You’ll soon be able to turn your lights on with the Apple Watch

by Luke Johnson 21 March 2015 |Share: Find the four-step trek to the light switch just too much to drag you from the sofa? Well, you’ll soon be able to turn your home’s lights on and off directly from your wrist thanks to the Apple Watch. Sadly, the Moto 360 rival won’t boast magical light-manipulating abilities, but it will work with smart bulbs such as those by Philips.With iPhone and iPad apps...
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It’s nine years since the first Tweet was sent

by Luke Johnson 21 March 2015 |Share: Twitter is celebrating its ninth birthday, with the social giant looking back on almost a decade of changing how the world communicates. With the 140-character service having originally launched under the similar, but slightly less iconic moniker – twttr, the first ever Tweet was sent by co-founder Jack Dorsey.Making history on 21 March, 2006, Dorsey tweeted:...
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TR Talks: Silent Circle discusses Blackphone 2, Apple, Samsung and more

Silent Circle CTO and co-founder Jon Callas talks Blackphone 1.0, Blackphone 2 and the problems with smartphone security"We were there way before the Snowden stuff," Jon Callas tells me emphatically. I'm making my way around the busy halls of Mobile World Congress and stop by the Silent Circle stand to get a glimpse at the Blackphone 2, a smartphone built on a super-secure platform with Android as...
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Xerox Phaser 6600VDN Printer Review

What is the Xerox Phaser 6600VDN?You can buy a colour laser printer for around £150, but these tend to be both slow and expensive to run. For another £120, you can get a Xerox Phaser 6600VDN, which is neither of these things. Designed for a small to medium workgroup or office, the printer is as good at mono print as it is with colour, and can turn out duplex pages as easily as single-sided ones.SEE...
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Week in Tech: Why mobile gaming desperately needs Nintendo

OPINION: Chris Smith weighs in on Nintendo's long-awaited entry into iOS and Android gaming, them fightin' words from Tag Heuer and Samsung's boneheaded Galaxy S6 Edge pricing. Mobile gaming needs Nintendo more than Nintendo needs mobile gamingI wonder where Nintendo would be today if it had embraced mobile earlier? It’s difficult to say. For the longest time I embraced its decision to eschew iOS...
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Amazon to launch ‘Prime for apps’ Unlocked service, report claims

by Chris Smith 20 March 2015 |Share: Amazon is looking to boost its Appstore for Android by launching a new ‘Unlocked’ initiative that’ll serve up various paid apps and games free of charge. According to a TechCrunch report on Friday, the firm is plotting an ‘Amazon Prime for Apps’ type service that wil not only give Android and Kindle Fire owners gratis access to applications, but also free in-app...
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Take a look inside the Apple Watch health and fitness testing lab

by Chris Smith 20 March 2015 |Share:(Image credit: Good Morning America)Apple has offered a rare peek behind the curtain as it seeks to build anticipation for the forthcoming Apple Watch release. ABC News was given an exclusive behind the scenes look at top secret the health and fitness suite used by the notoriously secretive tech giant during Apple Watch and HealthKit testing.As it turns out, Apple...
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Will the next Metal Gear Solid game be Kojima’s last?

Rumours are circulating that Hideo Kojima, the mind behind the Metal Gear Solid series, might be parting ways with the games’ publisher. Initially, forum users (via ArsTechnica) noticed that Kojima is no longer listed as an executive on Konami’s corporate page.Then Kojima Productions’ Twitter account began to point users towards a new Metal Gear Solid Twitter page free from Kojima branding.In fact,...
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Apple TV successor tipped with Siri and App Store, coming June

Apple is going to launch a successor to the Apple TV set top box in mere months, if a new report is to be believed. According to BuzzFeed, sources with knowledge of the matter revealed the Cupertino-based company will show off the device at its World Wide Developers Conference in June.The updated box will land with a host of new features, most notably third-party apps and integration with Apple’s...
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Crucial BX100 250GB Review

What is the Crucial BX100 250GB?We’ve previously touted Crucial’s MX-series SSDs as tempting budget options, but the firm has lowered the barrier to entry even further with the BX100. This new affordable offering is available in 120GB - 1TB sizes, with the 256GB sample we’ve reviewed here costing £80.That’s a tempting price, but it’s only ten pounds cheaper than the impressive MX200 – and it’s the...
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Apple’s iOS 8 is now installed on 77% of devices

by Sean Keach 20 March 2015 |Share: Apple has revealed that the company’s latest mobile operating system is installed on 77 per cent of its devices. The iOS 8 update went live back in September, and has since seen strong adoption rates across iPhones and iPads.The latest OS managed to achieve 46 per cent adoption in the first five days after it launched.Last month we saw that figure rise to 72 per...
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Richard Branson teases Tesla-rivalling Virgin electric cars

by Sean Keach 20 March 2015 |Share: Sir Richard Branson has teased a possible rivalry with Tesla, suggesting that Virgin could be working on electric vehicles for consumers. In a recent interview with Bloomberg , the billionaire spoke about how Virgin already has ‘teams of people working on electric cars’.Importantly, he added: “So you never know – you may find Virgin competing with the Tesla in the...
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Meerkat Movies brings back Orange Wednesdays with a twist

by Sean Keach 20 March 2015 |Share: Insurance comparison service Comparethemarket has re-launched the Orange Wednesdays two-for-one cinema ticket scheme under a new name. Newly dubbed ‘Meerkat Movies’, the service will bring free cinema tickets to millions of customers.The deal was first launched by Orange around 12 years ago, and was handed over to owner firm EE.EE dropped the scheme last month however,...
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Uuni 2 Pizza Oven Review

What is the Uuni 2?Uuni 2 is an affordable, portable wood-fired pizza oven. It's big enough to cook a pizza (one at a time) and small enough to go from garden to campsite. A clever new chimney design means it cooks better and smarter than its Kickstarted predecessor.The oven is fuelled by wood pellets and is ready to cook (450°C) after just 10 minutes. Pizzas take just 2 minutes each to cook… and...
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Apple removes ‘misleading’ anti-virus app from iOS in alleged crackdown

Apple is reportedly shuttering ‘anti-virus’ apps on the iOS App Store, allegedly describing such software as ‘misleading’. According to anti-virus software company Intego, Apple doesn’t want its users to believe iOS devices are at risk from viruses and malware.The reports of app culling emerged after Intego’s own security app, dubbed ‘VirusBarrier’, was removed from the App Store.Intego’s software...
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Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge prices to start at wallet-busting £760

by Luke Johnson 20 March 2015 |Share: Thinking of snapping up Samsung’s latest flagship phone? You might want to give your bank balance another check as the Galaxy S6 Edge price has been set at a wallet-busting £760. With the curved-screened smartphone to launch in both 64GB and 128GB storage capacities, Samsung has revealed the smaller option will be bestowed with the eye-watering price tag.At...
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Google wants to turn your office into an AR steampunk warzone

Magic Leap has released a video showcasing the potential of its upcoming augmented reality platform. The Google-backed company pulled out of a TED talk earlier this week, but published the video it was due to show off on YouTube.In the video’s description, Magic Leap’s PR head Andy Fouché wrote: “This is a game we’re playing around the office right now (no robots were harmed in the making of this...
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Best of Baselworld 2015: 5 Smartwatches that stole the show

Best smartwatch launches at Baselworld set to take on the Apple Watch in 2015 Baselworld is the world's biggest watch trade show, taking place annually in the Swiss city of Basel.It's gaining increasing exposure and importance outside of the traditional fashion and jewellery fraternity thanks to the emergence of the smartwatch.This year's show in particular is massive, with the imminent release of...
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