Traffic ticket for Glass wearer

31 October 2013 Last updated at 07:24 ET

A Californian woman has been issued with a traffic ticket for driving while wearing Google Glass.

On 30 October, Cecilia Abadie was pulled over and issued with a ticket for speeding and wearing the smart spectacles while driving.

Ms Abadie was cited for breaking a Californian law which prohibits people from watching TV while driving.

She is now considering whether to take legal action to fight the ticket on the grounds that the device was turned off.

Ms Abadie used her page on the Google+ social network to document her experience and share a picture of the ticket that was issued to her.

On that document, the policeman cited Ms Abadie for driving at 80mph (128km/h) in a 65mph zone on Interstate 15 in San Diego and because she was "driving with monitor visible to driver (Google Glass)". When contacted by the BBC, a spokesman for the Californian Highway Patrol said this was in violation of state vehicle code 27602.

In her comments on Google+, Ms Abadie said the officer who stopped her said wearing the smart spectacles was a danger because they could obscure her view of the road and other vehicles.

In her defence, she said she regularly drove while wearing the gadget but never turned it on. Google Glass is a wearable computer controlled by voice and touch that projects information on to a lens and in the eyeline of the owner.

Many of those who posted comments to her page said Google Glass might be covered by exceptions in the 27602 code that let a driver view a display if it shows maps, GPS or can help "enhance or supplement the driver's view".

In addition, some offered to curate a fund that would help pay for any legal representation Ms Abadie needed to fight the ticket.

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How technology best boosts learning

31 October 2013 Last updated at 21:00 ET By Judith Burns BBC News education reporter

An inner city primary is at the heart of a project to test how technology can be used to boost children's learning.

Rosendale Primary, in south London, won a £253,000 grant for the research which will involve 1,400 pupils in 24 schools in London, Essex and Manchester.

Rosendale pupils use tablet computers to photograph their work and tag it with notes about how well they learned.

The Lambeth school's head teacher, Kate Atkins, says the aim is to help pupils develop a range of learning strategies.

"Poor learners are often over-confident about the power of their memories and can struggle to find alternative strategies.

Emotional reaction

"We need to encourage them to think about how they learn and to try something else."

Children at the school are encouraged to reflect on every piece of work or unit of learning.

They are asked to think about which bits went well, what they struggled with and what they might need to do to improve when they next revisit the subject.

A key part of this is to ask children how they felt about each piece of work, for example many children find conducting a science experiment exciting and fun but hate having to sit down and write it up afterwards, says Ms Atkins.

"An emotional reaction is a key part of the learning process."

The research project aims to test whether the strategy actually improves pupils' attainment.

It will be tested at 24 two-form-entry schools, one form will carry on as normal, the other will record and reflect on their learning using digital note-taking.

Children will be tested at the start and finish of the project to measure their abilities and the results evaluated at Manchester University.

The project is one of seven in a £3.5m strategy by the Education Endowment Foundation and Nominet Trust to evaluate the impact of technology in schools .

The charities say the aim is to "rigorously test" new ways to use technology to improve attainment, particularly of less advantaged children.

The grants will support 18,000 pupils in 260 schools across England.

'Flipped learning'

Another project, centred on Shireland Collegiate Academy in Sandwell, West Midlands, will test the effectiveness of a "flipped learning" approach.

In effect pupils do their homework before the lesson, watching a video or web presentation on a new concept the night before.

The lesson itself then focuses on a more detailed exploration of the concept, perhaps experimentation or discussion, and on helping struggling pupils.

Dan Sutch of the Nominet Trust said: "The more we can understand where technology best supports learning and teaching the better."

The Education Endowment Foundation said the grants would help identify the most effective ways to use digital technology to improve learning for the most disadvantaged pupils.

Chairman Sir Peter Lampl said schools spent huge sums on technology but there was too little evidence of its effectiveness.

"The gap in educational outcomes between rich and poor is the biggest barrier to social mobility we face and it is essential to find out if and how technology can be used to help close it."

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Insect-like drone is 'crash happy'

31 October 2013 Last updated at 10:20 ET By Tom Espiner Technology reporter

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Co-creator Adrien Briod said the Gimball was tested in a forest, where it collided with trees

An insect-like flying rescue robot that can bounce off trees and buildings has been revealed by its creators.

Gimball has been developed to be used in situations that are hazardous to humans.

The robot is designed to be able to deal with crashes, and to right itself after a collision.

