Telecom deals continue with Vodafone exit April 4, 2011 Vodafone’s exit from France’s SFR marks another step in the revamp of its portfolio and reflects how Europe’s telecom giants are ditching weaker assets to achieve scale elsewhere ahead of a wave of big investments. The long-awaited €7.95bn (£7bn) sale of Vodafone’s 44 per cent stake in SFR to Vivendi comes two weeks after Deutsche [...]
Why a £4bn share buyback is uninspiring April 4, 2011 IF Steve Jobs were to announce plans to return Apple’s £50bn cash pile in a share buyback tomorrow, there would be an almighty outcry among some investors. If, as many believe, Apple has the Midas touch then shareholders would be better served by more investment and acquisitions. It all boils down to one question: who [...]
Google beats Apple in smartphone wars April 4, 2011 THE iPhone has been dethroned by a narrow margin as the favourite smartphone in Britain by mobiles running Google’s Android, a survey has revealed. Over 4m Britons over 18 years old own an Android, accounting for 28 per cent of smartphone owners in the UK, compared with 26 per cent who chose an iPhone and [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING March 31, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES TOPAZ POSTPONES $1.7BN FLOTATION Topaz Energy & Marine, one of the biggest oilfield service companies in the Middle East, has pulled its $1.7bn flotation in London less than a month after announcing its intention to list, becoming the latest corporate victim of the civil unrest sweeping the region. Oman’s Renaissance Services blamed the [...]
BORIS Vs BLOOMBERG March 31, 2011 BORIS Johnson yesterday hit back at New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, accusing him of trying to pinch London-based Barclays bank. Johnson said it would be a “tragedy” if London were to lose Barclays, and pointed out the bank had shown its commitment to the capital by sponsoring his flagship “Boris bike” cycle hire scheme. “This [...]
BLOOMBERG WOOS BARCLAYS March 30, 2011 New York mayor Michael Bloomberg (pictured) yesterday called on Barclays bank to move its headquarters to the Big Apple. “It would be a great move for them to move here,” Bloomberg said at a press briefing. “I hope they move here; it’d be great for us.” Barclays has held early-stage talks with US regulators about [...]
Celebrate Mother’s Day with a luxurious high tea March 30, 2011 LANDMARK LONDON The grand Marylebone hotel is well-known for its splendidly lavish Sunday brunch buffet served in the vast atrium of the Winter Garden, with everything from pastries and salads to roast dishes, and a sweeping array of desserts topped off with a chocolate fountain. As an added treat for Mother’s Day, you can mix [...]
The good, bad and ugly of iPad docks March 28, 2011 IT’S here! It’s here! Let us skip hand-in-hand through fields of rose petals and clouds of pure, distilled happiness, for the latest offering from Apple has finally descended to earth. The number of words scrawled in newspapers and online about the iPad 2, if placed end to end, would recede into infinity, twist back on [...]
Apple sells out of iPad 2 March 28, 2011 Apple has already sold out second generation iPads in the UK after massive demand in its first weekend on sale. Those ordering online now face a wait of up to four weeks, with the US taking priority. Analysts believe Apple shifted a staggering 500,000 units in the US over the weekend of the 11 March. [...]
BlackBerry maker buys new app March 27, 2011 BlackBerry maker Research In Motion says it has bought Ontario-based startup tinyHippos Inc, creator of Ripple, a cross-platform mobile application development and testing tool. The company was acquired for its “extensive experience in web and mobile widget/web development,” Tyler Lessard, RIM’s vice president of global alliances and developer relations, said on the developer’s blog. Terms [...]