Stories by Nick Barber

E3 2014: For Microsoft's Xbox One there's a single focus

When head of Microsoft's Xbox division Phil Spencer took the stage ahead of E3 and said the company's presentation would be all about games this year, he wasn't kidding.

Microsoft calls Surface Pro 3 tablet "laptop replacement"

Microsoft introduced its latest tablet, the Surface Pro 3 at an event in New York Tuesday.

How to change the voice on your Android phone

Changing the voice used for navigation on an Android phone from robotic to something more natural is easy, but buried in the menus.

Inside United Airlines' nerve center

When Tracy Lee talks about the weather he's not just making idle conversation.

Facebook's F8 keynote in two minutes

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that users will be able to have fine grain control over what information Facebook applications see. The social network will also allow users to access apps anonymously.

80s video game updated with Oculus Rift, Kinect

What do you get when you combine an Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, a Kinect motion tracking sensor, multiple computers and a video game from the 1980s? PaperDude VR, a project presented at the Computer Human Interaction conference in Toronto th...

Microsoft's prototype keyboard understands gestures

Microsoft's research division has developed a keyboard that can interpret basic hand gestures, potentially bridging a gap between touch devices and more traditional input methods.

CHI 2014: Inkjet printer builds custom circuit boards

Printing a circuit board on your home inkjet printer and creating basic electronics is what Microsoft Research hopes will be the future for hobbyists and makers.

Inside Casio's G-Shock watch "torture chamber"

Japanese watchmaker Casio is known for its G-Shock, a rugged brand of watches that can take a lot of abuse. At the company's R&D center in western Tokyo G-Shocks are put through a series of punishing tests.

Home inkjet printer fabricates circuit boards on photo paper

Using a home inkjet printer, special ink and photo paper, scientists from Microsoft Research have created what they hope will be the future for fabricating basic electronics. Presented at CHI 2014 in Toronto, the project uses "circuit stickers" which...

How to selectively delete browser history

Rather than delete your entire browsing history after visiting a website you want to keep secret, there's an easy way to remove individual sites.

Rapid Reaction: Businesses unfriend Facebook

Puzzled by Facebook's news feed algorithm some businesses are dropping their presence on the social network in frustration. Zach Miners of IDG News Service breaks it down.