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Home Tags Posts tagged with "pandora"
If you’ve used Pandora anytime in the last couple days, you’ve probably already heard about the Internet Radio Fairness Act that Founder Tim Westergren is encouraging all users to support by contacting their representative. I’ve already heard quite a few personal appeals from Tim Westergren myself that have interrupted my Pandora listening, as well as received a personal email from him about it. But what is the Internet Radio Fairness Act and why is it such a big deal?
The Internet Radio Fairness Act is a bill that was recently introduced in Congress that seeks to ensure equity in the royalties paid by various radio platforms. Pandora apparently pays 50% of its revenue in royalties, while satellite competitors like SiriusXM pay only about 7.5%. Clearly a stark and dramatic difference! To address the difference, this bill is proposing that the same royalty standard be applied across internet radio, satellite, and cable by decreasing Pandora’s royalty obligation to be more comparable with its competitors. In one of his appeals, Westergren points out that so many new artists that wouldn’t otherwise be heard are discovered on Pandora and Internet Radio, but the unusually high royalties that Pandora is forced to pay will prove prohibitive in the continued success of internet radio.
Opponents of the bill argue that it would reduce performance royalties to a level that is unfair to the artists. Instead, certain opponents are proposing that royalty rates applied to satellite and cable be raised to the same level applied to internet radio platforms, thereby leveling the playing field but also ensuring fair compensation for artists.
I personally don’t know too much more about this debate and the subtle complexities that are sure to take place. It is refreshing to me in this election season that the Internet Radio Fairness Act is a bi-partisan proposal in support of the growth of the internet radio market. However, I also share the concern that artists should be fairly compensated in this ever-changing music industry that seems to be taking more and more money away from them. Regardless of the outcome, I believe it will have strong implications in determining the future of internet radio and how music is broadcast in general.
Check out more coverage of this ongoing debate here, and learn more about the Internet Radio Fairness Act here.
We’ve covered Pandora Internet Radio in the past, and told you why it’s one of the best Internet Radio apps around. Well, it looks like the super popular Android app got a much needed makeover this week, and it’s quite a doozy…
I’ll start by saying I’m a big Pandora fan, and while I didn’t think the old look was all that bad there was definitely room for improvement. The Pandora app has basically been totally redesigned and it now has a better looking blue & white skin so it’s got a bit of a Facebook type look going on. Most of the buttons are in the same spots, and the way you search and create stations is basically the same. We do get a nice little drop down menu now though which is a nice added touch. Overall, the app is a lot easier to navigate and certain things like track information is much easier to get to as well. The one thing I wished they had changed and didn’t was the Widget, but overall as a Pandora user I’m very pleased with the changes.
If you’re a Pandora user you’re no doubt familiar with the old look of the app as it really hasn’t changed in forever. I have no doubt that users old and new will like the new look as it’s much easier on the eyes and most importantly easier to navigate. While it’s not a total redo of the app I’m pretty happy with it (except for the widget) and think others will be as well. If you haven’t already updated you can head on over to Google Play and check out the new Pandora.
As technology has improved I’ve often found myself listening to internet radio more than the local stations as there’s a wider variety of music available, and it’s pretty damned convenient if you’re on the move. We thought it was about time to take a look at a few good streaming radio Android apps, and there are a lot of them to pick through. We picked 4 Android apps we feel are the best of the best, so without further ado we proudly present you with Sosoactive.com’s Top Streaming Radio Apps for Android.
Unless you’re a cave dweller you’ve probably heard on Pandora Internet Radio as it’s one of the most popular audio services around. Pandora lets you create stations based on artists or songs you like, and it then chooses similar music based on your preferences. You get to skip (some) tracks you don’t like, and can even give the thumbs up to those you do. There’s a full featured free version of Pandora you can use, and if you like it I highly recommend subscribing to the service as its cheap and well worth it. You can checkout Pandora Internet Radio for free on Google Play.
Slacker Radio is another super popular app that’s been around for awhile, and it was a very strong contender for the top spot on our list. Slacker Radio lets’ you “personalize” your listening experience with its selection of over 100 expertly programmed stations. If you prefer to get a little more in-depth with things you can also make your own stations from their library of millions of songs. This one is also similar to Pandora where it’s free to use and full of features, but you can get more if you opt to go with a premium subscription. You can pick up Slacker Radio on Google Play for free.
iHeartRadio is all popular digital music service that gives listeners more than 1,000 live stations to choose from coast to coast. There are more genre’s than you can shake a stick at, and you can create your own customizable stations as well. There are well over 14 million songs to choose from and your custom stations will be commercial free which is a nice change of pace. It’s easy to use, looks great, and does exactly as advertised. If you’re ready to give it a go you can pick up Clear Channel Digital’s iHeartRadio on Google Play for free.
Most streaming radio apps work by choosing similar songs or nationwide channels whereas TuneIn Radio puts an emphasis on the global side of things. TuneIn Radio lets you listen to a wide variety of music from a selection of over 70,000 radio stations and 2 million on-demand programs. The app allows you to search for a song, show or artist to find a radio station that’s playing it anywhere in the world. There are free versions and pro versions of TuneIn Radio available to download on Google Play.
It would be a total and complete understatement to state the fact that music is more “social” now than it has ever been.
Honestly, can you remember another time in history where music in its most basic form has been more sharable and more consumable than it is now?
Through the use of social networks, streaming music platforms, and music festivals that have become stand-alone media outlets in themselves – music has become more than just a product that you sell. It’s now an experience that fans have more control over than ever before.
And all of this begs the question: When it comes to the new social music war that we’re witnessing, who is winning? Who has the upper hand and the distinguishing advantage? Who’s playing catch up? Who are the new kids on the block, that are just starting to make a name for themselves? Who’s the established juggernaut that everyone is aspiring to be like?
These aren’t easy questions to answer. Between some of the seemingly more established services such as Rdio, Spotify, Reverbnation and Pandora – things have truly gotten interesting. In addition, lesser-known services like Myxer as well as major tech and social network players like Apple, Facebook, Microsoft and Google continuing to throw their hat into the social music ring.
Take, for example, how both Facebook and Spotify continue to toss their weight around in the social music wars. Many of us are aware that both companies created an exclusive partnership when Spotify first made its way to the States. But now, Spotify has announced a new Music Unlimited service exclusively for iPhone users, with plans available in the $3.99 and $9.99 price ranges.
Meanwhile, its partner Facebook has now added a ton of content to its artist pages including total number of Spotify plays, videos, a sharing feature and more – making it easier for listeners to reference a particular song and encouraging users to use both Spotify and YouTube more. Spofity also recently announced a partnership with Yahoo to provide users with on-demand music.
Not to be outdone by their bigger rival, streaming service Rdio has done a lot in the past year to make a name for itself as a company. Between announcing an exclusive partnership with Paste magazine and unveiling a newly revamped service, both in May, Rdio is looking to continue building on the momentum it gained when it was founded in 2010.
And Padora is looking to be no slouch on the social music scene, either. After a five-year hiatus, the company announced that its services would again be available in Australia after it dealt with several licensing issues in the country. Pandora has even been able to create an exclusive partnership with Chase Card Services and Chase Sapphire to offer personalized music in the summer months to its listeners. But it still seems that it still has some catching up to do if it is to regain some of the footing that was stolen from it by Spotify in the last half year.
But of course, the social music wars reach far beyond just regular ole music companies. For example, Bill Gates brainchild company Microsoft, still smarting a bit from the failure of Zune, recently announced Xbox Music, a brand new venture that will apparently challenge both Spotify and iTunes in streaming music over Wifi and 3G devices.
Beats By Dre, the company known for producing upscale headphones that have become status symbols for celebrities and regular folk alike, recently purchased digital music service MOG, which reportedly has about 500,000 subscribers, according to a report in the L.A. Times. The purchase gives Beats By Dre the opportunity to build on-demand music service into its ever-growing array of products.
The most interesting and dynamic thing about the social music wars is that they are all encompassing and non-discriminatory. There’s really no kind of music company or service that’s not being dragged into this new competition, be it a terrestrial radio station, a streaming radio service, a record label, a tech company or what have you. Companies of all kinds are realizing that music has, for one become more disposable, but for two, has also become more easily sharable and consumable, and they are taking advantage as such.
So, again, who’s winning? Well, from the looks of things right about now, the clear front-runner in all of this would seem to be Spotify. Having been able to successfully introduce services in the United States last year, and partnering with the biggest and most formidable social network in the world clearly gives Spotify the upper hand. In addition, being able to offer their services across a ton of different platforms Spotify is a social music juggernaut with no plans on stopping any time soon.
But the truth is, it’s still too early to tell. The social music landscape can change from day to day – and who was on top once can easily fall to the bottom very quickly and with a plethora of social music services being dreamed up there’s no telling who or what will be on top in the near future.
But at this point in history, it’s kind of a treat to see all of these companies duking it out to see who’s truly going to be top dog when it comes to giving music fans the most engaging and most enjoyable social music experience. And be prepared for more companies to start vying for the attentions, hearts and minds of those all important music fans. Ding ding!
Right now there seems to be a serious over flow of mobile music apps hitting the markets from major players like Spotify as well as start-ups. The average person that I ‘talk to is just now getting familiar with Pandora, has heard about Spotify but never used it and is comfortable with manually streaming music via YouTube.
With summertime being one of the most exciting times for music, I wanted to share with you three must have music apps for my favorite time of the year.
With so many concerts, festivals and outdoor events to choose from this summer; Thrillcall helps you to discover the best live music events in your city. Are you searching for the next Kanye West and Jay-Z show? Maybe you’re into the heavy stuff and would like to know where ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ is playing next. Thrillcalls offers a search engine like feature that easily allows you to find concerts by artists name or venue. In addition, Thrillcall offers concert recommendations based on your friends Facebook activity as well as last-minute deals via its mobile app.
Who can deny a great social music service like Spotify, and with its recent release of its new streaming radio feature iPhone and iPad users it’s a serious no brainer. In terms of social music services, Spotify leads all of its competition in terms of catalog size, buffering speed, and its ease of use. Spotify’s radio service is ad-supported, so you will be hearing commercial but they are less frequent than the desktop version. Even though the music discovery aspect on Spotify’s mobile app isn’t as robust as Pandora, Spotify kills in the social area by allowing you to see your playlists, your friends playlists and listen to “What’s New.”
Are you looking for away to keep your house guest entertained or do you want to finally win the talent show at this summer’s family reunion? Songify is an awesome app that allows you to give vocals that T-Pain effect in no time. Let’s be serious what would a pop song be without auto tunes these days? Songify is the official app of YouTube phenoms the Gregory Brothers and it easily allows you to auto tune your voice and set it to a track. Songify comes with 5 free songs to record your voice over, but you will cost you a small fee to increase your library.
I confess: I like to whistle while I work. Well, not so much “whistle” as “listen to music.” Usually I turn to my tried-and-true iTunes library, but lately I’ve been trying out Streambox 4.2 (Mac App Store link), a full-featured Mac client for the Pandora streaming audio service.
Of course, the app gives you access to several of Pandora’s features, such as the ability to give a song a thumbs up or thumbs down, skip forward and backward (up to Pandora’s own limits), view a list of song attributes, and create stations based on a song or artist.
