Ground-breaking solar technology, ‘Google’s Project Sunroof’, is being made available to residents in Britain for the first time, thanks to a partnership between E.ON, Google and software provider Tetraeder. Project Sunroof from Google is an easy-to-use online tool which allows homeowners to calculate the savings they could make by installing solar technology in their homes.

As the first energy supplier to offer a personalised solar savings estimator in Britain, E.ON is giving homeowners the opportunity to take power into their own hands and get the detailed information they need to make informed decisions about whether solar technology could be a viable option for them. This initiative supports the UK’s target to produce 30% renewable energy by 2020.

E.ON is committed to providing smarter, sustainable solutions for its customers. The innovative Project Sunroof tool uses Google Earth, Google Maps and Machine Learning to estimate how much solar potential a house has by examining the property’s surroundings, weather data, sun positioning, and roof area/angle. Believed to be the most advanced technology of its kind, the tool can even assess the impact of shade from a single tree on the solar output potential of a particular property.

Michael Lewis, Chief Executive of E.ON UK said: “Last year, we successfully launched Google’s Project Sunroof in Germany and we’re delighted to bring this exciting new technology to British homeowners too. At E.ON, we’re aiming to create a better tomorrow by offering customers smarter, innovative solutions like Google’s Project Sunroof and Solar and Storage, our solar PV and battery offering.

“The launch of Project Sunroof is also part of our ongoing efforts to bring fresh digital solutions to market for the benefit of our customers. We’re proud to be the first company, working with Google and Tetraeder, to launch Project Sunroof – a service which is easy to use and highly effective in giving people the in-depth and personalised information they need to make well-informed decisions about whether solar technology is the right solution for them.”

Homeowners in certain regions can now visit eon-solar.co.uk to use Google’s Project Sunroof to learn about the solar potential for their home. The tool not only calculates potential cost savings quickly, it also allows people to sign up and begin their solar panel installation process.

People who take E.ON Solar and Storage could make significant savings on their electricity bills as well as earning money through the FiT scheme. Together this could save and earn typical customers £630 a year.

Nicole Lombardo, Business Development & Partnerships of Google, said: “At Google, we’re deeply committed to sustainability and having a positive impact on the environment. We are excited to help people in the UK make more informed choices about installing solar panels on their rooftops and transition to renewable energy sources.”

Stephan Wilforth, Managing Director of Tetraeder, said: “Since the beginning of the 2010’s, we’ve been developing our own software for the most accurate and efficient forecast of solar yield on roofs to help calculate the cost-effectiveness of PV installations. Our goal is to give homeowners the best possible support when deciding on their own PV system. We are proud to be able to provide our outstanding technology in partnership with E.ON and Google for the British people.”

Research from The App Developers has discovered that whilst 58% of the population are worried about mobile Apps stealing personal data, they still went on to download as many as 100 paid apps each, over the course of 12 months.

Surprisingly 73% of respondents said that, despite being worried about their data, they would still only download free apps – which were far more likely to be monetised with targeted advertising or by capturing their data.

When asked about how they preferred to access premium content within free apps, more than a third of those worried about their data said they’d prefer to access premium content in exchange for being subjected to “un-skippable” in-app advertising, this compares with just 13% who preferred to pay for the content directly or as an upgrade cost.

Sam Furr, founder of The App Developers said: “Despite the fact that such a large concern exists, the public continue to download free apps in abundance, meaning that companies should make efforts to keep their apps free if they want to reach the largest possible audience”.

He goes on to say “Luckily, only a tiny minority of apps are capturing data with the intent to sell on, most will fall foul of the new GDPR rules, demonetising lots of the less trustworthy apps and allowing those to cut through the noise who genuinely add some value”.

New GDPR legalisation will mean hefty fines for those found in breach of data protection laws. Of those who have only downloaded 1-5 apps in the last 12 months, 67% admitted to being concerned about apps using their data for marketing purposes.

Comparatively, 69% of participants who have downloaded 51-100 apps in the last 12 months revealed they were content with handing over their personal information to apps. This could suggest app-addicts are unsure of the potential consequences of carelessly handing over their personal information, or are comfortable with the way their data could be used.

However, the overall perception of apps asking for personal information is negative, with 60% of participants being against it; meaning apps who request this might be unpopular to download.

Outright Games and Crayola, have announced a new partnership to create new video games for children of all ages. The game will be available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC this fall.

“We are thrilled to partner with Crayola as they return to the video game space,” shares Terry Malham, CEO of Outright Games. “Crayola’s drive to provide kids everywhere with relevant and imaginative virtual activities has been an inspiration to us. As we create entertainment for people of all ages to enjoy, we are excited to combine our expertise to develop a brand new way of experiencing creativity with Crayola.”

Warren Schorr, Vice President of Business Development and Global Licensing at Crayola says “At Crayola, we’re all about inspiring creativity through colour and innovative play experiences, and our partnership with Outright Games allows us to extend that passion to new and exciting areas.”

As bitterly cold temperatures hit the UK, we’re well prepared for shivering, being able to see our breath and generally being uncomfortable. But did you know you could have a much bigger problem - your iPhone getting so cold it stops working?

When your phone gets too cold, the results range from mildly annoying to truly concerning. On one end of the scale your phone might not be able to detect your touch on the screen, on the other, the battery of your handset will deplete much faster, and if it gets really cold it will just turn off altogether.

To shed some light on why this happens, phone recycling specialist Envirofone, has taken a look at the reasons why our iPhones seem to hate the cold as much as we do.

