Sony makes experimental paper watch

28 November 2014 Last updated at 15:42 By Dave Lee Technology reporter, BBC News

Sony has developed a watch made from e-paper as part of an initiative to experiment with the use of the material for fashion products.

The Fes Watch has a minimalist, monochrome design but falls short of the features offered by smartwatches.

However, the battery of the e-paper watch could last far longer with an estimated 60 days of use.

The device has been described as "retro and cool" by gadget expert Stuart Miles from Pocket-lint.

"One of my predictions for next year is that fashion is going to play a huge part in shaping the tech industry.

"Having a phone that's big and square is one thing, but if we're actually wearing things, it has to look good."

The watch face and straps have an e-paper display - comparable to the technology used in e-book readers such as Amazon's Kindle.

It means the watch can alternate between several different styles of watch face and strap design.

Shoes and bow-ties

According to the Wall Street Journal, Sony had deliberately kept the development of the watch low-key, opting to use a spin-off division called Fashion Entertainments to work on the device.

Fashion Entertainments ran a crowdfunding campaign to fund the watch's creation, the WSJ reported, in an attempt to gauge the public's interest in the concept.

It raised 3.5 million yen ($30,000; £19,000).

"We hid Sony's name because we wanted to test the real value of the product, whether there will be demand for our concept," a person involved in the project told the newspaper. A spokeswoman for Sony confirmed to the BBC that Fashion Entertainments is a division of company's New Business Creation Department, and was working on a number of e-paper prototypes.

Other e-paper experiments being worked on by Fashion Entertainments include shoes, bow-ties and glasses.

One drawback of using e-paper rather than, for example, liquid-crystal displays (LCD) is a limitation on possible features due to the limitations of what e-paper can display.

However, Mr Miles said he did not envision that being too significant a drawback for e-paper wearable technology.

"Look at traditional watches now, they just tell the time and we're happy with that," he said, noting that one of the most popular smartwatches on the market, the Pebble, uses e-paper.

Sony has not provided a date for the Fes Watch's release.

Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC

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Ubisoft apologises for Assassin bugs

27 November 2014 Last updated at 13:58 By Leo Kelion Technology desk editor

The head of the games studio behind Assassin's Creed Unity has emailed players apologising for bugs in the video game and offering them free content.

Yannis Mallat, chief executive of Ubisoft Montreal & Toronto, wrote that it had been a "humbling" experience.

He is the latest in a series of software bosses to pen such an apology after a glitch-ridden release.

Experts said Ubisoft needed to act to protect its reputation.

"Assassin's Creed is Ubisoft's most important, bestselling franchise, and it's also generally the firm's most anticipated series by gamers," said Keza MacDonald, UK editor of gaming news site Kotaku.

"The fact that after Unity came out, the conversation has been almost entirely about how many bugs it's got and how broken it is in certain areas, is really, really damaging for the company."

Missing faces

Ubisoft has traditionally had a more consumer-friendly reputation than some of its rivals.

However, its brand had already been under pressure after May's release of Watch Dogs, which many critics had suggested failed to deliver the quality of graphics shown off at the E3 trade show before its release.

The issues with French Revolution-set Assassin's Creed Unity were even more clear-cut. Glitches meant the protagonist could fall through the ground, become stuck in hay carts, encounter invisible walls and, at times, parts of his face could become invisible.

In addition, frame rate problems and outright crashes led to criticism that the title was not ready for release - particularly the version for PCs.

"Unfortunately, at launch, the overall quality of the game was diminished by bugs and unexpected technical issues," wrote Mr Mallat.

"I want to sincerely apologise on behalf of Ubisoft and the entire Assassin's Creed team."

He added that the company had already released three sets of fixes to address problems with the game's stability, performance and connectivity, and promised more patches to come.

"Please keep your feedback coming - it has been both humbling and incredibly helpful as we continue working hard to improve the overall quality of the game," Mr Mallat wrote.

