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by Adam Gabbatt in New York on (#4BZM)
We test an app that lets you live stream video (or ‘Meerkat’) by tweeting out a link to your followers, who you can then say hello to Continue reading...
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Technology | The Guardian
| Link | https://www.theguardian.com/us/technology |
| Feed | http://feeds.theguardian.com/theguardian/technology/rss |
| Copyright | Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2025 |
| Updated | 2025-06-18 17:15 |
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by Juliette Garside on (#4BYH)
While the US voted to protect open internet, European ministers are accused of pushing to ‘permit every imaginable breach of net neutrality’ Continue reading...
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by Rory Carroll and Mae Ryan in San Francisco on (#4BQV)
The home-rental service is valued at $10bn, but near its headquarters homeless people survive in ways similar to the billionaire neighbour Continue reading...
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by Jack Schofield on (#4BGP)
Several readers found their internet radios stopped playing BBC stations last month. Jack Schofield explains the problemWhere we live we have very poor medium wave and FM radio reception, and the DAB signal is hopeless, so we bought a DTech internet radio to listen via online streaming. Sadly, the BBC has dropped support for the formats our device uses (WMA and AAC), and other internet radios seem to be in a similar situation. Help! Which internet radios still receive BBC radio under the new arrangements? SteveI live in the Philippines and rely on BBC Radio to keep in touch, but my favourite stations are no longer available as they have changed some stuff. I still get Radio Scotland on my Samsung GT-S5360 phone. What do I need to do to receive the new BBC Radio? John Continue reading...
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by Keith Stuart on (#4BDV)
Publisher Electronic Arts has shut down its legendary studio, famed for the long-running Sim series of titles. Here is why it will be missed
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by Alex Hern on (#4B4N)
As streaming service teams up with Australian ISP for preferential treatment, it’s forced to clarify US executive’s comments on broadband caps
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by Ben Child on (#4B3C)
Writer/director claims superhero-juggling blockbuster Avengers: Age of Ultron is ‘as tough as anything I’ve ever done’ Continue reading...
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by Samuel Gibbs on (#4B2E)
Reports indicate larger 12.9in iPad could be released in second half of 2015 with new USB ports aimed at business usersApple’s rumoured “iPad Pro†has reportedly been delayed by production issues surrounding its bigger screen.The 12.9in business-focused iPad will begin production in the second half of the year, reports from Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal state. Continue reading...
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by Guardian readers on (#4AX1)
Millions of people all over the world play video games: we’d like to hear your stories about how they’ve changed your lifeVideo games are often labelled as just another hobby, but often, they can be much, much more.Our games writer Keith Stuart spoke in depth about the positive influence Minecraft has had on his son, who was diagnosed with autism. For him, its creator Markus “Notch†Persson helped give his son a voice:But most important was the way in which, after talking to each other while playing, they came to talk to us. Zac never really tells us much about what he does at school; his short-term memory isn’t great and a lot of it doesn’t seem to filter through. Or perhaps he doesn’t want us to worry. We know he doesn’t play with other children at break times or lunch, he sits by himself – the other kids grew tired of the fact that he couldn’t deal with team games. But he talks to us about Minecraft. He talks and talks. We were getting bored of it, to be brutally honest, but then my wife read an article that said if you listen to your children when they’re young, they’ll tell you more when they’re older. It’s sort of an investment of care. So we always listen, even though we don’t really get what the ender dragon is, or why it matters. Continue reading...
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by Keith Stuart on (#4AVB)
Epic space trading sim will journey to Microsoft’s console this summer, in comparable form to PC versionElite: Dangerous is coming to Xbox One as a timed console exclusive, Microsoft has announced. The ambitious space trading game, a sequel to the classic BBC Micro title from 1984, was released on PC last December. In an announcement at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco on Wednesday, Xbox chief Phil Spencer said that the new version would be released this summer.Featuring a vast universe with 400bn star systems, some realistically mapped from our own galaxy, Elite Dangerous is a massively-multiplayer open-ended simulation where players are free to explore, trade and engage in battles. The project was partially funded through a Kickstarter campaign in 2012 which raised over £1.5m. The Xbox One version will apparently include all of the add-on material that has been released for the PC version since its launch.Related: Elite: Dangerous review – vast, beautiful and intimidating@smallfaraway_ Sure. Mac of course, then down the line we will support more, including PS4. The XB1 is a timed exclusive. Continue reading...
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by Keith Stuart on (#4ARP)
The place to talk about games and other things that matterIt is definitely Thursday. Sorry about yesterday. Crazy day. Continue reading...
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by Stef Lewandowski on (#4AN6)
Our young reviewers try the the Raspberry Pi 2, the Kano, the MakeyMakey and more
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by Will Freeman on (#4AM2)
Director explains what his expertise can bring to games, where animators and developers lack the skills to deal with actors Continue reading...
