Techworld.com personal-tech

Bitcoiners rally to enlighten Washington

Zach Miners) — Sun, 19 May 2013 03:19:00 GMT

Washington's biggest problem when it comes to Bitcoin may just be that policymakers on the Hill don't know enough about it, yet.

Bitcoiners crave coders to cope with demand

noreply@idg.co.uk (Zach Miners) — Sun, 19 May 2013 02:13:00 GMT

Bitcoin is not going away, the digital currency's developers say, and they're craving more technically savvy people to support its use.

Bitcoin's rollercoaster ride is not slowing down

noreply@idg.co.uk (Zach Miners) — Sat, 18 May 2013 21:45:00 GMT

More bumps in the road are probably in store for Bitcoin. The virtual currency has seen some massive swings in value over the last several weeks, but that volatility is not likely to end soon, its lead developer suggested on Saturday.

Wall Street Beat: Market stokes tech IPOs, as Tableau and Marketo debut

Marc Ferranti and Joab Jackson) — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:18:00 GMT

A strong stock market could open the floodgates for more tech IPOs in the wake of Friday's solid debut of Marketo and Tableau, but not all segments of IT may be able to ride the wave.

At Google I/O, Glass wearers say 'trust us'

Zach Miners) — Fri, 17 May 2013 01:50:00 GMT

Google is facing some tough questions from Congress over the privacy concerns raised by Glass, its fledgling augmented reality system for recording and receiving information on the fly. But on the ground at the company's I/O conference for developers, attendees are largely enthusiastic about the technology.

LulzSec members sent to prison for infamous DDoS attacks

John E Dunn) — Thu, 16 May 2013 19:25:00 GMT

Four members of the infamous and largely British LulzSec hacking group that carried a string of high-profile DDoS attacks in 2011 have been handed relatively lenient prison terms of up to 32 months by the judge at Southwark Crown Court.

Samsung Link to replace AllShare Play multimedia-sharing app

noreply@idg.co.uk (Agam Shah) — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:40:00 GMT

Samsung's AllShare Play application, which allows file sharing among the company's mobile devices, has been renamed Link, and it has a new user interface and search features.

Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr try out social networking apps for Glass

noreply@idg.co.uk (Zach Miners) — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:25:00 GMT

While Google promotes its Glass head-mounted display as a new way for people to receive and document information on the fly, several social networking companies including Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr now want a piece of the action, by offering social applications on the device.

Epson brings hands-free YouTube to smart glasses

Agam Shah) — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:15:00 GMT

Epson America is bringing hands-free interaction with YouTube to its smart glasses, which could set the stage for improved usability of applications like augmented reality.

NASA's planet-hunting telescope is spinning out of control

noreply@idg.co.uk (Sharon Gaudin) — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:01:00 GMT

NASA's Kepler space telescope, launched in 2009 to search for Earth-like planets, is now spinning uncontrollably in space.

AMD launches new notebook graphics flagship Radeon 8790M

Daniel Ionescu) — Thu, 16 May 2013 09:47:00 GMT

Attention mobile graphics fiends: AMD says its claiming the crown for the "world's fastest notebook graphics card" with its newly unveiled Radeon HD 8970M.

Japan warns solar flares could harm GPS, satellites, power lines

noreply@idg.co.uk (Jay Alabaster) — Thu, 16 May 2013 09:02:00 GMT

A Japanese government institute has warned that satellite transmissions, GPS readings, and power lines could be affected over the next two weeks if a recent spate of solar flares continues.

SAP unveils 'consumer-friendly' Fiori app suite

Chris Kanaracus) — Thu, 16 May 2013 08:35:00 GMT

SAP's software is known for its role running many of the world's largest companies, but not necessarily for its user-friendliness. As part of an ongoing effort to change this perception, SAP unveiled Fiori, a set of 25 lightweight "consumer-friendly" applications that can run on desktops, tablets and mobile devices, on Wednesday at the Sapphire conference in Orlando.

HP brings Android to laptops with SlateBook X2

Agam Shah) — Wed, 15 May 2013 10:32:00 GMT

Hewlett-Packard has given the "Android treatment" to its latest laptop-tablet hybrid, which is called SlateBook X2 and has a detachable 10-inch screen that can independently function as a tablet.

Mobile adware networks given 45 days to stop misbehaving by security firm

John E Dunn) — Tue, 14 May 2013 11:43:00 GMT

Misbehaving adware buried inside mobile apps has turned into such a problem that security vendor Lookout Mobile Security has published a deadline for networks to change their behaviour or face being blacklisted.

McAfee LiveSafe integrates cloud and Intel chip security in one product

John E Dunn) — Tue, 14 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

McAfee has announced LiveSafe, a premium software and security service it believes can shore up the failing edifice of antivirus protection using a mixture of encryption, cloud storage, password management, authentication and malware defence for PCs, Macs, tablets and smartphones.

Sony to launch super-thin, flexible e-reader for universities

Jay Alabaster) — Mon, 13 May 2013 12:45:00 GMT

Sony will soon launch a flexible e-reader device that is less than 7mm thick and weighs 358 grams, targeted for use in university classrooms.

Phishing gang jailed for plundering woman's £1 million life savings

John E Dunn) — Mon, 13 May 2013 10:06:00 GMT

A heartless phishing gang that stole and frittered a British woman’s entire £1 million ($1.6 million) life savings on items including “gold and cheeseburgers” have been handed heavy sentences by a judge at London’s Southwark Crown Court.

In legal fog, Kim Dotcom removes 3D gun design

Jeremy Kirk) — Mon, 13 May 2013 08:35:00 GMT

Kim Dotcom has ordered the removal from his Mega file-storage service design plans for a controversial one-bullet plastic gun.

Cyberhackers steal $45 million from bank ATMs after cloning debit cards

John E Dunn) — Fri, 10 May 2013 12:16:00 GMT

In the largest and surely most extraordinary ATM fraud in history, US prosecutors have revealed details of a vast global conspiracy in which thieves were able to exploit out of date card technology to empty cash machines in 27 countries of $45 million (£29 million).

Obama plays up 3D printing's military applications under new manufacturing plans

Zach Miners) — Fri, 10 May 2013 09:40:00 GMT

3D printing has been attracting more attention in recent months as a tool to create gadgets, toys and miniature works of art. Now President Barack Obama thinks it can also play a role in strengthening the military and America's sagging manufacturing industry.

Gang arrested for £500,000 'Rolex rampage' using pwned Amex Black card

John E Dunn) — Thu, 09 May 2013 13:29:00 GMT

Five men have been arrested by British police after allegedly going on an extravagant £500,000 ($775,000) spending spree using a compromised American Express Black card.

Gang arrested for £500,000 spending spree using pwned Amex Black card

John E Dunn) — Thu, 09 May 2013 13:29:00 GMT

Five men have been arrested by British police after allegedly going on an extravagant £500,000 ($775,000) spending spree using a compromised American Express Black card.

Hacker posts Sex and the City author Candace Bushnell's unpublished book after email raid

John E Dunn) — Wed, 08 May 2013 12:32:00 GMT

The increasingly tricksy hacker known as ‘Guccifer’ has struck again, this time posting links to the first 50 pages of an unpublished novel by Sex and the City author, Candace Bushnell.

Hacker leaks Sex and the City author Candace Bushnell's unpublished book after email raid

John E Dunn) — Wed, 08 May 2013 12:32:00 GMT

The increasingly tricksy hacker known as ‘Guccifer’ has struck again, this time posting links to the first 50 pages of an unpublished novel by Sex and the City author, Candace Bushnell.