The handset is powered by Intel's single-core Atom Z2460 processor and runs Google's Android system. It was manufactured by the Chinese firm Gigabyte, but will be marketed under EE's Orange brand. The launch marks Intel's entry into a market dominated by chips based on designs by British firm Arm Holdings. It will go on sale on 6 June in the UK - where it will be called San Diego - and will be released in France shortly after. There has been no announcement as yet for other markets. Growth market The handset is the third Intel-based smartphone, following the launch of Lava's XOLO X900 in India in April and the Lenovo LePhone K800 in China on Wednesday. Intel has also partnered with Google's Motorola Mobility division with devices scheduled to launch in the second half of the year. Sales of mobile devices are growing at a much faster rate than PCs and some analysts believe the dividing line between the two sectors will blur, so success could be critical for Intel's future. "This is part of our strategy to grow into what we refer to as adjacent markets, whether that be premium high performance smartphone products in the mature markets or lower cost solutions in some of the emerging markets, and everything in between," Graham Palmer, Intel's country manager for the UK and Ireland told the BBC. "This is absolutely a core part of Intel's strategy to allow us to take our technology into these new growth sectors."

He added that his firm had worked closely with Google and other developers to ensure apps designed for ARM-based phones would be compatible and run at desired speeds on the Atom chip. "Our intent is that all applications will run seamlessly on the Intel-based phone," added Mr Palmer. "A huge amount of effort has been put in already to make that completely transparent to consumers." Mid-range model Intel and EE are co-funding a multimillion pound marketing campaign - the first to promote an Orange's own-brand device on television. Despite the big budget the handset is not targeting the top end of the market. It has a 4.03 inch (10.2cm) screen - smaller than HTC and Samsung's top-end Android models - and runs the Gingerbread version of the system software, rather than the newer Ice Cream release. Intel said the single core CPU (central processing unit) on its chip outperformed many dual core models on the market, but admitted it would be beaten by recently released handsets featuring quad core technologies. However, it also sells for a cheaper price: £200 for the pay as you go option. "It's not about going head-to-head with a [Samsung] Galaxy S3," said Paul Jevons, director of products and devices at Everything Everywhere. "In targeting those customers who may be new to smartphones and are at a different point in the market we are able to meet an unsatisfied need." One tech industry watcher expressed surprise at the move. "In the PC world Intel's brand is associated with the high performance," said Malik Saadi, principal analyst with Informa Telecoms and Media. "Yet San Diego is positioned as entry level. I don't understand why they have done that, it seems like the wrong decision." Intel everywhere Unlike most mobiles, the chip designer's branding features heavily. An Intel Inside logo appears after Orange's when it starts up, and the US firm's insignia also features at the top of the device's screen, its rear and on a screensaver. Although this might appear unusual, Mr Saadi said this could soon be the norm. "At the moment there is a rush towards multiple core processors - consumers are aware that more cores means more power and are asking for that," said the analyst. "Chipmakers have noticed this trend and are now becoming keen to promote their brands. "Last year Qualcomm announced a branding strategy to promote its Snapdragon chips, and Intel obviously now wants to migrate its campaign from PCs to mobile devices. So expect chips as brands to become more important over the next few years."


















31 May 2012 Last updated at 11:40
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18277595

The country is believed to have been hit hard by the malicious programme which infiltrates networks in order to steal sensitive data. Security companies said Flame, named after one of its attack modules, is one of the most complex threats ever seen. Iran says its home-grown defence could both spot when Flame is present and clean up infected PCs. Hard work Iran's National Computer Emergency Response Team (Maher) said in a statement that the detection and clean-up tool was finished in early May and is now ready for distribution to organisations at risk of infection. Flame was discovered after the UN's International Telecommunications Union asked for help from security firms to find out what was wiping data from machines across the Middle East. An investigation uncovered the sophisticated malicious programme which, until then, had largely evaded detection. An in-depth look at Flame by the Laboratory of Cryptography and System Security at Hungary's University of Technology and Economics in Budapest, said it stayed hidden because it was so different to the viruses, worms and trojans that most security programmes were designed to catch. In addition, said the report, Flame tried to work out which security scanning software was installed on a target machine and then disguised itself as a type of computer file that an individual anti-virus programme would not usually suspect of harbouring malicious code. Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at security firm Sophos, said the programme had also escaped detection because it was so tightly targeted. "Flame isn't like a Conficker or a Code Red. It's not a widespread threat," he told the BBC.

"The security firm that talked a lot about Flame only found a couple of hundred computers that appeared to have been impacted." Mr Cluley said detecting the software was not difficult once it had been spotted. "It's much much easier writing protection for a piece of malware than analysing what it actually does," he said. "What's going to take a while is dissecting Flame to find out all of its quirks and functionality." It is not yet clear who created Flame but experts say its complexity suggests that it was the work of a nation state rather than hacktivists or cyber criminals. Iran suffered by far the biggest number of Flame infections, suggest figures from Kaspersky Labs in a report about the malicious programme. Kaspersky said 189 infections were reported in Iran, compared to 98 in Israel/Palestine and 32 in Sudan. Syria, Lebanon, Saudia Arabia and Egypt were also hit. In April, Iran briefly disconnected servers from the net at its Kharg island oil terminal as it cleared up after a virus outbreak - now thought to be caused by Flame. In the same statement that announced its home-grown detection tool, Iran said Flame's "propagation methods, complexity level, precise targeting and superb functionality" were reminiscent of the Stuxnet and Duqu cyber threats to which it had also fallen victim. Stuxnet is widely believed to have been written to target industrial equipment used in Iran's nuclear enrichment programme.











29 May 2012 Last updated at 16:25
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18253331

The Samsung-manufactured laptop and desktop PCs include processors based on Intel's Sandy Bridge technology, addressing criticism that the launch models were underpowered. Chrome-based computers run all their applications through the firm's web browser and store their files online. Google has not released sales numbers for the previous range, but analysts said demand had been very low. Tech consultants IDC said that 50,000 Chromebooks had shipped in the US in the first three months of the year in a market that had absorbed about 10 million laptops over the same period. An earlier study by Gartner suggested there would be fewer than 300,000 Chromebooks sold worldwide this year. Google Drive Google says software updates had helped boost the computers' speed so that they ran 2.5 to 3.5 times faster than before. Improvements include greater use of the machines' GPUs (graphic processing units) and tweaks to ensure the system runs Javascript more efficiently. An upcoming software release will also enable the firm's Google Drive cloud storage service to act as the computers' file system, making it easier for users to manage their documents.

It will also allow users to edit Google Documents files when offline. The files will subsequently be synchronised when a network connection is restored tackling complaints that the machines were of limited use when not on the internet. The search giant's decision to build in a limited 16 gigabyte hard drive has helped it keep costs relatively low. The Chromebook laptop is marketed for $449/£379 while the desktop Chromebox is $329/£279. Low maintenance The firm highlights the fact that the devices need "zero administration" because files are stored in the cloud, system updates are controlled by Google and the computers have virus protection built-in. Linus Upson, Google's vice president of engineering, told the BBC that this had already encouraged more than 500 schools across 41 US states to "deploy" Chromebooks to their students. He said he hoped businesses would now follow. "From a security standpoint just about every major corporation in the world is under continuous attack by various governments around the world as well as criminal enterprises," he said "Probably the single most important thing companies can do to secure their network is to secure the PCs that their employees use because that's normally the way in. "Everything from a phishing email saying 'hey install this thing' to exploiting flaws in browsers or plug-ins. At Google we see deploying Chromebooks broadly as being one of the best ways we can protect our user data." He admitted that the computers were not suitable for people wanting to use traditional software packages such as Photoshop and Microsoft Office. But he suggested such programs were "legacy" products that would "decline over time" as users opted for the type of browser-based software available via the Chrome Webstore. Mixed reactions David Daoud, personal computing research director at IDC, is sceptical about the platform's prospects.

