Driverless car bump in the road? Our three biggest fears about autonomous vehicles, revealed January 6, 2016 It's the year of the driverless car, as everyone from big tech companies to traditional car brands, ambitious startups to academics, make inroads in the burgeoning technology which could soon change the way we travel. There may be one bump in the road to mass adoption, however, and that's consumers. Half of us would refuse to [...]
Blockchain will lead the field in another record breaking year for UK tech investment January 6, 2016 2015 was another record year for investment into the UK’s tech sector. According to our latest data released today, London tech companies are leading the way, attracting over 60 per cent of the total $3.6bn invested last year. Investors are flocking to London, attracted by the city’s diverse tech scene. From fashion tech to fintech, the [...]
Record venture capital investment into London tech companies reaches £1.56bn January 5, 2016 Venture capitalists poured a record $2.28bn (£1.56bn) into London’s tech scene last year, according to data from London and Partners, the Mayor’s promotional company. London secured 63 per cent of investment in the UK, which is a testament to London's “world-class talent pool and culture of innovation and entrepreneurial spirit,” according to Mayor Boris Johnson. [...]
Cybersecurity predictions 2016: Expect geopolitical cyber attacks in the wake of the US Presidential election and the Rio Olympics January 5, 2016 New York City in the 1980s was a portrait for crime and violence. Graffiti covered train stations and shop fronts, the city was gritty and a tough place to live. It spurred many politicians to be “tough on crime” in order to get elected and while it still features in many politicians’ policies, it no [...]
Simply Business’ Jason Stockwood tells City A.M.: The future of insurance is in technology January 5, 2016 Insurance, Simply Business’ chief executive Jason Stockwood says, has lost its place in society. “When you really start to think about it, it’s such a valuable underpinning of a functioning society and yet customers don’t just see it that way,” he remarks. However, Stockwood is determined that insurance will be restored to its former glory, [...]
When will the Oculus Rift launch? Pre-orders for the virtual reality headset open on 6 January January 4, 2016 Oculus has revealed that it will be opening pre-orders for its hotly anticipated Rift virtual reality headset on Wednesday 6 January in a major step forward for consumer virtual reality. The headset is set to ship sometime in the first quarter of 2016, as the firm announced last summer. The upcoming release of the Rift [...]
Mark Zuckerberg, artificial intelligence and Iron Man’s Jarvis: How close are we really to having artificial robot butlers? January 4, 2016 It’s great to hear that Mark Zuckerberg is planning to build his own personal artificial intelligence service for helping him around the home and the office. It sounds wonderful doesn’t it? Perfectly paradoxical in the sense that it simultaneously feels like both science fiction and something that’s already happening in our homes today. In truth, [...]
Tech share prices are tumbling: Netflix, Tesla, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Apple and more stock fall amid China rout January 4, 2016 Tech stocks have not escaped the market rout that has seen billions wiped of global markets on the first major day of trading in 2016. Tesla and Netflix both fell by more than seven per cent, with a downgrade for the movie streaming service by Baird, while the electric car company yesterday delivered sales figures at [...]
EE boss Olaf Swantee will step down after BT deal with Marc Allera named successor January 4, 2016 EE boss Olaf Swantee will step down following the mobile network's soon-to-be completed £12.5bn merger with BT. Swantee, chief executive since 2011, will be succeeded by Marc Allera, currently chief commercial officer at EE. “As we approach the imminent completion of the deal with BT and the start of an exciting new chapter for EE, I’ve taken [...]
Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg is going to build an AI butler to help around at home and work January 4, 2016 Mark Zuckerberg has announced one ambitious new year's resolution for 2016: he wants to build a butler robot. The Facebook founder announced late last night his plan for the year was to create "a simple AI to run my home and help me with my work", comparing it to the AI butler character Jarvis from Iron Man. "I'm [...]