UK cinemas to ban Google Glass over piracy fears

The UK's data regulator may have clarified that Google Glass shouldn't be singled out for special measures over personal use, but that isn't stopping domestic companies from enforcing their own rules. The Independent reports that just a week after the Google wearable finally went on sale in Britain for a hefty £1,000, UK cinemas are banning it over fears that "Explorers" could use them to pirate movies." Customers will be requested not to wear these into cinema auditoriums, whether the film...

Read More

Boston turns park benches into solar-powered charging points

Let it not be said that public parks are anti-technology. Over in Boston, city officials are more than happy to try new things in green spaces, including the use of solar-powered smart benches, aka "soofas." These look a lot like regular benches, except they're equipped with big, steel-encased blocks that contain vulnerable-looking photovoltaic panels and charging points for weary-legged phone users. There's also a mishmash of Verizon-connected sensors inside, which record and transmit data...

Read More

Therapists are turning to the web to help revolutionize mental health treatments

We all know how effective the talking cure can be, but for many people, carving the time out of their schedule to meet a psychotherapist can be impossible, not to mention daunting. Services like Pretty Padded Room have sprung up to provide a solution to these problems, offering secure video chats with mental health professionals as an on-demand service. In a report by WNYC, a 24-year-old entrepreneur reveals that, rather than the confrontational setting we imagine, a spot of online therapy...

Read More

Aston Martin Gran Turismo 6 concept in the metal

The Aston Martin DP-100 is one of a number of models being shown at the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed designed for PlayStation 3 game Gran Turismo 6. The Aston Martin design team, led by Marek Reichman, took six months to style and engineer the real-life model to show off at the event. It was created at Aston Martin's Gaydon headquarters using a combination of sketches and a 3D model. Unlike Aston Martin's existing range, which all have their engines mounted in the front of the car, the DP100 uses a mid-engined configuration for what Aston...

Read More

Microsoft smartwatch out in October?

Rumours of a Microsoft smartwatch have been around almost as long as those of Apple’s iWatch. However, it now appears that we may see both devices within the space of a month. Sources familiar with Microsoft’s smartwatch project have said that the company is planning to launch its wearable in October. Speaking to Tomshardware, the source said that Microsoft’s smartwatch will be compatible with other mobile platforms, unlike most Android smartwatches. The iWatch is also likely to be restricted...

Read More

California 'legalises' Bitcoin

California Governor Jerry Brown has signed a bill know as AB129 into law in the state. AB129 legalises the use of “alternative currency” such as Bitcoin in the state.     It isn’t only Bitcoin that benefits from the new law. According to the wording of the bill, it changes the law to “ensure that various forms of alternative currency such as digital currency, points, coupons or other objects of monetary value do not violate the law when those methods are used for the purchase...

Read More

WORLD CUP 2014: Costa Rica (P) 1 - 1 Greece

Costa Rica have been one of the tournament's surprise package, overcoming Uruguay and Italy before holding England to a goalless draw as they won Group D. That dream run continued in Recife on Sunday as they rode their luck against Greece to win a tense clash at the Arena Pernambuco, triumphing 5-3 on penalties to set-up a quarter-final clash against Holland. The Central Americans came into this match in the unusual role as favourites and looked to be wilting under the pressure, with only...

Read More

WORLD CUP 2014: Netherlands 2 - 1 Mexico

Klaas Jan Huntelaar kept his cool in the heat of Fortaleza as Holland stunned Mexico with an injury-time winner. The Schalke striker fired home a penalty to put the Dutch through the quarter-finals of the World Cup as they inflicted an agonising defeat on Mexico who were within two minutes of an historic win, leading through Giovani dos Santos' excellent strike. Wesley Sneijder's blistering volley pulled Holland level before Arjen Robben won a penalty and substitute Huntelaar smashed it home...

