World News | Latest News

Spy centre seeking code breakers

2011-11-30T20:20:00.001-06:00

30 November 2011 Last updated at 20:27 ET UK intelligence agency GCHQ has launched a code cracking competition to help attract new talent. The organisation has invited potential applicants to solve a visual code posted at an unbranded standalone website. The

Spotify opens up to add-on apps

2011-11-30T14:14:00.001-06:00

30 November 2011 Last updated at 13:46 ET The internet music service Spotify is opening itself up to third party apps. Developers will be able to write programs to add functionality to the music player, such as the ability to see lyrics or buy concert tickets from artists

Firms told to delist fake sites

2011-11-30T10:44:00.001-06:00

30 November 2011 Last updated at 07:38 ET A US Judge has ordered Google, Yahoo, Twitter and Facebook, among others, to delist domain names linked to websites selling counterfeit goods. It represents a significant step in the ongoing battle against the sale of fake items

3D printer helps grow new bones

2011-11-30T10:14:00.001-06:00

30 November 2011 Last updated at 09:10 ET A 3D printer is being used to create "bone-like" material which researchers claim can be used to repair injuries. The engineers say the substance can be added to damaged natural bone where it acts as a scaffold for new cells to grow

United Nations agency 'hacked'

2011-11-29T14:10:00.001-06:00

29 November 2011 Last updated at 14:37 ET A group of hackers has posted more than 100 email addresses and login details which it claimed to have extracted from the United Nations. Many of the emails involved appear to belong to members of the United Nations Development

Osborne announces broadband money

2011-11-29T10:10:00.001-06:00

29 November 2011 Last updated at 09:07 ET Better broadband networks in 10 cities across the UK are being promised by the government. In his autumn statement, Chancellor George Osborne announced �5bn of spending on infrastructure projects such as roads, railways and broadband

DIY search engine takes on Google

2011-11-29T06:09:00.001-06:00

29 November 2011 Last updated at 04:56 ET Google, Bing, Yahoo and other search sites have a new rival called YaCy. Backed by free software activists, YaCy aims to literally put search into the hands of users by distributing its indexing engine around the net.

200-year old press papers online

2011-11-29T02:09:00.001-06:00

29 November 2011 Last updated at 00:18 ET Four million pages of newspapers from the 18th and 19th centuries have been made available online by the British Library. The public will now be able to scan the content of 200 titles from around the UK and Ireland. These

Discounts aid online sales surge

2011-11-28T08:37:00.001-06:00

28 November 2011 Last updated at 08:07 ET Online sales rose faster than expected in the US on Black Friday, according to surveys. Internet sales totalled $816m (�524m), a 26% gain on last year, said Comscore. IBM Coremetrics put the rise at 24%. Black Friday, the

AUDIO: Should kids learn how computers work?

2011-11-28T08:07:00.001-06:00

Some of the biggest firms in hi-tech, including Google and Microsoft, are calling for major changes in how the UK teaches computing to give Britain the skills it needs to compete. Technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones and Alex Hope, co-author of the Livingstone Hope Review discuss whether children need to learn how

'Promising step' to cybersecurity

2011-11-25T11:13:00.001-06:00

25 November 2011 Last updated at 10:27 ET By David Clemente International security programme, Chatham House The UK government has today released its 2011 Cyber Security Strategy. With an increased focus on

Drugs giant challenges Facebook

2011-11-25T09:13:00.001-06:00

25 November 2011 Last updated at 08:24 ET The German drugmaker Merck KGaA has begun legal action against Facebook after discovering what its lawyer described as the "the apparent takeover of its Facebook page". The webpage is being used by the German firm's US rival Merck &

Cyber security strategy unveiled

2011-11-25T05:06:00.001-06:00

24 November 2011 Last updated at 19:43 ET The government will reveal its plan to tackle cyber crime later, including using the intelligence agency GCHQ to help the private sector protect itself. Police forces will be encouraged to train "cyber specials", while specialist

Black Friday iTunes malware alert

2011-11-24T15:12:00.001-06:00

24 November 2011 Last updated at 14:43 ET Criminals are targeting internet users with a new gift certificate scam, according to security experts. Users receive an email that claims to be from Apple's iTunes store, warns the Eleven security blog. The ZIP file

