Technology | The Guardian

Chris needs a tablet or video-calling device for his grandma’s Covid-19 isolation. What are the options?I want to get my grandma a tablet for easy video calling. She is elderly and needs to self-isolate, and she is already quite isolated after the recent death of her husband. I am not sure which tablet or which program to use. She isn’t very computer literate.This new Facebook thing looks good but I am sceptical of the brand. ChrisVideo calling used to be a futuristic topic. Today, it is readily available on most devices except, oddly enough, smart TVs. If anything, there’s a plethora of services, and I haven’t tried most of them. The options include Zoom, WhatsApp, Facebook, FaceTime, Google Hangouts, Microsoft Teams, Skype and many more. Zoom is a business service but it works well and is clearly flavour of the month, with downloads up by 1,270%. Fake backgrounds are one of its winning features. Continue reading...

Companies the world over are directing their ingenuity at the fight against the coronavirus. Here are the front-runners, from sanitising robots to a 3D-printed hospital wardDesigners, engineers and programmers have heard the klaxon call. The last few weeks have seen a wave of ingenuity unleashed, with both garden-shed tinkerers and high-tech manufacturers scrambling to develop things that will combat the spread of Covid-19.Many of their innovations raise as many questions as they answer, though. Could 3D printing now finally come into its own, with access to open-source, downloadable designs for medical parts? If so, will intellectual property infringements be waived, or will altruistic hacktivists still face costly lawsuits? Could mobile phone tracking map the spread of infection like never before, keeping people away from virus hotspots? If so, might governments use the pandemic as an excuse to ramp up surveillance measures post-crisis? Continue reading...

PC (Oculus Rift, Valve Index, HTC Vive); Valve Corporation

The digital conferencing tool has taken off thanks to physical distancing across the globe. Just watch out for the 40-minute limit and pornography trolls

By defying the law to refuse their workers’ basic benefits, the giants of the gig economy are creating a heartbreaking crisis

If we let Amazon’s strength dominate our entire economy, we may just find out how weak we areIt is calling up 100,000 troops, extending grants to small businesses, prioritizing essential goods, and cracking down on profiteers.No, that’s not the United States federal government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic: it’s Amazon’s. The e-commerce behemoth is poised to become one of the major winners of the coronavirus crisis. As smaller businesses (even those that are not in any sense of the word small) falter and fail, Amazon is expanding its dominance over American commerce and society. Continue reading...

USB-C completes top Windows 10 tablet with great screen, design and kickstand, plus latest Intel chipsThe Surface Pro 7 is an update of the excellent Surface Pro 6 with new processors and, finally, a USB-C port.That means the design of the new Surface Pro 7 hasn’t changed since the 2017 Surface Pro 5, with Microsoft taking an “if it ain’t broke” approach. It’s competitively priced at £699 and up – but you have to pay at least £125 for the keyboard if you want one – which annoyingly is not included in the standard price. Continue reading...

As coronavirus forces communities online, support groups are realising Facebook’s promise to truly connect us• Coronavirus latest updates

Once seen as cutting edge, many of yesterday’s gadgets are – surprisingly – still in use or are making a comeback. Richard Godwin goes back to the futureImagine a start-up entrepreneur pitching the traditional milk round to a venture capitalist. “So we’re offering a local, sustainable, subscription-based protein delivery system. And get this: it’s all going to be powered by electric vehicles…” Back in the 1970s, 94% of British households bought their milk this way, but by the 2000s, for the vast majority, it was part of the weekly supermarket shop. It wasn’t technology that killed the centuries-old tradition so much as economic forces: deregulation of the dairy industry and supermarkets pushing plastic bottles. However, milk rounds still account for 3% of milk sales and they are growing in popularity. The revival is mostly down to the “Blue Planet effect” – glass is much more environmentally friendly than plastic. A typical glass milk bottle is reused 25 times. Come to think of it, why aren’t we reusing Coke bottles, too? Continue reading...

Our critic’s new weekly slot recommends games for seasoned players and beginners alike. This week, a virus strategy game banned by ChinaAnyone who has continued to play video games beyond childhood is used to the name-calling. Yes, in 2020, millions of thoughtful, otherwise usefully employed people enjoy video games (as well as a fair few thoughtless wastrels too, if Twitter is anything to go by). But away from the golf course or bridge club, adult play is still viewed, culturally speaking, with suspicion, pity or disdain. As a reporter for the Washington Post tweeted in 2017, in reference to the American chatshow host Jimmy Fallon, a keen fan of the medium: “At the heart of any banality is an adult male who plays video games.”Still, personally speaking, it took a pandemic to appreciate that the video game reviewer is truly the cockroach of arts and entertainment criticism. As cinemas, theatres, restaurants and concert venues close, and their remaining staff begin the sorrowful work of disinfection and grant application, writers who cover their industries are forced to glumly twirl their pens, waiting. The video game critic (and, breathe easy, the literary critic), by contrast, suddenly finds a near-captive audience that is, once Netflix has been plundered at least, just maybe willing to give video games a try. Continue reading...

