Softbank-owned Sprint is buying a stake in Jay Z’s Tidal January 23, 2017 Jay Z's music streaming service Tidal, a smaller rival to Spotify and Apple Music, has a new investor. Softbank-owned US telecoms firm Sprint has snapped up a 33 per cent stake in the company which the rapper acquired two years ago. That means 45m Sprint customers will now have "unlimited access" to the platform's exclusive music. Read more: The [...]
Blame it on the batteries: Samsung says battery faults caused Galaxy Note 7 fires January 23, 2017 After some intense investigation, Samsung has announced the reason behind its exploding Galaxy Note 7 phones. It was lithium-ion batteries that caused the problems, causing the mobiles to overheat and catch fire – leading to the global recall of millions of devices and scrapping production of the model altogether. The incident was a costly one, [...]
The clock is ticking on Spotify’s IPO January 22, 2017 The clock is ticking for Europe's most highly anticipated IPO as it creeps towards a crucial date in the financial calendar of the company. Spotify, the region's most highly funded tech startup, is approaching the deadline of a $1bn debt financing deal inked last year that will see the costs increase and a share of the compnay given [...]
The best new hotel suites in Europe, from the reopened Ritz, Paris, to the spectacular Westin in Hamburg January 18, 2017 There are certain things one can expect from hotels at the top end of the market: flawless, personalised service; rooms with minibars, rainshowers and designer bath products; a supremely comfortable bed; free wifi and fine-dining. Most of us will have a favourite hotel in the cities we frequent – perhaps it’s The Connaught in London, [...]
Gatwick says it’ll be carbon neutral by the spring after sticking to renewable electricity January 18, 2017 Gatwick Airport has pledged to become carbon neutral by the spring, after teaming up with a global renewable energy alliance. The airport has been purchasing 100 per cent renewable energy since 2013 and electricity now comprises 80 per cent of the airport's operational carbon footprint. It said the remaining emissions will be offset by investments in [...]
Restaurant review: Luca is the Italian nobody expected from The Clove Club’s Isaac McHale January 18, 2017 Isaac McHale was such a rebellious Young Turk that while he was still cheffing at the Ledbury, he ran a series of pop-ups under the name The Young Turks. He and James Lowe – then the head chef at St John Bread and Wine – would serve up whatever they damn-well pleased, in venues not [...]
Thanks Brexit: Now the price of iPhone apps are about to rise January 17, 2017 It's not just the price of your, Freddo, Fondant Fancy and Marmite which are being pushed up by the falling value of the pound. Apple is the latest company to raise prices, this time for apps you download from the app store by as much as 25 per cent, 9to5mac reports. The cost of apps downloaded on your [...]
South Korea’s prosecutors are seeking a warrant to arrest Samsung’s chief executive January 16, 2017 The chief executive of Samsung has been accused of bribing a friend of President Park Geun-hye, and today South Korea's special prosecutor's office said it is seeking a warrant to his arrest. Jay Y. Lee was questioned for 22 hours last week as prosecutors looked into a corruption scandal that revolved around Choi Soon-sil, a friend of the [...]
Property interview: Melissa York speaks to CEO Fredrik Korallus of upstart hostel brand Generator about breaking America January 13, 2017 From the way chief executive officer Fredrik Korallus talks about his hostel group Generator, you’d think he was heading up a trendy Shoreditch club night. He speaks about “having the right art, the right music, the right culture” and even aspires to turn the £20-a-night shared accommodation hubs into “living art centres”. But exceeding expectations [...]
Here’s some of the best (and weirdest) new technology from CES 2017 January 11, 2017 Audio The Doppler Labs Here One wireless earphones returned to CES this year. A more practical alternative to the rather silly Apple AirPods, they’re controlled with an app via Bluetooth and can bionically enhance your hearing in a given direction or block out external sounds, as well as the usual music playback features. If you’re [...]