Smart energy

A "smart energy" revolution could help ensure that the UK does not suffer blackouts, according to National Grid's new UK chief.

Twitter to share video advertising cash with creators

Twitter will start sharing advertising revenue generated by videos made by individual users with their creators.

Benefits nurse sacked in Facebook posts row

A disability benefits assessor who was suspended after allegedly posting abusive comments about disabled claimants on Facebook is sacked.

Shenzhen's start up scene: from ski sensors to worm farms

Shenzhen is famous for making electronics, but it's also become a popular spot for start-ups from all over the world.

How tech is helping a casino catch the cheats

Dan Simmons finds out how one casino uses its own technology to catch cheats

Lenovo Yoga Book reads scribbles made on paper

Lenovo unveils a tablet that can read notes and drawings made on a pad of paper put on top of its digitiser.

Jeremy Corbyn proposing digital 'bill of rights'

Every home and business in the UK would have guaranteed access to high-speed broadband as part of a digital "bill of rights" proposed by Jeremy Corbyn.

SES company first to use 'second-hand' SpaceX rocket

Luxembourg-based SES says it is going to be the first satellite operator to launch a spacecraft on a "second-hand" rocket - a Falcon 9 that previously sent supplies to the space station.

EU's net neutrality guidelines get published

New guidelines are published setting out how the EU's net neutrality rules should be applied.

Google to expand ride-sharing service in San Francisco

Google plans to expand a ride-sharing service in San Francisco, setting up a potential showdown with market leaders Uber and Lyft.

Google DeepMind targets NHS head and neck cancer treatment

Anonymised scans from 700 former cancer patients at a London hospital will be analysed by Google's artificial intelligence division, DeepMind.

Pakistani farmers to be given five million smartphones

Five million smartphones are to be given to farmers in Pakistan in an effort to improve knowledge of modern farming techniques.

Dropbox hack 'affected 68 million users'

A Dropbox security breach that occurred in 2012 appears to have affected more than 68 million accounts.

Snapchat’s 8-bit Serena Williams game is interactive history

 A new game from ESPN’s Discover channel sponsored by Gatorade highlight Snapchat’s efforts to distinguish itself as a marketing vector for brands, as well as its potential to expand beyond its media sharing origins with add-on apps and features that could end up with it resembling a more multi-faceted platform. Serena Match Point isn’t ground-breaking in terms of… Read More

PlayStation Now streaming service available today on Windows PCs

 You don’t need a PlayStation to play PlayStation games anymore: Sony’s Playstation Now subscription-based game streaming service is now out for PC, and you an grab the app and start playing some of PlayStation’s best legacy titles immediately if you’ve got a Windows machine. It’ll cost you, of course – but not as much as you would’ve paid for the… Read More

Kim Dotcom explains why he wanted his appeal livestreamed.

Kim Dotcom, fighting extradition to the US over copyright infringement, discusses why he wanted the court case livestreamed.

Sri Lankan teenager held over hacking of president's website

A Sri Lankan schoolboy is arrested for allegedly hacking the website of President Maithripala Sirisena, police say.

Kim Dotcom wins right to livestream extradition appeal

A New Zealand judge allows internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom to livestream his appeal against extradition to the US on YouTube.

Driverless Roborace car speeds around Donington

A prototype racing car, testing self-driving technology for the forthcoming Roborace contest, takes a lap around Donington Park's circuit.

Fastest mobile 4G network speed record 'broken'

A new record has been set for the world's fastest 4G mobile internet speed, according to a network operator.

Rail firm to test Uber-style mobile payments system

Smartphones could soon replace the traditional rail ticket if an experiment by Chiltern Railways is successful.

Facebook lets users prompt danger alert

Facebook is to enable members to trigger its Safety Check service themselves if a dangerous event occurs near them.

