The value of the Bitcoin cryptocurrency has risen sharply, reaching a value of £22,000 for the first time ever. Bitcoin Bitcoin is a digital web-based currency that operates without the need for central banks and uses highly secure encryption to regulate the currency units and to verify transfers of funds. Bitcoin, which was first produced in 2009, uses the…
In this article, we look at some of the ways that SMEs can access and use AI to improve efficiency and add value. SMEs Optimistic About AI Contrary to a popular belief that AI may still be a little ‘pie in the sky’ for many SMEs, an Adecco study (2017) showed that small businesses are more open and optimistic…
Tesla reached its target of producing 500,000+ vehicles in 2020, although it very narrowly missed its target of delivering that number of vehicles. Target Electronic vehicle company Tesla’s own target set five years ago under CEO Elon Musk, of producing half a million vehicles in a year was reached in 2020 when deliveries in the fourth quarter of 180,570…
As 2020 draws to a close, here is look back on some of the biggest tech stories and issues in the year that was dominated by the effects of a global pandemic. Disastrous The shocking death toll and infection rates, the lockdowns, hardship, and job losses for large numbers of the population, huge pressure on the health service, massive…
Microsoft has announced that its new Authenticator App will also work as a password manager which will allow passwords to be synced across desktop and mobile devices (iOS and Android) as well as Edge and Google Chrome browsers. Free Authenticator The free Microsoft Authenticator app is currently only available as a public preview version in Microsoft accounts (MSA) but not…
It has been reported that Facebook’s WhatsApp will be introducing voice and video calling to its WhatsApp Web desktop version next year. Pandemic Boosted Demand WhatsApp, which has around 2 billion users globally, is currently used mainly for personal calls in addition to text chat, sending videos and photos. The need for businesses to enable employees to work from…
A survey commissioned by PCI Pal® shows that Christmas online shoppers appear to be more concerned about prices and the speed and cost of deliveries than the security of their personal data. Priority Ranking The survey asked 2,002 online shopper adults aged 18-65 in the UK to rank purchase factors such as the price of goods, cost of delivery, and…
With Christmas just around the corner here are some suggestions for how you and your loved ones can stay safe online over this festive period and beyond. The Shift Online The pandemic has prompted a huge shift online this year for work and now, with the second wave in full flight, for online shopping. Back in June, an Alvarez…
Doubt has again been cast on the effectiveness of HMRC’s IR35 tax status checker tool after news that it failed to provide a response in nearly 20 per cent of cases. IR35 The IR35 tax reform legislation that is designed to stop tax avoidance from ‘disguised employment’, which occurs when self-employed contractors set up their own limited company to…
South Korean car manufacturer, Hyundai Motor Group, has agreed to buy a controlling stake in robot maker Boston Dynamics. Boston Dynamics Boston Dynamics, which is currently owned by Tokyo-based multinational conglomerate holding company Softbank Group Corp., is an American engineering and robotics design company founded in 1992 as a spin-off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The company was…
