Technology
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Voice-controlled showers, non-compliant robots and smart toiletsVoice assistants were in everything at the trade show, suggesting the future is smart – but does anyone actually want to talk to their toilet? -
Firm's solution to accidental algorithmic racism: ban gorillasGoogle’s ‘immediate action’ over AI labelling of black people as gorillas was simply to block the word, along with chimpanzee and monkey, reports suggest
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Why news feed is changing – and how it will affect youThe social media site wants its users to ‘have more meaningful interactions’, but what does that mean in practice? -
Peter Thiel makes offer to buy news site he helped bankruptVenture capitalist faces legal hurdles by bidding for site, which has been shut down for more than a year following Hulk Hogan lawsuit he bankrolled -
Kodak leads surge of companies exploiting bitcoin buzzCompanies pivoting to, or just showing an interest in, cryptocurrencies and associated technologies have resulted in a sudden burst in share price
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Ford-backed autonomous vehicle in crash that sent two to hospitalModified Ford Fusion test car containing four occupants hit by van jumping red light in Pittsburgh, less than mile from startup Argo AI’s headquarters
News
Spotlight
How to ...
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Do I still need PC tuning software for Windows 10?Ludo wonders if he should keep paying for commercial clean-up program to run in Windows 10. Fortunately there are free alternative suites
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Are there any good portable MP3 players for blind and visually impaired people?Annabelle has been using an Apple iPod Shuffle but the battery is going. Is there a cheap and suitable music player she should replace it with?
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Which desktop PC should I buy for home office and family use?Sam’s old Dell has failed and she urgently needs a replacement. Happily there are lots of attractive options for less than her £800 budge …
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What's the best way to pick which headphones to buy?Sara wants some new headphones but there are lots to choose from. How should she go about finding a new pair?
virtual reality
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Watch our VR and 360 films with our free app, available on iPhone and AndroidDownload nowNow everyone can enjoy virtual reality journalism
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Opinion & analysis
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Mark Zuckerberg sets toughest new year's goal yet: fixing FacebookCEO reveals this year’s ‘personal challenge’ as site faces relentless criticism over spreading of misinformation and damage to users’ mental health
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Can Facebook win its battle against election interference in 2018?Claims of Russian meddling dominated 2017. The US midterm elections will be first big test of Facebook’s effort to stamp it out
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Safety Check: is Facebook becoming fear’s administrator-in-chief?This year, Facebook turned on its notification function for attacks in London and Las Vegas, Stockholm and St Petersburg. But do we feel more secure?
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2018 will be the year 4K TV goes big, but HDR still lags behindThe Winter Olympics, Wimbledon, the World Cup and Premier League football will drive 4K into the mainstream – but HDR will remain niche
In depth
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Will AT&T’s call to drop Huawei end phone maker’s US hopes?Loss of the deal with the giant mobile carrier has put a huge obstacle in the way of the Chinese firm’s ambition of conquering the American market, writes Charles Arthur
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phone picks
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Premium full-screen experience at half cost of iPhone XOnePlus has done it again, producing a smartphone with almost all the high-end features of rivals, including 36-hour battery life, at an affordable price
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The best big-screened Android experience yetThe fastest and smoothest Google Android device has a cracking camera, squeezable sides, great battery life and baked-in AI
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The future of smartphonesKorean firm’s infinity display pushes smartphone design forward, and its new device is packed with the latest technology encased in a metal and glass shell
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Apple finally knocks it out of the parkThe company’s most important smartphone in years does not disappoint, with Face ID and an all-screen design that spells the end of the home button
Gadget reviews
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Amazon Echo, Google Home or Sonos One: which smart speaker should I buy?Voice-control devices that can play music, answer questions and buy goods are one of the hottest gifts this Christmas. Here’s what they can do – and our pick of the best buys
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Amazon Kindle Oasis 2017 review: the Rolls-Royce of e-readersThe new top-end Kindle is an indulgent purchase, but with added water resistance and other refinements it’s still the one to beat
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Sky Soundbox review: the all-in-one TV speaker that won't annoy the neighboursTired of reaching for the remote whenever something explodes in a film? The compact Soundbox might be your saviour – but it’s pricey if you don’t have Sky
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Amazon Fire HD 8 review: easily the best tablet you can buy for £80The Fire HD 8 has always played second fiddle to its smaller sibling, but with twice the storage, better screen and speakers, that’s no longer the case
pictures, videos & audio
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Digital dystopia: tech slavery and the death of privacy – podcastIn the first episode of our four-part miniseries, Jordan Erica Webber asks whether our digital selves are owned by tech firms in a new form of slavery?
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Singers from Google, Facebook and more take the stage at Techapella – video
Every year, a capella groups from technology companies across the San Francisco Bay Area gather to perform in a sold out event called Techapella. Groups performing include Google, Facebook, Twitter and many more.
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Be very afraid … robots can now do backflips - video
Atlas, made by the robotics firm Boston Dynamics, can perform a backflip, even using its arms to balance after landing just like a real gymnast
Inside Silicon Valley
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I was Mark Zuckerberg's mentor. Today I would tell him: your users are in perilFacebook is a big part of my portfolio, and I fear the dangers of tech addiction. While investors’ recent open letter to Apple is significant, more need to speak up
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James Damore sues Google, alleging intolerance of white male conservativesClass-action lawsuit led by fired engineer includes 100 pages of internal documents and claims conservatives are ‘ostracized, belittled, and punished’
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Google faces new discrimination charge: paying female teachers less than menExclusive: former employee alleges that women hired to work as preschool teachers in the company’s childcare center were paid lower salaries than men with fewer qualifications doing same job
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Tech is one of the richest and most powerful industries in America – and it gets an awful lot wrong. So here’s some seasonal advice for Silicon Valley’s biggest beastsNew Year's resolutions for big tech: how Silicon Valley can be better in 2018
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Dark Souls remastered for Nintendo Switch consoleNew version of acclaimed dark fantasy adventure coming to Nintendo Switch in May
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Meltdown: Epic Games blames bug fix for online game slowdownIncreased processor use occurred when company installed patches to fix flaws, leaving players of online battle game Fortnite unable to login
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The best board games for January 2018: Fog of Love; Legacy of DragonholtOne is an emotionally charged love story, the other is a swords-and-sorcery adventure. But they’re both exceptional story-driven games
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Sky pirates, preachers and prison breaks: the best video games of 2018Here be dragons … and grog-swilling pirates, armed cultists, dino-beasts and a teenage supersleuth called Jenny LeClue. We preview spring’s biggest releases, from Ni no Kuni 2 to the return of Red Dead Redemption
Tech in 2018 From the future of bitcoin to Facebook
4K TV 2018 will be the year it goes big, but HDR still lags behind
election interference Can Facebook win its most important battle against in 2018?
Forget Juicero Here are the tech gadgets we can actually get excited about in 2018