Nokia launches $100m smart car fund

5 May 2014 Last updated at 10:21

Nokia has launched a $100m (£59m) fund which will invest in firms specialising in connected and smart vehicles.

It is seen as a key growth area and Nokia has established its presence in the sector with its mapping service Here for connected vehicles.

The move comes just days after Nokia completed the sale of its handset unit to Microsoft.

The Finnish firm has said that mapping services is one of the three key businesses that it plans to focus on.

Nokia said the fund, which will be managed by Nokia Growth Partners (NGP), will support the growth of the sector.

'Surge in innovation'

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Vehicles are becoming a new platform for technology adoption very similar to phones or tablet"

End Quote Paul Asel Nokia Growth Partners

Firms have been looking to connect vehicles - not only to the internet, but also to each other.

The idea is that connected and "smart" vehicles would not only change the way drivers use their cars, but also make them more safe by sensing nearby vehicles.

A key part of that connectivity is the ability of vehicles to access their location, and that of other objects around them.

And as an increasing number of vehicles become inter-connected, it could provide a growth opportunity for firms specialising in the sector.

"For the last few years there has been a surge in innovation that has brought technological advances leading to safer, cleaner, increasingly connected, intelligent and more affordable vehicles," Paul Asel, partner at NGP, said in a statement.

"Vehicles are becoming a new platform for technology adoption very similar to phones or tablet."

Other players

Other firms have also been keen to tap into the sector, including Google, Apple and Intel.

Earlier this year, Google announced that it is teaming up with several car manufacturers - including Audi, Honda and Hyundai - to integrate its Android operating system into their dashboards.

That would allow the apps and music on Android smartphones and tablets to work better with onboard car systems.

Google has also added a traffic layer to Google Maps, sourced from other Android users, to inform users about traffic jams and other road issues.

Rival Apple has also unveiled its CarPlay iPhone system which allows iPhones to plug into cars.

The firm said that would allow drivers to call up maps, make calls and request music with voice commands or a touch on a vehicle's dashboard screen.

Chipmaker Intel has also previously announced a $100m fund dedicated to investing in technology aimed at accelerating the development of internet-connected cars.

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Fashion for Mars shown off by Nasa

1 May 2014 Last updated at 13:36

US space agency Nasa has been showing off the wardrobe essentials for future astronauts looking for a new outfit for their first flight to Mars.

Nasa said the Z-2 spacesuit was only a prototype, but elements of it would be incorporated into the suit worn by the first humans to reach the Red Planet.

The suit uses light-emitting patches and luminescent wire that could be customised to identify individuals.

The "technology" design beat two others with 63% of a public vote of 233,431.

The others were:

• a "bio-mimicry" suit, which mirrored the bioluminescence of aquatic creatures and the tough scaly skins of fish and reptiles
• a "trends in society" suit, which reflected what everyday clothes may look like in the future

Aesthetic appeal

The Z-2 will be built using 3D-printed parts, and 3D laser scans will ensure each suit fits each astronaut perfectly.

It will be tested in vacuum chambers, at Nasa's training pool and at a site that imitates the rocky Martian surface.

In 2012 Nasa released the Z-1, which bore more than a passing similarity to the suit worn by fictional "space ranger" Buzz Lightyear in the Toy Stories films.

The first major overhaul of the spacesuit in about 30 years, the Z-1 was named as one of the year's best inventions by Time magazine.

Nasa said: "Each iteration of the Z-series will advance new technologies that one day will be used in a suit worn by the first humans to step foot on the Red Planet."

And the Z-2 "pays homage to the spacesuit achievements of the past while incorporating subtle elements of the future".

Its hard composite upper torso "provides the much-needed long-term durability that a planetary extravehicular activity suit will require", but despite its "aesthetic appeal" the prototype was not made of the same durable material designed to protect space-walking astronauts from micro-meteorite strikes, extreme temperatures and radiation, Nasa added.

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Gadget promises 'perfect cup of tea'

1 May 2014 Last updated at 18:13

A machine with a £7,700 ($13,000) price tag is said by its manufacturers to make "the perfect cup of tea".

