A modular phone that can be upgraded and replaced piece-by-piece is now available for pre-order. The Fairphone 2 is designed to have an extended life as part of an overall enivronmentally-friendly philosophy by the makers. The original concept of the phone was designed to be “socially conscious” and deal with the problem that some of […]
Google is to offer free broadband to people living in public housing and other affordable housing project properties. It will also offer free computer skills training. The free service, which will have no connection fee, will be available initially in Atlanta, Durham, Kansas City and Nashville before being rolled out to all cities where Google […]
A couple who hand-built a Hobbit-style house have won a legal battle to avoid it being demolished. They successfully argued it met guidelines that promote sustainable building. Charlie Hague build the house by hand on his father’s land in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It cost the equivalent of US$23,000 to build, using entirely natural materials from the […]
A new technology standard could make it easier for wireless devices to sync with one another, even if neither has an Internet connection. The standard comes from the Wi-Fi Alliance, the international organization that test wireless equipment not just for radio and data interoperability but also security. The group already has a standard called Wi-Fi […]
Satoru Iwata, the president and CEO of Nintendo, has died aged 55. Iwata had run the company since 2002. After graduating in computer science, Iwata began working as a programmer at HAL and help develop games including Super Smash Bros and the Pokemon series. He joined Microsoft as an executive in 2000 before becoming the […]
Duke University researchers have wired together two sets of brains to create networks: one made up of monkeys and the other of rats. It’s a practical step towards a theoretical goal of helping stroke victims. The project was led by Miguel Nicolelis, who previously worked on a project resulting in a paraplegic man using a […]
A man who flew in a lawn chair attached to 120 helium balloons has spoken about the experience. Daniel Boria says he reached 2,000 feet before using a parachute in what was an effective publicity stunt. Boria originally planned to promote his cleaning company by skydiving into the middle of a chuckwagon race at the […]
While there’s no shortage of video game-themed action figures to collect, you’re normally stuck with the manufacturer’s design and pose. Amazon hopes to change that with a range of customizable figures using 3D printing. The service involves tie-ups with 3D printing company Sandboxr and the makers of Infinity Blade, Primal Carnage and Smite. After choosing […]
A million British schoolchildren are to get a free computer in an attempt to boost programming skills. The machine, made by the BBC, is a tiny PC along the lines of a Raspberry Pi and is a mere 4cm by 5cm. The idea of the Micro Bit is to be even simpler to use than […]
MasterCard is to test facial recognition as a payment authorization tool on smartphones. That’s prompted questions over the security of the way it will handle the data. The idea is to replace the need to type in a PIN code when making a purchase. While MasterCard hasn’t confirmed this, it’s likely the tool will work […]