As it turns out, there is a technical reason behind the problem - the battery. All iPhones use a type of battery called Lithium-Ion, and while these battery types have their advantages they do not fare well in the cold.

With Apple stating that the iPhones and other iOS devices operate most efficiently when the ambient temperature is between 0ºC and 35º C, the iPhone is actually designed to shut down automatically under certain conditions, such as extremely cold temperatures.

So, now we know that the cold is a real problem for our phones and not just a figment of our imagination, what can we do to stop it happening?

Do your battery - and hands - a favour in the bitter cold and keep them in pockets, avoiding exposing them to the cold unless absolutely necessary. We know it might be tempting to check your phone to distract yourself from the freezing conditions, but if you want to keep your phone working, those texts and Facebook notifications will have to wait.

If you haven’t already, ensure your iPhone also has a case - we wouldn’t dream of going out in the cold without a coat afterall.

Richard Mavers, director of group marketing and online strategy at Envirofone, said: “People often speculate about whether or not the cold really does affect the iPhone’s battery. Now we know it does, it is important to avoid subjecting your iPhone to extremely cold conditions. Minimise the use of your phone outside when temperatures drop, and keep it warm in a pocket or bag where possible.”

A host of tech talent was on show at the first Digital Apprenticeship Expo in Haringey this week.

The council, in partnership with Ada, National College for Digital Skills, kicked off National Apprenticeship Week with a showcase of some of the opportunities available in the digital sector, held at Ada’s campus in Tottenham Hale.

Top employers from around the country attended the event, with a wealth information about their apprenticeship schemes.

The highlight of the event was a panel discussion and Q&A facilitated by Ana Herrera, Director of HR and Careers for Ada and featuring representatives from apprenticeship employers IG, Deloitte, EY, and Google.

Cllr Joe Goldberg, Haringey Council Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Social Inclusion and Sustainability, said:

“It was fantastic to be able to partner with Ada for this exciting event. There is a wealth of untapped digital talent in Haringey and events such as this show people what great opportunities are available to them. Hopefully there will be many more events which help to set young people in Haringey on the right path for top-flight careers in the digital sector.”

Amy Fowler, Head of External Relations at Ada said:

"We were excited to host this showcase for digital apprenticeships, bringing together fantastic industry partners with prospective apprentices from across London. At Ada we are passionate about exposing students to the broad range of careers and companies they could access with an apprenticeship and showing industry the immense benefit apprentices bring. We're proud to be at the forefront of connecting talented young people to great quality careers in the digital sector and events like this one for National Apprenticeship Week help demonstrate that commitment."

Gemma Donnely, Future Talent Manager at IG said:

"This is a great opportunity to showcase our business to people who will soon be taking their first steps into the technology sector. It offers us a chance to tell these people all about IG's apprentice scheme, and helps us shape the thinking of schools so that students are better informed about their options, with hopefully more schools and students considering apprenticeships as a route to a great career."

Parents across the West Midlands are increasingly turning their backs on technology when it comes to playtime, according to a new poll.

New research has revealed that parents in the region are battling to make sure imaginative games, such as making dens and playing make believe, don’t become a thing of the past as electronic toys become more and more popular.

The recent poll carried out by beloved toy manufacturer PLAYMOBIL revealed 75 percent of the parents in the West Midlands are worried that imaginary games are waning in popularity amongst their children as TVs, computer games and electronic devices take over play time.

The research, which targeted 1,500 parents of 5-11 year olds, found that eight in 10 parents in the West Midlands wished their children used their imagination more. The survey also revealed that 91 percent of the parents said they actively try to steer their children away from gadgets, but as a result the typical family has almost five arguments a week when parents remove gadgets from their youngsters.

Parents in the survey said playtime was now very different to their day, with almost 40 percent in the region wishing their children were more interested in playing in the garden, whilst over a third of the mums and dads wanted their youngsters to play more independently with non-electronic toys.

However parents did confess that constraints on their own lives sometimes made it difficult to create an imaginative environment. Of those surveyed in the region, over 40 percent of parents confessed to lacking the time to create an environment in the home where their children can be more imaginative, and over 80 percent of the parents often feel hypocritical because they spend so much time online themselves.

Jamie Dickinson, Marketing Manager at PLAYMOBIL, said: “Imagination is such an important part of childhood, and something that as parents we all want to nurture in our children.

“However with the rise of technology there are now more options than ever for children when it comes to choosing how to spend playtime. It is sometimes hard for parents to get children to spend time away from the computer or TV screen and use their imagination to create their own world using toys like PLAYMOBIL, but it is a vital part of play.”

Over 65 percent of the parents in the West Midlands said their children’s favourite thing to do is to watch YouTube videos on a phone or tablet. And 77 percent said it was hard to strike the right balance when it comes to gadgets, as they are keen for their children to be technologically savvy, but not spend too long glued to a screen.

Dr Claire Halsey, Clinical Psychologist and Child Development and Independent Parenting Expert, worked with PLAYMOBIL to investigate the results of the research and found them in line with her own experience.

“First and foremost, it’s important to remember that play is for fun. Play is the everyday ‘work’ of children and it is how they explore, learn and satisfy their own curiosity about their world. With so many positive areas of learning and development linked to play it’s no surprise that it’s important for parents to ensure their child experiences a wide variety of play.

“There is clear evidence over the past couple of generations that the balance has tipped away from traditional games and time spent being active outdoors towards more time indoors in electronic play. But striking the right balance is key for children’s development in a multitude of ways, and parents play the central role in making good decisions.”