Cyborg insect power breakthrough

2011-11-24T14:42:00.001-06:00

Efforts to create an army of cyborg insects are being pursued by a team of US-based engineers. The group is investigating ways to harvest energy from the creatures to power sensors and other equipment fastened to their bodies. The team has created an energy scavenging device that is attached close to the insects'

Google, Samsung confirm Nexus bug

2011-11-24T06:34:00.001-06:00

24 November 2011 Last updated at 06:29 ET Google and Samsung have confirmed that there are volume issues with their flagship mobile phone the Galaxy Nexus. It follows complaints on net forums about unexplained changes in volume. The handset, the first to feature

HTC shares plunge on growth cut

2011-11-24T05:03:00.001-06:00

23 November 2011 Last updated at 21:31 ET Shares of smartphone maker HTC have fallen by 7%, the maximum allowed in one day, after the company cut its growth forecast. Taiwan-based HTC said on Wednesday that it expected revenues for the final three months of 2011 to be

Firms 'not ready for IT failure'

2011-11-24T04:33:00.001-06:00

23 November 2011 Last updated at 23:41 ET Almost three-quarters of firms and public sector organisations across nine European countries may not fully recover their computer systems or data after an IT failure, a survey suggests. The report by IT group EMC said 74% were "not

FBI downplays water supply 'hack'

2011-11-23T09:00:00.001-06:00

23 November 2011 Last updated at 08:19 ET US officials have cast doubt over reports that a water pump in Illinois was destroyed by foreign hackers. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security said they had "found no evidence of a cyber intrusion". The Illinois

Google to kill off more products

2011-11-23T08:30:00.001-06:00

23 November 2011 Last updated at 07:44 ET Google has announced that it is dropping seven more products in an effort to simplify its range of services. The out-of-season "spring clean" brings an end to services including Google Wave, Knol and Google Gears. It is the

3.74 degrees of online separation

2011-11-22T18:28:00.001-06:00

22 November 2011 Last updated at 17:00 ET There are on average 3.74 degrees of separation between any one Facebook user and another, a study suggests. The number of degrees represents the number of people in a friendship chain, excluding the people at either end.

Xbox users targeted in web scam

2011-11-22T08:57:00.001-06:00

By Del Crookes and Dan WhitworthNewsbeat reporters Xbox Live users are being urged to check their accounts after some say they were scammed by a fake email. The phishing attack sent users to a fake website

Users build bridge to 'dark net'

2011-11-22T08:27:00.001-06:00

22 November 2011 Last updated at 08:14 ET People involved in a project to maintain a secret layer of the internet have turned to Amazon to add bandwidth to the service. The Tor Project offers a channel for people wanting to route their online communications anonymously.

Apple wins HTC graphic patent row

2011-11-22T02:55:00.001-06:00

22 November 2011 Last updated at 00:49 ET A US agency has ruled that Apple did not violate graphic patents owned by S3 Graphics, a unit of Taiwan's HTC. S3, which makes image compression technology, filed a complaint with trade agency, ITC, in May 2010. The company

Bionic lenses to project emails

2011-11-22T02:25:00.001-06:00

21 November 2011 Last updated at 22:15 ET By Michelle Roberts Health reporter, BBC News A new generation of contact lenses that project images in front of the eyes is a step closer after successful animal trials, say scientists.

Hackers 'attack' US water system

2011-11-21T08:46:00.001-06:00

21 November 2011 Last updated at 06:36 ET Hackers are alleged to have destroyed a pump used to pipe water to thousands of homes in a US city in Illinois. Hackers with access to the utility's network are thought to have broken the pump by turning it on and off quickly.

Sony clamps down on game sharing

2011-11-21T08:16:00.001-06:00

21 November 2011 Last updated at 08:28 ET UK gamers can no longer play the same copy of a new PlayStation Store game on more than two devices. On 18 November Sony cut the number of consoles and handheld devices that users can tie to their PlayStation Network (PSN) account

World's 'lightest material' claim

2011-11-18T10:36:00.001-06:00

18 November 2011 Last updated at 08:23 ET A team of engineers claims to have created the world's lightest material. The substance is made out of tiny hollow metallic tubes arranged into a micro-lattice - a criss-crossing diagonal pattern with small open spaces between the

Robots set out to sample the seas

2011-11-18T10:06:00.001-06:00

18 November 2011 Last updated at 10:21 ET Four robots have set out on an epic 33,000 nautical mile (66,000km) journey across the Pacific Ocean. Created by US firm Liquid Robotics, the four are aiming to set the record for the longest distance at sea travelled by an unmanned

Data spies raid Norwegian firms

2011-11-18T06:06:00.001-06:00

18 November 2011 Last updated at 06:24 ET Oil, gas and defence firms in Norway have been hit by a series of sophisticated hack attacks. Industrial secrets and information about contract negotiations had been stolen, said Norway's National Security Agency (NSM). It

Smartphone data tariff warning

2011-11-18T04:06:00.001-06:00

By Dan WhitworthNewsbeat technology reporter Mobile phone operators must do more to help people avoid getting unexpectedly large bills after going online, says the Communications Ombudsman. The complaints watchdog says

AP writers told off for tweeting

2011-11-17T16:35:00.001-06:00

17 November 2011 Last updated at 14:41 ET Associated Press has reprimanded some of its journalists for breaking news on Twitter before posting it on the wires. The news agency issued the warning after some staff members tweeted that AP journalists had been arrested at the

AI moves closer with brain chip

2011-11-17T16:05:00.001-06:00

17 November 2011 Last updated at 15:42 ET Scientists are getting closer to the dream of creating computer systems that can replicate the brain. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have designed a computer chip that mimics how the brain's neurons adapt

Google unveils online music store

2011-11-16T20:02:00.001-06:00

16 November 2011 Last updated at 19:04 ET Google has launched an online music store in the US, which will allow devices running its Android software to buy, store and stream MP3 files. EMI, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal and 23 independent labels are providing content

Intel shows off one teraflop chip

2011-11-16T16:02:00.001-06:00

16 November 2011 Last updated at 13:53 ET Intel has developed an accelerator chip capable of running at speeds of one teraflop, equal to one trillion calculations per second. The firm showed off the chip, dubbed Knights Corner, on a test machine at a supercomputing

Facebook 'eliminates porn attack'

2011-11-16T07:54:00.001-06:00

16 November 2011 Last updated at 07:13 ET Facebook said it has rid its site of most of the pornographic and violent images posted as part of a spam attack. The social network blamed a browser vulnerability and said it was improving its systems to defend itself against

Broadband's 'rush-hour' revealed

2011-11-15T22:22:00.001-06:00

15 November 2011 Last updated at 20:11 ET UK broadband speeds drop by an average of 35% from their off-peak highs when most people are online in the evening, according to a report. The research, conducted by the comparison site Uswitch, was based on two million broadband

Dell warns over Thai flood impact

2011-11-15T21:52:00.001-06:00

15 November 2011 Last updated at 20:06 ET Dell has warned its revenues could be hit by a worldwide shortage of hard drives caused by the flooding in Thailand. Thailand is a production hub for many global firms, and severe flooding has hurt a wide range of industries.

Scientists promise battery boost

2011-11-15T11:51:00.001-06:00

15 November 2011 Last updated at 11:03 ET Batteries for phones and laptops could soon recharge ten times faster and hold a charge ten times larger than current technology allows. Scientists at Northwestern University in the US have changed the materials in lithium-ion

Facebook hardcore porn complaints

2011-11-15T08:20:00.001-06:00

15 November 2011 Last updated at 08:17 ET A growing number of internet users are complaining that their Facebook pages contain pornographic and violent images. The pictures are reported to have shown up in users' newsfeeds. According to the technology site, ZDnet,

Diaspora's co-founder dies at 22

2011-11-15T07:50:00.001-06:00

15 November 2011 Last updated at 06:29 ET Ilya Zhitomirskiy, the co-founder of Facebook rival Diaspora, has died. The 22-year-old was one of four New York-based students who launched Diaspora as a "privacy-aware, user-controlled" social network. It was set up in

Buffett buys $10.7bn stake in IBM

2011-11-14T14:17:00.001-06:00

14 November 2011 Last updated at 13:09 ET Warren Buffett - one of the world's most closely watched investors - has disclosed building a 5.4% stake in IBM. Mr Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway fund started buying shares in the firm in March, eventually spending around $10.7bn (�6.7bn).

