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Stuart bought a netbook with only 32GB of storage, and Windows 10 is already complaining that it doesn’t have enough space for updates. What can he do?I bought a budget Acer netbook knowing I’d be forced to keep an eye on the applications I installed, and be more organised with external storage. I’m holding up my end of the bargain, but Windows 10 most certainly isn’t. Despite a relatively hassle-free installation, there has been an endless stream of prompts to free up space so it can update.I have next to nothing installed except absolute essentials such as Chrome, OpenOffice and iTunes. My iTunes library is on an external USB, and isn’t to blame. Despite this, I have less than 3GB left.I don’t know if this is a response to my little rant last week, but either way, it’s a good question. For those who missed it, I said: “I think 32GB Flash memory drives are too small for traditional laptop uses. Microsoft has reduced the size of Windows 10 ... but it’s going to get bigger with use. There will be numerous upgrades, growing log files, swap files, and large caches of temporary internet files. Looking three years or six upgrades ahead, I can’t see a 32GB drive coping without some massive clean-ups.” Continue reading...

Information security took a hammering at Chaos Communications Congress, with intercoms, smart meters and even numbers themselves in the spotlightChaos Communications Congress is the world’s oldest hacker conference, and Europe’s largest. Every year, thousands of hackers gather in Hamburg to share stories, trade tips and discuss the political, social and cultural ramifications of technology.As computer security is a big part of the hacker world, they also like to break things. Here are five of the most important, interesting, and impressive things broken this time. Continue reading...

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

Alex Hern wanted to get closer to his work by spending a day in a VR world. Future of employment, or a digital headache?Virtual reality is here. You can pilot a starfighter, make sculptures out of virtual clay and experience award-winning journalism … but can you use it to get some work done?I persuaded my editor to let me give it a go, doing a day’s work living in a virtual world created by the Oculus Rift. Continue reading...

Unveiled at CES, home assistant can play music and tell you the weather but also order your vacuum cleaner to start cleaning the house and turn on your ovenLG unveiled its own competitor to Amazon Echo and Google Home on Wednesday – a home assistant that can play music and tell you the weather but also order your vacuum cleaner to start cleaning the house and turn on your oven.The Hub Robot, which LG said will go on sale in 2017, was shown for the first time in Las Vegas ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show, which opens to the public on Thursday. Continue reading...

A new iOS might have a mode to allow you to check your messages mid-movie without disturbing people. But would it be a good thing?For those who see the cinema as the last refuge from mobile phones, rumours about Apple’s latest squeeze on our attention spans will be alarming. Sonny Dickson, a longtime Apple news leaker, tweeted that iPhones could have a “theatre mode”. People have speculated that this could be silent notifications and a dark screen.Related: Turn it on! Future iPhones and iPads to have 'theatre mode' for use in cinemas Continue reading...

A bumper guide to the most exciting, innovative and impressive new games of the coming yearEvery new year brings with it the promise of astonishing video games, but what does 2017 have in store? Will this be a vintage year?From returning legends to innovative new projects, there’s an impressive amount of fascinating stuff on the way – and we’ve tried to cram in everything, including big budget sequels, unexpected offshoots and tiny independent projects. Continue reading...

Apple leaker says new icon will feature on next iOS update to reduce annoyance caused by smartphones during screeningsFuture versions of the iPad and iPhone may include a newly designed “theatre mode”, designed to overcome the annoyance caused to filmgoers by cinema patrons checking their smartphones.iOS 10.3 to feature a new Theatre mode - will include a new popcorn-shaped Control Center icon. Continue reading...

Hyperface project involves printing patterns on to clothing or textiles that computers interpret as a face, in fightback against intrusive technologyThe use of facial recognition software for commercial purposes is becoming more common, but, as Amazon scans faces in its physical shop and Facebook searches photos of users to add tags to, those concerned about their privacy are fighting back.Berlin-based artist and technologist Adam Harvey aims to overwhelm and confuse these systems by presenting them with thousands of false hits so they can’t tell which faces are real. Continue reading...

