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Technology news from the future
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Today

Game review: Crackdown 3 launches on Xbox One and PC

Crackdown 3 is an average game that may have come out 10 years too late, writes Damian Seeto.
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Today
WhatsApp users warned to change voicemail PINS
Attackers are allegedly gaining access to users’ WhatsApp accounts by using the default voicemail PIN to access voice authentication codes.
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Today
50 million tonnes of e-waste: IT faces sustainability challenges
“Through This is IT, we want to help people better understand the problem of today’s linear “take, make, dispose” thinking around IT products and its effects like e-waste, pollution and climate change."
Vocus & Vodafone unbundle NZ's fibre network
“Unbundling fibre will provide retail service providers with a flexible future-proofed platform regardless of what tomorrow brings."
NZ Cricket ups data analytics game with Qrious
The Black Caps and White Ferns have implemented a data and analytics solution from Qrious to monitor and improve game strategy and player performance.
Gartner: Smartphone biometrics coming to the workplace
Gartner predicts increased adoption of mobile-centric biometric authentication and SaaS-delivered IAM.
Samsung & Trade Me offer AI-powered shopping
The smartphone camera & AI-powered tech, Trade Me says, is a ‘glimpse into the future of shopping’.
Neill Blomkamp's 'Conviction' is a prequel to BioWare's Anthem
You may remember Neill Blomkamp’s name from such films as District 9, Chappie, and Elysium. If you’ve seen any of those films, the short teaser trailer will seem somewhat familiar to you.
Security flaw in Xiaomi electric scooters could have deadly consequences
An attacker could target a rider, and then cause the scooter to suddenly brake or accelerate.
617 million stolen records up for sale on dark web
It may not be the first time the databases have been offered for sale.
IBM’s Project Debater unable to out-debate human
At this incredible display of technology, the result was remarkably close but the human managed to pip the machine in this instance.
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LPL to broadcast weekly programming on Sky Sports
Let’s Play Live (LPL) has now announced it will broadcast weekly programming for the rest of 2019 on the Sky Sports channel from Sky TV. 
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When hackers get the munchies, they just steal McDonalds
What happens when hackers get the munchies? Apparently in Canada, they decide to put their ‘hamburglar’ gloves on and go after unwitting people who happen to use the McDonalds app.
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The smart home tech that will be huge in 2019
For millennial home buyers, a generation for whom technology has been ever-present, smart systems are the features they value above everything else.
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Uber wants you to hail a speedboat in Mumbai
“Uber Boat will enable riders in Mumbai to request a speedboat at the tap of a button through the Uber app."
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Google's new Chrome feature warns about compromised logins
This week Google released extra measures in a bid to provide better security for its users’ data.
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Bug makes Android phones hackable via PNG image files
This means any application handling PNG files that have been carefully crafted by an attacker can end up running the attacker’s code.
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Why many Kiwis are still sceptical about the digital age
"94% of people are concerned about the security of personal data but many are not taking appropriate steps to protect themselves online."
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World’s longest electric car journey reaches Adelaide
Some people go a long way to prove a point – and Dutchman Wiebe Wakker certainly falls under that category.
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Could a boom in AI patents point to a ‘quantum leap' in tech?
The upsurge in patent applications for devices and machines powered by AI in the last five years, suggests that it could soon revolutionise all areas of daily life.
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Germany watchdog calls out Facebook's 'abuse of power'
Bundeskartellamt asserts that Facebook must ask for consent from all users to collect data from within Facebook-owned services and third party websites – or face heavy restrictions on data collection.
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Expert comment: What the Collection #2-5 data dump means for credential abuse
Techday spoke to experts and executives in the security industry about the data leak and the implications on phishing and credential stuffing.
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Inside Xbox brings exciting news for gamers
The huge Game Pass library is due to swell even more with the upcoming inclusion of some must-have heavy hitters. 
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To bezel or notch to bezel - the evolution of smartphones
Futuresource Consulting reflects on the smartphone design trends of 2018 and what might be coming through the coming year.
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Facial recognition tech can identify partial images of people
We’re now at the point where technology doesn’t even need an entire image of someone to identify them.
