Month: January 2019
Strong cloud growth helps Microsoft deliver healthy profits
Microsoft has reported strong quarterly financial results, largely driven by its commercial cloud services. The PC giant’s revenue stood at 28.9 billion dollars (£22 billion) in the three months to the end of December, up 12% on the same period in 2017. Net income for the company was also healthy, reaching 8.4 billion dollars (£6.4…
Brexit: Could blockchain be the answer for Irish border issue?
The Irish border remains a contentious issue for the Government as it tries to find a suitable remedy to the Brexit backstop – but blockchain technology has long been touted as a possible solution. Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay reiterated on Wednesday that it was “exploring” the use of technology to avoid a hard border between…
Connected Kerb launches electric vehicle charging points
A “smart” system for charging electric vehicles on the street has been launched to boost the take-up of clean cars. The new public kerbside charging technology, which includes small on-street hubs called “armadillos” and “geckos” that can be attached to existing bollards or signposts, has been unveiled in Southwark, London. Connected Kerb, the company behind the…
Apple hints at lower iPhone prices outside US after sales drop
Apple has suggested that it could lower iPhone prices in response to falling sales. Speaking after publishing the company’s latest financial results, which showed that iPhone revenue was down 15% on last year, chief executive Tim Cook said Apple is starting to adjust its pricing in some countries in response to currency valuation changes around…
Children’s Commissioner urges social media to protect children from ‘disturbing content’
Social media companies must take more responsibility for protecting children from disturbing content on their platforms, the Children’s Commissioner for England has said. In an open letter to the platforms most used by children – YouTube, Facebook (which owns Instagram), Snapchat and Pinterest – Anne Longfield urged the companies to back a statutory duty of…
Apple revenue and profits down as iPhone sales hit. Could handset prices fall?
Apple has reported a decline in both revenue and profits in its latest quarterly financial results, as the company feels the pinch from slowing demand for its star product, the iPhone. The results showed a 15% fall in sales of the iPhone in the three months ending to December 29, diving from 61.1 billion dollars…
Fortnite adds support for Bluetooth controllers on mobile devices
Fortnite has announced support for Bluetooth controllers on mobile, meaning those playing on a phone or a tablet can now connect a controller in order to play. The popular battle royale game has become one of the biggest games in the world partly because of the level of accessibility it offers – it can be…
China vows to ‘firmly defend’ companies after Huawei hit with US charges
China has called on Washington to “stop the unreasonable crackdown” on Huawei after the United States stepped up pressure on the tech giant by indicting it on charges of stealing technology and violating sanctions on Iran. Beijing will “firmly defend” its companies, a foreign ministry statement said. It gave no indication whether Beijing might retaliate…
Google’s Jigsaw offers free anti-meddling tools ahead of EU elections
Google is giving political organisations in Europe free access to tools that tackle online attacks and disruption ahead of upcoming EU elections in May. The company’s cybersecurity incubator Jigsaw is making its Project Shield system available to campaigns and candidates, amid fears of election meddling. From today, the defence technology is being rolled out to…
Instagram confirms fix after going offline
Instagram has confirmed it has fixed an issue which took parts of the photo-sharing network offline for around two hours early on Tuesday. The Facebook-owned social network said it had “fully resolved” the issue which it said had earlier caused the app to be down “for some users”. Users had earlier taken to other social…
