We asked the businesses at the forefront of innovation to tell us how life will change for all of us in the next five years as part of the Tech List. We also asked them what the big challenges ahead will be and many responded by saying that finding the right skills and talent will be a barrier to growth. And keeping up with the pace of change will keep them on their toes. But in a bid to avoid too much futuristic talk, we also asked them about their favourite films, books and music - the bits that make us all human Among the top choices were Let’s Stay Together by Al Green, tracks by Pink Floyd and fittingly, The Future’s so Bright I Gotta Wear Shades, by Timbuk 3. For a favourite book, one opted for a non-fiction title scarily called Humans Need Not Apply by Jerry Kaplan. And someone even admitted to Rock Star starring Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston as a favourite film. Watch the team behind Lightfoot explain the future of their invention The Tech List is the second … [Read more...] about These 30 top tech firms are the ones to watch for 2019
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The best (and worst) moments of music in 2018
As the Evening Standard still refuses to give my annual pop awards the kind of glitzy ceremony, star presenters and shiny trophies that the theatre and film bashes enjoy, I’m forced once again to ask you to use your imagination to visualise this page being read aloud by Rihanna in the Dorchester ballroom. Look! There’s Marshmello, applauding gallantly. It’s been a bumper year for music moments, just a few of which are celebrated in the hastily made-up categories below. Thanks for reading, see you in January! Comeback of the Year - George Ezra Ezra released a catchy, peppy comeback single in the summer of 2017 called Don’t Matter Now. It peaked in the charts at a feeble number 66. Clearly the public was holding out for even catchier, peppier fare. Paradise went to number two in the spring, then Shotgun hit number one and became the song of the summer. His second album, Staying at Tamara’s, is zooming towards double-platinum status and … [Read more...] about The best (and worst) moments of music in 2018
Adrian Weckler’s top technology gifts for this Christmas
Hybrid laptop Surface Go (8GB) If you’re looking for a really light, portable touchscreen tablet-laptop hybrid, Microsoft’s new 10-inch Surface Go is terrific. It’s the same size and weight as an iPad but runs Windows. From a design perspective, Microsoft has mostly gotten it right. It’s simple and elegant, with a very effective (and variable) kickstand. One tip: avoid the basic model (4GB/64GB storage), as it’s too weak and slow. (€718 including keyboard for 128GB/8GB Ram) Big battery phoneMotorola G6 Play Motorola’s G6 Play is on this list for one reason: it’s the only budget smartphone on the market with amazing battery life. There is little chance that you’ll run out of juice with the 4,000mAh battery on this 5.7-inch Android smartphone. Other than this, its specs and features are modest but fine: it has a 13-megapixel camera, rear fingerprint sensor and 32GB of storage memory. It would make a brilliant second phone. … [Read more...] about Adrian Weckler’s top technology gifts for this Christmas
The top technology gifts for this Christmas
Hybrid laptop Surface Go (8GB) If you’re looking for a really light, portable touchscreen tablet-laptop hybrid, Microsoft’s new 10-inch Surface Go is terrific. It’s the same size and weight as an iPad but runs Windows. From a design perspective, Microsoft has mostly gotten it right. It’s simple and elegant, with a very effective (and variable) kickstand. One tip: avoid the basic model (4GB/64GB storage), as it’s too weak and slow. (€718 including keyboard for 128GB/8GB Ram) Big battery phoneMotorola G6 Play Motorola’s G6 Play is on this list for one reason: it’s the only budget smartphone on the market with amazing battery life. There is little chance that you’ll run out of juice with the 4,000mAh battery on this 5.7-inch Android smartphone. Other than this, its specs and features are modest but fine: it has a 13-megapixel camera, rear fingerprint sensor and 32GB of storage memory. It would make a brilliant second phone. … [Read more...] about The top technology gifts for this Christmas
John Lynch: ‘Lucrative games market is a rough playground for investors’
I've already discovered that this was the case with music and fashion, and it is also true in investment - as I recently discovered when I happened upon the video games sector, one that until recently had passed me by. That is a multi-billion blind spot and I should be casting around for forgiveness. I thought I would rectify my neglect this week by zeroing in on a big player in the video game business called Activision Blizzard (AB). Anyone else new to this particular market will be astonished by the revenues it attracts. The company is a leading global developer of interactive entertainment for video games consoles (Xbox, PlayStation), PCs and mobile phones. It also operates e-sports events and creates film and TV productions based on games. The group is the result of a merger between US firm Activision and French group Vivendi. Based in California, it operates in more than 15 countries, including Ireland, with 10,000 employees. It has a market value of $39bn with revenues of $7bn. … [Read more...] about John Lynch: ‘Lucrative games market is a rough playground for investors’