Simon Cowell is seeking out the best young technology entrepreneurs in the UK through a new competition known as The F Factor. The X Factor judge is turning his attention from tunes to apps as an increasing number of celebrities start to realise the importance of technology.

Beginning early last year, whispers of Fitbit’s revenues started to circulate. Testing the numbers with investors, responses were mixed — some thought the figures were outlandish, and others confirmed them as absolutely true or undersold. This is the story of wearables, a polarizing category that has been misunderstood, underestimated, and perhaps wrongly maligned. And this narrative will shadow Fitbit’s public offering — with one journalist already calling it a “sucker IPO” and another praising the company’s “surprising profits.” Fitbit's S-1 provides answers to questions many of us have debated for years, and leaves a number of others completely unanswered.

Deloitte Digital's latest study, Navigating the New Digital Divide, predicts digital interactions will increase to influence 64 cents of every dollar spent in retail stores by the end of 2015 (equivalent to $2.2 trillion). Deloitte Digital has also identified a growing digital divide where consumers' digital behaviours and retailers' ability to deliver on those consumer expectations continue to diverge. This year's study also uncovered dramatic new behaviours among consumers who use digital devices to shop.

Leaders in the digital age are different from leaders in the past. They prototype an agile strategy and learn from their experiences. They attack their own businesses before disrupters do. At the same time, they digitise their core business and get the most value from both their existing and external data, all the while mastering the digital ecosystems they operate in.

With 20 years since the very first secure retail transaction via the internet - the sale of the Album “Ten Summer’s Tales” by Sting - the stage was set for the development of eCommerce and online shopping to the level we know today. This report, commissioned by Qubit, looks to the future. It identifies how companies can respond quickly to consumers’ demands with dynamic updates and targeted offers, using personalisation technologies and real-time data. They call this philosophy “real-time retailing”.

London has always been one of the leading knowledge cities in the world. But in recent years, as more and more knowledge becomes digital, the city's deep base of professional expertise has helped fuel a thriving urban tech scene. Increasing numbers of tech start-ups are receiving national and international attention, and tech giants such as Google and Facebook have been bolstering their presence in London.