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Smart home heating aid learns your schedule, turns off when you leave the house and increases energy efficiency with upgraded screen and workingsThe new Nest learning thermostat is the third-generation heating control system from Google owner Alphabet’s subsidiary. It is the second version to be released in the UK, and now comes with a bigger, clearer screen and more advanced components that not only work better, but also protect your boiler. Continue reading...

Tribunal had ruled in favour of the occupants but owner takes case to court, arguing that a five-day stay amounts to sub-lettingA landlord who attempted to evict tenants for listing their rental property on Airbnb has taken the case to court, arguing that a five-day stay in the apartment in Melbourne amounted to sub-letting.Barbara Uecker and Michael Greaves signed a 12-month lease for the two-bedroom apartment in the bayside suburb of St Kilda in August 2015 and later listed it on Airbnb in two advertisements: one offering just the spare room, and one the whole flat.

Sky, BT and other companies can advertise high-speed broadband claims even if they are only available to 10% of their customersConsumers’ group Which? has called on the advertising watchdog to ban companies such as Sky and BT from advertising super-fast broadband promises when more than 15m households don’t get anywhere near the speeds they pay for.Under the UK advertising code, which is administered by the Advertising Standards Authority, companies are allowed to advertise their top speeds even if they are only actually available to just 10% of customers.

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

The 72 new characters – including ‘avocado’ and ‘face palm’ – will be available from 21 June, but greater representation of women is still a work in progressIf you’ve ever been too hungover to type “bacon” in full, or felt the “face with tears of joy” had lost its impact as an expression of amusement, rejoice – your digital vocabulary is about to expand with the approval of more than 70 new emoji characters.Seventy-two new emojis are to be made available with the release of Unicode 9. Among them is a “person doing cartwheel”, avocado, doner kebab, pregnant woman, tumbler glass, boxing glove, and first, second and third place medals. Continue reading...

Impossible Foods is on a mission to make a burger so similar to beef that even the most ardent meat lovers can’t tell the difference. Have they succeeded?Raj Aggarwal took a bite of the burger and paused, looked straight ahead as he chewed, and shrugged his shoulders.“It tastes like a burger, very tasty,” said Aggarwal, the founder of a startup called Localytics. “Not quite bloody though.” Continue reading...

The Tesla CEO has proclaimed that autonomous driving is a ‘solved problem’ but tech and executives in recent years have tempered their expectationsDepending on whom you ask, your car will be driving you in less than two years – or more than 15.The Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, who is never shy about beating his chest, on Wednesday declared it to be just two years away . In doing so, he made one of the most confident predictions to date about how soon consumers can stop worrying about passing their driver’s tests. Continue reading...

European commission warns against cracking down on businesses that help ordinary people offer services to the publicThe European commission has thrown its weight behind the so-called sharing economy typified by firms such as Uber and Airbnb, saying countries should only ban them as a last resort.The growth of the sharing economy – defined as businesses that help ordinary people offer services to the public – has caused tension in several European countries over claims that existing industries are being damaged. Continue reading...

A PlayStation game opened up a liberating world of play, interaction and co-operation for Keith Stuart and his young son. It continues to be a cornerstone of their relationship – and a place to have fun together as equalsMy son was seven when a paediatrician diagnosed him on the autism scale – but really, we had known for years. There was his limited vocabulary – a handful of words by the time he was three, and a habit of mixing up letters or relying on stock sentences. He found it hard to get on with other children at his nursery, and later, when he went to a much bigger school, it was obvious the experience was terrifyingly loud, hectic and incomprehensible to him. Meanwhile, if there was something he was interested in, whether it was Peppa Pig or Superman, he would fixate on it to the detriment of absolutely anything else. We knew where all the signs were pointing.

Libel lawyer says US tech firms basing international operations in the country will see ‘flurry of activity’ in coming monthsTech companies including Twitter, Google and Facebook are facing a wave of legal actions in Ireland because of their decision to base their international operations in the country, a leading libel lawyer has said.Paul Tweed told the Guardian his firm Johnsons had seen a “steady, if not dramatic, increase in claims against Facebook, Google and Twitter” as well as other social networks. He said there were several new claims a week on issues including privacy, libel and harassment. Continue reading...

@DarthPutinKGB reinstated following suspension alongside several other accounts satirising Russian officialsTwitter has unblocked a popular account parodying the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, after widespread condemnation and accusations of censorship.@DarthPutinKGB celebrated his return to Twitter following a two-day suspension with typical tweets: Continue reading...

