Author: Diane Shipley
Staff Writer Diane is especially interested in high-tech medical advances, weird and interesting uses of science, new gadgets, and the intersection of tech and lifestyle. When not working, she reads the internet, listens to podcasts, watches American TV, and thinks about leaving the house.
Is fear of your mobile not working an illness now?
Palms sweating, heart pounding, feeling nauseous and jittery? Yes, it's possible you have stomach flu. But maybe you're coming down with a more modern ailment: nomophobia. Or as it's more commonly known, the fear of not being able to use your mobile phone (whether because of poor reception, a dead battery, or because you don't…
Samsung to launch first Tizen smartphone – UK launch in Autumn?
Samsung is launching the first smartphone powered by Tizen, the open-source operating system they developed with Intel as an alternative to Android. The Samsung Z phone will be unveiled this week at the Tizen Developer Conference in San Francisco and it will go on sale in Russia later this year. No word yet on cost,…
Microsoft says Cortana is coming to the UK "Soon"
Until now, Siri and Google Now have had all the fun, being bossed about by a variety of British accents while Microsoft's voice-activated personal assistant Cortana was stuck in the US, twiddling her thumbs. But now it looks like UK users might finally have the chance to take her for a spin, most likely after…
Why web series are such big business (and not to mention fun)
Following in the footsteps of Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and Yahoo, Vimeo has just announced its first exclusive original series, High Maintenance, which will be released later this year. Created by Katja Blichfeld and Ben Sinclair, it's a comedy about an unnamed cannabis dealer (played by Sinclair) and the clients he interacts with. Guest stars include…
Uber's row with London cabbies headed for High Court
Transport for London (TfL) has referred its row over car hire app Uber to the High Court. TfL was challenged by black cab union the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA) over its decision that Uber doesn't break the Private Hire Vehicles Act. The union claims that an app used by Uber drivers to calculate journey…
Scientists could soon re-grow teeth with lasers
There are few things more terrifying than climbing into the dentist's chair before a root canal treatment. But thanks to a new breakthrough in laser technology, that particular terror could become a much less common occurrence. Researchers at Harvard University have successfully used lasers to partially regenerate teeth. In tests on mice and rats, they…
4 Crowdfunding campaigns that could change your life
There's nothing like Kickstarter (or Indiegogo, or any other crowdfunding platform) for making you realise how many genius inventors there are in the world. Here are four ideas we spotted this week that made us shout, "Yes, that needs to be a thing!" The Verve LED vest A brilliant invention for runners or cyclists exercising…
What do we (think we) know about the Nokia X2?
Leaked details of Microsoft's Nokia X2 Dual SIM smartphone, model name: Nokia X2DS (RM-1013) have been posted on the AnTuTu benchmark website. If the specs are correct, it looks like the new handset will be a slight improvement on their previous model, the Nokia X, which launched in February. But we weren't expecting anything especially…
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 rumoured to be bigger and better
iPhone rumours have been swirling for months, but new reports about Samsung's Galaxy Note 4 are a reminder that there's more than one gadget to get excited about this autumn. As you'd expect, the phablet will be an upgrade from last year's Note 3, with a significant improvement in screen resolution for the display: going…
This teenage girl teaches computers to spot cancer
This week, Florida teenager Brittany Wenger is in London to speak to the Royal Society of Medicine about her artificial intelligence software, which could help doctors to diagnose breast cancer more quickly and easily, the BBC reports. The 19-year old built the prototype software after her cousin was diagnosed with breast cancer. It's a type…