Gimball has a protective spherical roll-cage, and is mounted on pivots to stay upright.

The flying robot, which bounces off walls, moves in a similar way to a mosquito.

Gimball was in part inspired by the way insects fly, co-creator Adrien Briod told the BBC.

"Usually robots need to move around obstacles, so we thought it would be interesting to allow it to sustain collisions," Mr Briod said.

The drone, described as "crash happy", was designed and built by a team in Switzerland at the Ecole Polytechnique Federerale de Lausanne (EPFL).

The robot was developed for use in disaster situations, such as entering a building on fire, or after a radiation leak.

Normally flying robots are taken out of action by a major collision, but the designers did not think the problem could be solved by adding more sensors.

To keep Gimball lightweight, the research team decided to allow the robot to ricochet off obstacles instead.

Staying upright

The robot has a rotating flexible frame that lets it bounce off anything that it hits in a chaotic environment.

To stay upright, Gimball has a gyroscopic system that includes an accelerometer, the same type of sensor as used in smartphones to let the phone know which way is up.

The battery-driven robot has two propellers, and is steered by fins. It is fitted with a motion sensor, a camera, an altimeter, a magnetic compass and a micro-controller processor.

The 34cm (13 inch) , 370g (13oz) drone can lift weights of up to 30g, so can carry gas or radioactivity sensors, Mr Briod said.

The robot can be remotely controlled, but Mr Briod aims to eventually incorporate artificial intelligence capabilities into Gimball to allow it to accomplish complex tasks by itself.

The team that built Gimball at the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems at EPFL included Mr Briod and engineer Mariusz Kornatowski.

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US clears gadgets for take-off use

31 October 2013 Last updated at 12:54 ET

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The BBC's Jonny Dymond: "Now you can keep your e-reader on, all the way through from take-off to landing"

Aviation regulators have cleared the safe use of mobile devices during take-off and landing for US airlines.

US carriers are expected to let passengers use smartphones, tablets, and e-book readers from gate to gate by the end of the year.

Internet connections for email, web surfing, and downloading will be prohibited below 10,000 feet.

Cellular voice calls will remain banned because of the possibility of radio interference with flight equipment.

The changes to US regulations mean passengers will be able to read e-books, play games, and watch videos for the duration of domestic and international flights.

Airlines will need to perform safety checks before changing their current policies on device use.

Carriers must show the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that they can handle the effects that mobile devices have on flight instruments and avionics, and they must assess risks such as stowage problems.

US airline Delta said it had submitted a plan to the regulator, and expected to let customers on domestic flights use personal electronic devices as early as 1 November.

The relaxation of rules for US carriers may have a knock-on effect for UK airlines, a spokesman for the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) told the BBC.

UK regulators will study how the FAA rules can be applied to UK airlines.

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Google launches Nexus 5 handset

31 October 2013 Last updated at 14:58 ET By Mark Ward Technology correspondent, BBC News

Google has officially unveiled the latest incarnation of its flagship Nexus smartphone.

Made by LG, the handset is smaller, slimmer and lighter than the Nexus 4 but its 4.96in (126mm) touchscreen is bigger.

The Nexus 5 has been developed to show off the capabilities of the new version of the Android operating system.

Called Kitkat, the software has been designed to work well on both high-end smartphones and cheaper feature phones.

The alliance with Google has helped bolster LG's fortunes even though, according to statistics from Gartner, it is still a long way behind rivals Samsung and Apple.

In the April-to-June quarter, the consultancy indicated 3.8% of all smartphones sold were LG handsets putting the South Korean firm in third place.

By contrast, Apple accounted for 18.8% of all sales and Samsung 29.7%.

Memory cut

The specifications for the new phone were widely leaked before it was announced on the official Google blog.

The gadget shares some of the hardware from LG's G2 handset and can record and play back HD video at the full 1080p resolution. Its camera also has a rapid burst system that captures several photographs at the same time so owners can pick the best shot.

The handset is due to go on sale on 1 November in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Japan and Korea.

"Nexus devices serve an important function for Google," said Ben Wood, head of research at analyst firm CCS Insight.

"The company collaborates closely with the chosen phone maker as it rolls out a new version of the Android operating system and this results in a 'vanilla' version of the software that acts as a reference platform for developers and tech enthusiasts."

Google said a base 16GB version of the device would cost $349 in the US (£299 in the UK), unlocked and without a contract. The 32GB version should cost $399 (£339 in the UK).

