Apple iCloud and Gmail hacker gets 18 months in jail

A US man is given a sentence of 18 months in jail for hacking into celebrity iCloud and Gmail accounts after investigators failed to find a link with the leak of celebrity nude photos online in 2014

Red Cross data breach shows security is still not a priority

The Australian Red Cross Blood Service has responded quickly to a breach of 550,000 donor details, but security commentators say the incident shows security is still not a priority for many organisations

Hundreds of IT contractors let go and projects put on hold as DWP denies rumours of overspend

Hundreds of digital and technology projects are under review at the Department for Work and Pensions - but department denies rumours of budget overspend

United Utilities protects field engineering deployment with AirWatch

United Utilities deploys mobile device management software AirWatch to secure Samsung devices running a SAP workforce management app

SDN trailblazer Big Switch Networks launches in UK

Having established a base of paying customers through a key partnership with Dell, SDN supplier Big Switch Networks is opening its first European offices and gunning for Cisco’s ACI business

Minds behind Entiq and Level 39 launch Plexal innovation centre

Founder of Entiq and Level 39 launches innovation hub at Here East space in the London Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

HP, Dell, Lenovo, Asus and Acer will all ship VR headsets for your PC starting at $299

 Microsoft is currently holding a press conference in New York. The company is focusing a lot on 3D and all sorts of realities, from augmented reality to virtual reality. As part of this big push, Microsoft announced that it is partnering with five different brands that will all ship VR headsets for the next Windows 10 update. Microsoft said that HP, Dell, Lenovo, Asus and Acer are all working… Read More

The Makerbot Replicator+ is still the easiest 3D printer on the market

 3D printing is in a bit of a doldrums. The novelty has worn off and the limited utility of the technology has been made clear. The bloom is especially off the rose of home 3D printing thanks to slow improvements in the actual technology involved in squirting plastic into clever shapes. There are only so many Yoda heads you can print before the 3D printer starts collecting dust. But it must be… Read More

This is the Surface Studio, Microsoft’s new all-in-one PC

 Microsoft unveiled the Surface Studio today, an all-in-one PC with a 28-inch PixelSense display, with the thinnest display ever built according to Microsoft and a 3:2 display ratio. It also has an Intel Core processor, with a 2TB hybrid hard drive and an NVIDIA GPU, as well as integrated 2.1 speakers and a haptic feedback controller puck device. The computer has a unique hinge on the back… Read More

Everything announced at Microsoft’s Windows 10 and Surface event

 Take a breath because there’s lots to cover, but here’s everything Microsoft unveiled at their October 26, 2016 event, including the new Surface Studio all-in-one creative computer. Read More

Apple delays AirPod rollout, don’t expect them in October

 If you’ve been waiting for Apple’s AirPod wireless headphones to go on sale, you’re going to have to wait a little longer. Apple says that they are not ready and they it will need ‘a little more time’. “The early response to AirPods has been incredible. We don’t believe in shipping a product before it’s ready, and we need a little more time… Read More

Microsoft’s Surface event and Apple’s Mac event preview: Listen to TCBC 7 with Romain Dillet

 This week’s TCBC podcast is all about events: Microsoft’s and Apple’s, both of which happen this week and both of which will be covered by Romain Dillet, who joins as my guest for the episode. We’re fresh from watching and writing about Microsoft’s event earlier today, where it revealed its Surface Studio PC and a host of software improvements coming to Windows… Read More

Deep learning tool lets you pick your pastiche: Mostly Monet, a dab of Doré and a pinch of Picasso

 For years we’ve been skeptical, and rightly so, of the “art filters” you can put on your photos, webcam videos and so on. But Google may have made them relevant again — or at the very least, interesting — by letting you mix and match them in real time using a single specialized neural network. Read More

Where to watch the live stream for today’s Apple MacBook Pro press conference

 Apple is holding a press conference today on its campus in Cupertino, and the company is expected to unveil the new MacBook Pro (yes, the one with the insane mini display above the keyboard that already leaked), as well as an updated 13-inch MacBook Air. At 10 AM PT (1 PM in New York, 6 PM in London, 7 PM in Paris), you’ll be able to watch the event on all Apple devices. Apple is likely… Read More

John Lewis chooses three retail tech startups to receive 2016 JLab funding

Department store retailer John Lewis selects three retail tech startups to receive their share of the £200,000 JLab funding pot

BT reports solid growth despite weak pound

The collapse in the value of the pound following the EU referendum has not dented BT’s confidence, with strong growth reported across multiple business units

Open source no longer scares the enterprise

Open source breaks the rules on corporate procurement, but developers never play by the rules and now open source has sneaked in through the back door