Websites to give privacy warnings

2011-11-14T13:47:00.001-06:00

14 November 2011 Last updated at 11:24 ET Internet users will receive a warning if sites do not respect their privacy thanks to new tools being developed by the web's standards setting body. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) wants to help users control how their personal

Iran says Duqu hack 'controlled'

2011-11-14T10:11:00.001-06:00

14 November 2011 Last updated at 09:41 ET Iran has confirmed some of its computer systems were infected with the Duqu trojan, but said it has found a way to control the malware. Security organisations had previously identified Iran as one of at least eight countries

O2 starts LTE mobile London trial

2011-11-14T09:41:00.001-06:00

14 November 2011 Last updated at 07:59 ET The mobile network O2 has started testing a next-generation mobile data service in London. The nine month trial will involve hundreds of consumers and businesses using a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network across parts of the city.

Schools focus on cyber bullying

2011-11-14T03:39:00.001-06:00

14 November 2011 Last updated at 01:17 ET Almost 650 schools across Northern Ireland are to explore the impact of cyber bullying this week. It is part of this year's anti-bullying week which begins on Monday. According to Department of Education research in

Steam game service hit by hackers

2011-11-11T07:58:00.001-06:00

11 November 2011 Last updated at 06:25 ET The Steam video game service, used by 35 million people, has been compromised by hackers. Its owner and operator, Valve, uncovered an intrusion into a user database while investigating a security breach of its discussion forums.

Facebook privacy overhaul, report

2011-11-11T07:29:00.001-06:00

11 November 2011 Last updated at 06:55 ET Privacy campaigners have welcomed a report that Facebook is to ask users to opt into any changes in the way it uses their personal information. The social network previously announced alterations to its members' settings without

Illegal game downloads 'up 20%'

2011-11-11T03:27:00.001-06:00

By Dan WhitworthNewsbeat technology reporter Big budget games like CoD: MW3 can lose millions through illegal downloads The number of illegally downloaded video games has gone up nearly 20% in the last five years.

UK PM hails growth of Tech City

2011-11-10T09:23:00.001-06:00

10 November 2011 Last updated at 08:48 ET The British Prime Minister has unveiled an interactive map of East London's technology cluster, revealing more than 600 firms in the area. The Tech City map highlights the expansion of Old Street's "silicon roundabout". By

Warcraft suffers subscriber slump

2011-11-10T05:23:00.001-06:00

10 November 2011 Last updated at 06:19 ET Almost a million people have stopped paying for World of Warcraft in the last three months. The sharp drop in subscribers was revealed by Activision Blizzard during talks with analysts about its latest financial results.

ARM unveils new GPU chip design

2011-11-09T21:22:00.001-06:00

9 November 2011 Last updated at 20:43 ET By Leo Kelion Technology reporter British computer chip designer ARM has unveiled its latest graphics processing unit (GPU) for mobile devices. The Mali-T658 offers up to ten

.wales domain name wins support

2011-11-09T11:19:00.001-06:00

9 November 2011 Last updated at 11:17 ET A survey of Welsh businesses and consumers suggests a majority of both support the nation getting its own domain name. The move would offer website owners the chance to end their address with .wales and .cymru, instead of .uk.

Adobe job cuts cloud Flash future

2011-11-09T07:49:00.001-06:00

9 November 2011 Last updated at 06:39 ET Software developer Adobe Systems is cutting 750 jobs, while reports say it is halting development of its Flash Player plug-in for mobile devices. The firm said the job cuts were being made in Europe and North America and represented

More ISPs asked to block Newzbin2

2011-11-09T07:18:00.001-06:00

9 November 2011 Last updated at 07:21 ET Virgin Media, Sky and TalkTalk have been asked to block access to Newzbin2, a members-only group which provides links to pirated films and music. BT has already barred its customers from accessing the site, following a court case

Facebook rape joke pages removed

2011-11-08T17:01:00.001-06:00

8 November 2011 Last updated at 16:45 ET Facebook has removed several rape joke pages from its social network. The group pages, which included "You know she's playing hard to get when your chasing her down an alleyway" had been criticised by victim support groups.

LG signs deal with patent giant

2011-11-08T15:00:00.001-06:00

8 November 2011 Last updated at 14:43 ET LG Electronics has become the latest smartphone maker to sign a deal with the patent house Intellectual Ventures. IV licenses out its huge library of innovation rights rather than using them to build products of its own. LG

Apple store hit by malicious app

2011-11-08T10:59:00.001-06:00

8 November 2011 Last updated at 10:07 ET A malicious piece of software designed for iPhones and iPads has been created to show that Apple's app store is not immune to malware. The code was designed to look like a stock price tracker, but was also able to steal data.

