Facebook to pay workers up to $15,000 to live within 10 miles of office

                               

Facebook is offering employees at its Silicon Valley headquarters at least $10,000 (£6,700) to move closer to the office, a reflection of the challenges many tech companies face in the increasingly expensive and congested San Francisco Bay area.

To qualify for the payment, which the social networking firm started offering in the last 12 months, according to current and former Facebook workers, employees must buy or rent a home within 10 miles of the Facebook campus at One Hacker Way, a desolate strip of road overlooking a marsh about 30 miles south of San Francisco.

Some Facebook employees with families to support could earn a one-off payment of $15,000 or more for housing costs.

Facebook's efforts could help ease a major source of tension in San Francisco: an influx of young, wealthy tech workers who commute to Silicon Valley on private buses and often displace lower-income residents. But Silicon Valley has a housing affordability crisis of its own, and if Facebook's program gains traction it could further accelerate the gentrification of nearby communities, especially the low-income city of East Palo Alto.

"A lot of local families are going to get hurt," said John Liotti, chief executive officer of East Palo Alto community advocacy group Able Works. Facebook says the program is not about social engineering. "Our benefits at Facebook are designed to support our employees and the people who matter most to them at all stages of life," a Facebook spokesman said.

Apple snubs 'marriage' with Alibaba to launch Apple Pay in China

                             

Apple has partnered with bankcard association China UnionPay to launch its contactless payment service Apple Pay in China from early 2016.

The move comes as a direct challenge to Alibaba's Alipay and messaging app WeChat's Wechat Pay payment systems, both of which are already enormously popular in the region, with the former accounting for some 82 per cent of mobile payment transactions according to iResearch.

Alibaba's Jack Ma expressed interest in partnering with Apple in an electronic payment "marriage" back in October 2014, saying: “I hope we can do something together.” Cook said he planned to meet Ma to discuss potential partnerships, but nothing seemed to come from the discussions.

Apple's platform, first announced in September 2014 and launched in the UK this July, allows users to make swift payments by registering their credit or debit card to their iPhone 6, 6s or Apple Watch and holding it up to a contactless terminal thanks to embedded near-field communication (NFC) chips.

Bank of China and China Construction Bank are among the 15 banks to sign up to the scheme as part of the UnionPay network, in both urban and rural parts of the country. It needs to complete relevant tests and obtain certification from Chinese regulators before it can be fully rolled out.

                    

China represents a vast and lucrative market for Apple, as the country's insatiable desire for iPhones - sales of which have grown 65 per cent year-on-year - demonstrates. More than 7 million Apple Pay-compatible iPhone 6s and 6s Plus models were activated within days of going on sale, according to TalkingData.

Apple is the nation's second most popular smartphone brand behind homegrown hero Huawei, growing its market share to 22.9 per cent in the the three months to October, data from Kantar found.

In fact, chief executive Tim Cook took the unprecedented move ofreassuring worried investors back in August that Apple's performance in China remained strong despite fears over the cooling economy.

Facebook enters transport business with Uber

                              

In Facebook's first foray into the transportation business, the firm has agreed to work with Uber to allow users to hail Uber cabs directly from the Messenger app.

The new service means Messenger users will be able to ask for an Uber vehicle without leaving the Facebook software.

Users will not need to download the Uber app separately.

"Uber on Messenger" began in parts of the US this week, the two firms said.

The companies announced their new venture via separate blogs.

Facebook has some 1.5 billion users globally and Uber is the world's biggest driver-hailing app in terms of financing.

If successful, the partnership between the firms will give Uber access to many new and potential clients - Facebook's Messenger app has some 700 million users worldwide.

"With the ability to request, view, and pay for an Uber ride in Messenger, taking your next ride is as simple as sending a message," Uber said on its news blog.

"You can request a ride from a car service without ever needing to download an extra app or leave a conversation," Facebook explained.

The social media giant said the new transportation function on its Messenger app was part of its ongoing development.

"More countries and other transportation partners will be available soon," it added.

Android Pay Now In-App Payment Option

                             

Google’s contactless payment solution, Android Pay, will now be available through the mobile checkouts of several Android apps in the U.S.

“Since our launch this fall, we’ve seen millions of people set up Android Pay, and the vast majority of them are using tap-and-pay with their Android devices for the first time,” Pali Bhat, Android Pay’s director of product management, said in a blog post on Tuesday (Dec. 15).

“Now, we’re ready for the next step: We’re working to bring Android Pay’s simplicity and security to purchases within apps and to people in more countries around the world,” the post continued.

According to Google, Android Pay is already accepted at more than 1 million locations throughout the U.S., and the company has big plans to continue the global expansion of the payment method.

