Welcome to this week’s Technology Updates, a vibrant mix of hot topics and future trends.

The future is here.

Have you heard about Uber? In case you haven’t, it is a start up which is creating havoc in the taxi industry. The issue here is that this is not a taxi service. It is a method of connecting people who have cars, with people who need to go somewhere. They are in over 100 cities around the world and growing. It is also a startup with investors from Menlo, to Google Ventures, to Goldman Sachs, and others valuating the firm around 18 billion dollars.

Uber is building an army of freelance drivers and is paying them only when they deliver people to their destinations. Brilliant. The zero overhead makes every CEO and CFO cry. Now that Uber has a readily available workforce, it is testing other business opportunities. Recently it introduced a grocery delivery service in Washington, DC. And on the luxe side of their service offerings, Uber expanded into their airwaves with UberJet during the Cannes Film Festival. Flying passengers from Paris to Cannes for roughly four thousand euros. While other established firms or startups are building distribution centers and then trying to recruit drivers, Uber is just adding another item to its list to deliver.

To read more about it and check other articles about Uber, click here -> http://g3t.ca/aVHPt9

Trending this week…

This week brought us some interesting, note-worthy articles and news:

  • UPS branches (individually owned franchises) – hacked.
  • US Community Health Systems – hacked. 4.5 million user-data was stolen.
  • Mobile apps for H&R Block, Newegg, WebMD, Chase Bank, Hotels.com, Gmail – hacked, hacked, hacked, hacked, hacked and hacked.
  • HTC unveils Windows 8 phone. This one is really cute. HTC, after snubbing Microsoft and building Android phones just to get hammered by Samsung, is back. Does HTC really think it is better than Nokia at this?
  • Amazon is expanding into China. It signed strategic partnership with the Shanghai Free Trade Zone and Shangai Information Investment Limited. Let’s see how long it will take before they end up like every other venture there.
  • The European Union is cleaning up its act and targeting energy guzzling vacuum cleaners. Yes that’s right, the European Union is pointing the finger at the Hoover. Any machine with a motor over 1600 watts is banned from markets. Global warming in Europe averted? I am curious how long it will take to vacuum with smaller motor?
  • Researchers can now remote-control moth ‘biobot’. The difficult task is to come up with reasons as to why this is useful.
  • Check out even more trending topics here –> http://g3t.ca/JwtpPX