Huawei and Microsoft talk patents

2011-11-07T22:49:00.001-06:00

7 November 2011 Last updated at 21:22 ET Chinese telecoms giant Huawei has confirmed it is in talks with Microsoft about its use of Android software. Microsoft claims that Google's Android operating system infringes its intellectual property rights. It has already convinced

Modern Warfare 3 videogame launch

2011-11-07T20:53:00.001-06:00

7 November 2011 Last updated at 20:24 ET The latest addition to one of the world's best selling videogame series went on sale in the UK at midnight. More than 500 stores held special openings to let gamers buy Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Its predecessor, Call

Google+ launches Pages service

2011-11-07T20:23:00.001-06:00

7 November 2011 Last updated at 13:00 ET Google has started allowing businesses and brands to set up their own pages on its new social network. The US firm says the Google+ Pages facility will help companies and campaigns engage with their audience. Organisations

Carphone to shut Best Buy shops

2011-11-07T04:22:00.001-06:00

7 November 2011 Last updated at 04:46 ET Carphone Warehouse is to close all of its 11 Best Buy stores across the UK, the company has announced. The move puts 1,100 jobs at risk at the outlets, which sell electronic goods, but the firm said it hoped to find the "large majority"

Malware warning for smartphones

2011-11-06T22:21:00.001-06:00

6 November 2011 Last updated at 21:29 ET A national computer security campaign is urging smartphone users to do more to protect themselves from unwittingly downloading malware applications. Get Safe Online says that there has been an increase in smartphone malware as the

Adidas sites suffer cyber-attack

2011-11-06T14:17:00.001-06:00

6 November 2011 Last updated at 14:17 ET Adidas has taken its website content offline after suffering what it described as a "sophisticated, criminal cyber-attack". The German sportswear maker said it had no evidence that its consumers' data had been impacted, but that it

Laser op 'can change eye colour'

2011-11-05T07:35:00.001-06:00

5 November 2011 Last updated at 08:35 ET A US doctor is trying to pioneer a laser treatment that changes patients' eye colour. Dr Gregg Homer claims 20 seconds of laser light can remove pigment in brown eyes so they gradually turn blue. He is now seeking up to

Calls for BT to block Pirate Bay

2011-11-04T13:31:00.001-06:00

4 November 2011 Last updated at 13:15 ET UK arts lobby groups have demanded BT block access to the BitTorrent file sharing website, The Pirate Bay. Music industry trade body, the BPI, said it would take legal action if the telecoms firm refused to co-operate. The

Groupon share sale raises $700m

2011-11-04T06:24:00.001-06:00

4 November 2011 Last updated at 06:01 ET The sale of shares in Groupon has raised $700m (�437m) after the public offering was priced higher than had been expected. Shares in the company were originally priced in a range of $16 to $18 a share, but were eventually sold at $20

Russia and China 'top cyberspies'

2011-11-04T05:54:00.001-06:00

3 November 2011 Last updated at 17:54 ET China and Russia are the most active perpetrators of economic cyber-espionage against US companies, a US intelligence report says. The report specifically cited Chinese "actors" and Russian intelligence as the top culprits.

Google acts on 'paedophile' claim

2011-11-03T12:17:00.001-06:00

3 November 2011 Last updated at 13:04 ET By Claire Marshall BBC News Midlands correspondent A business owner accused in a Google review of being a paedophile and a thief has said he is delighted that the search giant has removed

MPs urge action on mobile auction

2011-11-03T07:02:00.001-06:00

3 November 2011 Last updated at 05:40 ET A committee of UK MPs has criticised mobile operators for fighting over how to share out the airwaves that will deliver next-generation services. The radio spectrum auction will provide more bandwidth for operators. The

Stuff mag's surprise gadget award

2011-11-02T22:16:00.001-06:00

2 November 2011 Last updated at 22:41 ET A hybrid laptop-tablet computer is the unexpected winner of Stuff magazine's gadget of the year award. Asus's Eee Pad Transformer beat the iPad 2 to the top prize, despite stronger demand for Apple's device. It is a

