News

Mobile apps and software

September 29, 2014 29 Sep'14
Oracle OpenWorld 2014: Oracle collaborates with Vodafone to dive into IoT

Oracle has announced an internet of things (IoT) collaboration with Vodafone at its annual Openworld user conference
September 26, 2014 26 Sep'14
BlackBerry losses narrow as restructuring plan bears fruit

Losses at struggling mobile communications supplier BlackBerry narrowed significantly during the second quarter of its fiscal 2015
September 26, 2014 26 Sep'14
Apple rushes out second iOS 8 update

Apple has rushed out a second update for iOS 8 after the initial operating system and its first update were riddled with flaws
September 26, 2014 26 Sep'14
Visa loses mobility director to Apple

Mary Carol Harris, former director of mobile for Visa Europe, has left the firm to take up a position at Apple

September 25, 2014 25 Sep'14
Apple promises another fix after iOS 8.0.1 is withdrawn

Apple has promised to issue another iOS 8 update after it was forced to withdraw the first within hours of its release
September 24, 2014 24 Sep'14
Lloyds creates online appointment booking in attempt to save branches

Lloyds Bank has introduced a system which allows customers to book in-branch appointments online
September 24, 2014 24 Sep'14
Why app developers should reconsider data harvesting

An ICO study recently reported that app developers are asking for too much personal information
September 24, 2014 24 Sep'14
Virgin cuts travel costs by 20% after rolling out unified communications

Employees saving 15 minutes a day as Virgin Media turns to social media, web conferencing and video
September 23, 2014 23 Sep'14
Last council finally connects to PSN

The last remaining local authority has moved to the public services network (PSN) almost six months past the deadline
September 23, 2014 23 Sep'14
Ed Vaizey launches network for spectrum technologies

Minister for business, innovation and skills, Ed Vaizey, launches the Future Technologies Network

September 23, 2014 23 Sep'14
Investment needed to tackle digital divide, says Go ON UK

Investment on internet infrastructure needs to be complemented by skills investment, says Go ON UK deputy CEO
September 23, 2014 23 Sep'14
Non-IT committees influencing IT spend

CIOs are being influenced by a diverse group of executives when making buying decisions, says research
September 22, 2014 22 Sep'14
UK could be leader in 5G technology

The UK could be a leader in the development of the 5G network if it is fast in implementing technology and standards, says MP David Willetts
September 19, 2014 19 Sep'14
Peterborough City Council launches cloud-enabled technology strategy

Peterborough City Council is launching a cloud-enabled technology strategy to improve how it connects with citizens
September 19, 2014 19 Sep'14
SAP acquires Concur to build cloud-based expense management

SAP has agreed to acquire online travel and expense management SaaS provider Concur Technologies for $8bn
September 18, 2014 18 Sep'14
Customer loyalty biggest challenge for banks

Banks have cited customer loyalty as their main concern, according to a survey by financial services firm Temenos
September 18, 2014 18 Sep'14
Interview: Wood Mackenzie CTO John Linwood on life after the BBC

John Linwood, former chief technology officer at the BBC, talks about winning a high-profile employment tribunal and his new job at Wood Mackenzie
September 17, 2014 17 Sep'14
Barclaycard’s bPay band aims to avoid TfL ‘cardclash’

Barclaycard has partnered with TfL to allow consumers to use its bPay contactless payment band on the tube
September 17, 2014 17 Sep'14
Virgin Atlantic to bring Wi-Fi to transatlantic flights

Virgin Atlantic is to start providing Wi-Fi onboard its transatlantic flights from Europe
September 17, 2014 17 Sep'14
ING Netherlands launches voice-recognition banking app

Dutch banking group ING Netherlands has launched a banking application which uses voice recognition for navigation
September 17, 2014 17 Sep'14
Alternative payments – are we moving too fast?

The payments sector is moving so rapidly finance firms are no longer afraid to fail – as long as they fail fast and recover quickly
September 16, 2014 16 Sep'14
Huawei aims to become tier one smartphone supplier

Huawei is riding the BYOD wave, as it vies to turn itself into a credible competitor to Apple and Samsung in the smartphones space
September 15, 2014 15 Sep'14
CIO interview: Stephen Hale, head of digital, Department of Health

“I want to make digital less of a novelty,” says the Department of Health’s head of digital Stephen Hale
September 15, 2014 15 Sep'14
UKTV upgrades technology infrastructure for mobility

Media company UKTV has upgraded its IT infrastructure using mobile and cloud-based technology
September 15, 2014 15 Sep'14
Clarks shoes steps into digital