Bkon, the company behind the machine, says the brewing process is a lot more complicated than simply dipping a tea-bag into some boiling water.

Prototypes are being tested in US coffee shops, and the device could be commercially available later this year.

But experts are questioning whether anyone would want to pay so much for a tea-maker.

The Craft Brewer, relies on a novel process of brewing, called reverse atmospheric infusion (Rain).

It uses a brewing chamber, into which loose tea leaves and water are placed.

The air is then drawn out to create a vacuum.

This negative pressure in the chamber brings the tea leaves to the surface of the liquid and, according to Bkon, draws out flavour more precisely than simply adding boiling water.

The process is repeated for between 60 and 90 seconds - different flavours need different numbers of infusion cycles - and variables such as water temperature and contact time can be fine-tuned.

The machine can brew more than 60 cups of tea an hour.

It has led the makers to boast of having created "tea 2.0".

Nice cuppa

In 2012 Cambridge Consultants, the company that helped create the first round tea-bag, designed a capsule-based tea-brewing system.

"We asked, 'What is the science behind making a good cup of tea?'" said head of consumer product development Ruth Thomson.

It is currently in talks with a range of manufacturers about bringing its machine to market at an equivalent price to "conventional coffee machines".

Ms Thomson said of the Craft Brewer: "The price tag shocks me, but I can see why it would cost that.

"There are a lot of parameters to consider when making a good cup of tea, and the pressure parameter is one of the most expensive," she said.

"But it is an important parameter and would be likely to have a significant impact on taste."

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Windows XP users to get Explorer fix

2 May 2014 Last updated at 02:28

Microsoft has said users of its Windows XP operating system will also get the security update it has issued to fix a flaw in the Internet Explorer browser.

It issued the update on Thursday to fix a bug that let hackers gain access and user rights to computers.

Microsoft ended support for Windows XP earlier this month, ceasing to issue bug fixes or security updates for it.

But the firm said it decided to make an exception as the flaw was discovered just days after the support ended.

"Even though Windows XP is no longer supported by Microsoft and is past the time we normally provide security updates, we've decided to provide an update for all versions of Windows XP," Adrienne Hall, general manager of Trustworthy Computing at Microsoft, said in a blog post.

"We made this exception based on the proximity to the end of support for Windows XP."

The flaw was reported earlier this week and there had been uncertainty over whether XP users would get the update when it was released.

'Tested and ready'

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This update is fully tested and ready for release for all affected versions of the browser"

End Quote Microsoft

The flaw affected Internet Explorer (IE) versions 6 to 11 and Microsoft said it was aware of "limited, targeted attacks" to exploit it.

According to NetMarket Share, the IE versions account for more than 50% of the global web browser market.

Microsoft said that hackers could exploit the flaw by hosting a "specially crafted website" designed to exploit the vulnerability.

If users visited the website, hackers could use it to gain access to their computer and get the same rights as the machine's user.

However, hackers would have needed to convince users to view and interact with the website, and would have had "no way to force users" to view the content otherwise.

On Thursday, Microsoft said its security update fixed the flaw.

"This update is fully tested and ready for release for all affected versions of the browser," the firm said.

"The majority of customers have automatic updates enabled and will not need to take any action because protections will be downloaded and installed automatically."

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Kevin Spacey in Call of Duty game

2 May 2014 Last updated at 11:31

The trailer for the next Call of Duty games features a sinister performance from US actor Kevin Spacey.

A full-length preview has been released on YouTube and shows the actor pacing around plush offices.

The game trailer, which is subtitled as Advanced Warfare, was originally set to be released on Sunday.

But publisher Activision and developer Sledgehammer Games posted it early after an online leak.

Kevin Spacey's eye posted in a video clip on the official instagram account of Call of Duty

In the video storyline, The House of Cards star, features as the head of a private military corporation that has attacked the United States.

Earlier this week, there was also an Instagram teaser posted shortly before the full trailer was leaked.

In it Spacey speaks to the camera in an extreme close-up. "Power determines who is right," he says.

