Price of '.sucks' investigated

Vox Populi says its prices for ".sucks" website names are "well within the rules"

The authority that decides which letters a web address is allowed to finish with says it is concerned at the high charges for the new ".sucks" name.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Number (Icann) has asked the US and Canadian trade authorities to investigate Vox Populi, which secured the rights to sell the name.

The company denies any wrongdoing.

Many companies and celebrities have bought their name with controversial suffixes such as ".porn" or ".xxx".

Predatory selling

The last part of a web address that follows the final dot, such as ".com", ".org", and ".net", is referred to as a generic top level domain (gTLD).

Icann relaxed the rules governing gTLDs in 2012, and the latest to go up for sale is ".sucks".

Many companies and celebrities buy their brand or name with various gTLDs, to avoid any confusion with their official website addresses or to stop others buying them and posting negative content.

Taylorswift.xxx has been reserved but not used, to prevent others from buying it

For example, singer Taylor Swift bought up taylorswift.xxx to prevent anyone else from using it.

Specialist online website Domain Incite reports that actor "Kevin Spacey, Microsoft, Google and Apple have already bought up '.sucks' sites in a bid to protect their reputations".

This practice is known as "defensive registering".

Icann granted Vox Populi permission to sell the ".sucks" names but is now concerned at the price levels the Canadian company has set.

Kevin Murphy, from Domain Incite, told the BBC two key elements of the way Vox Populi was handling the sale were causing concern.

"They are charging a $2,000 'sunrise' premium to those wishing to register '.sucks' addresses early, before the addresses go on sale to the general public [next month]," he said.

"Also they are using a list of words or names that have been defensively registered in the past, for which they are charging the top amount."

Mr Murphy said the company was working from a list of keywords that had been part of web addresses bought up early on in similar new domain web address sales and using that to decide which ".sucks" addresses to charge more for.

The base fee for any ".sucks" web address is $199 a year

New gTLDs such as ".rocks" or ".forsale" typically sell for between $5 (£3.42) and $20 a year.

Beyond jurisdiction

But Murphy said: "They [Vox Populi] are charging a much bigger amount that you'd expect.

"They were considering a fee of $25,000 at one point when we spoke to them.

"I think they are charging as much as they can get away with.

"It [Vox Populi] justified the $2,000 premium price tag [for certain '.sucks' addresses] as being 'a reasonable part of a company's PR budget'.

"It appears they are basing prices on what firms can afford not on the product services they are providing."

In a strongly worded letter to Icann, the authority's own advisory body, the Intellectual Property Constituency (IPC), demanded a "halt" to Vox Populi's "illicit", "predatory" and "coercive" selling scheme.

But even though Icann approved the ".sucks" domain name sale and issued the licence to sell the related website addresses, it appears not to have jurisdiction over how they are sold.

There is no evidence that Vox Populi has done anything wrong, and the company told Domain Incite its pricing and policies were "well within the rules".

Icann has referred Vox Populi to the two bodies it believes may have the regulatory authority to investigate the company's practices: the Federal Trade Commission in the United States and the Canadian Office of Consumer Affairs, as the company is registered in Canada.

But unless the company has broken the law, it is not clear what powers Icann has over Vox Populi's handing of the sale of ".sucks".

23.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Spoiler alert! Or how to avoid them

Don't read the comments, Daenerys...

I still remember my first spoiler.

It was the movie Sixth Sense, a supernatural thriller from the late 1990s with a clever, brilliantly executed, plot-defining final twist - which I already knew by the time I saw the film because of two over-excited friends and one very loud chat in my local pub.

I was unlucky - wrong place, wrong time - but now as the internet regularly erupts with spoiler chat, pictures and videos, it can be very difficult to hide if you don't want to know everything there is to know about the best films, games and TV shows before you have seen them.

Especially, it seems, if you're a fan of Game of Thrones, the most pirated TV show on the net, with a leak from the new series already online a day before its official release.

So, short of pulling the plug on your broadband connection and retreating to a dark cave here are a few suggestions...

Google told the BBC it didn't have any "official" spoiler-blocker extensions for its web browser Chrome, but there are a few third-party ones on its Chrome Store that allow you to filter social media - with mixed reviews.

Last week, the tech giant was granted a patent in the US for a "system and method for processing content spoilers", but a Google representative pointed out that not all patented ideas ended up as products.

US-based Chrome extension Spoiler Shield, also available as a smartphone app, enables users to filter Facebook and Twitter feeds by selecting shows they wish to "mute", including American sporting fixtures such as the Super Bowl.

Tumblr Savior enables you to set up a "blacklist" and a "whitelist" of key words, which, as the titles suggest, you either always or never want to see on the Tumblr micro-blogging site.

Not such an effective technique online

Although the "mute button" offered by Twitter itself only enables you to tune out a particular user, not hashtags or keywords, social-media dashboard Tweetdeck, owned by Twitter, has mute settings that enable you to block specific words or phrases from your Twitter timeline.

Pick your movie review sites carefully - Den of Geek, for example, clearly signposts its reviews as "spoiler-free" in the headline if that's what they are. Chat forums and message boards, however, do not tend to stick to this etiquette.

Even the most careful of reviews can be spoiled by the comments section underneath. CommentBlocker works on both Firefox and Chrome and will block the comments from view on the sites you choose.

For some film-lovers, however, the spoilers are all part of the fun.

"If I love a show, I'll Google it, I'll want a little peek into what's coming up, and then I'll end up watching a clip on YouTube, then another, then another," said film-maker Reece de Ville.

"Even if I'm 'spoiled', I want to keep up with everyone else. We'll always love spoilers - it's gossip and we all want to be part of that."

23.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Garmin unveils two HD action cameras

Garmin's new action cameras are waterproof without requiring additional casing

Sat-Nav maker Garmin has unveiled two new HD action camera models.

The Virb X and Virb XE will be priced at £239 ($349) and £319 ($466) when they are launched in the summer.

Both models are waterproof to a depth of 50m without a case, and can capture "action data" such as speed and a G-force using bespoke system G-Metrix which can then be overlaid on the footage itself.

The market is currently dominated by top seller GoPro.

