The Next Web |
- Amazon wants to make a mint with a new marketplace for collectible coins
- Microsoft’s Surface Pro 2 is now up to £150 cheaper in the UK
- Square gets into the cash-advance game for small retailers as Square Capital exits pilot phase
- Watchmen writer Alan Moore unveils comic book app and open-source toolkit Electricomics
- Amazon confirms it’s ordering fewer Hachette books and blocking pre-orders
- Wuaki.tv is now available to stream on Chromecast in the UK
- Valve delays Steam Controller and likely Steam Machines until 2015
- Planning a driving holiday in North Korea? Google Maps now serves up GPS navigation
- Alibaba broadens its global expansion plans with a $249m investment in Singapore’s postal service
- China’s latest crackdown on messaging apps casts a shadow on WeChat’s global expansion plans
| Amazon wants to make a mint with a new marketplace for collectible coins Posted: 28 May 2014 04:26 AM PDT Amazon has announced the launch of a new Collectible Coins marketplace today which gives buyers access to "more than 10,000 unique US coins" from a number of recognized and reputable dealers. The marketplace offers only rare and historical graded US currency and the company says its simple search tools make sifting through the virtual treasure trove a doddle. Dealers selling coins through the platform include Stack's Bowers Galleries, Kagin's, David Lawrence Rare Coins and Liberty Coin, among others. The launch may seem a somewhat left-field move for Amazon, but it's not the first time the retailing giant has made moves into the collectibles... This story continues at The Next Web This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Microsoft’s Surface Pro 2 is now up to £150 cheaper in the UK Posted: 28 May 2014 04:18 AM PDT  If you live in the UK and think Microsoft's new Surface Pro 3 is just a little too large, it's worth taking a look at the now discounted Surface Pro 2. As Pocket-Lint reports, the company has dropped the price of its last-generation laptop-tablet hybrid by up to £150 on its online store. The 64 GB variant is now available for £569 (down from £719) while the 512GB version costs £1,289 (down from £1,439). The middle 128 GB and 256 GB Surface Pro 2 models, meanwhile, have been slashed by £140, bringing them down to £659 and £899 respectively. None... This story continues at The Next Web This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Square gets into the cash-advance game for small retailers as Square Capital exits pilot phase Posted: 28 May 2014 03:50 AM PDT  While it has been rumored to be in the works for a while already, US payments startup Square has officially announced it's getting into the merchant cash advance game with a new service called Square Capital. The program is designed to help businesses grow by serving up quick and easy access to funds "in a way that's easy to understand", as the San Francisco-based startup puts it. In short, Square is looking at ways to help smaller, independent companies access capital without months of paperwork and complex application processes. So why would Square wish to do this? Well, so it... This story continues at The Next Web This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Watchmen writer Alan Moore unveils comic book app and open-source toolkit Electricomics Posted: 28 May 2014 03:25 AM PDT  Alan Moore, the creator of iconic graphic novels such as Watchmen, V for Vendetta and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, is spearheading a new comic book app that will double up as an open-source toolkit. Electricomics will be a free, 32-page digital edition featuring four titles. One of the titles, Big Nemo, will be developed by Alan Moore. The rest – Cabaret Amygdala, Red Horse and Sway – will be written by other writers and artists. The initial announcement revealed precious few details about the open-access platform, but Moore has high hopes for its potential to develop up-and-coming comic book creators: "Rather... This story continues at The Next Web This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Amazon confirms it’s ordering fewer Hachette books and blocking pre-orders Posted: 28 May 2014 02:33 AM PDT  Amazon is heaping the pressure on book publisher Hachette in an attempt to get better deals for its wealth of literary titles. In a forum post, the retail behemoth admitted it was buying fewer print editions and "safety stock" than usual. Furthermore, customers are no longer able to pre-order Hachette's books – they can be purchased as normal after their release, but Amazon won't buy the books from Hachette until the order is fulfilled. "Availability on those titles is dependent on how long it takes Hachette to fill the orders we place," it said. "Once the inventory arrives, we ship... This story continues at The Next Web This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Wuaki.tv is now available to stream on Chromecast in the UK Posted: 28 May 2014 01:52 AM PDT Music and TV streaming company Wuaki.tv has announced that its service is now supported by Chromecast devices in the UK. In order to entice users to take up the service, Wuaki is offering £20 off the £30 retail price of a Chromecast dongle, providing customers buy a full HBO TV series box set. HBO titles available on the platform are Game of Thrones, True Detective and The Sopranos. Users wanting to take advantage of the offer will pay between £28.99 and £34.99 for a series and Chromecast combo package. While it's only those HBO titles available in the promotion, Wuaki.tv also offers content from the... This story continues at The Next Web This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Valve delays Steam Controller and likely Steam Machines until 2015 Posted: 28 May 2014 01:42 AM PDT  If you're avoiding the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in the hope that Valve's Steam Machines will be the optimal solution for next-generation gaming, we've got some bad news. In an update for the pre-configured gaming PCs, Valve employee Eric Hope said improvements to the radical Steam Controller meant its commercial release is now slated for next year. "Realistically, we're now looking at a release window of 2015, not 2014, " he wrote. Although the delay appears to be tied to the controller, the wording of the post suggests that Valve's Steam Machines – which run on its Linux-based Steam OS... This story continues at The Next Web This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Planning a driving holiday in North Korea? Google Maps now serves up GPS navigation Posted: 28 May 2014 01:11 AM PDT  Google has made inroads into the famously reclusive North Korea once again, after North Korea Tech spotted that there is now satellite navigation on Google Maps for the country. Last year, an updated Google Maps for North Korea came about after input from the Google Map Maker tool, with points of interest, roads and the like being added. Now you can actually figure out how to drive from one point to another via Google Maps. However, there are currently only driving directions and no option for public transport, even though Google Maps displays railway lines and tram lines in the country's... This story continues at The Next Web This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Alibaba broadens its global expansion plans with a $249m investment in Singapore’s postal service Posted: 28 May 2014 12:57 AM PDT  Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba announced today that it will invest S$312.5 million ($249 million) into Singapore's national postal service provider SingPost, taking a 10.35 percent stake after the completion of the deal. Both companies also signed an agreement that would pave the way for discussions on setting up a joint venture in terms of international e-commerce logistics in the future, which is a strong indication of Alibaba's overseas expansion plans. Daniel Zhang, Alibaba's chief operating officer, said in a statement that the company hopes to provide "greater access to a suite of international e-commerce logistics solutions and products." The cooperation will... This story continues at The Next Web This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| China’s latest crackdown on messaging apps casts a shadow on WeChat’s global expansion plans Posted: 28 May 2014 12:04 AM PDT  Tencent has ambitious global plans for its WeChat messaging app, but a new crackdown from China's government could undermine its efforts to entice Western users to the service. The Chinese government has started an initiative to "clean up" instant messaging services, China Daily reports. WeChat stands to lose the most from this new effort, simply because Weixin — the version of WeChat offered in China — is the most popular chat app in the country. Other messaging services which will be affected in the Chinese government's latest project include Alibaba's Laiwang, Xiaomi's Mi Talk, and China Telecom's Yixin, among others. Although... This story continues at The Next Web This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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