There’s a lot to like about Streambox (previously known as Pandoras Box). For one thing, it’s largely designed to be as unobtrusive as possible. By default, the app resides in your menu bar as a simple “P” icon. It’s not until you click on the icon that it yields a window showing the track name, artist, and album; thumbs up and thumbs down buttons; previous track, play/pause, and next track buttons. To access the preferences and more features, just click the downward facing arrow between the thumb icons. Or, tear the window off the menu bar to turn it into a floating window.
You can also configure Streambox to use the media keys (previous track, play/pause, next track) on your keyboard or, if you prefer, assign keyboard shortcuts to those actions and more. And since keyboard commands are sent to the most recently active app, it doesn’t interfere with using those keys to control iTunes playback. Streambox can also optionally work with an Apple Remote if you want to use it while you’re not sitting at your desk.
Integration with other apps and services is another of Streambox’s strengths. You can configure the app to send a Growl notification when you start playing a track; if you use the Last.fm service, Streambox can automatically scrobble songs you play to that service. The app can even look at your iTunes library and try to find a match for the currently playing song (you can manually specify one if it fails to do so), and you can even have it increment the track’s play count in iTunes.
For more information, you can click on the artist, track name, or album name to be taken to the respective page on Pandora’s website. Should you decide you want to buy the song you’re jamming to, Streambox provides integrated links to iTunes, Amazon MP3, and, for the old school, even Amazon’s CD section.
Sound quality isn’t as good as iTunes, but you can enable high quality MP3 streaming if you have a paid Pandora One account. Not being much of an audiophile, it didn’t really bother me, but for those that demand it, it’s nice to know it’s there.
Original Source: Mac World
Perhaps you have found yourself checking out I Heart Radio, Spotify or Pandora in the past few months or years. Perhaps you have even enjoyed them so much that you opted to buy their premium service that features little-to-no advertising. Most however, prefer to stick to the free services, making advertising on these online radio stations very valuable to companies looking to reach out to potential new customers.
Previously, the acronym SMM was more commonly known around the web as Social MEDIA Marketing. Now, it is gaining new ground as Social MUSIC Marketing. Ads that play during these online music sessions typically include music themselves so that they seamlessly play into whatever you may be listening too. Between the new Kanye song and LMFAO, you might hear a little something about Doritos.
The great thing about Social Music Marketing, is that for the most part, the advertisements are swift, non-invasive, and (from a personal standpoint) do actually work. I myself have purchased things I’ve heard about while in the middle of listening to Pandora, I Heart Radio or Spotify radio sessions.
From Mashable’s report, we learned this, “According to data from William Chipps, author of the IEG Sponsorship report, corporate sponsorship by consumer brands incorporating music into marketing programs was expected to exceed $1.17 billion last year, nearly double what it was six years earlier.”
It seems like brands investing in social music marketing are going to do well for themselves with numbers like that on their side.
Have you invested in Social Music Marketing? Post a comment below and tell us how your campaign has been doing.
Original Source: Pop Creative
Sonos has just rraised $135 million dollars for Digital Living Rooms. The evolution of home entertainment is coming and the money people are drooling!!!!Investors include Index Ventures, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, and Elevation Partners.
Online ticketing platform Eventbrite has hit the $1 Billion dollar sales mark, with 63 million tickets sold over four years. The top 5 Eventbrite markets includes the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Australia, and the Netherlands.
Spotify Brings Free Radio to iPhone and iPad. Spotify has added a Pandora like radio service to its IOS app which gives non-paid Spotify users a reason to download its mobile app. Lets hope this comes to Android and Windows soon!!!!
Music Royalty Collection organization SoundExchange has reached $1 Billion in payouts. While companies like Clear Channel are beginning to cut deals directly with the label, it looks like SoundExchange’s revenue may be slipping in the near future.
By Paul Sandle
PARIS, June 15 (Reuters) – Digital music services battling to build a serious business out of selling tracks online need to embrace social media, smartphones and emerging markets, two of the most successful companies told the Reuters Media and Technology Summit.
Despite numerous attempts and the continued popularity of music, few start-ups have managed to succeed in launching new services as they struggled to secure the support of the record labels and compete with the might of Apple’s (AAPL.O) iTunes.
But more than 10 years in, groups such as the music discovery specialist Shazam and music services Rhapsody, Spotify and Pandora have become well established by delivering tunes to more consumers around the world and helping to grow revenues for the once-wary labels.
Telecom operators which can hide the cost of the music in their monthly contract fee and social networks which can raise awareness to millions of people are key. Tapping emerging markets can also prove fruitful.
“I think for younger music consumers it’s not about ownership any more: it’s about access to 16, 20 million tracks,” said Will Mills, Shazam’s director of music and content. “Then it’s about social curation to try to work out what you want to listen to.
“If you make it frictionless and priced right people will buy music still.”
The music industry has been criticised in the past for focusing too much on fighting piracy and failing to develop new online services that can attract consumers.
While Apple’s (AAPL.O) iTunes dominates the market, consumers often buy single tracks rather than albums.
In response, the industry is now expanding its horizons with more players and a push into subscription services where fans pay a monthly fee to access millions of songs. Including that fee in a mobile phone bill can help drive sales while also increasing customer loyalty for the operator.
French music streaming company Deezer is growing globally using a partnership with Facebook and deals with telecom operators to encourage people to discover music through their networks of friends and listen to it via phones and computers.
Chief Executive Axel Dauchez said one important issue was the need to teach people that they could access the music offline on their phones without running up huge data bills. “If you reach that point there is no more need for ownership,” he said.
Deezer offers a limited free service in France, its biggest market, but outside the country its streaming services, which are targeted at smartphone users, generally carry a monthly fee.
Dauchez said the labels’ attitude changed after they realised streaming services were a new source of revenue. “It is now much easier (dealing with labels),” he said.
Streaming also has huge potential. He said an average of two CDs were bought per household in 2000 In France, whereas a subscriber to its streaming service generated 10 euros a month.
Independent music industry analyst Mark Mulligan said major labels welcomed streaming services, but their enthusiasm was not shared by independent labels and some artists, who were not seeing much return.
“Something in the region of 130-140 streams is equivalent to one download (in returns),” he said. “It looks better if you’re a record label because you aggregate everything, but if you’re an artist and you’re swopping one download for 20 plays you are looking at a massive drop in your income.”
But he said the opposing argument said the number of people downloading music was quite small so streaming could be one way of getting everyone else involved with digital music.
“The theory is things will essentially right themselves over a period of years as more people move into the consumption paradigm, because ultimately it’s a scale game,” he said.
The industry has also woken up to the potential of services like Shazam, a smartphone app that recognises and identifies tracks.
It has attracted more than 200 million users, who tag more than 7 million songs each day. Users can then click through to Shazam’s partner sites to buy the song.
“Eight percent go on to buy a track, that’s primarily an a-la-carte download from the big players in the space,” Mills said. “It drives more than $100 million of music sales a year.
“We have deals with a lot of record labels around the world,” he said. “A very big track, such as Goyte’s ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’ will get more than 1.5 million tags a week, which nets out to sales of 120,000.”
Shazam is bolstering its strong position in music by agreeing deals with broadcasters and advertisers to enable consumers to tag adverts or programmes during major events such as the Super Bowl, enabling programme makers to directly interact with consumers.
Other opportunities include selling tickets to live music. “It’s not just about selling units anymore, it’s about maximising the value around the whole music experience,” he said.
Mills said the labels were now much more open to working with a range of new business models.
“Five years ago they were very much about wanting to get very large advances, but now they want to innovate, (they) throw as much against the wall as they can and see what sticks,” he said.
Deezer has a tie-up with France Telecom (FTE.PA), helping it reach 1.4 million paid subscribers in the country.
Dauchez said it had taken time to establish the right model in working with telcos. “Now there is a specific know-how at every level to make sure it works,” he said.
The ability to reach millions of people through social networks and to provide music through smartphones means those who have got it right are starting to feel more optimistic about the future.
“We are coming out of the trough now,” said Mills.
Original Story : Reuters.com
Frank Sinatra knew he was getting a raw deal.
He could sing, but he was not much of a songwriter, so he never saw a cent when most of his 300 or so singles were played on U.S. radio. He spent years fruitlessly lobbying Congress to change a 1909 royalties law that requires radio broadcasters to pay composers but not performers.
Broadcasters, a more formidable lobby than artists or record labels, long have fought any change, arguing that airtime gives singers free publicity. This month, however, the artists and labels have had some good news.
On June 5, Clear Channel Communications, America’s largest radio broadcaster, announced a deal with Big Machine, a country-music label, to pay performance royalties on all its radio channels, terrestrial — that is, over the air — and digital. The plan is for Clear Channel to pay the label and its artists, who include Tim McGraw and Taylor Swift, a cut of its advertising revenue. The agreement indicates that Clear Channel plans to invest more in digital radio, the part of the industry that is growing. Unlike terrestrial broadcasters, however, digital stations are obliged by a 1998 law to pay fees to artists whenever a song is played.
Read Full Story : Star Tribune
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The results from the 13th annual Channel Harvest Independent Insurance Agency Survey
Agents are at a crossroads when it comes to the question of the ease of doing business with customers. Should the buying experience through an agent be more personal or more like Amazon? This was one of the major questions posed to nearly 2,000 agency staff in the latest Channel Harvest Research Report. Everyone from principals to producers to CSRs were able to participate in the 100 question survey, conducted between February and April of this year. It is important to note that a majority of the responses to this year’s Channel Harvest Survey were obtained prior to “the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic” having been felt on the industry.
In addition to asking agents opinions about the buying experience, the questionnaire also gauged agents’ opinions about everything from carrier relationships to the agency growth statistics to how agencies are preparing for a digital future.
“What stands out is a divide between agents who are intentional about making insurance more like an Amazon purchase and those who prefer to offer a personal transaction,” says John Campbell, principal of Channel Harvest Research. “For example, only half of agents reported having a mobile-friendly website and 20% aren’t sure what kind of website they have.”
Agents are at a crossroads…
In preparing how to respond in the right way to a digital future dominated by younger generations, many agents are split on the type of service they should be providing. The following are some statistics the Channel Harvest Survey shared:
- Being visible when a consumer is searching online for a product or service is almost an imperative, yet the survey revealed large numbers on both sides of the digital divide.
- Among the 88% of respondents whose agencies have a website, 42% say their firm uses search engine optimization (SEO), while nearly one-third do not implement SEO, and 17% are not sure.
- Self-service was another big differentiator, as over half of respondents said they do not offer customers the ability to purchase a policy, add a vehicle, change a deductible or change or add coverages.
- Fewer than 10% of agents said they have their own technology allowing customers to purchase a policy, add a vehicle, change a deductible or change or add coverages.
- Alternately, a larger number — nearly one-third — have their own technology for allowing prospective customers to get a quote online.
“Carriers are also an important part of the self-service equation, as they will have to consider if they should push these solutions to agents or let agents decide what they want to do,” said Campbell. “A common refrain is insurance is behind other consumer services when it comes to convenience, and the survey data confirms that,” he added.