Garmin launched its first action cam, Virb, in 2013. Sony, Polaroid, HTC and Xiaomi are among other tech firms offering rival devices.

Users of the higher-end Virb XE can manually control advanced settings including white balance, sharpness, colour profile and exposure levels.

The XE also shoots video in high definition quality of either 1440p/30fps (frames per second) or 1080p/60fps, with the cheaper X version offering 1080p/30fps or 720p/60fps.

Both models can capture stills images at up to 12 megapixels and have wi-fi and bluetooth connectivity.

GoPro meanwhile announced a partnership with broadcast equipment manufacturer Vislink which will enable its Hero 3+ and Hero 4 models to broadcast high definition wireless video for the first time.

Nasa astronaut Terry Virts took a Go Pro on two space walks from the International Space Station. Footage on the Nasa website.

"GoPro is the undisputed market leader right now and its cameras have become synonymous with the category," said analyst Ben Wood from CSS Insight.

"We expect the next battleground to be with 360 degree action cameras to capture footage for virtual reality headsets.

"It will be interesting to see when GoPro makes the jump into that space."

Mr Wood also said that cheaper rivals - such as the Xiaomi Yi Action Camera which had a launch price of just 399 yuan (£41) - pose more of an immediate threat to the firm.

"GoPro probably won't be too worried about Garmin. The biggest threat comes from low-cost Chinese rivals," he added.

"As the quality of their products improves and prices drop they become more realistic challengers."

23.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Robot chef' aimed at home kitchen

A London-based company has launched a prototype "robo-chef" for the home.

Moley Robotics is demonstrating its concept at this year's Hannover Messe - a big trade fair for industrial technology held annually in Germany.

The cooking machine learns by capturing the movements of a human in the action of preparing a meal.

These movements are then turned into commands that drive a sophisticated pair of robot hands.

Tim Anderson, the 2011 BBC Masterchef champion, is training the robo-chef.

At the Hannover Messe, he has got the machine making a crab bisque.

"It's the ultimate sous-chef," Mr Anderson told BBC News.

"You tell it to do something - whether it's a bit of prep or completing a whole dish from start to finish - and it will do it. And it will do it the same every single time."

The product is still two years away from market. Moley wants to make the unit slightly more compact, and give it a built-in refrigerator and dishwasher.

The robot could then do everything from assembling and chopping all the ingredients, doing the cooking on the hob or in the oven, and finishing up by cleaning the dirty pans.

"We want people to be comfortable with this device," says Moley's Mark Oleynik.

"It's not an industrial device; it's not a device that works at 10-times normal speed. No, it's a device that moves like you move, and at the same speed as you do."

The goal is to produce a consumer version costing £10,000.

It is likely find a ready market in the urban apartment where space is at a premium.

The vision is to support the product with thousands of app-like recipes. The motion capture capability would also allow owners to share their special recipes online.

A key innovation is the hands. Produced by the Shadow Robot company, they use 20 motors, 24 joints and 129 sensors to mimic the movements of human hands.

Shadow's Rich Walker believes his robotic appendages will ultimately cope with some of the uncertainties of cooking, such as when beaten eggs decide to peak.

"Something would change; we would see it in the sensor data. Maybe something gets stiffer or softer," he explained.

"We should be able to sense that and use it as the point to transition to the next stage of the cooking process."

The consumer unit would contain a fridge and a dishwasher

Robotics and autonomous systems (RAS) were identified by the UK's coalition government as one of "eight great technologies" that could help to rebalance the British economy - along with the likes of satellites, synthetic biology and so-called "big data" applications.

The potential for RAS is thought to be immense. A recent report by the McKinsey consultancy estimated that advanced robotics could generate a potential economic impact of between $1.9tn and $6.4tn (£1.3tn to £4.4tn) per year by 2025.

But the use of robotics in the home is currently in its infancy.

The setting is not one that many people immediately think of when considering autonomous systems.

That will have to change if robotic chefs and other applications are to be accepted and embraced.

And, in time, it will believes Prof David Lane at Heriot-Watt University.

"It's interesting to note that Dyson is launching its robotic vacuum cleaner in Japan - a traditional early-adopter market," he told the BBC.

"But people more generally are taking the baby steps towards accepting this type of technology.

"The example I always like to give is the Docklands Light Railway in London: everyone gets on it and doesn't think twice that there's no driver, no human, at the front.

"The UK is in a good position to take advantage of the new wave of robotics that is coming.

"It's small, agile, disruptive start-up activity that is going to grow big - and that's where we have to put our energies."

23.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Podcast 'patent troll' faces setback

The patent describes a way to update websites with details of new audio and video podcasts

A company that claimed fees from podcasters who publish audio and video on their own websites has suffered a patent-ruling defeat.

The decision could potentially prevent Personal Audio LLC legally requiring media groups to pay it if they update their sites to show new episodes.

The Texas-based company had previously targeted US firms including CBS, NBC and Fox.

But its efforts were challenged by a digital rights campaign group.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation had petitioned for a review of the patent in question after raising more than $76,000 from the public via a crowd-funding campaign to cover its legal costs.

It said that Personal Audio should never have been given ownership rights to a way to create an updateable electronic table of contents.

The US Patent Office has now invalidated critical parts of related intellectual property rights it had previously granted to Personal Audio in 2012.

"[The decision] significantly curtails the ability of a patent troll to threaten podcasters big and small," the EFF said in a statement.

The patented technique was described in this drawing

"But unfortunately, our work to protect podcasting is not done. Personal Audio continues to seek patents relating to podcasting. We will continue to fight."

The term "troll" is a derogatory term used to refer to patent-library owners who actively pursue others for payments without making products of their own.

Personal Audio has the right to appeal against the ruling and still lists its patent for "episodic content" on its website.

It could not be reached for comment.

The invention at the heart of the dispute relates to a process by which a website is updated to provide access to new video and audio podcasts as they become available.

Personal Audio's founder James Logan first applied for the rights to the idea in 1996 at a time his company was trying to create a digital audio player, a product it ultimately failed to bring to market.

