Ferly uses cognitive behavioural therapy and other techniques to help its users overcome sexual difficulties or to become more aware of their bodies and discover what works for themWhen entrepreneurs Billie Quinlan and Anna Hushlak were developing their mindful sex app, Ferly, male investors said the idea was not worth funding: they claimed that women were a “niche market” and recommended the pair focus on porn to get ahead.“We were told that as two women talking about sex, we’re never going to be taken seriously,” says Quinlan. Continue reading...

06 Jul 2020 12:04 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Carolyn Fairbairn says many businesses cannot prepare for no deal during Covid-19 crisisBusiness leaders have pleaded with the government not to walk away from Brexit talks without a deal after Michael Gove claimed the Confederation of British Industry supported no extension to the transition period.The CBI’s director general, Carolyn Fairbairn, said to crash out without a deal would be a “major block to recovery”. Continue reading...

11 Jun 2020 13:05 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Over the past two decades, scientists have laid bare our need to know more about women’s physiology. Can tech designed by and for women help?If you’re asked to imagine a person who has a heart attack, who do you see? Most of us think of an old man. It’s what we tend to see in movies. And while 3.9 million men live with cardiovascular disease in the UK, according to the British Heart Foundation, 3.5 million women also have a heart condition. However, we know much less about how to spot cardiovascular health issues in women. This means women wait longer to seek medical help, and are only half as likely as men to receive recommended heart-attack treatments.It was only in 1993 that women and people of colour were officially included in US clinical trials, yet much of our current medical knowledge has been shaped by earlier research. But over the past two decades, scientists have laid bare our need to know more about a wider range of bodies. As data is slowly catching up with reality, could technology help to plug the gap? Continue reading...

02 Jun 2020 12:24 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

When you buy a ticket to watch a film, do you think about how the money reaches those who made it? Often it doesn’t – and a new tech firm aims to change thatDarth Vader may have been one of the main characters in the Star Wars film franchise, but the actor who played him in Return of the Jedi – a 1983 Hollywood classic that has grossed more than half a billion dollars – didn’t achieve the financial recognition many would expect. In an interview with Equity magazine, David Prowse said: “I get these occasional letters from Lucasfilm saying that we regret to inform you that as Return of the Jedi has never gone into profit, we’ve got nothing to send you. I don’t want to look like I’m bitching about it, but on the other hand, if there’s a pot of gold somewhere that I ought to be having a share of, I would like to see it.”Strange as his experience sounds, it is far from unique. The film industry is beset with unorthodox practices and payments are no exception. When you pay your monthly Netflix subscription or buy a cinema ticket, you probably don’t wonder how that revenue goes into the pockets of the people who made the content you watch. It often doesn’t. Continue reading...

26 May 2020 10:29 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Robot that can check on loved ones and pets is one of plethora of devices announced at big launch eventAmazon has launched its long-awaited home robot, named Astro, that can autonomously drive around your home packed with cameras and a screen. Astro can map your home’s layout, recognise objects and check on loved ones and pets remotely using a series of cameras and a display on its front, featuring a set of expressive animated eyes.The robot can handle video calls, recognising you and coming to find you when someone calls, and provides all the features of Alexa on wheels. But Dave Limp, head of Amazon’s devices and services, said “customers don’t just want Alexa on wheels so we’ve embodied it with a unique persona that’s all its own”. Continue reading...

28 Sep 2021 20:18 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Semiconductor shortage means production volumes of PlayStation 5 fall short of demandCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageProfits at Sony Corporation have climbed by more than a quarter as demand for the PlayStation 5 games console, which boomed during the Covid-19 pandemic, continues to outpace supplies.The Japanese entertainment and electronics conglomerate reported a 26% rise in operating profit in the three months to the end of June to 280.1bn yen (£1.85bn) from 221.7bn yen a year earlier. Continue reading...

04 Aug 2021 10:49 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Controversial share structures, employment conditions and ambitious valuations made the delivery company’s listing a flop. But all may not be lost…Some City wags dubbed it Flopperoo, while others plumped for Deliver-oops. Markets platform Dealogic crunched the numbers and came to the conclusion that the 26% slump Deliveroo suffered on its first day as a public company meant London had just witnessed the least successful stock market float in its history.In an internal memo, chief financial officer Adam Miller moved to calm any jitters among staff. “We have a simple message today: Don’t underestimate Deliveroo,” he wrote, before listing a string of mitigating factors for the dismal debut. Continue reading...

03 Apr 2021 15:00 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN