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Google Changes Store Approach: “It’s Clear That Many Customers Like a Hands-on Experience”
Andy Rubin just published a post on the Official Google Blog where he announced some sweeping changes in the company’s approach to selling phones. The company has realized that after a few months, the store needs to be adjusted to reflect the needs and wants of consumers. It appears that customers are not ready to buy phones over the internet without playing with them first.
But, as with every innovation, some parts worked better than others. While the global adoption of the Android platform has exceeded our expectations, the web store has not. It’s remained a niche channel for early adopters, but it’s clear that many customers like a hands-on experience before buying a phone, and they also want a wide range of service plans to chose from.
There are two major changes happening to the store. First, the Nexus One is going retail. Like some carriers are doing overseas, Google wants to do here in the United States. This means giving people a real hands-on experience with the phone(s) before asking for their m0ney. Secondly, the website over at google.com/phone will become a place for people to go to check out Android phones from around the world. There will be no handsets sold through the store any longer, instead using the site to show off Android products.
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We’re only a few days away from getting our first official looks at Samsung’s U.S. Galaxy S II photos so we’re not surprised to see these types of leaks coming
Acer today priced and dated its latest tablet, the 7-inch Iconia Tab A110, announcing it for sale starting October 30. Priced at $229, the tablet runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
You’re likely already aware that Google debuted Google Instant today, which gives search results as you type. It’s pretty great, and even more exciting was that they stated it will


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OKI has announced the development of the world’s smallest class of ultra-compact inter-vehicle communications device (Simple and Compact IVC Unit) which enables direct communication between vehicles and between vehicles and pedestrians.
The device integrates components previously deployed externally, such as antennas used for inter-vehicle communications, LEDs/buzzer user interfaces, a GPS (Global Positioning System) module and accelerometer, allowing the device to be reduced to one-eleventh the size of the conventional device.
This miniaturization should allow installation in the upper area of instrumental panels and windshields, contributing significantly to real-world implementation of inter-vehicle communications.
Japan is developing inter-vehicle communication systems to support safe driving and enhance road traffic safety.
In May 2007, OKI announced the Safety Mobile Phone, a system whereby mobile phones that are used by over 80% of the population in Japan, can be utilized to help support pedestrian safety.
Moreover, in January 2009, OKI succeeded in developing a prototype of Safety Mobile Phone Attachment which can be connected and used on Japanese phones.
By using this product, a driver will notify nearby vehicles of his or her location from the embedded GPS and obtain their location through the inter-vehicle communication function.
In addition, the product standalone can alert the users beforehand when the positioning of the person and vehicle may lead to a traffic accident.
This technology will contribute to intercommunication system for pedestrians, roads and vehicles and will contribute to reducing accidents for the vulnerable road users.
Going forward, OKI plans to enhance communications based on the new device and to promote the development for technologies for real-world system installations.
OKI will also pursue the study of other applications to promote ideal driving and provide support for driving based on specific environments.

domain: news


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General Motors temporarily lays off 6,000 workers in Mexico due to strike
General Motors has laid off 6,000 workers in Mexico temporarily due to a US labor strike that has disrupted production at two plants south of the border that make pickup trucks, the company said Tuesday.
The layoffs affect the Silao assembly and transmission plants in central Mexico, where work has been "disrupted as a result of a parts shortage related to the UAW strike," a GM spokesman said.
The Silao workers are expected to return to their jobs after the strike, the spokesman said.
The plants in Guanajuato, produce GMC and Chevrolet pickup trucks.
Nearly 50,000 US workers are on strike at GM due to a United Auto Workers conflict over the labor contract now in its third week.
The strike also comes against the backdrop of GM's decision last November to effectively shutter five plants in North America.
A report Tuesday from JPMorgan Chase estimated that the strike has so far cost GM $1 billion, adding that the company has the potential to recover some of the lost profits in the fourth quarter if the strike ends soon.
© 2019 AFP


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Waddill's Markets Files for Ch. 11 Bankruptcy
Express Lane stores will stay open
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Waddill's Markets Inc., doing business as Express Lane, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Friday in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court Western District of Missouri, reported The Springfield News-Ledger.
The Springfield, Mo.-based company operates a total of nine Express Lane convenience stores, located in Springfield, Republic, Nixa and Clever, Mo., Raymond Plaster, a local attorney who represents the company, told the newspaper.
In the court documents cited by the paper, Waddill's Markets reported that [image-nocss] it owes more than $3.8 million to its creditors, including $1.9 million in unsecured claims.
The c-stores will remain open, Plaster said.


