Privacy to porno: What censorship means around the world [map]
We mapped Google’s transparency data to see which countries want online content removed and why. It turns out that censorship is in the eye of the beholder. Read more »
UK now has 2 million “superfast” connections
The UK, while far behind European broadband superpowers such as Netherlands and Sweden, is finally gaining momentum for its 25 Mbps (or higher) “superfast” broadband, thanks to new offerings from Virgin and BT. About 10 percent of the UK’s 21.3 million broadband connections qualify as superfast. Read more »
February gets a new holiday: Anywhere Working Week
Gloomy February is generally in need of more celebrations, and it has gotten one: Anywhere Working Week is on now. But this initiative from UK business, government and nonprofits to promote remote work is hardly getting pulses racing. Flexible work deserves a higher profile. Read more »
Yup, Britain is a freelance nation too
A survey conducted by British online labor platform Freelancer.co.uk confirms earlier findings from competitor site PeoplePerHour that showed UK businesses are hiring more independent workers, indicating that the much discussed rise of the “gig economy” is a transatlantic phenomenon. Read more »
iZettle launches across Nordics — next stop U.K.
Despite being known as Europe’s answer to Square, the payments service iZettle has only officially been available in Sweden since launching last year. Now that’s changing, with news of a rollout across Norway, Denmark and Finland, and the first step toward a British service too. Read more »
British small businesses using more independent workers
At Net:Work Gene Zaino of MBO Partners made a bold prediction: Independent workers will be a majority in the U.S. by 2020. Can the same be said in the UK? A new survey offers evidence that at British small businesses freelancing is on the rise. Read more »
Samwers clone Wrapp: Have they gone too far this time?
Europe’s most notorious cloners have built their reputation by copying big American companies. But now they appear to be readying a new rival to small Swedish startup Wrapp — a change of tactics that has ‘surprised’ Wrapp CEO Hjalmar Winbladh. Read more »
Roku adds BBC iPlayer to bolster UK launch
Roku has filled a vital gap in its lineup by announcing the addition of a channel for the BBC’s popular iPlayer service, just as it starts shipping its media streaming boxes to Britain for the first time. Read more »
O2 sends 3,000 staff home to telecommute for a day
Some say remote working is still a bit fringe outside of tech firms, edgy startups and freelancers in coffee shops, but a recent experiment by the British telecoms behemoth suggests the practice is slowly seeping into the mainstream of business. Read more »
How Google will court startups at London ‘Campus’
More details have emerged about Google’s intriguing plan to open a co-working space in London’s trendy startup district — but businesses and the authorities should be careful of reading too much into the move. Read more »
Britain unleashes gov.uk, its Google for government
A new portal that lets British citizens access government services online has just launched in beta. It’s fast, easy, accessible — and should save the tax payer bundles of cash. Is this a model for the future of connected government? Read more »
How the Daily Mail became the web’s biggest newspaper
Britain’s Daily Mail has eclipsed rivals including the New York Times to become the web’s biggest newspaper. But other media companies hoping to emulate its success will have their work cut out — unless they’re prepared to play fast and loose with the normal rules of journalism. Read more »
Apple pulls just ahead of Google in U.S. smartphones
Apple blew away observers and analysts on Tuesday with record earnings that included 37 million iPhone sold, which helps explain why research firm Kantar Worldpanel ComTech said Wednesday that Apple’s U.S. smartphone market share now exceeds that of Android devices. Read more »
Lovefilm lands on LG, Roku up next
U.K. Netflix clone Lovefilm just announced an app for LG’s smart TV’s, and the company is also getting ready to launch on Roku’s media streamer once the device becomes available to Britons. Details on the Roku app are scarce, but it could launch in early February. Read more »
Roku players go up for sale in U.K., Ireland
Roku is starting to sell its Roku LT and Roku 2 XS players in the U.K. and Ireland. The company is hoping to cash in on the launch of Netflix in both countries earlier this week, and possibly make up for weaker-than-expected sales last year. Read more »
The latest to target the smart energy home: Time Warner Cable
The 2012 CES show hasn’t even officially kicked off and already the smart energy home has emerged as a key target for a variety of sectors, including telcos, big box retailers, startups, chip companies and now cable operators like Time Warner Cable. Read more »
Netflix is about to discover that Britain bites back
Netflix wants to recover from a disastrous few months by launching in the U.K. and Ireland — but the company will have to overcome many obstacles to achieve success, not least competition from broadcasters who have very different priorities from their American counterparts. Read more »
Netflix makes it official, launches in U.K. and Ireland
Now it’s official: Netflix launched in the U.K. and Ireland Monday morning, promising to bring unlimited streaming of popular movies and TV shows through PCs as well as connected and mobile devices to both countries. But for Brits, Netflix isn’t the only choice. Read more »
Does a Premier League bid make sense for Apple?