Bhat confirmed that Android Pay will launch in Australia during the first half of 2016, with an expectation that more countries will be added throughout the coming year.

Android Pay is compatible with all NFC (or HCE) enabled devices using any OS released since KitKat. Google officials confirmed for PYMNTS thatAndroid Pay is compatible with roughly 70 percent of the Android phones currently in the U.S.

A new loyalty program was recently announced for the mobile wallet, with Coca-Cola signing up as the first merchant in the Google program. The logic is simple: Tap your phone on an NFC-enabled Coke vending machine, get a Coke and get points added into your Android Pay account for future purchases.

Smartphone Lasts For 15 Days On Single Charge

The Oukitel K10000 also has a "reverse charging" feature which means it can power other smartphones and tablets.

                          

A new smartphone can keep running for up to 15 days on a single charge, according to the manufacturer.

The Oukitel K10000 also has a "reverse charging" feature meaning it can power up other smartphones and tablets.
The Chinese-made phone is otherwise unremarkable, with a quad-core processor and Android's 2014 Lollipop operating system installed.

The screen measures 5.5 inches and has a resolution of 720p.It has 16GB of storage which can be increased to 32GB using a microSD memory card

There is no 4G, however, meaning that uploading photos from the phone's eight megapixel camera could take some time.
However the big selling point is the 10,000mAh battery that under "normal" use can achieve up to 15 days on a single charge.

The battery is more powerful than those fitted inside some tablet devices.Tech site Engadget said: "Think of this more as an enormous battery with a phone attached."

For now, the phone will only be available in China and the US - with a price tag of $239 (£157).

Yahoo Investor Wants Firm To Lay Off 9,000 Staff

                              

A hedge fund investor in Yahoo wants boss Marissa Mayer fired and 9,000 of the firm's 12,000 staff laid off.

Eric Jackson says he has put forward a 99-page presentation to the company outlining a plan to slash the company's workforce by 75% and oust the chief executive.

He also wants the troubled company to sell its California headquarters, cut employee perks like free food, and revert to its former logo to "send a message that the era of Marissa Mayer is over".

Ms Mayer, 40, was hired away from her role as vice president at Google to head up Yahoo in 2012.

She is known for her long hours and tough work ethic - taking just two weeks off after the birth of her son the same year.

But her plan to boost mobile, video and native adverts has failed to increase revenues, while desktop advertising continues to decline.A $1bn deal for Tumblr in 2013 was criticised by investors - it lifted Yahoo's user base to around one billion but did not bring in advertisers.

Now the company is reportedly considering selling its core internet business, which includes Yahoo Mail.Mr Jackson is the managing director of SpringOwl Asset Management.

The fund does not have a major shareholding in the company, but he has met several of the company's largest investors to build support for his plan.

Is Europe going to restrict teens from using Facebook?

                                 

By the end of this week it could be illegal for any European child under 16 to use Facebook - or Snapchat or any messaging service - without the express consent of their parents. That, according to some interpretations, would be the result of a vote by an obscure committee to raise the digital age of consent from 13 to 16.

Who knew there was a "digital age of consent"?

I certainly didn't but I am told it is built into the decisions that many online firms make about the age they will allow people to join. In the United States a law called Coppa (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act) gives extra online protection to children under 13, and Europe has had a similar policy - which is why the likes of Facebook have not allowed children in until they become teenagers.

Now, though, the European Parliament's civil liberties and home affairs committee is considering a change which is opposed both by social media firms and many child protection experts.

A last minute amendment to Europe's Data Protection Regulation, says this: "The processing of personal data of a child below the age of 16 years shall only be lawful if and to the extent that such consent is given or authorised by the holder of parental responsibility over the child."

In other words, online firms that want to deal with anyone under 16 will have to make sure they get mum or dad's permission first. That according to several online safety experts, will make children more vulnerable not less.

In an open letter to the committee they write that changing the age limit "would deprive young people of educational and social opportunities in a number of ways, yet would provide no more (and likely even less) protection."

Others argue that social media has provided a vital lifeline for troubled teenagers, and the risk is that they will not feel able to go online in search of help.

Now, there are plenty of children under 13 using Facebook and other social media sites, with and without parental consent, so it is worth asking whether raising the age limit will make a difference.

But the social media companies and their lawyers certainly think it will make it much harder for responsible companies to police their sites.

That is why a furious lobbying effort is going on to try to persuade European lawmakers, who meet today and vote on Thursday, to chuck out this amendment.

What is missing from this debate so far is anyone making powerful arguments in favour of raising the digital age of consent. Time, perhaps, for those voices to be heard.