Techworld.com News

A robotic guitar that can replace three guitarists

Kevin Lee — Fri, 25 May 2012 17:09:00 GMT

We already know that musically inclined robots will take up the Beatles mantle in the future, and that they are skilled reproduce the classic James Bond theme. But just to further show how obsolete human musicians are, Vladimir Demin (MrDeminva on YouTube) built a robotic guitar that can replace a group of guitarists.

Prototype robot 'Rosemary' to work at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant

Jay Alabaster — Fri, 25 May 2012 15:17:00 GMT

A Japanese robotics lab has developed a new emergency response prototype called Rosemary that will soon be put to work at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in northern Japan.

UK host 123-reg recovers after "massive" DDoS attack

John E Dunn — Fri, 25 May 2012 11:03:00 GMT

The UK’s largest domain registrar 123 Reg was hit this week by a “massive” DDoS attack that caused several hours of disruption to web traffic, third-party reports claim.

Box targets enterprise with new admin and security features

Tony Bradley — Fri, 25 May 2012 10:37:00 GMT

Box has unveiled five new features for its cloud storage service aimed at making it easier for business customers to manage and protect data stored in the cloud.

IE9 slowed down by new Yahoo Axis add-on

Gregg Keizer — Fri, 25 May 2012 10:35:00 GMT

Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) may be slowed down by Yahoo's new Axis search add-on despite Microsoft and Yahoo being search partners.

Researchers propose extending TLS to detect rogue SSL certificates

Lucian Constantin — Fri, 25 May 2012 10:21:00 GMT

A pair of security researchers have proposed an extension to the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol that would allow browsers to detect and block fraudulently-issued SSL certificates.

Windows 8's Metro IE10 will run Adobe Flash only on some sites

Ian Paul — Fri, 25 May 2012 10:06:00 GMT

Microsoft is reportedly taking the Google Chrome approach with Metro IE10 and building Adobe Flash capability directly into the touch-friendly browser. But Flash won't be available for every site on the Web. Instead, Microsoft will only extend the capability to select popular sites.

Sony brings Music Unlimited streaming service to the iPhone

Jay Alabaster — Fri, 25 May 2012 09:55:00 GMT

Sony on Friday released an iPhone app to access its streaming Music Unlimited service, part of its efforts to expand its online platforms to devices from rival manufacturers.

Yahoo Axis private key leaked in Chrome extensions

Lucian Constantin — Fri, 25 May 2012 09:33:00 GMT

Yahoo was forced to release a new version of its Axis extension for Google Chrome after the original one contained a private key that allowed anyone to digitally sign extensions in Yahoo's name.

95% o SAP systems vulnerable, security researcher warns

Loek Essers — Fri, 25 May 2012 08:53:00 GMT

More than 95% o over 600 SAP systems tested by security firm Onapsis were vulnerable to espionage, sabotage and fraud, mainly because patches had not been applied, according to a researcher.

Google funds UK computer science teachers

Anh Nguyen — Fri, 25 May 2012 08:41:00 GMT

Google has provided funding to recruit computer science teachers in the UK, chairman Eric Schmidt has revealed.

Intel turns London into testbed for smart technologies

Sophie Curtis — Thu, 24 May 2012 17:40:00 GMT

Intel has announced the launch of a collaborative research institute to promote sustainable connected cities, in collaboration with Imperial College London and University College London.

Huddle raises £15.3m in series C funding round

Sophie Curtis — Thu, 24 May 2012 15:35:00 GMT

British cloud-based content collaboration firm Huddle announced today that it has raised $24 million (£15.3m) in its Series C round of funding.

Startup Gigabit Squared launches gigabit-per-second broadband project

Grant Gross — Thu, 24 May 2012 14:48:00 GMT

Startup Gigabit Squared has raised $200 million to fund gigabit-per-second broadband projects in six university communities across the US, the company announced yesterday.

Bredolab botnet author sentenced to 4 years in prison in Armenia

Lucian Constantin — Thu, 24 May 2012 14:30:00 GMT

The creator of the Bredolab malware received a four-year prison sentence in Armenia on Monday for using his botnet to launch DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) attacks that damaged multiple computer systems owned by private individuals and organizations.

Spiceworks enables IT pros to track cloud usage within organisations

Sophie Curtis — Thu, 24 May 2012 13:50:00 GMT

Spiceworks has added new “cloud service discovery” features to the latest version of its social business platform for IT professionals, enabling users to identify and consolidate cloud services running on their networks.

Intel launches cloud-based password management service to battle Symantec

Antone Gonsalves — Thu, 24 May 2012 12:42:00 GMT

Listed on AppExchange, Cloud SSO has been tightly integrated with Salesforce.com applications

Fake Angry Birds app cost UK Android users £28,000

John E Dunn — Thu, 24 May 2012 12:13:00 GMT

In the most serious mobile malware incident yet to be uncovered in the UK a firm has been fined £50,000 by the regulator for profiting from bogus apps that covertly sent SMS messages costing £5 a time to a premium rate number.

Mike Lynch leaves HP Autonomy

Anh Nguyen — Thu, 24 May 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Autonomy founder Mike Lynch is leaving the company after less than a year under the ownership of HP.

Apple claims US government sides with monopoly in ebook price-fixing case

John Ribeiro — Thu, 24 May 2012 11:50:00 GMT

At the time Apple entered the market, Amazon sold nearly nine out of every ten ebooks, and its power over price and product selection was nearly absolute, Apple has stated. The company's entry helped grow the number of ebook titles, the range and variety of offerings, sales, and improved the quality of the ebook reading experience.

Pwnium Chrome hackers exploited 16 zero-day vulnerabilities

Gregg Keizer — Thu, 24 May 2012 10:37:00 GMT

Google Chrome hackers used a total of 16 zero-day vulnerabilities to crack the browser at the inaugural "Pwnium" hacking contest and win $120,000.

Google gives search users final DNSChanger warning

John E Dunn — Thu, 24 May 2012 10:10:00 GMT

Google has embarked on a final campaign to warn the remaining half million PCs it reckons could still be infected with the DNSChanger malware that they risk losing Internet connectivity on 9 July.

Seagate to acquire external drive maker LaCie for £119 million

Lucas Mearian — Thu, 24 May 2012 09:36:00 GMT

Seagate today announced plans to acquire LaCie, a French maker of external consumer hard drive products, in an all-cash deal worth about £119 million ($186 million).

Google to offer mapping and other software in Syria

John Ribeiro — Thu, 24 May 2012 09:17:00 GMT

Google is now allowed under US export control rules to offer downloads in Syria of its mapping software Google Earth, photo sharing software Picasa, and its Chrome browser.

UK government offers Windows 7 PC with a year's broadband for £159

Mary-Ann Russon — Thu, 24 May 2012 09:00:00 GMT

For £159, the Get Online @ Home scheme offers customers a refurbished Windows 7 desktop PC with a 15-inch monitor, keyboard, mouse, CD drive and USB ports, as well as a 1-year broadband contract with TalkTalk that comes with a monthly 40GB usage allowance and a telephone line with free evening and weekend calls to UK landlines.