Ring rinses customers with 43% price hike for subscription
Users of Ring video doorbells have reacted angrily to a huge price hike set to be introduced in March. After buying the devices, customers can pay a subscription to store footage on the cloud, download clips and get discounted products. That subscription is going up 43%, from £34.99 to £49.99 per device, per year, for basic…
FCC makes AI-generated ‘robocalls’ illegal, Google Bard becomes Gemini
The federal agency that regulates communication in the US has made robocalls that use AI-generated voices illegal. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the move on Thursday, saying it will take effect immediately. It gives the state power to prosecute any bad actors behind these calls, the FCC said. It comes amid a rise in…
Ofcom investigates Virgin Media over migration from analogue to digital landlines
Ofcom has opened an investigation into Virgin Media’s compliance with its rules while migrating customers from analogue to digital landlines. In a statement it said: "We have been clear that during this process telecoms companies must ensure they identify, protect and support vulnerable customers. We are concerned about Virgin Media’s compliance with our rules requiring providers…
UK Space Agency announces funding to extend satellite life and tackle space debris
Satellite Applications Catapult’s In-Orbit Servicing and Manufacturing facility, Westcott Space Cluster. Image shows the robot tracking equipment, with a target satellite and the Airbus VISPA robotic arm. Credit: Airbus Defence and Space The UK Space Agency has announced funding for work that aims to prolong the life of satellites, as part…
Disney invests $1.5 billion into maker of Fortnite, Nuclear Fusion energy record set
Disney's chief executive, Bob Iger, has announced a series of moves which he hopes will bring "significant growth" to the entertainment giant. The plans include streaming an exclusive version of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour concert movie on Disney+. The firm will also invest $1.5bn (£1.2bn) in Epic Games, the maker of the hugely popular video…
Sky hikes annual prices by average of 6.7%
Sky internet, phone and Pay TV customers have today been told to brace for an average annual price hike of 6.7%, down from 8.1% last year. This will be introduced from 1st April 2024. While Sky has traditionally shunned the inflationary (CPI/RPI) linked price hike policies of their rivals, which in recent years has resulted…
Drive Electric expands EV benefits for EDF customers
DriveElectric is lowering the cost of driving an electric vehicle (EV) even further, it claims, by launching additional new cost-saving features to expand the benefits of its salary sacrifice scheme for EDF’s small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) business customers. The salary sacrifice scheme can now include the option of a Pod Point home charger, a…
Meta to label all fake AI images, record fall in fossil fuel use across EU and UK
AI generated images (Image: Full Fact) Meta says it will introduce technology that can detect and label images generated by other companies' artificial intelligence (AI) tools. It will be deployed on its platforms Facebook, Instagram and Threads. Meta already labels AI images generated by its own systems. It says it hopes…
Facebook struggling with deep fake video, Apple Vision Pro’s weaknesses revealed
The Apple Vision Pro has already been torn to pieces – and experts believe it has shown its “achilles heel”. The new augmented reality headset was released on 2 February, at $3,499 and after years of rumours. One of the first to buy one was iFixit, the website that tears technology apart in an attempt to understand…
Safer Internet Day 2024: Three in four parents worried about online harms
Almost half of children and three-quarters of parents and carers are worried about safety risks amidst fast-paced technological developments such as generative AI. New research released by the UK Safer Internet Centre (UKSIC), coordinators of Safer Internet Day in the UK, reveals that while young people are excited about how developments and changes in technology…
