Technology | The Guardian

Online video service is ‘fine-tuning’ offering that would compete with Netflix, following invite-only beta launch of YouTube Music Key

Adobe’s Photoshop has been the dominant force in image editing for a quarter of a century, but now there are lots of good competitors – some free, some paid for, some even work in the browserAdobe’s Photoshop is now 25 years old and is arguably the pinnacle of photo editing. But, at £8.57/month, it’s also much more expensive than most people can afford, so here are 25 alternatives for 25 years of photoshoppery.PaintShop Pro

Leslie has several old PCs in his attic, and would like to remove any personal information before disposing of them, either for recycling or re-use. Jack Schofield explains how to do it…Like many readers, I have several old PCs in my attic, all of which were set aside for one reason or another: old age, insufficient specs, malfunctioning software or hardware, etc. It seems a pity not to hand them on to someone who cannot afford a PC of their own, or recycle them.In the past, before disposing of an old PC, I’ve been advised to destroy the hard drive with a sledgehammer to prevent confidential data being passed on to some third party. Well, yes, but it then becomes a bunch of spare parts. I’d be grateful for some guidance, as I’d rather not take them to the council tip. LeslieRelated: Raspberry Pi becomes best selling British computerRelated: Security researcher publishes 10m usernames and passwords online Continue reading...

Fellow Kickstarter-funded creator says accusations over Godus game are ‘way out of proportion’ as he sends support to British developer Continue reading...

Spotify, iTunes, SoundCloud and other music app can now provide soundtracks to Snapchat videos and storiesFresh from rumours that it is raising fresh funding valuing the company at $19bn, Snapchat has launched a new feature that makes it easier for users to add music to the videos they share using its app.Snapchat can now take a live feed of whatever music or audio is currently playing on a user’s smartphone when they record a video, and use it as the soundtrack when they send the clip to friends or upload it to their “Stories” profile.Related: Ten things you need to know about Snapchat Continue reading...

Smartphone maker aiming for the ‘smartest, most secure, user-friendly mobile wallet’ that will work with retailers’ existing point-of-sale terminalsUS startup LoopPay describes itself as “the most accepted mobile wallet on the planet”. Now it belongs to Samsung, after being acquired to bolster the company’s efforts to compete with Apple Pay and other mobile payments technologies.LoopPay’s technology helps retailers convert their existing magnetic-stripe readers into contactless payment receivers, with its app then used by smartphone owners to store their card details and pay for goods.Related: Apple Pay on the way: why we may start shopping differently in 2015 Continue reading...

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

Quan Inc creation is one of the characters emerging from the social network’s sticker store, complete with a surreal all-caps Twitter feed“You just got schooled... by a fish.” Business Fish certainly isn’t short on confidence, but who is this sharp-suited man with a fish’s head, and why is he popping up in the comments in a growing number of people’s Facebook feeds?The answer: Business Fish is one of the packs available on the social network’s Sticker Store, which has been quietly picking up steam in recent months.BUSINESS FISH HI MY NAME BUSINESS FISH PLS TAKE MY BUSINESS CARD pic.twitter.com/QqFe2gj14bBUSINESS FISH 2 RIGHTS DONT MAKE A WRONG BUT HOPEFULLY A 25% OFF UR NEXT ORDER VOUCHER CODE DOES PLSBUSINESS FISH FEEL FREE 2 CLIMB THE BUSINESS FISH LADDER 2 SUCCESS B--------U S--------I N--------E S--------S F--------I S--------H Continue reading...

Want to get into gaming but don’t know where to start? Here are some great smartphone, console and PC titles to kick off your collectionSo you’ve bought a shiny new games console, or a ridiculously powerful PC, or the latest smartphone iteration, and now you want to play games on it. What happens next?Well, if you’ve been doing the whole gaming thing for years, you’ll know which review sites to go to, what developers and publishers produce the best stuff and what everyone is looking forward to playing. But if you’re just starting out, it can all be a bit … overwhelming. Every year around 1,000 new titles are released on consoles and PC, and there are more than 300,000 games available on the Apple App Store. So how are you supposed to work out what to play?Related: How do I start playing video games? A beginner's guide Continue reading...

Ross Ulbricht was convicted two weeks ago of being the mastermind behind Silk Road, an online black market that flew beneath law enforcement’s radarThe US government on Wednesday said it plans to auction 50,000 bitcoins on 5 March, following the recent criminal conviction of Ross Ulbricht for being the mastermind behind the online black market known as Silk Road.Related: Silk Road's 'Dread Pirate Roberts' convicted of running online drug marketplace Continue reading...

