Softbank mulls majority stake in Wework October 10, 2018 Softbank is reportedly in talks to take up a majority stake in co-working giant Wework, despite the firm tripling its losses last year. Sources told Reuters the pricing and valuation of the deal has not been confirmed, while the Wall Street Journal earlier reported the investment could be between $15bn (£11.4bn) and $20bn from Softbank's Vision Fund. The fund [...]
Google files appeal against EU’s €4.3bn Android antitrust fine October 10, 2018 Google's parent firm Alphabet has filed an appeal against the EU's record-breaking €4.3bn antitrust fine for its Android operating system. The tech giant was charged by regulators over "serious illegal behaviour" with its Android operating system in July. Brussels ruled that Google had forced smartphone makers to favour its own products such as Search and Chrome [...]
Western Union launches Transferwise rival service in UK October 10, 2018 Western Union is gearing up to face innovation head-on as it launches a digital bank account transfer service in the UK, competing with major fintech startups such as Transferwise for command of the market. UK consumers will now be able to send up to £50,000 from the Western Union app or website directly into other bank accounts around [...]
Google launches photo-fixing Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL models October 9, 2018 Google has launched its highly anticipated Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, revealing new photography features and an improved digital zoom. The two models come with cameras on the front of the handsets and one on the rear, while a second wide-angle lens has been added to the face of the phone to make it [...]
Google preparing to appeal EU’s €4.3bn Android fine October 9, 2018 Google is expected to challenge European competition authorities tomorrow, as the deadline to appeal the EU's record-breaking €4.3bn fine against its parent firm Alphabet comes to pass. The tech giant was charged by regulators over "serious illegal behaviour" with its Android operating system in July. Brussels ruled that Google had forced smartphone makers to favour its own [...]
Leaks galore: What to expect from today’s Google Pixel 3 event October 9, 2018 In an annual event that is now almost always saturated with leaks, today Google is set to unveil a slew of new hardware gadgets including updates to its Pixel smartphone, tablet and smart speaker ranges. Here are the things you're likely to see walk across the main stage this year: Pixel 3 The Pixel 3 [...]
Irish regulator to probe Alphabet’s Google+ data leak October 9, 2018 Ireland's Data Protection Office today said it will seek answers from Google over the data leak from its failed social media platform Google+, which could have exposed the profile information of at least 500,000 users. Google said last night it was shutting down Google+ for consumers, after it discovered and patched the bug back in [...]
Microsoft makes strategic investment into ride-hailing firm Grab October 9, 2018 Microsoft has signed a five-year agreement with Southeast Asian ride-hailing firm Grab to collaborate on big technology projects, which includes the software firm taking a strategic stake in the business. The valuation of the stake was not disclosed by either company. The deal will see Grab work with Microsoft on exploration of facial recognition, artificial [...]
Rest in plus: Google+ is shutting down for consumers after data breach October 9, 2018 Google's failed attempt at a social media network to rival Facebook is now shutting down for good, after a data breach of private user information prompted the search giant to tighten up its privacy policies. While conducting a review of the platform in March, Google discovered and solved a bug exposed to third-party developers that meant [...]
London VC firm Mosaic Ventures closes $150m second fund for startups October 8, 2018 London-based venture capital (VC) firm Mosaic Ventures has today announced the close of its second fund, Mosaic II, at $150m (£115m) for startups across the capital and beyond. Intending to cut cheques at series A-stage for between $3m and $7m, Mosaic Ventures has previously backed the likes of London automated mortgage broker Habito, crypto wallet Blockchain and period-tracking app [...]