Software AG runs into project delays

After an initial consolidation, Software AG has announced preliminary financial results for the second quarter of 2014. While sales in the ETS business developed as expected, the BPE business line was marked by a surprising reluctance by customers to commit to major...

Shape-changing robots possible

A new phase-changing material built from wax and foam has been developed that can switch between hard and soft states, potentially allowing even low-cost robots to do the same. The material — developed by Anette Hosoi, a professor of mechanical engineering and applied...

Bing Predicts got World Cup spot on

Bing Predicts, the forecasting tool of the Microsoft search platform, scored an almost perfect score in its predictions for the World Cup.According to Walter Sun, writing on the Bing Predicts blog, the team set out to forecast which teams had the best chance of...

$25m funding helps Secret app shift focus

Secret, a fast-growing mobile app that allows users to share notes with others anonymously, has secured a further $25-million in funding and aims to expand as a social network.The app – until recently an anonymous messaging board running on the Android and iOS...

Samsung suspends child labour factory

Samsung has suspended business with a Chinese factory accused of hiring child labour. Last week (10 July), China Labour Watch (CLW) accused Dongguan Shinyang Electronics of hiring children, upon which Samsung launched an investigation into the allegations. According...

Location makes a difference for SMEs

City slickers really do have it better than country folk – at least where the profitability of their businesses is concerned. That’s one of the surprise findings of SME Survey 2014, which has revealed that businesses in cities, or headquartered in cities, are...