From Thomas Cook to the Prosecco shortage: Here’s what got us talking this week May 22, 2015 There was a bomb. There was an earthquake. And there was, very nearly, a nation-wide rail strike. Here's what got us talking this week. 1. Panic stations over Prosecco and…er… eggs We don't know which is worse. Well of course we do. Still a global egg shortage is pretty alarming. But cards on the table, [...]
Alibaba just invested in Snapchat: Four charts showing just how big its new $15bn valuation is March 12, 2015 Everyone’s favourite disappearing messaging app, Snapchat, has raised a new round of funding from Alibaba which values the firm at $15bn (£10bn). It’s a vote of confidence for the four-year-old app, which has just introduced a host of content-driven advertising features in a bid to start generating some revenue. The app picked up $200m from [...]
London Technology Week: The hunt for London’s unicorn tech startups June 15, 2015 There's no doubting the impressive numbers rolling out of London Tech Week. There’s also no lack of people willing to shout about these impressive feats, whether it be entrepreneurs, investors, economists, or the mayor himself. More than a dozen of London’s tech types today gathered near the summit of the Shard to kick off London [...]
In pictures: Uber cab protests in London and the rest of Europe June 11, 2014 European cities have come to a standstill as cab drivers protest against the rise of taxi apps such as Uber. Uber customers can hail a ride using their smartphone, which will show them the nearest vehicle available, rather than having to flag a cab. London, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, Paris and Berlin have suffered traffic disruption [...]
Uber cuts fares by 20 per cent in New York in price war with taxis July 7, 2014 Uber is cutting its prices by 20 per cent in New York in a bid to make the mobile app service for private hire cars more competitive than the city’s famous yellow taxis. The move follows similar price cuts for its UberX service in San Francisco, where the firm is based. Uber has seen strong growth [...]
Apple Pay: How does it work and is it any quicker? A guide for the new contactless payment system July 15, 2015 Apple Pay has finally arrived in the UK. Well, sort of. If you have the right iPhone and the right bank and you shop in the right place and if the sun is shining at just the right angle – then you can use Apple Pay (okay, we made the bit about the sun up). [...]
Steve Jobs was wrong: The customer knows best in the age of crowd-sourcing April 21, 2015 Apple’s 1997 “Think Different” campaign stands out as one of the major turning points in that company’s history. It was a message that Steve Jobs and his innovative spirit had returned to the firm, after he left in 1985. Jobs was as famous for championing the misfit as for saying that, in business, you won’t [...]
London taxi drivers protest on Oxford Street: Everything you need to know April 21, 2015 Black cab drivers today staged a highly visible protest that caused significant inconvenience in central London. Here's everything you need to know about the action by London cabbies. Where and when did the protest take place? The drivers started the "go-slow" protest on Oxford Street in the heart of London at 2:00pm, bringing Oxford Street [...]
Uber protests: RMT union backs taxi cab strike June 9, 2014 The RMT transport union has lent its support to a planned day of protest by licensed taxi drivers, who aim to clog central London streets tomorrow in protest at car hire apps such as Uber. The union said it will fly a “Cabbies against Boris” banner during the protests, due to start in Trafalgar Square [...]
Black cabs’ Uber protest: How much will it cost London? June 9, 2014 The protest planned by black-cab drivers against the start up taxi ordering service Uber could cost London’s economy £125m. The demonstration, organised by the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association, is expected to cause traffic gridlock in the capital on Wednesday afternoon. Based on data from the Centre of Economics and Business Research (CEBR), the [...]