Google opens up registration for its first-ever indie games festival

 Google is kicking off registration for its first-ever festival aimed at celebrating indie games on Android. The company is now taking sign-ups for those who want to attend the Google Play Indie Games Festival in San Francisco, and it’s announcing the exhibitor line-up. This includes 30 games, half of which have yet to be released to the general public, or are still in a limited beta.… Read More

Irish church review over Grindr claims

Catholic church authorities in Ireland order a review of social media access for trainee priests after allegations some of them used the gay dating app Grindr.

Driverless taxis roam Singapore streets

Driverless taxis are being tested on the streets of Singapore for the first time.

Pneumatic octopus is first soft, solo robot

Engineers in the US have built the first self-contained, entirely soft robot - in the shape of a 7cm octopus.

Ghostbusters star hit by cyber-attack

Intimate images of Ghostbusters star Leslie Jones and racist photos appear on her website after it was targeted in a cyber-attack.

Self-driving taxi trial kicks off in Singapore

As the industry races to make driverless cars viable, a small fleet of computer-driven taxis are taking passengers in Singapore.

Asian companies have world's worst cybersecurity says study

Asian organisations are the worst prepared against cyber-attacks globally, according to US security company Mandiant.

Pokemon Go-playing driver kills woman in Japan

A driver playing Pokemon Go while behind the wheel in Japan is arrested after hitting two women, killing one of them, say police.

Uber adds advance bookings in London

Transport app Uber allows customers in London to book journeys up to 30 days in advance.

Italy quake rescuers ask locals to unlock their wi-fi

Rescue teams searching for earthquake survivors trapped in central Italy have asked locals to unlock their wi-fi passwords.

Microsoft Excel blamed for gene study errors

Microsoft's Excel has been blamed for some errors in academic papers on genomics.

McDonald's fitness bands recalled after skin-burn complaints

McDonald's is recalling millions of fitness wristbands that it bundled with Happy Meals after customers complained of skin irritation and burns.

Love to chat

As chat apps achieve colossal valuations and more keep coming onto the market, are we reaching chat saturation point?

Star Wars Millennium Falcon shed attacked by raiders

A shed replica of the Millennium Falcon cockpit from Star Wars is vandalised during a raid on a charity-run farm.

Judge's 'LOL' as he jails online boaster who ducked sentence

A man who avoided prison after being convicted of a street attack is jailed for refusing to perform unpaid work then boasting about it online.

Exoskeleton gloves allow you to feel in VR and other news

BBC Click's Marc Cieslak looks at some of the best of the week's technology news.

Meet the Premier League's first e-sports player

The Premier League's first e-sports player - Sean "Dragonn" Allen - meets the BBC's Rory Cellan-Jones.

Airlander 10: Longest aircraft hit power cable before nosediving

The world's longest aircraft came into contact with "high voltage power cables" before nosediving on landing, UK Power Networks says.

Head teacher Ashley Yates jailed for filming pupils in toilets

A primary school head teacher who used a spy pen to film pupils in the toilets at his school is jailed.

US authorities investigate cyber-attack against Ghostbusters actress Leslie Jones

The Department of Homeland Security says it's looking into a cyber-attack on Leslie Jones' website and iCloud account.

Russian MP's son convicted of hacking scheme

Russian Roman Seleznev has been found guilty in the US of running a hacking scheme that stole $169m (£131m).

WhatsApp and Facebook data sharing plan being investigated

The UK's Information Commissioner (ICO) is looking into WhatsApp's decision to share more data with parent company Facebook.

'First Apple computer' sells for $815,000

A prototype Apple 1, a holy-grail item in electronics memorabilia, has sold for $815,000 (£618,000) in an online auction.

The monetization promise and pitfalls of Pokémon Go

 Pokémon Go has been downloaded more than 100 million times since its July debut, making it the biggest-growing mobile game ever. Naturally, the phenomenon has drawn much commentary about what this means for marketing, but I am more interested in what it teaches us about making money. Read More

Facebook overhauls trending feature after bias claims

Social media giant Facebook makes its Trending feature more automated after criticism it was biased against conservative views.

