The Sharp Foxconn deal is go – here’s four things you need to know about two major Apple iPhone suppliers uniting March 30, 2016 The Foxconn Sharp deal has been as on-again off-again as Elon Musk's marriage – but the deed is finally done after much back and forth, finally uniting two of Apple's major suppliers. 1. The deal Hon Hai Precision, or Foxconn as it's more widely known, will pay 389bn yen (£2.4bn) for a 66 per cent stake in Sharp. That amount is [...]
Tinder swipes right to acquire contact management startup Humin and “accelerate our product roadmap” March 30, 2016 Dating app Tinder has swiped right on Humin, agreeing a takeover deal for the contact management startup. Tinder's founder and chief executive Sean Rad said the company and its apps would be used to "accelerate our product roadmap". Like Tinder, Humin was founded in 2012. It has two contact management apps – Humin Contacts and Knock Knock. [...]
Revealed: Here’s how much Google’s top boss Sundar Pichai gets paid March 29, 2016 Newly minted Google boss Sundar Pichai can clock the past year up as a rather successful one career-wise. Not only did he become the boss of one of the world's biggest tech companies, he landed almost $300m (£200m) in stock and pay in the past year to go along with that impressive promotion. He was handed $99.8m in equity which will vest in 2017 after [...]
Seals with smartphones in Orkney and three more animals embracing technology – from bees to pigeons March 29, 2016 Scottish seals are getting smartphone-style technology to help scientists track their lives at sea. The cute sea mammals around the coast of Orkney will be connected to the so-called Internet of Things via devices attached to their fur. It will be able to send important data about its habits back to scientists at the University of St [...]
Take that, banks: The UK’s online financial marketplaces attracted $253m in VC money last year as LendInvest, Transferwise and Funding Circle made their mark March 29, 2016 Financial marketplaces – crowdfunding platforms and other fintech sites – have proven irresistible to the City, it turns out, after figures released today showed venture capital funding for the sector has shot up five-fold in the last two years. Data released today by payment startup Stripe showed investors are backing developers in their bid to reshape how people buy and sell [...]
How does London sound? The urban soundscape of the capital, mapped in one stunning visualisation March 29, 2016 It's the sights and sounds around us which make the city feel like the city – the beeps of the Tube door trains or the chatter of tourists – but while a traditional map can guide us around the must-see landmarks and landscapes, what about those sounds? This question has led researchers to chart and map in intense detail the sounds of the city, creating an urban [...]
Samsung Pay launches in China following Apple Pay but faces Alibaba’s AliPay, Tencent’s WeChat Pay and other homegrown rivals March 29, 2016 Samsung will let its smartphone users in China pay with just a swipe of their mobile as it launches Samsung Pay in the country in a partnership with China UnionPay. Samsung follows Apple, which launched in China in February – also with UnionPay – and counted 3m cards set up with Apple Pay within the first two days. Samsung Pay will [...]
Cyber security: Business leaders are inadvertently leaving their companies open to threats from social engineering March 29, 2016 Cyber criminals are increasingly turning to social media to mine valuable information on targets, with many high-profile business figures inadvertently revealing more than they should, a report out today has found. The study by Digitalis Reputation discovered that, although 62 per cent of businesses offer staff advice on digital security and the kinds of personal information [...]
Facebook-owned Oculus starts shipping Rift virtual reality headsets March 28, 2016 Deliveries of Oculus Rift headsets began today, with the virtual reality gear shipping to more than 20 countries and regions. The company said the first to receive the new gadgets will be those who invested in Oculus during its crowdfunding campaign, conducted via Kickstarter. The firm will then start shipping pre-ordered Rifts mid-week. Social media [...]
Kanye West quietly released a new version of single Famous on Apple Music, Spotify and Google Play, not Tidal which has The Life of Pablo album exclusive March 28, 2016 Kanye West has turned to Apple Music, Spotify and Google Play, making just a single song, Famous, available on the music streaming sites after his latest album was exclusively released on smaller rival service Tidal. The singer's latest album, The Life of Pablo, was released on the Jay Z-owned streaming service in February. But now, West has changed his tune, [...]