Beats Studio3 Wireless review: The W1 powered Apple headphones mark a coming of age for Beats December 20, 2017 Since being taken under the protective wing of Apple’s hardware team, hippity-hoppity cool-person company Beats has become the official high-end headphone of iOS. And with that came a number of critical changes. The Beats Studio3 Wireless headphones use the same W1 chip found in the AirPods, meaning they seamlessly pair with iOS devices without [...]
Open Banking: Here’s what fintech startups think of delays after HSBC, Barclays and more given deadline extension from CMA December 20, 2017 Entrepreneurs at fintech startups have been left little surprised after more than half of the UK’s banks revealed they would miss a deadline for Open Banking – but how they implement it is of more concern. Nine banks have been forced to make their data open to third parties – many of them fintech startups [...]
Nest Thermostat 3rd Generation review: An improvement on a winning formula December 20, 2017 Every tech company wants to be “the Apple of X”. Nest – which was bought by Google in 2014 for $3.2bn – is the Apple of “really boring stuff ”. Smoke alarms. Doorbells. Thermostats. But in the same way Apple convinced millions of people that they really, really wanted to put their entire music [...]
Blue Satellite headphones review: Great sound, but these cans will leave you feeling Blue December 20, 2017 Beginning life as a manufacturer of high-end equipment for audio professionals, Blue has been tentatively easing its way towards the lucrative consumer market for some time. Its new Satellite headphones are its most high street-friendly pair yet, but it still has some way to go to bridge the gap between studio and sidewalk. Compared [...]
Is Uber a tech or transport firm? Europe’s highest court’s about to decide December 20, 2017 A major question of modern times asking whether Uber is a transport or technology company is set to be answered by Europe's highest court on Wednesday. The European Court of Justice will make a ruling in a long-running case originating in Spain and is expected to decide that Uber is a transport company. The implications [...]
Millennial mortgages are here: Automatic switching is go at proptech startup Trussle December 19, 2017 The era of millennial mortgages has arrived. A couple from London are the first homeowners to switch their mortgage automatically and entirely online, without the hassle of searching new deals and lengthy paperwork, thanks to an innovative property technology startup. Trussle's switching alert lets users know when they should remortgage to find a better deal. [...]
Cyber security wages are set to soar amid a skills shortage December 18, 2017 Demand for cyber security roles is set to boom over the next year following several high-profile cyber attacks, prompting a rise in wages, new research from the recruitment sector’s trade body suggests. Every specialist IT recruitment agency surveyed by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) said they thought demand for cyber security staff would rise [...]
UK mattress startup Simba Sleep raises £40m and is heading for profit in some markets December 17, 2017 Simba Sleep, one of several startups hoping to disrupt the world of sleep, has bedded fresh cash to fuel global expansion as it nears profitability in some markets. The £40m series B round of investment comes from previous backers Nigel Wray, a City heavywight and chairman of Saracens rugby club, Wharton Asset Management and Swiss [...]
JP Morgan and Barclays are exploring quantum computing technology with IBM December 14, 2017 JP Morgan will begin exploring the potential of quantum computing and how it might be applied to trading strategies, portfolio optimisation, asset pricing, and risk analysis in a new partnership with tech giant IBM. The investment bank is one of two financial institutions, along with Barclays, taking advantage of the commercialisation of quantum technology, which [...]
Open Banking: Meet 10 startups that just won cash for innovative ideas December 13, 2017 Nearly a dozen startups have been chosen for a cash prize totalling £5m for their innovative ideas for making banking easier for small businesses. A firm that is a current account for freelancers that can help them manage tax and expenses, called Coconut, and another, Funding options, a marketplace for financial products for small firms, [...]