Britain’s second-biggest force to undergo radical changes such as move to ‘digital policing’, owing to budget cuts and rise in domestic and online crime Continue reading...

The report, titled Americans’ privacy strategies post-Snowden, shows that US citizens are more aware of potential government spying into their lives Continue reading...

Live streaming apps’ founder, Ben Rubin, says he has no hard feelings towards the social network despite it blocking access to its social graphDespite being blocked by Twitter from accessing its social graph, the founder of live-streaming service Meerkat, Ben Rubin, says he has no hard feelings towards the social network, and plans to forge ahead with or without them, calling the lockdown “just a speed bump”.Meerkat integrates closely with Twitter, automatically announcing that a users’ stream is beginning by sending a tweet. It also streamlines account creation by letting new users sign in with the social network. But on Friday, the network blocked Meerkat’s access to its social graph, the data which shows who follows who on Twitter. Continue reading...

US firm acquires fellow fan-funding startup Subbable and reveals it has nearly 250,000 ‘patrons’ supporting its creators Continue reading...

Company rolls out new ‘on-demand’ phone-integrated password service at SXSW festival, and nods to future encryption servicePasswords: easily forgotten, but also easily guessed. It’s a bitter irony that minutes can be spent racking brains trying to remember whether a required security question answer is a pet’s name, first school or place of birth – meanwhile a cyber-criminal is merrily typing in a person’s favourite colour and relieving bank accounts of hard-earned wages.Well, now Yahoo might have made the process easier – at least when it comes to accessing email.1) Sign in to your Yahoo.com account.2) Click on your name at the top right corner to go to your account information page. Continue reading...

Film showing Apple co-founder as modern-day Citizen Kane causes unusual outburst from company’s upper ranks

Culture ministry says those posting selfies featuring partially-exposed breasts could face up to five years in jail Continue reading...

Out of the hundreds of brilliant, idiosyncratic games shown off at this year’s festival, here are the ones we couldn’t leave aloneThis year’s Rezzed festival presented a vast cornucopia of PC, Xbox and smartphone titles over a packed weekend at London’s Tobacco Dock venue. Hundreds of interesting, offbeat indie titles vied for attention, but here are the treasures that really held our gaze.Convoy (Convoy Games) Continue reading...

Hyperactivity disorders are now the second most diagnosed childhood conditions in the US behind asthma, with 20% of college students suffferingThe internet might make you feel hyperactive, but do you really have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder?Michael Pietrus PsyD, coordinator of the ADHD assessment protocol at the University of Chicago, explains how the internet encourages behaviour that at least mimics ADHD, and can exacerbate the condition in people who have it already. Continue reading...

With more than 4.7m players, all-ages games creation community is focused on growth: ‘Our developers range from eight to 80...’“Some of our top developers are starting to get about a quarter of a million dollars a year. They’re treating it literally as a career, and starting to hire their friends…”David Baszucki is the chief executive of Roblox, the all-ages gaming community whose rise has been lower-profile than that of Minecraft, but just as interesting. Continue reading...

Patrick Walker, boss of multi-platform network Rightster, sees potential on Facebook, Vessel, Snapchat and other platforms – if creators are careful Continue reading...

China’s 115 million upper middle class women are driving ecommerce and social media in China, outspending their US equivalents by double on the biggest shopping days of the year Continue reading...

Meet DAR-1. He might not look like much, but robots like him are showing startling new ways that humans can interact with machinesIn still pictures, DAR–1 (pronounced ‘Darwin’) doesn’t look like the kind of robot that might encourage empathy.The machine’s six spindly legs lend it an uncanny arachnoid appearance, and with no case for modesty’s sake, the exposed circuitry doesn’t hide its electrical heart. Continue reading...

App-users at the SXSW festival in Austin have been unwittingly mimicking the plot of Alex Garland’s new film, by finding themselves quizzed by a gorgeous robot-in-disguise Continue reading...

Social network’s updated guidelines also cover self-harm, bullying and harassment, violence and graphic contentFacebook has updated its community standards guidelines to provide “more detail and clarity” on the content it allows or bans on its service.The social network stressed in a blog post that its policies are not changing, but that “we have heard from people that it would be helpful to provide more clarity and examples”.“When this is the case, we expect people to clearly indicate their purpose, which helps us better understand why they shared that content.We allow humour, satire or social commentary related to these topics, but we may ask Page owners to associate their name and Profile with any content that is insensitive, even if that content does not violate our policies.”“We remove photographs of people displaying genitals or focusing in on fully exposed buttocks. We also restrict some images of female breasts if they include the nipple, but we always allow photos of women actively engaged in breastfeeding or showing breasts with post-mastectomy scarring. We also allow photographs of paintings, sculptures and other art that depicts nude figures.”“We also remove content that expresses support for groups that are involved in the violent, criminal or hateful behaviour mentioned above. Supporting or praising leaders of those same organisations, or condoning their violent activities, is not allowed.” Continue reading...

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

PS4, Xbox One, 2K Games, cert: 16 Continue reading...

Xbox One, Xbox 360, Frontier, cert: 12

Over the past 20 years, data analysis has become one of the primary factors for success in sport. We look at ten of the greatest sporting triumphs to date, made possible through the use of data analysis

Over the past 20 years, data analysis has become one of the primary factors for success in sport. We look at ten of the greatest sporting triumphs to date, made possible through the use of data analysis

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

The American architect’s pioneering design principles are influencing a new generation of digital designers are reinterpreting his work for the mobile era Continue reading...

