When we think about innovations in virtual reality, we often think about technological advances: sleeker headsets, more realistic images, gloves that touch what isn’t there. But for VR luminary Chris Milk, the next step forward is something simpler: hanging out with your friends. Milk is the co-founder, with Aaron Koblin, of VR and multimedia company Within …

The UK government’s system for spying on internet use and phone records has been ruled unlawful. Appeal court judges confirmed on Tuesday that the foundations of Britain’s mass digital surveillance programme give police and intelligence agencies too much leeway to access confidential information. According to the ruling, the current system doesn’t do enough to limit snooping to those involved in …

If you can’t make it to the Winter Olympics, you can still step inside the stadium — as Eurosport captures the action in virtual reality. This year’s Winter Olympic Games kick off in PyeongChang in South Korea on 9 Feb. Through a dedicated Eurosport VR app you’ll be able to watch events including skiing, curling, figure skating, ice hockey and …

I weigh the rock in my hand, then toss it back to the ground. I run my hand across some tall grass, feeling the stems ripple, flatten and spring back. Then I reach out and take hold of a cloud and pull it toward me. None of these objects exist. The rock, grass and cloud are all figments of virtual …

Phones can be expensive. So if you could get a chunk of change knocked off your next phone, what would you be prepared to put up with? How about adverts on the lock screen? British phone manufacturer Wileyfox has introduced Add-X, a scheme to knock up to 42 per cent off the price of the actually pretty decent Swift 2 and …

OK Waze, what’s new? The navigation app has added voice control so you can ask questions or change your destination as you drive without taking your hands off the wheel. Like voice control assistants Siri and Alexa, you talk to the app by first saying “OK Waze”. Then you can ask for an ETA, or ask to be routed to …

Twitter founder Jack Dorsey has responded to reports a suspected serial killer in Japan preyed on vulnerable users of the online service. Appearing on NHK, Dorsey called the case “extremely sad” but ruled out the possibility of Twitter deleting the kind of tweets that may have attracted the killer. Tokyo man Takahiro Shiraishi, 27, was arrested on suspicion of murdering …

Now playing: Watch this: Aibo the robot dog really looks alive 2:08 Sony is letting Aibo off the leash once again. The cutesy toy robot dog first appeared in 1999 before being, ahem, “sent to a farm” in 2006. Now a new model will launch in 2018 that reacts to voice commands and to being petted. It will also perform …

First it was mod. Then it was punk. London’s Carnaby Street has long been a place where music and youth culture explode together to create a teenage revolution. Today, there’s a small corner of this iconic street where the world of music meets the 21st century’s biggest youth sensation: YouTube. A few storeys above the oblivious milling tourists, in an …

You can now use Alexa to choose your next track in Amazon Music, no matter what kind of phone you have. Amazon’s voice-controlled personal assistant Alexa will be built into the Amazon Music streaming app for iOS and Android in the UK, US, Germany and Austria. The app gives you access to Amazon Music Unlimited, a rival to Spotify and …