 "The issue with Chromebook is the fact that it is in a sort of grey zone," he said. "It has neither the power of a laptop in the productivity world, nor the appeal of an iPad or an Android tablet. "It is confined to a web environment that may not be so appealing in emerging economies where the wireless infrastructure may be limited. In such environments, characterised by tight budgets, consumers do not see why they would spend some $400 on a system that does not fully deliver on a more comprehensive user experience." But Frank Gillett, principal analyst at Forrester Research, said he believed there was a niche for the machines: first-time users looking for a low-cost simple device. "It's cheap, good enough for most of the things you want to do when you're starting out and it's just less complicated to figure out than alternatives out there," he told the BBC. "This is the first interesting version of the product - the launch models were more proof of concept. The Google Drive capability clears the bar to making Chrome-based computers useful to enough of the population to keep it going." Google says the computers will go on sale in the US and UK, adding that devices would come to other European markets "soon".












By Leo Kelion Technology reporter
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18253961

Weibo - which resembles Twitter - took the action after local authorities criticised "unfounded" rumours posted by some users. Reports suggest a credit score system will also be introduced with points deducted for rule breaches. Repeat offenders face having their accounts deleted. The service's parent, Sina Corp, says it has more than 300 million registered users. Users are reported to start with 80 points - they gain more by taking part in promotional activities, but lose points if they break any of the rules. It is reported that if a subscriber's points fell below 60 a "low credit" warning would appear on their microblog, leading to the possible cancellation of their account if it hit zero. If they "behaved" for two consecutive months their score is reported to return to 80. "This is a sign of the authorities trying to restrain the internet in China, but a hardcore group of people will still find ways to get round the restraints," Dr Kerry Brown, head of the Asia Programme at the Chatham House think tank, told the BBC. "There is a tradition of indirect criticism in which people make points using coded references. I very much doubt these rules will change anything." Restricted speech The news was first reported in the western press by The Next Web which quoted from a translated version of the rules created by an anonymous group of volunteers. The "community convention" says its members may not use the service to: Spread rumours Publish untrue information Attack others with personal insults or libellous comments Oppose the basic principles of China's constitution Reveal national secrets Threaten China's honour Promote cults or superstitions Call for illegal protests or mass gatherings It adds that members must not use "oblique expressions or other methods" to circumvent the rules. Users have sometimes abbreviated names or used code words to avoid detection in the past. Rumours The Tech in Asia blog noted that Sina did not invent the rules.

"They are pulled directly from Chinese law and are applicable to Weibo posts regardless of whether Sina includes them in a user contract or not," it said. However, it added that Sina's credit score system was an innovation. A committee made up of experts and Sina Weibo subscribers will be charged with enforcing the rules. Sina - and its competitors Baidu and Tencent - were ordered to ensure all their members registered their real identities by March. However, Sina later admitted it had not fully implemented the order. Last month Chinese officials forced Sina and Tencent to suspend users' ability to comment on each other's posts for three days after allowing rumours to spread. The official news agency, Xinhua, reported that the sites "pledged to strengthen management" afterwards. Authorities have been critical of false reports spread through microblogs including news of the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and stories of a military coup that tried to overthrow Chinese President Hu Jintao. Chinese social media has also been pressured to filter posts featuring words associated with controversial events. When the former Communist Party's Chongqing chief, Bo Xilai, was stripped of his Politburo post several sites would not deliver results for searches featuring his name.














28 May 2012 Last updated at 00:31
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18208446

The New York Times cited unnamed sources, including Facebook employees, suggesting that the network had been hiring several smartphone engineers. Facebook recently admitted it was struggling to make money out of its growing mobile audience. The company, which recently floated on the stock market, has also just launched its own mobile app store. The App Center currently offers links to Facebook-enabled apps within Apple's iOS and Google Android stores but developers will soon be able to write apps to be placed exclusively in Facebook's store. According to the New York Times, Facebook has hired experts who worked on the iPhone and other smartphones. It quoted a Facebook employee as saying the site's founder Mark Zuckerberg was "worried that if he doesn't create a mobile phone in the near future... Facebook will simply become an app on other mobile platforms".

Mobile money A Facebook smartphone has reportedly been in the works for some time. In 2010, Techcrunch reported that Facebook was "secretly" building a smartphone - although this particular project is said to have broken down. The company's desire to enter the smartphone market could be a result of increasing pressure to improve the potential of mobile to make money. In a statement for potential investors ahead of its initial public offering earlier this month, the company admitted it had concerns about more users accessing Facebook through their mobile - a trend which could make it more difficult to sell advertising. When asked by the BBC, a spokeswoman for Facebook said the company did not comment on speculation, and referred instead to a written statement. "Our mobile strategy is simple: we think every mobile device is better if it is deeply social," the statement read. "We're working across the entire mobile industry; with operators, hardware manufacturers, OS providers, and application developers to bring powerful social experiences to more people around the world."














28 May 2012 Last updated at 12:12
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18234004

The vast majority of the links in question were ones which took people to sites connecting to pirated Microsoft software. Google shared the statistics as part of its efforts to be more transparent about what influences search results. Microsoft's requests dwarf those of the British Phonographic Institute, which represents record labels. It asked for 160,000 links to be removed, again because they gave people access to pirated content. Growing list In a blog post explaining its decision to share the figures, Google said it had done so because it believed there should be transparency when "something gets in the way of the free flow of information." In the past it had shared information about official requests from government to get results removed from its search results and revealed when traffic to its services had been disrupted. Now it has decided to broaden the range of information it shares to include requests from copyright owners. "We remove more search results for copyright reasons than for any other reason," a Google spokesman told the AFP agency.

 The statistics shared on the copyright section of the Google Transparency Report show the number of requests to remove links has grown sharply. In July 2011, the point at which its statistics start, Google was getting requests to remove 129,063 links per week. In May 2012 this figure had risen to 284,850. In the past month, more than 1.2 million links on 24,000 separate sites were removed. Requests to de-list links came from 1,296 separate copyright holders. Google said it granted about 97% of requests to remove links and it usually took about 11 hours for any request to have an effect on search results. Just under half of the requests for removals, which would mean that anyone searching for a particular term would not see blue links to those pages, came from Microsoft. The BPI and media firm NBC Universal made the second and third largest number of requests in the last month. "This data shows that placing all of the burden on copyright owners to deal with infringement is unworkable," said BPI boss Geoff Taylor. "It's wrong for Google to be wilfully blind to the clear data it has that particular sites are massive copyright infringers." "When Google has been told 100,000 times that sites like The Pirate Bay and beemp3 distribute music illegally, why do they come top - above Amazon and iTunes - when I search for 'download music'?" he asked. "It's irresponsible, it misleads consumers and if Google won't sort it out voluntarily, Government should get on with doing something about it."



