With Android Kitkat, Google said it had made the software use less memory so it could be used on handsets with much lower specifications than top end smartphones.

In addition, Google has begun moving some services off Android's core software and onto its app store. Many see this as a way for it to maintain more control over the security of the software and its associated applications.

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Sony shares plunge on forecast cut

1 November 2013 Last updated at 02:24 ET

Shares in Japanese electronics giant Sony plunged 11% to 1,668 yen on the Tokyo Stock Exchange after the firm cut its profit forecast.

The firm lowered its full-year profit forecast by 40% on Thursday as it reported a loss for the July-to-September quarter.

The company has been hurt by slowing demand and falling prices for key products such as TVs and game consoles.

Its cinema division was also hurt during the quarter by some flops.

The firm now expects to make a net profit of 30bn yen ($305; £190m) in the financial year to 31 March 2014, down from its earlier forecast of 50bn yen.

The cut came as the firm said its loss in the three months to the end of September widened 25% from a year ago to 19.3bn yen.

Its earnings were impacted by the poor showing of some high-profile movies including White House Down.

Meanwhile, its TV division - which has struggled in recent years - also posted a loss of 9.3bn yen during the period,

At the same time, a drop in prices resulted in its Game division reporting an operating loss of 800m yen during the period, compared to an operating profit of 2.3bn yen during the same quarter a last year.

Analysts said that with some of the key divisions continuing to struggle, investors were worrying whether the firm will be able to turn around its fortunes.

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'Anonymous' hack Singapore newspaper

1 November 2013 Last updated at 04:13 ET

The website of Singapore's main paper, The Straits Times, has been hacked by someone who claimed to be a part of the hacking collective Anonymous.

It comes just days after a person claiming to be part of the group posted an online video threatening to hit out at the country's infrastructure.

The video protested Singapore's new licensing regulations for news sites.

The hacker, dubbed The Messiah, said the paper's report on the video was misleading.

The hacker left a comment on a section of the site saying: "Dear ST: You just got hacked for misleading the people!"

The message alleged that the Straits Times reporter who blogged on the video "chose to conveniently modify the sentence 'war against the Singapore government' into 'war against Singapore'".

"That in our opinion can be very misleading," the hacker posted.

The post added "the media has also misled our intentions by stating that we had plans to attack the infrastructure of Singapore on the 5th of November".

"That is ONLY our intention if the internet framework gets implemented. Not otherwise," it said.

Under new rules, unveiled by the Media Development Authority earlier this year, sites "that report regularly on issues relating to Singapore and have significant reach among readers" require individual licences.

Singapore Press Holdings, the firm the runs the Straits Times, said in a statement it had the taken down the affected blog from its site and also made a police report.

The paper also reported that the government's IT Security Incident Response Team - set up to co-ordinate responses to a cyber intrusion, had alerted all government agencies after the video was posted on YouTube on Tuesday.

It quoted the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore as saying that it was "aware of the video, and the police are investigating the matter".

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Patent wars: Rockstar sues Samsung

1 November 2013 Last updated at 08:06 ET

A group of tech giants known as the Rockstar Consortium is suing Google, Samsung, HTC and others over alleged mobile phone patent infringements.

Rockstar, jointly owned by Apple, Microsoft, Blackberry, Ericsson and Sony, is targeting manufacturers of phones that run the rival Google Android operating system.

Rockstar spent $4.5bn (£2.8bn) buying thousands of Nortel patents after the telecoms giant went bankrupt in 2009.

Google lost out in the bidding war.

The Rockstar lawsuit claims Google has infringed seven patents relating to the way internet search terms match up with relevant advertising.

Dominance

The move is just the latest in a number of mobile device patent cases being fought across the world, as technology behemoths fight for dominance of the lucrative smartphone, tablet and games console markets.

Google's Android has been doing particularly well, largely thanks to the success of Samsung's Galaxy range of smartphones.

Android devices accounted for 81.3% of smartphone shipments in the third quarter of 2013, according to research firm Strategy Analytics, compared with 13.4% for Apple iOS and 4.1% for Windows Phone.

This week, Nokia, whose mobile devices division is being bought by Microsoft, won a patent victory over HTC that could see the Taiwanese company's HTC One smartphone being banned from import into the UK.

And earlier in October, Samsung offered to stop taking rivals to court over alleged patent infringements for a period of five years, after European Union authorities said the South Korean company's litigious actions were stifling competition.

