Curb “patent privateers” to protect intellectual property October 24, 2014 Effective intellectual property protections are imperative to maintaining a robust economy and promoting innovation—and patents are an important facet of this regime. Unfortunately, bad actors are exploiting loopholes for personal gain and threatening the health of the current system—one that is generally working well. Lurking in murky legal waters, “Patent Privateers” are abusing protections and [...]
Poor Fire Phone sales take their toll on Amazon October 24, 2014 Poor sales of the Fire Phone are taking their toll on Amazon's business. In a conference call the company said it would take a $170m write down “primarily related to Fire phone inventory valuation and supplier commitment costs.” Amazon’s phone was said to be the “iPhone killer” ahead of its release, but even its [...]
Huawei doubles its premium smartphone shipments globally October 23, 2014 HUAWEI said third-quarter smartphone shipments jumped 26 per cent year-on-year, doubling the number of devices it shipped in the high-margin premium market dominated by Samsung and Apple. The Shenzhen-based firm, which is also the world’s second-largest telecoms equipment maker – and the third largest smartphone maker – shipped 16.8m units globally in the quarter ending [...]
Occupy Central: Disgruntled banker crashes video interview with Hong Kong protesters October 23, 2014 Protesters striving for a more democratic Hong Kong continue to occupy the city’s streets in their droves, yet not everyone in town is behind the movement known as “Occupy Central”. A senior J.P. Morgan Chase banker crashed a live interview with Hong Kong's pro-democracy protesters to express his frustration with the occupation of [...]
Apple’s new Yosemite operating system: 6 things you need to know October 23, 2014 We take a look at some features in the newly launched Yosemite operating system, which Apple claims will “elevate the experience of using a Mac”. 1. The Marriage of devices Devices running Yosemite and Apple’s mobile iOS are now able to have constant conversations; edit a photo on one iCloud device and the updates will take [...]
Review: iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 October 23, 2014 iPad Air 2: ★★★★★From £399 for 16GB wi-fi onlyiPad Mini 3: ★★★☆☆From £319 for 16GB wi-fi only Apple products are like buses, if buses were only 6.1mm thick, featured the kind of technology people could only dream of a decade ago and came in gold. Wait, no, they’re like buses because you wait ages for [...]
Volatility index calms down as panic subsides October 22, 2014 DON’T panic, as the cover of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by the late Douglas Adams exhorted. After surging to a 28-month high last week, the Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index (Vix) has fallen at least a point a day since 16 October, reflecting a dissipation of investor concern that hasn’t occurred in [...]
Facebook’s £3,169 UK corporate tax bill in 2013 was less than a zone 1-9 yearly London travelcard October 22, 2014 Facebook’s corporate tax bill for 2013 came in at just £3,169 last year, according to its latest accounts. It paid less than London commuters pay for a yearly zone one to nine travelcard (£3,256) by basing its European headquarters in tax-favourable Ireland, and using a tax loophole known as the “Double-Irish”. The social network paid the [...]
Arm Holdings’ Simon Segars: Britain’s chief chipmaker is moving from smartphones to the Internet of Things October 21, 2014 Simon Segars, the boss of Britain’s biggest tech firm, believes his Chinese customers will begin adopting Arm’s latest chip designs in low-end smartphones next year, a move that would dramatically boost royalties. In its third quarter results yesterday, Arm Holdings, which makes processors for most of the world’s smartphones and tablets, revealed a two [...]
Wall St gets results boost – New York Report October 21, 2014 US STOCKS rallied yesterday, with the S&P 500 notching a fourth straight session of gains boosted by strong corporate results, including Apple’s. The Dow Jones industrial Average closed up 1.31 per cent at 16,614.81, while the S&P 500 closed up 1.96 per cent at 1,941.28. The Nasdaq Composite closed up 2.4 per cent at 4,419.48. [...]