Amazon breaks $200bn mark as world’s most valuable brand January 22, 2020 Online retail titan Amazon has defended its position as the world’s most valuable brand for a third year in a row, with the firm becoming the first to break the $200bn (£153bn) mark. Jeff Bezos’ company is worth $220.8bn in total, over $60bn more than second-placed Google, which is worth $159.7bn, according to the annual [...]
Our way, not the Huawei — for the sake of national security January 22, 2020 Boris Johnson might have been forgiven for thinking that the biggest dilemma he inherited from Theresa May would be how to resolve Brexit. But a second straggler from the May era has reared its head to disrupt the post-election serenity. How the Prime Minister chooses to deal with it may have long-term effects as important [...]
Mobile shopping startup Rezolve shuns security fears with planned Huawei tie-up January 20, 2020 Mobile shopping firm Rezolve is set to bag a bumper deal with Huawei to embed its technology into the controversial Chinese tech giant’s phones. The new capability is expected to be available from March, when Rezolve will reveal further tie-ups with retailers, restaurants and media partners. The technology allows consumers to make purchases by using [...]
Chipmaker revenue slips amid global oversupply and smartphone slowdown January 14, 2020 Global semiconductor firms suffered a decline in revenue last year as a huge oversupply in the market and a slowdown in smartphone sales took their toll. Semiconductor revenue totalled $418.3bn (£322bn) in 2019, down almost 12 per cent on the previous year, according to figures from research firm Gartner. This was driven by a huge [...]
The best (and weirdest) new gadgets from CES 2020 January 9, 2020 As difficult as it is to believe, 2019 has actually ended, slinking out of time’s backdoor like a scolded cat and into the history books under a chapter titled ‘Bloopers and Outtakes’. Of course, the annual changing of the calendar guards heralds many things – reflection, resolution, vegan steak bakes – but it’s also a [...]
Samsung chairman jailed over union-busting activities December 17, 2019 The board chairman of Samsung Electronics has been jailed for 18 months after sabotaging union activities. Lee Sang-hoon was sentenced by a South Korean court today after violating the country’s labour law alongside 25 other defendants. Samsung executives had used tactics such as closing sub-contracted firms with active unions, prosecutors said. Read more: Watchdog steps [...]
Sky scuppers hopes of Britbox deal in blow for new streaming service December 15, 2019 ITV and the BBC have suffered a major setback to their plans for Britbox, as the chances of securing a highly sought-after distribution deal with Sky have all but disappeared. The streaming service, jointly run by the public service broadcasters, has already bagged partnerships with the likes of BT, Freeview and Samsung to deliver its [...]
Samsung executives jailed over destruction of evidence in fraud case December 9, 2019 Eight employees of Samsung affiliates have been found guilty of destroying evidence by a South Korean court, in a case linked to allegations of a $3.9bn accounting fraud suspected to be part of a plot to cement the control of the company’s founding family. Three Samsung Electronics executives were handed jail sentences of up to [...]
Eight things investors need to know about energy storage December 6, 2019 With renewable energy growing in importance, effective storage will be vital. And as costs continue to decline, the potential to achieve growth could be huge. Why is the roll out of energy storage so important for achieving the Paris Agreement targets? Decarbonising the electricity supply will require a huge expansion of renewables to replace thermal [...]
Investigation finds Black Friday deals cheaper at other times of year November 26, 2019 Almost all Black Friday deals can be found cheaper or available for the same price at other times of the year, an investigation has found just days before the annual shopping event. An investigation tracked 83 products on sale on Black Friday last year, from six months before the discount day until six months after, [...]