Global internet speeds got 30% faster in 2017
Download speeds saw an increase in more than 30% this year across both wireline and mobile connections, according to Ookla. This growth was driven by network improvements in a number of countries including Australia, Norway, and most notably India, which saw a significant increase of 77%.
Apple snaps us Shazam for reported $400 million
Shazam, the London-based app which helps you “name that tune,” has been bought by tech giant Apple for a reported $400 million — less than half the $1 billion at which the company was last valued in 2015. This marks Apple’s largest purchase since acquiring Beats in 2014, and is also the latest in a series of acquisitions of British tech firms by overseas companies as a response to the falling value of the pound.
Navigating the burgeoning medium of audio branding is something which publishers and agencies are focused on mastering in 2018. These four charts on Digiday offer an at-a-glance encapsulation of the voice assistant market, from challenger brands to areas of untapped potential.
As AIs and robots rise up, do humans need an upgrade too?
As the singularity approaches, researchers and entrepreneurs are investigating the possibility of developing super-intelligence in the human brain. This would consist of implanting people with technology which would allow them to interface with computers more directly, and co-operate with the AIs who will become an increasingly important part of our working and home lives.
Here are the deadlines for all your online holiday shopping orders
Shipping timelines tend to bottleneck around this time of year, for obvious reasons. Here are all the deadlines for online retailer orders, to make sure you don’t come up short this Christmas!