Samsung faced a potential £11.3bn ($18.3bn) fine if found guilty of breaching European anti-trust laws.

Google's Motorola Mobility, which the search giant bought for $12.5bn, has also been accused of similar anti-competitive behaviour.

Samsung and Apple are currently slugging it out in the courts of more than 10 countries across Europe.

Cross-licensing

But some senior technology experts believes the legal conflict is bad for consumers.

In an interview with the BBC's Click programme to be broadcast on Saturday, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak says: "There are good things I see on Samsung phones that I wish were in my iPhone; I wish Apple would use them, and could use them, and I don't know if Samsung would stop us.

"I wish everybody just did a lot of cross-licensing and sharing the good technology; all our products would be better, we'd go further.

"I do kind of wish they were more compatible."

But the Rockstar Consortium's legal action suggests such a rapprochement in the global patent wars is still a long way off.

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Imax in home cinema deal with China

1 November 2013 Last updated at 10:42 ET

Imax, the cinema technology company specialising in immersive 3D screenings, is to offer home cinemas for China's wealthy elite in a joint venture with Shenzhen's TCL Multimedia.

Each luxury theatre will cost at least $250,000 (£157,000), Reuters reported.

"China now is our second largest market in the world, and our fastest growing market," Imax chief executive Richard Gelfond said.

The company is also targeting Russia, Hong Kong and the Middle East.

China's burgeoning wealthy class is hungry for luxury goods of all kinds, with TCL estimating that the home theatre market will grow 20% a year over the next five years.

Three-D films are also growing in popularity, with more than 80% of audiences for the recent blockbuster film Gravity opting for the 3D format thanks to the film's ground-breaking special effects.

Luxury, immersive home cinemas are now possible - albeit only for the rich - thanks to advancements in 3D and large-screen technology.

Shooting a film with dedicated Imax cameras used to cost more than £6m before the company developed a way of converting standard films to Imax format using algorithms for less than £1m.

Producers started making films specifically for 3D, with James Cameron's Avatar in 2009 proving to be the first mainstream 3D box office success, taking about $250m in Imax theatres.

Imax already earns 16% of its revenue in China, and now has 131 screens installed there.

In July, it announced an agreement with China's Dalian Wanda Group Corp to build up to 120 new cinemas in the country, building on its 2011 deal with the group.

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Zynga wins Scrabble trademark row

1 November 2013 Last updated at 13:54 ET

Zynga's Scramble With Friends word game for mobile devices does not infringe Mattel's Scrabble trademarks, a High Court judge has ruled.

Mattel had argued that Zynga's use of the word "Scramble" was too close to the word "Scrabble".

But Mr Justice Peter Smith disagreed.

However, he did accept that Zynga's use of a curly letter M in the logo "gives the impression that the word is Scrabble when one looks at it quickly and has the propensity to confuse".

This means Zynga will have to change the game's logo, but not the name itself.

'Mattel intends to appeal'

US company Mattel, the world's biggest toy manufacturer, owns brands such as Barbie, Hot Wheels and Fisher-Price Toys, as well as Scrabble.

In response to the ruling, Mattel spokesman Alan Hilowitz said: "We are pleased that the English High Court today affirmed Mattel's request for an injunction against Zynga, finding that the similarities between their Scramble With Friends logo and Mattel's intellectual property likely would confuse the public into thinking they were in fact downloading Scrabble.

"We are, however, disappointed that the court did not rule that Zynga should cease using the Scramble name, which Mattel intends to appeal."

Zynga said it was not prepared to comment on the case.

The ruling will be a relief to Zynga, the online games company that made its stock market debut in December 2011 and was valued at $1bn (£630m).

Since then it has struggled to replicate the success of games such as FarmVille and Words With Friends.

60% share rise

In October, the company reported a net loss of $68,000 for its third quarter, compared with a $57.3m loss for the same period last year.

While the results were better than expected, year-on-year revenues fell 36% to $202.5m and the number of fee-paying players has halved to about 1.6 million.

But chief executive Don Mattrick, who joined Zynga in July from his role as head of interactive entertainment at Microsoft, maintained that a return to profitability was in sight for the company.

Zynga bought OMGPOP, the company behind the popular game Draw Something, for $200m in March 2012, but shut the company less than a year later.

Despite the setbacks, Zynga's share price has risen 60% over the past 52 weeks.

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