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Twitter beefs up security safeguards after recent attacks

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:15:51 +0800

(Reuters) - Twitter Inc began introducing new technology on Wednesday to shore up security for users, responding to a spate of recent attacks on prominent accounts including those owned by the Associated Press and Financial Times. Twitter said in a blog post it has begun to introduce "login verification," a form of two-factor authentication in security industry parlance. The feature asks users to confirm their identity after a typical log-in, by sending a six-digit code to smartphones that must then be typed in to complete a sign-on. ...

Google boss says company is doing 'right thing' on tax

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:13:48 +0800

Google boss Eric Schmidt insisted Wednesday his company was trying to do the "right thing" as it faces criticism in Britain over the amount of tax it pays, saying it was for countries not companies to decide tax policies.

Twitter tightens security after high-profile breaches

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:14:42 +0800

Twitter said Wednesday it was stepping up security measures for the popular messaging service following a series of high-profile breaches by hackers hitting media organizations and others.

HP second quarter quarter profit down 32 percent

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:12:20 +0800

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Hewlett-Packard Co's quarterly profit slid 32 percent but the world's largest personal computer maker raised the lower end of its full-year outlook as revenue from services to corporations slightly offset shrinking PC sales. Last week, Dell Inc reported a 79 percent slide in profit. HP posted revenue of $27.6 billion, slightly below the $28.01 billion expected by analysts, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. (Reporting by Poornima Gupta; Editing by Richard Chang)

Top iPad apps: 'Fast & Furious 6: The Game'

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:36:09 +0800

iPad users around the world have been racing through London's streets and taking down evil gangs with the popular free app "Fast & Furious 6: The Game," based on the "Fast and Furious" movie franchise. Details of this and other top free iPad applications by country for the week, by number of downloads, recorded on May 22, can be found below.

Ireland says will not be U.S. 'whipping boy' on tax

Thu, 23 May 2013 03:55:04 +0800

By Carmel Crimmins and Padraic Halpin DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland's finance minister said the country would not be the "whipping boy" for what he called a flawed U.S. Senate report that said Irish loopholes helped technology giant Apple shrink its tax bill. Ireland has been forced to defend its corporate tax rate after the Senate said on Monday that Apple paid little or no tax on tens of billions of dollars in profits channeled through Irish subsidiaries and that it had negotiated a special corporate tax rate of less than 2 percent. ...

'Irrational' hackers are growing U.S. security fear

Thu, 23 May 2013 03:27:22 +0800

By Jim Finkle (Reuters) - Cybersecurity researcher HD Moore discovered he could use the Internet to access the controls of some 30 pipeline sensors around the country that were not password protected. A hacking expert who helps companies uncover network vulnerabilities, Moore said he found the sensors last month while analyzing information in huge, publicly available databases of Internet-connected devices. "We know that systems are exposed and vulnerable. ...

'Kill Mittal' game capitalises on French workers' struggle

Thu, 23 May 2013 03:27:15 +0800

A new French online game is allowing players to step into the shoes of an ArcelorMittal worker by fighting police and a robot version of Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal to keep a factory open.

Europe targets Switzerland in fight against bank secrecy

Thu, 23 May 2013 03:02:36 +0800

By John O'Donnell and Martin Santa BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Europe edged closer to lifting banking secrecy on Wednesday after Austria said it was ready to share data on foreign depositors but Vienna's support could fade should efforts to strike a similar deal with Switzerland fail. Austria's dropping of objections allowed EU leaders to commit to an exchange of bank information between countries by the end of the year, as cash-strapped states seek to stop tax evasion and close loopholes highlighted by Apple Inc's use of a base in Ireland. ...

Dish uses national security ads to fight SoftBank deal

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:11:39 +0800

By Liana B. Baker (Reuters) - Dish Network Corp has rolled out an advertising campaign suggesting a deal by a Japanese company to acquire Sprint Nextel Corp could threaten U.S. national security, hoping to sway lawmakers and win support for its rival offer. The campaign, which so far appears on the Internet and in Washington-area newspapers, is Dish's most public lobbying effort yet against Japan-based SoftBank Corp. Dish has been pushing the national security angle hard in Washington. ...

Facebook joins Web freedom group

Thu, 23 May 2013 01:03:44 +0800

Facebook on Wednesday became a full member of the Global Network Initiative, a non-governmental organization promoting Internet freedom and privacy rights.

