Amazon’s facing another EU investigation – this time its ebooks business is under the microscope June 11, 2015 Amazon is the latest US tech firm to face the scrutiny of regulators in Europe. The European Commission has opened a new investigation into the retail giant, this time putting its ebook business under the microscope. Brussels will be taking a closer look at Amazon's contracts with publishers and whether the deals are anticompetitive and [...]
Middle-class kids are selfish, and it’s bad for their health June 11, 2015 Richer children tend to be more selfish than their poorer counterparts – and this could be hurting their health. A new scientific study has found that children as young as four could reap health benefits from being more altruistic. But this behaviour is “less common among kids from high-income families”, the research, published in [...]
WWDC 2015: Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference showcases the tech we’ll all be using in the months ahead June 10, 2015 APPLE PAY The rollout of Apple Pay marks a new era for contactless payment and it’s going to be here as soon as July. After a successful trial in the US, Apple has teamed up with most major British banks so all you need to do is register your credit or debit card on [...]
Ocado’s making robots that will help in the workplace June 10, 2015 The online grocery company Ocado is getting into the robot business as work begins today on developing technology which will become humanoid helpers to workers. The company will work with leading researchers across Europe to combine artificial intelligence, machine learning and advanced vision technologies to create robot support worker which can lend a helping hand. [...]
51 per cent of Facebook’s advertising revenue comes from overseas June 10, 2015 Facebook brings in more advertising revenue from overseas than it does in the United States, company executives have said. Some 51 per cent of global advertising sales in the first quarter of 2015 were from overseas – with the fastest growth in Asia. Total advertising revenue for the first quarter increased 46 per cent – [...]
Spotify reveals user numbers after Apple Music launch as TeliaSonera funding pushes valuation to $8bn June 10, 2015 Spotify has revealed the number of users it has, just days after the launch of a rival music streaming service by Apple dubbed a "Spotify killer". The service which made music streaming popular now counts 75m active users – growth of 88 per cent since May last year – while the number of subscribers has [...]
Vodafone Connect: Broadband and home phone service launched to rival BT June 10, 2015 Vodafone is taking on BT's telecoms dominance with the launch of its own home phone and broadband service today. Read more: BT takes a shot at Sky with Champions League launch Vodafone Connect will offer new and existing customers in the UK broadband speeds of up to 76mb with "ultra-fast fibre", as it seeks to put itself [...]
“Let me tell you about my trouble with girls” – British Nobel laureate Sir Tim Hunt says men and women shouldn’t work together June 10, 2015 “Let me tell you about my trouble with girls,” British Nobel laureate Sir Tim Hunt said. "Three things happen when they are in the lab: you fall in love with them, they fall in love with you, and when you criticise them they cry." The 72 year-old won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine [...]
Drunken monkeys: Chimpanzees are helping evolutionary scientists by getting drunk (lucky them) June 10, 2015 A group of wild chimpanzees getting drunk on palm wine are helping scientists understand more about evolution. Chimps in Guinea, west Africa, discovered they could extract alcohol – ranging in strength from 3.1 per cent to 6.9 per cent – from raffia palms that had been tapped by people. They used leaf sponges to [...]
Apple Pay in the UK: These are the retailers and restaurants signed up for the July launch June 9, 2015 Some of the UK's biggest retailers are lining up to start accepting Apple Pay when it launches in the UK next month. As well as being able to use your iPhone or Apple Watch to seamlessly glide through ticket barriers on the Tube, the Silicon Valley giant has its finger hovering over the button [...]