Amazon’s Fire smartphone looks set to light up mobile market June 18, 2014 Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos last night put Apple, Samsung and legions of online retailers on red alert with the launch of its new Fire smartphone, with the promise that the online giant would once again revolutionise shopping. Bezos, in a rare media appearance, demonstrated Firefly, a service that lets the $199 (£117) phone identify [...]
New York Report: Stocks rise on Fed outlook on interest rates June 18, 2014 WALL Street stocks jumped on Wednesday, taking the S&P 500 index of top companies to an all-time record after the Federal Reserve promised to keep in place low interest rates until 2015 and forecast a moderate growth in the economy. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 98.13 points, or 0.58 per cent, to end at [...]
Elon Musk is right to share Tesla’s patents: Now he should ditch them altogether June 18, 2014 A WAR is being waged by the litigators of Silicon Valley. Their chosen weaponry: patent law. The battle is most obvious among the tech giants. In 2011, Apple and Google spent more on patent lawsuits and purchases than they put towards research and development. And it is consumers who get stung. A report released by [...]
Apple settles $840m ebook pricing lawsuit June 17, 2014 Apple has agreed an out-of-court settlement to end an $840m (£495m) legal dispute with consumers who argued they had overpaid for ebooks due to price-fixing between the iPhone maker and book publishers. The settlement follows another case last year that ruled Apple had breached anti-trust laws by agreeing higher ebook prices in its stores.
Apple agrees US ebook price-fixing settlement out of court June 17, 2014 Apple has agreed to settle an ebook price fixing lawsuit in the US. The tech giant avoided a trial and an estimated $840m payout in damages by agreeing to settle the lawsuit out of court. Consumers and legal representatives from 33 US states filed the civil lawsuit against the iPhone-maker and five book [...]
Bitcoin apps welcomed back to Apple with Coinpocket wallet June 16, 2014 Apple's rapproachment to cryptocurrencies appears to bearing fruit, with the first Bitcoin wallet app available to download on the company's iOS app store, according to Coindesk. Apple recently updated its guidelines to allow for apps transmitting "approved virtual currencies" so long as they do not break the law. The Coinpocket app gives users the same [...]
For Samsung Electronics boss Andy Griffiths life’s tough at the top of the tech table June 16, 2014 Samsung Electronics UK’s boss is always seeking innovations Samsung is at a tipping point. Its largest subsidiary, Samsung Electronics, maker of the hit Galaxy range of smartphones which generated total sales of $217bn (£128bn) last year, continues to see its core mobile business weaken, having reported its second straight quarter of declining profits in April. [...]
Florence’s four best boutique hotels June 13, 2014 Frequent flyers, particularly those travelling on business, see a lot of forgettable hotel rooms. Even if the corporate purse stretches to a five star offering, it’s normally a last-minute, practical booking in the centre of town. The global hotel franchises that cater to the busy and perpetually tired are experts at creating welcoming yet efficient [...]
iPhone charger recall issued due to “safety risk” June 13, 2014 Apple has issued a recall of European iPhone chargers over fears that it could overheat posing a safety risk. 37 countries where the 5W European USB power adapter was sold with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S models between October 2009 and September 2012 are affected. UK models of the 5W USB power [...]
EU opens probe into tax rules of business giants June 11, 2014 THE EUROPEAN Commission yesterday opened an investigation into the deals cut by Apple, Starbucks and Fiat with the European countries where they base their tax residencies. The Commission said it was looking at whether the countries’ tax treatment of multinationals, which help to attract investment and jobs that might otherwise go to where the companies’ [...]