SAP looks to recruit people with autism as programmers

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:04:42 +0800

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German software company SAP is looking to recruit people with autism as programmers and product testers, drawing on skills that can include a close attention to detail and an ability to solve complex problems. SAP has asked start-up Danish recruitment company Specialisterne to help it find, train and manage employees diagnosed with the disability. "They bring a special set of skills to the table, which fits with SAP," said a spokesman for the company, which has already hired people with autism in India and Ireland. ...

Restaurant learns online reviews can make or break

Thu, 23 May 2013 01:54:42 +0800

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — It was the customer service disaster heard around the Internet.

The new consoles from Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony

Thu, 23 May 2013 01:46:15 +0800

NEW YORK (AP) — Microsoft is the last of the three big video game console makers to unveil its latest gaming system. The unveiling comes nearly eight years after the Xbox 360 went on sale. It follows last fall's debut of Nintendo's Wii U and a preview in February of the upcoming PlayStation 4 from Sony.

First Look: New Xbox elegant, but much unknown

Thu, 23 May 2013 01:40:25 +0800

REDMOND, Wash. (AP) — Will gamers want One?

Consumer Reports proclaims Samsung Galaxy SIV the best smartphone

Wed, 22 May 2013 22:32:21 +0800

Samsung's new flagship device, currently rolling out around the world, has stolen the title of best smartphone from LG’s Optimus G in Consumer Reports's latest round of testing.

EU leaders talk tough on tackling Amazon, Google over taxes

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:42:17 +0800

By Luke Baker BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Britain, France and Germany called for stricter rules to stop companies such as Google, Apple and Amazon aggressively avoiding taxes in austerity bitten Europe, while acknowledging they had done nothing unlawful. At a summit to discuss energy and tax policy, the leaders of the three largest EU countries took the opportunity at news conferences to lament the impact of corporate tax avoidance, following several cases involving U.S. firms. ...

British opposition leader says Google tax behavior 'wrong'

Wed, 22 May 2013 23:56:12 +0800

By Andrew Osborn and Costas Pitas LONDON (Reuters) - Google Inc's tax affairs came under renewed scrutiny in Britain on Wednesday when the leader of the opposition Labour party accused the Internet company of wrongly going to "extraordinary lengths" to avoid paying tax. In comments designed to politically outflank Prime Minister David Cameron ahead of next month's G8 summit on what has become a high-profile issue, Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, said he was disappointed that Google paid so little tax. "I can't be the only person here who feels disappointed that such a great company as Google ...

Telefonica cuts handset prices to win back Spanish clients

Wed, 22 May 2013 23:06:27 +0800

MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish telecoms operator Telefonica lowered prices on smartphones by between 15 and 30 percent in its domestic market on Wednesday to fight increasing competition in the recession-hit country. Telefonica, which stopped subsidizing handsets for new clients last year to save cash, lost over 700,000 mobile customers in the first quarter of the year as cheaper rivals, such as Yoigo, gained market share. ...

Viral video: Senator complains to Apple CEO about iPhone

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:27:58 +0800

A video of US senator John McCain complaining to Apple CEO Tim Cook about the need to update apps on his iPhone has gone viral, as it seems to be a sentiment many consumers share.

Solar plane aims for new world distance record

Wed, 22 May 2013 08:31:11 +0800

Solar Impulse, the first aircraft that can fly day and night fueled entirely by energy from the sun, embarked Wednesday on the second leg of its historic journey across the American continent.

The Irish loophole behind Apple's low tax bill

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:23:26 +0800

By Tom Bergin LONDON (Reuters) - Apple's ability to shelter billions of dollars of income from tax has depended on an unusual loophole in the Irish tax code that helps the country compete with other countries for investment and jobs. A U.S. Senate investigation revealed Tuesday that Apple, maker of iPhones, iPads and Mac computers, channeled profits into Irish-incorporated subsidiaries that had "no declared tax residency anywhere in the world. ...

Apple slips but still retains smartphone satisfaction crown

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:18:01 +0800

The iPhone still scores the highest consumer satisfaction marks but Motorola, Samsung and Nokia are slowly closing the gap.