Consumers who bought the basic version of the title are being offered an as yet unreleased add-on story for free.

Those who purchased a "season pass" - which provides a copy of all future downloadable content (DLC) additions - have been offered another complete game of their choice.

Options include the firm's recently released blockbuster Far Cry 4 as well as the forthcoming racing game The Crew.

"This is extraordinarily generous," commented Ms MacDonald.

"A lot of the time when you get a compensation offer from a publisher it's a back catalogue game or something relatively low value.

"It's not a full entire £55 next-generation title that's just been released or hasn't even come out yet.

"That's surprising to me."

Pressure to publish

Ubisoft's email came days after Bonnie Ross, the head of Microsoft's 343 Industries studio, offered her "heartfelt apologies" for delays in fixing problems with multiplayer battles in the recently released sci-fi shooter series, Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

And last week, World of Warcraft's executive producer J Allen Brack wrote to players apologising for "stumbling out of the gates" with the Warlords of Draenor expansion to the role-playing title.

Some gamers have had to queue for hours to be able to log into Blizzard's systems in order to start playing. They have been given a five-day extension to their subscriptions as compensation.

High-profile apologies for launch day software glitches are by no means limited to gaming.

Last week,Evernote's vice president of mobile products Jamie Hull emailed users acknowledging it did "not do a good job" with the release of the new version of its Penultimate handwriting app.

"Simply put, we released this version too soon... We're sorry. We screwed up," he wrote.

However, there is a growing perception that after the release of a number games that took months to fix - including Driveclub, Battlefield 4 and Rome 2: Total War - that publishers might be rushing some titles to market before they are ready.

"There's a pressure to get games out on time and on budget," said Piers Harding-Rolls, head of games at the IHS Technology consultancy.

"With the increased flexibility to send out updates on a regular basis there may be a temptation that if the game is not 100% correct, the publisher can ship a patch in a few days or weeks to correct issues.

"But there are plenty of games that are released that are great and finished. And there are plenty of others that have been delayed until next year, presumably because some weren't ready to be released on to the market.

"Obviously Ubisoft made a decision to release Assassin's Creed Unity on its scheduled date, perhaps because it had internal deadlines and financial targets that it had to meet. But the result is that it's had to provide significant recompense to early adopters of the game due to the number of bugs, which will inevitably hit the bottom line."

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Airport raids tackle cyberthieves

28 November 2014 Last updated at 11:54

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Wil Van Gemert, Europol: This fraud costs up to a billion dollars a year

Cyberthieves who used stolen credit cards to buy airline tickets have been targeted in a series of raids.

Europol co-ordinated the raids at airports, targeting people who were trying to travel using a fraudulently bought ticket.

In total, 118 people were arrested at 80 airports in 45 countries during the raids.

Airlines lose more than $1bn (£640m) a year to the trade in fraudulent tickets, said Europol.

"Airlines are fighting credit card fraud on their ticket sales on daily basis," said Meta Backman from the European airline fraud prevention group in a statement. "It is clear to the airlines that they are up against organised crime in this fight."

Europol said the raids marked the start of an initiative called Global Airport Action, which will build on the links forged between police forces, airlines and credit card companies in preparation for the raids.

These links helped to spot when tickets bought with stolen cards were being used to check in at an airport during the two days of the action. Police officers then swooped on the individuals using the tickets. Command centres in The Hague, Singapore and Bogota helped to direct the checking of tickets and travel documents as well as identifying individuals arrested.

Some of those arrested were already known to police and had been arrested before for trading in tickets.

In a statement, Europol said the stolen credit cards also helped organised crime groups keep operating and to facilitate the drug trade and human trafficking.

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European MPs want Google break-up

27 November 2014 Last updated at 12:15

The European Parliament has voted in favour of breaking Google up, as a solution to complaints that it favours its own services in search results.

Politicians have no power to enforce a break-up, but the landmark vote sends a clear message to European regulators to get tough on the net giant.