It has F1 acceleration and a ‘driverless valet’ system but concerns persist the sedan may never go into productionElectric car company Faraday Future unveiled “a new species” of car in Las Vegas on Tuesday night: an electric sedan that will have the acceleration of a Formula One car and the ability to learn and adapt to the driver.The FF 91, which the company says will go into production in 2018, would see Faraday Future compete with Tesla for the electric sports car market. The FF 91 has 1,050hp and can accelerate 0-60mph in 2.39 seconds, while the Tesla Model S P100D can reach 60mph in 2.5 seconds. Continue reading...

Facebook CEO’s ‘personal challenge’ to have visited and met people in every state is latest move that indicates his intention to pursue government serviceMark Zuckerberg has given more weight to the idea that he could move into politics with the announcement of a statesmanly personal challenge for 2017.In previous years the Facebook CEO has learned Mandarin, pledged to run at least a mile each day and built a virtual assistant called Jarvis to control his home. This year he wants to have visited and met people in every state in the US. He’s already visited about 20 states, which means he has to travel to about 30 states by the end of the year. Continue reading...

Couple alleges Apple should be held accountable for daughter’s death in car crash with distracted driver, after it patented but never introduced ‘safer’ FaceTimeA couple whose five-year-old daughter was killed after a distracted driver drove into their car is suing Apple for failing to introduce an iPhone safety feature it patented in 2014 to discourage people from using FaceTime while driving.The lawsuit, filed in Santa Clara superior county court, relates to an incident that took place on Christmas Eve 2014, when a driver allegedly using the FaceTime video chat application on his iPhone 6 Plus drove into the car of Bethany and James Modisette. The couple, along with their daughters Isabella and Moriah, were injured in the accident, and Moriah later died in the hospital from her injuries. Continue reading...

One third of savings offered to customers on London accommodation comes from having lower tax bill than traditional hotelsAirbnb may be known for offering frugal travellers savings over traditional hotels, but a new investigation reveals that a lot of the savings the company can offer in the UK come not from fancy technology, but tax advantages.According to the Financial Times, around one third of the savings the company offers customers on accommodation in London comes from having a lower tax bill. Continue reading...

With Trump in the White House it’s time for Elon Musk to step up as an Iron Man with all the trimmings, and we’ll need synthohol to get us through2016 was a year full of possibility. From new wireless earbuds to virtual assistants built into speakers a lot of what we saw seemed like a glimpse of a better future. But what if someone actually made the tech we dream of? Here’s the products we’d love to see in 2017. Continue reading...

Group leaves nonsensical message about its social network AnonPlus, saying it is ‘non-criminal’A group claiming to be part of the international hacking network Anonymous has taken over Victoria’s Human Rights Commission website with a nonsensical message about its social network AnonPlus.Instead of the commission’s website and its pages, a message from AnonPlus appears on the screen which says the group is “non-criminal”. It is unclear why the commission’s website was targeted. Continue reading...

Women battle old-fashioned sexism and new forms of harassment to become big players in the world of professional gamingTwo years ago Chelsea quit her job as a pharmacy technician to play video games.“I went to work one day and I was like, ‘I would actually be making more money if I had stayed at home and kept playing video games than coming here,’” she says. That week she handed in her resignation. Continue reading...

Digital currency outperformed all its central-bank-issued counterparts in 2016 with 125% rise in valueBitcoin has started 2017 with a bang, with its value hitting a three-year high of more than $1,000 (£815).The nascent digital currency, which has been criticised as a vehicle for a range of nefarious characters from drug dealers to tax evaders to operate, outperformed all its central-bank-issued counterparts with a 125% climb in value in 2016. Continue reading...

President-elect warns reporters on New Year’s Eve against being quick to pin blame on Moscow for the hacking of Democratic party emailsDonald Trump has expressed continued skepticism over whether Russia was responsible for computer hacks of Democratic party officials.Related: US-Russia tensions rise as malware found at Vermont electric utility Continue reading...