Shoe manufacturer Clarks is replacing its legacy e-commerce sites with a global cloud-based system next month
September 12, 2014 12 Sep'14
MasterCard issues contactless payment deadline

MasterCard has given European retailers a deadline of 2020 for ensuring all POS systems are contactless payment enabled
September 12, 2014 12 Sep'14
Retailers need to adopt ‘fail fast’ attitude to technology

Retailers experimenting with digital technologies must take a “fail fast” approach so they can deliver new innovations quickly
September 11, 2014 11 Sep'14
Boots to roll out real-time stock visibility in coming weeks

Health and beauty retailer, Alliance Boots, is about to roll out real-time stock visibility to its stores and customers using SAP Hana
September 11, 2014 11 Sep'14
Online retail continues to rise as interim results roll in

Sales figures from interim results for several large retail brands show buying goods and services online is still increasing in popularity
September 11, 2014 11 Sep'14
John Lewis sales reflect omni-channel growth

John Lewis and Waitrose have attributed an increase in sales and customers to their growing omni-channel offerings
September 11, 2014 11 Sep'14
Most mobile apps fail on privacy, warns ICO

Most mobile applications are accessing personal information without explaining how that data is used, the ICO has warned
September 10, 2014 10 Sep'14
UK retailers must invest more in digital technologies

The UK’s biggest retailers are ‘under-investing’ in in-store digital technologies
September 10, 2014 10 Sep'14
The iPhone 6 and Apple Watch – will they be used in business?

Apple has announced its iPhone 6 and Apple Watch, along with capabilities such as Apple Pay, NFC and health monitoring
September 09, 2014 09 Sep'14
University of Westminster uses mobile devices to share data

The University of Westminster allows students and staff to view and share academic timetables and course information using smartphones
September 09, 2014 09 Sep'14
Premium wearables to push sales growth, say Juniper

Premium wearable devices will push wearable revenues to $53.2bn by the 2019 according to research firm Juniper
September 09, 2014 09 Sep'14
CIO interview: Bryson Koehler, CIO of The Weather Company

The Weather Company is a huge advocate for cloud-based technology, and everything it has built is cloud-enabled
September 09, 2014 09 Sep'14
Mobile revolution brings user experience testers to the fore

The unglamorous user experience testing function is at the centre of business strategy in the mobile computing age
September 08, 2014 08 Sep'14
BP spends £2m developing apps to train business leaders

BP is scrapping online courses in favour of apps and portals that can deliver bite-sized information and training when it's needed
September 08, 2014 08 Sep'14
UK guidance on mobile app security low, research shows

Only one in 20 UK workers are given guidance on mobile app security, a study has shown
September 05, 2014 05 Sep'14
Camden Market launches social Wi-Fi system to track footfall

Free Wi-Fi connectivity is available to shoppers in Camden Market in London, which also provides real-time data on users
September 05, 2014 05 Sep'14
Google to refund at least $19m for unauthorised in-app purchases

Google is to refund at least $19m as part of a settlement agreement over unauthorised charges for in-app purchases
September 05, 2014 05 Sep'14
Barclays bank launches biometric authentication

Barclays bank plans to launch biometric readers that read users' finger veins to authenticate customers
September 04, 2014 04 Sep'14
Smartphone users unaware of hacking risks

More than half of mobile users are unaware that hackers can take control of their smartphones
September 04, 2014 04 Sep'14
Home Office has "long way to go” to fix police IT and procurement

Police IT is going to take a long time to fix, according to home secretary Theresa May
September 04, 2014 04 Sep'14
Locala community health partnership moves to mobile working

Locala Community Partnerships has introduced a mobile working strategy to transform the way it operates
September 04, 2014 04 Sep'14
NHS England informatics head wants more CCIOs

NHS England director wants to see a chief clinical information officer in every NHS provider and clinical commissioning group
September 03, 2014 03 Sep'14
Prescribing digital videos could help NHS deal with chronic diseases

Videos and digital interactions with patients are being prescribed as part of a pre-trial to see if they encourage patients with chronic diseases to better manage their conditions
September 02, 2014 02 Sep'14
Natural Resources Wales takes to the cloud with Microsoft

The Welsh envoronmental public body adopts Microsoft cloud functionalities including Office 365 and Azure
September 02, 2014 02 Sep'14
Apple and FBI launch iCloud hack investigation

Apple and FBI investigate the breach of Apple’s iCloud causing fresh business concerns over cloud security
September 01, 2014 01 Sep'14
Applications open for government Digital and Technology Fast Stream

Applications are open for the 2015 Civil Service Fast Stream, which offers digital graduates an opportunity to work in government
September 01, 2014 01 Sep'14
Nude celebrity pictures posted online after alleged iCloud hack