domain: news


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Mr. Raghuram Rajan, the new Governor of RBI, taking into consideration the inflation which is double digit today, has resorted to the same measure as his predecessor had done. He has increased the repo rate, rate at which banks borrow money from the RBI. It will make bank loan costlier and is likely to increase the deposit rate benefiting the people who are fix depositing in banks. Mr. Chidambaram always criticised the earlier Governor for increasing the interest rate. Now what is his reaction? The present Governor is close to him.
This monetary measure is not going to bring down the inflation. This has been tried for the last four years. Therefore, there is not going to be any relief to the people. What is important is to curb prices by increasing production, stop forward trading and stockpiling. It is also essential to curb speculation and stop the economy from being a speculative economy. It is also necessary to curb the luxurious import, import of luxury goods and also resort to price fixing of essential commodities, strengthen the Public Distribution System. Agricultural production must be boosted. If no comprehensive measures are taken like this, it is wrong to believe that the prices will come down and difficulties of the common people will be ameliorated. But the Government is not likely to do it because they believe market will bring down the prices.
It is a sad commentary on the market dominated economic policy of the Government.


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Food insecurity in America held relatively steady in 2021 at 10.2%, a rate that was not significantly different from the 10.5% rate recorded the previous two years, the Agriculture Department reported Wednesday.
But there was some notable improvement in 2021 among children. Some 6.2% of kids in households with children were food insecure last year, down from 7.6% in 2020, according to USDA’s annual survey of food security.
Food insecurity also declined among Black households and households in the South.
Individuals and households are considered food insecure if they had difficulty getting enough food at some point during the year. People are considered to have very low food security if their normal eating patterns were disrupted by a lack of resources.
Some 3.8% of households were classified as having very low food security last year, compared to 3.9% in 2020 and 4.1% in 2019. The prevalence of very low security was much higher in some groups. Some 8% of households that had children and were headed by a single female experienced very low food security as did 6% of women living alone and 5.9% of men living by themselves.
The prevalence of food insecurity increased last year among a few groups, including households with no children and among women and elderly people who were living alone.
Interested in more coverage and insights? Receive a free month of Agri-Pulse!
The typical food-secure household spends 16% more for food than food-insecure families, USDA found. About 56% of the food-insecure households reported participating in at least one federal nutrition program, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children — also known as WIC — and the National School Lunch Program.
USDA collects data on food security annually through a survey conducted by the Census Bureau.
"The prevalence of food insecurity is determined by many factors, including the economy, Federal, State, and local policies, and household circumstances,” a summary of the report says.
For more news, go to www.Agri-Pulse.com.


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In a regulatory filing submitted Thursday, the car rental giant said it will scale back roughly 20,000 electric vehicles as they have higher damage-repair costs and higher depreciation.
Hertz told investors at the end of the third quarter of 2023 that Tesla price cuts reduced the resale value of the other EVs in its fleet, “increasing vehicle depreciation expense and negatively impacting salvage cost.”
Primarily driven by Tesla dropping prices of new vehicles in 2023, people are now less likely to buy used EVs from Hertz.
Around 80% of the battery electric cars are Teslas at the company, and EVs make up around 11% of Hertz’s total rental fleet. Out


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American consumers have really found their voice lately. In late September, Bank of America announced it would be implementing a $5 monthly fee for some debit card users, and their customers went into a rage. People complained hotly and loudly in every online outlet possible that this change was unacceptable and that they would take their business elsewhere. A little more than a month later on Nov. 11, Bank of America changed course and said it was scratching its plans to add a fee.
Just a few months ago, Netflix made headlines when they announced a major price increase in addition to a splitting of DVD and streaming services. They received massive amounts of backlash. Netflix eventually crawled back into the spotlight and admitted the flub, and decided to go back to just having one service with two products.
People have been using social media to broadcast bad experiences with companies, but I feel like in the past few months, consumers have really had a huge voice and lead major corporations to change their policies and prices. For all kinds of interesting financial tidbits and know-how, please read on for my roundup of my 10 favorite money-related blog posts from the past week!


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June 24, 2020 6:53:31 pm
An online shopping portal’s delivery person diligently all the unusual ‘additional instructions’ the teenage customer had sent, and she is getting a lot of praise on social media for it.
Lynn Staffieri of Delaware was surprised to see a video recorded on her doorbell camera. In the video, an Amazon employee is seen saying ‘Abracadabra’ after leaving the package on their porch and sprinting away quickly.
She explained that it was her youngest son’s mischievous idea to put that instruction, and Staffieri thanked the delivery person for following it.
“It made us smile even though my son should not have done that so I apologize for that. I do appreciate that the driver looked closely enough at the instructions though because I know a lot of people wouldn’t,” she wrote while sharing the video.
Watch the video here:
She also put up a screenshot of the request that had been filled by her 13-year-old that said, “knock on the door 3 times and scream abra cadabra as loud as you can and run super fast away.”
The video has been shared over 27,000 times and viewed over 2 million times. Many praised the delivery woman and asked the company to give her a bonus.
“It was just the first thing that came to mind, and I thought it would be funny to hear someone say that,” Jacob Staffieri, the teenager who made the request, told CNN.
The report said he had set it as a default instruction about a month earlier and had completely forgotten about it.
Staffieri said in her post that Amazon informed her that the female employee has been traced and soon might be rewarded.
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The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Los Angeles, always has a lot of demos, trailers and new exciting information about the latest videogames. From Microsoft’s Project Scorpio , Bethsda’s Fallout 4 to Lenovo’s new Head-mounted displays (HMDs) and exciting new virtual reality (VR) videogames – you will find it all on VRFocus.
This year, the team has compiled various news pieces, updates and articles to put into a video. The video will showcase what VRFocus think might be shown at E3 this year. As VR becomes more popular and consumers start to become more aware of VR videogames, expect to be hear some exciting news. Watch the video to find out more.