Our tips for the companies set to make waves in the new year, from a disruptive banking startup to the budget smartphone taking on Samsung and AppleThis year was a mixed bag for startups. Powa Technologies, an e-commerce company that was one of Britain’s so-called unicorns (a startup valued at over $1bn), crashed hard, declaring bankruptcy early in 2016. US wearables company Pebble sold to Fitbit for less than a 10th of its peak valuation. But on the plus side, Europe minted – foaled? – 10 new unicorns, and Finnish gaming company Supercell became the continent’s first “decacorn” (a startup valued at over $10bn).But for some startups, the year ahead is nothing but hopeful. Here are some of the companies that look set to have a 2017 they will remember for some time. Continue reading...

US president-elect Donald Trump questions allegations that Russia used hackers to interfere in the American election. Trump says it’s “unfair” to blame Russia if investigators are not yet sure over who is behind the suspected cyber attacks. He tells a reporter he that it “could be somebody else” responsible for the hacks

New titles for 2017 suggest a greater accent on the moral challenges of our troubled timesIn December, footage emerged of the Japanese film director Hayao Miyazaki visiting the Dwango Artificial Intelligence Laboratory in Tokyo. In the clip, which was broadcast as part of an NHK documentary, the director of Spirited Away is shown a video of a computerised humanoid creature that has taught itself to walk by using its head and buttocks to shimmy along the ground. After the presentation Miyazaki sits in thought, before issuing his verdict. “Whoever creates this stuff has no idea what pain is whatsoever,” he says. “I am utterly disgusted.”Miyazaki’s delivery has none of the vein-throbbing fury of a Gordon Ramsay – only the life-haunting melancholy of the disappointed father. “I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself,” Miyazaki adds. A devastated researcher reels from the blow, and judging by the look on his face may never recover from it. Continue reading...

Want to improve your fitness, sleep better or start making music this year? Our writers put the latest gadgets – and their New Year resolutions – to the testThe goal

Among the 100,000 Australians who play geocaching – which combines ‘bushwalking and geeky technology’ like GPS – the update to Australia’s latitude and longitude is a talking pointAustralia is on the move.The continent drifts in a north-north-east direction at rate of 7cm a year. But, from this year, its recorded latitude and longitude will move 1.8 metres – a scheduled update to the local coordinate system to reflect the movement of the Earth’s tectonic plates. Continue reading...

Pupils who struggle to stay away from their mobiles and laptops can take part in a pioneering campOne of Britain’s first “digital detox” companies is planning to expand its programmes to include teenagers as concern grows at the number of young people apparently unable to withdraw from the online world.The website of Time To Log Off offers punters the chance “to reconnect with the world offline, leaving you relaxed and energised to return to your daily life”. So far it has specialised in detox breaks for adults, but its first teenage weekend will open in Somerset during the Easter holidays. Continue reading...

The place to see out the year arguing about video games on the internetIt’s the end of 2016! Why not celebrate in style by talking about games all day? Continue reading...

From 1 January, workers have ‘right to disconnect’ as France seeks to establish agreements that afford work flexibility but avoid burnoutFrom Sunday, French companies will be required to guarantee their employees a “right to disconnect” from technology as the country seeks to tackle the modern-day scourge of compulsive out-of-hours email checking.On 1 January, an employment law will enter into force that obliges organisations with more than 50 workers to start negotiations to define the rights of employees to ignore their smartphones. Continue reading...

Code found within system of a Vermont electric utility was not used to disrupt operations but represents potentially serious vulnerabilityA malware code associated with Russian hackers has reportedly been detected within the system of a Vermont electric utility.

