The FBI says it may be able to unlock the San Bernadino shooter’s iPhone without Apple’s help. It’s delayed a court case and could make for some awkward outcomes either way. In case you’ve missed it, there’s a great explanation of the technological issues behind the case at the Franklin Veaux blog. The short and […]
Sony is said to be working on an upgrade to the PS4 to support 4K resolution. It may work without the need to buy a whole new console. The report from Kotaku is based on conversations with unnamed developers who’ve received word from Sony. The main change would be an upgraded GPU that would be […]
If you’ve got an idea for turning a household appliance into a weapon, it’s normally best to keep it to yourself. But now the US military might pay you a six-figure sum for the idea. Regular readers will no doubt have guessed the bounty comes from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which is […]
Sony has confirmed the PlayStation VR will cost $399, considerably cheaper than high-profile rivals. However, the release date has slipped back to October, later than planned. The $399 price compares with $599 for the Oculus Rift and $799 for the HTC Vive. It will need a PS4 console whereas the other two will need a […]
Leading Go player Lee Sedol says that despite losing four games to one to a Google algorithm, humanity isn’t necessarily outmatched by computers when it comes to reasoning and tactics in the game. Lee believes his defeat may have been because of other human limitations, namely emotion and fatigue that affect concentration. He says it’s […]
Microsoft is to let researchers use Minecraft to test artificial intelligence technologies. It believes using the game offers a useful mix of realism and affordability. The open source program will initially involve researchers operating their software only on their own machines and in what’s effectively a walled garden within Minecraft. In the long run Microsoft […]
The Federal Communications Commission is proposing much tighter rules on what broadband providers can do with customer data without consent. Thanks partly to regulatory quirks, the rules would mean the likes of Verizon and Comcast are much more restricted than sites such as Google and Facebook. The planned rules are an attempt to apply the […]
Forget the fingerprint: NEC believes the ear canal could be the secret to biometric identification. It says the system could improve security on confidential phone calls. The company isn’t the first to turn to the ear as a way of confirming identity. Last year Yahoo tested the idea of using phone touchscreens to capture an […]
For those who don’t know, Titan is the 6th moon of Saturn, and we know VERY little about it, though our collective intelligent appetites are whet. What has us all even more enamored is the fact that recent photos from N.A.S.A have shown very distinct glimmers on the surface. What are they? The question of […]
In one of the more headscratching hires of recent times, Google has hired 4chan’s founder Chris Poole. The man known online as “moot” will work on Google’s social media offerings, notably Google +. At its most basic, 4chan is simply an image posting board with particularly relaxed rules on content and user identity, but it’s […]