Bloomberg iDreamSky Technology Holdings Ltd is in advanced talks with buyout firm CVC Capital Partners to jointly acquire gaming firm Leyou Technologies Holdings Ltd, according to people familiar with the matter. iDreamSky, which counts Tencent Holdings Ltd among its investors, has been in exclusive talks with Leyou’s controlling shareholder since late last year, Bloomberg News previously reported. Leyou later confirmed ...
Read More »Technology
Facebook’s F8 event cancelled amid Covid-19
Bloomberg Facebook Inc cancelled its annual F8 Developer Conference over concerns about Covid-19, commonly referred to as the coronavirus, according to a blog post. The conference, scheduled for May in San Jose, California, has become a flagship event in the technology community in recent years, and Facebook uses F8 to provide updates on the company’s product lines. In the past, ...
Read More »Apple may let users switch iPhone apps to rivals
Bloomberg Apple Inc is considering giving rival apps more prominence on iPhones and iPads and opening its HomePod speaker to third-party music services after criticism the company provides an unfair advantage to its in-house products. The technology giant is discussing whether to let users choose third-party web browser and mail applications as their default options on Apple’s mobile devices, replacing ...
Read More »Airline Wi-Fi that actually works is coming soon
Bloomberg Air travel and glitch-free internet access are often considered mutually exclusive, thanks to the technical difficulties associated with making Wi-Fi work at 40,000 feet. For the airlines, a satisfying online experience is even more elusive. The hardware, software, maintenance and inability to easily switch service providers combine for a very expensive headache. But there may be some good news ...
Read More »Samsung bets on camera upgrade in Galaxy S20
Bloomberg Samsung Electronics Co is starting a new decade with a new chief in charge of its mobile business, but it’s doing it in the same old fashion: by leaning into its semiconductor advantage to overwhelm consumers with unmatched specs on its latest Galaxy devices. Announced at simultaneous events in San Francisco and London, Samsung’s Galaxy S20 family of Android ...
Read More »India’s 400mn social media users to lose anonymity
Bloomberg Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and TikTok will have to reveal users’ identities if Indian government agencies ask them to, according to the country’s controversial new rules for social media companies and messaging apps expected to be published later this month. The requirement comes as governments around the world are trying to hold social media companies more accountable for the content ...
Read More »MWC cancelled over China virus concerns
Bloomberg The wireless industry scrapped its biggest annual showcase after the coronavirus outbreak sparked an exodus of participants, roiling telecom companies just as they’re preparing to roll out new 5G services. It’s the first time in Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona’s 33-year history that organisers have called off the event, which draws more than 100,000 participants from across the world ...
Read More »Ericsson pulls out of biggest mobile event as virus spreads
Bloomberg Ericsson AB withdrew from the telecommunications industry’s biggest annual event to protect its staff and visitors from the coronavirus outbreak. The Swedish maker of mobile networks said it had pulled out of MWC Barcelona, due to be held on February 24 to February 27. As one of the largest exhibitors, with thousands of visitors in its hall each day, ...
Read More »Virus pushes robots to frontlines of hospitals in China
Bloomberg The deadly coronavirus outbreak, which has pushed the Chinese medical community into overdrive, has also prompted the country’s hospitals to more quickly adopt robots as medical assistants. Telepresence bots that allow remote video communication, patient health monitoring and safe delivery of medical goods are growing in number on hospital floors in urban China. They’re now acting as a safe ...
Read More »Bird’s UK chief departs after e-scooters remain banned
Bloomberg E-scooter startup Bird Rides Inc has lost its UK and Ireland boss, Richard Corbett, who left the company after two years at the helm. Since launching in London in 2018, the venture capital-backed startup has struggled to deploy its scooter-rental business as a result of tight regulation, which Corbett says was made impossible to overcome while lawmakers focussed on ...
Read More »