Month: June 2019
Mobile customers to switch provider by text
Mobile customers will be able to switch provider by sending a text message from Monday under new regulator rules. Currently, people wanting to switch mobile operator and keep their phone number usually have to call their existing provider to request a “porting authorisation code” or PAC. In the process, many find themselves dealing with unwanted…
British iPhone designer Sir Jonathan Ive to leave Apple
Tim Cook and Jonathan Ive look at the Mac Pro at the Apple Worldwide Developers’ Conference (Jeff Chiu/AP) Sir Jonathan Ive who designed the iPhone, iPod and Mac is leaving Apple after more than 20 years – saying it is a “natural” time to go. Known widely as Jony Ive,…
NASA to send spacecraft to Saturn’s largest moon Titan
NASA will send a spacecraft to explore the surface of Saturn’s largest moon Titan and search for “the building blocks of life”, the space agency has revealed. The Dragonfly mission, part of NASA’s New Frontiers programme, will launch in 2026 and arrive at Titan in 2034. It marks the first time NASA will fly a…
Google Maps adds crowdedness predictions for UK public transport
Google is introducing a new feature to its Maps app that will help commuters hoping to avoid packed trains and buses during rush hour. Crowdedness predictions, which work out how busy trains, buses and Tube journeys are likely to be based on past rides, are coming to 18 cities and towns across the UK. The…
Vodafone to launch 5G Fan Assisted Referee (FAR) for Isles of Scilly
Players for the Garrison Gunners (red) and Woodpack Wanderers (black) - the only two teams in the Isles of Scilly league! As if getting abuse from the crowd wasn't bad enough! Soon football referees on the Isles of Scilly will be getting abuse - or at the very least 'constructive…
Huawei UK boss – ‘nothing has changed’ despite US trade restrictions
Huawei’s UK managing director has insisted “nothing has changed” for the Chinese company despite a US-issued trade ban on the firm. Anson Zhang acknowledged there has been “confusion” and “uncertainty” around the company’s phones, but he confirmed its devices would continue to receive software and security updates in both the short and long-term and users…
Candy Crush makers grilled over gaming addiction
Candy Crush makers King have said they acknowledge the seriousness of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) decision to recognise video game addiction as a disease – but fell short of stating whether they agree with it in a grilling from MPs. Senior executives from the company skirted around the possibility that its games could be…
Boeing and Kitty Hawk to work on electric self-flying taxis
Aerospace firm Boeing has announced plans to work on self-flying taxis with an American start-up backed by Google co-founder Larry Page. The company will collaborate with Kitty Hawk on future efforts to advance safe urban air mobility, with a focus on providing its aerospace expertise to help build its autonomous electric vehicle called Cora. “Working…
Oppo debuts ‘hidden selfie’ camera technology
Chinese smartphone maker Oppo has revealed another glimpse of its hidden selfie camera technology as manufacturers explore new designs to maximise display space. The firm first unveiled details of an under-display front-facing camera earlier this month, which puts the lens under the smartphone’s screen. OPPO's brand new solution for full-screen display – Under-screen Camera (USC)…
NASA to open moon rock samples sealed since Apollo missions
NASA is to open some pristine samples of moon rocks and dirt which have been stored for decades after being collected by Apollo astronauts. Hundreds of pounds of moon rocks are locked up at Johnson Space Centre in Houston, and lab workers are preparing to give some of the samples to scientists for study. Nine…