Tech Digest daily roundup: UK restricts Microsoft, Activision from buying interest in each other
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has restricted Microsoft and Activision Blizzard from “acquiring an interest” in each other. It published an interim order stating they would need “prior written consent” from the UK regulator before making acquisitions between the companies. The order applies to the businesses as well as their subsidiaries. It comes two weeks after the regulator blocked Microsoft’s $68.7bn (£54.8bn) deal to buy Activision Blizzard. BBC
Elon Musk is in talks to hire Linda Yaccarino, NBCUniversal’s head of advertising, as Twitter’s new chief executive, according to two people familiar with the matter. The billionaire has been Twitter chief executive since his $44bn acquisition of the company in October but signalled his position would be temporary. Without naming a successor, Musk wrote on Twitter on Thursday: “Excited to announce that I’ve hired a new CEO for X/Twitter. She will be starting in ~6 weeks!” FT.com
Honor has finally released the Band 7 in Europe and the UK, nearly five months after debuting the fitness tracker in China. To recap, the Honor Band 7 measures 43 x 25.4 x 10.99 mm, including its sensor area. According to Honor, the fitness tracker weighs 29 g with its strap included or 18 g on its own. Additionally, the fitness tracker features a 1.47-inch OLED display that operates at 194 x 368 pixels with 2.5D glass covering it. Moreover, Honor has included 96 sports modes, 5 ATM water resistance and sensors for measuring your heart rate or blood oxygen levels. Notebook Check
A sustainability-focused Swedish start-up Luvly has created this: it is called the Luvly O concept and it is essentially a kit car — though not one built by the consumer. This electric vehicle comes with an ‘IKEA-style, flat-pack design’, making shipping to localities more cost-effective and planet-friendly. The Luvly O’s dimensions, number of seats and even the boot capacity mirrors that of the Smart Fortwo, so it’s really small. It’s also really lightweight too, with “slow formula racing tech” levels of safety — the brand’s words, not ours. Top Gear
Mike Lynch, the British software tycoon behind Autonomy, has been detained in the US to face multi-billion dollar fraud charges after flying into San Francisco. Mr Lynch boarded a flight to California on Thursday to appear in front of a judge, ending a multi-year battle against being extradited from the UK. He remained in custody on Friday morning after the judge declared him a “serious” flight risk. Telegraph
Since 1993, Bowers & Wilkins has been hand-building its flagship speakers to order in its Worthing, UK factory. 30 years later, the British speaker company has now decided to create a unique pair in a glistening new pearl finish to mark the Nautilus’s impressive milestone. Or perhaps the assembly guys simply tired of spraying and polishing those ‘standard’ black, silver or metallic blue paints. This new ‘AbalonePearl’ paint finish is both symbolic of the 30th anniversary’s traditional gemstone and an ode to the inside shell colour of the marine mollusc that inspired the speakers’ name. B&W’s Nautilus product video shows off the resplendent finish wonderfully. WhatHiFi
A new test developed with artificial intelligence could help doctors diagnose heart attacks faster and more accurately, according to a new study. Researchers who developed the computer algorithm hope it could reduce unnecessary admissions to busy A&E units – and also stop the clinical bias that currently results in some women missing out on life-saving treatment. A trial on 10,286 people with chest pain found that the diagnostic tool, called CoDE-ACS, was able to rule out a heart attack in twice as many patients as current testing methods, with an accuracy of 99.6%. Sky News
