Tata invests $100m in Uber to fuel India expansion August 19, 2015 The equity investment fund of India's Tata Group is the latest corporation to hitch a lift with Uber. Tata's Opportunities Fund (TOF) has made a $100m (£64m) investment in the controversial billion-dollar startup, allowing the company to extend its reach in India, where it currently has 150,000 drivers in 18 cities and holds a 35 [...]
Addison Lee, Uber, Hailo, Kabbee and Gett taxi app wars: Why the future of transport apps isn’t transport August 19, 2015 On-demand transport – taxi apps – is a £5bn market in London. It's worth double that in the UK as a whole. Worldwide the figures are astronomical. From New York to Tel Aviv, Moscow to London, the way we move around our cities is transforming beyond all recognition. We have technology to thank. The ability [...]
If your doctor can’t prescribe you antibiotics, watching and waiting will be the only alternative August 18, 2015 From now on, we'll have to endure our sore throats and sniffles for as long as they choose to plague us – doctors in the UK have been advised against prescribing antibiotics as readily as they do at the moment, which means people with minor ailments will just have to sit back and wait for [...]
Meet the Gartner Hype Cycle for 2015: It’s all about self-driving cars and smart dust in emerging tech trends August 18, 2015 You've probably heard of the self-driving car, but smart dust probably isn't on your radar just yet. That's because the autonomous vehicle trend has hit what's known as the peak of inflated expectation. Smart dust on the other hand, is at the earliest stage of innovation, as defined by Gartner in its annual research on [...]
British smartphone users couldn’t care less about gimmicky features like curved displays – they care more about basics like battery life and reception August 18, 2015 Forget the curved screens and eyeball trackers – just get us a phone with a battery life worth having. This is the message smartphone users have for manufacturers, according to a new survey from price comparison site uSwitch. Wacky features abound when smartphone manufacturers launch their flagship models, with Samsung unveiling a curved display in [...]
Bank of England analysts believe Twitter could help predict a bank run, early signs of unemployment data and market movements August 18, 2015 Bank of England analysts believe Twitter and other social media give “much potential for central banks” to predict market movements, indicate unemployment data ahead of time and even give signs of an impending bank run. In the run-up to the Scottish independence referendum a team of analysts and IT experts within the BoE built [...]
Inmarsat’s new rocket I-5 F3 launches on 28 August 2015 August 17, 2015 Inmarsat has scheduled the launch of the third satellite of its Global Xpress array, after a delay in May caused the satellite telecommunications company to reduce its revenue and earnings forecast for the year. The Inmarsat-5 F3 is scheduled for launch at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on 28 August 2015. The final satellite completes [...]
What’s it really like to work at Amazon? Jeff Bezos says it’s not a bad place, the NYT says it’s hell – here’s what the employee data says August 17, 2015 What's it like working at one of the leading technology companies in the world which pioneers new business models and is disrupting traditional industries left, right and centre, from books to groceries? Exciting? Dynamic? A fun working day filled with office slides, nap pods and free food? Hellish more like. That's according to the New [...]
Diabetes has become a huge problem in the UK – here are four recent breakthroughs that could keep it under control August 17, 2015 Thanks to our unhealthy lifestyles and expanding waistlines, the number of diabetes sufferers in the UK has gone up significantly over the last decade. Read more: Metformin: The world's first drug to increase life expectancy could go on trial next year Figures released today by the charity Diabetes UK show that there are currently [...]
The kids are alright: Ecigarettes “aren’t a gateway to smoking” for young people August 17, 2015 Vaping isn't a "gateway" to smoking for the yoof, a new study has found – suggesting fears over the effects of ecigarettes are misplaced. Read more: A smoking ban in pub beer gardens? Stop persecuting smokers The study, by anti-smoking charity Ash, found there was "no evidence" young people were being enticed towards real-life fags by [...]