Why companies like Twitter are paying top dollar for AI startups July 12, 2016 Big tech firms acquiring artificial intelligence startups are paying top dollar for them and are increasingly looking for those yet to bring in revenue, bucking the trend of wider tech M&A. “A good AI engineer is worth more than many company chief executives right now,” said Victor Basta of advisory firm Magister Advisors which identified the pursuit of talent in AI as one [...]
Voice recognition: The way you speak could be holding you back July 12, 2016 It isn't just what you say that counts, it’s also the way you say it. Whether you’re answering questions from the boss or presenting to potential clients, using your voice more effectively is a learnable skill. Indeed, we can change the way we sound to appear more credible, persuasive and promotable. Think of a time when [...]
Business must embrace voice assistants – or be left screaming July 11, 2016 During its recent Worldwide Developer Conference, Apple announced that its voice-activated assistant, Siri, has been seriously turbo-charged and is to be migrated to the Mac itself. Since then, a lot has been written about how this will improve the consumer experience. But what has been covered far less, if at all, is the impact the [...]
Uber Technologies has raised $1.15bn from a high-yield loan July 8, 2016 Uber Technologies has raised over a billion dollars to add to its arsenal in its bid to extend its operations across the world. The taxi-hailing app has finalised a $1.15bn (£889m) high-yield loan. The unleveraged loan, which is Uber's first, takes the total amount raised in debt and equity to more than $15bn and helps its [...]
Nintendo share price jumps on release of new Pokemon game July 8, 2016 Shares in video game giant Nintendo soared in early trading this morning, after the release of its new Pokemon game. The Japanese firm's stock was up 10 per cent at one point, to their highest level in more than two months. Pokemon GO, a new smartphone game, was released on Wednesday, and shot to the [...]
Our resident chef Mark Hix on Britain’s recent drinks upheaval and why should all be cheering on our distillers July 5, 2016 I love the way the British drinks revolution is going. Well, maybe I’m exaggerating when I call it a revolution, but there’s certainly been a huge increase in the production of distilled drinks, especially gin. A new gin is landing on my desk almost weekly, which is great news for bars, mixologists and, of course, [...]
iPhone builder plans float for cloud unit that could raise $1bn as demand for data transfer products soars July 5, 2016 The builder of Apple's iPhone has filed to float its cable and connector unit in Hong Kong in a deal that's thought could raise as much as $1bn (£765m). Taiwanese firm Hon Hai Precision Industry – known as Foxconn Technology Group – assembles most of Apple's iPhones and many of the other smartphones in use around the world. The planned initial public offering [...]
Apple supplier Imagination Technologies swings to biggest ever loss July 5, 2016 The shine has worn off Imagination Technologies after swinging to its biggest ever loss in a tough market just months after being courted by tech giant Apple. The figures The chip maker swung to an pre-tax loss of £61.5m for the year to the end of April, down from a £5.7m loss the previous year. Revenue slipped 23 per cent to £120m [...]
Tech overtakes finance among top global companies July 4, 2016 Technology has stolen a march on finance, with the success of companies such as Alphabet and Microsoft helping the innovative sector surpass the traditional world of financial services among the world's top 100 companies over the past year. Technology firms in the list notched up a combined value of $3bn compared to financial firms' $2.7bn and the $2.6bn [...]
Making tech human: The Memo’s Alex Wood on why there’s more value in a smaller audience July 4, 2016 "Apple announcements aren’t exciting anymore,” says Alex Wood, the journalist and entrepreneur behind tech website The Memo. Not only is the tech titan failing to launch products and software which are more eye-catching than those which preceded them, Wood thinks that consumers are tired of technology being presented to them as an endless chronicling of operating [...]