Hundreds of nude images of female celebrities have been leaked, allegedly after Apple’s iCloud service was hacked
September 01, 2014 01 Sep'14
Local government calls for a local GDS

Local government needs a local version of the Government Digital Service (GDS) with dedicated in-house digital teams, says Socitm
September 01, 2014 01 Sep'14
Chinese MSN Messenger service ends in October 2014

Microsoft will switch off Windows Live Messenger (WLM) for its last users in China at the end of October 2014
August 29, 2014 29 Aug'14
Apple tightens privacy rules for health apps

Apple has tightened its privacy rules for health apps to quell privacy concerns over its HealthKit platform
August 29, 2014 29 Aug'14
Brighton & Hove Albion deploys free Wi-Fi at Amex Stadium

Brighton & Hove Albion picks The Cloud and Ruckus to supply a new Wi-Fi solution at the American Express Community Stadium
August 29, 2014 29 Aug'14
GDS launches research lab for testing digital services

The Government Digital Service (GDS) has revealed a digital research lab to allow departments to test their online services
August 29, 2014 29 Aug'14
Tesco to reduce IT spend in a bid to cut costs

Supermarket giant Tesco has announced that it will be cutting costs from its IT budget to save money
August 29, 2014 29 Aug'14
Microsoft cuts 1,500 fake apps in Windows Store cleanup

Microsoft has removed 1,500 fake, fraudulent and misleading apps from its Windows and Windows Phone store
August 28, 2014 28 Aug'14
Former bank chief launches financial trading app

A trading social network on Apple’s App Store hopes to attract more than 100,000 consumer traders as members by the end of 2014
August 28, 2014 28 Aug'14
Government appoints former Credit Suisse CIO as deputy CTO

The government has appointed former Credit Suisse CIO Magnus Falk as its new deputy chief technology officer (CTO)
August 27, 2014 27 Aug'14
Financial services startups: what’s in it for the banks?

Banks are investing time and money in IT startups, but are they building an IT ecosystem or betting on the next Facebook?
August 27, 2014 27 Aug'14
Foreign Office spends £92,574 on social media training

The FCO has spent £92,574 on social media training since 2010, according to a freedom of information request
August 27, 2014 27 Aug'14
Government sees 820,000 voters register online

Over one million UK citizens have registered to vote over the last two months, with around 820,000 opting for a new online registration service
August 26, 2014 26 Aug'14
The internet of things: Britain's next big opportunity

Tech City's Gerard Grech talks about the IoT phenomenon and a startup competition that is intended to accelerate technologies
August 26, 2014 26 Aug'14
IET proposes text-based 999 service

The Institution of Engineering and Technology has called on the government to redesign the emergency 999 call service
August 26, 2014 26 Aug'14
Amazon to acquire game streaming service Twitch

Amazon has announced it has reached an agreement to acquire live video platform for gamers Twitch for $970m
August 22, 2014 22 Aug'14
GCHQ produces BYOD guidelines for organisations

GCHQ's IT security arm provides guidance to organisations who want to allow employees to use personal devices at work
August 22, 2014 22 Aug'14
£210,000 startup competition launched to find connected cities solutions

A competition has been launched to encourage digital startups and SMEs to create solutions for connected cities
August 21, 2014 21 Aug'14
More than half of businesses still without BYOD plan

Over 60% of organisations are unable to adopt a BYOD policy due to business risk and compliance rules, according to research
August 21, 2014 21 Aug'14
Case study: Borough of Poole uses Huddle for child adoption meetings

The Borough of Poole has been using Huddle to enable local government teams to collaborate securely on issues of child welfare
August 20, 2014 20 Aug'14
PayPal launches one-touch payment technology for mobile apps

PayPal and Braintree have launched an open beta for developers to allow app makers to accept PayPal payments with one touch
August 19, 2014 19 Aug'14
Google to acquire City Guides app maker Jetpac

Google is to acquire City Guides app firm Jetpac that used image recognition and neural network technology to recommend destinations
August 18, 2014 18 Aug'14
CIO Interview: Hugh Fahy, CIO, Net-A-Porter

“I like to emphasis the ‘I’ bit in CIO,” says Hugh Fahy, chief information officer of the Net-A-Porter Group
August 18, 2014 18 Aug'14
Consumers spending £1bn more online than last summer

Online shoppers are spending £1bn more online than they did last summer, partly due to buying holidays on the web
August 15, 2014 15 Aug'14
Network upgrade levels the playing field for Infiniti Red Bull Racing