Read More

WORLD CUP 2014: Colombia 2 - 0 Uruguay

It was going to take something very special to stop this match being all about Suarez - and 22-year-old Rodriguez provided it with the first of his two goals to set up a 2-0 win for a Colombian side who have made light of the injury-related absence of their own missing striker Radamel Falcao. Rodriguez, a team-mate of Falcao's at Monaco, scored the goal of the tournament so far and has emerged as one of the outstanding players of the World Cup, with five goals now to his name. His moment...

Read More

WORLD CUP 2014: Brazil (Penalty) 1 - 1 Chile

Neymar's penalty in the shootout proved decisive when Chile's ex-Nottingham Forest, West Brom and Brighton defender Gonzalo Jara smashed the final spot-kick against the post. The win - 1-1 after extra time and 3-2 on penalties - keeps Brazil's dreams alive of winning a World Cup on home soil - and their record of not losing a competitive match at home since 1975. Chile had taken Brazil all the way in Belo Horizonte, dominating for long spells of the second half and nearly snatching it at...

Read More

Brazil's Soccer Team Has Smart Gatorade Bottles That Track Hydration

Everyone knows you should drink plenty of fluids when playing sports, but hydration actually becomes an exact science when the pride of your nation is at stake during something like the World Cup. That’s why at this year’s tournament, Brazil’s soccer team is using specially-designed Gatorade bottles that track how much the players are drinking. Not only do the bottles contain specific mixes of the energy drink, custom-engineered for each and every athlete, they also feature sip sensors that record how much the players have consumed during...

Read More

​A 1,000-foot high wall might be the key to saving the midwest from tornados

A towering, 50-meter thick wall may sound like the fevered dream of isolationists bent on border control, but it just might be the solution to the midwest' s tornado problems. University of Drextel physicist Rongjia Tao reckons that a trio of 1,000-foot high, 165-foot "great walls" could mitigate the worst natural weather of Tornado Alley a loosely defined area that spans several states with high tornado risk. Tao compared Tornado Alley to a geographically similar area in China and concluded...

Read More

Balloons could power space tourism by 2016

Richard Branson is investing in a plane that'll take tourists to the edge of space, but who needs that when you've got balloons? A company in Arizona is working on a high-altitude craft that'll use a huge balloon to gently carry passengers voyagers to the edges of the atmosphere. It's already tested the technology with a 10-percent size scale model, which carried and safely returned a payload of 200 kilos. The next step is to build a full-sized equivalent, capable of journeying 120,000 feet...

Read More

Nissan's 'Gran Turismo 6' concept car crosses over into reality

Nissan has just revealed that its 2020 supercar design of the GT-R created for Gran Turismo 6 has now become an actual, full-sized 2+2 car. The virtual game car was introduced last week, and the actual glass-and-steel model drew admiring gapes when it was revealed at Goodwood, England today (see the video below). That's no doubt because of the radical styling, which includes a four-wheel drive chassis, active suspension, ventilated hood and that carbon fiber front splitter. We're not sure if the real McCoy is even driveable, but you'll be...

Read More

Disabled teen locked up scrawny in Malaysia

The mother of a 15-year-old handicapped boy who was found neglected and malnourished at a flats unit in Taman Semarak was detained by police for investigations. Police chief Supt Abdullah Roning said the 40-year-old woman, a food catering company staff, was remanded to assist in the probe for allegedly neglecting a child under her care under Section 31 of the Child Act. “We are gathering evidence to ascertain what had taken place and why the boy, who was just skin and bones due to neglect and...

Read More

Former NASA engineer unveils plans for 70 foot robot

Former jet technician Dan Granett has unveiled plans to develop a monster robot that can be controlled either remotely or Pacific Rim-style from within its head. Dubbed the BugJuggler, it is a 70 foot robot powered by hydrolics. According to the engineer, who worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory the project is far from science fiction. He claims it can be developed with today’s technology for $2.3 million. Granett has set up a crowdfunding website to attract investors for the project. Along...

Read More

Jawbone UP 24 review

Sequel to the original UP, the 24 adds Bluetooth and sleep tracking to the mix. It's fully-waterproof  and comes with a week-long battery life. How does this compare with the other bands on test? Watch for mo...