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A Fading Taboo
Paper by paper, advertising is making its way onto the nation’s front pages and section fronts.
Donna Shaw (firstname.lastname@example.org) is an AJR contributing writer.
Sometimes they snake across the bottom of the page as relatively unobtrusive six-column strips. Sometimes they catch the eye more forcefully as right-corner boxes. And sometimes they scream for attention as in-your-face fluorescent stickers plastered across a newspaper's masthead.
Whatever the shape, size or hue, the long-unfashionable page-one advertisement is gaining grudging acceptance from many editors, page designers and even reporters. As the industry struggles to identify innovative sources of revenue, newspapers not only are launching audacious online ventures (see "Rolling the Dice", and "Really Local," April/May) but also are dangling fresh enticements for advertisers in their old-fashioned print editions.
Page-one ads may net premium prices, but they're distasteful to many journalists who believe they violate the purity of page one and the sacred wall between news and business. From a design standpoint, they can detract from the flow and order of a page. They also eat up space that otherwise could be devoted to stories, particularly in an era of dwindling newsholes.
Among newspapers that recently have published page-one ads are the Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Philadelphia Inquirer and Hartford Courant. Others, such as USA Today and many other Gannett papers, have published them for years (see "Out Front," July/August 1999). Still others--the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe and Minneapolis' Star Tribune, for example--are experimenting with ads on section fronts but so far have kept page one off-limits.
"I don't think anyone in journalism is happy about them, but personally, and here at the paper, we felt we should do it," says Robert J. Rosenthal, managing editor and vice president of the San Francisco Chronicle, which debuted front-page ads on April 18. He sees them as part of the evolution toward the multimedia newsroom, adding, "If the business model supports good journalism, then I'm in favor of it."
As ads creep onto front pages and section fronts, designers are working to minimize how distracting--and sometimes garish--they may appear. "I think that most people in the newsroom realize the [financial] environment we're working in," says Chris Clonts, assistant design director for news at the Star Tribune, which began running section-front ads early this year (so far none on page one). He thinks the ad department also realizes that changing ad placement "will require some hand-holding" for journalists.
Gene Patterson, former chairman of the Poynter Institute and former editor of the St. Petersburg Times, sees the page-one ad as a sign of painful economic times for newspapers. "I find the section-front ads to be acceptable; I find the page-one ads repugnant," he says. "But if they are done tastefully and held down in size, I think perhaps we have to accept them... We have to police it and monitor it and be guided by taste, but I don't think the advertisers want to ruin us. We are their vehicle, after all, and I think we can work with them to achieve compromises."
Others want to hold the line. Gene Roberts, a former managing editor of the New York Times and executive editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer, says front-page ads are just another in a series of industry mistakes triggered by short-term thinking. "It's one more in this kind of death by a thousand cuts that the newspaper business seems to be administering to itself," says Roberts, a journalism professor at the University of Maryland, which houses AJR. "In the long run, the big necessity is to get and maintain readers, and I think without question that front-page ads work against readership."
Roberts says newspapers didn't move away from front-page ads years ago because page one was a holy shrine. They did it because "the front page is what you have to lure readers into the rest of the paper."
What editors hear from their publishers, he says, is, "If you don't do this and you don't do that to keep the profit level up, we're going to have to cut you again." The editors translate that as, "'Well, if I fight front-page ads I might in effect be inviting a buyout or a layoff of my staff.'"
Page-one placement can spark visceral reactions not only from journalists but also from readers. Take the case in March of the fluorescent advertising stickers (for a motor oil company and a carpet-and-flooring company) pasted atop the front page of the Hartford Courant. Reader Representative Karen Hunter received several indignant comments on her blog. "That is disgusting to have advertising on the front page of my newspaper," wrote one woman. Said another: "This has got to stop." One reader took it further, accusing the Tribune Co., the Courant's parent, of "absolutely whoring for advertising... It screams, 'We're desperate!' It screams, 'Ethics be damned!'"
Hunter says the newsroom isn't crazy about the trend. She's heard complaints, but says her colleagues believe there isn't anything they can do to halt it. "I think they understand it..we're struggling like lots of other papers."
Not that front-page ads are all that new. But at most papers, they've been out of vogue for a while. Among the reasons the ads began to disappear: the advent of professional standards among journalists and heightened competition among publishers.
Kevin G. Barnhurst, a professor and head of the department of communication at the University of Illinois at Chicago, says that in 18th century newspapers "there was not a sharp distinction between ads and editorial matter." What's more, the blurring of news and ads didn't really disturb readers of that era. "People didn't say, 'Oh, here's advertising, here's editorial matter,' because it was all the stuff of news," Barnhurst says.
Nor did early American newspapers offer much in the way of page design. As ads and stories trickled in, they simply were dropped onto the page, starting with the first column. The newspapers generally were four pages; front and back were filled first. So the newest material went inside. "You didn't want the latest stuff on the back page or the front page--you wanted it on the inside where it wouldn't smear on people's clothes," Barnhurst says.
Michael Schudson, a professor of communication at the University of California, San Diego, says that during that era, "page one and page four were almost entirely ads, and a lot of page three was ads." News started to appear on page one in the first half of the 19th century, "but it was still common at that point for there to be a lot of advertising on the front page."
That approach began to change later in the 19th century as newspapers became more competitive, according to Schudson and Mitchell Stephens, a journalism professor and news historian at New York University. When major cities such as New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Boston each had several newspapers, and publishers relied heavily on street sales, they began splashing more news out front as a way to lure readers.
Then, around 1914, a confluence of events portended the fading popularity of the front-page ad. "The American newspaper was at its absolute height in penetration," and journalists "were feeling their most muscular and able to define themselves as a profession," Stephens says.
It was 1914 when Walter Williams--who six years earlier had founded the world's first journalism school at the University of Missouri--wrote "The Journalist's Creed." The American Society of Newspaper Editors was founded in 1922 and adopted a canon of ethics a year later; the Society of Professional Journalists approved its first ethics code in 1926.
"In the 1920s, there's a growing self-consciousness of journalists being in a profession and wanting to distinguish themselves as a profession," Schudson says. Journalists' efforts to codify their increasingly lofty ethical goals--about unbiased truth and "freedom from all obligations except fidelity to the public interest," as the ASNE canon states--distanced newspapers from their commercial origins.
None of this might have mattered so much to publishers, but it happened to coincide with another important development: Prospering financially, the publishers were shedding their partisan affiliations. They gambled that a less biased approach would elevate their standing in the community--and create an opportunity to profit from that standing. "So the commercial interest of publishers and owners converged with the professional aspirations of news workers," Barnhurst says, "and that's the moment, by the 1920s and 1930s, when what you would call the modern newspaper emerged, and that's when the model of page one emerged"--a model that did not include so many ads out front.
But today, with fewer newspapers to choose from, increasing competition from the Internet and decreasing reliance on street sales, the model is changing again. "Newspapers are in big, big trouble," Stephens says, "and I think if I were in a newsroom right now, I'd be more worried about whether I'm putting together an interesting read, a read that justifies the expense...and I'd worry less about the particular arrangement of the advertisers."
Barnhurst has a similar view. "There is a notion out there that somehow commerce is dirty--the sacred is what the journalist does and the profane is what the advertiser does," he says. "In fact, this is a profound confusion." What gives a town life, he suggests, is its Main Street businesses, which need to be "rubbing shoulders" with the commercial activity of the local newspaper.
ASNE Executive Director Scott Bosley says that while his organization has no official position on front-page ads, "it's not earth-shattering new ground in my view..it's a change, obviously, for people in this era." He recalls that when he was editor of the Journal of Commerce from 1991 to 1995, "we had a quarter-page ad on page one forever." (The Journal is available now in electronic format only.) The ad, Bosley notes, "was not the favorite thing of layout people or even of me, because sometimes it seemed intrusive."
Bosley believes most editors have arrived at the decision to accept page-one ads in consultation with their publishers, as opposed to being ordered to run them. He also thinks editors understand there's a bottom line that must be reached, and they have to help figure out how to get there. "I think we've come to the point where a lot of newspapers have realized that there's not just revenue but enhanced revenue from selling those positions, and in the market we're in, we need revenue," Bosley says.
John Kimball, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for the Newspaper Association of America, believes the challenging economic climate for newsrooms necessitates more flexibility, but he strongly rejects the notion that the page-one ad is compelled by a sense of desperation. "That just really, really drives me nuts, because that is far from reality.... To think that we are somehow in this death spiral, I just don't understand that," he says. He can see why that view prevails in newsrooms that have endured repeated cuts and reduced circulation, "but that's not an industry that's fighting for its life – that's one that's going through transition."
The primary impetus for the page-one ad, Kimball says, is that advertisers are increasingly demanding "new and unique and different ways to creatively use the newspaper. I think not necessarily coincidental to that is the fact that newspapers are looking for options for new revenue streams."
Advertisers want "creative shapes, things you might not have seen 10 to 15 years ago, but are exciting and fresh," Kimball says. "What's that somebody said, 'Pain helps make you focus?' When business is great, it's easy to do things the way you've always done them; when it's not so great, you look for new opportunities."
Those options include the six-column strip across the bottom of a page; the "jewel box," a rectangular, two- or three-column ad; and the "stair steps" or "cascading stairs," an ad that steps up from the left to the right of a page. More controversial are the "watermark" or "shadow" ads that appear behind sports agate or stock tables, because such ads are not separated from news content.
Will page-one ads net more business for advertisers than those inside the paper, making it worth the additional cost for them? It's too soon to tell. "We do have clients who are interested in them," says Bob Shamberg, chairman and chief executive of Newspaper Services of America, a Chicago-based firm that places newspaper ads for more than 50 clients, including Sears Holdings, Home Depot and Rite Aid. "Over time, once an advertiser gets experience with it, then they'll decide what it's worth." But if they get the same response as an interior ad, "then obviously it doesn't merit a premium."
Newspaper executives are tight-lipped about how much they're charging for page-one ads, but it's clear they cost significantly more than those inside the paper. Page one is "a premium location, so probably it's as much as the traffic would bear," says Miles Groves, a media economist and consultant in Washington, D.C.
"It is an expensive ad," says Anne Gordon, former managing editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer, which started running page-one ads on April 15. (Gordon left the Inquirer in early May to become a partner at Dubilier & Co., a private investment firm for which she oversees media, technology and entertainment companies.) She agrees that advertisers are waiting to gauge their effectiveness, and says editors wrestled with surrendering that special page-one space. "The reality of it is we spent a long time talking about it and considering it--18 months," she says.
Ultimately, Gordon adds, the Inquirer decided "we needed to be supportive of our advertisers" while maintaining enough control to make the ads palatable: "It needed to be a more dignified advertiser than, say, a mattress company." So the paper has a one-year contract with the University of Pennsylvania Health System for a page-one ad every Sunday, and is expanding that to Monday as well. The Inquirer also has been using those fluorescent stickers atop the front page. Editors assigned an Inquirer reporter to write a story explaining the economic necessity of violating the "sacred province of news."
The paper has received a handful of complaints from readers, Gordon says, but in most cases, "I think people read past this."
It's another manifestation of the Inquirer's more aggressive approach to attracting advertising dollars under its new ownership. When a local group led by former PR and ad executive Brian Tierney bought the paper last year (see "Life with Brian," August/September 2006), Tierney trumpeted his belief that former owner Knight Ridder hadn't done enough to court advertisers. In announcing that it would sell page-one ads, the Inquirer also said it would publish a new business column sponsored by Citizens Bank. The column is boxed in green, the bank's color, and the bank also has been running ads elsewhere on the business section front.
At the San Francisco Chronicle, Rosenthal says only a few readers have called to complain about his paper's page-one, lime-green boxes for utility Pacific Gas and Electric Co. "We created a couple of info boxes next to it to deal with it, so I don't think it looks that bad, personally," he says. His opinion was reinforced when he asked some friends for their views. "They didn't see it," Rosenthal says. "Journalists are very much aware of it, but I think the general public doesn't think of it as a bad thing."
He does point out one possible pitfall: There may come a day when a newspaper has to publish a negative story about a page-one advertiser, so "there's a potential for embarrassment if an advertiser..does something inappropriate."
At the Star Tribune, Clonts says reader reaction to section-front advertising has been minimal. One exception is a design known as the spadea, an advertising flap that wraps halfway around the front of a section, obscuring the editorial content. Clonts says it provokes "heavy and aggressively negative reader reaction. When a spadea runs, we know the following day we will get reader calls. Sometimes a few, sometimes dozens." (A 2006 study sponsored by the NAA notes that while few readers like them, 75 percent notice them, and about four in 10 usually notice what's being advertised.)
Designers tasked with making page-one ads blend with the overall look and feel of the page generally aren't thrilled about them, but they're learning to adjust. At the Star Tribune, the deputy managing editor for visuals and presentation, Cory Powell, works with the advertising department "to ensure section-front ads are as clean, simple and attractive as possible," Clonts says. The designers also have discovered that as pages get narrower, the page-one ad does have some benefits, because it works with both horizontal and vertical layouts.
"Drawing pages for the 52-inch web was easyish," Clonts says. "It got harder for the 50 and gets [harder] still for the 48. To put an ad on the front..to some extent simplifies things because you have to pare the elements of your fronts down to the essentials." And as the web narrowed, "the page got a lot more vertical, and things that worked best on that page tended to be vertical." He says the six-column strip ad helps square off a page, giving a design team more flexibility.
Occasionally, though, Powell will suggest that an ad be redrawn to make a page look better, Clonts says, and he'll be told it's not possible--like the time the ad department came up with a six-column strip filled with distracting automobile logos. This is what the client wants, the ad department replied. So it ran.
Denise Covert, a copy editor and page designer at the Daytona Beach News-Journal, works on regional publications that are inserted into the mainsheet. In an e-mail interview, she wrote that on some of the regional section fronts and also on the mainsheet's local front, "there are occasional front-page ads, usually 2 by 4. It works if you have a columnist or something that can easily square off with it on the bottom, but it can be a pain for some centerpiece treatments."
She adds: "In all, my personal opinion is that they're OK as long as they're not too distracting. Distracting means they are a) oddly shaped, b) garishly colored, c) black and white on a color front--we get that fairly often--or d) inconsistent, appearing some weeks and not others, so they're impossible to plan around."
Ultimately, though, newspapers may be worrying too much about ad placement. "For me, the bottom line is: Put some better stories on the top of that front page. Don't give me the same story I saw 20 hours ago" online, says NYU's Stephens. "Give me good stories, and I don't care what you put in that little ad on the bottom of the front page."
The Courant's Hunter is pragmatic, too. "I'd rather see ads inside the paper," she says. "But reality has changed."
Shaw wrote about hyperlocal Web sites in the magazine's April/May issue.###


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NEW YORK (CBS.MW) - Stocks battled back on Friday from sharp early lows, resisting twin headwinds of more corporate warnings and tepid economic data. See full story.
Study examines false Wall St. prophets, big losses
LONDON (FTMW) - A new study shows Wall Street analysts' favorite stocks last year plunged in value while their "sell" and other negative recommendations gained. See full story.
Debris in GE-European clash flung far and wide
LONDON (CBS.MW) - The European Union Competition Commission and GE were locked in a stalemate on Friday over approval for the $41 billion takeover of Honeywell - a struggle which could dramatically escalate trade tensions between Washington and Brussels. See full story.
Nortel forecasts Q2 loss of $19 billion
TORONTO (CBS.MW) - Nortel Networks warned Friday that it would suffer a net loss of $19.2 billion in the second quarter, would suspend its dividend payment and slash another 10,000 jobs, raising the number of job losses this year to 30,000. See full story.
Production, capacity use tumble in May
WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) - Output at American factories, mines and utilities fell sharply in May, extending their declines for an eighth month in the longest downturn in almost 20 years, the Federal Reserve reported Friday. See full story.
Real estate's raising the U.S. economic roof
NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- The red-hot real estate market is keeping the U.S. economy out of the deep freeze. See full story.
Web helps consumers price and review electronics
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) - If the Internet is all things to all people, it's especially accommodating to electronic products consumers. See full story.
Want a summary of the top news? Subscribe to MarketWatch's free Midday Report newsletter. Sign up here.


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MONTREAL, QUEBEC — (04-23-20) — Popular cannabis-based wellness brand High On Love taps Taylor Means as its new sales account manager for North America region.
Taylor Means brings over 10 years of industry sales experience and relationships to her new role at High On Love, most recently serving as branding development and training manager at Nalpac.
Previously, at Nasstoys, Means served as business development manager for three years, and prior as sales manager for Synergy Erotic Novelties and management in the adult retail stores.
“I am thrilled to have Means joining the team,” said Angela Mustone, president of High On Love. “With Taylor’s years of experience and the fact that she owns some of the best relationships in our industry, she will be playing a huge part in our company’s growth strategy,” said Mustone.
As sales account manager, Means will build merchandising concepts and business plans to further company growth. She has previously managed accounts in Australia, Europe, South America, the U.K., Canada and the U.S., and has been previously nominated for XBIZ Brand Ambassador of the Year and was featured as XBIZ WIA “Woman of the Month” in July 2018.
“I have believed in High On Love since its launch in 2018, so to say that I’m excited is an understatement,’ said Means. “I’ve always been incredibly passionate about the cannabis space and with my background in adult products, High On Love feels like the perfect place to call home. I’m eager for a new challenge and ready to take the business to the next level of success. We have big plans in the works and can’t wait to share them with our industry family. We are going to hit the ground running, so get ready!” said Means.
Article by: Andy Powell, Staff Writer
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- Triangle of Sadness Official Sexy Trailer drops from NEON - August 10, 2022
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Two U.S. House representatives have introduced a bill that would call on the Department of Agriculture to step up hardwood research.
The Hardwood Products Access and Development Program Act has just been introduced into the House of Representatives by congresspersons Tom Tiffany (WI) and Ann Kuster (NH).
The bill would “bolster domestic industry efforts and research that directly supports end-user information on the benefits of hardwood products.”
The Hardwood Federation, in announcing the news, said “The U.S. hardwood industry is a multi-billion-dollar industry supporting more than 1.8 million jobs, mostly in rural, underserved areas.” Dana Lee Cole, its executive director, said “Although wood products are widely recognized as sustainably produced and have significant carbon storage capacity, public awareness and recognition of these qualities is limited.
“The domestic industry and domestically produced products, including flooring, cabinetry, doors, moldings, railway ties, pallets, and other hardwood building and infrastructure products will benefit greatly from the much needed research and education dollars through the enactment of the Hardwood Products Access and Development Program Act.”
The bill would allow non-profit organizations as well as universities and research organizations to utilize up to $25 million over a five-year period to conduct this research.
Be part of North America’s largest woodworking show and conference.
Grow your business at the premier global woodworking trade show.
International Woodworking Fair
August 6–9, 2024
8:30 AM–5:00 PM
8:30 AM–2:00 PM
Georgia World Congress Center
285 Andrew Young International Blvd
Atlanta, GA 30313


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The Ford Ranger posted its best quarterly sales of the year, with 26,211 vehicles sold in Q3 2019.
Ford has sold 56,512 Ranger pickup trucks year-to-date in 2019. The Ranger has helped Ford increase its pickup sales by 6-percent so far this year, with combined F-Series and Ranger pickups sales totaling over 240,000 in the third quarter.
See the full sales charts inside.
Last modified: October 3, 2019


