Setting bank data free with open APIs is just the start for consumer choice February 9, 2016 Today’s report from the UK Open Banking Working Group has recommended the creation of an Open Banking Standard that will make it possible for banking data to be shared and used securely. But what does this actually mean? In layman’s terms, it means data that banks hold on their customer base – balances, transaction history [...]
Whether London’s next mayor is Zac Goldsmith or Sadiq Khan, they must pay attention to the tech sector February 9, 2016 A mayoral election campaign can be a strange thing. Without the national media attention of a General Election one can be forgiven for sometimes thinking that the candidates have gone quiet. But they're out there. From Orpington's church halls to Barking's pub function rooms, the candidates know that victory is secured one local paper at a [...]
Banking data to become open by the end of the year as industry and regulators work on ambitious banking standards and open API plans February 9, 2016 Banking could be made simpler for customers – from comparing mortgages to switching accounts – with ambitious plans for banks and regulators to streamline the sharing of data as soon as the end of the year that would establish the UK as a world leader in financial technology and banking innovation. A group of leading experts appointed by the Treasury [...]
Cheers for that, Storm Imogen: Scientists have found winter can reduce your concentration span February 8, 2016 You might have thought all the hours whiled away gazing wistfully out of the window in the summertime would dent your performance at work – but it turns out we're actually sharper during the summer. A new study by a team at the University of Liege has found people's brains are sharper and attention spans higher around [...]
Smartphone batteries that last for a week could be available soon as Intelligent Energy strikes deal with manufacturer to add hydrogen fuel cells to handsets February 8, 2016 While smartphones have changed the world mainly for the good – constant access to Google makes winning arguments and pub quizzes that much easier – they don't match up to their brick-like predecessors in one very important way – battery life. While old faithfuls like the Nokia 3210 could last for days without having to be [...]
London police consider using eagles to take down rogue drones February 8, 2016 The Metropolitan Police could use eagles to take down rogue drones over the capital, it's been revealed. Inspired by police in the Netherlands who have been using the birds of prey to take down drones which are a security threat, Met Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan Howe has asked that the same method of tackling the [...]
Cyber attacks and data breaches are biggest threat to business in 2016 – Business Continuity Institute February 8, 2016 Cyber attacks and high-profile data breaches are the biggest threat to business in 2016, according to a survey of 500 companies from around the world. A whopping eighty-five per cent of risk experts polled by the Business Continuity Institute said they were concerned by the prospect of a cyber attack over the next 12 months, [...]
Here’s what Jack Dorsey has to say about timeline changes switching to algorithm versus chronological live stream February 7, 2016 Twitter boss and co-founder Jack Dorsey has responded to a news report about major changes to timelines on the social network which had left users up in arms. Dorsey tweeted that there is no imminent plan to reorder timelines with a new algorithm, changing from its current chronological order. The reported change sent Twitter into a frenzy [...]
Apple confirms iPhone 6 killing “Error 53” was intended as a security measure February 5, 2016 Thousands of outraged Apple users claim their iPhone 6 handsets have been rendered permanently useless by a dreaded “Error 53” message, locked down because of third-party repairs to the TouchID system. Apple has confirmed that the “Error 53” issue, reported by the Guardian this morning, was purposefully developed as a security measure. It’s struck users [...]
Elon Musk’s “next great idea” is to develop a vertical takeoff and landing electric plane after Tesla, SpaceX and Hyperloop February 5, 2016 Elon Musk has new big plans: After out-there projects like SpaceX’s reusable rocket and Hyperloop, the billionaire tech titan wants to turn his attention to electric aeroplanes. The technology is basically non-existent commercially today, but that could all be about to change. Speaking at a Hyperloop event in Texas, the Tesla and SpaceX entrepreneur was [...]