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Aug 16, 2018 Newsdesk Industry Talk, Latest News, World
Supplier of electronic gaming machines and casino management systems Aristocrat Technologies Inc says a conference it is hosting will permit customers to discuss innovations in their businesses. Aristocrat Technologies, a subsidiary of Australia-based Aristocrat Leisure Ltd, issued a press release on Wednesday saying it is staging the Insight to Innovation Customer Advisory Forum in Chicago, United States. The conference brings together leading figures in the business of slot machines and gaming systems.
“We are keenly focused on helping our customers grow their business and entertain their patrons with innovations that truly stand out on the gaming landscape,” said Matt Wilson (pictured), Aristocrat Technologies managing director of the Americas, in a prepared statement. “With forums like this, customers can share their insights with us and with each other, and that enables us to become an even better business partner.”
The co-founder of Age Wage, Maddy Dychtwalt, delivered the keynote address, ahead of two days of discussion that included sessions on customer feedback and breakout presentations on topics ranging from game design philosophy to floor performance management to loyalty to mobile solutions. The event ends on Thursday.
Mr Wilson said the event provided Aristocrat with insights and engagement that help the company support their clients’ success. The company is licensed by more than 200 regulators and its products and services are available in more than 90 countries around the world.
“I rely heavily on Aristocrat and their developers to help me be successful with my customers, and their leadership is open, wants to hear honest feedback and wants to make the relationships better,” the Aristocrat Technologies statement quotes Live! casino and hotel senior vice-president Beth Perlman as saying.
Net profit after tax at Aristocrat Leisure rose 2.8 percent in its fiscal first half, on revenue that rose 28.5 percent, the firm told the Australian Securities Exchange in May.
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Mar 20, 2023Credit Suisse Group AG, described last year by Nagasaki governor Kengo Oishi as one of several potential “financial arrangers” for a proposed casino resort project within that Japanese prefecture...
Mar 20, 2023
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Total number of visitor arrivals to Macau in February


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We aren’t going to embark on what is the difference between Full HD and being HD ready, but the good and better version is the same one that is coming in the iPhone 6 according to a report today.
While there have been talks about a screen being up to 4 times as strong as what we all know Full HD to mean this year, the fact is that this is still the best kind of high-definition performance we have in our equipment now, whether it be mobile or TV.
The iPhone 5S is the one that has just been released and this is the one that comes out every 2 years with one extra feature — that was the fingerprint sensor this year. The next jump up to the new number is always the Smartphone that comes with a whole new body, but that doesn’t stop it from having new features also.
The current iPhone screen stands at 4.3 inches. This is because Apple have refused to budge and buy into a bigger size, even when all of their competitors have. It is apparently the time when Apple is finally going to give in and go bigger. A 5 inch screen is now expected to be the screen of choice for the new iPhone. This will have it on par with the current Samsung Galaxy s4.
The new 1920 x 1080 resolution is also expected to come in at 440ppi, making it the best pixel ratio out of all of them. Furthermore, it will also match up to work with Apple’s retina display.
Earlier in October, we heard that a 4.8 inch screen was in store for the iPhone 6. With that said, it’s important to remember that these are just speculative reports now, and nothing is yet set in stone. As time goes on, however, we also expect talks to get closer and closer to being the truth. The other important factor to remember is that Apple themselves could be making changes in their own heads, and thus, it will change even if the present reports were correct back then.
Talks have also extended for the next iPhone to have an ultra narrow bezel with an arrival time point towards September of 2014.


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Much has been written about the shift from the age of the PC to the post-PC era. I myself have spilled quite a few pixels on the subject. But while we've got a pretty good idea of the scale of the problem facing the PC industry, so far ideas on how to help bump up PC sales are thin on the ground.
While the decline in sales of the PC seems to coincide with the release of the iPad, personally I'm not convinced that the iPad was solely to blame. One factor to consider is that many companies had just completed an upgrade cycle to switch to Windows 7, and those PCs will be expected to last a few years before being upgraded again. Another factor is that PCs last much longer than they used to, both because of reliability and because of the performance overhead they bring. Once upon a time you upgraded PCs in order to take advantage of performance gains, but the average PC is now already fast enough that this extra speed doesn't add much value.
Bottom line is that the PC market is pretty well saturated and sales now have to rely increasingly on replacements.
OEMs have responded to the crisis in a variety of ways. We've seen them try to embrace Android, we've seen them betting the farm on different form factors, and we've seen they try to outgun Apple's iPad.
But none of it seems to be working.
I've thought long and hard about this problem, and while I too have considered things like nifty new form factors or price cuts as the way to make PCs sexy again, I've come to the conclusion that there's only one company that can save the PC industry – Microsoft.
And there's only one thing Microsoft can do – and that's start giving away Windows for free.
Now you might be thinking that I'm only suggesting this because Apple is doing the same thing with OS X, and in part you'd be right. Consumers – and even a lot of business and enterprise buyers – don't understand that there are big differences between how the Windows PC ecosystem and the Mac ecosystem work. Microsoft is primarily a software company, and selling software licenses is what props up its bottom line. Apple, on the other hand, is in the business of selling products – a fancy word for hardware – and for it operating systems such as iOS and OS X aren't big money spinners.
So wouldn't Microsoft be giving up a huge revenue stream if it started giving away Windows for the princely sum of $0?
Well, in terms of immediate revenue, yes, it would, but let's put some constraints on "free."
- First, limit this $0 copy of Windows to upgrade. This means that users should already be running a fully licensed and activated copy of Windows.
- Secondly limit support to installation. Support costs money, so no freeloading.
- Exclude volume licensing enterprise users. Again, no freeloading.
With these restrictions in place, the offer of a free Windows upgrade – which is what it becomes – doesn't affect Microsoft income from OEM license sales or enterprise. But it would have a big effect within the consumer market.
- People are like moths to flames when it comes to free and would be more likely to adopt the latest version. This gives the user base a boost, which is good for encouraging developers to develop apps for the platform.
- People who can't upgrade are sent the subtle message that their hardware is obsolete and that they should consider buying a new PC. This would be good for OEMs.
- It generates buzz and gets people talking about Windows and PCs, all of which would be good for the market as a whole.
Microsoft has had a problem getting people to upgrade since Windows XP was superseded by Windows Vista. People clung on for dear life to Windows XP, partly because for many it was the first operating system they encountered and they believed it would be the last.
According to data supplied by metrics firm Net Applications, Windows XP will be powering almost a third of the world's Windows PCs after its April 2014 retirement.
And Microsoft has allowed people to cling onto Windows XP for too long. So many Windows XP users being dragged along beyond the support period for the operating system is going t be a problem for Microsoft because security issues affecting these people will undoubtedly tarnish the Windows brand despite the fact that ultimately the users are themselves to blame. Microsoft needs to send a clear message – perhaps via the Windows Update mechanism – to Windows XP users that the end is nigh for the platform.
And this too would help boost sales of new PCs.


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|Excited Brazilians cheer the news they will get Kindles.|
(Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc and Google Inc both opened their digital bookstores in Brazil on Thursday, hot on the heels of e-book offerings by local booksellers in a fast-growing online retail market.
The simultaneous introduction of the two services highlighted the wide-open nature of Brazil's $12 billion e-commerce market. Low Internet penetration and a swelling middle class have spurred bets on strong growth for years to come.
Amazon will begin selling its Kindle e-book reader in Brazil in coming weeks for 299 reais ($140), the e-commerce powerhouse said, ending months of speculation that it could arrive by acquiring a major competitor.
|Google books could really come in handy at this school in Brazil.|
(Register) Amazon has entered the Brazilian market by launching Amazon.com.br - but it will just sell Kindles and ebooks to see if a digital-only operation can sink or swim.
...While Amazon staff working on the project view the event as a rousing success, it hasn't been without its setbacks. The Kindle itself was originally slated to go on sale today, however the units were held up in customs. Amazon Brazil will have to make do with app sales through the holiday season.
The Brazilian operation is a trial run. If successful Amazon will have created a template from which to begin selling in new markets as a digital-only operation, decoupling the launch of Kindle variants and associated ebooks from the business of setting up and running physical warehouses and distribution centres in a country.


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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/11/2012 (1737 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- A relative says Bernard Lansky, the retailer who helped a young Elvis Presley establish his signature clothing style, has died.
Julie Lansky, the clothier's granddaughter, said the 85-year-old died Thursday at his Memphis home.
Lansky started his retail business in Memphis in 1946 with a $125 loan from his father, Samuel.
After the Second World War, the store started selling army surplus goods. When the supply dried up, he opened a high-fashion men's store.
Lansky supplied Presley with the pink and black shirts, pegged pants, two-toned shoes and other flashy duds in the 1950s.
Even though his style of dress changed over the years -- including sparkling jumpsuits -- Presley shopped at Lansky Bros. clothing store the rest of his life.
-- The Associated Press