"I invested $1.6m [£1.1m], and lost it all. Personal Audio LLC, the patent holding company, is the attempt by the investor, me, to get a return on that investment," Mr Logan told the Slashdot news site in 2013, defending his company's business model.

"We are small players in a larger system, one set up to foster innovation by turning inventions into property. We are merely using our property as the system was designed."

Personal Audio focused on patent fees after failing to create a digital audio player

However, the EFF successfully challenged elements of the patent on the basis of two arguments:

• The suggested technique would have been "obvious" to other developers at the time, meaning it should not have been protected. The evidence given for this was that CNN had described a web-based video library of its own in 1995
• The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation published a paper in 1996 detailing its trial of a system that allowed people to download radio shows from the web following their broadcast. This meant the technique had already been "anticipated" - or described in a printed publication - before the patent was filed, meaning related rights should never have been granted

Last year, a Texas jury ordered CBS to pay $1.3m in damages to Personal Audio after finding it had infringed the patent after placing TV shows on its website.

Personal Audio lists Samsung, Apple, HTC and LG among the licensees of other music and podcast-related patents that it owns.

23.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Turing's notebook sells for $1m

Alan Turing killed himself in 1954 after hormone treatment to "cure" his homosexuality

A scientific notebook compiled by World War Two codebreaker Alan Turing has sold for $1m in New York.

It is one of very few manuscripts from the head of the team that cracked the Germans' Enigma code.

The handwritten notes, dating from 1942 when he worked at Bletchley Park, were entrusted to mathematician Robin Gandy after Turing's death.

The notebook was sold at Bonhams for $1,025,000 (£700,850) to an unnamed buyer.

• After September 1939 Turing developed a new machine capable of breaking Enigma messages on an industrial scale. Turing's cryptanalysis of Nazi codes contributed to many Allied victories against their militia, saving countless lives.
• In March 1946 Turing produced a detailed design for what was called the Automatic Computing Engine (ACE).This was a digital computer in the modern sense.

BBC iWonder – Timeline of Alan Turing's life

Mr Gandy deposited Turing's papers at the Archive Centre at King's College in Cambridge in 1977.

But Mr Gandy retained the 56-page notebook because of a deeply personal message written in the blank centre pages of the notebook which he wanted to keep private.

The notes remained hidden among personal effects until after his death.

Scholar Andrew Hodges, said: "Alan Turing was parsimonious with his words and everything from his pen has special value.

"This notebook shines extra light on how, even when he was enmeshed in great world events, he remained committed to free-thinking work in pure mathematics."

Turing killed himself in 1954 after hormone treatment to "cure" his homosexuality which he was undergoing as an alternative to imprisonment.

The story of his life was told in the 2014 Oscar-winning film The Imitation Game.

23.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Phishing hits victims 'in minutes'

In less than two minutes a phishing campaign will ensnare its first victim, found the report

It takes 82 seconds for cyber-thieves to ensnare the first victim of a phishing campaign, a report suggests.

Compiled by Verizon, the report looks at analyses of almost 80,000 security incidents that hit thousands of companies in 2014.

It found that, in many companies, about 25% of those who received a phishing email were likely to open it.

"Training your employees is a critical element of combating this threat," said Bob Rudis, lead author on the report.

Tricking people into opening a booby-trapped message let attackers grab login credentials that could be used to trespass on a network and steal data, the report said.

"They do not have to use complex software exploits, because often they can get hold of legitimate credentials," Mr Rudis said.

Analysis of data breaches found that, in many cases, it had taken less than two minutes for freshly sent phishing emails to catch their first victim. And, said Mr Rudis, half of the victims had clicked on the message within the first hour of it being sent.

Although attackers racked up victims quickly, it took companies far longer to notice they had been compromised, Mr Rudis said.

The report also found companies could take straight-forward steps to defend themselves against well-crafted phishing emails designed to make people open them and their attachments.

Teaching staff to spot bogus messages could reduce the proportion of victims to sent emails from one in four to one in 20, he said.

Showing workers the tell-tale signs of a phishing email could also turn them into another line of defence that could catch messages missed by automatic detection systems.

"They should be treating employees as tools in the fight rather than as lambs to the slaughter," Mr Rudis said.

After phishing, some cyber-thieves relied on companies running un-patched software that was vulnerable to old and well-known exploits, he said.

More than 99% of the vulnerabilities exploited in data breaches had been known about for more than a year, Mr Rudis said. And some had been around for a decade.

"There are some vulnerabilities that just linger out there," he said.

A good patching regime would help companies protect themselves against most of the vulnerabilities cyber-thieves abuse, Mr Rudis added.

Find out how to avoid scam emails

23.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nokia in talks to buy Alcatel-Lucent

Nokia is in talks to buy French rival Alcatel-Lucent in a deal that could create a European telecoms equipment group worth over €40bn (£29bn).

In a joint announcement, the two companies said there could be "no certainty at this stage" that the discussions would result in a deal.

But a merger for two of the industry's weaker players would be attractive.

It comes a year after Nokia sold its struggling handset business to Microsoft.

Analysts and investors suggested the deal could face potential opposition from the French government, which has previously said it sees the communications industry as strategic, and is sensitive about any potential job cuts.

Shares in Alcatel were nearly 11% higher at €4.28 in mid-morning trading on the Paris stock exchange on Tuesday morning. Shares in Nokia fell 6% to €7.25 in Helsinki.

Nokia is valued at around €29bn, almost three times as much as Alcatel, which had a market capitalisation of €11bn based on Monday's closing share price.

Some investors expressed scepticism over the merits of the proposed deal.

"They are two of the weaker players in the industry," said Clairinvest fund manager Ion-Marc Valahu.

"They could come up with some cost cuts, but just because you combine one weak player with another weak player does not necessarily mean that you will end up with a stronger player."

Analysis: Rory Cellan-Jones, Technology correspondent

When Nokia sold its mobile phones business to Microsoft, it seemed like a sad end to the story of what had just a few years earlier been Europe's leading technology superpower.

But the dull old telecoms equipment business left in Finland has turned out some rather exciting returns for loyal investors, who've seen their shares double in value over the last two years. Nokia has cut costs and has even started making new devices, with a tablet aimed at the Chinese market.