Duqu linked to Microsoft document

2011-11-02T09:56:00.001-06:00

2 November 2011 Last updated at 09:54 ET The Duqu computer infection was spread with the help of an infected Microsoft Word document, according to a report. The research says the Trojan exploited a previously unknown vulnerability embedded in Word files, allowing Duqu to

Socialbots 'steal' Facebook data

2011-11-02T06:26:00.001-06:00

2 November 2011 Last updated at 08:00 ET Researchers have demonstrated a new technique capable of stealing personal information from Facebook. Using 'socialbots', computer programmes that mimic real Facebook profiles, the researchers were able to harvest vast quantities of

HP announces ARM-based servers

2011-11-01T14:41:00.001-06:00

1 November 2011 Last updated at 14:41 ET Hewlett Packard plans to make computer servers using low-energy processors based on ARM Holdings' designs. HP said the equipment would be cheaper to run than current alternatives. UK-based ARM's chip architecture was

Ofcom reveals Britons' data diet

2011-11-01T11:11:00.001-06:00

1 November 2011 Last updated at 12:30 ET British households download about 17 gigabytes of data on average every month over their home broadband connections, suggests a report. Regulator Ofcom's study takes a high level look at the state of the UK's digital communications.

Central London to get free wi-fi

2011-11-01T07:41:00.001-06:00

1 November 2011 Last updated at 07:29 ET Nokia has switched on a trial of a free wi-fi service in central London. From today until the end of 2011, the public will be able to use the high-speed service in certain parts of the city courtesy of the phone firm. If the

London to host cyberspace summit

2011-11-01T04:10:00.001-06:00

1 November 2011 Last updated at 04:16 ET London is preparing to host a major international conference on the threat from cyber security attacks. Representatives of 60 nations are gathering to discuss how to tackle the rising levels of cybercrime. It comes a day

Chemicals industry hacking attack

2011-10-31T14:10:00.001-06:00

31 October 2011 Last updated at 15:56 ET At least 29 firms involved in the chemicals industry were targeted by a recent series of cyber-attacks traced to China, according to Symantec. The security company said it had evidence a further 19 companies, including defence

BT speeds up UK broadband rollout

2011-10-31T05:23:00.001-06:00

31 October 2011 Last updated at 06:49 ET Telecoms provider BT is accelerating its fibre broadband rollout. It now plans to offer "super-fast" internet speeds to two-thirds of UK premises by the end of 2014. The target is a year ahead of its original plan. The firm

'Disturbing' cyber attacks on UK

2011-10-30T22:23:00.001-06:00

30 October 2011 Last updated at 22:08 ET The UK has been subject to a "disturbing" number of cyber attacks, the director of communications intelligence agency GCHQ has said. Sensitive data on government computers has been targeted, along with defence, technology and

Minecraft wins gaming arts award

2011-10-29T17:37:00.001-05:00

29 October 2011 Last updated at 16:55 ET By Leo Kelion Technology reporter Minecraft is the winner of a new arts award for computer games. The prize was announced at the finale of the GameCity videogame culture festival

Google Street View heads indoors

2011-10-28T12:16:00.001-05:00

28 October 2011 Last updated at 10:57 ET Google has started a pilot project allowing the public to look inside shops and other businesses found on its maps. The feature is an extension of the firm's Street View technology, which already lets users view 360-degree exterior

The touchless control patent race

2011-10-28T11:47:00.001-05:00

28 October 2011 Last updated at 10:30 ET Apple and Microsoft are involved in a new patent race over touchless gesture-controls. Recently released patent filings reveal new ways to control devices that do not involve physical contact. Microsoft describes waving

Samsung beats Apple smartphones

2011-10-28T03:01:00.001-05:00

28 October 2011 Last updated at 03:37 ET Samsung overtook Apple to become the world's biggest seller of smartphones between July and September. Research from Strategy Analytics showed that Samsung sold 27.8 million smartphones in the three month period, compared with 17.1

Hewlett U-turn on selling PC arm

2011-10-27T18:12:00.001-05:00

27 October 2011 Last updated at 17:48 ET Hewlett Packard (HP) says it will now keep its personal computer division after reviewing a plan by its former chief executive to sell it. The decision to retain the personal systems group (PSG) was made by HP's new head, Meg Whitman

Amazon's patent troubles spiral

2011-10-27T12:57:00.001-05:00

27 October 2011 Last updated at 13:50 ET Amazon has revealed that 11 companies have filed patent lawsuits against it since the start of the year - more than three times as many as in all of 2010. The online store made the declaration in a filing to US financial regulators.