Google says increasing the FBI’s powers set out in search warrants would raise ‘monumental’ legal concerns that should be decided by CongressGoogle is boldly opposing an attempt by the US Justice Department to expand federal powers to search and seize digital data, warning that the changes would open the door to US “government hacking of any facility” in the world.In a strongly worded submission to the Washington committee that is considering the proposed changes, Google says that increasing the FBI’s powers set out in search warrants would raise “monumental and highly complex constitutional, legal and geopolitical concerns that should be left to Congress to decide”. Continue reading...

The revered video game is being re-imagined by Aryok Piñera, who started the project alone but now leads a motley crew dozens strong. The legality of such ‘mods’ is murky, but that won’t affect its practitioners’ passion for perfectingIt took Aryok Piñera a week to make Mario lean properly.In the 1996 Nintendo game Super Mario 64, a player can instruct Mario to run forward; if he begins to turn left or right, he tilts to the side, like an airplane banking.Related: It's complicated: why playing a video game is like having a relationship Continue reading...

Biggest change to how the web works since 1999 should make browsing on desktop and mobile faster

Former Our2ndLife members already have more than 780k subscribers. ‘When fans watch our videos they feel like we’re talking directly to them’ Continue reading...

In 2004, the EA Spouse controversy exposed a culture of unpaid overtime throughout the games industry. In this special report we investigate how much, if anything, has changedMy significant other works for Electronic Arts and I’m what you might call a disgruntled spouse.It was with these words 10 years ago that Erin Hoffman began an online journal detailing her husband’s gruelling experience working at an EA game development studio. For months on end he worked 12-hour days, six days a week, and when the game’s final deadline loomed, it got worse. “The current mandatory hours are 9am to 10pm – seven days a week,” she wrote, “with the occasional Saturday evening off for good behavior (at 6:30pm).”

Company patents head-mounted device that would use its owner’s smartphone as a screenApple has been awarded a patent for a head-mounted display device, which uses an inserted iPhone for a screen in a manner similar to Samsung’s Gear VR or Google’s Cardboard project.The patent, filed in September 2008 but only granted this week, shows a chunky set of glasses with a slot for a mobile phone, as well as built-in earphones and a wireless remote control the user can hold in their hand while plugged in to the system.Related: Apple's Jony Ive digested: 23 things we've learned Continue reading...

Hackers hijack JamieOliver.com leading some users to download malicious software that could take control of their computersThe official site of TV chef Jamie Oliver, which sees an average of 10m visits per month, has been compromised by hackers serving malicious files to visitors which could take control of their computers.

Crowdfunding service’s review algorithm is waving through 31% of projects, as site strives to keep its community ‘healthy’ Continue reading...

Creators of zombie survival classic Left 4 Dead are back with a thunderous multiplayer shooter that pits one player against four Continue reading...

‘Developer edition’ of new gadget made available for pre-order in UK and Germany, with £620 price and companion software development kitGoogle may have gone back to the drawing board for a rethink of its Glass smart eyewear, but rivals are pressing on with their plans – including Sony, which has made its SmartEyeglass gadget available to pre-order in the UK and Germany.Described as a “developer edition”, the SED-E1 eyewear will cost £620 when it goes on sale in March, at which point it will also be available in eight other countries. However, a version for non-developers won’t go on sale until 2016 at the earliest.Related: Google Glass can return – but it must clear four big hurdles first Continue reading...

Social network wants its users to make VR content to go with their photos, videos and status updatesA year after buying virtual reality trailblazer Oculus, Facebook has confirmed that it’s making its own VR apps.However, the company doesn’t just want its users to consume VR content. It wants it to be as easy to make virtual realities as it is to upload a photo or a video, so that anyone can do it – whether that’s a typical user, or even superstars like Beyoncé.Related: Samsung creates drone, robotics and virtual reality labRelated: Facebook still suspending Native Americans over 'real name' policy Continue reading...

Slate of changes in App Store review process means some apps have been forced to change in a hurry Continue reading...

Technologies join nuclear war, ecological catastrophe, super-volcanoes and asteroid impacts in Global Challenges Foundation’s risk reportArtificial intelligence and nanotechnology have been named alongside nuclear war, ecological catastrophe and super-volcano eruptions as “risks that threaten human civilisation” in a report by the Global Challenges Foundation.In the case of AI, the report suggests that future machines and software with “human-level intelligence” could create new, dangerous challenges for humanity – although they could also help to combat many of the other risks cited in the report.Related: Artificial intelligence: can scientists stop ‘negative’ outcomes?Related: Rise of the robots: how long do we have until they take our jobs? Continue reading...