 25 May 2012 Last updated at 10:50
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18204411

It marks the first patent ruling against Google since it completed its takeover of Motorola. Microsoft can now demand a German sales ban of Motorola products, although it signalled it would prefer a licence fee. Google said it may appeal. Google's chief executive had previously said that his firm bought Motorola and its patents "to better protect Android from anti-competitive threats from Microsoft, Apple and other companies". Patent wars Microsoft and Motorola have repeatedly clashed this month over a series of patent disputes. Motorola won the right to order the recall and destruction of Xbox 360 games consoles and Windows 7 system software in Germany at the start of May. A judge at the International Trade Commission (ITC) subsequently recommended there should also be a Xbox import and sales ban in the US. However, another Seattle judge has ordered Motorola to hold off from enforcing any such bans until it ruled on a related complaint. Microsoft won a separate patent victory against Motorola earlier this month when the ITC ruled that the handset maker's Android-based devices infringed an appointment scheduling patent owned by the Microsoft.

The Windows software maker has already forced other firms including Samsung, HTC and others to pay it for the use of its innovations within Google's system software. Split texts The latest ruling centres on a European patent named "communicating multi-part messages between cellular devices using a standardised interface". It is designed to tackle the problem that SMS messages were designed to offer a maximum of 160 characters. It describes a way of "fragmenting" a longer text into smaller parts and then "reassembling" it within an application on the receiver's handset. Florian Mueller, a patent consultant who advises Microsoft, was at the ruling made at a court in Munich. He blogged that Google could find it difficult to work around the problem if it refuses to pay a licence fee. "Since this patent covers operating system-level functionality, the modifications 'Googlerola' would have to make to Android... would lead to significant complications," he wrote. "Android apps that make use of Android's messaging layer would have to be rewritten, and some functionality that Android used to provide to app developers would have to be implemented by the affected applications themselves." A statement from Google said: "We expect a written decision from the court on 1 June and upon review, will explore all options including appeal."
















25 May 2012 Last updated at 12:44
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18206604

Sir Jonathan spoke after being knighted for services to design and enterprise. He said he wanted to stay with "the same team I've been fortunate enough to work with for the past 15 years." Last year there was speculation that Sir Jonathan, who was born in Chingford, London, might leave the California-based company to allow his children to be schooled in the UK. But in an interview with BBC Radio Four's Today programme, Sir Jonathan said he would stay at Apple to "work on trying to solve the same sort of problems we've been trying to solve over the last fifteen years." Sir Jonathan has been behind some of Apple's most successful products including the iPod and iPhone. It is a process he describes as being "part fine art, part engineering". Innovation struggle He told the BBC that the job of a product designer was now more complex than ever.

"I think the challenges are more significant now than they have been in the past," he said. "I think the consequences of getting it wrong are also more significant." Since the death of Apple co-founder and figurehead Steve Jobs, many have speculated that the company might struggle to maintain its reputation for innovative products. In Walter Isaacson's revealing biography of Mr Jobs, Sir Jonathan was described by his former boss as his "spiritual partner". Sir Jonathan said that Apple's goals remain as clear as ever: "It's to try and design the very best products that we possible can. "We're very disciplined, very focused, and very clear, across the company - that is our goal. "If we manage to do that then there are a number of consequences. People will like the product, hopefully they'll buy the product, and then we will make some money. "The goal isn't to make money, the goal is to try and develop the very best products that we can."














24 May 2012 Last updated at 11:29
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18188670

The Google 7-inch tablet is on the way, according to a fresh report -- the latest in a long line of reports dating back to the beginning of the year. The tablet will hit the market in July, according to a Thursday report from DigiTimes. Shipments -- about 600,000 initially -- are set to begin in June, the Taipei-based publication claimed. Asus is expected to manufacture the device. NPD DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim told CNET previously that a 7-inch Goggle tablet was in the works, though a June shipment date means that an original projection of an April production run was apparently premature. That said, total production for 2012 of about two million units, cited in today's report, is in keeping with NPD DisplaySearch's original estimate. The tablet's details are not known but there has been speculation about Android 4.0 running on top of a quad-core chip. If Google's 7-inch tablet materializes and a rumored tablet 7.85-inch "iPad Mini" from Apple also surfaces, that would add to a growing collection of smaller tablets from first-tier suppliers. Amazon is already a major force in the 7-inch market segment and Samsung has recently begun selling its 7-inch Galaxy Tab 2.












by Brooke Crothers
May 23, 2012 11:33 PM PDT
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-57440566-92/google-7-inch-tablet-imminent-says-report/?tag=mncol;editorPicks

Sales of the US firm's notebook computers and other mobile devices were down by 10% over the three months to 4 May, compared with the same period the previous year. It blamed competition from cheap entry-level products in emerging markets, a category it does not participate in. Its shares fell 13% in extended trade. Net income for the first quarter was $635m (£404m), a fall of 33%. Revenue dropped 4% to $14.4bn, with its consumer unit reporting a steeper 12% decline. The company predicted only a small increase in sales over the current period. Although it expected to benefit from falling hard disk prices as suppliers recovered from last year's Thai floods, it warned that the savings would be offset by higher memory and display costs.

Touchscreens However, the firm's founder and chief executive, Michael Dell, told analysts he expected a pick-up in demand when Microsoft released its new system software later in the year. The upgrade features a new Metro user interface - designed for touch gesture controls - which Mr Dell said should prompt users to change their computer. "Unlike other Windows transitions, this is a transition where you generally are going to need a new PC, whether it's a tablet or ultrabook with touch or a notebook with touch or a PC with touch or some derivative hybrid on all the above type of products," Mr Dell was quoted as saying in a conference call transcript provided by financial news site Seeking Alpha. "The product refresh cycle associated with this release of Windows is likely to be very different from other releases, but it's hard to know exactly what that looks like. We're preparing a full complement of products, and we'll be ready with those." Mr Dell added that the new touchscreen products would cost more to produce than their non-touch equivalents, suggesting they should fall within the price bracket Dell targets, rather than the super-low end of the market that it had opted out of. However, he added that it would take longer for the new system to drive business sales.

"Corporations are still adopting Windows 7, so we don't think there'll be a massive adoption of Windows 8 by corporations early on," he said. Competition Dell has already tried to crack the mobile tablet market with its Latitude and Inspiron tablets that run on existing versions of Windows and its Streak tablets that run on Google's Android. However, the market has been dominated by Apple's iPad and Amazon's Kindle Fire. "We see Windows 8 as opportunity for all the PC manufacturers to reclaim the huge ground that they have lost to Apple and some of the other Android tablet makers," Chris Green, technology analyst at Davies Murphy Group Europe, told the BBC. "You can't underestimate how much the sector has hit PC sales. The challenge for Dell is that it will be competing against Acer, Lenovo and others - but the sheer size of the company should act as an advantage."









23 May 2012 Last updated at 11:14
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18168198

Speaking during a debate in Hertfordshire, the company warned against allowing private companies to manage lists of inappropriate websites. The government is currently consulting with ISPs to determine if such filters should be on by default. Some ISPs, such as TalkTalk, have already provided an option to filter adult content at a network level. If the government decides to introduce the blocks, it would mean web users would have to inform their ISPs if they want to view adult content. Simple solutions Sarah Hunter, Google's head of public policy, said the search giant was strongly in favour of education over technical measures. Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote Who decides what is blocked? Who puts together these lists? This is a form of censorship” Kirsty Hughes Index on Censorship "We believe that children shouldn't be seeing pornography online. We disagree on the mechanisms. It's not that easy," she said. "There is a problem about the extent to which we deskill parents by giving them simple solutions.