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by Jemima Kiss on (#4AM4)
An alternative to the internet as shopping mall is emerging – a place where creative assets can be redistributed for non-commercial useA cynic might say that we have the internet we deserve. We were promised a democratic platform for change, for equality, for collaboration, yet are faced with a reality of weary cynicism, as author Charles Leadbeater wrote last summer, and an assumption that we cannot trust any organisation with our personal data.We were told of flourishing startups and opportunities for all, yet the internet has amplified global inequalities, says Andrew Keen, a writer on the internet revolution, using the parlance of openness and opportunity to create an industry of disproportionately wealthy entrepreneurs. Continue reading...
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by Samuel Gibbs on (#4AH9)
Lords demand a national, online database recording all drone operators and flightsA database of civilian drones being flown in the UK should be created to enforce their safe operation, a House of Lords report has recommended.The database would log any civilian drone and their pilots and allow police greater powers to enforce flight rules, capturing rogue drones and being able to identify law breakers.Related: Parrot Bebop drone review: bird's eye video without a sky-high price Continue reading...
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by Frances Perraudin on (#4A4M)
Drones have huge potential for growth and could create 150,000 jobs in the EU by 2050 – but there are serious concerns about safety
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by Dominic Rushe in New York on (#49XD)
Apple TV streaming service is set to be partner in the launch of HBO Now next month bringing premium shows to viewers without a cable subscriptionApple is reportedly in talks with HBO to bring Game of Thrones and the premium cable service’s other hit shows to its new online service.Related: Are you paying too much for cable and internet? Continue reading...
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by Juliette Garside on (#49HK)
Demand from China helps US tech firm shift 74.8m units in last quarter of 2014, 1.8m more than South Korean rivalApple has officially overtaken Samsung as the world’s biggest smartphone maker, selling more phones in the Christmas quarter than any other brand thanks to rising demand in China.The US company sold 74.8m smartphones, just ahead of Samsung’s 73m units, analysis firm Gartner said. Continue reading...
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by Lauren Gambino in New York on (#49HM)
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by Presented by Aleks Krotoski with Samuel Gibbs, Jul on (#494B)
The tech team discuss this year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona as the event grows in size and scope Continue reading...
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by Monkey on (#494D)
Youth media company faces barrage of criticism on Twitter after it mistakenly posts ad offering pay of £109 – or $127 – a week
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by Samuel Gibbs on (#494F)
The social network is forcing Tor users and serial trolls to register their mobile phone numbers – but that won’t stop dedicated abusers, and may expose anonymous users in repressive regimesTwitter has started forcing users of the Tor anonymity network – along with serial trolls – to register their phone numbers, in order to stop abuse.Users given short-term suspensions for abuse will be required to register their phone number with Twitter, a step that is currently optional, so the company can track trolls and block them from creating multiple accounts. Continue reading...
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by Alison Flood on (#494G)
Paying tribute to his genius at the annual Douglas Adams lecture, writer explains how meeting the Hitchhiker’s Guide author at 22 changed his life Continue reading...
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by Samuel Gibbs on (#48T0)
Chinese smartphone manufacturer dubbed ‘China’s Apple’ enters European market with headphones, fitness bands and battery packsChinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi is taking its first step into Europe by opening an online store this year, the company has announced.
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by Stuart Dredge on (#48P0)
Developer Hipster Whale’s co-founder tells GDC conference that he’s ‘happily surprised’ at return from 50m downloads of freemium gameMobile game Crossy Road has made $10m in just over three months since its launch in November 2014, including $3m from in-game video advertisements.Developer Hipster Whale revealed the revenues figure in a presentation at the GDC conference in San Francisco, during which co-founders Matt Hall and Andy Sum also said that the game has been downloaded more than 50m times so far.Related: The best apps of 2014 for Android, iPhone and iPad Continue reading...
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by Simon Parkin on (#48P2)
Veteran PC graphics manufacturer promises video-on-demand streaming at 4K resolution and access to the Android app storeNvidia, a major manufacturer of PC graphics technologies, will enter the home console market this summer with the launch of its Android-based entertainment system, Shield.Part set-top box, part video-game machine, the device will be able to stream movies and television programmes on demand, as well as playing games. Nvidia claims that the Shield, which has been in development for five years, will be the first device able to stream video in 4K resolution – a feature that neither that the Xbox One nor PlayStation 4 offer.Related: Which is the best streaming media box? Continue reading...