A merger with Alcatel Lucent, another telecoms maker fallen on hard times, might not appear an obvious winner. But together, the two firms would hope to provide real competition to Sweden's Ericsson and, in particular, China's Huawei, which has grabbed a big share of the market as 4G networks are rolled out.

Comebacks are rare in the technology world, but Nokia's investors may look at how Microsoft is doing with mobile phones and reflect that they got the best end of that deal.

The announcement of the potential deal comes at a time of heightened merger and acquisition activity.

Last week, Shell announced a £47bn deal to buy BG Group and create a company worth £200bn.

And US parcels firm FedEx announced a few days earlier that it was to buy Dutch rival TNT Express for €4.4bn (£3.2bn), creating one of the three largest parcel delivery services in Europe, rivalling DHL and UPS if approved by the European Commission.

23.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sharp creates 4K smartphone screen

Sharp makes screens for both its own phones and TVs, and other tech firms

Japan's Sharp has announced the first smartphone screen capable of showing images in 4K resolution.

The 5.5in (14cm) component packs in 806 pixels per inch.

That outclasses Samsung's new flagship model by a wide margin. The Galaxy S6 offers 577ppi on a slightly smaller display.

Higher resolutions offer more detail, typically producing crisper images and text. But experts say there is a limit to what the human eye can appreciate.

"At a certain point, the improvements get less visually stunning," Tim Coulling from the Canalys tech consultancy told the BBC.

"Once you jump from 2K to 4K, you're going to struggle to tell the two images apart even if you have perfect vision."

4K - which is also known as ultra-high definition - offers four times the resolution of 1080p HD.

Sharp's new screen trumps a 736ppi 4.1in display it announced last year

Several TV and projector manufacturers are promoting the new format as being ideal for 55in or bigger televisions that families can sit close to, and cinema screens.

One challenge with introducing it to a handset is that higher resolutions typically take a greater toll on battery life.

But Sharp promotes the Igzo (Indium gallium zinc oxide) tech used in the displays as being more energy efficient than the silicon-based LCD screens commonly used in smartphones and tablets, which should help offset their power demands.

With smartphones becoming capable of filming in 4K, Mr Coulling also suggested there would be an energy trade-off that could benefit users watching back such videos.

"You will be able to show 4K content natively on the screen, which means you won't need to process it to get it to display properly."

Samsung's Galaxy S6 Edge features what is currently an industry-leading 577 pixels per inch

He added that he believed smartphone-makers would be keen to promote their handsets as being 4K-enhanced, whatever the true benefit, for marketing reasons.

Greek news site Techblog.gr - which was among the first to report the news - said that Sharp planned to put the displays into mass production next year, and expected Chinese manufacturers to be among its first customers.

While consumers have still to get to grips with 4K, parts of the tech industry are already racing ahead to a next-generation standard.

Camera-maker Red has just announced an 8K video camera, offering 16 times the resolution of 1080p HD.

However, its $59,500 (£40,575) cost is likely to limit its appeal to film-makers.

Red's 8K camera is targeted at professionals, but signals where video technology is heading

23.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Man charged with hacking US lottery

Eddie Tipton is alleged to have hacked the lottery computer to predetermine the winning numbers

The former security boss of a lottery in the US has been charged with fraud after allegedly hacking the computer that picks the winning numbers.

Eddie Raymond Tipton was the security director for the Multi-State Lottery Association when he was arrested in January by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations.

Prosecutors said he had been caught on CCTV buying the winning ticket. The $14.3m (£9.5m) prize was never claimed.

Mr Tipton denies the charges.

It is alleged the security camera in the lottery room stopped recording

Citing court papers filed by prosecutors in the case, the Des Moines Register said the 51-year-old "may have inserted a thumb drive into a highly locked-down computer that's supposed to generate the random numbers used to determine lottery winners".

The offline computer is housed in a glass room and in theory can only be accessed by two people at the same time. It is also constantly monitored by a video camera.

It is alleged Mr Tipton used his position as security director to change the video camera settings and record only one second in every minute. This would have given him enough time to enter the room and plug a thumb drive into the computer.

On that drive, according to the prosecution, was a rootkit: a stealthy computer program designed to do a specific task and, in this case, then erase itself.

That task was to predetermine the winning lottery numbers for the draw that Mr Tipton was to later buy the winning ticket for.

Colleagues say the former Hot Lotto security boss was "obsessed" by rootkits

Mike McLaughlin, senior analyst at computer security company First Base, said the allegation might sound farfetched but was plausible.

He told the BBC: "It is entirely possible to code a rootkit on a USB drive which could interfere with software on a computer then delete itself.

"It would only take a second to run once plugged in.

"However, this can leave traces on the infected machine if you know where to look."

As a member of staff, Mr Tipton was not allowed to win the lottery himself.

The court filings suggest there was an attempt to claim the prize just hours before it was scheduled to expire by a company incorporated in Belize.

If found guilty of the two charges of fraud, Mr Tipton faces up to five years in jail and a fine of up to $7,500.

23.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bendy battery promises safety, speed

The researchers say the battery is less of a fire hazard than lithium-ion batteries

Scientists have built a flexible aluminium battery which they say could be a cheap, fast-charging and safe alternative to current designs.

The protoype consists of a soft pouch, containing aluminium for one electrode and a graphite foam for the other - all surrounded by a special liquid salt.

It can recharge in less than a minute and is very safe and durable compared to lithium-ion batteries, but currently only delivers about half the voltage.

The work appears in the journal Nature.

The researchers say it has advantages over lithium-ion batteries, common in electronic devices like smartphones, as well as traditional alkaline batteries.

"We have developed a rechargeable aluminium battery that may replace existing storage devices, such as alkaline batteries, which are bad for the environment, and lithium-ion batteries, which occasionally burst into flames," said senior author Prof Hongjie Dai from Stanford University in California.

"Our new battery won't catch fire, even if you drill through it."

In fact, a video made by the research team shows that the battery even continues to work for a short period after being punished in this way.

We may not expect batteries to withstand such treatment routinely - but this demonstration certainly sets the new design apart from lithium-ion batteries, which have faced safety concerns including recent bans on air transport.

