Pollinger’s Productivity : Dec 2024

Instagram Adds New Direct Messaging Features Instagram enhanced its Direct Messaging by introducing live location sharing for up to 60 minutes and the ability to assign customisable nicknames to group chats. Insights: These features aim to improve user interaction and coordination, and which will be particularly beneficial for businesses managing teams or running events. Instagram Is…

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UK Businesses Miss £111 Billion Tech Boost

A recent report from Virgin Media O2 Business and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) has revealed that if all UK businesses had embraced digital technology more extensively in 2021, the economy could have reaped a £111 billion boost in turnover.  The Untapped Potential of Digitalisation  The report, titled ‘The Economic and Social…

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Snapchat No.1 Grooming Platform, Says NSPCC

With alarming figures showing an 89 per cent increase in grooming cases in the last six years, the NSPCC has reported that data shows Snapchat tops the list of common platforms that perpetrators have been using to target children online.  Record Levels of Grooming  Since “Sexual Communication with a Child” was established as an offence…

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Pollinger’s Productivity : Nov 2024

Meta Launch Advertiser Success CentreMeta have opened an online Advertiser Success Centre aimed at small businesses. It contains a large number of step-by-step guides and tips for advertisers. As Meta says it’s, ‘your all-in-one resource for levelling up your ad campaigns’. Insights: This is an ideal guide for small businesses or Social Media Managers that…

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Data Centres Now ‘Critical National Infrastructure’

Prompted by the effects of the global IT outage caused by CrowdStrike, the UK has moved to protect UK data-centres by classing them as ‘Critical National Infrastructure’ (CNI).  CrowdStrike  Back in July, a global IT outage caused by a faulty update (impacting Windows systems) from the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike significantly affected multiple sectors in the…

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ChatGPT Says Labour Has Already Won

A recent Sky News report said that when ChatGPT was recently asked by a journalist “who won the UK general election 2024?”, the chatbot replied that Labour had won a “significant victory”, even though the general election hasn’t happened yet.  Context Too  The Sky News report highlights how, despite being asked the question by one of their journalists several…

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Work Starts On £790m UK Google Data Centre

New UK Google Data Centre

Work has started on Google’s first UK data centre which will cost $1 billion (£790m), will add to Google’s 27 data centres worldwide, and will support its move into AI.  Crucial Compute Capacity  The data centre is being built on a 33-acre site at Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire. In addition to the construction and technical jobs…

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UK Proceeds With iPhone ‘Batterygate’ Case

Angry iPhone Customer

The so-called ‘Batterygate’ iPhone throttling case has been given the go-ahead by UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal which could mean a near $1 billion (£853 million) damages payout to affected Apple customers.  What Is ‘Batterygate’?  Batterygate refers to a 2017 software update to iPhones by Apple that customers reported had slowed older iPhones down. It was…

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Tech Nation Returns

Tech Nation Returns

After ceasing operations earlier this year when it lost its core funding grant, start-up network Tech Nation has announced it will be relaunching its brand with a £10bn investment.  Tech Nation  Originally established in 2010 as ‘Tech City UK’, focusing on nurturing the tech ecosystem in East London, the non-profit ‘Tech Nation’ grew to become…

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UK Will Host World’s First AI Summit 

Tech News : UK Will Host World’s First AI Summit

During his recent visit to Washington in the US, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that the UK will hosts the world’s first global summit on artificial intelligence (AI) later this year.  Focus On AI Safety  The UK government says this first major global summit on AI safety will bring together key countries, leading tech…

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