A few weeks ago, we learned that BlackBerry had filed a lawsuit against Facebook, claiming that the company had infringed on patents for messaging and security. Now, it turns out that Facebook isn't the only social network in BlackBerry's sights, with the Canadian firm also filing a lawsuit against Snap. …
Read More »Woman opened fire on YouTube HQ after video demonetisation angered her
Police were rushed to YouTube’s Californian headquarters on Tuesday, after a woman launched an assault against company employees. Three were injured by gunshot wounds before the assailant fatally turned the gun on herself. San Francisco General Hospital has clarified that of the three victims, a 36-year-old man was in critical …
Read More »Google axes all cryptocurrency mining extensions from Chrome
Since the cryptocurrency boom in popularity, scammers have taken the opportunity to exploit newcomers and enthusiasts with all manners of illicit mining. Following on from its ban on cryptocurrency advertisements last month, Google is now taking a stand by blocking any Chrome extension that can mine cryptocurrency from entering the …
Read More »The EU’s anti geo-blocking rules are now in place
In February last year, the European Union began preparing new laws to do away with region blocking on services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video when traveling. It has taken a while, but the new law is finally in effect, allowing those who subscribe to streaming services to access their …
Read More »Google is shutting down its goo.gl URL shortener
Google has offered its own URL shortener since 2009 in the form of goo.gl. The site has multiple advantages, allowing users to create easily sharable short links and track the number of clicks. Unfortunately, the service will shutting down soon in favor of ‘Firebase Dynamic Links'. Over the weekend, Google …
Read More »8PACK showcases £15,000 (2018) Custom Watercooled PC!
We travelled to the home of Overclockers UK to take a look at some of the fastest PCs money can buy. Ian '8PACK' Parry shows Briony two of the updated ultimate watercooled PCs in the 8PACK range. Each system can be fully customised in a range of colour combinations and only the best performing components make the final cut!
Read More »Toshiba’s $18 billion memory business sale will miss March deadline
Back in September, after months of back and forth negotiations, Toshiba finally landed an $18 billion deal to sell off its chip business ‘Toshiba Memory Corp'. The massive sale was expected to complete by the end of March, but this week, Toshiba has announced that it will miss the agreed …
Read More »Microsoft lets go of Windows chief as part of a major reorganisation
A few years ago when Satya Nadella first took over Microsoft, the company went through a major internal shakeup and formed the Windows and Devices Group, just ahead of the launch for Windows 10. Now this week, another major shift has occurred, reorganising Microsoft, diminishing the role of the Windows …
Read More »Nvidia takes a step back on self-driving cars in the wake of Uber and Tesla accidents
For quite some time, Nvidia has been a part of the self-driving car race, attempting to perfect vehicle automation to rid the need of a driver and, in turn, human error. In the wake of fatal accidents from tests involving Uber and Tesla, the company has since suspended all of …
Read More »Facebook has delayed its camera equipped smart speaker due to data policy scrutiny
Last year, we first heard about Facebook's plans to compete with Amazon, Google and Apple in the ‘smart speaker' market. The speaker was apparently set to be revealed in May at a conference, but recently, Facebook has found itself in the middle of a major data usage and privacy scandal. …
Read More »Is Audio The New Future Of Advertising?
Today, most advertising takes place on the internet because that’s where people spend their time. Direct mail isn’t dead, but it has taken a backseat to platforms like Facebook ads and Google Adwords. While Facebook’s ads are seen only on Facebook, Google’s ads can be seen on a good number …
Read More »Foxconn to acquire Belkin, Linksys and Wemo for $866 million
Foxconn has been working on expanding over the last few years. The company broke into the display business a while back after taking over Sharp and now, Foxconn appears to be focussing on smart home and networking with the acquisition of Belkin, Linksys and Wemo. Today, Foxconn announced that it …
Read More »Broadcom is moving back to the US, opening the door for future takeovers
Earlier this month we saw Broadcom's attempts to acquire Qualcomm foiled by the US committee for foreign investment (CFIUS) and President Trump. The deal was labeled as a potential risk to national security, but it looks like things might not be over yet. In April, Broadcom will be moving its …
Read More »The EU is still open to the idea of breaking up Google
It looks like the European Union is concerned about Google once again. This time around, the EU's competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, voiced “grave suspicions” over Google's growing dominance online. Previously, the EU has fined Google £2.1 billion for prioritising Google Shopping in search results over competing services. Now, the competition …
Read More »Two million people used modded Spotify apps to access premium features for free
A few weeks ago, Spotify began cracking down on Dogfood, a modded version of the music streaming app for Android that allowed users to take advantage of ad-free listening for free. Now it turns out that around two million people were using this version of the app to skirt around …