Because it is lightweight and inexpensive, aluminium has attracted interest from battery engineers for many years, but it has never yielded a viable product.

Key to the new discovery was the choice of material for the other, positive electrode (the cathode) to go with aluminium for the negative electrode (or anode). Graphite - a form of carbon in which the atoms form thin, flat sheets - turned out to deliver very good performance, while also being similarly lightweight, cheap and widely available.

The cathode looks like a graphite sponge, pictured here using a microscope (white line is 1cm in the inset, 0.3mm in the main image)

To connect the two electrodes, the pouch is filled with liquid.

"The electrolyte is basically a salt that's liquid at room temperature, so it's very safe," said PhD student Ming Gong, another of the study's authors. This contrasts with the flammable electrolytes used in lithium-ion batteries.

The battery performed particularly well when the team made the graphite cathode into a foam: a sponge-like pattern of tiny whiskers of the stuff, surrounding many empty pockets. This allows ions in the electrolyte solution very easy access to the graphite, helping the battery to work faster.

When the battery discharges, aluminium dissolves at the anode, while aluminium-containing ions slide into the spaces between atomic graphite layers at the cathode. When it charges again, the reverse occurs, depositing metallic aluminium metal back on the anode.

Crucially, this can take place through more than 7,500 complete cycles without the battery losing any capacity - several times more than most lithium-ion batteries, and hundreds of times better than any previous experimental designs that used aluminium.

Lithium batteries are commonly used but have faced safety concerns

Similarly, the device's two-volt output is the best seen from an aluminium battery. It is also better than common 1.5-volt alkaline batteries, but lags behind the output of the lithium-ion batteries we use in smartphones and laptops.

"Our battery produces about half the voltage of a typical lithium battery," Prof Dai said. "But improving the cathode material could eventually increase the voltage and energy density."

Nonetheless, his team has high hopes for their design. Already, just by strapping two of the pouch batteries together and plugging them into an adaptor, they managed to charge up a smartphone in a minute.

They also suggest it could be very useful in flexible displays, one of the proposals for the next generation of electronics.

Prof Dai clearly believes its voltage is the battery's single main limitation: "Our battery has everything else you'd dream that a battery should have: inexpensive electrodes, good safety, high-speed charging, flexibility and long cycle life.

"I see this as a new battery in its early days. It's quite exciting."

The prototype is probably still several years away from commercial development.

23.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

EE offers wi-fi call back-up service

The Wi-fi Calling service will initially be limited to high-end handsets offered by EE

EE is to begin switching some of its customers to wi-fi enabled calls to help combat mobile signal dead spots.

The UK network suggests the move will particularly benefit people who fail to get a connection or experience dropped calls in their homes and offices.

Other firms already offer a similar service via apps, but EE says its scheme is "seamless" as users are not required to do anything to switch between 3G/4G and wi-fi.

However, there are potential pitfalls.

EE said its Wi-fi Calling facility would initially be limited to pay monthly subscribers using Samsung's Galaxy S6 and S5 phones and Microsoft's new Lumia 640, although the BBC understands the iPhone 5S and newer Apple handsets will also be supported.

Since it requires specific mobile data components to be built into the devices, it cannot be extended to other older models. However, EE said it would soon offer a compatible own-brand budget smartphone.

To join the service, users send the firm a single text message.

"We have worked more than a year to make sure that everything works like a normal phone connection," Olaf Swantee, EE's chief executive, told the BBC.

"So, the ringtone, the voicemail, the quality of the conversation - all of that is exactly the same with our solution.

"I think that's essential as customers don't have the time to figure out whether they should be using an app.

"They want to simply know the network will switch from one technology to the other without customer intervention."

O2 and Three offer rival internet-enabled call services that require apps

He added that he expected five million people would be able to use the service, which also supports text messages, by the summer.

Even if a personal wi-fi network is used, the phone's owner will still be billed as if they had made the call in a normal manner. Furthermore, they cannot use it to make cheaper calls from abroad.

But one industry watcher said the scheme still had appeal.

"One of the complained about factors with mobile phones is just making a voice call, and perhaps an approach of getting the fundamentals of connectivity right can act as a differentiator for the firm," said Kester Mann from the telecoms consultancy CCS Insight.

"Vodafone will also be launching a similar wi-fi calling service in the summer."

The UK's other two leading networks, O2 and Three, offer apps instead: Tu Go and Three inTouch.

Third-party services, including Skype, Whatsapp, Viber and Apple's iMessage, also provide ways to make voice calls over wi-fi.

Settings menu

One of the limitations of EE's Wi-fi Calling is that it cannot switch from one service to another mid-call.

So, if someone walks out of a wi-fi covered zone into an area where there is 4G coverage, or vice versa, they still face their call suddenly ending.

EE is marketing the service as a way to make calls in the home or office, where it believes this is unlikely to be a common problem.

EE says customers will be able to receive calls in places where there is no network coverage

It also boasts that it will make it easy for people to make and receive calls on London Underground platforms, and other wi-fi enabled places without network coverage.

However, it acknowledges that users many need to manage their experience.

Because phones will automatically switch to wi-fi where it is available, if users log into a congested hotspot they could face poor call quality. They would then need to go into their settings menu to temporarily turn off the wi-fi connection or Wi-fi Calling facility to opt back into 3G/4G.

"It's going to depend on the quality of the public wi-fi, and if that's a poor quality service in a coffee shop, shopping centre or wherever, that will be a challenge," said Mr Mann.

"It's very much tailored to the private wi-fi that people have in the basements of flats, rural homes and other places with poor mobile coverage."

Takeover talks

EE recently beat other networks in terms of average 4G download speeds and the number of UK premises with coverage, in a study carried out by the regulator Ofcom.

BT requires the Competition and Markets Authority's approval to complete its takeover of EE

The company - which is currently owned by Deutsche Telekom and Orange - is in the process of being taken over by BT, which plans to let customers boost reception within buildings via a separate technique involving additional radio spectrum that it owns.

There is, however, opposition to the acquisition.

Consumer rights advocate Which? has written to Ofcom highlighting that the two firms have fared poorly in customer satisfaction surveys, and suggested that the merger could exacerbate the situation.

