Power grid operators and utilities are increasingly turning to big data analytics and tools. This week European power giant E.ON said it plans to work with Ericsson for a smart meter data project in Sweden. Read more »
Sherpa is trying to build a more flexible virtual assistant technology that can easily adapted for new tasks. To that end it has developed its own conceptual meta-language which it uses to process all voice commands. Read more »
Mercedes-Benz, Bosch and the industrial insurance firm HDI have partnered up with European accelerator network Startupbootcamp. With names like that on the roster, it’s a fair bet that connected car technology will be a focus. Read more »
Microsoft Windows Azure GM Bill Hilf calls Amazon a competitor, a partner and a neighbor: But that won’t stop Microsoft from launching an IaaS price war against Amazon Web Services. Read more »
Flattr’s Twitter micropayments venture, where people could leave tips for ‘favorited’ tweets, is over. But as that tie-in got shut down, Flattr enabled tips for YouTube videos. The system also works on Instagram and SoundCloud. Read more »
Boland founded a wireless chipmaker in 2002 and sold it to Nvidia in 2011 for $367 million. Now he’s taking his expertise to white spaces startup Neul. Read more »
Orange’s Skype-and-WhatsApp rival is gaining functionality and reach for users around the world, with particular benefits for customers of certain Orange carriers. Read more »
The audit office will investigate the auction, which took more than £1 billion less than the government had predicted. However, the rationale for the government’s forecast remains highly questionable. Read more »
The details of a long-awaited deal between Google and the EU are finally out. The agreement requires Google to list three competitors in certain types of search listings, and to agree to other, wide-ranging conditions. Read more »
It’s easy to be sniffy about the concept of sending odors through the internet, but researchers are nonetheless hard at work on folding the sense of smell into the digital repertoire. Read more »
Although it claims the move “isn’t about subsidies”, O2 is effectively moving away from the traditional model where carriers subsidize the phones they sell up-front, then bury the real cost in a combined monthly tariff. Read more »
France’s minister of digital economy is speaking up for Paris-based AppGratis, which was kicked out of the iOS App Store for recent rule violations. She called Apple’s decision “brutal” and implied Apple was behaving unethically, according to accounts of her comments. Read more »
The Hungarian firm is trying to set itself apart from rivals by inviting hackers to do their worst on its cryptography. GigaOM readers can also get a free 50GB account for life. Read more »
MetroPCS has delayed the final shareholder vote necessarily to finalize its merger with T-Mobile USA. Fearing rejection, T-Mo owner DT is offering up a new deal with better terms. Read more »
The financial technology firm will use the funding to push on into Europe, which – by happy coincidence – has just decided to adopt governmental open data policies across the board. Read more »
The IT industry is undergoing a cataclysm of innovation that is disrupting big businesses, offering opportunities for entrepreneurs and redefining the role of IT in the corporation. GigaOM’s Structure event helps you understand what’s next. Read more »
Enevo’s services, which involve putting sensors into trash bins to optimize collection times and routes, provide a useful reminder of the potential of the internet of things. Read more »
Read Petite, an e-singles subscription site, will launch in the U.K. this fall. Waterstones founder Tim Waterstone is chairman. The site was founded by literary agent Peter Cox and consultant Martyn Daniels. Read more at paidContent »
Just a few months old, Wandera has attracted a sizable Series A round with Bessemer Venture Partners as the sole investor. Wandera’s technology, mobile data optimization, is nothing new, but its enterprise focus is. Read more »
Good news for startups hoping to draw on public road traffic and weather data, among other types: changes agreed on Wednesday should allow the use of such data for free or at very low cost. Read more »
The beta release of Viber for BlackBerry 2.4 is the first to include Skype-rivalling VoIP functionality. However, this only applies to older versions of the BlackBerry platform, not the freshly-launched BB10. Read more »
Scrappy London startup Server Density is adding AWS and Rackspace provisioning capabilities to its existing monitoring service, says co-founder and CEO David Mytton. Read more »
BoxCryptor 2, available now in technical preview form, makes it far easier to securely share access permissions for files stored in services such as DropBox and SkyDrive. It also offers master keys for bosses. Read more »
The rumored takeover is now reality, at a reported price of $69 million. But, given Elsevier’s reputation and Mendeley’s open access ethos, will this deal turn out to be a harmonious success? Read more at paidContent »
EE is doubling the amount of 1800MHz capacity it is dedicating to LTE, meaning many customers will get real-world speeds of over 20Mbps. The move comes as EE’s rivals prepare to launch 4G services. Read more »
Not satisfied with targeting Google over its search practices, Microsoft and its allies have complained to EU competition authorities over the way Google services are bundled with Android. Read more »
App Store guidelines prohibit apps that use push notifications for marketing purposes and those that simply promote other apps. AppGratis is just the latest to be pulled for these kind of violations. Read more »
The rumored deal will become a reality later this year, assuming there are no regulatory problems. It would give Ericsson a market share of over 25 percent in IPTV and multi-screen systems and services. Read more »
The deal – the financial terms of which remain a mystery – is important for both the connected industry and the Berlin start-up scene, which has long been holding out for a big exit. Read more »
The UK’s second-largest mobile carrier, O2, has become the latest to sign a deal with Virgin Media in order to give its customers free internet access on the London Underground. Read more »
The new version aims to provide a simpler interface for wrangling hundreds of data points per site visit. Qubit has also released research about browser user value, with IE users coming out on top. Read more »
Fraunhofer is testing optical communications components that will turn an off-the-shelf LED into a broadband transmitter. Read more »
The European Union approved the merger of Random House and Penguin without conditions on Friday, saying it doesn’t pose a threat to competition. The U.S. approved the merger in February. Read more at paidContent »
The U.K.’s legal deposit rules, which require publishers to submit copies of all publications to national and other major libraries, have been updated to cover everything from blogs to tweets. Read more at paidContent »
Developers can now sink their teeth into the smartphone OS that picks up where MeeGo left off. However, the operating system will struggle to make its voice heard in a turbulent year for mobile. Read more »
Flexiant targets service providers – particularly telcos – that want to become infrastructure-as-a-service wholesalers. It’s just starting to gain traction in Europe, and now it wants to push into the U.S. as well. Read more »
The algorithmically generated travel guides have received a major update on the iPhone and iPad, with the Android versions set to receive similar upgrades at some point down the line. Read more »
The Weightless SIG claims the new standard will allow for ultra-low-power transmissions at long-range and at a cheap manufacturing cost. If true, that would make the technology ideal for M2M communications. Read more »
Another month, another big acquisition to bolster Cisco’s portfolio for mobile carriers. This time it’s Ubiquisys, the highly-rated purveyor of small cells, SON technology and other operator-focused treats. Read more »
Verizon has unsurprisingly scotched Tuesday’s rumor of a record-breaking takeover – in concert with rival carrier AT&T, no less – of Vodafone. Voda’s shares have dropped a couple percent in response. Read more »