Risky behaviour starts young on social media: survey

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:10:33 +0800

Australian children are accessing social media websites at an increasingly younger age, a new survey suggests, with one in five "tweens" admitting they have chatted to someone online they do not know.

Entertaining change: Sony to look at activist's spin-off idea

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:35:22 +0800

By Tim Kelly TOKYO (Reuters) - Few foreign activist investors have made much headway in forcing change in Japan, where a conservative corporate culture favors long-standing ties with banks, business partners and workers rather than shareholders seeking value. Struggling electronics giant Sony Corp, though, with more foreign and fewer bank shareholders, may prove something of an exception. That's the hope, at least, of Californian billionaire Daniel Loeb, whose Third Point hedge fund has built up a more than 6 percent stake in Sony, making it the group's biggest stockholder. ...

New Smartglass app to take over the living room

Wed, 22 May 2013 16:50:41 +0800

The latest version of Microsoft’s second screen app could put total multimedia control at the user’s fingertips.

Teens share more online, see privacy issues: study

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:45:35 +0800

American teenagers are sharing more information about themselves on social media sites, but taking steps to protect their privacy online, a study showed.

Sony to assess spin-off plan; cuts targets for cameras, smartphones

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:29:15 +0800

By Tim Kelly TOKYO (Reuters) - Sony Corp cut its sales targets for digital cameras, smartphones and tablets by 13-17 percent for the year to end-March 2015, but said there were "encouraging" signs of a revival in its electronics business. CEO Kazuo Hirai told a press briefing on Wednesday that Sony would assess a proposal from its biggest shareholder, billionaire Daniel Loeb's Third Point LLC hedge fund, that the group should sell up to a fifth of its music and movies business, which includes artists such as Adele and hit franchises like "Spider-Man". ...

Canon beats Nikon in accidental damage tests

Wed, 22 May 2013 00:42:30 +0800

Just as an argument has raged for the best part of 30 years between Windows and Mac users as to which operating system is the best, a similar tribal war has raged between professional (and talented amateur) photographers as to whether Nikon or Canon rules the SLR and latterly DSLR roost. Now SquareTrade has waded into the rivalry between the two iconic companies' offerings with a drop test.

New Xbox One unveiled as home entertainment hub

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:07:52 +0800

Microsoft staked a claim to the Internet Age living room with an eagerly awaited new generation Xbox One console touted as a home entertainment hub that goes far beyond games.

Talks over Vimpelcom's Djezzy at delicate stage: source

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:13:04 +0800

MOSCOW/CAIRO (Reuters) - Russia-focused telecoms firm Vimpelcom's talks to sell a controlling stake in its Algerian mobile business Djezzy to Algeria are at a delicate stage but have not failed, a source with knowledge of the discussions said on Wednesday. Algeria wants to nationalize Djezzy and has pushed Vimpelcom into discussing a sale of a 51 percent stake. A report by Dow Jones earlier said that talks had ended in failure, citing two officials close to the matter. The source told Reuters that there might be further clarity on the issue in coming days. Vimpelcom declined comment. ...

Following CEO Shake-Up, Mixi Ploughs Seed Funding into Two Startups

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:00:38 +0800

Japan’s Facebook-like site Mixi has been struggling for a couple of years with stagnant user numbers and an apparent lack of direction. Last week, in a major shake-up, Mixi’s founder left the CEO role ...

How Startup UniPin Hopes to Solve Payment Hassles for Indonesian Gamers

Wed, 22 May 2013 19:00:40 +0800

UniPin is a four-year-old Indonesian payment startup that aims to make payment for online games easier. It has around 30 staff working on UniPin, more than 100 games on its platform, and around 300,000 ...

An Inside Look at Grupara, One of Indonesia’s Youngest and Most Active VCs

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:00:22 +0800

The Indonesian tech scene will be followed closely in the coming years. With more companies eyeing the huge market potential here, it is no wonder that this has caught the attention of quite a few venture ...

Jack Ma Says He Doesn't Give a Crap About Jingdong or its CEO Liu Qiangdong

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:30:43 +0800

The many faces of Jack Ma. Apparently retirement isn't doing much to keep former Alibaba CEO Jack Ma out of the limelight, or out of the center of controversy. In a recent interview with China Entrepreneur ...

Jack Ma Says He Doesn't Give a Crap About Rival Jingdong or its CEO

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:30:43 +0800