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Organizations seeking to leverage the latest technologies to digitize their business processes must carefully consider how to integrate operational processes all the way from the back end to the front end, says Chris Menier, Vice President and Transformation Strategist for Vitria, in an audio interview for journalists.
Thirty-seven percent of service leaders are either piloting or using artificial intelligence (AI) bots and virtual customer assistants (VCAs), and 67 percent of those leaders believe they are high-value tools in the contact center, according to a recent survey by Gartner, Inc. In recent years, no other channel technology has piqued customer service and support leaders’ interest more than AI bots and VCAs, according to Gartner’s Technology Roadmap Survey.
The availability of real-time analytics is driving new and enhanced services in many industries as organizations leverage the ability to contextualize experiences for customers in real-time. A critically important factor that increasingly will become a competitive differentiator has been the evolution of incident response strategies that leverage artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and the Internet of Things (IoT), says Chris Menier, Vice President and Transformation Strategist with Menlo Park, Calif-based Vitria, in an audio interview for journalists.
Revenue from the sale of Artificial Intelligence (AI) chipsets for edge inference and inference training will grow at 65 percent and 137 percent respectively between 2018 and 2023, creating massive new potential revenue streams for chip vendors, according to ABI Research.
The arrival in 2019 of 5G wireless wide-area networking technology promises to leave an indelible mark on any industry that stands to gain from the rapid evolution of the Internet of Things (IoT), and will place network service providers in an ideal position to serve this market, says Chris Menier, Vice President and Transformation Strategist at Vitria, in an audio interview for journalists.
New video research from Parks Associates today reveals that approximately 20 percent of U.S. broadband households are highly sensitive to collection and use of information about themselves and their activities. While these consumers understand that many companies use this data, 80 percent believe that they receive little in return for use of their data.
The cable/telco sector is in the midst of a seismic shift, as new technologies and rising consumer expectations drive the radical transformation of traditional business models. During a recent podcast interview for journalists, Mark Wyman, Senior Vice President for Application Development for Windstream and Chris Menier, Vice President and Transformation Strategist at Vitria discussed how a sophisticated data-centric approach to a customer-focused strategy can generate sustainable competitive differentiation within the NSP community.
Global spending on cognitive and artificial intelligence (AI) systems is forecast to continue its trajectory of robust growth as businesses invest in projects that utilize cognitive/AI software capabilities, according to a new report from International Data Corporation (IDC).
An integrated approach to artificial intelligence (AI), big data and the internet of things (IoT) will play a critical role in Cable/Telco strategies for delivering better customer experiences and overcoming the challenges presented by cord-cutting.
Nearly 20 percent of organizations observed at least one Internet of Things-based attack in the past three years. To protect against those threats, Gartner forecasts that worldwide spending on IoT security will reach $1.5 billion in 2018, a 28 percent increase from 2017 spending of $1.2 billion.


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Danish beer brand Carlsberg has come up with a novel way to reduce up to 76% of plastic packaging used in multi-packs. Their solution is simple yet effective; glue.
Overpackaging has been a problem for many years now. Especially in the alcohol industry, which was worth approximately US$ 40 billion last year. Analysts believe that secondary packaging market (boxes, multipacks, tubes etc.) will grow at a ‘healthy’ 5.3% during the forecast period 2017-2025.
Snap and drink
So why not embrace the ‘less is more’ mindset? That’s exactly what Carlsberg is doing. The beer brand explains that its fitting called “Snap Pack”completely replaces traditional plastic packaging wrapped around Carlsberg multi-packs with a glue. This substance sticks the cans together like Lego blocks until the consumer removes one from the pack.
The Snap Packs have launched on a trial basis in the UK and Norway this month, says Carlsberg’s sustainability director Simon Boas Hoffmeyer. Further rollouts are scheduled for 2019.
60 million plastic bags
Once the packaging solution has been adopted in Carlsberg’s 11 global markets, the brewer’s plastic packaging waste will be reduced by more than 1200 tonnes a year. ‘This is the equivalent to 60 million plastic bags’, Hoffmeyer notes.
He adds that the glue should placed into recycling bins alongside the cans, rather than separated.
Would you like to share any interesting developments or article ideas with us? Don't hesitate to contact us.


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On paper, HP's new Chromebox has all the ingredients of a nice, discreet little web browsing box: a Haswell processor, fairly plentiful connectivity, a rock-bottom $179 asking price, and according to HP's product page, "silent operation" thanks to a "fanless design."
Except there's just one problem: the HP Chromebox isn't fanless.
As FanlessTech reports, HP's own disassembly guide shows the Chromebox has the same kind of cooling apparatus you'd find on a laptop. There's a small fin array and a blower-style fan, which the guide clearly labels as such:
And the fan isn't just for show. FanlessTech points to this YouTube review by Lon Seidman, which says the Chromebox is "making noise when it's plugged in," and "there is air being blown out the back."
This may not come as a shock to some, especially since the HP Chromebox uses a 15W processor, and the chassis' dimensions and venting don't leave much room for passive cooling. Still, I'm surprised to see HP mislead customers about something so blatant.
|We take a seat on Turris' VR Chair||14|
|HP's Chromebook 13 is dressed for success at $499||16|
|Apple and Samsung lead tablet shipments in a struggling market||20|
|MSI debuts entry-level and enthusiast C232 motherboards||12|
|Z410 SSDs bring a 480GB tier to SanDisk's entry-level drives||9|
|Galaxy S7 phones help Samsung deliver a strong first quarter||8|
|Minecraft: Gear VR Edition is available now for $6.99||7|
|Seagate begins shipping its 10TB helium-filled hard drives||36|
|Exploring Nvidia's Pascal architecture||95|
|It's about time!||+38|


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Khanoria was previously associated with Apple as marketing communication lead
In his new role, Khanoria will report to Oppo India president Elvis Zhou
Global smartphone maker Oppo on Wednesday announced the appointment of Damyant Singh Khanoria as the chief marketing officer for its India operations. Khanoria, who was previously associated with Apple India as marketing communication lead will report to Elvis Zhou, president, Oppo India in the new role. Khanoria has worked for about three-and-a-half years with Apple before joining Oppo.
With over 20 years of experience across leading consumer brands, Khanoria will be responsible for driving growth for brand preference, deepening consumer connections as well as transforming Oppo’s marketing efforts. With this appointment, the company aims to establish a stronger impetus for its growth story in the Indian market. As per the company, his experience in building and optimising go-to-market strategy for technology brands will be instrumental as Oppo continues to transform as a tech company with a vision of “tech for the people.”
“We are delighted to have Damyant on board with us. He joins us at a crucial stage as we bring forth our 3+N+X strategy. Innovating tech for mankind continues to be the core of our business growth. I am confident that his experience of connecting customer desires with business needs will help propel Oppo India to greater heights during its next phase of growth,” Zhou said on the appointment of Khanoria as the CMO.
“Oppo has been on a remarkable growth journey in India over the last six years. Our incredible product line-up backed with a deep commitment to product innovation, R&D and local production give us a strong foundation for future growth in India,” Khanoria added on his new role.


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Developer Renegade Kid has revealed via an image on Twitter that its 2D action-platformer Xeodrifter is coming soon to the PS Vita.
In February Renegade Kid announced that the original Xeodrifter for PC and 3DS will be coming to PS Vita and PS4 as the Xeodrifter: Special Edition including the development diary and the game’s soundtrack.
Check out the Xeodrifter: Special Edition Announcement Trailer:
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Intex Technologies will soon be launching a Smartphone that will be powered by a MediaTek octa-core chip.
The technology being used in the phone is making merry in the market as there are many other fans of this in the market. Sometime back even Samsung had launched the S4 with the 1.6GHz octa-core model.
With Intex Technologies making a serious bid to launch their device with this chipset, this will be the first company from India to make available this technology. This means the Indian handset manufacturers aren’t letting their bigger multinational counterparts have it easy.
However, as compared to the Samsung’s S4, the Intex device will be pretty much affordable. Apart from the octa-core chipset, Intex will be building the phone with the Android 4.2.2 version. The phone will have dual-SIM options.
The phone will come bundled with 2GB RAM and 13MP rear camera. There will be two variants of the phone – the 16GB variant and the 32GB variant. Sanjay Kumar Kalirona, who is the Business Head-Mobile, Intex Technologies, has said that their company wants to be one of the top Smartphone players in the business.
The wish to be one of the best has brought out the best out of the company. The statement further said that they will be bringing out amazing products and newer technologies.
As far as octa-core processors are concerned, there aren’t enough apps written that will support the processor, at least the number is pretty much negligible as of now. However, as the popularity of these processors increase, those apps will also grow in number.