Galaxy Note7 recall hits Samsung’s profits, but not market lead

Samsung retained its smartphone market leadership in the third quarter despite recalling and scrapping the Galaxy Note7 and taking a 30% hit in operating profit

Government launches inquiry into Emergency Services Network

The Public Accounts Committee is to scrutinise the controversial Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme

World wide web inventor Tim Berners-Lee to join Oxford University

The University of Oxford has appointed Tim Berners-Lee as a professor at its computer science department

GDS loses yet another senior leader as CTO Andy Beale quits

Government Digital Service chief technology officer Andy Beale is the fifth senior executive to leave since appointment of new chief Kevin Cunnington

Information security set for steep trajectory, says (ISC)2

By helping to create a thriving, diverse and open information security community, (ISC)2 hopes to ensure a steep rise for the profession

Dyn reveals details of complex and sophisticated IoT botnet attack

DNS services provider Dyn, which was the victim of a large-scale DDoS attack perpetrated by an IoT botnet earlier in October, discusses details of its experience

Twitter cuts Vine and jobs as revenue growth slows

Twitter has announced it is to restructure with the aim of achieving profitability in 2017, but in the meantime it is axing its Vine video sharing service and around 350 jobs

Amazon shares fall on disappointing quarter - but AWS up 55%

Amazon reported disappointing quarterly profit but its AWS cloud business grew sales by 55% and is now 10% of the company's revenue

Interview: How Swedish bank prepared robot for customer services

SEB bank is currently integrating artificial intelligence into its customer services channels, following an internal trial of the technology

Here’s what you can do with the Touch Bar on the new MacBook Pro

 Apple just unveiled the new MacBook Pro. “It is the new gold standard in notebook computers,” Apple’s SVP of Marketing Phil Schiller said. And, in particular, Apple replaced the function row on the keyboard with a touch screen. Based on the demos, this touch screen seems to be quite versatile. For instance, the intro video showed that the touch screen lets you select… Read More

The 13-inch MacBook Air model is still alive

 Surprise, the MacBook Air is still alive! The new MacBook Air is Apple’s new cheap laptop. While everybody thought the 12-inch Retina MacBook was going to replace the MacBook Air, it’s not going to be the case just yet. Apple just updated the MacBook Air page on its website after its press event. While the 11-inch MacBook Air is gone forever (R.I.P.), the 13-inch MacBook Air is… Read More

Get ready for a me-too CES

 That record scratch you just heard came from thousands of designers and R&D specialists who suddenly have to remake 3D models of laptops, phones and desktops. That sigh is coming from hundreds of programmers stepping up their new interfaces and that ripping noise is myriad press releases getting torn up and rewritten. After all, it’s almost CES time again and Apple and Microsoft… Read More

Alphabet reports a strong third quarter despite free-falling advertising values

 Alphabet’s strategy of trying to stuff the difference between declining mobile advertising value with additional clicks appears to still be paying off as the company once again showed Wall Street that it can make a ton of money and continue to grow. Alphabet (we’re just gonna call it what it is because we’re talking about the core business: Google) reported earnings of $9.06… Read More

Apple’s new MacBook Pro kills off most of the ports you probably need

 Apple just introduced a shiny, super thin new MacBook Pro. But for what was birthed, a lot of widely-held standards had to die. Today, Apple removed the MagSafe 2 charging port type, they stripped away the HDMI port, they ripped out the SD card slot, they shuttered the Thunderbolt 2 ports (which you probably used like three times) and they most notably killed the standard USB port. All… Read More

Apple says no fun allowed on the Touch Bar

 The Touch Bar is serious business. Apple’s interface guidelines warn against all kinds of fun things that developers probably started thinking about when the new MacBook Pros leaked earlier this week. No doubt some apps will find a way to be creative even under the stern eye of Apple’s party police, but it’s clearly discouraged. Read More

Comma.ai cancels the Comma One following NHTSA letter

 Renowned iPhone hacker turned entrepreneur George Hotz (aka geohot) has cancelled his autonomous driving startup’s first official product, the Comma One aftermarket add-on that would’ve allowed certain cars to gain Autopilot-like highway driving assistance abilities. Hotz announced the news on the Comma.ai official Twitter account, noting that the decision to cancel was made after… Read More

Three reasons carriers are building new cell networks for the Internet of Things

 Wireless carriers are building all-new cellular networks for the Internet of Things. Cell phone networks fall short for IoT in three ways: battery life, cost and wireless coverage. Solving just one of those factors would be enough to justify new networks. Solving all three is a game-changer for IoT. Read More