The UK’s ‘Brexit-proof’ tech startups land Christmas number one for European funding December 20, 2018 British tech firms brought in more funding from venture capital firms than any other country in Europe in 2018, as well as achieving the highest amount of exits. Startups in the UK attracted £6.3bn in venture backing this year, according to new figures released today by Tech Nation and Dealroom. In the same period, the [...]
Qualcomm triumphs against Apple in German iPhone hardware case December 20, 2018 A court in Germany has ruled that Apple infringed a hardware patent owned by chipmaker Qualcomm in some of its iPhone models. The judge said the US firm will not be able to sell some iPhone models in Germany containing an Intel chip from Apple supplier Qorvo, which violated one of Qualcomm's patents around so-called envelope [...]
Snapchat filter brings Big Ben back to life for Christmas December 20, 2018 Snapchat today unveiled a new filter that will bring Big Ben back to life for Westminster visitors over the Christmas period. The iconic clock tower is currently undergoing repair work and the Great Bell, known as Big Ben, has been silent since August last year. But the photo app will now strip away the scaffolding, [...]
Billionaire Elon Musk to attempt fresh Space X rocket launch in US national security mission December 20, 2018 Space X chief Elon Musk's Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to attempt to launch again this afternoon, after two previously-scheduled launches this week were cancelled due to last-minute technical issues. The rocket is set to carry a satellite worth roughly $500m (£393.7m) built by Lockheed Martin up to space, taking off from Florida at around 2pm GMT. [...]
For Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google, 2018 was the year when trust in the tech giants evaporated December 20, 2018 The Faangs (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google-owner Alphabet) have been the darlings of the stock market for years. These tech giants have helped to change how we shop, communicate, work – even how we watch movies. But as they have grown in size, fears have also grown, especially about what they may do with so [...]
Facebook shares down after investigation reveals true extent of data-sharing with other tech giants December 19, 2018 Facebook’s shares fell 6 per cent today after an investigation revealed the company gave big tech companies far greater access to users’ personal data than it had previously admitted. The social media giant let Microsoft’s Bing search engine see the names of virtually all users’ friends without their permission, according to reports. The New York [...]
Alibaba-backed dockless bicycle startup Ofo facing bankruptcy December 19, 2018 Chinese bike-sharing startup Ofo has reportedly considered filing for bankruptcy, after coming under "immense" financial pressure resulting from a lack of cash flow. The firm, which operates a yellow dockless bicycle scheme across London and in other cities, has raised more than $2.2bn (£1.7bn) in funding since it was founded in 2014 from the likes of tech giant [...]
The year crypto went crazy: what’s next for bitcoin in 2019? December 19, 2018 This was the year the world woke up to cryptocurrencies. When the Bitcoin price bubble burst in December last year, having hit almost $20,000 (£15,886) per coin in value, governments, banks and tech giants alike began to sit up and take notice. The City was faced with a decision: is Bitcoin a vehicle for fraud [...]
Elon Musk unveils the first high-speed Boring hyperloop tunnel in California December 19, 2018 Entrepreneur and Tesla chief Elon Musk has lifted the curtain on the first tunnel completed by his underground high-speed rail venture the Boring Company. In a 30-minute presentation, Musk described the 1.14 mile tunnel as a breakthrough in counteracting the "soul-destroying" traffic of Los Angeles, California. Despite previously suggesting the public would be offered free [...]
Big pharma: GSK to split as it forms £9.8bn consumer health venture with Pfizer December 19, 2018 British pharmaceuticals group Glaxosmithkline (GSK) has revealed it has entered into an agreement with US rival Pfizer to combine their consumer health businesses into one joint venture, expected to bring in sales of approximately £9.8bn. GSK said it will hold a majority controlling interest in the new venture at 68 per cent, while Pfizer will [...]