 "We should be making more effort than we've done in the past to make sure parents really do know the risks children face online." ISPs have been criticised for not doing more to stop children from accessing pornography through the internet. TalkTalk recently introduced an option for parents to turn on an adult content filter at a network level. Rather than individual filters on devices - such as a family computer - network level filtering stops certain content from reaching the home. Legal content? "It's a great way of managing what children can see. We don't see that as censorship, it's about choice," said Andrew Heaney, TalkTalk's executive director of strategy and regulation. However, he warned against filters being on by default, describing it as a "slippery slope". "I think the government should be encouraging ISPs to offer [blocking]," he said. "Certainly do not force them to turn it to default on. We step over this Rubicon into a dangerous world." TalkTalk's filtering system is managed by security firm Symantec. It administers a list of blocked sites. Kirsty Hughes, chief executive of Index on Censorship, warned against the "privatisation" of freedom of expression. "We're talking about blocking legal content. Child porn is not the same as blocking legal adult content that is available in our society," she said.

 "Who decides what is blocked? Who puts together these lists? This is a form of censorship. "We're talking about putting legal communication, information, either out of bounds or something you have to turn on to be part of that free world." Difficult territory Many mobile networks already have an opt-in policy to adult content which requires users to prove their age to the company before adult content - not just pornography - can be accessed. A recent study commissioned by the Open Rights Group revealed that many sites - 60 were named in the study - were being wrongly blocked. These included personal blogs, community websites and political commentary. Google's Ms Hunter acknowledged the issues behind third parties - which are unregulated - managing what reaches internet users in their homes. "When you have companies making decisions for what is or isn't appropriate for children it's difficult," she said. "If we pretend all families are the same, we get into very difficult territory."










By Dave Lee Technology reporter at Google's Big Tent, Hertfordshire
23 May 2012 Last updated at 12:44
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18175590

A preliminary ruling by the body recommended that a claim against Apple and Blackberry-maker RIM should be ruled invalid because of the innovation's "obviousness". The patent, submitted in 1997, relates to a way of creating image previews. Kodak filed for bankruptcy protection in January and is seeking to sell many of its patents to secure its future. The firm said it planned to appeal, but its share price fell by more than 25% after the announcement. A full panel of the ITC's judges is now expected to issue a final ruling on the matter on 21 September. Patent auction Kodak decided to stop making digital cameras in February after warning that it was running short of cash. However, it still makes money from its portfolio of 1,155 digital imaging patents which have been licensed to more than 30 companies.

 It had previously used the patent to "produce preview images of acceptable quality" while in live view mode to secure a licensing deal with Samsung. It had also taken legal action over the technology against Fujifilm, HTC and others. While the latest ITC ruling noted that Apple's iPhone 3G model and several Blackberry devices had infringed the patent, the judge indicated this was not grounds for the devices to be banned from sale in the US, on the grounds that the innovation did not deserve its patent status. The judgement calls into question whether the firm's other digital imaging patents could suffer a similar fate - threatening the value it might raise by auctioning them off. However, one expert told the BBC it would be rash to say interest in the sale would now dwindle. "You have to look at each patent on a case-by-case basis, and the fact that one case has been ruled to be too 'obvious' to enforce should not be generalised to mean all of Kodak's other patents are invalid," said Ilya Kazi from the UK's Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys. "Such rulings are quite normal because when litigation occurs the defendants are incentivised to dig deeper than the US Patent Office did when it originally granted the patent. "But that doesn't mean you should throw out the baby with the bathwater and assume the same applies to the the company's other technologies."








 22 May 2012 Last updated at 12:07
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18159189

The website is designed to let users share and comment on interesting search results and connect with "like-minded" people. It is targeted at students and had formally been restricted to invitees at universities and schools in the US. The service integrates with Facebook and is being pitched as an "experiment" rather than a rival to other networks. Microsoft noted that the product was developed by its Fuse Labs unit as a "research project... focused on the future of social experiences and learning." Members are invited to create "collages of content" using the firm's Bing search engine technology and external links which they can then share with others.

 Users can then identify people who are interested in the same topics, monitor their associates' feeds and take part in "video parties" during which members watch online videos together, commenting on them via a chat function. Members can sign in using their Facebook log-in details, but their So.cl activities do not show up on Facebook's pages unless the option is activated. Quiet roll-out The move to open up the service was taken over the weekend with little fanfare, prompting some analysts to speculate that Microsoft only had limited ambitions for the project. "The fact that So.cl is targeted at students echoes Facebook's beginnings and has made many assume it is a Facebook clone," said Eden Zoller, principal analyst at technology consultants Ovum. "But So.cl is, as Microsoft stresses, an experiment designed to be a layer on existing social networks. "Microsoft is being sensible in positioning So.cl in this way - the opposite approach of Google, which entered social networking all guns blazing with a full on service, and is having modest success." Boosting Bing Mr Zoller added that the project could also help Microsoft further improve Bing's search capabilities.

 A study by Comscore suggested that Microsoft had a 15.4% share of the US search market in April compared with Google's 66.5% lead. Earlier surveys have suggested the gap is even wider in the UK and parts of Europe. Earlier this month, Microsoft announced another tie-up with Facebook to integrate tips from the social network into Bing's results. Users in the US are shown a new sidebar which identifies "friends" who can help answer queries based on topics they had "liked" or posted photos about. Google has also shown interest in being able to use Facebook to improve its search results but has criticised the fact that the site has refused to sign a data-sharing agreement. In a recent interview on the US network PBS, Google's chief executive Larry Page described the situation as "unfortunate" adding that "in general , I think we'd like to see content on the internet being made more open".











 22 May 2012 Last updated at 13:54
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18161597

The search giant consolidated 60 privacy policies into one single agreement in March. The EU expressed concern over the legality and impact of the change. France's information commission, the CNIL, said it was not yet "totally satisfied" with Google's explanation of the amendments. "We want to untangle the precise way that specific personal data is being used for individual services, and examine what the benefit for the consumer really is," CNIL president Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin said. Google spokesman Anthony House said its privacy policy "respected the requirements of European data protection law".

"The meeting will give us [the] chance to put things into context and explain the broader actions we are taking to protect our users' privacy," he said. Targeted advertising Under the new policy, Google is able to pool the data collected on users across its services, including YouTube, Gmail and its social network Google+. This data is used for various reasons, including powering the network's targeted advertising system. Google has already provided a 94-page response to a CNIL questionnaire on the new policy. The meeting, scheduled for next week, will more closely examine the implications of the policy for users. The French authorities are acting on behalf of the EU, and the decision is likely to apply to all 27 member states. The review could lead to financial penalties or administrative sanctions, but it is not clear whether they would be imposed collectively or if individual states would seek their own fines. The CNIL can impose fines of up to 300,000 euros (£240,000).
















17 May 2012 Last updated at 12:16
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18102789

An Apple-related report from Taipei-based DigiTimes lopped $10 billion off Samsung's market value, according to Reuters. The Taipei-based publisher said on Tuesday that Apple has placed "huge orders for mobile DRAM" chips with Elpida, a Samsung rival. That news alone drove Samsung's shares down 6 percent, wiping the $10 billion off the market value on Wednesday, according to Reuters.

