Twitter fires its new head of VR… in the same week it hired him October 19, 2016 Twitter is ploughing on into the world of virtual reality, though it faced a small setback today after announcing it had fired its new head of VR (roughly 48 hours after he started his new job). A Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur, Gregory Gopman, had joined the struggling social network to work on a nascent team charged with [...]
Google Pixel review: Quite comfortably the greatest Android phone ever made October 19, 2016 Every Android phone has come with some compromise built in. Whereas the iPhone owes much of its popularity to Apple’s ability to control every last design detail – creating software and hardware that works in perfect harmony – Google has always had to rely on third-party manufacturers to build its phones. Imperfection’s gnarled fingers tended [...]
Shares in this Apple supplier just fell off a cliff after a profit warning October 19, 2016 UK tech firm Laird, which supplies components to Apple among others, has warned on profits sending shares tumbling to a five year low. Increasing pressure on margins and a shift in the production cycles of mobile devices has caused the firm to lower full-year forecasts to £50m. That's down from the previous outlook of £75m after [...]
Britain’s tech stars rally against Brexit immigration curbs in open letter October 18, 2016 Britain's top entrepreneurs leading the country's hottest startups have called on the government to ensure they can hang on to their access to talent and skills from abroad so they can remain competitive after Brexit. Zoopla boss Alex Chesterman and founder of fintech unicorn Funding Circle, Samir Desai, are among nearly 50 leaders of the UK’s most promising and successful [...]
Letter: Entrepreneurs urge government to consider access to tech talent after Brexit October 18, 2016 Entrepreneurs at the UK's fastest growing startups have signed an open letter urging government to consider the tech industry's need to access international talent in the wake of Brexit. Dear Editor, Britain’s digital industries are expanding at an extraordinary pace, creating jobs and contributing some £161bn in turnover to the economy. Companies like Just Eat, Mimecast, Shazam, Skyscanner, Mimecast and [...]
Yahoo beats Wall Street estimates ahead of Verizon takeover October 18, 2016 Yahoo beat Wall Street earnings estimates in its third quarter earnings, which was a welcome bit of good news for Marissa Mayer’s firm. The company said it earned 20 cents per share on an adjusted basis, above analyst predictions of 14 cents and reported a 6.5 per cent rise in quarterly revenue. But although Yahoo reported [...]
Quiz: Who said it – real Trump or robot Trump? October 18, 2016 Can you tell the difference between Donald Trump and a robot? The Presidential hopeful's Tweets are increasingly erratic as voting day approaches, although, he has always had a peculiar way with 140 characters. Following along with the Presidential election race, there's a Trump Twitter bot that aims to recreate the magic of his tweets using artificial intelligence. Read [...]
Surprise, surprise: Oil majors face a “resoundingly negative” threat from the rise of electric cars October 18, 2016 A leap forward in battery technology could pose a "resoundingly credit negative" threat to the oil sector and disrupt global credit markets, according to a report from Fitch Ratings. Falling demand for fuel could scupper oil majors' prospects in particular as transport accounts for 55 per cent of total oil consumption. "Widespread adoption of battery-powered vehicles is [...]
Skyscanner believed to be considering sale or IPO October 18, 2016 UK unicorn Skyscanner is believed to be exploring a sale or flotation. The travel search company was valued at £1bn in January when it raised $192m (£158m) from five investors in a financing round. Read more: Investment lets 'unicorn' Skyscanner accelerate its global expansion plans Founded in 2003, Skyscanner employs 770 staff, with offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow, [...]
PA to use robots to write market reports and election coverage October 18, 2016 Hello Siri, can you write me a story please? This could be the future of digital journalism after the Press Association said they are looking at using robots to report some stories in the next few months, Press Gazette reported today. Speaking at the Society of Editor's conference this morning, the agency's editor-in-chief, Pete Clifton, [...]