Temporary ban of Kevin Sessums, well known for celebrity profiles and memoirs, is latest example of social media platform’s censorship of journalistsA journalist was temporarily banned from Facebook after a post in which he called Trump supporters “a nasty fascistic lot”, in the latest example of the social media platform’s censorship of journalists.Facebook “reviewed and restored” the post by Kevin Sessums after being contacted by the Guardian and dropped the posting ban. Continue reading...

The place to talk about games and other things that matterIt’s Friday! How was your Christmas? Continue reading...

Nation states have been attacking each other electronically for a decade or more. Historians will eventually give it a name and a start and end dateThe job of the historian is often to pull together broad themes and trends, then give them a snappy title that people will easily recognise and understand. That’s how we end up with labels like “The decline and fall of the Roman Empire” or “The Rise of Hitler and the Third Reich”.As someone who studied history, I’ve had this lingering curiosity about how historians of the future will view our times. It is easy to imagine textbooks in a hundred years with chapters that start with Reagan and Thatcher and end with the global financial crisis and called something like The Western Neoliberal Consensus 1979-2008. Continue reading...

With technology developing at an increasingly rapid pace, as we head into 2017, we ask: will AI machines surpass the human race?

There were many products that promised so much and delivered so littleWhile there were some good things in technology released this year, there were also quite a few let downs. From detonating devices to damp squibs, these are the biggest let downs of 2016.

Experts say report is too little too late and comes after several others from private sector detailing alleged exploits of groups Fancy Bear and Cozy Bear

US firm filed patent document in 2014 for ‘airborne fulfilment centres’ that could use fleet of drones to make deliveriesAmazon has filed a patent for flying warehouses that could use a fleet of drones to make deliveries to customers.A patent document filed in 2014 in the US describes giant airships as “airborne fulfilment centres” (AFCs) that could be stationed above metropolitan areas and used to store and quickly deliver items at times of high demand, using drones dispatched directly from the airship. Continue reading...

Hackers can cause fraud, explosions and house fires, and utility companies should do more to protect consumers, conference toldSmart electricity meters, of which there are more than 100m installed around the world, are frequently “dangerously insecure”, a security expert has said.The lack of security in the smart utilities raises the prospect of a single line of malicious code cutting power to a home or even causing a catastrophic overload leading to exploding meters or house fires, according to Netanel Rubin, co-founder of the security firm Vaultra. Continue reading...

Some record labels have had their biggest revenue rise in more than a decade thanks to services such as Spotify and Apple MusicFive years ago, the demise of the music industry seemed almost inevitable. Recession, rampant piracy, falling CD sales and a fear that “kids just don’t buy music any more” had giant record labels, once oozing wealth, counting the pennies.

Apps offer an enticing temporary escape, but my resolution for 2017 is to swap Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram for facing real life head onI sit with a friend having some seasonal drinks. The second she gets up to go to the toilet, I catch myself reaching for my smartphone. But instead of taking it out and idly filling the two minutes she’s gone, I flip the switch on the side to silent and look around the room instead. I’m practising for 2017.On the face of it, smartphones might seem like hard things to hate. On average, smartphone owners use them for over three hours per day. By the standards of even five years ago, the handheld devices of today are extraordinary pieces of technology that enable a vast range of capabilities. Whether it is communicating entirely in emojis, piloting a drone, or Googling while on the toilet, the things we can do with smartphones would have amazed, and possibly terrified, our ancestors. Continue reading...

Charlie’s mum wants a new laptop for around £200, and there are models with 32GB of storage for £160. However, mum needs a DVD/RW drive …My mum is looking to buy a new laptop after Christmas. Her budget is tight: around £200. She uses it for Microsoft Office, browsing the internet (reading the Guardian) and watching TV. I suggested a 32GB SSD drive – which would be really quick – as she will use USB sticks, SD cards and the cloud for storage. I saw one for £160, but if she bought that, she would need to buy an external DVD drive for burning music to CD etc. Would it just be easier to stay safe and get a standard laptop with a hard drive? Charlie

From Nathan Drake to the Freudian imagery of No Man’s Sky, writers Holly Nielsen and Kate Gray ponder the raunchiest gaming pleasures of the yearWarning: this article contains sexual references, sexual innuendo and unlikely sexual interpretations of ostensibly inoffensive material.It turns out that 2016 was a pretty good year for video games. Everything else might have gone to hell, but games pretty much delivered. From the showy popcorn thrills of Uncharted 4 to the sombre gothic chills of Dishonored 2; from blockbusters to rule-breakers; from lumbering epics to short, sharp shocks, 2016 had it all. Continue reading...