David Cameron to be one of those facing questioning by public on 10 June

Billionaire entrepreneur behind Tesla, SpaceX, PayPal and Hyperloop discusses Mars, driverless cars and going into orbitElon Musk wears many hats. He’s the co-founder of online payments behemoth PayPal, the founder of private space flight pioneers SpaceX, the chief executive of electronic car manufacturers Tesla, and the original doodler of utopian transport concept Hyperloop. He’s also outspoken about the dangers of AI research, the need for blue-sky thinking in technology, and his desire to colonise another planet.So it’s no surprise that over the course of an interview at California’s Code conference, Musk revealed a number of things we didn’t know before. Here’s some of them. Continue reading...

Actor will also produce big-screen version of record-breaking third-person shooter, his second gaming tie-in after 2010 flop Prince of PersiaJake Gyllenhaal is set to star in a big-screen adaptation of record-breaking video game Tom Clancy’s The Division.Gyllenhaal will also act as producer on the project, according to Variety. The video game, a third-person shooter, is gaming giant Ubisoft’s fastest-selling product, making $330m (£229m) within five days of its release in March. Continue reading...

Broadcaster invests in production business that has made programming including Bear Grylls: Man vs Everest

Anti-UAV Defence System to be one of three systems trialled by Federal Aviation Authority in attempt to combat incursionsAn anti-drone system developed by a trio of UK companies is to receive its first public test by America’s Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), in an effort to protect airports from the risks of hobbyist unmanned aerial vehicles.The system, called the Anti-UAV Defence System (Auds), looks like a mounted turret but instead of shooting drones out of the sky with bullets, it fires nothing more menacing than radio waves. Continue reading...

From soups and stews to roasts, vegetarian and vegan meals – here are some of the most helpful apps to get you cookingThe recent rumpus about the BBC’s plans for its recipes websites showed how many of us are turning to digital sources rather than traditional books when cooking. Inevitably, there are apps for that. Lots of them.Here are 10 of the best cookery apps for Android and iOS, covering various cuisines, themes and age groups/abilities. Prices are correct at the time of writing, and “IAP” refers to in-app purchases – usually for extra bundles of recipes in this case. Continue reading...

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

Yasir Al Rumayya, managing director of the Saudi public investment fund, will join Uber’s board, giving the government a voice in one of the hottest tech firmsThe Saudi Arabian royal government’s investment arm announced Wednesday that it is investing $3.5bn in Uber, one of the largest investments in a private technology company ever.It’s an ironic investment for Uber, given that the country is the only one in the world to ban women from driving. Continue reading...

Whether you want help with cooking, cleaning or even dating, there’s a droid for the job. Here are a handful of home assistants who would love to serve youMeet Zenbo, the Asus robot that costs no more than a smartphoneIn-home robots to help with everything from cooking and cleaning to childcare and companionship have been the stuff of sci-fi for decades. But, with the unveiling this week of the Wall-E-like Asus Zenbo, this is the year that science-fiction could turn into science-fact, introducing home assistants that can talk to you, control your electronics and help out with the chores. Here are five that could be knocking at your door in the near future. Continue reading...

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Let us know what constructive stories, innovations or people you would like to read about in our new Half full seriesWhy is the news overwhelmingly bad? It’s a question that those reporting current affairs have been asked since the first town crier cleared his throat hundreds of years ago. The answer is banal: ordinary people leading quiet lives do not often make for thrilling stories.War, politics, crime, terrorism, destitution: all bring out extremes in human nature that make for compelling reading, stir up our compassion, anger or horror – all emotions that make us feel alive and engaged. Continue reading...

Listen to the first episode of our new technology and digital culture show – and let us know your thoughtsWelcome to the newest member of the Guardian’s podcast family: Chips with Everything, a new incarnation of our long-running technology show, hosted by the brilliant Leigh Alexander and Olly Mann.In putting this new show together, we’ve used the huge amount of responses we received to our call-to-action, when we asked Guardian podcast listeners for their ideas. Thank you for all the feedback – we listened carefully to what you had to say, and Chips with Everything is the result. Continue reading...

We venture below the line and ask the question – why are commenters so mean?We’ve all been there: you stumble on to a YouTube video of skateboarding cats, scroll down to the comment section, and find people arguing about Ukraine’s foreign policy. We don’t even act surprised when we see random, disruptive, often cruel comments anymore. In 2016, comment section trolls are truly an embedded component of the internet, and on this first episode of Chips With Everything, we’re asking why – what’s the point of being cruel below the line?We chat with Becky Gardiner, former comment editor at the Guardian, and Lucy Moon, a vlogger on YouTube. Continue reading...

