Goto

Collaborating Authors

 Country


Nasa finds previously hidden 'Earth-like' planet that could be home to life

The Independent - Tech

Nasa has found an "intriguing" planet that could be home to life in old data from a retired space telescope. The Earth-sized exoplanet orbits around its star's habitable zone, meaning that the temperature is mild enough to allow a rocky planet to support liquid water. The distant world was discovered when scientists were picking through old observations that came from the Kepler space telescope, which stopped its work in 2018 but provided a vast trove of data from the stars before it did. The planet had previously been discarded by a computer algorithm that misidentified it. But as part of new research, scientists were able to have another look at the information in the Kepler data and see that it really was a previously undiscovered planet.


Zoom: India warns video chat app is 'not safe' and tells government employees not to use it

The Independent - Tech

Zoom is "not safe", Indian officials have said. The government warned employees not to use the chat app, warning that it was an insecure platform. It is just the latest of a run of countries and companies who have expressed concern about the security of the app, which has surged in popularity as people under lockdown work and study from home. With the new popularity has come an increased focus on its privacy and security failings. Issues have included "Zoombombing, where strangers will drop into video conferences and often show offensive or otherwise troubling messages.


iPhone SE: Everything you need to know about Apple's latest phone

The Independent - Tech

That's the name first used in Spring 2016 when the chassis of an earlier iPhone, the iPhone 5s, was packed with the then-latest processor. It was also cheaper than any of the other phones in Apple's range. Apple has followed the same route here. The new phone looks very similar to the iPhone 8, with a 4.7in display, Touch ID, glass back for wireless charging. The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus will be retired, so this will become the most affordable iPhone in the range.


Apple update changes how Macs charge to protect their battery life

The Independent - Tech

Apple is rolling out a new feature called "battery health management" that will change how laptops charge themselves. The update will mean that laptops may not charge themselves all the way up all of the time, if the computer believes doing so will protect the life of the battery. It aims to avoid a problem that means fully charging a laptop's battery puts a strain on it, because of the chemicals inside. Leaving a computer charged up in this way can therefore reduce its capacity, leading the battery life to fall over time. Instead, if the computer believes that it is not likely to need 100 per cent battery in the future, it will only charge up some of the way.


Sonos Radio update brings new free live stations to smart speakers, with guest presenters including Thom Yorke and David Byrne

The Independent - Tech

Sonos has launched a new radio service, allowing people to stream music for free. It is the first time that Sonos has offered a music service of its own on its smart speakers, which until now have played music from other streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music. The new radio service sits alongside those streaming platforms, which will continue to work in the same way as before. It is available now through a software update that can be installed using the Sonos app. It integrates traditional radio programming on news, music and sport from other radio stations, taken from partners such as TuneIn.


Nintendo Switch output to be boosted as console out of stock across world

The Independent - Tech

Nintendo is looking to increase output of its Switch console as supply runs out across the world. The company has been hit by a stock shortage just as people across the world turn to consoles to keep themselves entertained during lockdown. Stores around the world have been out of stock and prices for the consoles have continued to climb amid strong demand and limited supply. Now the Japanese developer is looking to produce about 10 per cent more units of the console in 2020, according to a new report from Nikkei, up from around 20 million last year. That is despite the console now being more than three years old.


Netflix subscribers more than double – but that could stop when lockdown is lifted, company warns

The Independent - Tech

Netflix more than doubled estimates for how many people would join the service – but that could stop when the coronavirus lockdown is lifted, it warned. The company saw huge growth as people were forced to stay at home and watch popular series such as Tiger King, which has become one of its most popular shows ever. But it could have a more difficult second half of the year if lockdowns begin to lift and people go back out into the world and stop watching so much TV, Netflix said. The world's largest streaming service gained 15.8 million paying customers from January through March, bringing its global total to 182.9 million. Netflix had predicted it would add 7 million during the period.


iPhone SE review: Affordable and mighty powerful phone is a blockbuster hit

The Independent - Tech

The new iPhone SE has landed and it qualifies as about the best-value phone Apple has yet made. With a price of £419, it very nearly matches the lowest debut price for an iPhone, too. That was the original iPhone SE which launched in March 2016 for £359. This is the first time Apple has recycled a phone's name. The original SE (the two letters don't stand for anything, by the way) matched the chassis of the iPhone 5s with a much newer, more powerful processor – the chip from the iPhone 6s.


iPhone and iPad security bug could let hackers look at personal details including private photos, security researchers say

The Independent - Tech

A bug in iPhones and iPads could have left people at risk of having their iPhones broken into and their personal information looked at, security researchers have claimed. Just one email could be enough to crash the phone and use that to access the sensitive data contained on it, according to the researchers. Apple will fix the bug in its operating systems that allowed hackers to break in through its email client, the Mail app. More than half a billion devices could have been liable to the exploit, according to the security researchers who found it. The bug was found by San Francisco security company ZecOps while it was investigating a sophisticated attack against one of its clients, which took place at the end of last year, it claimed.


Instagram update brings food orders so you can buy dinner straight from stories

The Independent - Tech

Instagram will let people order food through the app with a range of new features. It will allow people to buy takeaways and delivery straight from stories – meaning that if someone sees something they want to eat within the app, they can simply click to have it brought to their doorstep. The company says it made the change to support local businesses through the lockdown, and allow restaurants to promote themselves as sales fall. The Facebook-owned photo and video-sharing app said a new Action button could be added to a business or restaurant's profile, or a Food Order sticker could be added to their Instagram Stories. People who tap on either prompt will be able to make a purchase through the business's website.