Addison Lee is pouring cash into its luxury car fleet after a jump in demand May 19, 2016 Private hire company Addison Lee has spent £3.2m on 100 new Mercedes Benz E-Class saloons in response to a 15 per cent jump in executive car bookings over the last year. Andy Boland, chief executive at Addison Lee, said: We have made major investments to expand our executive fleet, this has ensured we have the best drivers and the best vehicles [...]
Google just launched a personal assistant that can control your home, book movies and search the internet May 18, 2016 How would you like to run your whole house by using just your voice? Google just made that possible by cashing in on the Internet of Things trend. The tech giant today launched Google Assistant, a digital Man Friday, at its annual developer conference in Mountain View, California The new device, similar to Apple's Siri, allows users [...]
Pay by Fitbit? It could soon be a reality after this acquisition of assets from fintech startup Coin May 18, 2016 Fitbit has indicated a move into payments with the acquisition of technology from a Silicon Valley firm specialising in wearable payments, meaning users might in future be able to pay for things simply by swiping their Fitbit. The tech company has snapped up the assets of Coin, a startup in the fintech and wearables space which created a [...]
I, for one, welcome our imminent driverless car overlords May 18, 2016 The only way we’d know that the government was any more on board with driverless cars was if the Queen had pulled up to the Houses of Parliament today in the back of one rather than in a horse drawn carriage. It's no wonder, considering the interest from the likes of Google, Apple and the majority of major car makers, that [...]
Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open May 18, 2016 Japan avoids a recession and the oil price could be about to climb over $50 per barrel for the first time this year. Here's what you need to know before the US market open at 2:30pm London time. Markets look flat before the open. S&P futures are dead-centre, not even a point off. The Nasdaq is down by 0.01 [...]
The Nokia brand is as tough as the 3310 and is making a come back: Microsoft offloads Nokia handset business to Foxconn for $350m while Finnish company HMD picks up licences May 18, 2016 After Microsoft bought Nokia's handset business in 2014 we thought the 1990's icon Nokia would be gone from phone shops for good. Now it looks as though the brand is a tough as its famously indestructible 3310, after being revived by a sell off from software behemoth Microsoft. Microsoft, after just yesterday revealing its stance on Brexit, has passed on its mobile [...]
Why Google’s Android Pay UK launch is far more exciting than Apple’s May 18, 2016 Less than a year after Apple Pay reached the UK, Android Pay has landed. Since last July only a lucky few – those who own an Apple Watch or one of the recent raft of iPhones (including the SE) – could pay for goods and services via their phones. This was merely the green shoots [...]
ARM eyes up imaging technology with £242m deal for Apical May 18, 2016 British tech company and Apple supplier ARM has snapped up an imaging technology company in a multimillion pound deal. It's adding expertise in the tech which can recognise what's in images and videos with the acquisition of Apical for £242m. ARM said it will strengthen the firm's expertise in areas such as automated vehicles, robotics, [...]
Google’s Apple Pay rival Android Pay is finally here in the UK May 18, 2016 Good news for anyone eager to pay using just the swipe of their mobile, but who doesn't own an iPhone. Google's Android Pay is launching in the UK today, bringing the tap and pay technology to millions of smartphone users across the country. A rival to Apple Pay which launched last year, the app lets users pay by [...]
Britain sucked toward billion pound innovation funding Brexit black hole May 18, 2016 British business faces a billion pound funding black hole for research and development that risks leaving the nation trailing behind the rest of Europe when it comes to creating world leading technological and scientific innovation. More than a fifth of the UK’s £8bn competitive R&D funding in the last decade has come from Europe, but that [...]