It also drove memory maker Hynix's shares almost 9 percent lower, the biggest one-day drop in nine months. Taipei-based DigiTimes is known generally as an Asian manufacturer mouthpiece, with a flair for airing supplier grievances and regurgitating gossip. But the Elpida report could have some merit. Apple does have an appetite for Elpida DRAM chips -- used in the third-generation iPad, for example. And the Reuters report quotes an financial analyst, who said that Apple wants to keep Elpida around, lest it rely too much on Samsung and Hynix for DRAM. Which leads to the next twist in the story. Elpida filed for bankruptcy in February, claiming $5.6 billion in debt. And U.S.-based Micron Technology confirmed last week that it is in discussions to acquire Elpida,. Meaning that Micron could emerge as a major chip supplier to Apple and an even bigger competitive threat to Samsung. by Brooke Crothers










May 16, 2012 9:17 PM PDT
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-57435912-92/samsung-loses-$10-billion-market-value-on-apple-report/?tag=mncol;editorPicks

Three patents for a "wearable display device" with characteristics of the much-talked about futuristic glasses were submitted last autumn. The patents reference such functions as displaying data in front of the wearer's eyes and playing audio. In April, Google revealed details of its research into the glasses and showed a demo video of a prototype. The patents show images of different versions of augmented reality glasses, some with lenses and some without. Cyborg eye Google is working on the project in its research lab, Google X.

 The prototypes are currently being tested by the firm's executives, including Sergey Brin and Vic Gundotra. The demo video showed science fiction-like glasses equipped with a microphone and partly transparent tiny screen right above the user's right eye. Besides displaying information about the wearer's surroundings, the glasses were shown to be used to communicate with other people, browse the web, listen to music and also take photos. Similar tech There are other firms researching the augmented-reality eyewear. For instance, Oakley is currently developing similar glasses targeted at athletes and other sportsmen and women. A number of companies had attempted to pioneer the concept as well, but did not get very far because their versions required users to carry separate battery equipment, as analyst at Davies Murphy Group Europe told the BBC in an earlier interview. "There are huge opportunities for tailored advertising with augmented reality systems - especially if they have in-built GPS location tracking," Chris Green said. "The monetisation opportunities would be enormous - but there are still big issues involved with shrinking the technology and making the computer that receives and processes the data truly portable."










16 May 2012 Last updated at 13:19
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18091697

One of the nicest things about Android is that vendors can place their own user interface on top of it to deliver a unique experience to customers. And LG is taking advantage of that. The company today introduced the Optimus UI 3.0 for Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) devices it sells. A key ingredient in the new user interface is an enhanced Quick Memo feature, allowing users to use their finger to quickly take notes. In addition, Quick Memo information can be shared via social networks, or sent as a text message or e-mail. The update is by no means groundbreaking, but according to LG, will make it "faster, simpler, and more convenient" for its Optimus owners to get work done on the handset.

That's achieved, LG says, by allowing users to now unlock the phone by dragging anywhere on the screen. In addition, the software features a new "Pattern Lock" feature that lets users present which functions will open after unlocking the handset. Some other additions to Optimus UI 3.0: a new Voice Shutter feature allowing users to snap photos with voice commands; an icon customizer for changing how certain application icons look; and a Download category for additional organization options. LG plans to release the Optimus UI 3.0 with the LG Optimus LTE II launching this week in Korea. The software will then make its way to the LG Optimus 4X HD in June.









by Don Reisinger May 16, 2012 5:35 AM
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57435248-94/lg-unveils-new-user-interface-for-ics-devices/?tag=mncol;cnetRiver

Like Intel's rival Ivy Bridge release, the update includes up to four CPU (central processing unit) cores and a single GPU (graphics processing unit). AMD claims its product offers gamers a superior experience. The first computers using the chips go on sale in June, with the US launch of a Hewlett Packard "Sleekbook". AMD's focus on low power requirements reflects manufacturers' desire to offer thinner laptops and slimmer all-in-one desktop models. Trinity can be set to run off as low as 17 watts, half the minimum amount possible using Llano. The move should also allow traditional-sized laptops to run off their batteries for longer. The firm says systems could last up to 12 hours, although the figure cannot be verified until models utilising the chips are released. Recycled power While Intel has shifted to a new manufacturing process - radically changing the design of its transistors - to make gains, AMD has opted for an alternative innovation. The "Piledriver" architecture of its CPU cores introduces an energy-saving technique called "resonant clock mesh technology" which allows it to "recycle" some of the energy consumed as it carries out calculations. "Over the past decade, several test chips successfully demonstrated a variety of resonant clocking implementations," AMD's chief technology officer Joe Macri told the BBC. "None however, has achieved integration into a commercial processor due to various practicality or cost issues.

AMD has managed to overcome these challenges. "[It] results in a reduction in total core power consumption of up to 10%." GPU-powered gaming Further power savings will be achieved by running more processes on the chipset's GPU which is the same "Northern Islands" design used in its standalone Radeon graphics cards. AMD claims that the component and the accompanying software drivers are superior to the equivalent products from Intel. Third-party software including Photoshop, the media-player VLC, Adobe's Flash plug-in and many of the leading web browsers have undergone recent updates to take advantage of GPU's skill at handling "parallisable" tasks - processes that are split into different parts and then run simultaneously. This ability is also particularly suited for handling computer graphics, and AMD is keen to promote Trinity's ability to handle high definition games on systems not fitted with discrete graphics cards. "Thirty frames per second is the industry standard for smooth gaming," Sasa Markinkovic, AMD's head of desktop and software product marketing, told the BBC.

"What we are able to do with Trinity is offer HD, 1080p resolution, gaming and deliver 30 frames per second. "When you look at Ivy Bridge it is a step forward for Intel in terms of graphics performance, but it's still not good enough for HD gaming - and that makes the difference between playable and not playable." 'Intel's advantage' Computers using Trinity will also offer AMD's "Steady Video" feature which automatically stabilises playback of shaky videos posted to sites such as YouTube; and "Quick Stream", a setting which ensures PCs prioritise streaming video when downloading several files from the internet at once. Despite its advantages, one analyst said AMD might still find itself at a disadvantage against its long-term rival. "Trinity is a compelling product from a graphics performance and power consumption perspective," said Sergis Mushell, processor expert at the tech analysis firm Gartner. "But Intel's advantage is that it has a bigger ecosystem - there will be 10 to 15 times the number of systems using its chips than AMD's. "This gives it better economies of scale and the ability to offer its chips at more price points, ultimately putting it in a strong position to challenge Trinity."











 By Leo Kelion Technology reporter
15 May 2012 Last updated at 05:08
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18048078

Vic Gundotra has been running engineering teams at Google since 2006 but he's never been more bullish about what Google is building than he is today and there's one simple reason: Design. "We care more about design than we ever have in our history," Gundotra said the day after his pet project, Google+, launched a groundbreaking new redesign for its iPhone app. The new app design is a stunning departure from the previous Google+ app and from the Google+ site interface itself. Released on May 9, it turns the act of scanning social media updates into a highly visual experience by combining a slick rendering of your avatar with the signature image of whatever you're posting and then overlaying the first two lines of your text. The effect is quite appealing, and addicting.

