The prototype platform uses ship traffic signals to track fishing activity Google has helped launch an ambitious project combining cloud computing, big data and satellite networks to monitor global fishing activity with an eye to curb overfishing. Global Fishing Watch, formed with environmental groups Skytruth and Oceana, is described as the first global view of commercial fishing based on satellite data analysis. It’s intended to “give citizens a simple, online platform to visualize, track and share information about fishing activity worldwide,” according to a release from Oceana. A prototype of the…

The Nokia smartphone brand is officially dead. After a year of keeping the Nokia branding on its newly acquired mobile phone unit, Microsoft has unveiled the first  model—the Lumia 535—that ditches Nokia’s logo and stands on its own as a product from the Redmond, Wash., software giant. But aside from this branding milestone, it’s rather odd that the Lumia 535 is getting so much attention, given its specifications. The device is designed for budget-conscious shoppers who are seeking entry- to mid-level smartphones. Usually a device of this class wouldn’t get…

Microsoft has sent out an email to Windows Phone developers, informing them that after December 31st, Windows Phone 7.x devices will no longer be able to unlock for app testing purposes. This move is intended to convince app developers who are still coding Windows Phone 7.x apps (for some odd reason) to update their apps to the latest operating system (Windows Phone 8.1). For those of you who are not familiar, developers are able to unlock their device for app testing. This allows app developers to hit a button in Visual Studio while…

University researchers hail advances in light technologies that could lead to creation of all-optical systems University researchers have uncovered a way to manipulate glass that could help radically speed up computer data transfer and processing times by drawing on the power of light. The material could potentially allow computers to transfer information using light and, in turn, speed up system processing speeds, researchers from the University of Surrey, University of Cambridge and the University of Southampton have announced. Using a process called ion doping, the researchers were able to alter…

The spectrum, in the 2.3GHz and 3.4GHz bands, is mostly in the hands of the Ministry of Defence right now, but will be up for grabs in late 2015 or early 2016. British mobile carriers and their customers should get more capacity in the coming years – the country’s communications regulator, Ofcom, has launched a consultation (PDF) on the auction of valuable radio spectrum that’s already being used for mobile broadband in countries such as India, China and Australia. All going well, the spectrum will go up for auction in late 2015…