Read More

GoPro valued at $3-billion after completing IPO

GoPro completed its initial public offering this morning, flogging shares at $24 a piece, a top-end mark-up from the expected $21-24 share pricing. An initial public offering, or IPO, is when a company sells stock shares to the general public for the first time, transforming it from a private firm to publicly traded. The extreme action camera firm offered up half of the 17.8-million shares available to the public for purchase, with stockholders making up the rest, raising just north of $427-million...

Read More

YouTube announces 60FPS video, fan-funding options

YouTube has announced support for 48- and 60-fps video footage, set to launch in the coming months. The higher frame-rate capabilities mean YouTube can compete against popular game-streaming services like Twitch, which already offer smooth high-end fps playback. The Google-owned video sharing site is also adding new fan-funding functionality, allowing users to support their favourite channels via a donation button. “Your fans aren’t just watching your videos, they’re also helping support your...

Read More

WORLD CUP 2014: Algeria 1 - 1 Russia

Aleksandr Kokorin gave Russia a sixth-minute lead, which would have earned Fabio Capello's team a clash against Germany in Porto Alegre on Monday. However, Islam Slimani netted on the hour to ensure it was the north Africans who progress from Group H behind Belgium. It did not look good for Algeria, impressive conquerors of South Korea last time out, when they fell behind inside six minutes at the Arena da Baixada. Dmitri Kombarov advanced down the left and sent in an inviting cross which...

Read More

WORLD CUP 2014: Korea 0 - 1 Belgium

Belgium's third straight win at the World Cup clinched top spot in Group H for the Red Devils and set up a meeting with the United States in the round of 16. Belgium lost Steven Defour to a red card in the 44th minute after the Porto midfielder's reckless tackle on Kim Shin-wook. South Korea's best chance to score came before the hour mark when Lee Chung-yong's cross-cum-shot hit the crossbar with Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois already beaten. The result eliminated South Korea, who had...

Read More

WORLD CUP 2014: Portugal 2 - 1 Ghana

An own goal from John Boye and a second-half Cristiano Ronaldo strike set Paolo Bento's men on their way to the win they needed, but although the United States were beaten by Germany in the other group match, Portugal were kept out of the qualification spots on goal difference - largely because of the 4-0 rout they suffered to the Germans earlier in the competition. Ghana's hopes of advancing were also ended - with Asamoah Gyan scoring their reply in Brasilia - to cap a day to forget for...

Read More

WORLD CUP 2014: USA 0 - 1 Germany

Thomas Muller moved level with Lionel Messi and Neymar at the top of the World Cup scoring charts. The Bayern Munich midfielder scored his ninth goal in as many World Cup appearances 10 minutes into the second half to earn Germany a 1-0 win over the United States, who joined the group winners in the knockout stages on goal difference ahead of Portugal. Germany controlled much of the game in a rainswept Recife, deservedly taking the three points to top Group G with two wins and a draw. Following...

Read More

Nikon D810 Now Available For Pre-Order

A few hours ago, Nikon officially unveiled their latest high-end camera in the form of the Nikon D810 which is the successor to Nikon’s other cameras like the D800 and D800E. Now if you liked what you saw and heard about the camera, you might be interested to learn that several online retailers have begun taking pre-orders for the camera. Retailers such as B&H, Amazon, and Adorama have announced that they will begin taking pre-orders for the camera. Just in case you were thinking and...

Read More

Citronella Ink Helps This Clever Newspaper Keep Mosquitoes At Bay

In some parts of the world, a mosquito bite is a minor inconvenience that might result in a few days of uncomfortable itching. In other parts of the world, the pests spread deadly diseases, such as malaria and dengue fever. So for the 2014 World Health Day, ad agency Leo Burnett created the world’s first mosquito-repelling newspaper in Sri Lanka. A rolled-up newspaper is often used to battle the pests, but the April 7 edition of Sri Lanka’s Mawbima newspaper...

