Now Microsoft’s pledged to train the UK in digital skills for free January 26, 2017 Microsoft is the latest tech giant to make a pledge to help train the UK in digital skills, following hot on the heels of Google and Amazon. It will offer free digital literacy training online for everyone in the UK and specifically target 30,000 UK public servants to improve their knowledge. It will also aim to [...]
James Bond’s Q is actually a woman in real life, it turns out January 26, 2017 Forget the row over whether James Bond can be played by a female actor like Gillian Anderson or not – in real life, the role of Q in Britain's top secret intelligence service is already a woman. The revelation was made by the head of MI6, Alex Younger, who also called on women to join the [...]
A capricious digital economy requires agile management January 26, 2017 In a digital-led economy, if your company isn’t “agile,” it isn’t set up for success. Today, winning companies are those which can bring their products to market quickly, pivoting to technological developments and shifts in customer expectation as they evolve. Agile is a collaborative approach to product development which focuses on launching early and refining [...]
Meet the 33 tech startups set for stardom January 26, 2017 More than 30 companies have been identified as the most promising tech startups in the country and will be mentored by top entrepreneurs to help create the next wave of top British tech stars. Challenger bank Monzo, online shopping site Trouva and digital mortgage adviser Trussle are among the startups who will be mentored by Lastminute.com [...]
Back to life, back to virtual reality: Xiaomi’s international boss Hugo Barra joins Facebook’s VR unit Oculus January 26, 2017 Hugo Barra announced he was leaving Xiaomi to make a Silicon Valley return a few days ago and now we know where he was headed: Facebook. The ex-Google executive who led international expansion at Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi has left the company to take up a role as vice president of virtual reality at Facebook's VR [...]
Resident Evil 7 review: A gruesome return to form for the horror series January 25, 2017 Were it physically possible for a human skeleton to crawl out of a body through the mouth so that all the flesh peeled down to form a bloody skirt made of guts, and for that skeleton to run around the room getting tangled up in bunting and pulling bookshelves down on itself, then Resident Evil [...]
Is blockchain a “new operating system for the planet”? Barclays vice chairman Jeremy Wilson thinks so January 25, 2017 Blockchain has the potential to become “a new operating system for the planet” in a generation’s time, while mainstream commercial use is likely to happen within the next decade, one of Barclays’ top executives believes. “I don’t think I’ve heard it mentioned as anything other than a significant opportunity,” said its corporate banking vice-chairman Jeremy Wilson. [...]
Top dogs: 37 of the hottest startups to watch right now January 25, 2017 Nearly 40 UK tech startups have been branded "ones to watch" and will be mentored by top entrepreneurs, founders and investors to get them scaling up to become tech giants. A startup which lets wannabe pet owners borrow other people's dogs, BorrowMyDoggy, and an innovative mapping company which just landed backing from Daimler, What3Words, are [...]
Metro Bank boss: Branchless banking reduces customer choice January 25, 2017 Like Deliveroo and Uber, banks should mix the physical and digital according to Metro Bank chief executive Craig Donaldson. The challenger bank boss said not giving customers the opportunity for face to face interaction is taking away choice. Metro Bank has 48 branches at present, but Donaldson said its target is 250 or maybe 300 [...]
Pay-as-you-go insurtech startup Cuvva has raised cash from a top VC January 25, 2017 A fintech startup offering motorists flexible pay-as-you-go insurance by the hour as landed new investment from one of the UK's top venture capitalists. London-based Cuvva has landed £1.5m seed capital from Robin Klein's LocalGlobal, a backer of Zoopla and Citmapper, to target urban drivers who use their cars infrequently and tapping into the same habits which [...]