Online taxi-booking service presses European Commission to probe regulation which it claims favours regular cabs at its expenseUber has filed a second complaint to the European Commission against a French law that the online taxi-booking service says favours regular taxis at its expense, the company said on Tuesday.Uber filed a complaint with the Commission last November, the first of a series of challenges to EU member states reluctant to open their markets to the US firm. Continue reading...

Google has acted as judge, jury and executioner in the wake of Europe’s right to be forgotten ruling. But what does society lose when a private corporation rules public information?

Banks’ new app will allow customers with iPhones 5S and later secure access to their accounts using Apple’s Touch ID Continue reading...

Heard a lot about Grand Theft Auto or Uncharted? Want to give games a go but not sure where to start? Here’s a quick introductionRecently, several non-techy friends have sidled up to me and asked, in hushed conspiratorial tones: “Keith, should I be playing video games?”It’s an interesting question for two reasons. First, I write about video games for a living; that’s my job. So what did they think I was going to say? “No, they’re a massive waste of time”? Secondly, a few years ago, people my age were feeling guilty about playing video games, now there are people feeling guilty that they’re not. This is progress. Continue reading...

App manufacturer hopes to raise $500m in venture capital investment in deal that would make founder Evan Spiegel’s stake worth $2.85bn

Designer Rebecca Lynch found she couldn’t express herself through standard emoji when she was feeling unsociable. So she created her ownYou can express happiness, anger or the feeling of wanting to shake off haters – but what happens when you’d like to text someone that you just want to stay at home? Designer Rebecca Lynch decided to solve the problem of communicating introspective emotions, such as leaving stressful social situations or giving introverted friends and partners the space and time they need, by creating her own “introji” and posting them on Facebook. Continue reading...

As developers try to make money by creating Candy Crush clones, free-to-play mobile games are in danger of creative stagnation

62% of the 91 million people using location-based digital matchmaking apps are male, claims a new report – and a fifth of users are paying for premium servicesMore than 91 million people are using location-based dating apps like Tinder, Momo and Hinge, but nearly two thirds of those users are men, according to research firm GlobalWebIndex.The company’s latest report claims that 6% of internet users currently use a location-based dating app, although that puts the category behind niches like augmented reality (108 million monthly users), let alone games and social networking with 655 million and 582 million respectively.Related: Tinder: the 'painfully honest' dating app with wider social ambitions Continue reading...

Blogger and citizen journalist Eliot Higgins – aka Brown Moses – explains how he used open-source information to determine cross-border artillery attacks that appear to be being fired from Russian territory into Ukraine. His team used satellite imagery on Google Earth and crater analysis techniques Continue reading...

The New Yorker gained unprecedented access to Apple’s head of design to profile Jony Ive, revealing more about the man and the company than ever beforeHe has created some of the most recognisable and iconic objects of our age, but Apple’s head designer Jony Ive has always been something of an enigma. The Briton behind the iMac and the iPod is usually as secretive about himself as Apple is about its products, but recently he and and the tech giant gave unprecedented access for a New Yorker piece.The profile, by Ian Parker, runs to 20 pages in print and takes about an hour to read. Perhaps in the spirit of Ive, we’ve rounded the corners and – here are the key things we learned:Related: ‘Build your own lightsaber’ kit could send Star Wars fans into orbitRelated: Banksy works go under hammer in auction criticised by artistRelated: Apple 27in iMac with retina 5K display review: oh my that screenRelated: iPhone 6 review: thinner, faster and slightly cheaperRelated: Apple iPad Air 2 review : Apple's best tablet yet, but is that enough?Related: Apple iPad Air 2 review : Apple's best tablet yet, but is that enough?Related: Google Glass review: useful – but overpriced and socially awkward Continue reading...

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

Unlike Katy Perry’s Left Shark, many have to provide multiple forms of ID to prove they are who they say they are in latest row over controversial policyChanges to Facebook’s “real name” policy have failed to stop users from being suspended from the site, leading activists to renew their push to have the tech giant change its policy.Dana Lone Hill, a Native American, had her account reinstated last week after being asked to provide multiple forms of identification. Lone Hill is one of many Native Americans to report having their accounts suspended or names changed to match Facebook’s policy.Related: Victory for drag queens as Facebook apologises for 'real-name' policyRelated: Facebook's 'real names' policy is legal, but it's also problematic for free speech | Jillian C York Continue reading...