Halo 5: Forge gives PC users level creation powers on September 8

 Halo 5: Forge, the level creation tool that lets players build their own worlds and create new game experiences for Halo 5: Guardians, has come to Windows 10 PCs. The free download puts gamers in the developer’s seat, and adds support for mouse and keyboard, and up to 4K resolution, likely beating out the Xbox One add-on in terms of giving you finer control over world building. Xbox… Read More

Poor security 'aided' Ashley Madison hack

The Ashley Madison dating site had "inadequate" security systems and used fake icons to make people think it was safe, reveals a report.

Russian hackers 'targeted New York Times'

The FBI is investigating whether Russian hackers have carried out a series of cyber attacks on the New York Times, officials tell US media.

India investigating French submarine company data leak

India is investigating a massive data leak from French shipbuilder DCNS that revealed crucial details about submarines being built for the Indian navy.

How good is Tibet's Beijing-backed search engine?

A new Tibetan-language search engine has raised suspicions about the Chinese government's motives.

University hit 21 times in one year by ransomware

Universities and NHS trusts have been hit hard by ransomware in the last year, according to Freedom of Information requests carried out by two cybersecurity firms.

Google punishes sites with pop-up adverts

Google will give a lower search ranking to sites with "frustrating" pop-up ads from 2017.

Why Pokemon Go may have passed its peak

New independent data suggests that the augmented reality craze is beginning to cool off.

Apple accused of iPhone 6 'touch disease' defect

Apple faces claims that it is failing to address a flaw that causes iPhone screens to become unresponsive.

Sony unveils PlayStation Now for PC and wireless DualShock 4 USB adapter

 PlaySation Now, the all-you-can game subscription service that provides access to classic PlayStation titles on-demand, is making its way to Windows PCs, starting now in Europe and rolling out soon in North America. Sony’s also making it easier to game on your PC, with a DualShock 4 USB wireless controller adapter, letting you use your PlayStation 4 gamepads on both Mac and Windows… Read More

The 48 startups that launched at Y Combinator S16 Demo Day 2

 The world’s most prestigious startup school launched 48 companies today at part 2 of its Summer 2016 Demo Day. Nanoparticle analytics and delivery robots were amongst the products revealed in the B2B, biotech, enterprise, edtech, fintech, and hardware verticals. You can check out our write-ups of all 44 startups that launched yesterday, and TechCrunch’s picks for the top 7 from… Read More

Airlander 10: Longest aircraft damaged during flight

The world's longest aircraft - the Airlander 10 - is damaged when it takes a nosedive on landing during its second test flight.

Flipped 3D printer makes giant objects

A 3D printer that can produce large items such as plane parts is developed.

Windows 10 update stops webcams working

Millions of people are reporting that a Windows 10 update has stopped their webcams from working.

Can political apps send more young people to the polls?

Will smartphone apps encourage more young people to go to the polls?

Facebook launches Lifestage app for school teens

Facebook has launched a new social media app, without privacy settings, aimed at young people in school.

Android 7.0 Nougat released by Google

Google rolls out a new version of Android that allows mobile devices to run two apps simultaneously on the same screen.

Wikileaks criticised on sensitive data

Wikileaks has been criticised for not doing enough to screen sensitive information found in documents released via the site.

Sony may unveil two new versions of the PS4 next month

 Sony will reportedly unveil two new versions of the PlayStation 4 at its upcoming New York press event on September 7. Read More

The Analogue Nt mini console is a loving tribute to NES history

 The Analogue Nt mini isn’t an NES – it’s better. The third-party system created by designer Christopher Taber is a work of art in its own right, crafted from a solid piece of aluminum and offering internals that boast no-compromise gameplay experience, vs. what you’d get from a home hack using emulation software. Analogue’s Nt mini is the smaller sibling to the… Read More

Who's bugging you?

After the New Zealand rugby team discover a listening device in their Sydney hotel meeting room, we examine just how much spying technology has advanced in recent years.

Barbra Streisand teaches Siri a lesson

After discovering Apple's Siri pronounced her surname incorrectly, singer Barbra Streisand sets the record straight.

