The Nokia spin-off is solidifying its strategy of focusing on China first. The alliance around its mobile OS will be based in Hong Kong and take in major industry players from chipset vendors and OEMs to retailers and operators. Read more »
What happens when a UK newspaper starts charging its American online readers? Not enough, according to The Independent, which says it is likely to undo its model after a year in place. Read more at paidContent »
As another deadline to launch passes, Virgin Media shows more evidence that it will soon finally unveil its iPad TiVo application, along with a full second-screen internet TV strategy. Read more at paidContent »
Around the world, rival services are gobbling up emerging markets by rebadging Google’s software. Yandex is the latest, with its own Chrome-based web browser and alternative Android app store. Read more »
A data visualisation web app, GetBulb, wins a €50,000 loan note from DFJ Esprit in The Irish Times’ Digital Challenge. But what did the publisher learn from working with start-ups? Read more at paidContent »
Germany’s state-owned rail company has threatened a developer with legal action for publishing its timetables and station coordinates – data it’s handed over to Google in an exclusive deal. The developer says he’s just trying to keep the public informed. Read more »
Internet Explorer can’t catch a break in Europe. On the day the EC says it will charge Microsoft over browser bundling non-compliance, Russian web service Mail.ru launches its own rival software. Read more »
EU competition commissioner Joaquin Almunia has indicated that formal antitrust proceedings are almost certain in the case of Microsoft, and pretty likely with Google too. In both cases, fines could run into the billions. Read more »
The industry is still figuring out how to exploit the fact that many TV viewers use mobile devices whilst watching. Even two pay-TV services part of the same mothership don’t fully agree on the opportunity. Read more at paidContent »
Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania are pulling together with the support of the European Investment Fund to kickstart investment in their countries – and much of the cash is likely to go to the tech startup sector. Read more »
Optimists hope that the EU’s expected cloud computing recommendations will resolve concerns around diverse data protection laws that slow cloud adoption. Realists hope for the best, but prepare for less. The reality is Europe remains a collection of countries, not a unified whole. Read more »
With no iPhone 5 support and multiple competing variants, mobile payments may be having an evolutionary emergence toward what many expect will be a revolutionary disruption. But, already, NFC helped process 4.5 billion rubles’ worth ($138 million) of mobile payments in Russia in the first six […] Read more »
The ex-Nokians are almost ready to reveal their MeeGo-based smartphone, but how are they planning to break into the two-horse mobile race? According to CEO Jussi Hurmola, Jolla has a plan for getting operators and other co-branding partners on board. Read more »
AOL’s Huffington Post launches another national edition in tandem with a leading newspaper publisher. But, when it’s not relying on existing local brands, how is HuffPo doing under its own steam against dominant newspaper publishers? Read more at paidContent »
Following a successful first two years for the original FinTech Innovation Lab in New York, Accenture and its banking pals are trying to replicate the scheme in the world’s top financial center. Read more »
If web users won’t pay for quality news, should they be made to cough up through one of the few digital bills they do pay? A news levy must now be collected through ISPs, one high-profile journalist says. Read more at paidContent »
The social network has bowed to the demands of privacy regulators across the EU and axed its facial recognition features for European users. However, it plans to bring the functionality back once it’s figured out how to give its users real privacy choice. Read more »
Double Robotics’ iPad-eqipped telepresence robot is the first beneficiary of the $25m fund Grishin announced earlier this year. His cash will help Double ramp up manufacturing, which will be useful as early demand has been high. Read more »
The Finnish government has approved the technology behind a new ‘Open Ministry’ platform, which will act as a hub for citizens who want new laws voted on in the country’s parliament. But could that work elsewhere? Read more »
Business card printer and east London tech darling Moo.com acquires web personal landing page Flavors.me to bolster its digital profile. Read more »
One of the recent crop of mobile personalised news aggregators is being acquired by an RSS advertising company looking to take its ads in to smartphones. Read more at paidContent »
Adobe sounded the death knell for Flash on Android last month. Deciding there is no viable alternative video technology, the BBC is keeping Adobe’s alive through its own workaround app. Blame Android fragmentation. Read more at paidContent »
It has a clear digital vision under former MSN chief Scott Moore, but Yellowbook publisher Hibu warns the cost of servicing its diminishing printed directory business may render its shares worthless. Read more at paidContent »
GNM is beefing up its digital and commercial leadership with US-style C-level appointments, including a new role for digital development director Tanya Cordrey. Read more at paidContent »
Consumers’ use of mobile devices whilst watching TV is becoming popular. But, with another viewing companion app due to launch next week, some in the industry are still debating the potential and the pay-back. Read more at paidContent »
In a bold first-day speech, the BBC’s new boss says the corporation must stop thinking that online innovation means repurposing broadcast content and instead ‘create genuinely digital content for the first time’. Read more at paidContent »
The deal will see the Spanish telecoms giant bundle augmented reality tech with its advertising offerings and promote the Aurasma app to its 300 million customers. But will marketing use-cases finally make the technology fly? Read more »
Moves to allow the digitization of ‘orphan works’ and free up the metadata around 20 million cultural objects will benefit the public and could inspire a new wave of apps and web services. But the underlying motivation is fundamentally political. Read more »
Publishers increasingly want to know exactly what readers are looking for. Now investment is being given to a start-up that purports not just to tell them – but also to write the content for them. Read more at paidContent »
The Finnish firm’s founders are moving to New York to cash in on heavy U.S. demand, they say, while also revealing the opening of a Singapore office. Read more »
The cloud-based customer service suite now has a simplified and more unified UI, and has also pulled in major funding from big names such as Index and Goldman Sachs. Read more »
About to split itself in two whilst still pursuing digital product development, News Corp is adding News International CIO Paul Cheesbrough as its chief technology officer, replacing John McKinley. Read more at paidContent »
Russian video aggregator ivi.ru is raising $40 million more. The money will be used to license TV and movie content, as investors hope decreasing piracy and willingness to pay for content can make for success. Read more at paidContent »
Russia’s lacklustre music market desperately needs strong legal digital services. Now Apple may be about to play that role, finally launching in the country, according to reports. Read more at paidContent »
Real-time bidding is now becoming a common feature on mobile ad platforms. But Germany’s Madvertise reckons its underlying targeting tech will give it the edge over rivals such as Mobclix and Smaato. Read more »
A new survey points to falling levels of reading every medium bar SMS in the last seven years. Campaigners are worried, but schoolchildren say they enjoy reading as much as ever. Read more at paidContent »
With the photo app’s new ‘Discover’ feed pulling context from an impressive variety of sources, and with monetization plans including an entry into the stock photo business, we may be seeing evolution past the focus on art filters. Read more »
Sometimes one company’s failures can provide valuable lessons for other startups. That’s definitely the case with a major strategy shift from productivity upstart 6Wunderkinder, which we can reveal. Read more »
Hadopi, the French body created by former President Nicolas Sarkozy to enforce copyright laws online, has rarely been popular for its three strikes disconnection policy. Now, after hints that the new government may cut its funding, the group’s leader has told politicians to stop meddling. Read more »
There are a few apps out there catering to those who want limits on their social networking experience, but this one focuses entirely on the collaborative photo album angle. Read more »