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Milford, NH – Alene Candles is normally focused on making high quality candles for customers around the world, but when COVID-19 struck the US, their focus shifted to targeting the most immediate needs for PPE in the community. They had the people, space and capabilities ready to work, so they decided to produce face shields. For their first production run of 10,000, they bought the materials they could find like elastic and foam, then received a generous donation of plastic materials from a producer in Biddeford, ME in exchange for a donation of 3,000 face shields to go back to Maine’s community of first responders and hospitals. They agreed, and decided to donate all of the face shields they assembled.
Concord, NH – Toward the close of 2019, Franklin High School was looking for a way to introduce their students to opportunities in manufacturing and reached out to the New Hampshire Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NH MEP) for assistance in their efforts. NH MEP is a manufacturing sector advisor for the NH Sector Partnership Initiative (SPI) – a state program which cultivates workforce development in the five primary sectors – Construction, Health Care, Hospitality, Manufacturing and Technology.
CONCORD, NH – The manufacturing industry is facing different challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic and NHMEP is stepping up to help affected businesses in several ways. Critical supplies: in order to meet the high demand of critical supplies, we are connecting manufacturers with each other and with the right suppliers to produce gowns, face shields, masks, and more.
Costa Precision Learns Lean Training is a Continuous Process for Retaining and Getting New Customers
“Customers only like two things, quality and on-time delivery,” said Tom Barber, Chief Operating Officer for Costa Precision. “But we were struggling in manufacturing engineering with quoting and manufacturing processes prior to going to the shop floor. This caused irregular workflow, and customer quote deadlines to be missed.”
The manufacturing floor had its share of issues too. “We were failing to provide needed quantities of parts per shift, per day. This led to poorer quality parts being produced because we would get behind schedule and had to rush parts out the door,” said Barber. “This also led to late deliveries.”
They knew they needed to do something to overcome these challenges and not lose customers.
With a new facility, new processes, and new equipment, Kerri knew they would need help with efficiencies and where to place the new equipment. “We tried to be proactive with all the changes going on,” said Mobile. “So in mid-2016 we brought in NH MEP to implement Lean training. We wanted everyone in the company to be of the same mind-set, learn how to reduce waste, and understand the benefits of continuous improvement.”


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Why looking at NFTs, gaming and the metaverse makes sense for luxury
NFTs? Skins? CryptoPunks? You’re already fed up with it all? You think it’s just noise? For luxury, it’s more exciting than you think.
Networking and engagement major challenges with virtual events: report
TOP OF THE CHARTS: A new report by Bizzabo shows that virtual events are not yet optimised despite most organisers going digital in 2020.
The scale of virtual events is exciting; here's how they can create exclusivity too
The use of non-fungible tokens, unique digital souvenirs that sit on the blockchain, offers a way to create brilliant exclusivity for digital events, while keeping them open to unlimited audiences.
Party online: Adapting festivalistion to a virtual audience
Don’t focus on mimicking a physical event; reference the best from both virtual and physical words to take audience engagement to a whole new level, says TBA Creative Network's GM in Hong Kong.
How to successfully run a virtual event (and mistakes to avoid)
The analogue era of face-to-face events may be coming to an end, and this means that marketers need to ramp up the creativity and engagement virtually.
Virtual events: Nobody's coming, nobody's staying, nobody knows what works
These three challenges of delivering online events threaten ROI. The VP of Pico+ talks through strategies and examples for overcoming them to create effective experiences online.
Top news, insights and analysis every weekday
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Peter Moore talks about the NBA Live series and how EA Sports continues to view the game as an integral part of its future.
Ok they said that last year Actions speak louder than words
Did you actually read the article? The fact they are putting out a game again this year solidifies what Peter Moore is saying...
OK... youre completely missing the point of my comment... They said all the right things last year, and the game was a piece of doodoo So i dont really care what the have to say, all that matters is how the game plays
In his defence, I think most people would rather masturbate with razor blades than listen to EA's PR nonsense.
They released the game full price then said oh sorry we know it's a piece of crap, see you next year k? lol They need to give up their NBA dreams, maybe go back to a basketball street series type game, but NBA games are a wrap for them.
Committed = Committed It equates to nothing other than that. Do not be fooled by there corporate talk. Committed DOES NOT = success or good game. Hitler was committed to his actions. He was a douche.
They may be committed, but they certainly don't have the passion. NBA Live isn't what it used to be.
It's one year in to reviving a franchise, it's not an overnight thing...
But, they had an entire year to "revive" the franchise and brought back something worse than many of the games that they released in the past. That's the real issue. The very basics of basketball weren't even solid with the last live. If they can't get that right on the first game, why should we get our hopes up that it will suddenly change?
Dont spend money in a game that cant compete, 2k owns nba. Dedicate more to fifa that its the gane ea does well. Nba 13 was crappp its not worth $10 I played the demo and full game (rented) complete crap.
Can you please speak English?
N4G is a community of gamers posting and discussing the latest game news. It’s part of NewsBoiler, a network of social news sites covering today’s pop culture.


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Looks like a new taco franchise coming to the Tampa Bay area and people are very excited about it!
The very popular West Coast taco chain Del Taco is making it’s way to Florida by opening at least seven Tampa Bay area Del Tacos. If you’ve never had Del Taco before here’s what they specializes in… Del Taco offers Mexican cuisine with some American foods like burgers, shakes, and fries. So get excited for a new fast food chain to wake up your taste buds.
There are already two Del Taco locations in Orlando, and one in Melbourne. I always try to hit one up every time I go to Disney or Universal. According to the Tampa Bay Times, the popular Mexican food chain is expected to open it’s first Tampa location in the Sarasota/Bradenton area. No specific sites have been approved. In fact, Del Taco Senior Vice President of Development Jeff Little said the franchisee is looking all over the area.


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The First Lady done a outing to Watertown, WI yesterday to launch a brand new ‘Drink Up’ campaign.
Drink Up is a ultimate bid in her 3-year-old Let’s Move debate to get Americans vital healthier lives. 43% of U.S. adults splash reduction than 4 cups of H2O each day as well as 7% of adults splash no H2O during all: a distant cry from a 8 8oz eyeglasses which have prolonged been touted as a endorsed every day amount. Even some-more worryingly, Drink Up says which a scarcely a entertain of a nation’s young kids do not splash any H2O upon a every day basement though instead encounter their glass needs with sweetened drinks. The CDC says which simply expelling sweetened drinks can cut as most as 650 calories from a person’s every day caloric intake.
You can find out some-more about a Drink Up debate here. Make a switch today!


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Consumers’ wallets have suffered from skyrocketing inflation in the US over the past year.
The latest concern is eggs, the price of which was up 138% in December from a year earlier, to $4.25 a dozen, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
A farmer’s group is calling on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate the increase for signs of price inflation by leading egg producers.
Various groups, from regulators to farmers and industry officials, have often argued in recent years over the power of top farms to set prices and drive up consumer prices for groceries.
‘DELICIOUS’ EGG PRICES: A HISTORIC LOOK AT EGG COSTS SINCE 1980
The country’s antitrust regulator should investigate record-high profits at the largest egg company, Farm Action said in a letter to FTC Chair Lina Khan on Thursday.
That egg producer is Cal-Maine Foods, which controls 20% of the retail egg market.
Quarterly sales in Cal-Maine increased 110% and gross profit increased more than 600% from the same quarter in the prior fiscal year, according to a filing.
The company pointed to reduced egg supplies across the country due to the avian flu driving up prices as the reason for its record sales.
EGG PRICES RISE OVER 64% IN SOME STATES
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) also pointed to a record outbreak of avian flu as the reason for the high prices.
Since early 2022, nearly 58 million chickens and turkeys have been killed by bird flu or to contain the spread of the virus, primarily in March and April, according to the USDA.
U.S. egg production was about 5% lower in October than last year, and egg supplies were down 29% in December compared to the start of the year, a significant drop but one that may not explain record high prices, he said. Basel Musharbash, a lawyer with Farm Action.
US BORDER AUTHORITIES REPORT RISE IN EGGS SMOKING
“We want the FTC to step in and see if consumer prices are being eroded,” Musharbash said.
|CALM||CAL-MAINE FOOD INC.||54.67||-1.05||-1.88%|
In a statement to Reuters, Cal-Maine said higher production costs are also a factor in higher prices.
The American Egg Board, an egg marketing group, said in a statement that egg prices reflect a variety of factors and wholesale egg prices are starting to fall.
FOX Business has contacted the FTC for comment.


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MagSafe might be on its way back to the Mac, according to a new report from Bloomberg.
According to a new report by Bloomberg, Apple is currently in the midst of its own VR headset.
To further expand its EV lineup, Mercedes-Benz has unveiled their EQA compact SUV.
After numerous leaks, Samsung has officially unveiled its Galaxy S21 family of phones.
Ubisoft and Lucasfilm Games have announced that they’ll be working on a new Star Wars game.
Warner Bros. Games has announced that they’re delaying their upcoming game Hogwarts Legacy.
At CES 2021, Razer announced two new concept devices with Project Hazel and Project Brooklyn.
Lucasfilm Games, Bethesda Softworks and MachineGames jointly announced that they’re working on a new Indiana Jones game.
At CES 2021, Asus made a couple of announcements under their ROG gaming brand including the new ROG Flow X13 and Zephyrus Duo 15 SE.