"I have the power, so I'm right.

The video closes with the Microsoft and Xbox One logos, followed by date the new Call of Duty game will be revealed.

The Call of Duty series began in 2003 on the PC and later expanded to consoles and handhelds.

It remains one of the best-selling video game franchises in history.

The earlier series are set primarily in World War II, including Call of Duty, Call of Duty 2, and Call of Duty 3.

Beginning with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, released in November 2007, the series shifted to either current or futuristic settings.

The next Call of Duty game will launch on 4 November 2014.

Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube

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Twitter tries out 'mute' feature

2 May 2014 Last updated at 11:55

Twitter is trialling a feature in its mobile apps that allows users to mute accounts that are becoming irritating.

Unlike the block function, which is designed to stop communications with an undesirable user completely, muting is intended to be temporary.

It will mean users can block out people who, for example, live tweet football matches every weekend, or post about TV talent shows.

Many third-party Twitter apps have offered a mute option for some time.

According to technology news site The Verge, selected users running Twitter's Apple iOS and Google Android apps reported seeing the feature appear.

The Verge described muting as a "stealth unfollow", ideal for ignoring work colleagues.

Engagement worries

Twitter has not commented specifically on its plans for rolling out the mute feature.

But in a blog post about "experimentation", the company explained: "You may see some features that your friend doesn't see, or vice-versa. This is all in service of making Twitter the best it can be. We appreciate your help in doing that, so thank you."

The new feature has come at a time when Twitter is aiming to increase the amount of time existing users spend on the service.

According to its latest financial results, published earlier this week, the first three months of 2014 saw timeline views increase by 15% to 157 billion.

But the company's shares fell by 11% because of slow growth - over those three months, the site's user base increased by just 3.8%.

Twitter also reported a net loss of $132m (£78m), but posted revenue of $250m, 90% of which came through advertising.

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Google buys UK retail forecasting firm

2 May 2014 Last updated at 21:25

Internet giant Google has bought Rangespan, a UK start-up that uses data science to help retailers determine which products to sell and when.

Founded in 2011 in London by former Amazon employees, Rangespan is the third UK start-up to be acquired by Google this year.

On its website, Rangespan wrote: "We are very happy to announce that Rangespan is joining Google."

The terms of the purchase were not made public.

Rangespan has previously helped clients such as Tesco and Asda use real-time sales data to better predict which products will be popular with customers and to better manage supply chains.

Google will absorb the firm and its technology and Rangespan will no longer sell services to clients.

"As part of the change, we will wind down Rangespan's services. We've already begun working individually with each of our retailers and suppliers on this process," the firm said on its website.

The move comes as Google aims to expand its Google Shopping web portal and e-commerce offerings.

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Samsung ordered to pay Apple $119.6m

3 May 2014 Last updated at 05:30

Samsung has been ordered to pay $119.6m (£71m) to Apple by a US court for infringing two of its patents.

A jury in California delivered its verdict in a federal court in San Jose on Friday in the latest lawsuit involving the two tech giants.

Apple had sought $2bn at the trial, accusing Samsung of violating patents on smartphone features.

The court also ruled that Apple infringed Samsung's patents and awarded $158,000 in damages.

Continue reading the main story

Richard Taylor North America technology correspondent

---

The verdict will probably come as a blow for Apple, which portrayed Samsung as resorting to "the dark side of intentional copying".

The figure would appear to reflect the jury's belief that Apple's settlement claim was unfairly inflated; Samsung argued all along that it should be far lower than the $2.2bn sought, not least because some of the patents were never even incorporated into the iPhone's software.

They say lawyers are the only ones who win from patent wars. In this case that could well prove true - with all the mudslinging and embarrassing leaks of internal memos witnessed in the courtroom over the past month, neither company's reputation has been enhanced.

Apple had sought $2.2bn after accusing Samsung of infringing five of its patents covering functions such as the "slide to unlock" from its devices.

Samsung denied any wrongdoing and sought $6m after arguing Apple had infringed two of its smartphone patents related to camera use and video transmission.