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IDC: Worst smartphone sales year ever
"Globally the smartphone market is a mess right now" as worldwide shipments down 4.9% in 4Q18 capping off the worst year ever.
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Te reo Māori goes global via language app called Drops
If you’re keen to learn a few words of Māori – or as much as 90% of the language, you may want to check out an Android and iOS app called Drops.
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Freeview aims to transform how you watch TV
The new Freeview recorder combines the entire suite of Freeview features with the added choice of apps and extra content available through Google Play.
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Massive 2.2bil-username data dump leaked on dark web
This makes the second leak three times bigger than the Collection #1 dump leaked last month.
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Are we security-ready for Alexa in the office?
As home-IoT devices such as smart assistants head into the office, there will be a raft of new security challenges that will need to be addressed.
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NZ needs better tech to catch drivers who can't put their phones down
Put down your mobile phone if you’re driving – or risk getting snapped.
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European Commission urges recall of children's smartwatch
If you’ve been on a trip to Germany recently and picked up a few gifts for the family, you might want to take note if you happened to by the Enox Safe-KID-One smartwatch for children.
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Adobe acquires leading 3D creation software Substance
With the acquisition of Allegorithmic, Adobe takes on the industry leading 3D textures and materials creation software for Creative Cloud.
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Samsung cracks 1TB embedded smartphone storage
The new Universal Flash Storage offers the most internal memory yet and 10x the speed of a typical microSD card for data-intensive applications.
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Why only 13% of shoppers trust retailers with their personal data
Zebra Technologies revealed the results of its 11th annual Global Shopper Study, analysing the attitudes, opinions, and expectations of shoppers, retail associates and retail decision makers. 
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Game review: Kill large monsters in God Eater 3
God Eater 3’s map size resembles that of a Dynasty Warriors game because there are linear paths and the areas you explore are usually very small.
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Game review: Kingdom Hearts III finally releases on PS4 and Xbox One
While it might be hard to understand the main plot of the game, the individual side stories when you visit Disney movie themed planets are where the game truly shines.
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Intel breaks its own record with Super Bowl drone show
Forget about the result of the Super Bowl LIII - Intel was only concerned about the halftime show.
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Bringing autonomous vessels to the open water
The Aussies took silver at the Maritime RobotX Challenge, which saw entries from across the world competing with their self-driving tech on the ocean.
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Hands-on Review: Kano Computer Kit
Kano’s Computer Kit Complete gives you everything you need to build a functioning Raspberry Pi-based laptop computer.
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Can Nike change sport with smart, self-lacing shoes?
The shoe is connected to a smartphone app which will store preferences for how the footwear fits, loosening for time out and tightening in-game.
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Futuresource - Is 5G really ‘just around the corner’?
The radio frequencies required for full commercialisation of 5G have limited range and do not easily propagate through walls or buildings.
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LG G8 ThinkQ will include IR facial recognition
With Infineon’s REAL3 image sensor chip, LG offers a depth measuring selfie camera for face-based security.
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Chorus to trial 10Gbps fibre broadband service
“We're truly thrilled to be trialling our 10Gbps fibre service, a service we know will underpin New Zealand's digital future."
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5 tips for protection against surging number of scam apps
We all love them and our lives are effectively run by them, but research has revealed apps are increasingly growing deceitful with ulterior motives.
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Death by cryptocurrency: Could $190m be lost forever?
Exit scam, or just plain bad luck? Investors in one of Canada’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges will be pondering that very question.
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You don't have a golden ticket: Why Viagogo is a massive 'no-no'
How much power does New Zealand have to stop a multinational 'deviant' from operating in our country?
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Skyscanner opens up bug bounty for interested hackers
If you can find a bug in Skyscanner then the company will pay up to US$2,000 per vulnerability.
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The online content that gives Kiwis concern
InternetNZ has released a report that shows the things we are worried about, and where we might be going wrong.
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Online retailer Mighty Ape fixes wishlist privacy flaw
New Zealand online retailer Mighty Ape has been quick to fix  issues that publicly shared some customers’ birthdates and product wishlists.