Mobile Technology Science / News

Travel search giant Skyscanner has acquired Twizoo, a U.K.-based platform that identifies user-generated content on Twitter for companies to use as part of promotional campaigns on their websites. The deal represents Skyscanner’s sixth known acquisition of all time, and its first since being acquired itself last year by Ctrip, one of China’s biggest online travel companies, […]

Monzo, a U.K.-based startup building a mobile-first banking service, has raised £71 million ($93 million) in a round of funding from Stripe, Goodwater Capital, Sequoia’s Michael Moritz, Passion Capital, Thrive Capital, and Orange Digital Ventures. This latest tranche takes the company’s total funding to £106 million ($140 million) and values the London-based startup at £280 million ($366 […]

Today provided a brutal reminder of how fundamental shifts to mobile technology has caused a profound upheaval in the semiconductor market that is transforming some of the biggest names in the industry. The move away from desktop computing started long ago. But the increasingly powerful smartphones we carry, the explosion of so-called Internet of Things […]

(Reuters) — Amazon is cutting prices of products from third-party sellers on its website, moving beyond its more typical method of discounts on items it sells directly. The “discount provided by Amazon” applies to products including board games and technological gadgets offered by other merchants as the holiday season approaches. The retailer has been trying […]

GUEST: So you want to create the next bitcoin. Wonderful! But before you crack code, you’ll need to revisit English 101, because the blockchain community demands a white paper with every project. What’s a white paper? It’s a document that describes your project. How do you make one? Here’s a handy guide of best practices from […]

GUEST: In the beginning was Bitcoin, the only blockchain we thought we’d need. Then Ethereum came along and launched us into a multi-blockchain world. Since then we’ve seen many new blockchains emerge with their various different protocols, financed by their various different tokens. One of the the key doctrines of this era was Joel Monegro’s seminal […]

GUEST: The sharing economy relies on a distributed workforce, shareable assets, and peer-to-peer transactions and contracts. Uber and Airbnb are probably the most famous examples, allowing people to make money by sharing their homes and their cars. Now blockchain technology is making it possible to earn money by sharing a whole new set of assets, such […]

ANALYSIS: Google announced a notable update to YouTube Kids this week, one that gives parents a range of tools to tailor the app for their kids. Among the new features is one that lets parents create individual profiles for each of their offspring. They can set each kid up with their own passcode to keep siblings […]

After years of litigation in two countries, a federal court in the US has weighed in on a thorny question: Does Google US have to obey a Canadian court order requiring Google to take down information around the world, ignoring contrary rules in other jurisdictions? According to the Northern District of California, the answer is […]

Last quarter was typical: smartphones up, tablets down. The tablet market has now declined every quarter over the past three years. Q3 2017 saw a 5.4 percent year-over-year decline: 40.0 million units shipped worldwide, compared to 42.3 million units in the same quarter last year. The only silver lining is that the 2017 drops aren’t […]

EXCLUSIVE: Startup stock exchange Funderbeam today announced that early-stage startups have raised over €5 million ($5.8 million) from investors in nearly 100 countries through its blockchain-powered platform. Funderbeam allows companies to fundraise and trade using blockchain technology. Founded in 2013 and launched in 2016, the Estonia-based company has already secured seed funding of more than $7 million from noteworthy […]

(Reuters) — Digital currency bitcoin took another leap higher on Thursday, rocketing above $7,000 for the first time after a more than tenfold increase in its value over the past year. Bitcoin has seen eye-watering gains in recent months, having more than doubled in value in the past seven weeks alone. It is on track […]

(Reuters) — Apple Inc forecast revenue for the holiday shopping-quarter largely above market expectations, helping allay investor concerns about production delays and supply constraints for the iPhone X, which it will start shipping on Friday. Apple opened pre-orders for the iPhone X on Oct. 27 and has said demand has been “off the charts,” although […]

International money transfer service TransferWise has raised  $280 million in a round of funding led by asset management firm Old Mutual Global Investors (OMGI) and Silicon Valley’s IVP, with participation from Sapphire Ventures, Mitsui & Co, World Innovation Lab, Richard Branson, Andreessen Horowitz, and Baillie Gifford. Founded out of London in 2010, TransferWise offers a peer-to-peer (P2P) international […]

Quip, a subscription-based electric toothbrush startup, has raised a $10 million series A round of funding from early Airbnb and Uber investor Sherpa Capital, Kal Vepuri’s Brainchild fund, Blue Scorpion VC, Demi Lovato, and Eric Grosgogeat, among other investors from the “fashion, entertainment, and oral care industries.” Founded out of New York in 2012 by […]

Samsung has announced a new enterprise-grade version of its Galaxy Note8 phablet for the U.S. market. Priced at $994, the aptly named Galaxy Note8 Enterprise Edition is available to order from today through “authorized Samsung channel partners.” The device comes unlocked and ships with a number of enhancements compared to the consumer incarnation that launched a […]

Microsoft today announced that the confusingly-named Microsoft 365 Business has hit general availability worldwide. Aimed at small and medium-sized businesses with up to 300 employees, the offering is priced at $20 per user, per month. In July, Microsoft introduced Microsoft 365, a new set of commercial offerings to package, and for its partners to sell, […]

Reaction Commerce, an open source ecommerce platform aimed at online retailers, has raised $8.5 million in a series A round of funding led by Google’s venture capital arm, GV, with participation from CrossCut Ventures, Double M Partners, Joanne Wilson, and Female Founders Fund. Founded out of Santa Monica initially as Ongo Works back in 2013, Reaction […]

(Reuters) — Several analysts downplayed concerns about Apple Inc’s iPhone X production issues and were bullish on demand and sales, pushing the company’s shares to a record on Monday. The Cupertino-based company does not provide pre-order figures on iPhones, leaving investors and analysts in the dark in trying to track output through research with its […]

EXCLUSIVE: A ban on initial coin offerings (ICOs) in China and South Korea has caused a ripple effect — including a token listing exodus to Japan — and we’re seeing continued evidence that Chinese investors are looking elsewhere. Today, Trade.io — the blockchain peer-to-peer trading platform — has announced that Chien Lee, Chinese-American billionaire and majority shareholder of French […]