It’s wise to be wary of the government adopting intrusive apps that monitor the effectiveness of public health measures

The co-author of Data Feminism on the importance of recognising discrimination in algorithms, understanding it at a technical level – and introducing measures to stamp it outOur ability to collect and record information in a digital form has exploded as has our adoption of AI systems, which use data to make decisions. But data isn’t neutral, and sexism, racism and other forms of discrimination are showing up in our data products. Catherine D’Ignazio, an assistant professor of urban science and planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), argues we need to do better. Along with Lauren Klein, who directs the Digital Humanities Lab at Emory University, she is the co-author of the new book Data Feminism, which charts a course for a more equitable data science. D’Ignazio also directs MIT’s new Data and Feminism lab, which seeks to use data and computation to counter oppression.What is data feminism and why do we need it?

With many people facing a long stint of self-isolation, remote working needs to be as easy as possibleWith the coronavirus pandemic resulting in more and more of us being asked to work remotely, it’s time to get to grips with what’s required for working from home for more than just a day at a time.Broadly speaking you have two options: a desktop computer or a laptop. Continue reading...

While people are being advised to work from home or tap into resources online, this is wildly impracticable for those without reliable web access

Spoof audio clip poking fun at coronavirus misinformation is eaten up by frazzled Britons

Don’t fret about your kids overdoing it in front of the TV. Games will offer comfort and variety during the coronavirus crisisAs with millions of other parents around the world, when our two sons get home from school this afternoon, we have no idea when they’ll be going back. Their schools have been hastily scrabbling together remote learning plans, but things are going to be chaotic and unstructured and that’s something we’ll all have to learn to deal with. What I know for certain is that my boys will have one thing on their mind: video games.What they’re picturing (and I can almost see the thought bubbles above their heads when we talk to them about the school closure) is three months in front of the TV playing Apex Legends. You may be in a similar situation in your household, and you may already be feeling guilty about the amount of time your children will end up spending in front of screens simply because you have work to do and their options are limited. Continue reading...

A new instalment in Nintendo’s social simulation series is out now – and it offers the sort of optimism we’re very short ofI am scrolling idly through TikTok when I see her, drag queen Bijou Bentley performing her routine to a remix of Nicki Minaj’s Anaconda. With her ponytail and green twin-set, I immediately recognise that she is not just giving the audience haute couture – this is cosplay.Isabelle, my personal assistant from my time as mayor of a town in Animal Crossing: New Leaf. If you have played it, she was your assistant, too. She is the heart of the game, your adviser, your companion. She is a yellow dog in snappy office dress, and she is always so happy to see you. Benny Bijou Bentley sashays around the floor with her clip-board. The crowd goes wild, throwing dollars at her feet. I am thinking to myself, “Yes, Isabelle - work.” Continue reading...

Tesla chief executive has used his massive platform to cast doubt upon the danger of the virusElon Musk has downplayed the severity of the coronavirus epidemic, tweeted false information about the disease’s effect on children, and kept his northern California factory open despite a local “shelter-in-place” order, but the billionaire entrepreneur also says he’s willing to help.On Thursday, the Tesla chief executive inserted himself into the global conversation on the coronavirus crisis, tweeting that his companies “will make ventilators if there is a shortage”. Continue reading...

Report finds online fraudsters posing as health officials as Alex Jones and others face crackdown

Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, Xbox One; Bethesda

Site changes rules to ban content aimed at making people act against official advice

Sony confirms custom AMD RDNA 2 graphic processor, solid state drive and innovative 3D audio – without showing the new consoleSony has revealed the full technical specifications of its PlayStation 5 console.In a blogpost, followed by a lengthy online technical briefing by lead system architect Mark Cerny, the company confirmed that the machine will feature custom versions of AMD’s Zen 2 central processor and RDNA 2 graphics unit, the latter operating at 10.28 Tflops. System memory will be 16GB. The machine will support advanced visual effects such as real-time ray tracing and will have a solid state drive (SSD). Continue reading...