Read More »EU outlines new tax rules for ‘digital’ companies, like Google, Amazon and Facebook
It is no secret that large tech companies often use various methods to lower the amount of tax they owe in different continents. This has riled up the European Union in the past and now, they intend to do something about it. A couple of weeks ago, reports began surfacing …
Read More »The next Chrome update will mute websites autoplaying content with sound
We’ve all come across those sites that load up and begin auto-playing a video at some obnoxiously loud volume. Over time, Google has been trying to tackle this with various Chrome updates. Back in January Google pushed out a Chrome update that allowed users to permanently mute certain websites, but …
Read More »Developers using CryEngine will soon need to pay royalty fees
Crytek today has announced another change to its business model. In an effort to monetise the CryEngine once again, Crytek will begin requiring developers using the engine to sign up to a five percent royalty fee for game sales using the engine. This new royalty-based model comes into effect with …
Read More »EU set to investigate alleged misuse of Facebook user data
It looks like Facebook could find itself in trouble with the European Union again, as the EU Parliament announced today that it will be investigating the social network on suspicion of data misuse. The EU reckons that more than 50 million Facebook users have had their data misused, violating the …
Read More »3 Reasons To Upgrade Your Network With Cat6a Ethernet Cables
Whether you’re setting up a network in your home or for your business, Ethernet cables are going to be part of your cabling process. Not all Ethernet cables are the same, and if you want your network to perform to your expectations, it’s important to understand the difference, as well …
Read More »Apple is reportedly working on its own MicroLED display to replace OLED
It looks like Apple is already preparing to move on from OLED, with reports this week indicating that the company is already working on developing MicroLED screens. Work on MicroLED display tech is taking place at a secret facility based in California, with the current goal being to replace the …
Read More »Microsoft looks to the future with new cloud gaming division
For years, ‘cloud gaming' has been touted as the future, removing the need for consumers to buy expensive hardware and run games locally. Instead, gamers can just plug in a lighter, smaller box and have servers across the world do the heavy lifting for them. The idea got off to …
Read More »Reader review: be quiet! Dark Base 700 chassis
Throughout December and early January, we ran a series of giveaways. We gave away new hardware each day for 25 days, with the only catch being that we wanted winners to come back and share their thoughts with us later on. Today, we have a reader review from Mark Yule, …
Read More »Google will be banning cryptocurrency ads from June onwards
Following in the footsteps of both Facebook and Twitter, soon Google will begin banning cryptocurrency adverts on its platforms. Various coin exchanges, ICOs and other ventures will lose access to Google's AdSense platform starting in June. In January, Facebook announced that it would be cracking down on cryptocurrency related advertisements …
Read More »Microsoft is planning a Surface Hub 2 for later this year
Back in June 2015, Microsoft launched one of its most ambitious Surface devices yet in the form of the Surface Hub. This particular Surface system was a huge 55-inch or 84-inch all-in-one PC, with prices of just over £5,700 and £16,200 respectively. The Surface Hub eventually arrived, but it was …
Read More »Ubisoft is using machine learning to spot bugs before they make it into the final game code
Ubisoft has had its issues with buggy game launches in the past and while things have improved over time, this has come at the cost of development time, as play tests get underway. In the future, this may not be an issue though, as the publisher has developed an ‘AI …
Read More »BlackBerry is suing Facebook for allegedly copying BBM features
BlackBerry may have given up when it comes to building its own smartphones directly, but the company still owns a fairly extensive patent portfolio, and it intends to draw money from it. This week, we learned that BlackBerry has filed a lawsuit against Facebook, claiming that the social media network …
Read More »WhatsApp is giving users more time to delete sent messages
Since being acquired by Facebook in 2014, many of WhatsApp’s feature updates have revolved around encryption and bolstering user privacy. In October, WhatsApp took another step in that direction by allowing users to revoke sent messages under certain conditions and within a strict time window. Now this week, the messaging …
Read More »Corsair launches Carbide 275R promising minimalist design with maximum features
Despite being a premium brand with costs that often reflects as such, Corsair hasn’t forgotten about its mid-range fans by adding a new chassis to its Carbide series. Introducing its new Carbide 275R case, Corsair claims it packs “high-end features you need, and nothing you don't,” all for £75. Shaving …
Read More »Thieves in Iceland stole $2 million worth of PC hardware to mine cryptocurrency
Following on from the massive cryptocurrency boom in December last year, we have seen plenty of people trying to take advantage of it. Here in the UK we saw government websites hacked to mine, in Russia, nuclear scientists attempted to leverage government owned super computers for profit, and there have …
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