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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...

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...

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...

The place to talk about games and other things that matterIt is definitely Thursday. Sorry about yesterday. Crazy day. Continue reading...

Our young reviewers try the the Raspberry Pi 2, the Kano, the MakeyMakey and more

Director explains what his expertise can bring to games, where animators and developers lack the skills to deal with actors Continue reading...

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...

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...

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...

The tech team discuss this year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona as the event grows in size and scope Continue reading...

Youth media company faces barrage of criticism on Twitter after it mistakenly posts ad offering pay of £109 – or $127 – a week

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...

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.

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...

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...

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 play”, 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...

The press preview shows the latest offerings from car manufacturers. The motor show will open to the public from 5 March to 15 March

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.

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...

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.

Musician famously raised $1.2m on Kickstarter for last album, but is now seeking ‘constant communication’ with her fans on another site Continue reading...

True Detective director Cary Fukunaga’s latest film gives streaming platform their biggest title yet Continue reading...

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...

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...

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 tokens”, 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...

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...

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...

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...

Government launches mass drive to gather biometric data from mobile owners in attempt to combat terrorism Continue reading...

Pursuit of premium design and slender profile have come at the cost of losing what made the company’s smartphones interesting and different

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

The London arts institution has been touring its groundbreaking video game exhibition for 12 years. Now it’s heading back to the UK with some bold new ideasIn 1998, one of the co-founders of Rockstar, the studio behind the blockbusting Grand Theft Auto series, was chatting with the director of the National Museums of Scotland when he suggested something relatively new: an exhibition of video games. The scale and the complexity of the task looked daunting though, so the duo – Rockstar’s Lucien King, and Sir Mark Jones, now master at St Cross College, Oxford – sought help. The Barbican answered.The result was the 2002 exhibition Game On, which packed the Barbican’s gallery with hundreds of vintage arcade machines and computers. I wrote about it at the time, inspired by King’s enthusiasm; and when I visited just after opening it was astonishing to see artefacts like an old PDP-10 mainframe and the original Pong cabinet. This wasn’t the first example of a major cultural space embracing games. The American Museum of the Moving Image began its Hot Circuits: A Video Arcade exhibition in 1989 and toured it around the US for the next five years. Japan also saw a number of exhibitions through the 1990s. But 13 years ago, it was certainly rare – especially for a general arts venue like the Barbican. The organisers were far from sure about how it would go. Continue reading...

A virtual reality experience is touring America to put viewers in the middle of the action. Is it a gimmick, or the shape of things to come? Continue reading...

Service will work as a mobile payment system for third-party developers, allowing users to pay for goods and services using an Android smartphoneGoogle has announced a rival mobile payment service to Samsung Pay and Apple Pay called Android Pay. The new service will allow users to pay contactlessly for goods and services using their Android smartphone. Each transaction will generate a single-use “token”, which is sent to the receiving device to secure against fraud.Android Pay will use near-field communication (NFC) initially, but will be able to take advantage of biometric devices such as fingerprint scanners at a later date. Credit card data will be stored locally so that payments can be conducted without a data connection on the smartphone. Continue reading...

Younger users get a bargain on the dating app, saving over £10 a month compared with over-28s Continue reading...

Subscribers to Nova will be able to switch seamlessly between mobile phone and Wi-Fi signals, and between masts of competing networks

Thought there was something missing from Apple’s diversified emojis? So did the person who started a petition to get auburn-haired characters addedRedheads with iPhones rejoice: there is now a petition to get Apple to add characters with red hair.Last week, Apple released a beta update to its operating system to include characters with five shades of skin and same-sex relationship emojis. At the time, the Guardian asked when redheads would be given an emoji presence – and now there is a petition urging Apple to do just that.Thanks to all who have signed the petition for #redhead emoji! It only takes a minute: https://t.co/LYMhuWWpww pic.twitter.com/9JHSy17o5BI can’t believe redheads didn’t even get one character in Apple’s openly ‘diversified’ collection of emoji. If you say you’re going to diversify, why not add a few ginger-haired emoji in the mix? Sure, we only make up less than 2% of the world’s population, but that is 138,000,000 iPhones waiting to happen. Continue reading...

Second edition of Google-backed music awards will be online-only, with gongs for Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, One Direction and other artistsEd Sheeran and Charli XCX are among the artists filming exclusive videos for the second YouTube Music Awards, which will take place online later in March.YouTube is working with Vice Media to produce new videos from 15 artists, which will launch simultaneously on its site on 23 March.Related: Zoe Keating v YouTube: key sticking points in Google's latest music row Continue reading...