Buses battle it out on test track

BBC News visits an annual bus competition designed to test handling and fuel efficiency, which helps a UK bus group choose the next generation of vehicles.

Drones seized over HMP Pentonville carrying drugs and phones

Drones carrying larges amounts of drugs and mobile phones are intercepted by police as they were being flown near a north London jail.

Gun crime tech 'failed to save lives' in Chicago

An attempt to use software to identify potential gun crime victims did not save any lives, a study suggests.

North Korea 'Netflix' device unveiled

A set-top box offering video-on-demand services has been unveiled by the state broadcaster KCTV in North Korea, according to local reports.

Is Russia hacking the US election?

Huge leaks of data from US organisations have been attributed by some to Russia, so has the former Soviet state launched cyberwar on the US elections?

China demands stricter rules for live streaming

China's internet regulator demands stricter controls over the hugely popular practice of live streaming, as part of a range of new requirements for websites.

Spyware maker faces legal battle over alleged affair

A spyware company could face legal action after a US court ruled that it illegally intercepted an unwitting man's messages.

Grooming prompts online lessons call

More than 150 people are reported to police in Wales for meeting children following sexual grooming over the last five years, prompting calls for compulsory online safety lessons for pupils.

Uber's $100m settlement with drivers rejected by judge

A $100m settlement between the taxi-hailing app Uber and some of its drivers is rejected by a US judge.

Internet spying powers backed by review

Britain's spies should be allowed to continue harvesting internet data, the government's reviewer of terror laws has said in a review.

Uber to deploy self-driving cars in Pittsburgh

Ride-sharing firm Uber will begin allowing users to hail a self-driving car in a US city later this month, it confirms.

T-Mobile deal 'may breach US net neutrality' rules

An 'unlimited' smartphone data deal that charges extra for premium services may be in breach of US net neutrality rules, campaigners say.

News site Gawker.com to shut down next week

Media company Gawker says it will close its main news site next week, days after it was bought by Univision in a bankruptcy auction.

“Mr. Robot” is now a mobile game that’s played through a fake messaging app

 The hit cybersecurity-focused TV show “Mr. Robot,” a psychological thriller popular among the tech crowd for its relatively accurate portrayal of hacking, is now a mobile game. Released by Telltale Games in association with NBCUniversal, and developed by Night School Studio in collaboration with Universal Cable Productions, the game is played through the fictional E-Corp messaging… Read More

Reigns is a medieval game of life or death (mostly death)

 Reigns is a new gaming app, currently featured as a favorite by Apple. You are a king and the answer to whether you live or die — and how — is in the cards. Quite literally. As ruler, you are presented with a deck. Each card is someone in your kingdom who is asking for help or notifying you of a problem on the rise. How you answer determines your fate. A swipe to the left is one… Read More

How the VPN industry is creating its stake in online gaming

 From single-player, 16-bit 2D arcade games to free-to-play online multi-player games, the gaming industry has come a long way in the last decade. We can only watch with awe as newer games surprise us with their stunning graphics and engaging game play. However, more and more game developers have jumped into the fray and started catering to the online multi-player games genre. Read More

Facebook is building its own Steam-style desktop gaming platform with Unity

 Facebook may try to compete with Steam, or at least win back revenue lost when casual gaming shifted to mobile. Today Facebook formally announced it’s working with game engine Unity to build a dedicated, downloadable desktop gaming platform, plus it’s broadening the Facebook.com experience for gamers. Both will allow publishers to offer their iOS and Android games on desktop in… Read More

Nintendo 3DS sales up 80% year-over-year on Pokémon Go success

 Nintendo had a very good month in mobile gaming, according to NPD Group’s latest data. The 3DS won in both hardware and software sales for the analyst firm’s latest tracker report, with the 3DS and its family of systems (including New 3DS, 3DS XL and 2DS devices) up 80 percent for July this year versus July 2015. Pokémon Omega Red and Alpha Sapphire, the latest console titles in… Read More

More new Pokémon revealed for Sun and Moon, and one is a pile of sand

 The Pokémon Company, what is going on right now. How is it possible that one of the new pocketable monsters you created for Pokémon Sun/Moon is actually a pile of sand?? Look: What are you doing to me? Do you think this is okay? Here’s what the sand blob evolves into when hit with a water attack: THAT’S A DAMN SANDCASTLE, POKÉMON! Get it together. Meanwhile, there are other… Read More

Can't wait, won't wait!