From period trackers to a vaginal sound system, new devices imply that there is something wrong down there that needs to be monitored with constant vigilanceWomen have been tracking their menstrual cycles since at least the time of Saint Augustine, and yet when Apple introduced its much ballyhooed smartwatch and Health app in 2014, there was one glaring omission: a period tracker.

Video campaign in Germany, France, Italy, South Korea, Turkey and Japan is altered by company whose boss is openly gayApple has removed an image of a same-sex couple with their two babies from its Mother’s Day advertising in France, Germany, Italy, South Korea, Turkey and Japan.

Make unlocking your smartphone even smarter by preparing for those times when you have sticky or wet digitsMost top-end smartphones, and even some low-end models, come with a fingerprint scanner these days.

Publisher of La Presse, which is digital-only on weekdays, says readers are spending up to an hour a day reading its content - and ad sales are ‘strong’The Canadian daily newspaper that replaced its weekday newsprint issues with digital tablet editions in January is reporting an increased readership and “strong” ad sales.Guy Crevier, publisher of the Montreal-based La Presse, says there has been a 30% growth in readers across the week, including many new young readers.

The place to talk about games and other things that matterIt’s Wednesday – and it’s June! Continue reading...

Had Oracle won instead, a cascade of liability could have meant every Android phone owner in the world was breaching copyright lawThe Oracle v Google case matters to all of us, not just to the two software titans who have been battling over software copyright issues in the courtroom for the past six years. To understand why, it’s worth considering the cascade of liability that might have followed if Oracle had won the jury trial instead of Google.

Eliane Houlette said her team, which was responding to fraud allegations, worked offline and never mentioned company by nameThe French investigators who raided Google’s Paris offices last week have revealed the extreme security measures taken to keep their investigation hidden from the technology group, with teams working offline and never referring to the company by name.Codenamed operation Tulip, the investigation was named after the shell company in the Netherlands through which Google routes billions in revenues each year to avoid taxes on most of its overseas income. Continue reading...

All too often banks and cards companies do little to pursue fraudsters, and in many cases seem happy to blame those scammedThere was a grand bargain struck between individuals and banks when we began moving away from cash and towards electronic payments. Transactions would become faster, more efficient and more profitable for the banks, and in return individuals would be protected from fraud. That bargain is perilously close to falling apart.Financial Fraud Action UK (FFA UK) has issued its “definitive overview” of payment fraud in the UK, and the figures make for miserable reading. Total fraud jumped by more than a quarter in 2015, with 1.5m card accounts in Britain raided by scam merchants who stole more than £750m. Continue reading...

Video reportedly taken during concert in Verona, Italy, shows singer telling audience member ‘this isn’t a DVD, this is a real show’Singer Adele wants concertgoers to look at her with their own eyes instead of through a camera lens.A video posted by a fan on Twitter shows the 28-year-old British singer singling out a woman at a concert, asking her: “Could you stop filming me with that video camera? Because I’m really here in real life, you can enjoy it in real life rather than through your camera.” Continue reading...

A ‘flash jury’ of randomly selected users will be asked to decide whether flagged comments are abusive, spammy or OKPeriscope, Twitter’s live video streaming service, is experimenting with using a “flash jury” of users to decide whether abusive commenters deserve to be blocked from the site.The feature is one of the more inventive ways to tackle abusive comments, a problem which is particularly hard to manage on a platform where all comments are overlaid on a live broadcast and sometimes even over the face of the broadcaster. Continue reading...

Jess Phillips says leaving is a very real possibility after receiving more than 600 tweets about raping her in one nightA Labour MP has said she may leave Twitter after trolls sent her more than 600 messages in one night about raping her.Jess Phillips spoke out after a wave of abuse was launched against her, apparently after she replied to one person who said: “I wouldn’t even rape you.” Continue reading...

To tackle racism and xenophobia, big internet companies say they will try to review most notifications within 24 hoursAn online “code of conduct” aimed at fighting hate speech has been launched by the European Union in conjunction with four of the world’s biggest internet companies.Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Microsoft have all been involved in the creation of the code, which is particularly aimed at fighting racism and xenophobia across Europe. Such efforts are hampered by varying enforcement in different countries, something the code is tackling. Continue reading...

Voice-controlled companion, whose touchscreen face shows its emotions, can entertain kids and control the lightsThe Taiwanese electronics manufacture Asus has unveiled a home robot called Zenbo that can talk, control your home and provide assistance when needed – all for the cost of a top-end smartphone.The $599 (£410) robot rolls around on two wheels in the shape of a vacuum cleaner ball with cameras an oblong head extruding from the top with a colour touchscreen displaying a face with emotions. It is capable of independent movement, can respond to voice commands and has both entertainment protocols for keeping kids amused and home care systems to help look after older people. Continue reading...