"Though this verdict is large by normal standards, it is hard to view this outcome as much of a victory for Apple,'' said Brian Love, a Santa Clara University law professor.

"This amount is less than 10% of the amount Apple requested and probably doesn't surpass by too much the amount Apple spent litigating this case.''

This verdict marks the latest legal battle over intellectual property between the world's top two smartphone makers.

Apple and Samsung have been fighting patent battles for years and across many countries.

Two years ago, a separate jury ordered Samsung to pay Apple $930m after finding it had used Apple technology.

That verdict is still being challenged by Samsung.

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Sony tape smashes storage record

5 May 2014 Last updated at 13:33

Sony has developed a new storage tape that is able to hold up to 185 terabytes (TB) of data per cartridge.

Created with the help of IBM, Sony's technology allows for tapes that can store the equivalent of 3,700 Blu-ray discs.

The tape hold 148 gigabits (Gb) per square inch - beating a record set in 2010 more than five times over.

Storage tapes are typically used by businesses to hold huge amounts of data for a long time.

Analysts IDC predict that by 2020, global data storage will amount to 40 trillion gigabytes - around 5,200 gigabytes per person.

Using tape is a cheaper and more energy efficient method of storing data when compared to power-hungry large data centres full of hard drives.

However, retrieving data from tape is a far slower process. Storage tapes only offer sequential access - meaning data has to be accessed in the order in which it was written. The tape has to literally be moved to the right position for the data to be accessed.

'Rapid recovery'

Hard disc drives, by contrast, allow for data accessed in a much more sporadic fashion - known as random access - making them much more suitable for everyday computer use.

Over a long time period, tape is considered the more reliable approach.

In a statement, Sony said: "The rapid recovery of data systems such as databases and data servers following natural disasters, as well as secure management of information has become ever more important, and companies around the world are proceeding to build new data systems.

"In addition, the expansion of cloud services and the creation of new markets to utilize big data have led to a growing need for a data storage media which can store large amounts of information."

Sony was able to achieve the high storage capacity by utilising a "nano-grained magnetic layer" consisting of tiny nano-particles, allowing for greater density.

The technology was announced at the Intermag Europe 2014 - an international magnetics conference held in Dresden, Germany.

Sony is also working on more consumer-friendly storage - in March it announced it was working with Panasonic on the Archival Disc, which will hold 1TB of data, the equivalent of 250 DVD films.

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Target's chief executive resigns

5 May 2014 Last updated at 13:37

US retailer Target has announced the resignation of its chief executive and chairman, Gregg Steinhafel.

It follows a difficult year for the retailer, which was the victim of a data breach that shook customer confidence and hurt profits.

Up to 70 million customers had payment card and personal data stolen from the company's databases in December.

Target's chief information officer, Beth Jacob, who oversaw Target's computer systems, resigned in March.

In a statement, the US retailer said: "After extensive discussions, the board and Gregg Steinhafel have decided that now is the right time for new leadership at Target."

Chief financial officer John Mulligan will take over as interim president and chief executive, the company added.

Roxanne Austin, a current member of Target's board of directors, has been appointed as interim non-executive chair of the board.

Data breach

The data breach cost Target $17m (£10m) and the firm said that it was overhauling its security systems.

In March, the firm reported a 46% plunge in profits. It earned $520m in the three months to 1 February.

The company has already said that it can not estimate future expenses relating to the breach and has issued a profit warning for 2014.

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It is being sued by at least 11 customers over the security breach. The lawsuits, each seeking class-action status, were filed in US courts.

At the end of April, Target announced that Bob DeRodes, who has 40 years' experience in information technology, was its new chief information officer.

At the time, Target said it was continuing its search for a chief information security officer and a chief compliance officer.

Tough at the top

Mr Steinhafel joined Target as a trainee in 1979 and in a career spanning 35 years worked his way to the top.

He had been the firm's chief executive since 2008.

Target has struggled in recent years, partly because of a difficult expansion into Canada, but also growing competition from rivals.

Under his leadership, Target began to expand into fresh groceries and also introduced a 5% discount to customers who used its branded debit and credit cards.

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