Author: Richard Atkins

Richard Atkins is a senior contributor at Tech Insider covering online media, online travel, and video games. Richard has been with Tech Insider covering companies in these industries since 2011 and has authored numerous industry reports, including "Internet Video: Field of Dreams or Nightmare on Elm Street," "The Next Leg of Online Travel," and "Pwned: How Casual Games Changed The Gaming Landscape." Atkins was recognized as the No. 2 stock picker and earnings estimator in the 2011 Financial Times / StarMine Internet & Catalog Retail category and was ranked in the 2010 Wall Street Journal "Best On The Street" for the Leisure Goods & Services category.
Finance, Internet

Top Stock: Google Classroom Completes Pilot Phase

The Google Classroom project has completed its pilot phase and is now open for all Google Apps for Education users. Unveiled in May, Google Classroom is an online tool which integrates Google Drive, Docs, and Gmail in order to encourage teachers to use the services for assigning and collecting work online, as well as boosting communication channels for teachers and students in and outside of … Continue reading Top Stock: Google Classroom Completes Pilot Phase

Richard Atkins
Finance, Software

Bitcoin News: Bitcoin ATMs to span across Canadian Malls & Tourist Spots

CAVIRTEX has launched its first six bitcoin-branded ATMs in the greater Toronto area. The machines mark the first phase of the exchange’s larger plan to bring 10 bitcoin ATMs to Canada through a partnership with Gateway Newstands, a retail chain with 500 locations in North America.

Speaking to CoinDesk, CAVIRTEX’s marketing and business development director Kyle Kemper said the launch was a major milestone for the Calgary-based company and bitcoin itself. Although details about the ATMs were first revealed back in May, Kemper said that the company has taken time to execute its vision and maximise the impact of the launch.

Kemper said: “We were looking for really high-traffic locations, because we want to bring CAVIRTEX and bitcoin to the general Canadian public.” Pictures of the vibrant units first surfaced online earlier this month, with many Reddit users lauding the company’s novel design and expressing excitement for the formal launch. Notably, the bitcoin ATMs were provided to CAVIRTEX by BitAccess, the bitcoin ATM manufacturer that was recently accepted into Californian accelerator Y Combinator.

News on Bitcoins

Kemper indicated that its decision to partner with Gateway lead the company to secure a number of high-value locations. Perhaps the most notable new entry to CAVIRTEX’s network lies at the famed tourist destination Niagara Falls. Kemper indicated that CAVIRTEX has installed an bitcoin ATM at the Casino Niagara, the first casino built in Niagara in 1996. One of a number of regional attractions near the natural wonder, the destination features 10,000 square meters of gambling space, on-site dining and free live music.

Additional noteworthy locations for the ATMs include the Bayshore Mall in Ottawa, Scarborough Town Center in Toronto and the Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto, among others.

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Richard Atkins
Finance, Internet

Facebook (NASDAQ FB) Significantly Reduces Crash Rate on iOS

Facebook Inc (NASDAQ FB) has successfully reduced the crash rate on iOS by 50% after identifying the long-term bugs, which were the root-cause. The social networking site is focussing on the mobile platform more than ever as half of its total traffic comes from it. The company wants to ensure that the main app is not bugged like before for its users. The New York-based … Continue reading Facebook (NASDAQ FB) Significantly Reduces Crash Rate on iOS

Richard Atkins
BioTech, Finance

Biotech Stock in Focus: Bayer Continues Progress with Eylea

Bayer’s (BAYRY) has progressed well with its newly launched products in the last few quarters. Drugs like Eylea (Eye), Stivarga (oncology), Xarelto (anticoagulant), Xofigo (oncology) and Adempas (pulmonary hypertension) posted sales of €598 million in the first quarter and are expected to contribute around €2.8 billion in 2014. The company is looking to get these products approved for additional indications as well. Last week, Bayer … Continue reading Biotech Stock in Focus: Bayer Continues Progress with Eylea

Richard Atkins
Finance, Software

Major Bitcoin Firm Payza Launches Bitcoin Buying Options in 190 Countries

Global online payment processor Payza has announced it is now offering customers in 190 countries the ability to buy bitcoin via bank transfer. Payza took to its official blog to reveal the news, though this formal announcement followed preliminary tweets from both Payza business development consultant Charlie Shrem and the London and Montreal-based company itself.

In its formal remarks, Payza hinted that the bitcoin buying option will allow it to pursue larger goals in the bitcoin and digital currency space, stating: “This is our first step into the exciting space of cryptocurrency, currency that exists solely in the digital world. At Payza, we’re very interested in bitcoin and cryptocurrency, and we have big plans to expand the way bitcoin can be used on our platform.”

Payza first detailed its plans in the digital currency space in a May blog post that discussed bitcoin’s potential as a payments tool. This interest was further made evident in July, when Payza confirmed rumors to the The Wall Street Journal that Shrem was serving the company in an advisory role.

News on Bitcoins

Shrem elaborated on Payza’s goals, suggesting that the company’s biggest opportunities may be in catering to bitcoin’s merchant space. He explained that, unlike popular alternatives such as BitPay and Coinbase, Payza could become a one-stop solution for new merchants that want to capitalize on bitcoin but offer multiple payment methods. “[Payza will] be the only company where if a merchant actually wants to accept both credit card and bitcoin, they only need to work with one company,” he said.

Shrem indicated that Payza does not charge users to deposit funds into their accounts, but that a 2% charge for users who buy bitcoin via the platform applies. Buyers lock in the price of bitcoin upon purchase, however, the withdrawal process can be expected to take up to three days. Given that users are not charged to send funds through Payza, Shrem also remarked that the offering could position the company to become a player in the remittance space, adding:

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Richard Atkins
BioTech, Finance

Biotech Stocks Weekly Roundup

PRevious Few Days have been very eventful for the Biotech Stocks. Last week, earnings remained in focus with several companies reporting their second quarter results. While Amgen’s (AMGN) results remained impressive, Vertex (VRTX) posted a wider loss. Meanwhile, Regeneron (REGN) missed earnings expectations by a pretty wide margin though Eylea sales continued to impress. Among all this, the Ebola outbreak is also making headlines and … Continue reading Biotech Stocks Weekly Roundup

Richard Atkins