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The Details: RAMMSTEIN, the Berlin-based band known for their incendiary live performances, will bring their brand new live production to North America this spring for 21 dates kicking off April 20th at the BankAtlantic Center.
Tickets for the show are on sale NOW at all Ticketmaster outlets, charge by phone (800-745-3000), at www.ticketmaster.com as well as the BankAtlantic Center box office.
The tour announcement comes on the heels of news of the band’s first retrospective release, Made In Germany 1995 – 2011, which will be available in North America (through a distribution deal between Universal Germany and Vagrant Records) on December 13. Rammstein recently released “Mein Land,” a new four-track digital single that features two new songs: the title track and “Vergiss uns Nicht” as well as remixes from BossHoss and Mogwai. A video directed by Jonas Akerlund for “Mein Land” is also currently featured Rammstein.com. Rammstein’s most recent full-length album, Liebe Ist Für Alle Da, debuted at #13 on the Billboard Top 200 in October 2009.
Ticket prices: $81.75, $61.75, $38.75
Organization: BankAtlantic Center
Venue: BankAtlantic Center


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Tom Shelton, former Joseph Phelps Winery president/CEO and a leader in the efforts to protect the integrity of the Napa Valley wine name, died 26 Jul at his Calistoga home following a long battle with brain cancer. He was 55.
Shelton joined Phelps in 1992, became president in 1994 and added the CEO title in 1995. He and former director of winemaking Craig Williams slowly overhauled viticulture and winemaking at Phelps, turning the under-performer into one of California’s brightest stars, best known for its Insignia Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend and wines made from Rhône Valley grape varieties (though Phelps no longer makes the latter).
With a for-the-good-of-all philosophy, Shelton expended great energy representing Napa Valley. He had a pivotal role in helping the Napa Valley Vintners organisation beat back a Bronco Wine Co (Fred Franzia of Two Buck Chuck fame) legal challenge to a California state law that says wine brands with “Napa” in their names must use at least 75 per cent Napa County grapes. Shelton also was instrumental in donating Phelps land for the construction of farm worker housing, and worked to change shipping laws that prevented out-of-state consumers from purchasing wines directly from wineries.
As reported here, Shelton and Craig Williams, the Phelps winemaker for 32 years, resigned their positions in May 2008, after a long-simmering compensation dispute with the winery (founder Joe is chairman emeritus, and his son Bill is chairman of the company).


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Highlights from Amazon’s Wednesday press conference:
10:05 a.m.: Press have entered a lecture hall at Pace University. Also spotted entering the building: Arthur Sulzberger Jr., chairman of New York Times Co.
10:29: Press conference should start shortly.
10:38: CEO Jeff Bezos has taken the stage. HE says 275,000 Kindle books now available.
10:40: Kindle sales have grown to 35% of total sales, among titles that have both print and digital editions available.
10:43: Bezos says that the Kindle works because it doesn’t beep at you, and you can bring your whole library with you.
10:44: Bezos says paperless society never came. In fact, we print more paper now than we ever did before. Why do we print so much…


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Carnival Corp. reports that the company's bottom line saw improvements in both the fourth quarter of 2014 and the year as a whole.
Revenues for the full year of 2014 rose, at $15.9 billion compared to $15.5 billion for the prior year. Cash from operations for the full year 2014 totaled $3.4 billion compared to $2.8 billion in 2013.
Carnival Corp. president and CEO Arnold Donald said, "Full year earnings were significantly higher than the prior year primarily due to strong profit improvement at both our Carnival Cruise Lines and Costa Cruises brands. We enjoyed some early wins from our collaboration efforts that contributed to our improved results, particularly for onboard revenues. We worked hard to contain costs and achieved an almost five percent reduction in fuel consumption for the year as we continue to implement energy conservation measures. We also made a number of strategic decisions in fleet investments that will position us well for the future."
Commenting on the fourth quarter Donald stated, "Last quarter operating profit more than doubled due to higher ticket prices and onboard spending combined with lower costs, also exceeding previous guidance." During the quarter, the Carnival Cruise Lines brand achieved a significant increase in revenue yields despite a highly competitive environment in the Caribbean. Additionally, Costa's Asia operations achieved double-digit revenue yield improvement on a capacity increase in that region."
New ship introductions during the quarter generated substantial media coverage and positive buzz, including the North American debut of Regal Princess, which featured a reunion of the Love Boat cast and numerous guest stars who appeared on the hit TV show, as well as the delivery of Costa Diadema in Genoa, Italy. The company also recently placed orders with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri for three new ships for its Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line and Seabourn brands to be delivered in 2018. In addition, the company recently sold three of its smaller vessels – Costa Celebration, Grand Holiday and Ocean Princess.
At this time, cumulative advance bookings for the first three quarters of 2015 are ahead of the prior year at slightly higher prices. Since September, booking volumes for the first three quarters of 2015 are running ahead of last year's levels at slightly lower prices driven by transactional currency impacts.
Donald said, "The current base of business for 2015 builds confidence in our expectation of continuing yield growth with acceleration in yield improvement starting in the second quarter."
Based on current booking trends, the company forecasts full year 2015 net revenue yields, on a constant dollar basis, to be up approximately 2 percent compared to the prior year. First quarter revenue yields (constant dollars) are expected to be slightly higher than the prior year and improve during the remainder of 2015.
The company expects net cruise costs excluding fuel per ALBD, on a constant dollar basis, for full year 2015 to be up approximately 3 percent primarily due to higher dry-dock costs, advertising expenses and product enhancements. Based on current spot prices for fuel, forecasted fuel costs for the full year 2015 are expected to decrease $475 million compared to 2014, net of fuel derivatives, benefiting the company by $0.61 per share. This is forecasted to be partially offset by unfavorable movements in currency exchange rates worth $0.20 per share (includes both translational and transactional currency exchange impacts). Taking the above factors into consideration, the company forecasts full year 2015 non-GAAP diluted earnings per share to be in the range of $2.30 to $2.60, compared to 2014 non-GAAP diluted earnings of $1.96 per share.
Donald said, "Based on our current 2015 guidance, we expect to achieve a 50 percent improvement in earnings compared to 2013 and are firmly on a path toward delivering double-digit returns on invested capital."


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The release of Full Frontal Assault marked the 10th anniversary for the Ratchet & Clank franchise and another attempted spin-off for the Lombax and his robot friend. This time it’s not as bad as you might think.
i hope their working on a next gen ratchet , i will buy a ps4 day 1 just for it
N4G is a community of gamers posting and discussing the latest game news. It’s part of NewsBoiler, a network of social news sites covering today’s pop culture.


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Nokia has unveiled a range of wireless broadband products for telcos and ISPs, but a lack of spectrum in Europe could severely delay the products' launch here.
The range includes products for homes and businesses. Nokia's Rooftop system connects homes to the internet using routers attached to the side of a house. The routers combine a radio frequency modem with a digital IP router board and the Nokia Air operating system that routes IP traffic.
.Nokia's business connectivity product, Cityhopper, works on the same principle to create point to multi-point networks which the company claims addresses the 'last-mile' bottleneck to high-bandwidth access for businesses.
However, while Rooftop is being trialled in the US and Australia, the 2.4Ghz spectrum is not licensed and not widely available in Europe. Nokia would not specify when the products would be available in Europe, but said it would be some time next year. Cityhopper uses the licensed 10Ghz and 40Ghz spectrums.
Rooftop, rather than direct traffic to an access point as with existing connectivity systems, passes traffic along each router in the neighbourhood to get to its final destination. The technology can work if only two homes are participating in one street, but the system is more efficient if there are more routers, according to Nokia.
Wireless bridges are used to connect these neighbourhood networks together to a point of presence. Nokia claimed that this method "significantly" cuts the cost of using leased lines to link to points of presence.
The products are scheduled to ship in the US and Australia in the fourth quarter of this year.
IBM and Technical University of Munich team demonstrate how Shor's algorithm, which can't be cracked by conventional computers, can be solved quickly with quantum computing
Hubble Space Telescope finds superflares from young red dwarfs could strip away planetary atmosphere
Younger stars are 100 to 1,000 times more energetic than when they're older
Two of the big four supermarkets will use the system to control sales of restricted products
PUBG news and updates: November's Update #23 to bring new Skorpion pistol and changes to blue zone visibility
Genuinely useful side-arm coming to PUBG in Update #23