Google’s vice-president Vint Cerf has warned that all digitally stored information could be wiped out by tech upgrades, putting the sum total of human knowledge under threat. An author and scientist explains why today’s systems are so vulnerable – and how pioneers are preparing for the worstA huge amount of the information we consume and transmit in our everyday lives is perilously ephemeral. Every second, thousands of new photographs are uploaded to social media. Most of the images we take today are uploaded straight from a digital camera or a phone, with the picture never actually existing as a physical artefact.So how will future historians and biographers piece together our lives and times without bundles of diaries, paper letters and professional correspondence? Family photos and emails are important to us personally, but what about more significant losses of our collective heritage? How do we preserve our interaction on Facebook, Twitter, comment threads and citizen journalism across the web? And does the “grey literature” of official reports, briefings and policy statements that are only published online also risk being lost to the future? In a speech last week, Google’s vice-president Vint Cerf warned that a whole century of digital material could be lost.Related: Google boss warns of 'forgotten century' with email and photos at risk Continue reading...

Feature-length VR film will include Oculus Rift support: ‘Imagine Fantasia and Tron in fully immersive surround 3D...’ Continue reading...

HBO announces special Game of Thrones edition of Monopoly for players to divide and conquer blood-soaked lands from the popular TV showWinter is coming. Get your houses prepped, your hotels built and your lands in order – Game of Thrones Monopoly is almost here.The perennial property game that either annoys or excites legions every Christmas with its almost endless toil of collecting rent and fighting off the housing inspector, is getting a very blood thirsty spin.“The Iron Bank is the Iron Bank.” Coming in 2015, Monopoly #GameOfThrones edition: http://t.co/UBuXb0iqcc @usaopoly pic.twitter.com/fubi9rdgKzRelated: Is the board-game revival down to computer games' popularity? – podcastRelated: Board games' golden age: sociable, brilliant and driven by the internet Continue reading...

Hacking group springs back into life, reportedly launching DDoS attacks against range of games and servicesNotorious hacking group Lizard Squad has reportedly launched a fresh series of attacks against games and game services this weekend, including Xbox Live.The anonymous group, which launched distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks against both PlayStation Network and Xbox Live last Christmas, disrupting online game services for thousands of new PS4 and Xbox One owners, has been quiet for several weeks.Related: PlayStation Network attacked by hacker group – Xbox may be next target Continue reading...

Security firm warns that customers of NatWest, Barclays, HSBC and other British banks are being targeted by JavaScript malwareBritish customers of banks including NatWest, Barclays and HSBC are being targeted by a wave of malicious emails attempting to install the Dyreza malware on their computers.Security firm Bitdefender claims that RBS, Lloyds Bank and Santander customers are also receiving the emails, which direct them to websites with “highly obfuscated” JavaScript code, which installs the Trojan.Related: Will increasing cyber attacks spell the end of username and password security? Continue reading...

Biggest New York tech IPO since 1999 has some artists fuming over venture capitalist influence while others are planning to buy shares Continue reading...

An open letter signed by the people behind hits for Britney Spears, the Saturdays and Janet Jackson insists: ‘It’s time to say thank you for the music’Swedish songwriters have written an open letter demanding a bigger slice of the revenue generated from digital music streaming services such as Spotify and YouTube.The piece headlined ‘It’s time to say thank you for the music’ and published in Aftonbladet, one of Scandinavia’s biggest newspapers, is signed by 133 songwriters and producers behind hits by acts including Janet JacksonRobyn, the Saturdays and Britney Spears.

Predictions for the future of Google’s online video service, from sports rights and games to co-viewing and voice recognitionYouTube’s first video may have been uploaded on 23 April 2005, but the website’s domain name was registered on 14 February. Hence the 10th birthday milestone this past weekend at a time when Google’s online video service is more popular than ever.From zero to one billion viewers in a decade is some journey, but what lies ahead as YouTube moves towards its teenage years? Here are some predictions.Related: YouTube is 10 years old: the evolution of online videoRelated: YouTube vloggers are popular, but new study questions their influence Continue reading...

The AIR 2015 event in conjunction with the Royal Netherlands Air Force will be the first aerial entertainment show of its kind to rely on drone technologyThe world’s first drone circus is to be held in the Netherlands, where aerial robots equipped with lasers and projectors will spin in dizzying dances across the Amsterdam Arena.

As evidenced by Louis van Gaal’s World Cup goalkeeper switch, analytics can enhance rather than replace the Machiavellian instincts of sport’s master tacticians

(3DS, Nintendo, cert: 12)

(3D, 3DS, Nintendo, cert: 12)

Information acquired by the Guardian sparks fresh concerns about the cosy relationships between the public and private sector Continue reading...