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The newly launched centre incorporates a brand experiential zone that features the latest technologies, products and services at the centre.
Leading premium tyre manufacturer Continental Tires inaugurated a new commercial vehicle alignment centre in Jaipur on Nov 21. This newly inaugurated centre marks the third alignment centre in the state of Rajasthan and the first in Jaipur, the company said.
Located at the heart of Jaipur, the newly launched centre incorporates a brand experiential zone that features the latest technologies, products and services at the centre. Along with this, services like tyre changing, wheel balancing, truck/bus wheel alignment, nitrogen inflators and fully automated alignment are available. The centre will also display the all-new Continental commercial vehicle tyres for sale.
According to Pramod Vasudevan, National Sales Head, Truck Tyres, Continental Tire India, with its customer-centric approach, Continental Tires has been expanding footprints across India. “Rajasthan is a very important market for us. The new centre will help us reach our customers with quality products in Jaipur. The new centre will offer the latest Continental products, along with the latest technologies and equipment for tyre alignments,” Vasudevan added.
He further said that the new centre will help the company to create value for all the stakeholders. “It will also help us provide quality, safe and cutting-edge technology and products to our customers,” Vasudevan added.
Sunil Gupta, Owner of Wheel Hut Truck Alignment Centres said, “We are delighted to be associated with Continental Tires and hope this association creates a unique proposition for Jaipur customers.” Continental Tires, in line with its efforts to increase retail footprint across the nation, plans to launch multiple new alignment centres in India in the coming months.
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Steve Marsh is an organic farmer from Kojonup Western Australia. In December 2010 Steve, had genetically modified (GM) canola seeds blown onto his property from a neighbouring farm. Approximately 70 percent of Mr Marsh’s property is now contaminated. His organic certification has been suspended by the certifying body, the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia (Inc), putting his livelihood and whole harvest into limbo.
Fortunately Steve had taken precautions to declare his property GM free and had gone to the expense of setting up signs and getting legal advice. He has consequently started a legal action against his GM neighbour following confirmation of GM contamination from the WA Dept of Agriculture. GM giant Monsanto has stated that it will support the GM famer’s legal action and the Pastoralists & Graziers Association (WA) Inc has agreed to pay the respondent neighbours legal fees. Monsanto, the main company responsible for developing and promoting GMOs, has insisted on “no-liability” agreements with participating farmers, making the company immune from persecution or liability for any “fall out” from its products.
What is the Steve Marsh Benefit Fund?
The Steve Marsh Benefit Fund has been established in order to raise funds to assist Steve sustain his legal fees, whilst the action continues. The participants in this campaign are organic farmers; NASAA (WA); the West Australian Green party; the GM Network and a large number of Australian consumers who have overwhelmingly rejected GM foods here. Steve Marsh has very bravely taken this course knowing that he may well have to sell his farm and we don’t want him to have to do this. This is a test case and the result will have a huge influence on the future of organics in this state and the whole of Australia.
Donate to the Fighting Fund
Bendigo Bank 114 Avon Terrace York , WA , 6302
Account Name: NASAA (WA) Inc GM Contamination Fund
Account Number: 141944298
The Safe Food Foundation is now coordinating fundraising support for the legal expenses of Steve Marsh, an organic farmer from Kojonup, Western Australia,
whose farm was contaminated by genetically modified (GM) canola in late 2010.
Steve has initiated litigation against the GM farmer for loss and damage.
This will be a landmark case that could potentially ensure the rights of non-GM farmers,and the rights of consumers, to choose safe, non-GM foods.
If you support the right of Australian farmers to produce organic, GM-free food – which ultimately equals your right to choose organic food – then please make a tax deductible donation through our joint project and fundraising partner, Friends of the Earth Australia.
Please visit the Steve Marsh Legal Fighting Fund at http://safefoodfoundation.org/wordpress/?page_id=587
Respected food journalist for the Sydney Morning Herald, and freelance writer, John Newton, says ”Steve Marsh is a hero” Read more
GM Canola in Western Australia
On 25th January 2010 the Western Australian Liberal government announced their decision to allow commercial cultivation of Genetically Modified (GM) canola. This decision angered many farmers and the public. Media reports suggest some sections of the farming community welcomed the decision, but in its first permitted year in the West, GM canola accounted for just 8% of the total canola plantings
The 2010 season saw approximately 72,000 hectares of GM canola planted over a wide area. The severe winds experienced in February 2011 – which led to bushfire disasters which gained worldwide attention - put millions of hectares of non-GM crop land at risk of contamination from GM canola.
In an appalling abrogation of responsibility, WA Agriculture Minister Terry Redman has followed Monsanto’s lead in blaming the organic certifier for Mr Marsh’s losses. This demonstrates the extent to which the minister is an advocate for multinational chemical companies before he is a defender of WA farmers. The property rights of farmers have been trampled in Monsanto’s push to infiltrate and further dominate Australian agriculture. Mr Redman has merely stepped aside and allowed this to happen. In a statement by Mr Redman “…. zero per cent thresholds are unrealistic in biological systems”. Yet on 11 March 2010, when announcing an end to the GM canola ban, he said “the trials proved GM and non GM canola can be segregated and marketed separately. Approximately 22 shires (including 5 out of 8 shires in Redman’s electorate) declared themselves GM free zones, as Minister Redman earlier said he “would honour the wishes” of communities to wanted to remain GM Free. He later reneged on that promise, saying to a group of farmers from Williams who wanted to declare their shire a GM free zone “if I do that for you I would have to do it for everyone”.
Why does GM threaten Organic Food?
People ask why does genetic engineering of food affect organic food, particularly fruit and vegetables. Bee Winfield from Merri Bee Organic Farm tells us why:
“All things are connected on integrated mixed farms like PolyFace (Joel Salatin) and Merri Bee. You should see our cauliflowers grown without compost. They are golf ball size. What I’m saying is our fruit and vegetables rely on the constant input of composted manure. Manure from G.M. fed animals is banned for use in organic production. Most big growers rely on purchased organic compost made with animal waste products that would otherwise pollute. Interestingly, Sir Albert Howard found out in 1942 that although compost can be made without animal input, the plants it is applied to grow well but do not have the resistance to insect and disease attack that animal products and remains in compost confers to plants. Animal -less farming is unnatural and difficult. On our farm, chooks and pigs are our peak oil ploughs and rotary hoes.
Without organic grain like Steve Marsh’s we have no pigs and chooks. Even if we were to give up selling bacon and eggs and just have sheep and cows for their manure and meat (they don’t strictly NEED grain), our paddocks are full of wild radish which will become GM in time as it crosses with GM canola . So there goes organic beef and lamb. In the US, GM alfalfa is taking over. Just give it a few years to get here, and that’s your hay and mulch material gone. Perhaps your bees have gone AWOL as well because of learning difficulties due to GM. All brassica vegetables are in danger of becoming GM through hybridization if their seeds are grown near GM canola or GM brassica weeds. What are brassica vegetables? Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, rocket, pak choy, bok choy, mizuna, radish, turnip, swede, kholrabbi, kale, watercress, nasturtium.”
Organic Food and Climate Change
Since 1990 the market for organic products in USA has grown from nothing, reaching US$55 billion in 2009 according to Organic Monitor (www.organic monitor.com). This demand has driven a similar increase in organically managed farmland. Approximately 37,000,000 hectares (91,000,000) acres worldwide are now farmed organically.
Organic farming is predicted to be Australia’s biggest growth industry this year as health and environmental concerns drive an estimated 14 per cent increase on its $416 million revenue last year. Economic analyst from IBIS World, Robert Bryant, said “demand for organic products had increased steadily over the past five years and the strong growth was supported by major retailers such as Coles, Woolworths and MacDonalds”. Organic farming revenue is expected to increase more than $58 million to $475 million this year, 2011.
“Organic agriculture emphasises closed nutrient cycles, biodiversity and effective soil management providing the capacity to mitigate and even reverse the effects of climate change. Organic agriculture decreases fossil fuel emissions and sequesters carbon in the soil. The elimination of synthetic nitrogen in organic systems decreases fossil fuel consumption by 33 per cent and carbon sequestration takes CO2 out of the atmosphere by putting it in the soil in the form of organic matter which is often lost in conventionally managed soils. Carbon sequestration occurs at especially high levels in organic no-till managed soil.
Agriculture has been undervalued and underestimated as a means to combat global climate change. Soil carbon data show that regenerative organic agricultural practices are among the most effective strategies for mitigating CO2 emission.” (Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopaedia/Organic Farming)


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Apple is apparently looking to steal a page from Amazon's playbook.
The iPhone maker is tinkering with the idea of a single subscription offering that would combine its music service, original TV shows and magazine offerings, The Information reported Wednesday. The idea bears a striking resemblance to Amazon's Prime service, which offers subscribers access to music, movies and TV shows, as well as free two-day shipping on merchandise purchased from the retailer.
Differentiating Apple's idea from competitors would be its focus on several entertainment sectors instead of just video or music, and its lack of an Amazon-like merchandise-delivery service -- a component that may not weigh heavy on cord-cutters' minds.
It might also go a long way toward entrenching consumers in Apple's family of products. No other company has been as successful at getting consumers to buy not just a single product, but a family of interconnected devices including iPhones, iPads, Apple TVs and Macs at home. Once consumers buy into that Apple ecosystem of devices, apps and other services, it's tougher to switch to a competitor like Android or Windows.
Apple's first step toward the offering, The Information said, will be the launch next year of a digital news subscription service that will combine the Apple News app with Texture, a digital magazine distributor it acquired in March that offers unlimited access to different magazines for a single fee.
The step after that, sources told The Information, is to combine the digital news subscription offering with its homegrown video content and Apple Music subscription service, which now has about 40 million paying subscribers since the service's launch three years ago this week.
Apple is a relative newcomer to the subscription model. It resisted the subscription streaming music model for years as its iTunes music app dominated sales of digitally downloaded music. But as streaming music grew to become the main way people listen and pay for music today, Apple changed tack.
Meanwhile, Amazon has reaped the benefits of bundled offerings. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos revealed in April that Prime had over 100 million paid members worldwide, each of whom pay $119 a year for benefits such as Amazon's Prime Video streaming service, more same-day shipping, the Prime Now rapid delivery program and the Prime Day annual sale.
Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
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As Nigeria’s economic rollercoaster continues its unpredictable trajectory, the latest reports show a staggering climb in consumer prices, marking a 27-year high. In a dramatic turn of events, the inflation rate in Nigeria soared to a jaw-dropping 28.9% this December. This isn’t just a number; it’s a reflection of a series of cascading economic challenges, making life increasingly difficult for its citizens.
The root of this inflation spike can be traced back to the recent cessation of fuel subsidies, a decision that has sent transportation costs skyrocketing. Add to this the weakening naira, and you have a recipe for financial turmoil. The National Bureau of Statistics, not known for sugarcoating, presented these figures with a stark clarity that sends a clear message: Nigeria’s economy is on a tightrope.
Amidst this economic storm, the Central Bank of Nigeria faces a Herculean task. Keeping inflation within their preferred bracket of 6% to 9% has been a Sisyphean endeavor since 2015. Now, they’re staring down the barrel of potentially massive rate hikes in the first half of the year. This isn’t just about adjusting numbers; it’s about reining in a runaway economy before it’s too late.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. The World Bank, in its recent report, forecasts a ray of hope for Nigeria. With expectations of a 3.3% economic growth this year and an even brighter 3.7% in 2025, it seems there might be light at the end of this turbulent tunnel. This growth is anticipated to be driven primarily by sectors such as agriculture, construction, services, and trade. However, the journey to pre-pandemic income levels is a marathon, not a sprint, with 2025 set as the finish line.
A Crisis at the Dinner Table
Now, let’s talk food – or the lack thereof. Food inflation has taken a particularly nasty turn, reaching an alarming 33.93% year-on-year. This isn’t just a statistic; it’s the difference between a full meal and an empty stomach for millions. The National Bureau of Statistics points to the usual suspects: bread, cereals, oil, fat, and other staples that have become luxury items for many Nigerians.
President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency on food security six months ago seems almost prophetic now. His call for synergy between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Water Resources reflects an urgent need to irrigate farmlands consistently, ensuring that food production isn’t just a seasonal affair. The proposed National Commodity Board is expected to play a crucial role in stabilizing food prices, but it’s a race against time.
As Nigeria grapples with these economic upheavals, the path ahead is fraught with challenges. But it’s not insurmountable. With strategic planning, robust economic reforms, and a relentless focus on agriculture and trade, Nigeria can navigate through these turbulent waters. It’s a test of resilience for Africa’s giant, and the world is watching.


