Airbnb is about to muscle in on the professional property management business May 19, 2015 Flat rental site Airbnb may have built its reputation on the sharing economy – but with a valuation of about $20bn, it was only a matter of time before it got into the professional property management business. Read more: Escape it all – the 21 most deliciously remote Airbnb rentals Now, it's been reported the [...]
Google is racing (at 25mph) ahead in the self-driving car wars May 18, 2015 Fed up waiting for Tesla's self-driving car to emerge? Us too. Luckily Google has the answer. The Silicon Valley giant is releasing its prototype fleet of self-driving cars this summer ahead of a “small pilot” in the coming years. According to Chris Urmson, director of Google's self-driving car project, “a few” of the vehicles [...]
UK tech boom leads to surge in young directors setting up firms May 17, 2015 The UK boasts over 26,000 directors aged 21 or under as the boom in tech startups continues to propel young talent to the top of the corporate ladder. The new research, released today by professional services consultancy Procore, praises the UK “raising a generation of entrepreneurs.” Procore identifies the increasing role of technology in the [...]
Carl Icahn just invested $100m in Uber rival Lyft valuing it at $2.5bn May 15, 2015 The well-known activist investor Carl Icahn has made a massive investment in Uber rival Lyft. The underdog taxi hailing startup is getting a $100m (£63m) from the outspoken investor's Icahn Enterprises. It's an unusual move for Icahn who holds stakes in larger companies such as Apple and eBay Lyft has exclusive membership of the so-called [...]
The firmer your handshake the healthier your heart, new study finds May 14, 2015 There's nothing worse than being on the end of a damp squib of a handshake – whether it's sweaty palms, a limp wrist or an overly long hand holding – but now, a weak handshake could even be a sign of early death. The firmness of your handshake has been linked to how healthy your [...]
Apple Watch review: It’s not perfect, but it’s still the best smartwatch out there May 14, 2015 The most hotly awaited device of the year bears all the hallmarks of the Cupertino company. Apple is the master of selling products that nobody knew they wanted. A phone with a computer in it? Yeah, you’re going to want that. A massive version of a phone that doesn’t make calls? Trust us. But a [...]
Fitness Tracker: How useful is technology in the quest to get healthy? May 13, 2015 Last year I underwent a 10-week fitness program with City gym No 1 Fitness. It involved four personal training sessions a week and eliminating carbs and sugar from my diet. Unsurprisingly, it worked; I ended up fitter than I’d ever been. But how easy is it to get to that level of fitness if you [...]
A whole swarm of robots can now be controlled with just the swipe of a finger May 13, 2015 It is now possible to control an entire fleet of robots just by gently swiping the screen of a smart tablet. The machines, which look more like cute toys than man-killing monsters, are drawn to wherever there is a beam of red light, and this can be determined by where you place your finger [...]
London house prices: Allsop to auction new-build London flats online – so you can bid on a home from your sofa May 13, 2015 Bargain hunters are used to getting their hands on decrepit "fixer-uppers" at auction. But for the first time ever next month, they will be able to get their hands on a set of sparkly new flats – in an online auction. Auctioneers Allsop will sell off homes at the West Drayton Waterside development, on the [...]
Unhealthy lifestyles are taking their toll: The number of young people suffering strokes is on the rise May 12, 2015 The number of working-age people suffering strokes is going up, and it's largely the result of our unhealthy and sedentary lifestyles. Research by the Stroke Association charity shows how in England last year, 6,221 men aged 40-54 were admitted to hospital for the condition, which was 1,961 more than in 2000. For women falling [...]