However, Mr Swantee insisted customers would benefit from the tie-up.

"The purchase of EE for £12.5bn is very much going to further innovation," he said.

"In-market consolidation can really help to drive investment.

"And when you look forward to technologies like 5G - which we will get in 2020, maybe - they require incredible investment."

23.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Google Gmail hit by software glitch

The glitch hit people using Gmail and some of Google's apps

Gmail users around the world saw errors and safety warnings over the weekend after Google forgot to update a key part of the messaging software.

Google said a "majority" of users were affected by the short-term software problem.

While people could still access and use Gmail many people saw "unexpected behaviour" because of the problem.

Many reported the errors via Twitter seeking clarification from Google about what had gone wrong.

The error messages started appearing early on 4 April and hit people trying to send email messages from Gmail and some of the firm's messaging apps.

The problems arose because Google had neglected to renew a security certificate for Gmail and its app services. The certificate helps the software establish a secure connection to a destination, so messages can be sent with little fear they will be spied upon.

Google's own in-house security service, called Authority G2, administers the security certificates and other secure software systems for the search giant.

Information about the problem was posted to status pages Google maintains for its apps and email services.

In the status message, Google said the problem was "affecting a majority of users" who were seeing error messages. It added that the glitch could cause programs to act in "unexpected" ways.

The problem was resolved about two hours after it was first noticed.

The glitch comes soon after Google started refusing security certificates issued by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC). Google said a security lapse by the CNNIC meant the certificates could no longer be trusted. CNNIC called the decision "unacceptable and unintelligible".

23.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Samsung attacks S6 Edge bend test

The Galaxy S6 Edge, which features a curved screen, goes on sale on Friday

Samsung is playing down a report that its new flagship phone - the Galaxy S6 Edge - is "just as bendable" as Apple's iPhone 6 Plus and breaks completely at a lower pressure point.

The allegations have been made by a company that sells smartphone protection plans.

Samsung said that the results "may mislead consumers" and called on the firm to carry out a revised test.

But one expert said it highlighted the danger of mocking a competitor.

Last September, at a time when there were multiple reports that the new iPhone's aluminium shell left it prone to damage, Samsung posted a tweet stating that its own Edge phablet was "curved, not bent".

Samsung sent out this tweet last September

Then in February, at the S6 Edge's launch event, Samsung's mobile division marketing chief paused for applause and laughs when she boasted about the new handset's design in a presentation containing several comparisons to Apple's models.

"Not only does [the glass] look great but it's super tough - in fact, it's the toughest in the market," said Younghee Lee.

"Also the special metal that we use is 50% stronger than the metal in other high-end smartphones.

"My first language may not be engineering, but I do know that this [is] tough [and] will not bend."

Samsung is not the only company to have exploited criticism of Apple.

HTC andLG also posted tweets at the height of last year's controversy, with LG going so far as to mark one of its posts with the hashtag #bendgate.

Apple later said that damage to the iPhone 6 Plus would be "extremely rare" during normal use - a similar point now made by Samsung about the S6 Edge, which goes on sale in the US and UK on 10 April.

Samsung dedicated a section of its S6 Edge launch event to the durability of its phones

Stress tests

The current allegations are based on tests carried out by SquareTrade, which used machinery to simulate forces that it said might be experienced by a handset left in a back pocket as well as attempting to identify the force under which different models experienced "catastrophic failure".

It said that:

• Both the S6 Edge and iPhone 6 Plus deformed when a force of 110lb (50kg) was applied. The screen on Samsung's phone cracked at this level, but the iPhone's did not
• HTC's latest phone - the One M9 - did not bend until 120lb, at which point it also broke and became unusable
• The S6 Edge's breaking point was 149lb, at which stage it ceased to function
• The iPhone 6 Plus stopped working at a force of 179lb

An accompanying video suggested that S6 Edge owners were at risk of a "pocket full of glass" if they put their handsets under too much pressure.

The test found that the S6 Edge's screen cracked at the same point that the phone bent

In response, Samsung said it was confident that its phones would not bend "under daily usage".

"The normal force that [is] generated when a person presses the back pocket is approximately 66lbf (30kgf)," it added.

"Our internal test results indicate that the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge are not bendable even under 79lbf (32kgf), which is equivalent to putting pressure to snap a bundle of five pencils at once.

"Secondly, even though both front and back sides are exposed under the same level of pressure in normal circumstances, this test does not show the strength of the back side.

"Some smartphones have different [levels of] durability in each [of their] front and back sides respectively. SquareTrade has only tested the front side, which may mislead consumers about the entire durability of smartphones."

'Big lesson'

SquareTrade has issued a follow-up statement stating that it endeavoured to perform its tests "in an unbiased manner".

"We welcome Samsung's invitation to test its devices again with our Bendbot and release the results publicly," added spokeswoman Jessica Hoffman.

One independent expert agreed with Samsung that consumers should not be concerned about the durability of the S6 Edge, but added there was a lesson to be learned.

"This is only a story because it made fun of Apple when it launched the iPhone," said Francisco Jeronimo, research director at the consultancy IDC.

"You'd need to put a lot of pressure in a very specific way to break it.

"But it demonstrates that every vendor needs to be very careful when they compare their devices because it can backfire on them.

"I think that's the biggest lesson for Samsung: next time if it sees a competitor having a problem, it needs to be a lot more careful unless it is 100% sure it would not face the same criticism."

23.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Revenge porn' site owner jailed

Bollaert faces an 18-year jail term for running the revenge porn website

The operator of a revenge porn website has been sentenced to 18 years in jail in the US.

Kevin Bollaert of San Diego created the UGotPosted.com website that let people post explicit pictures of their former partners.

Pictures were posted without victims' consent and Bollaert charged up to $350 (£235) to get photos removed.

Bollaert was convicted in February on 21 counts of ID theft and six of extortion.

Eight women testified in court in San Diego about the harassment they had suffered as a result of images being uploaded to Bollaert's website by their former partners.