by Keith Stuart on (#48MJ)
A new interview with Markus ‘Notch’ Persson paints the multimillionaire creator of the Lego-like blockbuster as a playboy-slacker, but I don’t careThe billionaire creator of Minecraft has a $70m mansion in Beverly Hills complete with iPad-controlled fountains and a 16-car garage. He wastes his days making silly jokes in an empty “office†and his nights burning through hundreds of thousands of dollars in Las Vegas casinos. He doesn’t need to create anymore; he could spend the rest of his life throwing handfuls of cash off his balcony into the balmy LA night. He may sound like a self-indulgent one-hit wonder, but Markus “Notch†Persson is a hero of mine. Persson helped give my son a voice.A new Forbes interview with the coder-turned-playboy-slacker, paints Sweden’s most famous export since Abba in a weird light. For several years, Persson worked on Minecraft with a small team and no budget. It was just another creative sandbox game, a tiny indie project that not many people knew or cared about. But by the time it officially launched in November 2011, it had a large dedicated community of fans. This was a game that put you in a vast blocky world and let you do what you wanted, build what you wanted, and play how you wanted. Word kept spreading.Related: Minecraft at 33 million users – a personal story Continue reading...
by Simon Parkin on (#48KR)
PlayStation manufacturer claims its updated VR technology will ‘push the boundaries of play’Morpheus, Sony’s virtual reality headset for PlayStation 4 will launch in early 2016, Shuhei Yoshida, president of Sony’s Worldwide Studios has announced.The company revealed an updated version of its device, which encases the wearer’s eyes to give the sense of having bodily entered the environment rendered on its visor-like screen.Related: HTC and Valve take on Oculus Rift with Vive virtual reality headsetRelated: Sony's Project Morpheus brings virtual reality to mainstream console gaming Continue reading...
by Associated Press on (#4870)
Technology giants hurrying to fix a longstanding security flaw caused by US companies being forced to sell weakened encryption software to overseas customers
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by Stuart Dredge on (#48GX)
Musician has 1,400 backers 14 hours after launching her profile, including two who’ll pay $1,000 every time she releases a new song, video or piece of writingEvery time US musician Amanda Palmer releases a new song, video or long-form piece of writing, she’ll earn more than a total of $13,000 from her 1,400 backers on crowdfunding site Patreon, making her one of the site’s most popular creators.It took just over 14 hours for the musician to reach that figure after launching her profile on the US-based site, with her fans pledging to pay an average of $9.28 each whenever she releases a new piece of content to her “patron-only†feed.Related: Amanda Palmer is crowdfunding again, but this time on Patreon Continue reading...
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by Stuart Dredge on (#48E6)
Device can detect when it’s being dropped, bounced, kicked and shaken, with 6-10 year-old children coding games on its companion iPad app“Kids should be outside kicking balls around, not inside staring at more screens!†is a regular complaint about children’s apps. But what if they’re outside kicking a ball around that they’ve programmed using an iPad app?That’s the pitch for Hackaball, a project trying to raise $100k on crowdfunding site Kickstarter. Described as “a programmable ball for active and creative playâ€, it has already raised more than $12k towards its goal.Related: 'Great big poo balls!' What it's like making a Kano computer with your kids Continue reading...
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by Jana Kasperkevic on (#482S)
Visitors can still take selfies but must ‘leave the sticks in their bags’ in line with similar policies at other museums and galleries Continue reading...
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by Guardian Staff on (#481E)
The press preview shows the latest offerings from car manufacturers. The motor show will open to the public from 5 March to 15 March
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by Juliette Garside in Barcelona on (#47MC)
Tom Wheeler tells the world’s largest telecoms trade show ‘there needs to be a referee’ even as European officials propose fast lanes that don’t impair trafficThe US’s top media regulator hit back at critics of new net neutrality rules voted into law last week, comparing them to the first amendment and saying neither government nor private companies had the right to restrict the openness of the internet.The Federal Communications Commission chairman, Tom Wheeler, was speaking in Barcelona at Mobile World Congress, the world’s largest telecoms trade show, just as European governments are meeting to thrash out their own principles for keeping the internet open.
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by Homa Khaleeli on (#47EX)
A new French law demands that manufacturers display how long their appliances will last. Could this stop planned obsolescence – products designed with restricted lifetimes?It is news that will cheer anyone who has struggled to get a vacuum cleaner, fridge or TV repaired only to be told it’s probably cheaper to buy a new one. A new government decree in France is forcing manufacturers to tell consumers how long their appliances will last. French companies will also have to inform consumers how long spare parts for the product will be available, or risk a fine of up to €15,000 (£11,000).And if this wasn’t enough, from next year faulty products – whether it’s mobile phones to washing machines – will have to be repaired or replaced for free within two years of being purchased. Continue reading...