Online shoppers want fast websites and apps that are also visually rich and personalised, but how technically difficult is this to achieve?

Airlander 10: Maiden flight at last for longest aircraft

The maiden voyage of the world's longest airship takes place despite an earlier setback.

Meet the robots in Amazon's UK warehouses

These robots are being rolled out to Amazon's warehouses across the UK.

Cisco to cut up to 5,500 jobs

US tech giant Cisco Systems says it is cutting up to 7% of its global workforce, or 5,500 jobs, starting this summer.

Sage employee arrested in fraud probe

A 32-year-old Sage employee is arrested at Heathrow airport in connection with a fraud investigation.

Tencent overtakes Alibaba as China's biggest tech company

Tencent, the owner of popular messaging app WeChat, overtakes rival Alibaba as China's biggest technology firm by market value.

Twitter shuts 235,000 more 'extremist' accounts

Twitter has suspended 235,000 accounts for violating its policies on the promotion of terrorism, the social network says.

Nvidia’s GTX 10-series notebooks deliver VR power on the go

 Eventually, we’ll never leave our VR-enabled domiciles. But until that happens, we occasionally need to go outside – and Nvidia’s GeForce GT 10-series notebooks mean that when you do, you can at least take VR with you. The new 10-series GPUs for notebooks follow the 10-series desktop line launched earlier this year, which includes the GTX 1080, the first card by the company… Read More

Twitch is acquiring popular video game community and software maker Curse

 Live streaming video platform Twitch (a subsidiary of Amazon) is doubling down on video games with the acquisition of a significant player in the world of video game communities: Curse. The terms of the deal are undisclosed and Twitch declined to comment beyond the official announcement. Curse operates myriad websites and services — some of them were created in-house over the past… Read More

Pokemon Go goes mixed reality with Gestigon’s gesture tech

 Come for the Pokémon Go AR, stay for the muzak Pokémon show theme: Gesture control startup Gestigon has created their very first mixed reality experience you can control with your own hands, and their source of inspiration is the Niantic and Nintendo-developed game that everyone’s going crazy for. The new offering from Gestigon uses its middleware tech combined with a Google… Read More

Would you put your phone in a cement mixer?

British phone retailer Tuffphones has unveiled a new range of hard-wearing handsets aimed at construction workers and outdoors enthusiasts - so the BBC tried them out.

Gawker case: Thiel is 'serious threat' to press freedom

The PayPal entrepreneur represents a "serious threat" to press freedom after funding a legal case that bankrupted Gawker, campaigners say.

Audi cars 'will talk to traffic lights', firm says

Vehicles will soon be able to communicate with traffic lights and tell drivers when they are about to change, Audi says.

Google launches video chat app, Duo, to compete with FaceTime, Skype and Messenger

Duo is Google's response to Apple's FaceTime, Microsoft's Skype and Facebook's Messenger.

Hackers auction files 'stolen from NSA'

A group of hackers calling itself Shadow Brokers claims to have stolen a collection of malware files from a group linked to the US National Security Agency (NSA).

Russian pizza restaurant 'hacker' faces US trial

The son of a Russian member of Parliament is accused of orchestrating a hacking scheme that targeted US eateries - mostly pizza restaurants.

Twitter lifts Guccifer ban after Democrat phone numbers leak

Twitter reinstates a suspended account that publicised leaked personal data belonging to Democrat politicians.