One victim said she suffered a "daily struggle" to re-build her life after pictures of her were put on the site. Others needed counselling to recover or were forced to leave college or work. About 10,000 images were put on the site while it was operating between December 2012 and September 2013.

As well as receiving a lengthy jail term, Bollaert must pay $15,000 in restitution to victims and also pay a $10,000 fine. Bollaert is believed to have made at least $30,000 from people who paid to have pictures removed.

"Sitting behind a computer, committing what is essentially a cowardly and criminal act, will not shield predators from the law or jail," California Attorney General Kamala Harris said in a statement.

Another operator of a revenge porn site is also due to be sentenced shortly. Hunter Moore, who created the IsAnyoneUp website, pleaded guilty in February to charges of hacking and identity theft. When sentenced, he will face a jail term of between two and seven years and will have to pay a hefty fine.

23.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Samsung sees $5.44bn quarterly profit

Samsung's mobile division, its biggest business, has been struggling to maintain its dominance against rivals such as Apple and Chinese smartphone-makers including Xiaomi

South Korea's Samsung Electronics has forecast a quarterly operating profit of about 5.9 trillion won ($5.44bn; £3.65bn) for the first three months of 2015.

The numbers beat market expectations, but would mark a fall of more than 30% in profit from a year earlier.

The world's biggest maker of mobile phones and TVs said it expects sales of 47 trillion won for the period.

The company will publish full financial results later this month.

Samsung's mobile division, its biggest business, has been struggling to maintain its dominance against rivals such as Apple and Chinese smartphone-makers including Xiaomi.

Bryan Ma from consultancy IDC Asia Pacific told the BBC that the numbers were encouraging and fell in line with some of the firm's most recent reviews, which had been positive.

"It's not clear that they're out of the woods yet," he said, "but there are some encouraging signs."

"The thing to remember about Samsung is that it's not just a smartphone company ... so if they're not strong enough in that sector they can make up for it elsewhere."

23.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Illegal downloaders face exposure

Thousands of Australians have illegally downloaded The Dallas Buyers' Club, starring Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto

An Australian court has ordered internet service providers (ISPs) to hand over details of customers accused of illegally downloading a US movie.

In a landmark move, the Federal Court told six firms to divulge names and addresses of those who downloaded The Dallas Buyers Club.

The case was lodged by the US company that owns the rights to the 2013 movie.

The court said the data could only be used to secure "compensation for the infringements" of copyright.

In the case, which was heard in February, the applicants said they had identified 4,726 unique IP addresses from which their film was shared online using BitTorrent, a peer-to-peer file sharing network. They said this had been done without their permission.

Once they received the names of account holders, the company would then have to prove copyright infringement had taken place.

The judgment comes amidst a crackdown by the Australian government on internet piracy.

Australians are among the world's most regular illegal downloaders of digital content. The delay in release dates for new films and TV shows, and higher prices in Australia for digital content, have prompted many Australians to find surreptitious ways to watch new shows.

Australians are some of the world's most enthusiastic illegal downloaders

The ISPs involved in the case, including Australia's second-largest provider iiNet, said releasing customer information would be a breach of privacy and lead to what is known in the US as "speculative invoicing".

This is where account holders are threatened with court cases that could result in large damages unless smaller settlement fees are paid.

The ISPs argued also that the monetary claims which the US company, Dallas Buyers Club LLC, had against each infringer were so small "that it was plain that no such case could or would be maintained by the applicants".

But Justice Nye Perram ruled that the customer information could be released on condition it was only used to recover compensation for copyright infringement.

"I will also impose a condition on the applicants that they are to submit to me a draft of any letter they propose to send to account holders associated with the IP addresses which have been identified," he ruled.

Justice Perram said the ruling was also important for deterring illegal downloading.

"It is not beyond the realm of possibilities that damages of a sufficient size might be awarded under this provision in an appropriately serious case in a bid to deter people from the file-sharing of films," he said.

The case came to court after Dallas Buyers Club LLC contacted iiNet and other ISPs, asking them to divulge customer details without a court order. The ISPs refused.

The ISPs have yet to say if they will appeal against the court ruling.

Professor of Law at the University of Technology, Sydney, Michael Fraser said it was an important judgement for ISPs and customers.

"If this [judgement] is upheld then the days of anonymous pirating may be over," Prof Fraser told ABC TV.

23.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Turkey threatens Google with ban

The Turkish court imposed blocks on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook to stop controversial images spreading

Turkey threatened to ban Google unless it removed links to images of a prosecutor being held at gunpoint.

The images were taken last week in a siege at an Istanbul courthouse when two gunmen took the prosecutor hostage. All three died during a rescue attempt.

The threatened ban on Google was lifted after the search giant removed links to sites hosting the pictures.

Turkish authorities briefly cut off several social networks in a bid to stop images circulating.

On 6 April, a Turkish court ordered the country's net providers to cut off access to YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and more than 160 other sites that were letting people share the controversial images. They showed prosecutor Mehmet Selim Kiraz with a gun held to his head by a masked attacker.

Mr Kiraz was apparently taken hostage because he headed an investigation into the 2013 death of a boy during anti-government protests.

The two gunmen who took Mr Kiraz hostage are thought to be members of the far-left DHKP-C party. Mr Kiraz and the gunmen died in a shoot-out with police during an attempt to end the siege.

By late Monday, access to the three big social media sites had been restored after they sought out and removed copies of the image circulating on the network.

Subsequently it emerged that the court had issued a second order that threatened Google with a ban unless it removed links in its search index that led to the controversial images.

The siege ended in a shoot-out that left attackers and their hostage dead

Google has yet to comment officially about the threatened ban or the action it took to avoid access being cut off.

Prior to the legal action, the images were circulating widely online and some newspapers printed them alongside articles about the siege. The publicity drew criticism from the Turkish government which said printing and sharing them was tantamount to "propaganda for the armed terrorist organisation".

The DHKP-C is considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the European Union and the US.

The bans on social networks and threat against Google are just the latest in a series of measures taken by Turkish officials to curb what it sees as subversive use of online media.

Many protests have been organised via social media and, prior to local elections in March 2014, blocks were imposed after audio recordings were widely shared that allegedly revealed corruption among senior officials.

