Never mind stress tests, Merlin Entertainments is scare-testing its new Ghost Train at Thorpe Park with the help of illusionist Derren Brown April 18, 2016 Central banks are known for their stress tests, but theme park giant Merlin Entertainments is taking its scare tests extremely seriously ahead of the launch of a new ride at Thorpe Park. The firm, which came under fire after a crash on the Smiler rollercoaster at Alton Towers left 16 people injured last summer, has [...]
The new HTC 10 smartphone is trying to beat Apple and Samsung with selfies April 12, 2016 HTC has unveiled its newest flagship phone which it hopes can rival the likes of Apple and Samsung – and it's betting on selfies to do that. The HTC 10 boasts a camera which can steady your selfie-taking wobbles, with technology called Optical Image Stabilisation. The android-based smartphone brand has fallen out of favour in recent [...]
Not your average kitchen: John Lewis launches smart home concept at Oxford Street flagship April 7, 2016 John Lewis has prepared for the day when homes will be crammed with Wallace and Gromit-style gadgets by launching an area dedicated to smart home technology in its Oxford Street flagship. The department store chain has today opened a 1,000 square feet space showcasing its most cutting edge range of futuristic inventions – from ovens that can controlled from your phone to smart [...]
Here’s what the Galaxy S7 has done for Samsung’s profits April 7, 2016 Samsung's flagship Galaxy S7 smartphone is already paying off. The South Korean firm expects a 10 per cent rise in sales for the first three months to March of 6.6 trillion won (£3.9bn), ahead of analyst estimates of around 5.5 trillion won. Revenues meanwhile were up four per cent to 49 trillion won for the same period [...]
Huawei has thrown itself full tilt into the global consumer phone market with its P9 and P9 Plus, featuring Leica lenses April 6, 2016 Chinese telecoms group Huawei has unveiled its latest handset, meant be its flagship device in a push into the European market currently dominated by Samsung and Apple. Huawei has has teamed up with German camera maker Leica for its new P9 model that uses duel lenses, a feature though to be included in Apple's upcoming iPhone 7. [...]
The Sharp Foxconn deal is go – here’s four things you need to know about two major Apple iPhone suppliers uniting March 30, 2016 The Foxconn Sharp deal has been as on-again off-again as Elon Musk's marriage – but the deed is finally done after much back and forth, finally uniting two of Apple's major suppliers. 1. The deal Hon Hai Precision, or Foxconn as it's more widely known, will pay 389bn yen (£2.4bn) for a 66 per cent stake in Sharp. That amount is [...]
Samsung Pay launches in China following Apple Pay but faces Alibaba’s AliPay, Tencent’s WeChat Pay and other homegrown rivals March 29, 2016 Samsung will let its smartphone users in China pay with just a swipe of their mobile as it launches Samsung Pay in the country in a partnership with China UnionPay. Samsung follows Apple, which launched in China in February – also with UnionPay – and counted 3m cards set up with Apple Pay within the first two days. Samsung Pay will [...]
Sky’s going big on virtual reality with VR studio and plans for Formula 1, boxing, cycling content and more March 17, 2016 Sky is deepening its efforts in virtual reality, an industry expected to be worth $70bn by 2020, with a specialist studio producing new content, including films from the Formula 1 racetrack. Viewers will be able to almost smell the petrol of the pit and experience the hair-raising bends of a Grand Prix track as if they [...]
Apple’s Siri and other virtual assistants from Google, Microsoft and Samsung can’t help with tough questions about depression, suicide, rape, and domestic violence, study finds March 15, 2016 Siri may be able to tell you the weather forecast and show you where the nearest Pret is, but Apple’s digital helper and those from the likes of Google, Samsung and Microsoft, are unable to help with some of life’s toughest questions. Who hasn’t googled those niggling little health symptoms? But now that we use those [...]
The UK is the sport industry capital of the world – its businesses must lead the way with corporate responsibility March 11, 2016 In case you hadn’t noticed, the UK is sport mad. We watch, discuss, engage and play sport with great passion. So it’s not surprising that we are pretty damn good at the business of sport as well. Led by the Barclays Premier League we have an industry worth an estimated £24bn per year. But more [...]