Technology news

About the time Swift was going open source, representatives for three major brands — Google, Facebook and Uber — were at a meeting in London discussing the new language. Sources tell The Next Web that Google is considering making Swift a “first class” language for Android, while Facebook and Uber are also looking to make Swift more central to their operations. Google’s Android operating system currently supports Java as its first-class language, and sources say Swi

Outlook is about to get a lot more useful on Android and iOS. Microsoft is today introducing Calendar Apps, allowing you to integrate your calendars from a variety of your apps, which so far include Facebook, Wunderlist and Evernote. The feature is being ported over from Sunrise, an email client Microsoft bought back in February 2015. To access the new Calendar Apps, simply swipe from the left side of your screen while in Outlook’s calendar view, and then tap on ‘Add.

Figuring out contact details for someone you don’t know can be difficult, and it’s something I’ve frequently had to do in my job at The Next Web. Some tools exist out there that can do it, but Clearbit Connect, which launches today, is a cut above the rest. It’s a dead simple way to get contact details for anyone at any company by just searching their name. What you’ll get back is an email address for them, whether it’s verified to be really th

Apple’s MacBooks have long been the gold standard all laptops are measured against. What’s ‘best’ obviously varies according to individual needs, but critics and college lecture halls alike seemed to agree for the past several years. Mainstream Windows laptops then usually went one of two routes: copy Apple for its proven methods, or, as is more common nowaday, do something crazy to differentiate themselves. Dell’s XPS 13 did neither, yet still made waves when it w

Rhapsody has a new trick up its sleeve, and it’s a clever marriage of human curation and social networking that also helps you find new music. Listener Network creates playlists of new music it thinks you’ll enjoy, which change daily. Those playlists are based on your listening habits, but there’s also a deeper integration with the community. On playlist tracks, you’ll see the user Rhapsody sourced the track from. It pairs your listening habits with other users to curate

Facebook today announced a new feature launch for Messenger that lets users use a QR code or unique URL for direct messaging. This is something that brands are going to love, as it gives fans a quick way to start a conversation with them with one QR scan or a link click. To get a custom URL to your Messenger profile, Facebook illustrated by showing off the generic link of “m.me/yourusername.” Make sense, except “yourusername” is an actual user ID, and that dude

As our cars become increasingly connected to the internet, and eventually drive themselves, we’re going to want them to be rock-solid secure. The recent Chrysler exploit and FBI warning both highlighted just how vulnerable our vehicles can be to malicious hackers. The idea of anti-virus software for cars has been around for several years, and this year there’s even an entire conference about in-car cybersecurity. Karamba Security is a new company in the space tha

There’s nothing wrong with scrawling down thoughts using pen and paper, but that task gets complicated when you need to take into account the thoughts of colleagues who may be one desk over or thousands of miles away. Rather than more emails and more haphazard Slack conversations, how about virtual whiteboards that allow you to really let loose with that crazy idea in your head? With multiple team members involved, a brainstorming session can quickly turn into an unmanageable tempest. Wha

Following the success of The Force Awakens that – among other achievements – became the highest-grossing film in the saga, Disney just released the trailer for the new Star Wars movie. Rogue One traces the struggles of a group of rebels on their quest to steal the plans for Death Star – the Empire’s powerful secret weapon. Set before the events that unfold in A New Hope, Rogue One will be a spin-off and won’t significantly advance the&

Not all entrepreneurs started out their businesses fresh from college – or quit halfway through. Most entrepreneurs already had careers before they decided to go it alone. But making the jump can be terrifying, especially if you have overheads to pay. That’s why a growing number of people are choosing to build side businesses while maintaining their current jobs.   There is an increasing amount of researching showing that keeping your current position is the best way to start b