RIM facing lawsuits over outage

2011-10-27T05:56:00.001-05:00

27 October 2011 Last updated at 06:53 ET Blackberry customers in the US and Canada are suing Research in Motion over the recent global outage which left millions without email, instant messaging and net access. A Canadian lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, was brought on behalf

Sony buys whole of Sony Ericsson

2011-10-27T04:41:00.001-05:00

27 October 2011 Last updated at 03:12 ET Japanese technology giant Sony has bought full control of mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson from Swedish telecoms equipment maker Ericsson. Sony has agreed to buy 50% of the firm for 1.1bn euros ($1.5bn; �964m), making the mobile

Call for tougher data abuse laws

2011-10-27T04:11:00.001-05:00

27 October 2011 Last updated at 04:36 ET Courts should have the power to jail people who breach the Data Protection Act, MPs on the justice select committee have said. They say fines - usually about �150 per breach - are an "inadequate" deterrent when the financial rewards

Nokia bets on Windows Phone

2011-10-26T06:04:00.001-05:00

26 October 2011 Last updated at 05:29 ET By Tim Weber Business editor, BBC News website, at Nokia World Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia has launched two new smartphones based on Microsoft's new Windows Phone 7.5

IBM names female chief executive

2011-10-26T04:34:00.001-05:00

26 October 2011 Last updated at 02:41 ET Technology giant IBM has appointed its first ever female chief executive. Virginia Rometty, currently a senior vice president, will take over from the current chief executive, Sam Palmisano, in January. Mr Palmisano, who

Kindle sparks Amazon profit fall

2011-10-26T04:04:00.001-05:00

25 October 2011 Last updated at 18:40 ET Profits at the online retailer Amazon have dropped 73% after the company invested heavily in the Kindle tablet computer. The company, the world's largest online internet retailer, said third quarter net income was $63m (�40m, 45m

AI computing pioneer dies aged 84

2011-10-25T08:03:00.001-05:00

25 October 2011 Last updated at 06:57 ET Artificial intelligence researcher, John McCarthy, has died. He was 84. The American scientist invented the computer language LISP. It went on to become the programming language of choice for the AI community, and is still

Wikileaks halts file publishing

2011-10-24T14:32:00.001-05:00

24 October 2011 Last updated at 13:13 ET The whistle-blowing website Wikileaks is suspending its publication of classified files. Wikileaks said that it would focus instead on raising funds to ensure its future survival. The announcement came after what the group

Fund 'would boost games industry'

2011-10-24T08:03:00.001-05:00

23 October 2011 Last updated at 19:39 ET The UK games industry has called on the Scottish government to establish a fund to boost the video games sector north of the border. Games industry association Tiga has proposed a creative content fund (CCF) to encourage new studio

German satellite to fall from sky

2011-10-22T11:42:00.001-05:00

22 October 2011 Last updated at 09:59 ET By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent, BBC News A big German spacecraft is about to make an uncontrolled fall from the sky. The Roentgen Satellite (Rosat) is due to

Galileo sat-nav rides into orbit

2011-10-21T07:07:00.001-05:00

21 October 2011 Last updated at 06:31 ET By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent, BBC News

Jobs vowed to 'destroy' Android

2011-10-21T05:07:00.001-05:00

21 October 2011 Last updated at 05:40 ET Steve Jobs said he wanted to destroy Android and would spend all of Apple's money and his dying breath if that is what it took to do so. The full extent of his animosity towards Google's mobile operating system is revealed in a

Mobile phone cancer link rejected

2011-10-20T23:00:00.001-05:00

20 October 2011 Last updated at 21:11 ET By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News Further research has been published suggesting there is no link between mobile phones and an brain cancer. The risk mobiles present

Libel 'threat' to web anonymity

2011-10-20T05:08:00.001-05:00

20 October 2011 Last updated at 03:22 ET By Emma Griffiths Political reporter, BBC News Websites should have protection from defamation cases if they act quickly to remove anonymous postings which prompt a complaint,