Apple Pay fail: If your iPhone or Apple Watch battery dies on the Tube, TfL says you’ll have to stump up the maximum fare July 16, 2015 The cracks in Apple's new contactless system (or perhaps, more specifically, the lifetime of its devices' batteries) are starting to show. As part of a detailed set of advice for commuters using their iPhones and Apple Watches to effortlessly waft through ticket barriers on the Tube, TfL has warned of the very real possibility [...]
Tessa Jowell forms business group with former trade minister Mervyn Davies to make London the tech capital of the world July 16, 2015 How can London become the tech capital of the world? That's the question being put to business leaders including former trade minister Mervyn Davies, National Express chairman Sir John Armitt and London Chamber of Commerce chairman Mark Adams today. The group, which has been set up by mayoral hopeful Tessa Jowell, also includes [...]
Wearables startup Jewelbots wants to get girls into tech with hi-tech jewellery July 13, 2015 The percentage of women in the tech industry isn’t just low – it’s dropping. Wearables startup Jewelbots wants to change this by developing smart friendship bracelets to get girls interested in coding, and their idea has been a hit on the crowdfunding scene. The company, which launched last autumn, wrote about their idea on their [...]
How fitness apps can help boost your workout July 8, 2015 No 1 Fitness personal trainer Mark Hallam tells us how technology can take your health regime to the next level – but will never replace a human touch. Thanks to the Apple Watch, wearable technology that can monitor your heartrate and calorie intake has moved well and truly into the mainstream, while fitness-tracking apps [...]
Apple Pay UK launch 14 July: Mobile payments coming to iPhone and Apple Watch imminently July 6, 2015 Apple's expected to launch its mobile payment service, Apple Pay, in the UK as soon as next week in its first mobile payment move beyond the US. iPhone users will be able to pay with just the tap of a smartphone, or Apple Watch, across the high street and on the London Underground from 14 [...]
UK is contactless capital of world due to the Tube as payment limit to hit £30 July 5, 2015 Over one billion contactless Visa card payments were made in Europe alone in the last 12 months, double the previous year, in transactions worth a total of €12.6bn (£8.9bn). The UK is leading the trend, with 49.6m contactless Visa cards in circulation, an increase of 37 per cent from March 2014. Britain has [...]
Barclaycard’s bpay wearable band and contactless devices let you pay with just a swipe of your wrist, key or phone June 29, 2015 Shoppers heading to the tills and travellers passing through ticket gates will soon be able to pay with just a simple swipe of the wrist using Barclaycard's new wearable technology. The new bpay band, due to launch next month, will bring an end to rummaging through bags for contactless cards and is one of three [...]
Fitbit share price jumps 52 per cent on market debut in New York June 18, 2015 Shares in wearable fitness gadget maker Fitbit surged 52 per cent in their stock market debut across the pond yesterday, valuing the firm at more than $4.1bn (£2.6bn). The shares, which are now traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker FIT, were priced at $20 per share for the initial public [...]
War of the wearables: Jawbone sues Fitbit for second time ahead of IPO June 11, 2015 The war of the wearables is hotting up even more. Jawbone, the maker of the Up fitness tracker has filed a second lawsuit in the US courts alleging that soon-to-IPO rival Fitbit, which also makes fitness trackers, infringed several of its patents. It's the second lawsuit filed by Jawbone against Fitbit in two weeks – [...]
Project Jacquard: Google and Levi’s to launch world’s first pair of “smart” jeans June 3, 2015 Google is to team up with Levi’s to manufacture the world’s first pair of “smart” jeans. The digital denim will be made using a revolutionary new fabric interwoven with conductive material. The firms have not revealed exactly what the jeans will be capable of, but the technology can be used to interact with smartphones [...]