The move illustrates how technology companies are doubling down on secure messaging while not wanting to get in the way of their other business objectives

Homophobic abuse is tweeted to singer’s 89 million followers and love messages sent to her arch rival Taylor SwiftTwitter’s top user and pop superstar Katy Perry was hacked on Monday, with her account sending abusive tweets to her 89 million followers and reportedly leaking an unreleased song.The tweets removed from Perry’s account page, the most followed on Twitter, beating Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift, sent homophobic messages to users and a “miss u baby” message to the singer’s arch rival Taylor Swift among others. Continue reading...

Company only now discloses scale of hack three years ago – shortly before purchase by Yahoo – as database of passwords is leakedPersonal information from more than 65m Tumblr accounts has been discovered for sale on the darknet.Tumblr disclosed the leak, which it says took place in early 2013, this month, but had not previously acknowledged the scale of the database that was compromised. Continue reading...

New iOS apps of May 2016 include Relay, Opera VPN and Spaces, and games include Bushido Bear, Hungry Shark World and GodFinger 2From custom-made maps to football stories for kids, via classical music, ninja bears, GIF keyboards and avian dating games, it’s been an interesting month for iPhone and iPad owners, with a range of new App Store releases to try.As ever, prices are correct at the time of writing, and if you see “IAP” it means the app uses in-app purchases. Looking for Android apps instead? Don’t post an angry comment – click through to the separate Best Android Apps roundups instead. Continue reading...

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

Victorian police confiscated the bitcoins as proceeds of crime, although only registered bidders will find out who fromAbout $13m in bitcoins will be auctioned in Sydney in June after Victorian police confiscated the digital currency as proceeds of crime.Ernst & Young is running the process, which is only the second such bitcoin auction in the world after the US Marshals Service sold 144,000 bitcoins over a two-year period that had been confiscated from Ross Ulbricht, who founded the online drug bazaar Silk Road, the accountancy firm’s transaction partner, Adam Nikitins, said. Continue reading...

Facebook certainly does have a lot to answer for in the way it responds to sexist abuse (MPs lead national campaign against sexist abuse online, 26 May). I often get abusive, misogynistic messages on my Facebook page from complete strangers and these are frequently accompanied by penis pictures. When I complain, the response I get is that these messages do not contravene their “community standards”. Yet a tasteful photo of me breastfeeding my baby was removed, because Facebook doesn’t allow female nipples (male nipples are fine).

From the scenic grandeur of The Witcher and Rise of the Tomb Raider, to the handcrafted beauty of Ori and the Blind Forest, here are some of the most evocative visual experiences on Microsoft’s latest console Continue reading...

Many believe that porn is addictive, and that the endless stream of on-demand internet erotica makes real-life sexual experiences not stimulating enoughGregor Schmidinger was eight when he viewed his first porn magazine, found in a rubbish bin in his hometown in Austria. Aged 11, he had access to the internet at home, which he used to explore his burgeoning attraction to men. As the years progressed, he spent more time masturbating to increasingly hardcore – and in some cases violent – pornography online.“Once I’d climaxed I would look at the screen from a new perspective, and it was always weird or alienating,” says Schmidinger, now 31 and a film-maker. Continue reading...

Microsoft needs to fix battery life, screen and app issues if Windows 10 tablets are to compete with Android or the iPadIf you’re after a tablet in 2016, broadly speaking you have three choices: Android, Apple’s iPad or Microsoft’s Windows 10 tablets.While the first two are mobile born and bred, spawned from smartphone operating systems, Windows 10 comes from the other side of computing - the traditional desktop. Continue reading...

Top new Android apps of May 2016 include Dark Sky, Spaces and Sleepcast, while games include Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons and Bushido BearApril was another strong month for new Android apps and games: from hyper-local weather forecasts and clever alarm-clock apps to fraternal adventures and ninja bears. Here’s our latest monthly roundup of what’s worth a slot on your home screen.As ever, prices are correct at the time of writing, and if you see “IAP” that means the app uses in-app purchases. Looking for iPhone and iPad apps instead? There’s a separate monthly roundup for them. Continue reading...

Move to tax people who rent out properties through website as officials and residents express concerns over visitor impactIceland is poised to curb an Airbnb explosion as it tries to balance record tourist numbers with the protection of its spectacular unspoilt landscape and traditional lifestyle.Proposed legislation, which could become law this week, seeks to restrict the number of days residents can offer Airbnb rentals in their properties to 90 days a year before they must pay business tax. Continue reading...

Warhammer and Total War are rejuvenated in a joint endeavour, while Valkyria and Doom updates delight Continue reading...