China’s Xiaomi lifts the lid on its first 5G smartphone with a sliding camera February 24, 2019 Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has unveiled its first 5G phone, priced far lower than any of its counterparts. Xiaomi's director of product management Donovan Sung told attendees at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that the Mi Mix 3 5G will start at €599 (£520) when it launches in May. By way of comparison, Samsung's 5G phone which [...]
Virgin Galactic rocket reaches space for second time February 23, 2019 Virgin Galactic reached space for the second time yesterday and broke its speed and altitude records, carrying three crew members. Spaceship VSS Unity travelled at Mach 3.04 at 265,00ft in Virgin’s fifth supersonic rocket powered test flight in California. Chief pilot Dave Mackay and co-pilot Michael “Sooch” Masucci became commercial astronauts and the 569th and [...]
Japanese space probe Hayabusa 2 successfully lands on asteroid February 22, 2019 A Japanese space probe has touched down on an asteroid 186 miles from Earth to collect samples that scientists hope will shed clues about the origins of life. The spacecraft, Hayabusa 2, named after the Japanese word for falcon, landed on the 3,000ft asteroid Ryugu this morning, more than four years after it launched from [...]
Picture perfect: Pinterest confidentially files for IPO in the latest up and coming tech float February 22, 2019 Pinterest has reportedly filed for an initial public offering (IPO), as Silicon Valley gears up for a busy year of tech startup listings. The online image search platform, known for the food and fashion photos its users post, is planning for a late-June listing and is seeking a valuation of at least $12bn, it is reported. Read [...]
Blackberry completes $1.4bn deal for AI firm Cylance February 22, 2019 Blackberry has completed its $1.4bn acquisition of US artificial intelligence company Cylance. The deal will drive forward the development of Blackberry Spark, the Canadian company’s secure communications platform for the Internet of Things. Read more: Blackberry buys artificial intelligence firm Cylance for $1.4bn Cylance will continue to operate as a separate business unit within the [...]
Artificial intelligence could lead to huge rewards, but we must break down the barriers to AI adoption February 22, 2019 Data, both the business and personal kind, is fast becoming an essential utility like transport, energy, and water. It is critical to the efficient functioning of modern life, and I honestly do not believe that we could do without it. How we live, administer, manufacture, invest, plan, research, sell, buy, deliver, and even connect with [...]
Elon Musk denies claims Tesla is getting involved in bitcoin February 21, 2019 Elon Musk has said Tesla has no plans to get involved with bitcoin at the moment, believing that the cryptocurrency is not an efficient use of the company’s resources. The Tesla chief executive praised cryptocurrency as a potential replacement for paper money in an interview on FYI, a podcast by ARK Investment published today. “Crypto is [...]
Space X and Boeing design risks threaten US access to the International Space Station February 21, 2019 Nasa has warned Space X and Boeing about safety concerns for their competing astronaut launch systems, threatening to delay US plans to revive its human spaceflight programme later this year. Nasa forged agreements with Space X for $2.6bn (£2bn) and Boeing for $4.2bn to build rocket and capsule launch systems to take astronauts to the International Space [...]
Playtech shares rise as it plots €40m buyback after drop in profits February 21, 2019 British gambling software provider Playtech saw shares rise almost nine per cent today as it announced a €40m (£34.7m) share buyback scheme after full-year profits plummeted. Read more: Paddy Power buys stake in Georgia's biggest online betting firm The figures Total revenue for 2018 grew 54 per cent year on year to €1.24bn. But net profit slumped 50 per [...]
Huawei takes ground from Apple and Samsung in smartphone war February 21, 2019 Tech giants Apple and Samsung are losing their grip on the smartphone market to cheaper rivals such as China’s Huawei, as the sector looks increasingly trapped in a slowdown. Research by consultancy firm Gartner found global smartphone sales stalled in the final quarter of last year year, growing just 0.1 per cent from the end [...]