I immediately found myself spending a lot more time in the app. In fact, within the first 24 hours I found myself going to the Google+ app before opening my Twitter app just because it's a lot more pleasant to flip through. That's never happened before. Twitter has long been my social network of choice, and even more so on mobile. I was so struck by this that I got in touch with Google+ chief Gundotra to ask him if this little app was as really as significant to him and Google as it appeared it was to me. "This redesign was a very, very big deal for us," he said. He also confirmed that the data from the first 24 hours showed the same experience that I had: Users were spending a lot more time in the app. A visual leap For Gundotra and his team the goal with the new smartphone app was simple: Make sharing less intimidating and more attractive. "Sharing is one of the most stressful things people do," Gundotra said, referring to the fact that when sharing, most people worry about whether anyone will notice and what they will say if they do notice. "When they share, they want to be really proud of what they share," he said. "So we asked ourselves, 'How can we put them in the best light possible?' We want to make you look good when you share." To accomplish that, Gundotra's team completely blew up their existing mobile app -- which had debuted with the launch of Google+ last summer -- and started over. They wanted to come up with something that truly took advantage of the strengths of today's smartphones.

"We don't believe mobile is a small version of the desktop," said Gundotra. "We are optimizing the experience for the device... The intimacy of touch allows us to do things you wouldn't do on the desktop." As a result, the Google+ design team broke away from the straight reader app like social competitors Twitter and Facebook have. That format works for Twitter because of the 140-character limit, which means readers can quickly scan lots of updates to stay on top of what's happening in the world. But, Facebook and Google+ have no character limit and so posts are longer and sharing photos is a lot more common. The result is a mobile experience that's clunky to navigate and feels like a crippled subset of the desktop experience. That's why Google+ decided to change the game and go visual. The result is a social app that is a lot closer to Flipboard or Pinterest than the Twitter or Facebook apps. It feels more like a visual bookmarking or photo app, and it works because the lion's share of online articles now include a big horizontal image that ends up serving as a thumbnail when shared on social services and in various apps. And, even when there is no text, Google+ makes the update look good with some nice font smoothing and scaling. All in all, I actually prefer using the Google+ mobile app to the desktop browser experience, which is another first for me.










by Jason Hiner May 15, 2012 4:00 AM
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57434097-93/stunning-iphone-app-is-our-first-taste-of-the-new-google/?tag=mncol;topStories

The company offers individuals and organisations the chance to publicise petitions and sign up more supporters. It says it already has 14 million users, 500,000 of them in the UK. It says the move will allow it to offer a localised home page and employ a four-person London-based team, headed by a former Oxfam employee, to flag up "hot campaigns" to the media. Longer term, the service promises to personalise its pages to identify campaigns in the areas visitors live in, and provide ways to contact their local MPs and councillors. The site's founder says its success to date is based on letting petition organisers stay in touch with supporters after they have added their name to a campaign list. "Any message you submit gets sent over email and Twitter to the target audience," Change.org's founder Ben Rattray told the BBC. "Those people are then mobilisable by the person who started the campaign for follow-on actions. Oftentimes the signatures on the petitions aren't enough to win, but the mobilisation of those people who signed subsequently are the reasons they win." Change.org is not the only site trying to empower the public with online innovation. In the US it competes with Avaaz.org, Sumofus and Care2, and is likely to cover topics already voted on by members of the UK-based campaign community 38 Degrees. Shooting Change.org's site highlights past "victories" including Apple's promise to do more to protect China-based workers employed by its suppliers after more than 250,000 people signed an online letter calling for change, and a nanny's effort to force Bank of America to drop a new banking fee. But perhaps the site's highest profile case to date was the prosecution of a Neighbourhood Watch volunteer charged with the murder of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black 17-year-old, in Florida in February. The State Attorney and local police originally said they had no evidence to disprove the killer's claim he had acted in self defence. Close to 2.3 million people subsequently signed a petition on Change.org's site posted by Mr Martin's parents. This helped spark protest marches in several cities and extensive media coverage. President Obama went on to comment: "It is absolutely imperative that we investigate every aspect of this...

 If I had a son, he would look like Trayvon." In April, George Zimmerman, was charged with second-degree murder and now awaits trial. At a press conference following the news, civil rights leader Rev Al Sharpton credited the public campaign with having convinced Florida's governor and prosecutors to review the case. Not all efforts on the site are successful, however. A petition late last year to have Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson sacked by the BBC failed to raise a target of 1,000 supporters. Profits The Change.org site highlights 10 campaigns at a time on its home page as well as allowing users to search by theme and study tips to "change your neighbourhood or your world". It makes money by charging organisations such as Oxfam and The Humane Society a fee to target their campaigns at what it believes will be sympathetic users who are not already on their list of supporters. Such charities are then charged on a cost-per-action model based on how many people take part in their campaigns. Mr Rattray says he expects Change.org to raise about $15m (£9.3m) in revenues this year. He says he will spend the cash expanding the business. Although some users may feel squeamish about their support being used to raise money, he says everyone involved benefits. "The business model we are disrupting is that non-profits spend extraordinary amounts of money on face-to-face and direct mail fundraising," said Mr Rattray.

 "It's much more efficient to build membership and donors online. "The campaigns are marked as being 'sponsored' and it's not dramatically different than what you get if you search Google for charities and see sponsored links." Although it may end up competing with campaign site 38 Degrees for attention, the British organisation welcomed Change.org entry into the UK. "The Change.org petition site has made a valuable contribution to helping more people get their voices heard online in the USA, and it would be great news if they managed to do that here too," said David Babb, 38 Degree's executive director. Expansion Beyond the UK Mr Rattray aims to have local offices in between 20 and 25 countries by the end of the year including Germany, Thailand, India, Egypt and Argentina. Longer term he also has his eyes on China. Although there are plans to expand into Taiwan and Hong Kong, the site is blocked at present from the mainland and its 500 million internet users. "I think we could have a huge influence there in ways that the central government would like - there's a lot of corruption in local politics and it's hard for them to root out - citizen mobilisation would be effective" said Mr Rattray. "The challenge is that we can't control campaigns and inevitably these sorts of things involved are very sensitive - we would have to find a way to accommodate that. "Our goal is not to be indelibly antagonistic to governments or companies, it's to broker a relationship."













14 May 2012 Last updated at 00:00
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18033968

The first wave of Intel-based Windows 8 tablets are expected to land in retail stores in November, a source familiar with device makers' plans told CNET. "The schedule is tight," said the source. "Looking at what Windows is trying to achieve not only with a new OS, but a new OS that needs to run four to five architectures -- three ARM, Intel, and AMD," according to the source. And don't expect just tablets. "More than 50 percent" of the "more than a dozen" designs will be hybrids, aka convertibles, the source said. Those designs combine aspects of a traditional physical keyboard-based laptop and tablet. All the devices described by the source will tap Intel's upcoming "Clover Trail" Atom chip. Clover Trail is Intel's first dual-core Atom design based on its 32-nanometer process technology.