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Filtering into the media spectrum a little ahead of schedule was information of a release date for Dark Souls II. The sequel to Namco Bandai and From Software’s delightfully dark role-playing game will be available in March of 2014, an announcement which came via a suitably huge banner advertisement outside the Los Angeles convention centre in the build up to E3. Here’s the promo in all of its traffic-stopping glory.
Other than a teased release window, Namco Bandai merely confirmed the advertisement to be factually correct while remaining mum on any specific date. Regardless, the fact that the artwork contains logos for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC points to Dark Souls 2 remaining a current-gen release for the foreseeable future – a fate that may in turn change during the course of E3.
What has been confirmed, however, is that Hidetaka Miyazaki – who has served as creative director on Demon Souls and Dark Souls – will step down to the role of supervisor for the forthcoming follow-up. Announced to the surprise of many gamers back in December, Dark Souls 2 is poised to push players to their limits with a familiar mix of excruciatingly difficult enemies and lack of in-game assistance. As a series, the Souls games have accumulated widespread industry recognition for their unabashed complexity and daring challenges. In fact, Dark Souls has gone on to sell over 2.5 million copies since 2011 – a rare feat for a game of its style.
Though Dark Souls 2 was initially hamstrung by claims of diluting the experience in order to make the game more accessible, From Software has since assured fans that they intend to craft a world that rewards players more often, rather than simply amping up the difficulty. Like Stockholm syndrome doused with an element of entertainment. Well, then again, it depends how you define your entertainment.
Dark Souls II will surely be an attendee at this year’s E3 event and be sure to check back next week when we’ll have more details about the pairing studios latest sinister odyssey.


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It seems EA are ripping off Battlefield Play4Free users. A little time ago, EA implemented an update to the game which enabled players to customize their weapons. You could customize your weapons by buying upgrades too, and obviously, paying gave you the edge. EA also introduced “Legacy” weapon attachments, and a lot of users paid to buy these. These attachments, it turned out, made the weapons far too powerful, and brought about a lot of imbalance.
Seeing now that they have made a mistake, EA decided to to take this update down, and all Legacy attachments have been removed from BP4F. So all users who paid for Legacy updates basically wasted their money. Of course, they’ll be paid back in some form, and will be given what the devs are calling “+3” weapons, which have improved stats and are more powerful than standard weapons.
However, these weapons have been stripped of all attachments, and those players who had customized their weapons to their liking using attachments will now have to buy new ones from a new catalog. So basically, EA is asking players to pay for something that they’re already pay for. Say, if you increased your ammo capacity using attachments, you will have to do that again now, since all Legacy updates have been removed.
Here is what EA said:
Existing owners of “Elite” and “Veteran” weapons (a.k.a “Legacy” attachment owners) will still get something in return, as we will replace your existing base weapons with new, unique, “+3” versions. These “+3” weapons are more powerful versions of the current base weapons with slightly increased stats and can still be upgraded with the full catalogue of customization items.
People have been complaining on on BP4F’s official forums. On this specific thread, after 146 pages and over 3000 posts of complaints, EA has not yet responded. Players have been sending Tweets, Facebook queries and e-mails to them too, but they haven’t got any replies yet.
This is a really strange move by EA. Those +3 guns need to be really good, or else the backlash against the decision will only grow.
Give us your feedback in your comments below.
Thanks to our reader Jay Fowler for tipping us.


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NEW DELHI: Packaged consumer goods company Marico Ltd., has expanded its Saffola brand to mayonnaise and peanut butter, marking its foray into the condiments and spreads category.
Saffola mayonnaise and peanut butter are available across major e-commerce platforms, and the products will also be launched across other channels in a phased manner, the company said.
Marico is pegging the new launches on a health and fitness platform as well as filling the gap within the availability of more snackable items.
“Consumers today are seeking food products that are not only delicious but also ready to eat and healthy. There is also a sizable demand for snackable items that fit into the fluid schedules of fitness enthusiasts,” the company said.
“Over the past few years, Saffola has become a mainstay in the Indian healthy snacking market. The brand is now synonymous with healthy products that don’t compromise on taste,” said Sanjay Mishra, chief operating officer, India business and chief executive officer, new business, Marico Limited.
The move comes as the maker of Parachute oil has been expanding its play in the foods category. Marico is eyeing ₹850 crore in revenues from its foods business by FY24.
In line with these plans, Marico has extended its core Saffola edible oil brand to several other categories within the packaged foods segment. For instance, it sells Saffola oats, instant noodles, honey, immunity boosting mixes under Saffola ImmuniVeda, soya nuggets under the Saffola Mealmaker brand and several other such products.
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Netflix Subscription Price Hikes in UK & Ireland
Netflix is increasing its subscription prices in the UK and Ireland with its standard package increasing by £1 ($1.31) to £10.99 ($14.46) in the UK and by €2 ($2.20) to €14.99 ($16.54) in Ireland. The price hike is effective immediately to all new members while existing members will be notified by Netflix 30 days before they come into effect. This marks the company’s second price hike in the region in less than 18 months.
Despite recent hikes, this is the first increase to the U.K.’s basic subscription tier in 10 years and the first increase in Ireland in eight. The last time that Netflix raised prices in the U.K. was in December 2020 and in Ireland in March 2021. Those hikes were specifically on the streamer’s two highest tiers. The U.S. and Canada experienced similar price increases in January.
|U.K.||£5.99 to £6.99||£9.99 to £10.99||£13.99 to £15.99|
|Ireland||€7.99 to €8.99||€12.99 to €14.99||€17.99 to €20.99|
It’s safe to say that subscribers aren’t thrilled with the news. Taking to Twitter, one person wrote, “The latest Netflix price hike has finally prompted us to cancel it. It’s about time really as I can’t remember the last time we used it.”
Uh @netflix I sure hope you’re planning to actually add good stuff to justify these price increases…— J (@BJLS666) March 10, 2022
Netflix responded. The streaming giant stated that this new price jump would allow the streamer to “continue investing in best in class UK productions and offer a wide variety of curated quality shows and films.”
The company said that each price plan will continue to give members access to its entire content library without any hidden costs or additional charges. A Netflix spokesperson noted, “We have always been focused on providing our members both quality and clear value for their membership. Our updated prices reflect the investment we have made in our service and catalog and will allow us to continue making the series, documentaries, and films our members love as well as investing in talent and the creative industry. We offer a range of plans so members can choose a price that works best for them.”
British and Irish content from the streamer includes shows such as “The Crown,” “Bridgerton,” “Peaky Blinders,” “The Last Kingdom,” “Derry Girls,” “Rebellion,” and “The Power Of The Dog,” which received 12 Oscar nominations including Best Picture.
According to Netflix, there’s a “growing global appetite for British content.” The U.K. is Netflix’s biggest production hub outside the U.S. and Canada, with a content budget of $1 billion in 2020. Netflix has about 14 million subscribers in the U.K. and 600,000 in Ireland, according to research firm Ampere Analysis. The platform had 221.8 million paid streaming subscribers worldwide at the end of 2021.
Netflix is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 3,000+ movies, 2,000+ TV Shows, and Netflix Originals like Stranger Things, Squid Game, The Crown, Tiger King, and Bridgerton. They are constantly adding new shows and movies. Some of their Academy Award-winning exclusives include Roma, Marriage Story, Mank, and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
Netflix offers four plans — on 2 device in HD with their “Standard with Ads” ($6.99) plan, on 1 device in SD with their “Basic” ($9.99) plan, on 2 devices in HD with their “Standard” ($15.49) plan, and 4 devices in up to 4K on their “Premium” ($19.99) plan.
Netflix spends more money on content than any other streaming service meaning that you get more value for the monthly fee.