David Chang, the founder of the Momofuku chain, lays the blame for worldwide gastronomical monoculture squarely at the internet’s feetThere’s many things the internet can be blamed for, from revenge porn to Grumpy Cat, but celebrity chef David Chang has added a new item to the list.“Everything tastes the same,” he says, “and it’s the internet’s fault.” Continue reading...

The author’s manifesto for creator-owned comics shook up that industry, and now he has set his sights on TV Continue reading...

On-demand apps promise to meet all your needs. Rhik Samadder accesses the world under his thumb – and meets the real people behind the service economy Continue reading...

Jack Cator was 16 when he started a website that allows users internet anonymity. Nine years on, HideMyAss! is a multi-million-pound global business Continue reading...

Suzuki’s tough little Jimny can cope with the roughest of conditions. Just don’t drive it on the road… Continue reading...

The hectic, eclectic Texas arts festival gets busier every year – and it’s one of the best places in the world to get a preview of the future Continue reading...

Meerkat has taken the internet by storm since it launched two weeks ago. The Guardian tracked 'Mr Meerkat' - aka Ben Rubin, the founder and chief executive of the app – down to the San Francisco basement where his team of 11 people built Meerkat in just eight weeks. It's now expected to be 'the app of the SXSW festival'. In an interview streamed live on Meerkat on Thursday 12 March, Rubin told us what it was like to watch his app go viral Continue reading...

Ben Rubin’s mobile video service, which lets Twitter users take their viewers with them, has been the talk of Silicon Valley as investment offers pour in Continue reading...

Despite service being very slow, Cubans flock to cultural centre in Havana and welcome a rare source of open-access internet service Continue reading...

‘Something has gone very right with the cabin design – you can drive for hours without needing a break’ Continue reading...

Wisconsin law says those aged 10 and older must be charged as adults for severe crimes, but an appeal to move case to juvenile court is possible Continue reading...

With the rumour mill working overtime, we sort the wheat from the chaff about Episode VIII and the first Star Wars spin-off film, Rogue One Continue reading...

Reddit interim CEO’s $16m lawsuit exposes pervasive sexism that hinders promotion of women in technology and venture capital, reporters say Continue reading...

Paduan engineer predicts ‘high-quality vending machines’ using fresh products will become ubiquitous – but traditionalists are dismissive even before unveiling Continue reading...

Civilisation creator’s latest focuses on building starships and conquering the galaxy, and is perfectly tuned for lapsed gamers who loved his earlier work Continue reading...

Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to the App Store the famous fairytale goes, with the latest app from a children’s publisher that prioritises reading over digital gimmicks Continue reading...

Wii U & 3DS; Nintendo; £TBA Continue reading...

Why the gold Apple Watch costs $10,000, the US president reads fan mail on Jimmy Kimmel and a horse’s tale from a south London charity Continue reading...

New biography of the late Apple co-founder reveals closeness of the relationship between him and his successorSteve Jobs rejected an offer of a liver transplant from Tim Cook in 2009, a new biography of the late Apple co-founder reveals.Despite becoming increasingly ill from cancer, Jobs angrily turned down the proposal by the man who would go on to run Apple after he died.His relationship with Iger had become so strong that Steve had wanted Iger to join the Apple board, which Iger couldn’t do for fiduciary reasons. In fact, because of their friendship, Iger also turned down an invitation from Sergey Brin, Larry Page, and Eric Schmidt to be on Google’s board. “He told me he’d get jealous,” says Iger. Continue reading...

Minority shareholders in Sweden’s Aspiro accept £36m offer as competition in the streaming market intensifiesJay-Z has won control of a Swedish music streaming company after more than 90% of shareholders accepted the star’s $54m (£36m) offer.A spokesman for Project Panther Bidco, a company controlled by the 45-year-old rapper, said on Friday that all the conditions for completing the acquisition of Aspiro had now been met.Related: Tidal takes on Spotify with lossless-quality streaming music Continue reading...

Campaigners call for ban on Mattel doll that uses voice-recognition technology to respond to children’s questions – and send recordings to third partiesA “smart” Barbie doll that can have “conversations” with children should not go on sale, privacy advocates have said.Billed as the world’s first “interactive doll”, the toy uses voice recognition technology similar to that employed by Apple’s Siri and Google’s Now digital assistants to understand what a child is saying to Barbie and respond.Related: Samsung rejects concern over 'Orwellian' privacy policy Continue reading...

Electronic wristbands use customers’ heartbeats to verify their identities and could mean the end of passwords and pin codes Continue reading...

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Bungie’s first-person shooter took best game, but the night belonged to smaller studios such as Ustwo, creators of smartphone puzzler Monument ValleyActivision’s online sci-fi shooter Destiny picked up best game at the Bafta video game awards on Thursday night, while The Last of Us: Left Behind triumphed in the Story and Performance categories.However, it was very much an a night for the smaller games studios.

iiNet board backs bid from rival, which would make TPG Australia’s second biggest internet provider behind Telstra

Fitbit’s latest fitness-tracking watch has constant heart rate monitoring, GPS and can count stair climbs, but is let down by data analysisThe Fitbit Surge is a top of the range “fitness superwatch”, with constant heart rate tracking and GPS but does it really deserve that self-proclaimed “super” prefix?The premium wrist-worn fitness tracker from Fitbit, one of the first companies to make a smartphone-connected device, the Surge claims to be able to do it all, and with a battery that lasts for days.Related: The future of wearable technology is not wearables – it's analysing the dataPros: solid battery life, constant heart rate monitoring, altimeter, accurate step tracking, easy to read screenCons: occasional syncing issues, poor data analysis, erratic heart rate during run, chunky, poor sleep tracking Continue reading...