Technology news

BBC News - Technology

'How Amazon helped me transition to a woman'

Sophie Roberts is a software developer at the tech giant who came out at work in October.

Award for wartime flight trainer returned to service

Tens of thousands of pilots trained in a tiny, mechanical flight simulator which has been restored.

EE and Virgin Media fined £13.3m for overcharging customers

Digital minister Margot James says phone and broadband firms must "play by the rules".

Prince William criticises social media firms

Prince William and Catherine were at the BBC to discuss its work on combating cyber-bullying.

Google's Alphabet gives up on rescue robots

The technology giant will close its Schaft robotics division after failing to find a buyer.

Facebook accused of dark PR tactics

Facebook is embroiled in a new controversy over the tactics it used to discredit its critics.

MiSafes' child-tracking smartwatches are 'easy to hack'

Researchers find a way to reveal the locations of children wearing MiSafes watches and call them.

Japan's cyber-security minister has 'never used a computer'

Yoshitaka Sakurada is responsible for ensuring the 2020 Olympic Games are not hacked.

Apple Stores to employ human trafficking victims

The technology company's retail chief reveals the initiative as she is given the Stop Slavery Award.

Call of Duty 'swatting' death prankster pleads guilty

The 25-year-old had fooled police into thinking a father-of-two had murdered a family member.

Google accused of 'trust demolition' over health app

DeepMind now wants its health app to become an AI assistant for nurses and doctors around the world.

US asks London court to hand over two alleged hackers

The men are accused of helping cause $530m of losses to banks and other businesses.

IMF's Lagarde says central banks could issue digital money

IMF boss Christine Lagarde said state-backed digital currencies could make transactions safer and cheaper.

'Ugly' mistake sends Google data to China

A botched update to network hardware meant an African ISP wrongly took over Google net addresses.

BBC newsreader 'speaks' languages he can’t

Artificial intelligence creates a computer generated video which manipulates the newsreader’s mouth.

Detective Pikachu: 'Gross' furry Pokemon divides fans

Many fans say the new look Pikachu is "grotesque" and "disgusting".

Hitman 2: Sean Bean on being killed in video game

The actor plays a so called "elusive" target which only appears for a short period of time.

First 5G cities in UK named by EE

The UK's big cities will be the first to get the futuristic mobile technology, says mobile operator.

Xiaomi criticised for UK smartphone £1 flash sale

Xiaomi offered only two or three phones at the advertised price.

Esports Awards: Ninja 'blessed' to pick up two awards

The streamer says he feels "blessed and honoured" after winning personality and streamer of the year.

Car crash data thief 'unlucky' to be jailed

A car repair worker is the first person to be sentenced to jail as a result of a UK data watchdog prosecution.

Steam bug allowed unlimited free downloads

Valve awarded the researcher that found the issue a bug bounty of $20,000.

Britain's worst and best online retailers named by Which?

DIY chain Homebase runs Britain's worst online shop, according to a survey by consumer group Which?.

Amazon asked to share Echo data in US murder case

A US judge asks Amazon to hand over audio recordings from an Echo device in a house where two women died.

US overtakes China in top supercomputer list

A new list of the world's most powerful machines puts the US in the top two spots.

Apple iPhone sales fears rock Wall Street

The tech giant's share price fall has wiped more than $40bn off its market value.

What is fake news and how can you identify it?

Fake news can sometimes very closely mimic real news. Zoe Kleinman looks at how you can spot it.

Chelsea Pensioners' verdict on WW1 VR experience

Nothing to be Written is a VR experience about field postcards sent home by soldiers during WW1.

Russia suspected of jamming GPS signal in Finland

Finland's PM suggests it was jammed deliberately in northern Finnish airspace during Nato exercises.

Alibaba Singles Day sales frenzy surpasses records

The Chinese firm's shopping bonanza day saw customers spend a record $30.8bn.

Meeting Kosovo's clickbait merchants

Western web-users lap up misinformation online - these are the shady "merchants" who push it on Facebook.

Chinese headmaster fired over secret coin mining at school

A stack of crypto-currency mining machines was found after teachers complained about excessive noise.

Robot backpack: How this Fusion bot aids collaboration

The Fusion bot shares and teaches skills by transferring body motions from one person to another.

Video game recreates horrors of World War One

Actor Elijah Wood voices a main character in the first video game made by Aardman Animations.

Are hydrogen trains the future of UK travel?

Trains that emit pure water could be in the UK by the "early 2020s", according to the government.

Mitsubishi windows shine 'alarmingly realistic' fake sunlight

Mitsubishi has developed a new indoor lighting system that mimics blue skies, sunrises and sunsets.

Enigma codebreaker 'taking secrets to grave'

Margaret Wilson, 95, says she will hold true to an oath she swore at Bletchley Park in World War Two.

'How Instagram became my support system'

For women facing challenges ranging from eating disorders to IVF, it can be a vital resource.

How 'miniature suns' could provide cheap, clean energy

Is much-heralded nuclear fusion finally ready to fulfil its promise of abundant energy for all?

Can listening to bees help save them - and us?

Scientists hope artificial intelligence will gives us more insights into bee health and behaviour.

Could these balls help reduce plastic pollution?

Microplastics have swamped our ecosystem. Can tech help prevent them entering our water systems?

How the humble lamp-post could help power our cities

As more of half of us live in cities, scientists are looking at new ways of harnessing urban energy.

How can we stop being cyber idiots?

Good computer security means working around one big security flaw - us.

Should Fortnite credit dances used in the game?

Epic Games has been criticised for not crediting the originators of dance moves depicted in Fortnite.

How US employers silence sex accusers

Many employees are legally barred from suing their employers, as the Google case illustrates.

Why robots will build the cities of the future

As construction workforces age, we are likely to turn to robots to build the cities of the future.

What should I do with my broken kettle?

Our household appliances could have much longer lives if they were designed to be easily repaired.

Can artificial intelligence predict the future of fashion?

Using artificial intelligence to spot future fashion trends could also help reduce clothing waste.

Could these bots one day swarm in to rescue you?

The DelFly is a flying robot inspired by how insects achieve flight.

Robot delivers the post and other technology news

BBC Click’s Lara Lewington looks at some of the best technology news stories of the week.

The robot arm made for gentle undersea exploration

A soft robotic arm which will allow underwater sea life to be studied in greater detail is created.

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds: Imams divided over video game fatwa

Some imams in Kurdistan have officially banned a hugely popular video game – but others are hitting back.

Tech to give new insight into gorillas and other news

BBC Click’s Nick Kwek looks at some of the best technology news stories of the week.

How MiSafes watches can be hacked

Security experts have found serious security flaws in MiSafes watches for children.

Will superfast 5G mobile be worth it?

Superfast 5G mobile promises lots of benefits, but will it be worth the money?

The face-mapping technology raising fears about fake news

Why face-mapping technology designed to improve TV dubbing is raising fears about fake news.

Online security and privacy: What an email address reveals

A think tank researcher explains how political campaigners can use information gleaned from an online search.

Source: BBC News - Technology