Californian politicians have passed a law mandating a “killswitch” in all smartphones, allowing users to remotely disable the phone if it’s lost or stolen. It’s the first such law to require such a feature to be enabled by default. Bill 962 says all phones that are manufactured after 1 July 2015 and then sold in […]
An engineer has told a hacking conference how he turned a cat and a dog into tech weapons: the former to make a point and the latter for a prank. Gene Bransfield of Tenacity Solutions discussed his work at the DEFCON event and then followed up with an interview with the Guardian. His first project, […]
Whether you’re on the dating scene or not, you may be aware of the dating app Tinder which has a remarkably simple system: you see photos of potential matches in your area, swipe left to reject and right to approve, and get put in contact with anyone where you’ve mutually swiped right. Amnesty International has now […]
Microsoft is ditching Android from its smartphone range. It’s part of a strategy on streamlining its phone operations, which will be a key part of the company’s biggest ever round of job cuts. When Microsoft took over Nokia’s handset division, it certainly appeared that continuing to produce both Windows Phone and Android handsets was an […]
Google may be expanding its provision of public Wi-Fi according to planning documents for its high-speed broadband service. There’s even speculation it could get into cellphone services. The revelation comes in a planning document sent to officials in 34 cities which have shown an interest in getting Google Fiber. That’s a program in which Google […]
The cellphone industry has agreed to add a “killswitch” so users can remotely disable a lost or stolen phone. But it’ll be opt-in, something that’s left lawmakers unsatisfied. Politicians in several areas have pushed for state or local laws that would force phone manufacturers to include a killswitch in all new phones, with network carriers […]
An “antisocial” app offers users the ability to avoid people who you aren’t too keen on seeing in real life. The app is something of an anti-Foursquare. You connect it to other applications (including Instagram and Foursquare itself) and then get a map of any of your contacts who are near you, along with an […]
In Which I Fix My Girlfriend’s Grandparents’ WiFi and Am Hailed as a Conquering Hero: An epic tale of adventure, evil and heroism. H. Jon Benjamin (“Bob’s Burgers,” “Archer”) stars in this exclusive animated adaptation of the famed McSweeney’s Internet Tendency piece, “In Which I Fix My Girlfriend’s Grandparents’ WiFi and Am Hailed as a […]
Oscar Mayer has come up with a great marketing stunt: an iPhone app that wakes you with the sound, and even the smell, of frying bacon. The free app works like a normal alarm clock, but instead of a ring you get a picture of crispy bacon and a sizzling sound. But it really comes […]
A new service lets people and businesses advertise their bathroom facilities as available to the public in return for a fee. It’s designed to make the most of big events where public facilities are inadequate. When there aren’t enough bathrooms nearby for the amount of people in any given location Airpnp is there to save […]