Technology

    On my morning commute last week I decided to dip into a bit of eighteenth century philosophy: Hume’s fork, Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason. Then I veered off into some physics: Newton’s law of universal gravitation, Einstein’s theory of general relativity. But what’s even more remarkable than my geekiness is the fact that I did all this on my smartphone. The articles were on Wikipedia. And I started out not with a planned reading list but with Google. In those ancient days before smartphones, WiFi on public transport, and, of course, the internet, I would have needed to go to a library to read up on such an eclectic range of topics. Or I would have needed to carry a number of books around with me, carefully selected before leaving the house. We all know that digital...

    The age of folding smartphones is coming. We know as patents for foldable phones are being filed in an ever increasing number, with all the big players like Apple, Samsung, Huawei, LG, Motorola and more positioning themselves to come to market  in the strongest and most innovative position possible. Here we've rounded up the five most exciting pieces of mobile foldable hardware that we currently know about. 1. Samsung Galaxy X The front of the Galaxy X reportedly has two 3.5-inch screens, which become a 7-inch tablet when folded. The rear of the device has a third 3.5-inch screen that allows it to be viewed even when folded down. This indicates that the device will work via a series of intricate hinges. In terms of release date, we've speculated that the Galaxy ...

    I recently bumped into someone I went to school with and because I wasn’t doing anything in particular we ended up in a bar together. After a few glasses of wine, the friend, Tara, admitted that she was really, really lonely. I was expecting her to bemoan a lack of romantic life, but she didn’t. Instead, she went on to describe how, since leaving university and getting a job, she’d lost touch with a lot of her friends, and was struggling to make new ones. The problem is, by the time you're an adult, you are supposed to have a set of friends for life. But I don’t. And how am I supposed to go out as a grownup and make new ones? It's so tragic, but when I look at my social media friends and see their lives are a whirl of parties, weddings and holidays... I feel like a...

    Exeter University has expelled and suspended law students found to have posted racist messages in a private WhatsApp group. Messages such as buy blacks in bulk, what a joke how has that veggie n**** won and this is why we need a race war were shared, with one describing London mayor Sadiq Khan as a cancer. One of the members of the group, student Arsalan Motavali, posted screen-grabs of the conversation online back in March, prompting the university and students' union to launch an investigation. In a letter to students on Tuesday, vice chancellor and chief executive Sir Steve Smith said the inquiry had resulted in expulsions, suspensions and other significant sanctions. He described the content of the WhatsApp conversation as completely unacceptable racist, sexis...

    Some Gmail users have claimed that they have been receiving ads sent to them from their own accounts despite updated passwords and two-factor authentication, the media reported. To get the messages past spam filters, the spammers have been using forged email headers to make them appear as though they are being sent via a ‘Canadian telecommunications company’ called ‘Telus’, Mashable reported on Sunday. The subject of the emails read ‘weight loss and growth supplements for men’. ‘We are aware of a spam campaign impacting a small subset of Gmail users and have actively taken measures to protect against it,’ a Google spokesperson was quoted as saying. ‘We have identified and are reclassifying all offending emails as spam, and have no reason to believe any accounts we...

    Apple's iPhone X is likely to be discontinued this year, Mirabaud analyst Neil Campling said. Weak guidance from a top Apple supplier Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, and the likely knock-on effect to 3-D sensing technology maker AMS, suggests Apple is not buying components for the iPhone X. With the declines in iPhone X orders and the inventory issue at TSMC at record highs which basically reflect a need to burn off inventory. Why? Because the iPhone X is dead, Campling wrote in a note. Apple'sAAPL iPhone X is likely to be discontinued this year if earnings from one of the company's top suppliers is anything to go by, according to an analyst. Quotes in the article Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, or TSMC, the world's largest semiconductor found...

    Facebook is asking some users in Europe to consent to the use of facial recognition technology. But the social network has been accused by privacy experts by asking for permission in a "fundamentally dishonest and manipulative way." The request comes ahead of sweeping new privacy regulation in the EU. Facebook is being criticised by privacy activists for how it's allegedly manipulating some of its Eureopean users to consent to its use of facial recognition in photos and videos. It's a hot-button issue, as sweeping new EU privacy legislation requires Facebook and other tech companies to get explicit permission for using the technology. Facebook's facial recognition technology, which it uses to recognise users in photos and identify impersonators, after b...

    A businessman has won his legal action to remove search results about a criminal conviction in a landmark right to be forgotten case that could have wide-ranging repercussions. The ruling was made by a judge, Mr Justice Mark Warby, in London on Friday. He rejected a similar claim brought by a second businessman who was jailed for a more serious offence. The claimant who lost, referred to only as NT1 for legal reasons, was convicted of conspiracy to account falsely in the late 1990s; the claimant who won, known as NT2, was convicted more than 10 years ago of conspiracy to intercept communications. NT1 was jailed for four years, while NT2 was jailed for six months. Granting an appeal in the case of NT1, the judge added: It is quite likely that there will be more clai...

    Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co. are in talks to merge and create a new automaker that trades as a single stock, people with knowledge of the matter said. A deal would end the current alliance between the companies and marry them as one corporation, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the details aren’t public. Renault currently owns 43 percent of Nissan while the Japanese carmaker has a 15 percent stake in its French counterpart. Carlos Ghosn, the chairman of both companies, is driving the negotiations and would run the combined entity, the people said. The parties are discussing a transaction in which Nissan would essentially give Renault shareholders stock in the new company, the people said. Nissan shareholders would also receive shares in the new ...