creating titles in the Kinect Sports series, but many gamers have been desperate to see Rare return to its glory days, when it produced lively platform adventures such as Donkey Kong Country, Banjo-Kazooie and Conker’s Bad Fur Day. Playtonic, formed by six ex-employees of Rare, still has contact with its old employer, which is based only a few miles away.Related: Rare talent: inside the studio building Banjo-Kazooie's spiritual successor Continue reading...

Actor says Facebook and Twitter have helped tackle issues such as domestic violence and age discrimination - and takes her first selfie Continue reading...

PS4 and Xbox One have been great, says Twitch TV co-founder Emmett Shear – but the future is more likely to be about set-top boxesThe PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are likely to be the last dedicated games consoles as we know them, according to the boss of Twitch TV.Speaking to the Guardian at the Changing Media Summit in London, Emmett Shear predicted that the long life cycles of the machines is at odds with the rest of the consumer technology industry. Continue reading...

Worried that you might get compromised by hackers? The bad news is that the rest of the internet might know before you doAccording to the UK Government’s 2014 cybersecurity survey, 81% of large businesses have suffered malicious data breaches. That suggests almost one in five didn’t. But how can those companies be sure?Working out whether you’ve been hacked by cybercriminals is like leaving your diary in your bag while you visit the bathroom. When you get back, everything might still be in your bag, but you can’t be certain that no one sneaked a peek. Continue reading...

PS3, PS Vita, cert: 12 Continue reading...

Xbox One, PC, Microsoft, cert: 7 Continue reading...

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Wii U, Nintendo, cert: 3 Continue reading...

TumblrInAction, TheRedPill and BlackPeopleTwitter seemingly welcome bigoted comments, according to analysis by Ibidon’s Ben BellWith its decentralised structure, community moderation, and hands-off management, it’s hard to generalise about the social network Reddit. The site is built of thousands of ‘subreddits’ - user-created forums with a focus on specific topics such as the video game Destiny, fitness, a love of maps, or even just drugs.But each subreddit has different norms, rules and tone, which can make navigating the site an exercise in frustration and nasty surprises. It takes a while to develop a feeling for any particular sub, by which point a hostile community may already have ruined your day.Related: Reddit: can anyone clean up the mess behind 'the front page of the internet'? Continue reading...

Imperial College London will open Dyson School of Design Engineering, teaching four year MEng course, in October 2015A £12m donation by Sir James Dyson to Imperial College London has been announced for the launch of a new Dyson school for engineering, which will open its doors later this year.

What can you learn from talks about slavery, justice, space travel and 3D-printed robots? Lindy West joins the activists, dreamers and mysterious billionaires at this year’s TED conference in Vancouver

Our pick of the best tablet and smartphone tools to enable you to make video, music, art and more Continue reading...

The speed with which a London publisher reacted when one of its authors became the Greek finance minister tells us a lot about the power of digital technology Continue reading...

House Judiciary Committee turns to animated images of Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Stone and the Little Mermaid for help making its case Continue reading...

In the dotcom boom, $1bn was a number to conjure with. Now many startups are valued at 10 times that, long before achieving flotation – or even profit Continue reading...

PS4, Xbox One, PC; Rebellion; £24.99-£29.99 Continue reading...

Available from July, £99.99 Continue reading...

Co-founder Jack Dorsey wrote the first ever tweet nine years ago today. Celebrate its birthday with some of the biggest posts from its history Continue reading...

‘For what earthly purpose would anyone need this elevated carriage, this wide and stately aspect, to tootle about between postcodes?’ Continue reading...

Increasingly, computer games are being used to treat conditions from autism to Parkinson's disease Continue reading...

Adam Sandler action comedy delivers a surprising 34.3m trailer views in one day, according to Sony Continue reading...

Former White House intern calls herself ‘patient zero’ of cyberbullying culture in reference to first major scandal in 90s that attracted online global attention Continue reading...