How best to set up a home office for the short or long term if you’re self-isolating

New flagship smartphone is supersized in all dimensions with a giant 6.9in screen, massive zoom camera and ginormous priceSamsung’s new Galaxy S20 Ultra superphone is packed to the brim with chart-topping features, including 100x zooming, 108MP cameras, a ginormous screen and 5G.The £1,199 S20 Ultra leads an important new lineup of 5G-as-standard smartphones from Samsung, which looks to make the technology a normal part of mobile life rather than an expensive add-on for early adopters. Continue reading...

Online gaming services reported short-term outages, while home fitness apps boomOnline gaming services have collapsed under the strain of increased demand while home workout services have seen a boom as the world prepares for a period of social distancing.Xbox Live, the online service for Microsoft’s games console, and Nintendo Online, which serves multiplayer games for the Switch, have both suffered short-term outages since coronavirus preparations kicked up a gear over the weekend. Although neither company directly attributed the outages to the weight of numbers, Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, confirmed that “usage is up on almost everything”. Continue reading...

With 850 million children worldwide shut out of schools, tech evangelists claim now is the time for AI education. But as the technology’s power grows, so too do the dangers that come with it. By Alex BeardFor a child prodigy, learning didn’t always come easily to Derek Haoyang Li. When he was three, his father – a famous educator and author – became so frustrated with his progress in Chinese that he vowed never to teach him again. “He kicked me from here to here,” Li told me, moving his arms wide.Yet when Li began school, aged five, things began to click. Five years later, he was selected as one of only 10 students in his home province of Henan to learn to code. At 16, Li beat 15 million kids to first prize in the Chinese Mathematical Olympiad. Among the offers that came in from the country’s elite institutions, he decided on an experimental fast-track degree at Jiao Tong University in Shanghai. It would enable him to study maths, while also covering computer science, physics and psychology. Continue reading...

‘If we wish to maintain our productivity, we need to continue working in [our] offices,’ one CEO told his staff in an email

Top tablet has lidar tech found in self-driving cars in system designed for augmented realityApple has released a new version of its top iPad Pro with new 3D depth-sensing lidar technology and a revamped MacBook Air with a new keyboard, as it attempts to continue normal business in spite of the coronavirus pandemic.The new 11in and 12.9in iPad Pros resemble the previous major redesign made in 2018, complete with slim bezels all round and Face ID facial recognition. But they also have a new lidar-based depth sensing system, a technology typically found on self-driving cars. Continue reading...

Social network restores posts that were wrongly removed as system went haywire

We began ‘social distancing’ years ago. Social media and smartphones changed us, and now is a chance to change backWe are in for a long haul. We, who have become accustomed to expecting things now, are going to have to wait. It could be months before our world returns to normal, if it ever does. Or if it even should. We are experiencing something unprecedented: a pandemic in the digital age.Yet this is a unique opportunity which we should not pass up. In this moment of pause, we have the chance to reset our relationship to tech. For the last decade, tech has been running us. Now is our chance to reset that relationship. Continue reading...

The soulful platformer returns to an extraordinarily beautiful world filled with new characters, challenges – and myriad foes to engage in combatMore than anything else, Ori and the Will of the Wisps is an intoxicating feast for the senses. From its hauntingly beautiful visuals to its ambient, responsive music, there is so much to love about the look and feel of this long-awaited sequel.As with 2015’s masterful Ori and the Blind Forest, Will of the Wisps falls into the Metroidvania subgenre of multidirectional scrolling platformers, and its impressive aesthetics are matched by a gripping storyline, bewitching characters and a fully immersive environment in which every nook and cranny pulses with life. This time around Ori, the translucent white guardian spirit, is tasked with navigating through and beyond the dense Nibel forest to a new world shrouded in darkness. Continue reading...

Workers say hectic pace amid coronavirus outbreak is devastating for physical and mental health

Documents from the Incercept show social media app put pressure on moderators

Fault comes as millions of people begin working from home as part of efforts to stop spread of coronavirus

If the coronavirus means you’re facing weeks stuck at home, blasting aliens or exploring oceans together online is a great way to stay in touch with friends

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s concert – in an empty Hamer Hall – brought hope to many on Monday. But whether streaming can bring in money is yet to be seen

Tech giant conspired with wholesalers Tech Data and Ingram Micro to align prices, says watchdogApple has been fined a record €1.1bn (£990m) by antitrust regulators in France for engaging in anti-competitive agreements with two wholesalers. The penalty imposed on the US tech giant is the largest ever handed out to a company by the Autorité de la Concurrence.Commenting on the move, Isabelle de Silva, head of the French competition watchdog, said: “Apple and its two wholesalers agreed to not compete against each other and prevent resellers from promoting competition between each other, thus sterilising the wholesale market for Apple products.” Continue reading...