Apple might be looking to expand its live sports offerings through a deal with the English Premier League, a new report says. It’s an interesting proposition but not a cheap one: Sky paid £1.6 billion (around $2.5 billion) for its current broadcast rights. Read more »
Other European Apple resellers watching French lawsuit closely
Apple is facing a lawsuit in France over its retail practices, and that case will be monitored closely by other resellers on the continent, a new report says. Still, others say this is just business as usual for Apple and the French case won’t change that. Read more »
How Spain’s version of SOPA is setting the web on fire
After much deliberation, Spain’s Sinde Law — an antipiracy initiative similar to America’s proposed SOPA legislation — has passed. But it is not entering the statute books without controversy over its reach, remit and the threats made by the U.S. government to force it through. Read more »
Was 2011 the year of the great paywall? Not exactly
Some newspaper websites made a little ground with their paywall strategies over the past year. But the media industry should be very careful about over-interpreting the successes of a handful over the struggles of the multitude. Read more »
It’s real: British leader to get bespoke iPad app
Sources have confirmed that work on an iPad app specially designed for British Prime Minister David Cameron has been underway for several months — and that, once completed, officials plan to make it available to the public. Read more »
Supply chain report points to 32- and 37-inch Apple iTV in 2012
Apple will be launching 32- and 37-inch versions of a dedicated Apple television set in the second or third quarter of 2012, according to supply chain sources speaking to DigiTimes on Tuesday. Apple will be focusing on those two sizes initially, the sources claim. Read more »
Apple details iTunes in the Cloud and iTunes Match international availability
Apple has finally made it very clear exactly which media content can be made available in the cloud in which countries for Automatic Downloads and Apple TV streaming, as well as listing the 17 countries where iTunes Match is available. Read more »
iPhone strong in Britain, but underwhelming in rest of Europe
Apple’s iPhone 4S has propelled Cupertino’s smartphone share back to growth in many markets, including Britain, according to new data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech released Thursday. But Apple’s latest smartphone isn’t leading to runaway success everywhere, owing in part to economic concerns. Read more »
Buffer gets $400K funding — and tells exactly how they did it
Every day, it seems like there’s another bland press release about startup seed funding. So when Buffer closed on $400,000, it wanted to announce it differently — by explaining exactly how the process happened. It’s a fun read, and a good lesson for other startup founders. Read more »
Subscriber Content
For UK education, private clouds may make economic sense
Advocates of the public cloud tend to dismiss private cloud deployments within individual companies, arguing that they are too small to deliver the cost or flexibility advantages of the public cloud. But recent developments in the UK refute that argument. The University Modernization Fund’s Cloud Pilot, ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Why HP is betting the farm on Autonomy
Hewlett-Packard plans to spend some $10.25 billion to acquire Autonomy, the United Kingdom–based software and services company. HP’s balance sheet currently has $13 billion in cash. Why is the company making such a big bet? According to HP’s CEO, Leo Apotheker, it’s now or never. Read more »
SF BART cut cell service to disrupt protests
The SF BART subway system admitted Friday it shut down cell phone service on several subway platforms during a planned protest Thursday. The subway operator said it was to guarantee passengers’ safety, but others are calling it “a chilling strike against free speech.” Read more »
Why It Pays to Be a Pessimist About Britain’s 4G Sale
Eleven years ago Britain’s auction of 3G wireless spectrum broke records by raising more than $36.7 billion. So today, when the news broke that the even faster 4G spectrum will be auctioned off next year, why were analysts so underwhelmed? Read more »
Britain Woos Entrepreneurs With Its Own Startup Visa
It’s no secret that the political machine in Washington can be slow. The Startup Visa Act was first discussed in 2009, and in the meantime, Britain has managed to pass their own version, despite a change of government, heated debate, and necessary changes to immigration laws. Read more »
Thought of the Day: Endurance
“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill The man who won, lost and won again, the seat of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, (1940-1945; 1951-1955) knew a thing or two about “carrying on, with vigor,” as he […] Read more »
