Google Play: 4 charts showing growth in app downloads, revenue, gaming and markets June 24, 2014 Google Play, the app store available on smartphones by Samsung and HTC, more than doubled revenue from app downloads driven by the ever-growing popularity of gaming. Almost 90 per cent of Google Play revenue comes from games typified by the hugely popular Candy Crush Saga and Clash of Clans, up from 80 per cent in [...]
Google Glass touches down in the UK for £1,000 June 23, 2014 GOOGLE launched its smart Glass eyewear in the UK last night, making it the second country to get the device after it launched in the US last year. Glass, which Google says is still an early prototype, is on sale for £1,000 and features a heads-up display with access to email, search and maps through [...]
Google feathers its Nest with $555m acquisition of Dropcam June 23, 2014 Nest, the Google-owned high tech outfit developing connected appliances, has acquired home video surveillance firm Dropcam for $555m (£326m). The deal, announced on Friday, is set to boost Nest’s connected product line up, which currently includes a thermostat and smoke alarm that can be remotely controlled by a smartphone. “Nest cares as much about customers, [...]
Google and Microsoft to introduce ‘kill-switch’ to make stealing a phone pointless June 20, 2014 Anti-theft features will be introduced to phones using Google and Microsoft operating systems, as smartphone makers attempt to crack down on device theft. Essentially, the proposed 'kill-switch' feature should make stealing a handset pointless and follows the lead set by Apple and Samsung in tackling the surge in phone thefts. According to a report by [...]
Google and Virgin Galactic in talks over space tourism business stake June 12, 2014 Google is in late stage talks to acquire a stake in Richard Branson's space tourism venture Virgin Galactic, Sky News reports. The deal is likely to see Google pay £17.8m for a 1.5 per cent stake in the holding company and a cash injection of "hundreds of millions of dollars into a joint venture" to [...]
Barclays fears Amazon and Google threaten traditional banks June 10, 2014 Customers will soon use tech firms like Amazon, Google and PayPal instead of banks, Barclays’ chief Antony Jenkins said today, promising to innovate more to compete with digital giants. The sector is already being shaken up by new banks being established, and big firms like Tesco offering current accounts. But Jenkins believes the [...]
Google investing up to $3bn in satellites to connect the world June 2, 2014 GOOGLE is reportedly planning to spend up to $3bn (£1.8bn) in its push to bring internet access to unconnected parts of the world using a fleet of 180 low-orbit satellites. The search giant is poised to spend between $1bn and $3bn on the project according to a report in The Wall Street Journal which said [...]
Samsung to reduce dependence on Google with first Tizen phone June 2, 2014 SAMSUNG will launch its first smartphone running its own Tizen mobile software instead of Google’s Android platform. The South Korean firm will officially announce the Samsung Z, which comes with a 4.8in high-definition display and offers features such as a fingerprint sensor, in San Francisco today. The phone will first be made available in Russia [...]
Google to put driverless cars on the roads May 28, 2014 GOOGLE is rolling out 100 self-driving cars in California, in a trial the tech giant hopes will pave the way for widespread global use. After clocking up 700,000 miles of autonomous driving in adapted cars, Google is ready to put its specially-built driverless vehicles onto the streets. The prototypes have space for two passengers, operate [...]
How Google’s driverless cars could save your life – and make you money May 28, 2014 WHEN the man behind the Segway, the battery-powered personal mobility scooter, died after riding one of his products off a cliff, it seemed like a grim end to yet another transport fad. After the Sinclair C5, the hovercraft, the poweriser and the Segway, it’s easy to be sceptical about the next sci-fi “leap” in transportation. [...]