Formula One team Infiniti Red Bull Racing uses AT&T network and UC services to stay in the running after big changes to sporting regulations
August 15, 2014 15 Aug'14
Barclaycard wearables to monitor customer behaviour

Barclaycard is launching a scheme testing the data collection capabilities of its contactless payment band bPay
August 14, 2014 14 Aug'14
Click and collect drives e-commerce growth for Asda

Shoppers at Asda are continuing to choose to buy their groceries online and pick them up in-store
August 14, 2014 14 Aug'14
Amazon launches credit card reader for small businesses

Amazon has launched a card reader and mobile app for small businesses
August 13, 2014 13 Aug'14
Company Magazine ditches print to go online only

The womens’ monthly publication Company Magazine has announced it will become a standalone digital brand from October
August 12, 2014 12 Aug'14
Land Registry aims to become a digital leader with help from GDS

The Land Registry has launched a new programme called LR Connect which it hopes will digitally transform its business strategy
August 12, 2014 12 Aug'14
BBC hands digital testing contract to Mindtree

Multi-million pound contract awarded under the terms of the BBC Digital Services Framework initiative
August 12, 2014 12 Aug'14
House of Fraser rolls out beacon-enabled mannequins in Aberdeen

House of Fraser is rolling out beacon-enabled mannequins that will allow the store to engage directly with shoppers or passers-by
August 12, 2014 12 Aug'14
Android banking apps susceptible to hacking

A vulnerability in Android applications built on the Apache Cordova platform has sparked new fears over mobile banking
August 12, 2014 12 Aug'14
60% of GDS staff contracts to expire within 12 months of general election

Almost 60% of employees at the Government Digital Service (GDS) could be gone within 12 months of next year’s general election
August 11, 2014 11 Aug'14
Chromebooks set to replace low-cost PCs

By 2017, sales of Chromebooks are set to reach 14.4 million units, according to Gartner, as PC makers target low-cost computing
August 11, 2014 11 Aug'14
USB-connected devices present cyber vulnerabilities

Connecting devices to computers using a USB port could lead to security breaches, say Berlin-based researchers
August 11, 2014 11 Aug'14
Nationwide and Santander to take part in FinTech Innovation Lab 2015

Nationwide and Santander will be supporting next year’s FinTech Innovation Lab in London, which is now open to receive applications
August 08, 2014 08 Aug'14
Joanna Shields becomes a peer

Former Tech City CEO and the prime minister’s adviser on the digital economy, Joanna Shields, has been awarded a life peerage
August 07, 2014 07 Aug'14
Survey finds 53% of consumers will not use mobile banking

A report by Intercede has found that 53% of consumers would not use mobile banking services because of concerns about device security
August 07, 2014 07 Aug'14
Tablet ownership increases by 20%

Tablet ownership in the UK has increased by 20% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2014 according to industry regulator Ofcom
August 07, 2014 07 Aug'14
Manchester has the second largest Wi-Fi network in the UK

The city of Manchester is now home to the second largest Wi-Fi network in the country as it completes a network extension
August 07, 2014 07 Aug'14
Wi-Fi users not concerned about hotspot security

Ofcom report uncovers a blasé attitude to wireless security among users
August 07, 2014 07 Aug'14
Can BlackBerry remain in the mobile enterprise?

BlackBerry is ramping up its drive to remain relevant following recent moves by IBM and Microsoft to target the mobile enterprise
August 06, 2014 06 Aug'14
Paym transactions valued at £6.5m in 100 days

Mobile transaction service Paym has been responsible for over £6.5 million of transactions in its first 100 days
August 06, 2014 06 Aug'14
Government considers future of national infrastructure strategy

DCMS launches consultation to help shape the UK’s digital connectivity strategy beyond 2020
August 06, 2014 06 Aug'14
Reducing costs no longer top IT priority at UK banks

UK banks no longer consider reducing costs as their top priority as they focus IT developments on raising customer service levels
August 05, 2014 05 Aug'14
What's the solution to Tech City’s lack of superfast broadband?

Reports of poor internet connectivity for startup tech companies in London’s Tech City have been circulating for some time
August 05, 2014 05 Aug'14
Met Police awards £90m command and control integration contract

The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has appointed Lockheed Martin as systems integrator of its new command and control system
August 05, 2014 05 Aug'14
Bauer Media Group invests €100m in digital startups

Bauer Media has set up a venture capital fund with plans to invest €100m in digital technology through startups likely to provide return on investment
August 05, 2014 05 Aug'14
Microsoft sues Samsung over Android royalty payments

While its CEO is pushing the heterogeneity agenda, Microsoft is on the attack, taking legal action against rival phone maker Samsung