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In a recent announcement, the Hoffmann Family of Cos., headquartered in Naples, has acquired Young Harris Water Sports & RV in Georgia as part of a nationwide expansion of its water sports subsidiary. This latest addition to the company’s portfolio includes boat and jet ski rental centers in Lake Chatuge and Lake Oconee in northern and central Georgia, as well as parts and service, new and used boat sales, wakeboard supplies, and two RV dealerships. The family has stated that this investment is part of an expansion plan which may include additional water sport rental locations not only in Georgia, but also in North Carolina, South Carolina, Hawaii, and possibly beyond.
The specific terms of the sale were not publicized, including the purchase price. In the past four years, the Hoffmanns have acquired more locations such as Regency Water Sports in 2020 and will soon have a total of 10 water sport rental locations. These locations include the soon-to-be-opened location at LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort in Naples for the 2024 season.
Established in 2002, Young Harris will continue to operate under its current leadership. Lance Markham, the company’s president stated “This acquisition provides our company with expanded access to resources, enhances our operational capabilities and grants us the financial means to upgrade equipment or venture into new rental opportunities.” The Hoffmann Family of Cos now has 90 brands in its portfolio and owns more than 200 commercial properties in the United States with over 300 locations globally.


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T’wolves debut VIP boxes, club
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- John Vomhof Jr.
- Staff writer
The Minnesota Timberwolves have added loge boxes and a new VIP club space to Target Center for the 2009-10 season, which tips off Wednesday.
The loge boxes — a type of premium seating that has become popular at sports venues across the country in recent years — will be located in the first three rows at each corner of the arena, replacing five rows of standard seating.
The 12 boxes have a total of 40 seats, which will cost $175 per game or $6,450 per season, including free food and beverages. Each box also will have two TV monitors.
The Wolves have sold eight of the 12 loge boxes as season ticket packages. Most of the customers are small- to mid-sized businesses.
The Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs and Charlotte Bobcats are among the NBA teams that already have loge boxes, but the Wolves’ boxes will be closer to the court than those at other arenas, said Ryan Tanke, the team’s senior vice president of ticket sales and premium seating. “We wanted to put this product as close to the action as we could.”
Wolves officials also would like to expand the loge box concept to other parts of the arena for future seasons.
The University of Minnesota’s TCF Bank Stadium was the first local sports facility to offer loge boxes. The 54 boxes sold out almost a year before the facility opened.
“If we were to add any other premium seating to the stadium, it would definitely be loge boxes,” Associate Athletic Director Phil Esten said.
Meanwhile, the Wolves’ new Backcourt Club is an exclusive area at the south end of the arena where fans sitting in roughly 800 of the arena’s best seats can hang out before or during games. The club features a private entrance, two cash bars, a carving station, flat-screen TVs and high-top tables.
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APBy Jeff Plungis, Jeff Green and Del Quentin Wilber
The criminal investigation that opened Wednesday into General Motors’ handling of an ignition flaw linked to 13 deaths adds to legal challenges that threaten to overshadow the company’s turnaround.
GM (GM), the largest U.S. automaker, is now at the beginning of a potentially years-long road dotted with inquiries, lawsuits, government fines and public skepticism. Besides the U.S. Justice Department probe, GM must answer to Congress, the Transportation Department and lawyers the company hired to investigate itself.
Toyota Motor (TM) is still being examined over recalls in 2009-10 related to reports of unintended acceleration in some cars. GM similarly faces repercussions for waiting to recall 1.6 million vehicles last month, even though records show it was aware as far back as 2004 of ignition switches that could slip out of position, cutting off power and deactivating air bags. The crisis arrives weeks after Mary Barra took over as chief executive officer amid rising investor and consumer optimism as GM shook off the last vestiges of its 2009 bankruptcy.
“Barra is getting her feet thrown right into the fire,” Dave Sullivan, an industry analyst with Southfield, Mich.-based AutoPacific, said in an interview. “There’s no way she is going to come out of this looking like some kind of hero. The best thing is to be honest and upfront and hopefully put this to bed as quickly as possible.”
A spokesman for Detroit-based GM, Greg Martin, declined to comment. Martin said March 10 the company was cooperating with regulators and lawmakers and that it welcomed the opportunity to help “parties have a full understanding of the facts.”
GM tumbled 5.1 percent to $35.18 Wednesday, its worst one-day share drop at the close since March 2012.
While the immediate financial impact of GM’s recall of Chevrolet Cobalts, Pontiac G5s and other vehicles is “insignificant,” some hard-to-quantify reputational risk is emerging, Joseph Spak, an RBC Capital Markets analyst, said in a note to investors Wednesday.
“Remember while this was old [pre-bankruptcy] GM, the consumer won’t differentiate,” Spak said. “It does appear that GM employees have known about the risk for a while, so it does seem there is a failure to act somewhere along the way.”
New legal activity is already bubbling. Todd Walburg, a personal-injury lawyer with Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, said his firm began looking into GM’s ignition switches in mid-February. Walburg said the firm has been contacted by more than 200 people about the issue in the past week.
It wasn’t possible to verify that number and Walburg declined to say whether GM’s initial recall announcement on Feb. 13 initiated the firm’s investigation or how it generated inquiries. A Google (GOOG) search for “GM recall” and “GM ignition switch” pulls up a sponsored ad that links to Lieff Cabraser, which also represented plaintiffs in some of the Toyota incidents.
The Justice Department’s preliminary investigation raises the stakes considerably. Federal prosecutors will look at how the company handled the recalls, focusing on whether GM violated criminal or civil laws by failing to notify regulators in a timely fashion about the switch failures, according to a person familiar with the investigation who asked not to be identified discussing an open inquiry.
The chaos from the recall and the multiple investigations hits just as GM had finished shaking off the “Government Motors” stigma tied to the $49.5 billion U.S. bailout that saved the automaker from liquidation.
The same week in mid-December that the government sold its last shares in the automaker, GM said it would promote Barra to CEO, the first woman to lead a major automaker. GM shares reached a post-bankruptcy high of $41.53 on Dec. 17. Since then the shares have tumbled 15 percent through Wednesday.
GM’s reputation with consumers had also been improving as it brought to market 18 new or updated cars and trucks, transforming its lineup into one of the freshest in the industry from one of the oldest. It also boosted quality to record levels, according to reviewers including J.D. Power & Associates and Consumer Reports magazine.
Its latest version of the Chevrolet Impala was the first U.S. car chosen as the best sedan on the market by Consumer Reports, a first in at least 20 years, and the Cadillac CTS was picked as Motor Trend’s Car of the Year for 2014.
The Justice Department investigation is now stealing some of that spotlight. Federal prosecutors decided to start its GM probe after discussions with officials at the Transportation Department, according to another person familiar with the inquiry who asked not to be identified.
“We are in communication with the Department of Justice but have not asked Justice to investigate because we are still in the midst of our own investigation regarding the timing of GM’s recall,” said Ryan Daniels, a Transportation Department spokesman. “Our timeliness investigation and our efforts to ensure GM makes consumers aware of the steps they should take in response to the recall are currently our top priorities.”
The U.S. Attorney’s office in the Southern District of New York is leading the investigation. James Margolin, a spokesman for that office, declined to comment, as did Emily Pierce, a Justice Department spokeswoman in Washington.
GM has hired Jenner & Block Chairman Anton Valukas, who probed Lehman Brothers Holdings’s 2008 downfall, to help lead an internal investigation.
Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday asked Barra for documents and field reports related to the recall. Committee Chairman Fred Upton, a Michigan Republican, said March 10 that a hearing will be held in the coming weeks to explore whether GM or NHTSA missed “something that could have flagged these problems sooner.”
The initial recall on Feb. 13 covered 778,562 Chevrolet Cobalts and Pontiac G5s. It was widened less than two weeks later by more than 800,000 additional vehicles. Those include 2003-2007 Saturn Ions, 2006-2007 Chevrolet HHRs, 2006-2007 Pontiac Solstices and 2006-2007 Saturn Skys. Other models affected are the 2005-06 Pontiac Pursuit sold in Canada and the 2007 Opel GT sold in Europe.
NHTSA, whose decision not to investigate the switch failures years ago is also under scrutiny by Congress, is focusing on what steps GM took to investigate and rectify engineering concerns and consumer complaints dating back to at least 2004. GM has until April 3 to answer questions posed by NHTSA in a 27-page order issued last week.
Company documents show that between 2004 and the decision to initiate the recall, layers of GM engineers and corporate committees analyzed and failed to fix the ignition flaw.
$35 Million Fine
GM has said that heavy key rings or jarring can cause the ignition switches to slip out of position, cutting off power and deactivating air bags. The automaker has linked the defect to at least 23 crashes, including 13 deaths.
NHTSA could fine GM as much as $35 million, which would be the most ever by the U.S., if it finds the automaker didn’t pursue a recall when it knew the cars were defective.
Sean Kane, president of Safety Research & Strategies, who researches product hazards and frequently works with plaintiffs’ attorneys, said the ignition-switch defect wasn’t obvious enough to trigger early-on, widespread investigations by trial lawyers.
“Unless there’s some reason to examine that further, a lot of crashes just go as unremarkable events,” said Kane, who testified during 2010 congressional hearings on Toyota. “With the product recall, now everyone’s taking a look back.”


