HP Elite X2 1012 review: An enterprise-level, two-in-one laptop that’s too business-minded to be much fun June 8, 2016 There’s a great deal to dislike about the HP Elite X2 1012, a business-level, tablet-laptop hybrid with a sleek and detachable aluminium keyboard and a surprisingly lovely iPhone 5 style chamfered finish. You’ve got ugly little grievances, like the default, HP-branded desktop wallpaper, which appears to be a picture of a petri dish filled with [...]
London’s iconic black cabs to come clean as Chinese owner raises $400m to electrify taxi fleet May 19, 2016 The Chinese owner of London’s iconic black cab has raised $400m (£273.8m) in a bid to introduce "clean taxis" on London roads. Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. secured the funds to electrify black cabs through a green bond sale that is rumoured to have been oversubscribed by eight times. The company intends to use the funds for developing [...]
EasyJet “Sneakairs”: Airline is testing smart shoes to help customers explore destinations May 13, 2016 No joke: EasyJet wants to launch "Sneakairs" – smart shoes – to help travellers explore cities. The airline has unveiled a prototype smart shoe with built-in technology that aims to help customers explore new cities with ease, so they can take in sites and surroundings. Read more: EasyJet is testing hybrid planes using hydrogen fuel [...]
Gtech eBike review: The battery-assisted push bike that takes the effort out of uphill slogs May 11, 2016 Getting around London has become remarkably easier in the last couple of years, thanks to our old friend electricity. Not content with powering our homes, the popular energy source has turned its attentions to bikes, scooters and weird little unicycle things of every conceivable shape and size, allowing us to zip around the city with [...]
The new Volvo XC90 is more luxurious than the equivalent Jaguar, with the loveliest SUV interior this side of a Bentley Bentayga April 29, 2016 The Volvo XC90 T8 Inscription feels incredibly Swedish, in the best possible sense; classy and restrained, with a hint of noir about it. If a forensic psychologist arrived at your door in one of these, investigating the murder of your business associate, you would be very worried indeed. It eloquently answers any misgivings we might [...]
Industry 4.0: How disruptive technology can rescue British manufacturing April 7, 2016 Industry 4.0 is revolutionising the way international manufacturers and construction companies approach business, but the UK has a long way to go if its industry is to keep pace with its European rivals. This new world is based on digitisation, which blurs the line between the virtual and the physical. Connected products and “smart” machines [...]
Audi’s new Q7 e-tron helps owner VW escape Dieselgate scandal April 4, 2016 The Q7 is a big, brash SUV made by Volkswagen Group’s upmarket Audi brand and fitted with a 3.0-litre turbodiesel engine. But you can drive it in London guilt-free, without paying the congestion charge and avoiding road tax. How? Because it’s fitted it with an electric motor alongside the conventional engine – and you can [...]
Toyota Prius review: the new model is now a serious contender for the budget-conscious driver March 24, 2016 This year I became a Prius convert. Until that point it had always been a car for other people; I found the whole doing-good-for-the-planet thing irritating. And the logic behind the Prius didn’t work either: if you wanted the best fuel economy, simply buy a diesel. That way you get choice too, rather than having [...]
How to grow your company without killing your culture March 17, 2016 When a company first starts out, it often takes on the personality and values of the founder. Your company culture reflects you, and the people you hire early on often unintentionally fit into this culture, and help to build it. But what happens when you start to grow? If you open a new office or [...]
Budget 2016: George Osborne’s speech in full March 16, 2016 George Osborne has just revealed the Budget for 2016. There was good news for businesses with corporation tax being sliced and business rates being reformed – but bad news for smokers and students who hate maths. Mr Deputy Speaker, Today I report on an economy set to grow faster than any other major advanced economy in [...]