US politicians and trade bodies have voiced their dismay at the vote.

The ultimate decision will rest with EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager.

She has inherited the anti-competitive case lodged by Google's rivals in 2010.

Google has around 90% market share for search in Europe and rivals asked the commission to investigate four areas:

• The manner in which Google displays its own vertical search services compared with other, competing products
• How Google copies content from other websites - such as restaurant reviews - to include within its own services
• The exclusivity Google has to sell advertising around the search terms people use
• Restrictions on advertisers from moving their online ad campaigns to rival search engines

Predecessor Joaquin Almunia tried and failed to settle the case. A series of concessions made by Google were rejected, leading Mr Almunia to suggest that the only option was a fine. This could be up to $5bn.

The Commission has never before ordered the break-up of any company, and many believe it is unlikely to do so now.

But politicians are desperate to find a solution to the long-running anti-competitive dispute with Google.

The motion brought by Andreas Schwab, a German Christian Democrat, and Spanish liberal Ramon Tremosa stated that the best way to resolve the row with the net giant was to separate search engines from other commercial services thereby ensuring a level playing field for rivals in Europe.

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Law ends regulator logo on devices

27 November 2014 Last updated at 13:18

Electronic devices sold in the US are no longer required to display regulatory symbols and text, after a new law was passed.

The E-Labels Act said products such as smartphones and tablets could instead provide the information within the device's software.

There has been no change in the European law, so firms will still be required to display the "CE" mark.

Tech companies wanted a change to save design space as devices get smaller.

The symbols are designed to help make it clear to consumers that a product is compliant with the standards set out by regulators in respective countries.

The criteria for gaining a mark involves meeting various safety and environmental benchmarks.

Forging one of the marks can, in some countries, result in a fine or imprisonment.

Conformite

But in satisfying the regulators in different markets, devices have become increasingly cluttered.

A typical smartphone that is sold across major markets will carry a logo for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), a logo to show a device complies with waste disposal regulations, and a warning symbol over data frequencies.

For European markets, a CE mark must be displayed - standing for Conformite Europeenne, which translates as European Conformity.

In addition, devices often carry various registration ID numbers.

Already taking up considerable space on smartphones, the trend to smaller gadgets like smartwatches makes the multitude of logos a problem for those packing a lot into small designs.

The bill calling for the E-Label Act read: "As devices become smaller, compliance with physical label requirements can become more difficult and costly.

"Many manufacturers and consumers of licensed devices in the United States would prefer to have the option to provide or receive important Commission labelling information digitally on the screen of the device."

'Common sense'

The E-Label Act, signed by President Barack Obama, will at least alleviate the need to display the logos required by US authorities.

A menu function within the device will display all relevant information instead.

However, companies will, for the time being at least, be required to display the logos of other regulators.

The new law has been welcome by several technology industry trade groups, including the Consumer Electronics Association.

"This is a common-sense approach for the digital age," it said.

"E-labelling would be cost-effective, in keeping with the consumer electronics industry's important ongoing environmental sustainability efforts and a beneficial and innovative use of today's technology."

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UK swells list of banned websites

27 November 2014 Last updated at 17:10 By Leo Kelion Technology desk editor

The High Court has ordered the biggest batch yet of piracy websites to be blocked.

The latest rulings cover 53 services in total and apply to the country's six leading net providers.

It brings the tally of blocked sites providing access to copyright-infringing content to 93 since the first restrictions began in 2012.

But one expert warned that workarounds and alternatives would probably mean users continued to break the law.

A spokesman for the Motion Picture Association - which had made 32 of the requests - said that several lists of sites had been processed at the same time, accounting for the large number involved.

They include:

• BitSoup
• IP Torrents
• Isohunt
• Sumotorrent
• Torrentdb
• Torrentfunk
• Torrentz
• Warez BB
• Rapid Moviez

"Securing court orders requiring ISPs [internet service providers] to block access to illegal websites is an accepted and legitimate measure to tackle online copyright infringement," said Chris Marcich, president of the MPA's European division.