 (The single core version of this chip powers a phone from India-based Lava and is slated for phones from Lenovo, Orange, and Motorola, among others.) Hybrid Windows 8 designs based on the higher-performance Ivy Bridge processor are also expected but the source did not address that market segment specifically. Windows 8, like Windows 7 before it, will be powered by chips from Intel and Advanced Micro Devices and will be able to run older, so-called "legacy" applications. A separate release from Microsoft, Windows RT, will land on devices powered by ARM chip suppliers Nvidia, Qualcomm, and Texas Instruments. RT will not run older Windows applications. The sources added that Intel has a chip called "Bay Trail" in the works -- the company's future 22-nanometer follow-up to Clover Trail. "It is a gigantic performer, with similar battery life to Clover Trail. It will also have a lot of security features built in and Infineon [3G/4G] silicon inside," the source said. Bay Trail would use Intel's own graphics tech, not Imagination's. When that chip will arrive isn't clear yet.











 by Brooke Crothers May 13, 2012 4:27 PM PDT
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-57433269-92/intel-windows-8-tablets-to-hit-retail-stores-in-november/?tag=mncol;topStories

SAN FRANCISCO -- Oracle's situation in its intellectual property legal battle against Google is looking more bleak by the day. At one point in time, Oracle was going after Google with the intent to receive up to $6 billion in damages. Slowly that figure has dwindled down to somewhere around $1 billion and then a few hundred million. Now, it looks like Oracle could end up with just $150,000 -- if anything at all given that the threat of a mistrial looms and we're still in the middle of the second phase of the trial covering patent infringement. Judge William Alsup warned Oracle at the U.S. District Court of Northern California here this morning that the "most" the plaintiff might end up with is statutory damages over the nine lines of code in the rangeCheck method -- the only item on the verdict form during phase one of the trial in which the jury found Google's conceded use was copyright infringement.

"The fact that they have nine lines out of many millions, you have no damage study tied in," Alsup exclaimed to Oracle. Although it is up to the jury to determine damages, the maximum limit for statutory damages is $150,000. Alsup suggested they "might want to find a way to streamline for some dollar amount," hinting they should try to negotiate a settlement in order to avoid a long third phase of the trial dedicated to determining damages. Nevertheless, all of this is still to be determined as Google has filed a motion for the copyrights phase of the trial to be declared a mistrial. The judge has not ruled on that issue yet. Even if Google had to fork over $150,000, it could still be a huge win for the Internet giant considering how much Oracle originally wanted. In regards to the patents part of the lawsuit -- which as Groklaw described as a "roll of the dice for both parties" -- Google put up a better offer in April for up to $2.8 million in damages over two patents in question. Furthermore, Google also offered a deal of 0.5 percent from Android revenue for one patent through December 2012 and 0.015 percent on a second patent through April 2018. The catch is that this offer was only a stipulation for damages if (and only if) Oracle prevails on patent infringement. Oracle reportedly rejected it. This story originally appeared at ZDNet's Between the Lines under the headline "Oracle might only receive $150,000 in damages from Google."














by Rachel King May 10, 2012 1:02 PM PDT
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-57432049-92/will-google-battle-get-oracle-just-$150000-in-damages/

A smaller version of the iPad will be less expensive and offer less storage than Apple's full-sized model, but will have the same resolution, according to a new report. Citing a previously reliable source, iMore today adds to the handful of existing iPad mini rumors, with something a little different. The outlet says such a device is very much in the works and will come in around the $200 to $250 price range. On the lower end, that's less than half the price of Apple's current entry-level iPad model, and $150 to $200 less than the 16GB second-generation model that Apple still sells. That would also overlap with the pricing of Apple's iPod Touch line, which starts out at $199 and tops out at $399 for the 64GB model. iMore's report adds two other interesting assertions. The first is that the device will only have 8GB of memory.

That's half the memory of the entry-level iPad, which has kept the same three storage configurations (16GB, 32GB, 64GB) since the first-generation model. Second, is that the screen will sport the same resolution as Apple's latest iPad at 2,048 by 1,536 pixels. That second detail is of particular interest given the notion that Apple would want to keep in step with what it calls "Retina Displays" on its iOS devices. These are displays where the pixels are so closely packed together that you cannot pick them out from one another when viewing the screen. As iMore notes, a 2,048 by 1,536 pixel screen at 7 inches would give the smaller iPad a 326 pixels per inch display, up considerably from the 264 pixels per inch on Apple's latest iPad, and on par with the 326 ppi Apple currently offers on its iPod Touchs and iPhones -- just bigger.

 That screen resolution combined with smaller storage could cause a problem though. 8GB on an iPad would fill up mighty fast with HD content, and media-rich games. For instance, many 1,080p movies on iTunes go beyond 4GB a pop. There are also games, some of which have stretched in size in the jump to the new iPad. There could be workarounds for it though, particularly if Apple makes some adjustments to its iCloud infrastructure to add streaming instead of downloading. This is the latest rumor to suggest Apple would roll out a smaller version of the iPad later this year. A report from the often off Taipei-based DigiTimes in February said a 7.85-inch iPad model was in the works and ready to ship by the "third quarter" of this year. Separately, Chinese portal Netease asserted the same claim just last month. The big difference from both those reports is the price, which was $50 to $100 higher than iMore's suggestion.










 by Josh Lowensohn May 10, 2012 11:55 AM PDT
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57431991-37/latest-ipad-mini-rumor-puts-price-at-$200-with-8gb-storage/

The original, which sold over 2 million copies, was heavily criticised for featuring excessive violence Stainless Games aims to raise over $400,000 (£250,000) via Kickstarter. The UK-based firm has had to set up a separate company in the US in order to receive money through the crowdfunding site. Censorship Bonus points are awarded in the game for driving over pedestrians. This action was amended in the game's initial 1997 UK release following the threat of a sales ban, causing the developer to replace the victims with green-blooded zombies. However, it was later re-released in full, as was a sequel the following year. In subsequent years, other 3D "violent" games such as the genre-defining Grand Theft Auto sequels followed. Despite the Carmageddon's controversy, it was well-received by the gaming community for its innovative gameplay and "action replay" feature. 'Pedestrians running' Five of the original eight developers are still with Stainless Games and work has already begun on the new title, which is set to be called Carmageddon: Reincarnation.

"We've been able to very quickly get a prototype up and running," Neil Barnden, co-founder of Stainless Games, told the BBC. "With pedestrians running around, we're all just spending a lot of our day laughing like drains at things that happen in the game." Several games have been funded via Kickstarter projects, most notably Double Fine Adventure - which raised $3.3m (£2.1m). Restrictions on the sites, mostly relating to taxation issues, mean that only US-based companies are able to raise funds through the system. This led Stainless Games - which is based on the Isle of Wight - to come up with a workaround. "We have a lawyer in the States as we do a lot of our business there," Mr Barnden explained. "We had them set up a US company which then acts as the holding company for the funds that come into Kickstarter." Intellectual property Like many, Mr Barnden has called for Kickstarter to expand its operations to the UK and other markets.

"You'd imagine it would be in their interests to widen the base of who can actually set up a campaign." Kickstarter was unavailable for comment.
Other sites, such as indiegogo.com and London-based PleaseFund.us, offer similar features but have thus far been unable gain the popularity of Kickstarter. Stainless Games had to purchase the intellectual property rights from publisher Square Enix before it could go ahead with the game, despite being the game's original designer. "Back when we made Carmageddon it was just the case that when you signed with a publisher, they automatically gained all the rights for the title. "The original publisher of the game [SCi] owned the rights. They went away to make a third game when we asked for a break in Carmageddon for a while." That last game proved unpopular with the series' fans. "The new game is going to be like Carmageddon 1 and 2," said Mr Barnden. "But not 3, we're happy to confirm that!"











10 May 2012 Last updated at 00:05
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18009412

The company said the App Center will become the "new, central place to find great apps like Draw Something" and other titles. Developers will have the ability to charge a fee for apps sold in the store in the near future, Facebook said. The announcement came as Facebook admitted growth in mobile use could hurt future advertising revenue. Ahead of its initial public offering, Facebook told potential investors in a statement: "If users increasingly access Facebook mobile products as a substitute for access through personal computers, and if we are unable to successfully implement monetisation strategies for our mobile users, or if we incur excessive expenses in this effort, our financial performance and ability to grow revenue would be negatively affected." 'Start preparing' The App Center is expected to be rolled out globally in "the coming weeks", said Facebook's Aaron Brady in a post on the network's developer blog.

