Technology
Google Assistant aspires to be likable rather than life-like
AI is brushing up on its social skills to become a better conversationalist, but it's not designed to fool anyone into thinking it's human, says Google VP.
- by Adam Turner
Latest
Social media
Facebook suspends 200 apps following Cambridge Analytica scandal
Apps set to undergo a 'thorough investigation' into whether they had misused user data.
- by Tony Romm & Drew Harwell
Analysis
Phones
Project Treble points to Android's less-fragmented future
How Google plans to get its latest features and security updates onto phones that might otherwise miss out.
- by Peter Wells
Innovation
Elon Musk's SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches into space before landing itself on ship
Minutes after taking off, the rocket's main-stage booster flew itself back to Earth to land safely on a vessel in the Pacific Ocean.
Robots
'What do you do?': Jogging robot video freaks out the internet
Few things succeed in riling up the Internet faster, unleashing a unique cocktail of amazement and terror, than a new Boston Dynamics robot video.
- by Peter Holley
Software
Hands on with Android P: Google's biggest mobile update in years
With a beta preview of Android's next major version now available, and several features highlighted by Google at I/O, here are five notable changes.
- by Tim Biggs
Security
Alexa and Siri can hear this hidden command. You can't.
Researchers have begun demonstrating that they can send commands that are undetectable to the human ear to Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa and Google's Assistant.
- by Craig Smith
US 'net neutrality' rules to end
The US Federal Communications Commission said the Obama-era "net neutrality" rules will expire on June 11th.
eSports
Aussies celebrate StarCraft's return as original esport grows
Twenty years after the release of the original game, the Aussie StarCraft community finally experienced its long-awaited watershed moment at IEM Sydney.
- by Alex Manisier
Games
The Adventure Pals review: hot dogs and hilarity in post-modern platformer
An uncomplicated game full of off-beat charm, Adventure Pals stands on its own strengths despite its clear cartoon inspiration.
- by Tim Biggs
Home tech
Snuggly rascals headphones for kids are a great idea, poorly executed
If there's anything that's going to kill a young person's enjoyment of music fast it's headphones that reproduce it badly.
- by Rod Easdown