"It carefully targets sites whose sole purpose is to make money off the back of other people's content while paying nothing back into the legitimate economy."

Twenty-one of the sites were a result of a court order prompted by the BPI, a music industry group.

Many of the services hosted links to pirated software, TV shows and ebooks in addition to films and songs.

The ISPs affected are Sky, BT, Everything Everywhere, TalkTalk, O2 and Virgin.

"BT will only block access to websites engaged in online copyright infringement when ordered by a court to do so," said the UK's biggest broadband provider, reflecting a stance shared by the other firms.

'Deters a few'

Many of the torrents used to provide downloads of the copied media are listed on multiple services, so taking a specific site offline does not necessarily prevent access to the files themselves.

However, it can make them harder to find, as well as reducing the number of advert views a blocked site received, which in turn hits the amount of income that goes to their administrators.

The UK's net providers first began blocking such sites in in May 2012 after the music industry requested the action against the Pirate Bay under the Copyright Designs and Patents Act.

"It deters a few people who can't access their usual sites, but most people will try to find ones that are not yet blocked or use VPNs [virtual private networks] or proxy sites to get the same content," said Ernesto Van Der Sar, editor of the Torrentfreak news site.

"It's making it harder - some people will decide it's just too much trouble and give up - but the overwhelming majority will still find ways to download material illegally."

The action has also spurred piracy services to become more innovative.

Recently one released code that adds film torrent links to the Motion Picture Association's own search engine, undermining its effort to inform the public where to purchase or rent legal copies.

"The Internet Services Providers' Association has long argued that web blocking is a relatively blunt tool," said the organisation's spokesman Craig Melson.

"The entertainment industry should continue to adapt its business models as consumption habits evolve with technology."

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Social media told to simplify terms

28 November 2014 Last updated at 00:04 By Rory Cellan-Jones Technology correspondent

Social networking firms including Facebook and Twitter are being told to make it clearer to members how they collect and use their data.

A report by the Commons Science and Technology Select Committee says the firms' terms and conditions are far too long and complex.

The MPs say users may not be aware of how their details can be used by websites and apps.

Any reasonable person would struggle with long privacy policies, they add.

The committee says reading such documents has been likened to "engaging with Shakespeare".

And it says that the rules have been designed for use in US courtrooms and to protect organisations in the event of legal action rather than to convey information.

The Chairman of the Committee, Andrew Miller MP, pointed to an experiment where Facebook had manipulated users' emotions by varying the stories they saw in their newsfeeds.

He said this "highlighted serious concerns about the extent to which ticking the 'terms and conditions' box can be said to constitute informed consent when it comes to the varied ways data is now being used by many websites and apps".

T&Cs updates

The report calls on the government to set standards which organisations can sign up to, promising to explain how they use personal data in clear, concise and simple terms.

Facebook recently unveiled updated terms and conditions policies that it claims are simpler and easier to read. It says it has "listened to people who have asked us to better explain how we get and use information".

Meanwhile Twitter has clarified its use of data in a blogpost, which explains that it collects data on the apps which users have on their phones in order to "deliver tailored content that you might be interested in".

This includes promoted tweets from advertisers. Twitter goes on to explain how users can turn off this form of data collection.

Relationship of trust

The Science Committee's report also says there is a problem with apps which request information which they do not obviously need, so as to provide their service.

It says companies should have a greater responsibility to explain why they need to collect information.

The government does not escape criticism in the report.

The Committee cites the NHS Care data programme, which was delayed after concerns about patient privacy.

This is described as an example of where the relationship of trust between data collector and customer failed to develop.

The report says the government must learn lessons and assess the impact on privacy of policies that collect, retain or process personal data.

Listen to Rory on Tech Tent on Fridays at 1630GMT on BBC World Service or catch the podcast.

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