Figures gathered by Twitter revealed that Turkey filed more requests to remove content from the messaging service that any other nation between July and December 2014.

23.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Call to investigate YouTube Kids app

Campaigners say YouTube Kids channels for McDonald's and others flout advertising rules

US regulators are being asked to investigate a YouTube app for children.

Consumer organisations and childcare groups say YouTube is using the app to flout long-standing limits on adverts seen by youngsters.

The groups have sent a joint letter to the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) asking it to find out if the app uses "deceptive marketing practices".

In response, YouTube said it "strongly" disagreed with the conclusions of the campaigning groups.

The YouTube Kids app was launched in February and was created to let children use the video site, but while also giving parents control over what they watch and search for. It also has channels showing curated content from companies including McDonald's and Fisher-Price aimed specifically at younger viewers.

It is these branded channels that the consumer and child groups are most concerned about because, they claim, they let companies mix adverts and shows in ways that would not be permitted on television.

The channels also do not do enough to label clips and shows that feature products that presenters have been paid to highlight, the groups said in their letter.

The Consumers Union, the Center for Digital Democracy and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry have all signed the letter to the FTC.

A spokesman for the Advertising Standards Authority in the UK said its rules on adverts applied across all media and had specific sections that sought to protect children.

"Adverts should be appropriate, not cause offence and not mislead," said the spokesman. "The key rule in the code is that adverts should be identified as such and it should be made obvious that you are being advertised to."

A YouTube spokesperson said it had worked with many children's groups and other partners when developing YouTube Kids.

"While we are always open to feedback on ways to improve the app, we were not contacted directly by the signers of this letter and strongly disagree with their contentions," the spokesperson added.

23.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Microsoft targets autistic workers

The new jobs will be based at Microsoft's HQ in Redmond, USA

Microsoft says it wants to hire more people with autism in full-time roles.

The tech giant is to start by offering 10 places on a pilot scheme based at its Redmond headquarters.

Senior executive Mary Ellen Smith said: "People with autism bring strengths that we need at Microsoft."

The UK's National Autistic Society welcomed the move but said that other firms should do more to tap into the skills offered by many people with autism.

Announcing the new scheme in a blog, Ms Smith said: "Each individual is different, some have an amazing ability to retain information, think at a level of detail and depth or excel in math or code."

Specialist recruitment firm, Specialisterne, will help run a new hiring scheme.

The firm, which operates in Denmark and the UK, works with several IT companies, and in other sectors, to promote the skills of people with autism for specific vacancies.

Sarah Lambert, from the National Autistic Society, said: "It's encouraging to see a global company like Microsoft recognise the untapped potential of adults with autism.

"Many may have strengths such as accuracy, a good eye for detail and reliability, which can benefit all sorts of businesses, not just the technology industry.

"However, at the moment, just 15% of adults with autism in the UK are in full-time employment.

"Simple adjustments, like making job interviews more accessible and providing support to help those in work understand the 'unwritten rules' of the workplace can unlock the potential of a whole section of society."

23.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Turkey hit by massive power cut

The power cut led to queues at some petrol stations in Istanbul

A massive power cut has hit dozens of provinces across Turkey, with officials saying a break in connections with mainland Europe could be to blame.

The cuts affected power stations and public transport, including Istanbul's tram and metro systems.

A crisis centre has been set up at the energy ministry.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said all possible causes are being examined, including terrorism. The cut hit at 10:36 (07:36 GMT) on Tuesday morning.

Power cuts were reported in at least 40 of Turkey's 81 provinces.

Traffic lights stopped working in several parts of Istanbul and Ankara during the outage, causing traffic jams, while rescue teams were called to help people trapped in lifts or stuck underground at metro stations.

By Tuesday afternoon, electricity returned to parts of Istanbul. Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said about "80% of Istanbul's electricity has been restored" and he expected power to return to the rest of the country soon.

Many shops and officers were plunged into darkness

The power cut disrupted train services from Ankara

Istanbul's transport company said all of its routes were back up and running.

Turkish TV also reported that power had been re-established in the cities of Edirne, Tekirdag, Erzurum and Trabzon.

"Our main target right now is to restore the network. This is not an incident that we see frequently," Mr Yildiz told Turkish media.

Turkey suffers from sporadic electricity cuts but locals say they cannot remember such a nationwide cut for a generation, reports the BBC's Mark Lowen in Istanbul.

One of the few cities unaffected by the power cut was Van in the east of the country, where electricity is supplied from Iran.

23.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

VIDEO: Farmers test out 'flying sheepdog'

It doesn't bark, and it doesn't bite, it doesn't need feeding - three of the benefits, says Paul Brennan, of using a drone as a sheepdog.

His video showing the shepherding of a flock of his brother's sheep has gone viral.

He told the BBC it worked "perfectly" in rounding up the animals on the farm near Dublin, Ireland.

The National Farmers' Union said it didn't think the idea would "take off".

"There may be a use to check-in on animals grazing on common land or in the hills but that's about the limit.

"The primary use will be in the arable sector rather than livestock at the moment.

"The reality is that a good sheepdog is a far better way to go about the job."

23.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Profits jump at tech giant Huawei

Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies says profits jumped a third last year, boosted by strong performances in all its businesses.

The world's second biggest telecoms equipment maker said its net profit was 27.9bn yuan ($4.5bn; £3bn), up from 21bn yuan in 2013.

That matched the company's forecasts announced in January.

The firm, which is also a major smartphone maker, saw revenues rise by 21% over the year.

"Our cash flow, revenue, and profit all grew over the previous year," said chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou in a statement on Tuesday. "Moreover, our debt and financing structures have continuously improved."

Foreign exchange gains also had a big impact on the company's earnings, because it generates more than 60% of its revenue abroad.

Huawei's growth comes despite it facing challenges in several major economies. In the US, it was branded a national security threat by legislators, because of its alleged close ties with the Chinese government.

Meanwhile, it has been banned from being involved in broadband projects in Australia over espionage fears.

However, the company said it was well positioned to capture business opportunities with heavy investment in innovative areas such as cloud computing and fifth generation (5G) mobile technology.

23.43 | 0 komentar | Read More