The rise of the sleeping giant: Why the next wave of tech innovation will come from corporates September 16, 2015 A unique new inflight entertainment system that allows you to start watching movies on your iPad before the flight. A connected car that knows what you are going to do during the day. Selling car insurance by the mile instead of by the year. What these innovations have in common is that none of them [...]
Uber suffers fresh blow in Europe as Madrid prepares to fine drivers October 7, 2014 Uber drivers in Madrid could receive fines up to £14,000 and have their cars taken away for three months thanks to Spanish transport regulations. The restrictions are a fresh blow to Uber, which has been under attack from the Spanish taxi industry for some time. Borja Carabante vice-councillor of Transport, Infrastructure and Housing, said: We [...]
This stunning map visualises how Uber taxis travel through London in a single day October 21, 2014 A stunning map of London visualises how Uber taxis zip through the city's crowded streets showing how people move around the capital in just a single day. Created by Uber using anonymous data on Uber passenger's journeys on a single day in July, the map shows London never sleeps- or at least those getting cabs [...]
Uber’s tax status slammed by Labour MP August 1, 2014 Chair of the Public Accounts Committee and Labour MP Margaret Hodge has condemned the tax arrangements of the popular taxi app service Uber in a letter to London Mayor Boris Johnson. According to Hodge, Uber has “unfairly undercut London operators by opting out of the UK tax regime". The Labour MP is unhappy that the [...]
Does Uber really deserve an F grade from the Better Business Bureau? October 10, 2014 Uber received some bad news on Thursday, receiving an F grade from the 100-year-old Better Business Bureau. The US nonprofit gave the taxi app its lowest possible grade, primarily because of the company's price surging policy. Surge pricing means the price can shoot up when demand rises sharply, such as New Year's eve or during [...]
New York City Ebola patient used Uber and the subway before he was admitted to hospital October 24, 2014 New York City doctor Craig Spencer, who has tested positive for Ebola after returning from Guinea, took a ride in an Uber cab and used the subway on Thursday before developing symptoms of the disease. Uber issued a statement on its blog: We reviewed our records and were able to confirm that one of our [...]
Michael Dell talks EMC deal, leadership style, cyber attacks and how to prevent digital fear among companies November 8, 2015 Imagine striking the biggest tech deal of all time. Well, Michael Dell, founder of the eponymous tech company, is trying to do exactly that. Three weeks ago, the giant announced a $67bn bet on digital storage company EMC. “We believe that scale matters,” says Dell. “We believe that converged infrastructure is real. The software-defined data [...]
Ukip must show it can scale like Uber – Editor’s Letter October 9, 2014 In Silicon Valley, tiny businesses with big ambitions get a surprising piece of advice: start things that don’t scale. The journey to grow a disruptive giant such as AirBnB begins in a small market, doing things that baffle the outside world, winning customers with strategies that could never work across a whole country. The trick [...]
Taxi app wars: Uber vs Hailo vs Maaxi vs Lyft – Emil Michael gaff is latest hurdle in startup battle November 19, 2014 Fast-growing “ridesharing” app firm Uber hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons again this week as senior executive Emil Michael was reported suggesting the company hire researchers to dig up dirt on its media critics. The blunder is the latest in a long line of controversies that have plagued the startup over [...]
Taxi ride-sharing app Maaxi launches to join a crowded cab rank April 14, 2015 Maaxi, the black cab ride-sharing app will be launched today, joining the line-up in an already-competitive London taxi market. But founder and chief executive Gabriel Campos, former boss of online gaming website Pokerstars, insists the new offering is not just another taxi scheme, but rather “door-to-door public transport”. Campos, whose main backer is Nat [...]