 "All developers should start preparing today to make sure their app is included for the launch," he wrote. However, Mr Brady said the store was not designed to compete head-on with the likes of Apple's App Store and Google Play. "The App Center is designed to grow mobile apps that use Facebook - whether they're on iOS, Android or the mobile web," he wrote. "From the mobile App Center, users can browse apps that are compatible with their device, and if a mobile app requires installation, they will be sent to download the app from the App Store or Google Play."

Only apps which make use of Facebook's log-in system Connect are eligible to be included in the store. 'Attract more ideas' Saverio Romeo, an industry analyst from Frost & Sullivan, said the store announcement suggested an aggressive push by Facebook to become a bigger player in mobile. He said Facebook needed to become "more significant, to attract more ideas and get more experience in the mobile space". "I think the store is an important element - a community of developers is a fundamental element in the growth we have seen with Apple and Android," he told the BBC. He also said he believed Facebook could position itself as the first major app store to be platform-agnostic - that is, not tied to a single platform such as iOS or Android. "The type of applications that the Facebook community can develop can have an incredible open horizon. "Facebook is ubiquitous - it does not have any preferential routes. The question is the monetisation of all this."









10 May 2012 Last updated at 11:29
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18017379

  A bug report response from Apple suggests that the company is working on multi-user support for iPad. In the bug report submitted to Apple, a developer suggested that the company should add support for multiple users to the iPad. Apple responded to the developer saying: "After further investigation it has been determined that this is a known issue, which is currently being investigated by engineering," reports Apple Insider.

The developer said that they had used Apple's Bug Reporter to request new features several times before, but this was the first time he had ever received a response from the company. Before the original iPad was launched, it was reported that Apple's early development of the tablet focused largely on sharing capabilities, enabling the device to be used by multiple family members, for example. It was also reported that the multi-user function could be activated by facial recognition through a front facing camera. Last week, we reported that Apple has filed a patent covering an advanced new haptic system that could be used in the next-generation iPad. By Ashleigh Allsopp | Macworld UK |







09 May 12
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/mobile-phone/3356518/apple-investigates-multi-user-support-for-ipad/

A New York state court has called on the firm to release tweets written by an activist who took part in the Occupy Wall Street protests last year. The micro-blogging service disputes a judge's ruling that messages are owned by the firm rather than its users. The American Civil Liberties Union commended the company for defending free speech rights. Twitter's lawyer, Ben Lee, said: "Twitter's terms of service make absolutely clear that its users 'own' their own content. Our filing with the court reaffirms our steadfast commitment to defending those rights for our users." Boston march The case centres around Malcolm Harris, managing editor of the New Inquiry website. He was arrested on 1 October along with hundreds of other campaigners during a march across Brooklyn Bridge. Prosecutors claim tweets by Mr Harris would reveal that he was "well aware of police instructions" ordering protesters not to block traffic. Mr Harris's lawyer had tried to block access to the postings, but a judge ruled that once the messages had been sent they became the property of Twitter, meaning the defendant was not protected by Fourth Amendment protection against unlawful search and seizure. Twitter's lawyers argued that the judge had misunderstood how the service worked, noting that the Stored Communications Act gave its members the right to challenge requests for information on their user history.  

Constitutional rights

 "This is a big deal," said the American Civil Liberties Union in a blog post. "Law enforcement agencies... are becoming increasingly aggressive in their attempts to obtain information about what people are doing on the internet. "If internet users cannot protect their own constitutional rights, the only hope is that internet companies do so." One media analyst said Twitter's action also reflected its wider desire to avoid becoming caught up in litigation. "Twitter, like any internet service provider, wants people who upload material to be responsible - it doesn't want to be in a position where it has to review all of the tweets," Benedict Evans from Enders Analysis told the BBC. "It sees itself as being like an email provider and doesn't want to have to worry about issues of copyright (and) libel about other matters relating to what people post. "That said, it can't totally avoid the issue. We have seen cases of US courts forcing email providers to hand over evidence, and Twitter has access to the data."











 9 May 2012 Last updated at 10:47
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18002548

The first to hit the highway will be a Toyota Prius modified by search firm Google, which is leading the way in driverless car technology. Its first drive included a spin down Las Vegas's famous strip. Other car companies are also seeking self-driven car licences in Nevada. Accident The car uses video cameras mounted on the roof, radar sensors and a laser range finder to "see" other traffic. Engineers at Google have previously tested the car on the streets of California, including crossing San Francisco's Golden Gate bridge. For those tests, the car remained manned at all times by a trained driver ready to take control if the software failed. According to software engineer Sebastian Thrun, the car has covered 140,000 miles with no accidents, other than a bump at traffic lights from a car behind. Human error Bruce Breslow, director of Nevada's Department of Motor Vehicles, says he believes driverless vehicles are the "cars of the future". Nevada changed its laws to allow self-driven cars in March.


The long-term plan is to license members of the public to drive such cars. Google's car has been issued with a red licence plate to make it recognisable. The plate features an infinity sign next to the number 001. Other states, including California, are planning similar changes. "The vast majority of vehicle accidents are due to human error," said California state Senator Alex Padilla, when he introduced the legislation. "Through the use of computers, sensors and other systems, an autonomous vehicle is capable of analysing the driving environment more quickly and operating the vehicle more safely."







8 May 2012 Last updated at 11:27
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17989553

Waterproof, crushproof, freezeproof
Olympus has officially unveiled a compact camera that the manufacturer promises will deliver expert shots at up to 12 metres underwater. As part of Olympus’ Tough range, the TG-1, which had been inadvertently leaked on the net, is kitted out with an extra-wide f2.0 aperture high-speed lens that helps counter the darker light found underwater. The lens itself is a 12-megapixel low-noise, high-sensitivity CMOS sensor, while Olympus has included a TruePic VI image processor.The camera’s “tough” credentials are not just reserved for its diving prowess. The TG-1 is crushproof, withstanding a force of 100kg, and freezeproof with Olympus claiming the camera will remain intact in temperatures up to -10°C. Video can also be recorded with the Olympus TG-1 with the option of switching to a low light, or super macro mode both for still and moving images.
However, if you’re really serious about your underwater snaps, Olympus is also offering additional waterproof converters that can be attached to the TG-1. The fisheye converter for example, enables a wider shot, while the tele converter increases the optical zoom ratio by 6.8x. However, for an even closer photo, using the super-resolution zoom feature will provide a magnification of 13.6x. The Olympus TG-1 (in silver) itself is available for £359.99, while both the fisheye and tele converter will cost an additional £129.99 each. It’s worth noting that a converter adapter is also needed which is available for £19.99. The TG-1’s underwater depth will soon be increased to 45 metres when Olympus releases the PT-053 underwater housing case in June. As well as being able to withstand any underwater knocks and bumps there is an optical connection for an external underwater flash. Useful for the deepest and darkest parts of the sea. What do you think to the Olympus Tough TG-1? Let us know your thoughts.








8 May 2012 9:12 GMT / By Danny Brogan
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/45573/olympus-tough-tg-1-best-ever-compact-underwater-camera