Google-backed technology firm pulls out of TED conference talk but shares video of robot-blasting ‘game we’re playing around the office right now’ Continue reading...

Guilt and remorse are near-universal human emotions, but their role in narrative games is minimal. Isn’t it time this changed?Out, damn’d spot! Out, I say! One; two: why, then‘tis time to do’t. Hell is murky. Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier, andLady Macbeth was a gamer. She saw in the feudal chaos of Glamis and its environs a chance to play the system and win. Her mission objective was to eliminate King Duncan and take his power, and with her husband she succeeded. But this game of thrones hid from her a terrible mechanic. Guilt.

Star Walk 2, Tinkerplay, Five Nights at Freddy’s 3, Stick Cricket 2, Swipes, Connect, Frozen Synapse Prime and more Continue reading...

An investigation in 2013 accused the company of illegal practices against rivals – but the ‘speculation turned out to be entirely wrong,’ says Google Continue reading...

Deadline for applications extended and farmers told to revert to traditional paper forms after glitches with switchover to online-only system

With an all-aluminium body, powerful processor and 12-hour-plus battery life the Pixel is the best Chromebook going, but at a priceThe Chromebook Pixel is Google’s vision of what a computer should be like – with a high-resolution screen, excellent battery life and solid aluminium body, with apps and data stored in the cloud.But the Pixel is a contradiction – at £799 it’s an expensive machine that uses an operating system designed for cheap computers.Pros: fast, aluminium body, fantastic high resolution screen, 12+ hours battery, USB C, zero maintenance requiredCons: Chrome OS still limited for some things, three to four times the price of other Chromebooks, very little local storage Continue reading...

Nokia HERE, Google Calendar, Stick Cricket 2, Snow White by Nosy Crow, Enlight, Angry Birds Stella POP!, Epic War TD 2 and moreYes, it’s back. The weekly roundups of iOS and Android apps went on hiatus at the end of 2014 in favour of monthly collections.However, after a number of comments on app-related articles asking for the weekly rundowns to come back, it’s clear there’s still a demand. So, this column is getting back in the saddle for both platforms.Related: The best iPhone apps of 2014Related: The best iPad apps of 2014Related: The best iPhone and iPad games of 2014 Continue reading...

The place to talk about games and other things that matterFriday! Don’t look directly at the sun! Continue reading...

Ex-footballer’s lawyer condemns MGN’s refusal to question his client, and accuses defence of only calling him in the hope he would fail to attend Continue reading...

Company set to compete with 18-carat gold version of Apple Watch by launching device using Google’s operating system in time for Christmas rush

Cheeky marketing wheeze from 3D printing company CEL pays homage to currently-suspended Top Gear presenterIf you had 19 March in the “When will someone respond to Jeremy Clarkson’s latest controversy by turning his head into a 3D-printable part for Hungry Hippos?” sweepstakes, this is very much your lucky day.3D printing firm CEL has found one of the more inventive ways to capitalise on the TV presenter’s suspension from Top Gear for marketing purposes, releasing a 3D-printable version of Clarkson’s head.Related: Robox inventor hopes 3D printing will help everybody become a maker Continue reading...

Individuals affected by the breach – which exposed details of up to 40m credit and debit card accounts – could get up to a maximum of $10,000, proposal says Continue reading...

The rise and rise of an animated nursery rhymes channel whose most popular video has been watched more times than Frozen’s Let It Go“The other day, I got an alert saying our Wheels on the Bus compilation was 63rd on YouTube’s all-time chart. I had a look, and number 64 was the theme tune from Frozen.”Derek Holder, who runs the Little Baby Bum YouTube channel with his wife, sounds both amused and baffled as he tells the Guardian about its startling growth. But he’s absolutely right.Related: YouTube's top 100 channels have more than doubled their views in a yearRelated: YouTube Kids app launches in the US for Android and iOSRelated: YouTube, apps and Minecraft: digital kids and the future of children’s media Continue reading...