Tech and Web from Times Online

iPhone casts a hex on games consoles

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:00:42 GMT

For most shops on Regent Street, 9am on a grey Monday morning is a time for dusting off displays and putting change in the tills. Not in Apple’s huge London flagship store: it is already packed with buyers, and of all the devices on show, the one drawing the most attention is the iPhone. Which makes it the perfect place to meet Greg “Joz” Joswiak, Apple’s vice-president of iPhone and iPod product marketing.

The Googlephone: Google gears up for attack on mobile-phone market

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:00:09 GMT

Google is gearing up for an all-out assault on the mobile-phone market that will include a new, Google-branded handset and the first comprehensive Google phone service with unlimited free calls.

Google’s Chrome OS software gives glimpse of simplified computing

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:45 GMT

Google offered a glimpse of simplified computing for consumers with the launch of its new operating system.

Couple arrested over ZeuS virus linked to online bank fraud

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

A man and a woman have been arrested for allegedly using a “sophisticated and malicious” virus to infect tens of thousands of computers and steal millions of pounds worth of personal information.

Google Chrome launch takes fight to Windows

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:39:24 GMT

Google will on Thursday unveil an initial version of its Chrome operating system for personal computers as it seeks to revolutionise the way people access the internet and challenge the might of Microsoft.

Networking sites fail to protect children from abuse, says CEOP head

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

Social networking sites including MySpace and Facebook are leaving leave children vulnerable to abuse from paedophiles by refusing to embed a free online safety button on their sites allowing users to report abuse, according to the senior policeman responsible for child protection online.

Swindon to become first UK wi-fi town

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:17 GMT

Until yesterday Swindon was stuck squarely between Bristol and Reading on the M4 corridor in Wiltshire. Now it has moved one step closer to Silicon Valley with plans to become Britain’s first wi-fi town, and free internet access for its 186,000-strong population.

Twitter to scrap controversial 'suggested users' list

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:31:22 GMT

Twitter has decided to drop its hand-picked “suggested user” list following controversy about how it is selected, senior executives revealed yesterday.

Google opens new chapter as millions of books go into its online library

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:02:48 GMT

Controversial plans by Google to digitise millions of out-of-print books to create the world’s biggest online library have been approved by British publishing groups and authors.

Google opens new chapter as millions of books go into its online library

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

Controversial plans by Google to digitise millions of out-of-print books to create the world’s biggest online library have been approved by British publishing groups and authors.

Move over Wogan, state-of-the-art radios are here

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

Most people turn on the radio to hear a little music, the news or perhaps the latest instalment of The Archers — but technology is about to change all that. A new device in the shops this week is expected to be the forerunner of radios that, alongside Terry Wogan, will offer a host of digital services, including electricity monitoring and security services.

Bristol scientists develop Scratchbot, the life-saving robot rat

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:46:05 GMT

A robot rat that senses objects with its whiskers might eventually scurry through smoke-filled buildings to help rescue people, according to its inventors.

Test Bench: Stylish surround sound

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:56 GMT

Best for wireless sound

Planet of the Apps: Recipe programs

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:26 GMT

For much of last month, the highest-grossing product in the UK app store was 20 Minute Meals (£4.99 for the iPhone and iPod Touch). An offshoot of the Jamie Oliver cooking empire, it holds 50 new dishes from Essex’s favourite son in step-by-step recipe form, and has all the gloss and pizzazz you would expect. The app it knocked off the top of the chart was another British interactive recipe program, Dishy (£2.99 for the iPhone and Touch). This is more a home-grown affair, its 95 recipes sourced by a web designer and his mother. Which is best deserving of your hard-earned cash? There’s only one way to find out. To the InGear kitchen!

The driving force behind Grand Theft Auto

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:54:34 GMT

If you believe the more hysterical newspapers, the quiet-spoken, articulate man I am meeting today in London is the biggest threat to our nation's youth since the Sex Pistols swore TV presenter Bill Grundy into oblivion.

Vatican gathers internet experts to help the Holy See get to grips with new media

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:39:38 GMT

Experts on the internet have gathered at the Vatican to help the Holy See improve its public relations by getting to grips with new media, including the mysteries of internet searching, downloading, hacking and social networking.

Why Sony Ericsson is embracing Android

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:18:20 GMT

For Sony Ericsson, Google’s Android operating system holds much promise within the context of our multi-platform strategy.

Microsoft brings Google search fight to UK

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:29:32 GMT

From Friday, Microsoft will go head to head with Google in the UK, when it launches a fully localised version of its Bing search engine, taking the UK site out of the Beta testing stage it has been in since launch in June.

Father’s foul-mouthed wisecracks help to create Twitter-based sitcom

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

Twitter has passed another milestone on its way to cultural domination by spawning its first television show.

Microsoft pulls plug on online game pirates

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:30:19 GMT

Microsoft has pulled the plug on the accounts of thousands of subscribers to its Xbox 360 online service, Xbox Live.

Modern Warfare 2 on course to sell $500m within 24hrs of launch$

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:24:40 GMT

The debut of the video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 looks sure to become the most successful product launch in the history of entertainment, with global first-day sales estimated at $500 million.$

3 takes Orange to task for 'misleading' claims over network size

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:01:25 GMT

When it comes to 3G networks, it appears that size does matter: 3 is taking Orange to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for claiming that it has the biggest high-speed mobile network, accusing it of misleading and confusing consumers.

Nokia recalls 14m malfunctioning phone chargers

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:51:45 GMT

Nokia, the Finnish handset group, is replacing 14 million malfunctioning phone chargers after warning they could cause an electric shock.

Why the future’s looking bright again for Orange

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

Towards the end of Tom Alexander’s tenure as chief executive of Virgin Mobile, he was forced to laugh off suggestions that he had grown a beard to look more like his boss, Sir Richard Branson. By the time he had taken the chief executive’s chair at Orange’s UK business 18 months ago, the whiskers were gone and a clean-shaven Mr Alexander unveiled an unlikely strategy to restore the company to its previous position as the country’s largest mobile operator.

Test Bench: Car trackers

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:31 GMT

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