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by Reuters in San Francisco on (#47B3)
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by Juliette Garside in Barcelona on (#47H6)
Around 2,000 companies have flocked to Barcelona to show off their new wares, from iris-recognition phones to sat navs for cyclists or furniture that charges your deviceWearables of every shape and size have littered the exhibition halls at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this year, where 2,000 companies have gathered to show off their wares to a forecast record 90,000-plus visitors this week.Apple traditionally stays away from the event, giving rivals a chance to get noticed, although the iPhone maker is set to unveil its digital watch on Monday. HTC, Huawei, Samsung and LG have all rushed to release their own wrist-based screens.
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by Stuart Dredge on (#477R)
Musician famously raised $1.2m on Kickstarter for last album, but is now seeking ‘constant communication’ with her fans on another site Continue reading...
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by Benjamin Lee on (#475K)
True Detective director Cary Fukunaga’s latest film gives streaming platform their biggest title yet Continue reading...
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by Carmen Fishwick on (#474E)
What happens when a baby weasel is photographed riding a woodpecker? The internet goes crazy. Here are five of the best memes
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by Rupert Neate in New York on (#4701)
Company that sparked protests in the UK after founder’s comments about cyclist deaths will vie with Uber for control of New York City’s $3.4bn taxi market Continue reading...
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by Nicole Kobie on (#46W2)
Privacy International is battling to force GCHQ to delete information that has been collected illegally – but could we all be doing more in the battle for our data?Government agencies and companies across the world hold large amounts of data on each and every one of us. From profiles of your favourite movies to where you ate out last night, this vast mountain of data is a representation of you that you can do little about.But is that strictly true? Can you find out what GCHQ, Facebook or Google hold on you? And can you get it removed? Continue reading...
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by Alex Hern on (#46QJ)
The multiplayer role-playing game is launching the ‘WoW Token’, which could make paid subscription a thing of the pastWorld of Warcraft is set to launch real-money transactions and the ability to play without paying for a subscription, as developers Blizzard move to position the game against free-to-play competitors.The company is introducing “WoW tokensâ€, which can be bought from other players for in-game gold, or from Blizzard for real money, and exchanged for 30 days of game time. That currently costs £9.99 on Blizzard’s Battle.net store, although it drops to £8.69 if bought in bulk. The changes mean players can for the first time buy in-game gold from Blizzard indirectly . Continue reading...
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by Samuel Gibbs on (#46NM)
Search company pushes plans to launch a fleet of high-altitude atmospheric satellites to provide internet accessGoogle will be conducting test flights of its first drones this year after purchasing unmanned aerial vehicle manufacturer Titan Aerospace.The drones will be used as atmospheric satellites, part of Google’s plan to provide internet access to areas without ground-based access and the four billion people currently without access, its senior vice president of product, Sundar Pichai, revealed during Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Continue reading...
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by Joe Donnelly on (#46MQ)
The onset of hair loss was devastating to writer Joe Donnelly – until a game called Dark Souls arrived and changed his perspective“Screw you, you baldy bastard,†cried the man I’d spent the last 15 minutes alongside, slaughtering Russian mobsters and seizing bag-loads of drugs. We were at the end of a Grand Theft Auto IV online mission and things had gone wrong; somehow, I was getting the blame, despite the fact that he was the one who nearly blew the plan by leaving me behind at the helipad. Nonetheless, a belligerent grenade, tossed at me in spite, marked the end of our contemptuous partnership. It was his words however, not the explosion, that cut deepest.He couldn’t have known it of course – we spoke over headsets, and his remark was aimed at my onscreen character and not at me – but I was going through the early stages of male pattern baldness and the associated dawning denial that accompanies the ordeal. Continue reading...
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by Alex Hern on (#46G2)
Californian information security firm Proofpoint uncovers attack on Brazilian internet users with generic router login details such as ‘admin’Internet users are being warned to ensure that their routers have unique passwords, after email spammers have been spotted sending phishing links, which try to hijack the devices using default passwords, in order to harvest personal information from their victims.The phishing emails attempt to trick the user into clicking a carefully crafted link, which will log the spammer into a home router if it’s set up with the default security settings and a known password. From there, the spammer can eavesdrop on communications by altering the router’s settings to pass all traffic through their owner servers. Continue reading...
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by Tim Craig and Shaiq Hussain for the Washington Pos on (#46A2)
Government launches mass drive to gather biometric data from mobile owners in attempt to combat terrorism Continue reading...
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by Samuel Gibbs on (#45ZD)
Pursuit of premium design and slender profile have come at the cost of losing what made the company’s smartphones interesting and different
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by Keith Stuart on (#466E)
The place to talk about games and other things that matterIt’s Tuesday! Continue reading...
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by Sumit Dagar on (#4656)
There is a gulf between those who have tech and those who don’t. We need a technological revolution to empower the disadvantaged, argues Sumit Dagar Continue reading...