Microsoft’s just bought successful London-based startup Swiftkey February 3, 2016 One of London's most successful startups is being acquired by Microsoft for a multi-million pound sum. Swiftkey, a keyboard app for Android and iOS smartphones powered by artificial intelligence, has been snapped up by the US tech giant for as much as $250m (£174m), reports suggest. Co-founders Jon Reynolds and Ben Medlock said in a blog post: [...]
Tech startups have transformed the UK: Backing Britain’s scale-ups is the next challenge February 3, 2016 The growth of the UK’s digital industries has been nothing short of extraordinary, and it has had a profound effect on the wider economy. Statistics from last year’s Tech Nation report show that more than 1.46m people are currently employed within the sector. The UK is increasingly underlining its digital credentials on the global stage. [...]
BT down: Internet broadband and phone services across the UK return February 2, 2016 BT has said that customers' internet and phone services have been restored after they went down yesterday afternoon. The telecoms firm had major issues with thousands of people across the UK reporting their broadband was down. According to downdetector.co.uk, problems were reported across the country from around 2.30pm. Around 70 per cent of the issues were internet related but 12 [...]
US and EU reach a deal on new Safe Harbour agreement to govern data transfers between the regions, naming the deal the EU-US Privacy Shield February 2, 2016 The EU and the US have reached an agreement over the framework governing data transfers between the two regions. The new agreement, which has previously been called "Safe Harbour" but has now been renamed the "EU-US Privacy Shield", was announced today and places stronger obligations on the US to better protect the data of European citizens. "We [...]
It’s official: Google’s Alphabet has overtaken Apple as the most valuable company in the world February 2, 2016 Google is now worth more than Apple, becoming the most valuable publicly traded company in the world. A set of stellar results from Google parent company Alphabet after hours on Monday evening sent shares soaring. Now that market's are back open, Google has taken its official place at the top of the pile with a $541.81bn market cap. [...]
EasyJet is testing hybrid planes using hydrogen fuel cell technology to save fuel costs while cutting emissions and airport noise February 2, 2016 Budget airline EasyJet is testing out a new way to cut costs, using new technology to reduce the amount of fuel it uses and also helping the orange branded carrier become greener. Work will begin on creating hybrid planes with hydrogen fuel cells which can be used when taxiing along airport runways instead of engines. This activity takes up around 20 [...]
Nature Vs machine: Eagles trained to take down rogue drones by Netherlands police February 2, 2016 How do you take down a rogue drone? In the Netherlands, they're turning to the natural world to solve the man-made problem. Dutch police will use specially trained eagles to take down drones which threaten security. "The bird sees the drone as prey and takes it to a safe area," said Mark Wiebe, innovation manager of the national [...]
WhatsApp user numbers 2016: Messaging app passes one billion user milestone February 2, 2016 WhatsApp now boasts more than one billion users and is used by one in every seven people it has been revealed, more than doubling that figure since being acquired by Facebook in 2014. The numbers were shared in a blog post by WhatsApp, which also said it was aiming to add another six billion people to [...]
Hackers earn a fraction of what cybersecurity professionals make, so it’s little wonder they adopt an opportunistic approach and pick easy targets February 1, 2016 Even in this day and age, some adages still hold true – crime really doesn't pay, even for incredibly modern cybercriminals. Research out today from US-based security company Palo Alto Networks has discovered that the average cybercriminal earns less than $30,000 (£21,007) a year from their misdeeds, which is a quarter of the average salary of a cybersecurity [...]
Draft Investigatory Powers Bill: “Snooper’s Charter” puts UK tech sector in jeopardy, MPs warn February 1, 2016 A group of MPs has warned that the cost of implementing new legislation designed to give the government greater surveillance powers could put the UK's thriving technology sector in jeopardy. The cross-party group of MPs has warned that a lack of clarity in the so-called Snooper's Charter risks undermining UK tech by adding burdensome costs to businesses and potentially [...]