Read More

Robotic Forklift Valet Doesn't Even Need To See Inside Your Messy Car

Travellers flying out of Duesseldorf airport in Germany no longer have to worry about valets taking their cars for a joyride before they’re parked. A robot valet nicknamed Ray starts work today, and he’ll automatically deliver cars to a set of designated spots without even having to start them. Ray doesn’t even need to enter the vehicle, because it actually works as a large forklift that’s capable of lifting vehicles up to three tonnes in weight. Travellers just park their...

Read More

10 Hidden Details In Our Cities And What They Mean

There was plenty of outrage earlier this month when a London storefront revealed footpath spikes meant to keep the homeless from getting too cosy. While these shiny prickles did seem especially Temple of Doom-ish, they weren’t all that unusual: there are plenty of little details designed into our cities that tell us what to do, where to go and give us hints of what came before. While the intentions of some details, like footpath spikes, are inherently obvious, not all...

Read More

Samsung shows off new Gear Live smartwatch at Google I/O

Samsung has launched their new Gear Live smartwatch, the first of their devices to run the Android Wear OS. The Korean firm unveiled their new wrist-borne tech yesterday at this year’s Google I/O, which runs from 25-26th June. The new device sports a Super-AMOLED screen, a 1.2GHz processor, 4GB of storage space, and 512MB of RAM. Additional features include one-touch access, a heart-rate monitor, Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, and IP67 dust and water resistance. “Samsung has been a pioneer in...

Read More

Adidas leak reveals new miCoach Fit Smart activity tracker

Brace yourselves, there's another wearable in town and it's a new offering from Adidas that looks a bit like Nike's Fuelband SE crossed with Samsung's brand new Gear Live. Reportedly called the miCoach Fit Smart, the new band was comprehensively leaked over in the States at the FCC as well as retailer Keller Sports. Adidas has opted for an LED dot display rather than the colour LCD it used on the original miCoach Smart Run and will use Bluetooth LE to keep it connected to your smartphone. Interestingly,...

Read More

Jaguar unveils the F-type Project 7

The Project 7 is a hand-built version of F-type, constructed out of aluminium and carbon-fibre. According to Jaguar, the car is inspired by Jaguar’s seven victories at the famous Le Mans 24 hour race. It is the first Jaguar to be designed and built by the newly formed Special Operations division. Special Operations is Jaguar Land Rover’s dedicated halo car team. According to Jag, the new speedster comes with its most powerful version of the 5.0 litre supercharged V8. That pumps out a huge...

Read More

WORLD CUP 2014: Honduras 0 - 3 Switzerland

Switzerland's first chance arrived in the fourth minute when Drmic played a dangerous ball across the box and it was only an excellent reaction save from Noel Valladares that prevented Shaqiri from breaking the deadlock. Two minutes later, Shaqiri again tested Valladares but this time it was the Swiss midfielder who came out on top. Shaqiri picked up the ball on the right-hand corner of the penalty area before drifting inside on to his left foot and unleashing a stunning strike into the top...

Read More

WORLD CUP 2014: Ecuador 0 - 0 France

Manchester United midfielder Valencia, also sent off for tangling with Raheem Sterling in the friendly against England in Miami earlier this month, went over the top of the ball on Lucas Digne, leaving the referee in no doubt. There were seven Premier League players in France's starting line-up, including first starts for Bacary Sagna and Laurent Koscielny, plus Southampton's Morgan Schneiderlin. France had a series of half-chances - Antoine Griezmann was a yard wide with a low strike,...

Read More

WORLD CUP 2014: Bosnia 3 - 1 Iran

The Europeans had already made history in reaching the World Cup for the first time in their country's short existence while Iran, who had won just one of 11 previous games at the tournament, were looking to set their own landmark by making it through to the knockout stage. Dzeko looked lively early on so it was no surprise when he opened the scoring after 23 minutes. Pjanic was given plenty of time to pick out Dzeko, himself afforded too much space, and the Manchester City striker set off...

Read More