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Francis Omotosho (Acting Secretary General of NAGAFF)
The only way to melt down the high cost of tokunbo cars in Nigeria is to effectively utilize the contributions made so far by the importers of automobiles as in the National Automotive Council Fee and Other Imposed Levy on automobile be put into effective honest use. I mean that the government should use the money collected from the importers so far judiciously, by revitalizing the old automobile industries and establish new ones for mass productions of vehicles to meet the demand of the citizens and eventually stop the importation of used rickety, damaged, salvage and accidental cars into Nigeria.
Evang. Leonard Ogamba (President SALS)
The reasons for high cost of second-hand vehicles are not far-fetched on the ground that Nigeria Customs Service has refused to comply with their own law. The way forward is a reversal of some of the government policies creating inflation. The only solution to this is that the Finance Minister has to give a directive to CBN to reverse some of these policies in compliance with the World Trade Organization principles which Nigeria is a signatory to.
Clinton Okoro (APFFLON PRO, Tin Can Chapter)
The major problem is this issue of 2013 year span on the system for used imported vehicles. That of course is the most reason vehicles are high; the federal government is not even following what they gazetted as regards vehicles that are prohibited into the country. I believe the Federal government wants to discourage under aged vehicles from coming in.
The only way we can go about it is if they can revert that 15 years’ span. What we had during the Abacha era was 15 years and I don’t think it has changed. And if it will go back to that 15 years, they have to factor that into the system. It is 9 years span that is currently in the system and not even the 13 years they agreed on according to Customs at Abuja.
Comrade Steve Ibeh (Importers Association of Nigeria)
The high cost of tokunbo vehicles is due to the high cost of clearing. Customs should be called to order to consider the poor masses and bring down the exorbitant duties on Tokunbo Vehicles. It is better they ban it and allow the poor masses to continue suffering. If we want to use Tokunbo Vehicles in Nigeria, Customs or Federal government should bring down the import duty imposed on used cars, so that the poor masses will be eligible to use these cars. This should be done with human face.
Rev. Alex Nwokedi (Financial Secretary, AREFFN)
The high cost of these vehicles is as a result of government policies and directives given to Customs to shore-up their revenue base without due regards to the citizens and entire populace. Government should try as much as possible to listen to the importers and stakeholders, because at the end of the day when the cost of vehicles increases, it will have effects on the consumer. We hope the Shippers’ Council who is the regulator of the port will do something about that.
Festus Ukwu (National Secretary, NCMDLCA)
One of the major causes of this is that the exchange rate is high which has in turn made the duty to be high. The government should control the exchange rate so that it will be reasonable. When the exchange rate is reasonable then the duty for every consignment will be reasonable. That is what I think is the solution to the high cost of imported used vehicles in Nigeria.
Stanley Ezenga (NAGAFF)
People now pay higher Customs duty for imported used vehicles which they equally pass on to whoever ones to buy the vehicles for use. Until this is addressed, the cost of imported used vehicles will still be very high; making it difficult for the common man to purchase.
Innocent Elum (BoT Secretary, AREFFN)
My take is that the high cost of Tokunbo vehicles is a derivative of the fall of the Naira. It is also as a result of the high cost of clearing the vehicles from the ports. Congestion in the ports is another factor because it causes unnecessary demurrage. And what significantly causes congestion is the ban of importation of the Tokunbo vehicles through the land borders. So, if the ban is lifted, value of the Naira upgraded and cost of clearing reduced, there will be a change.
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March 4, 2024
Frank Huber will join Marelli as Executive Vice President and President Automotive Lighting and Sensing effective March 1, 2024, and will be based in Reutlingen, Germany.
David Slump, President and CEO of Marelli: “I am delighted that Frank is to join Marelli and further strengthen our leadership team. He will lead the ambitious growth plans of Automotive Lighting & Sensing, the largest part of our business, where great opportunities are evolving around vehicle personality.”
“After more than eighteen years, Sylvain Dubois will leave the company. This has been a mutual decision and I would like to personally thank Sylvain for his leadership and his valuable contribution to Automotive Lighting & Sensing and Marelli over the years. I am grateful that he will stay on until June 1, to ensure a seamless handover process.”
Frank has more than 20 years of experience in the automotive industry and knows the automotive lighting business inside out. He joins from Forvia in France, where he has been President of the global automotive seating business since 2022. Previously, he worked in Germany as CEO of automotive lighting and member of the management board at Hella. At Hella, Frank also held multiple leadership positions in lighting in China, the U.S. and Mexico. Before that, he worked at McKinsey, Audi, Mercedes-AMG and Liebherr Aerospace. Frank holds an Executive MBA from Harvard Business School, U.S., graduated from Stuttgart University, Germany, and holds a PhD in Automotive Engineering.


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We know, right, it's hard to believe, but the problem is not that they are - after all, that's what taxpayers fund them to do - but that the spying is so ubiquitous, with barely any civilian oversight.
exploding phones, bursting washers, or corruption probes weren't enough problems for Samsung to deal with in the US, the Weeping Angle hacking tool that Wikileaks gave as an example that even smart TVs aren't secure, involves exactly Samsung's connected TVs. Apple already issued a statement that it has patched those exploits mentioned in the Wikileaks hacking memorandum, and Samsung was quick to follow with "Protecting consumers' privacy and the security of our devices is a top priority at Samsung. We are aware of the report in question and are urgently looking into the matter."As if
The brevity of this statement tells us that Samsung may have been taken aback by the CIA hacking revelations, and is quick to answer users' concerns to prevent another backlash. The assuring words were issued by a spokesperson even though Samsung already includes warnings in the manual that the voice recognition software in its TVs can listen to conversations when the TV is off, so we expect further clarifications stemming from the Wikileaks hacking scandal.
source: The Inquirer


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Sept 20 (Reuters) – Toast Inc is aiming for a valuation of
as much as $18 billion after elevating the value vary for its preliminary
public providing within the U.S., because the restaurant-software maker
appears to be like to money in on a report growth in capital markets this 12 months.
Toast, based in 2011, presents a software program platform that
permits eating places to maintain up with the fast-changing wants of
their enterprise, together with managing on-line orders, working an
on-demand supply community and integrating funds.
The corporate stated it was now trying to promote practically 21.7
million shares priced between $34 and $36 every, in keeping with a
regulatory submitting https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1650164/000119312521276664/d166297ds1a.htm
on Monday. It had earlier aimed to cost the shares between $30
and $33 every.
On the prime finish of the brand new vary, Boston-based Toast would
elevate as much as $782.6 million in its IPO.
As of June 30, the corporate has partnered with practically 48,000
restaurant places and has processed greater than $38 billion in
gross cost quantity over the previous 12 months, the submitting confirmed.
Toast, final valued at $5 billion after a funding spherical in
February, is trying to checklist in a market that has seen a number of
high-flying startups like Coinbase World Inc, Roblox
Corp and China’s Didi World Inc go public
this 12 months.
Unprecedented authorities stimulus and near-zero curiosity
charges introduced on to fight the financial fallout of the COVID-19
pandemic are fueling the bull run in U.S. capital markets.
Toast, which counts TPG, Tiger World Administration and
American Specific Ventures amongst its buyers, was pressured to chop
its workforce by half within the early days of the pandemic.
It has shifted focus to merchandise comparable to supply networks
and contactless funds on sturdy demand for such companies final
Toast will checklist its inventory on the New York Inventory Alternate
beneath the image “TOST”.
(Reporting by Niket Nishant in Bengaluru; Enhancing by Amy Caren


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Malina Moye's hit song "Enough" had sparked the global campaign and movement #IAMENOUGH last year. Now, it is gaining popularity once more.
"Enough", which was released on June 29, 2019, was described by Billboard as an "empowering and a much-needed song". Though the song and campaign were released in 2019, it saw a sudden resurgence on Instagram following the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. The hashtag #IAMENOUGH has grown to have over four million posts.
For the #IAMENOUGH movement, Malina Moye encourages people to take a photo and post it to Instagram along with the hashtag. As the song "Enough" talks about embracing individuality and refusing to change to fit with societal standards, Malina Moye encourages people to show their true, authentic selves.
Many big-name celebrities have stepped up and joined the campaign, such as Boyz II Men's Shawn Stockton, Yolanda Adams, and Sister Sledge's Kathy Sledge. They then encouraged their fans to participate in the movement.
Following the success of the #IAMENOUGH movement, Malina Moye released merchandise for the campaign. All of the profits made from the sales of the merchandise will be going to Moye's own foundation, DrveHope.org. She promoted herself as not only a musical artist during the campaign period, but also as a motivational speaker, speaking about her growth from being hopeless to achieving her number one Billboard album, "Bad As I Wanna Be".
She had numerous events to promote the #IAMENOUGH movement, such as GRRRL LIVE, She Rocks It at Live Nation Headquarters, and performed in high schools and non-profit organizations around the United States.
For those who want to join the movement, share a photo to Instagram and add the hashtag to your caption! During these uncertain times, what people need now is togetherness, and music is one of the ways to unify with other people. For those who want to listen to Malina Moye's "Enough", check out the music video below.


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in this issue
Markets :: Basic Chemicals :: Inorganic Chemicals :: Chlor-alkali
Oxychem to Idle Plant
10:25 AM MDT | April 24, 2009
OxyChem says it will idle its Geismar, LA chlor-alkali plant due to weak demand for chlor-alkali and vinyl products. The plant will shut down at the end of April and remain down “through much of May,” OxyChem says. “The restart of the plant will depend on business conditions,” the company says. The chlor-alkali market has been experiencing continued weak demand, market sources...
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While the torrent of Euro 2012 kit releases has subsided, images of the kits that club teams will be wearing next season have continued to sporadically pop up. Today we have images that cement our belief that this is what Real Madrid will be wearing as their home and away kit in the 2012/13 season.
The following images confirm what we had posted about in January about Real Madrid’s latest kits. Keeping with previous Real Madrid kits there isn’t all that much to this new home kit, however, we’re absolutely loving the blue lining on the collar. While we’re not too sure of the specs of the player issued kits the replica kit will, as expected, feature ClimaCool technology.
While we think Los Blancos will look sharp in this kit next season, a majority of our readers expressed disappointment as this latest effort from adidas. What do you think?
The 2012/13 away kit remains largely black. However, instead of the secondary gold colouring seen on this season away kit, next season’s kit will feature yellow with shiny black pinstripes running down the shirt.
While we won’t see an official release of these kit’s for a while, we most certainly will be seeing more and more leaked images come out as retailers and other people get their hands on them.
Are you liking Los Merengues’ 2012/13 home and away kit? Leave your impressions in the section below.