The Pokémon Go influence on new tech

 Pokémon Go has changed the trajectory of the world on a scale just slightly smaller than Google Search and Facebook — but it will be felt through all industries in the coming years. It looks like a simple game that incorporates a few unique and compelling features. But this game has taken technologies from niche research and gaming communities and thrust them into the world’s… Read More

Sage software firm hit by data breach

A data breach at large UK software company Sage may have compromised personal information for employees at 280 UK businesses, it is understood.

Disney enlists Google Cloud’s Vision for a ‘Pete’s Dragon’ AR mobile game

 It’s no Pokemon Go, but it’s charming nonetheless, employing Google’s Cloud Vision to add a little bit of CGI dragon magic to your immediate vicinity. The “Dragon Spotting” game is free and accessible through a mobile browser designed to promote Disney’s upcoming Pete’s Dragon remake. The page offers up the player simple instructions through a series… Read More

New Pokémon in Sun and Moon include sad fish, surfing Raichu

 Please, please let me visit the room where new Pokémon are created. I want to know exactly what was going on when the team came up with Wishiwashi, a small, sad fish that becomes a group of slightly less sad fish when it reaches a certain level. Wishiwashi is one of three entirely new Pokémon revealed today for the upcoming Pokémon Sun and Moon games for Nintendo 3DS. The other all-new… Read More

Morrissey thinks his gory new anti-meat mobile game is more important than ‘Pokémon Go’

 Songster and perpetual master of subtlety Morrissey has teamed up with pals at PETA to produce This Beautiful Creature Must Die, a mobile and desktop browser-based app that turns saving cuddly 8-bit farm animals from a gruesome death into a fun, Tetris-like puzzle game. Morrissey believes his bloody new anti-meat mobile game is more important than “Pokémon Go.” The game features… Read More

Having conquered Chess and Go, the robots move to master Foosball

 We’ve come a long way since the days of selecting a CPU player for the other Pong paddle, tank or hand-to-hand combatant. Now the computers are taking it to us, in meatspace, and seemingly no tabletop activity is safe from their depredations. The latest to succumb to computer domination? Foosball. Read More

Paranoid parents?

Can tech help busy working parents keep tabs on their toddlers or does it simply make them feel more guilty and paranoid?

ReCore: Getting gamers to care about a new franchise

Joseph Staten, the creative director of Xbox's publishing team, talks to Newsbeat about making ReCore.

Split BT and Openreach, ex-minister Anna Soubry says

Former business minister Anna Soubry says Openreach, which runs much of the UK's broadband infrastructure, should be split off from BT.

Social media stars warned over undeclared paid-for ads

Authorities warn dozens of celebrities after they are found posting paid-for advertising on social media accounts - but refuse to name any of them.

US couple sues IP mapping firm over 'digital hell'

A US couple is suing a firm that maps internet connections to real world locations, saying their home was put at the centre of criminal investigations

Seismic sensor security claims denied

A seismic sensor firm has rejected claims that its geological monitoring systems are vulnerable to cyber attack.

Dragonfly army drone could be developed if company wins Ministry of Defence funding

Dragons' Den meets James Bond - companies pitch for £800m to make futuristic tech for the Armed Forces.

'Millions' of Volkswagen cars can be unlocked via hack

A sizeable proportion of 100 million Volkswagen cars sold since 1995 can be unlocked remotely by hackers, a team of researchers says.

No Man’s Sky is an immersive wonder for solitary wanderers

 I crested a ledge and saw the ship I’d left a couple of hours ago sitting exactly where I’d left it, but from above, making it look small and almost insignificant among the colorful alien landscape. When I set out, it seemed like the center of a game world mostly bounded by a cave mouth and small clearing; when I came back, it was the fly on the back of which microscopic me… Read More

Sony will likely unveil the PlayStation 4 ‘Neo’ on September 7

 September 7 is going to be a busy day. Sony sent out invites for a press event in New York. The company will likely unveil the successor to the PlayStation 4. On the same day, Apple could also hold its usual iPhone launch event for the rumored iPhone 7. The event is called “PlayStation Meeting,” and the company plans to “share details about the PlayStation business.”… Read More