The new controllers from Oculus represent a glimpse of a virtual reality people can really lose themselves inIn 2016, 21st-century virtual reality really arrived. From cheap mobile experiences to exuberant desktop machines, if you wanted to dive into a virtual world, there was a way. But while the headsets opened up possibilities, the new breed of touch controllers are the virtual hands drawing you in.

The signatories to the letter on children’s lifestyles (Screen-based lifestyle harms children’s health, 26 December) make the usual error – compounded by your selective headline – of lumping an enormous variety of cultural experience into one category: “screen-based”, which is then labelled as merely “technology”. This makes about as much sense as lumping all printed matter together under the heading of “paper-based technology”. We know that’s a silly idea because we know that printed matter includes a vast range of cultural products, from novels to cereal packets. Screen-based content is just as diverse. Instead of wringing our hands over the long-established fact that children start to access this content during their first year of life, could we start to give some informed attention to how children begin to “learn about the culture they are born into” (to quote one of the signatories to the letter) and consider the possibility that some screen-based material may be enjoyed and valued by both parents and children, and may make a serious contribution to children’s social and emotional development?

‘No evidence of attack’ in full or partial state recounts, but worries persist that voting machine companies could be ‘central’ targets of future breachesThe US presidential election was correct, according to a crowdfunded effort to recount the vote in key states, but the review also highlighted the unprecedented extent to which the American political system is vulnerable to cyberattack, according to two computer scientists who helped the effort to audit the vote.J Alex Halderman and Matt Bernhard, both of the University of Michigan, campaigned in favor of a recount of the US presidential election, which was eventually spearheaded by Jill Stein, the Green party candidate. Continue reading...

Worldwide system used to coordinate travel bookings between airlines is insecure and easy to exploit, experts revealThe worldwide system used to coordinate travel bookings between airlines, travel agents, and price comparison websites is hopelessly insecure, according to researchers.The lack of modern security features, both in the design of the system itself and of the many sites and services that control access to it, makes it easy for an attacker to harvest personal information from bookings, steal flights by altering ticketing details, or earn millions of air miles by attaching new frequent-flyer numbers to pre-booked flights, according to German security firm SR Labs.

Tech economy is drawing new inhabitants and businesses but is contributing to dislocation, leaving families, teachers and even principals with housing woes

Company has declined to provide audio recorded by smart speaker system at house where man died, according to a reportAmazon has refused to hand over data from an Echo smart speaker to US police want to access as part of an investigation into a murder in Arkansas, according to court records seen by tech industry news site The Information.Arkansas police issued a warrant to Amazon to turn over recordings and other information associated with the device owned by James Andrew Bates. Bates has been charged with the murder of a man found dead in his hot tub in November 2015.

Google and Amazon brought AI into the home and DeepMind built a computer that could outsmart humans at Go. Will 2017 hold similar advancements?Over the course of 2016, artificial intelligence made the leap from “science fiction concept” to “almost meaningless buzzword” with alarmingspeed.Everything has AI now. Period-tracking app Flo “uses a neural network approach” to deliver “high period forecast accuracy”; food delivery app Just Eat launched a chatbot that “sees AI integrated into the ordering experience to ensure that customers receive the best, round the clock support and service”; restaurant guide Borsch “uses artificial intelligence to help people discover the yummiest dishes around”.

Company claimed one-man protest involving ‘giant firecrackers’ led to activation, but it also promoted a link to a false report of a major ‘explosion’