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Koenigsegg Agera Rs
The Agera replacement will be at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show.
It's set to be more extreme than the record-holding Agera RS.
Almost exactly a year after a rare $1.5 million-plus Koenigsegg Agera RS crashed during testing in Sweden, it's happened again. To the same, repaired supercar.
The Agera RS just set a production car top-speed record.
A Koenigsegg Agera RS hit 284.3 miles per hour and set a two-way averaged top speed record of 277.9 mph while testing in Nevada. Watch the video here.
It's time to see what 1,360 horsepower can really do when fully uncorked.
This is one of 25 Agera RS models, all of which are already sold.
Believe it or not, the catalytic converter system of the Agera RS is quite interesting.
Listen to Christian von Koenigsegg give a fascinating interview about the details of the new Regera, the Agera One of 1, and the Agera RS. He makes you desperately want one of the company's cars.
Just ten months after its debut, Koenigsegg has sold all 25 examples of the Agera RS it will build. At least one will come to the US.
Christian von Koenigsegg creates some of the most powerful cars in the world, and his company always finds a way to extract just a little more power or a tad less weight from each new product. In a new video, he explains that drive and makes the work sound easy.


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Pants with a dress – a new trend that flooded the big cities
Dress-over-pants or dress pants − a continuation of the trend for layering.
This trend is hardly a new, because on the world catwalk models long-wear beautiful tunics over trousers. This season is the combination of clothes and got to the streets of big cities: the fashionista of the planet boldly wear your favorite boyfriend, and instead top choose soft tunics or shirt dresses.
But how to combine the clothes? This is our today’s material.
© 2017 – 2019, z-news.link. All rights reserved.


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Foxconn, the largest iPhone maker, is usually stepping up its workforce on the eve of new iPhones. The company now plans to increase the benefits of the Chinese Zhengzhou production line before the iPhone 13 goes into production.
According to reports South China Morning Post, These benefits are intended to attract new forces. Foxconn’s work benefits, which will be $ 1,158 in addition to workers’ basic wages, include those who work 90 days on the production line. The company’s goal is to attract new forces during the busy production period. This is the third increase in labor benefits in the last month and heralds Foxconn’s challenge in supplying labor on production lines.
The news of the increase in workers’ benefits comes as Foxconn announced an increase in earnings in April 2021. The company had revenue of $ 16.62 billion in April, up 31.39 percent year on year. The increase in revenue is said to be due to increased sales of the iPhone 12 series and Sony’s PlayStation 5 console.
The iPhone 12 series was introduced last year in October later than usual, and some of its models did not hit the market until November. As a result, there was less time than usual between the time of introduction and the end-of-year holiday season, so part of the flood of demand shifted to early 2021.
The iPhone 13 series, which we expect to see as usual in September, will probably have four models similar to last year, which are similar in size to the iPhone 12 series. So we have the iPhone 13 Mini with a 5.4-inch screen, the iPhone 13 with a 6.1-inch screen, the iPhone 13 Pro with a 6.1-inch screen, and the Pro Max with a 6.7-inch screen. These products will likely have a more powerful camera, a faster processor, and several other small optimizations.


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The green competition between two American automakers is heating up. At the upcoming Frankfurt auto show, Ford will showcase its super-low emission ECOnetic line of drivetrains. Not unlike GM's recently presented EcoFlex, the Ford system will feature ultra-clean diesels, which, according to the automaker, promise to bring best-in-class environmental performance.
The first show vehicle under the ECOnetic brand will be 1.6L Duratorq Ford Focus. The European version of this B-class compact will achieve 54 mpg and produce just 115 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer. That's getting into the Prius territory.
"Although all of our current European models are already highly competitive in terms of CO 2 , we do know that more and more car buyers seek the lowest possible emissions as a key 'why-buy?'", said John Fleming, Ford of Europe President and CEO. Sure. Although, I would go one step further and make an even tougher environmental stand by asking "why buy anything else?"
Fleming also added that "by launching specific models, with dedicated Ford ECOnetic badging, which achieve ultra-low CO 2 results, we will give a clear alternative to those customers who prioritize low emissions performance in their purchasing decision."
Source: Car and Driver


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Acer plans to take on Apple's iPad in the first half of next year with the release of two Android-based tablets and one running Windows.
Acer, which has seen its lucrative netbook business slow as the market turns to tablets, introduced Tuesday at a New York news conference a Windows and Android system that will each have a 10.1-inch touch screen. Acer's second Android tablet will have a 7-inch screen.
The 10.1-inch models will have front and rear cameras, and all three tablets will have Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity. A docking system with a full-size keyboard will be available with the Windows system, which is scheduled to ship in February. The Android tablets are set for release in April.
Acer did not release the names or pricing for the new products.
In recent years, Acer has grown in the PC market with low-cost laptops, particularly netbooks, which are mini-laptops that typically sell for less than $500. However, the iPad, which Apple released in April, has already shown that tablets are likely to significantly hurt netbook sales.
Forrester Research predicts that tablet-style computers like the iPad will outsell netbooks in 2012. By 2015, tablets will outsell netbooks and desktops combined, accounting for 23% of PCs sold to consumers, according to Forrester.
In releasing the iPad, Apple proved there was a large consumer demand for tablets by selling more than 2 million units in the first 80 days. As a result, other computer makers are scrambling to release their own products. Besides Acer, Samsung Electronics recently started selling the 7-inch Galaxy Tab, and Research In Motion (maker of the BlackBerry), Hewlett-Packard and others have announced plans for products to compete with Apple.
Meanwhile, Acer on Tuesday unveiled a dual-screen, Intel-based laptop called the Iconia. In addition, the company introduced media-sharing technology called Clear.fi that will let people share content wirelessly between devices in the home.


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As teased by Microsoft last week, you can now get your Xbox Music fix on a browser (and non-MS hardware) starting today. Continue reading
Xbox Live Gold members might have yet another reason not to go outdoors this summer, as Microsoft has just detailed a new TWC TV app for launch in the next few months. Joining the console’s existing HBO Go stream, Continue reading
Whether or not you pay for GameStop’s annual membership plan, the planet’s largest video game retailer is opening the doors of the Las Vegas Sands Expo and Convention Center Continue reading
Google’s taking the iOS version of its Earth mapping app up to 7.1. The update brings a few new features, including, most notably, the addition of its Street View imagery — following a similar update to the Android version. Continue reading
On Wednesday, Microsoft released their highly-anticipated preview build of Windows 8.1. Continue reading
Though,totally explained in the video with reasons which i find somewhat true, still,it’s going to be a shame not having a single player campaign to peak your gaming interest.The Titanfall multi-player would definitely be a very interesting game and would be even more interesting if it comes out with PC”LAN play”[so you can play with friends when you are close to them rather than the internet for pc gamers].
Microsoft backtracked today on its much-derided policy that would have required Xbox One gamers to connect their consoles to the Internet once a day to prevent game piracy. Continue reading
Huawei considering snapping up Nokia, which could help it boost its smartphone gains in Europe and the U.S., a company executive said on Tuesday. Continue reading
If you were lucky enough to pre-order one of those “launch edition” play station 4 consoles i’d say you’re a pretty lucky bastard[maybe i shouldn’t have used that] but yeah,you’re pretty lucky as Amazon have decided to throw in Game Bundles[four to be precise] for the launch edition of Sony’s Next Gen Console. Continue reading
With Microsoft and Sony both set to showcase their consoles and games at E3 later today, there’s no telling how the pre-order race might change. After all, we’re yet to even lock our eyes on the PS4 in all its glory.
Several days ago, Microsoft clarified that the Xbox One will restrict the way used games are sold, causing a furore among the gaming community.
But perhaps people aren’t quite as fazed as we thought. At the end of the day, gamers want games. And if Microsoft can deliver enough titles at E3 today, perhaps those DRM qualms will be quickly forgotten.
But just incase you haven’t pre-ordered yet,Microsoft fans[xbox lovers] can get the Xbox One console for $499,99 plus new games[Madden NFL,FIFA 14,Watch Dogs,Battlefield 4…] and accessories while Sony fans can pre-order the Play Station 4 console for around the same price plus new games[Battlefield 4,Assasin Creed 4,Thief 4…] and accessories at our store.Check back for more updates on this story.
Metal Gear Solid V features “deeper stealth action”. Continue reading
|– Microsoft is reportedly using unfair tactics at E3 2013|
Microsoft is allegedly paying many third-party publishers so that they won’t show off their PlayStation 4 games at E3 2013, according to a new report. Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — Microsoft’s upcoming Xbox One gaming console will be able to play used games, clearing up a worry among gamers and video game retailers such as GameStop, which trade in used games.
That means video games discs users buy will not be limited to one Xbox One device, and players can share or trade in the games they have bought for other used games, just as they have been able to do in the past. Continue reading
Microsoft Senior Product Marketing Manager Michael Niehaus reiterated that message in the RT in the Enterprise session on Tuesday. When the 8.1 preview is available, Windows 8 and Windows RT users will receive a Windows Update notification. That update will trigger the new bits to show up in the Windows Store, where potential testers will be able to read the description and choose whether or not to install. Continue reading
When Microsoft’s Xbox One goes on sale before the end of year, it should cost about $399, $50 more than the Sony’s PlayStation 4, likely to debut at the same time, according to estimates by Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter. Continue reading