Household goods at vastly inflated prices, including loo roll for quadruple usual cost

Ban, which also includes other Nazi propaganda books, follows decades of campaigning by Holocaust charitiesAmazon has banned the sale of most editions of Hitler’s Mein Kampf and other Nazi propaganda books from its store following decades of campaigning by Holocaust charities.Booksellers were informed in recent days that they would no longer be allowed to sell a number of Nazi-authored books on the website including Hitler’s autobiographical screed and children’s books designed to spread antisemitic ideas among children. Continue reading...

AMD or Nvidia? Hard disk or solid state? We ask the experts what should be inside your dream machine for this year and the future

Change of official line is first admission that Kremlin may have distorted UK electionsMinisters have been told they can no longer say there have been “no successful examples” of Russian disinformation affecting UK elections, after the apparent hacking of an NHS dossier seized on by Labour during the last campaign.The dropping of the old line is the first official admission of the impact of Kremlin efforts to distort Britain’s political processes, and comes after three years of the government’s refusal to engage publicly with the threat. Continue reading...

Last week scientists discovered the first Stegosaurus footprints in Scotland. Which other prehistoric reptiles lived on these shores?Last week, palaeontologists from the University of Edinburgh announced they have discovered grapefruit-sized footprints on the Isle of Skye that are believed to have been left by a Stegosaurus. The depressions were found in rocks that were formed from mudflats around 170m years old during the Middle Jurassic, the period when the stegosaurs group of dinosaurs were beginning to evolve and spread out. Continue reading...

How well internet performs during heavy use nationally depends on various factors – but regional areas are set to struggle mostIf you are planning on working from home during any impending lockdown to slow the spread of coronavirus, there are a few things you should check to make sure your national broadband connection can cope.With multiple people at home all day long, everyone will have their own broadband needs for work and leisure. Video conferencing for office meetings or school lessons, logging into networks remotely or using Netflix to cure the boredom all mean the amount of bandwidth the average home needs is going to go up significantly. Continue reading...

Fake Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts seemed to aim to inflame divides in USA newly discovered Russian-led network of professional trolls was being outsourced to Ghanaian and Nigerian operatives, according to Facebook and Twitter, who removed the network’s accounts on Thursday.The network was small: just 49 Facebook accounts, 85 Instagram accounts and 71 Twitter accounts in question. But it marks the first time that a Russian information operation targeting the US has been found to be run from Africa. Continue reading...

Tech firms will benefit, but some companies could find employees don’t want to return to the office

Gen Z-ers are posting memes showing their reactions to the fallout from the virus, while the app is helping to educate usersAs the world reckons with an indefinite period of social distancing, teenagers on TikTok are bringing people together with memes about coping during the coronavirus pandemic.Videos using the hashtag #coronavirus are up to 5.5bn total views on the app, which lets users post short clips set to music, as of Thursday. Continue reading...

No scientific evidence that technology poses threat to human health, say experts5G is safe, according to the international body in charge of setting limits on exposure to radiation, which has updated its advisory guidelines for the first time in more than 20 years.The International Commission on Non‐Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), the Germany-based scientific body that assesses the health risks of radio broadcasts, called for new guidelines for millimetre-wave 5G, the most high-frequency version of the telecommunications standard. Continue reading...

Nintendo announces product line in collaboration with toy maker featuring a smart Mario figure and brick playsetsLego and Nintendo have announced a joint product named Lego Super Mario, which combines the toy maker’s playsets with the gameplay of the Mario platformers.Full details have not yet been released but as teased on social media this week, the central element of the new Lego sets is a smart Mario figure with small screens on his chest and face, able to detect which bricks he is near. It will involve a range of building and collecting play schemes. Continue reading...

Campuses have become ‘ghost towns’ as staffers depart – but many contractors still have to show up

Cancellation of LA games convention over coronavirus fears leaves Microsoft hastily redrawing plans to promote new consoleMicrosoft will unveil its Xbox Series X console via an online event in June after it has been confirmed that the major games conference E3 has been cancelled.The launch was set to be a major feature of the annual Los Angeles convention, which attracts 65,000 visitors a year and broadcasts press events to millions worldwide. On Wednesday, event organiser the Electronic Entertainment Association announced on its website that E3 2020 would not take place due to concerns over the coronavirus. Continue reading...