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Kroger mixing in liquor to be one-stop shop for harried customers
(Page 3 of 3)
The wholesale business is on an upswing. Retail liquor sales in the state have increased every year since 2002, but wholesale receipts declined in three of the last four years, fluctuating between $231.4 million and $239.1 million between 2006 and 2011. The $251.9 million in wholesale sales last year was a record.
“Wholesale is getting stronger,” Mullins said. “We’re glad to see that. That’s an indicator bars and restaurants are doing better.”
Dan Eaton covers retailing and restaurants for Columbus Business First.
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Remember being told to reach for the stars when you were growing up? Now there’s an app for that.
In “S.M.T.H. (Send Me to Heaven)” — made public this week by Norwegian developer CarrotPop — players have to throw their device in the air as high as they can without breaking it. The device’s accelerometer calculates how far it goes, and the results are uploaded to the app’s leader boards, which are organized by the top 10 scores of the day, week, and worldwide. If the phone rotates dramatically after it’s tossed, scores might be skewed.
And don’t even think about parachuting it off a building or launching it with a rocket; an error message is supposed to show up when unrealistic measurements are sensed. However, the top score is held by someone who threw a phone more than 40 meters (about 131 feet) high, which the app’s designer Petr Svarovsky attributes to people building slingshots to catapult their phones and posting photos of them on Facebook. In the future, a GPS function will help thrill-seekers find local competitions — the first of which already took place during a music festival in Oslo, Norway last month, when the app was still a prototype.
Tossing a phone high enough to catch on one’s own arguably takes more skill. “People like to show off their expensive models, we also like to show off that we do better than other people in sports,” says Svarovsky, who has also created an app that screams and forces users to scream back the same way (apparently mostly popular with girls in China). “I am very interested in what happens when you take games out of the computer, and it takes place in public space,” he adds.
Planning to try out this app in a park? Remember: safety first. “Be careful not to injure yourself or others,” says the app’s description on Google Play. “Be always aware that there is enough space above you and around you. Do some training to learn the right skills to get the best results.” Before they can play, users have to agree to a disclaimer that says the app’s developers are not responsible for damages to phones or their owners. In fact, while Android smartphone users can download S.M.T.H. for free, it is not available in the iTunes App Store. Apple reportedly rejects developer submissions that could irreparably harm iOS devices.
So far, S.M.T.H. already boasts 300 five-star reviews (the highest rating) from thrill-seekers on Google Play — including some from people who claim they have already broken their phones. One user wrote that his device is still in one piece, but noted, “No Point On Playing This UNLESS Your Rich And Can Buy A Few More Phones.”


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A new community service is being launched tomorrow, offering free advice and coffee to new mothers from trained Karitane nurses.
Named Cribtalk, the service has been set up by the Karitane Nurses and Nannies Bureau.
Meetings will be held in Grey Lynn once a month.
Bureau manager Kirsten Varley says the initiative was designed to give new parents a relaxed way to meet over tea or coffee while gaining valuable insights from experienced nurses.
“While there are various coffee groups for new parents, some people find it too much to provide morning tea for 10 people in their own home while also looking after their newborn,” she says.
“Cribtalk gives people the chance to meet other new parents in a casual, non-pressured environment and at the same time ask the experts for advice about babies.”
The sessions will be held at 1 Wallingford St, Grey Lynn, on the first Thursday of every month from 9am to 3pm.
Ring 575-7174 for more information.


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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Chinese augmented reality (AR) startup Nreal will bring its smart glasses to the UK this spring.
The British mobile operator EE, which is owned by the telecommunications group BT, confirmed the news on Tuesday, saying it has partnered with the Beijing-based company to “exclusively bring the Nreal Air AR glasses to the UK’s best network for 5G.”
Designed to look like sunglasses, Nreal Air AR glasses offer users two different modes: “Air Casting” and “MR Space.” Air Casting allows users to watch movies on a 130-inch HD virtual screen, while MR Space allows users to experience a “mixed reality” environment and a “bitch of innovative AR technologies,” EE said in a press release. .
Details of a release date for the product release or pricing remain unclear. EE said the glasses will be available “later this spring.”
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“We are excited to enter the UK market in partnership with EE, and we look forward to building the AR ecosystem together. At Nreal, we are passionate about bringing AR into consumers’ everyday lives, which will launch a revolutionary transformation just like the Internet once did, “Nreal co-founder Peng Jin said in a statement. “AR will transcend the current mobile experience, especially when it comes to watching videos, training and playing PC and cloud video games.”


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Bethesda have officially announced the arrival of a brand new game mode for Fallout 76 on PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 named Survival Mode.
Survival Mode will be released as a beta, and will be seperate from the main game, offering fans of the post-apocalyptic title a new, more aggressive way to play the action RPG.
Bethesda officially announced Survival Mode as part of their ‘Inside the Vault’ series, which breaks down upcoming changes and new additions to the game, on Thursday, March 21, with rewards available to those who can compete the challenges inside the mode.[ad name=”article2″]
What is Fallout 76 Survival Mode?
Survival Mode is a new version of Fallout, where players can still loot, explore and complete quests as normal, but can also launch attacks on other players in the game. Players will drop all of their junk alongside a random amount of aid items, which the survivor can then take and use themselves.
Players will also earn twice as many Caps in Survival Mode, and players can use their Caps to place a bounty on the head of those who take you out. There is no Seek Revenge respawn option though, so if you’re killed, you’ll have to hunt them down again to gain vengeance.
The mode has also been tuned to provide better combat, with weapons buffed to make them even more powerful in the right hands. Players will be able to respawn, but only in their own C.A.M.P., at Vault 76 or at one of the game’s Train Stations, although fast track will be limited around the map.
Lock and load! We’re gearing up to release the Survival Mode Beta next week for #Fallout76.
— Fallout (@Fallout) March 21, 2019
When does Fallout 76 Survival Mode launch?
Survival Mode will launch as a beta on Tuesday, March 26 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. Bethesda have yet to announce how long the mode will be in beta.
Will Fallout 76 Survival Mode have leaderboards?
Yes, Fallout 76 Survival Mode will have leaderboards when it launches. These scoreboards will show players how long they have been able to stay alive in the Wasteland, alongside a number of different stats which will allow you to measure yourself against those who are also playing the game.
While many will aim to be at the top of the leaderboard, you may want to avoid being there too long, as the three players in the lobby who have remained alive the longest will have an automatic bounty on their head.
What rewards will Survival Mode players recieve?
Survival Mode will have also include a number of weekly challenges for Fallout 76 players to complete, with each week granting a new legendary weapon as a reward for finishing the tasks.
Players who complete the first week’s challenges will receive the ‘Crushing Blow’ M79 Grenade Launcher, which deals double damage to enemies who have full health, and also does an additional 50% damage to limbs.[ad name=”article5″]
How do I play Fallout 76 Survival Mode?
Survival Mode is only available to those who already own the full version of the game. When the game boots up, players will be taken to the main screen, where they can choose between the normal version of the game and Survival Mode.
Fallout 76’s Survival Mode beta launches on March 26. Make sure to stay tuned to @Dexerto for all the latest news surrounding the new mode.


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New York-based private equity firm TCS Capital is taking a stake in Angie’s List (ANGI), a publicly-traded company that provides local online reviews of home improvement and other services.
TCS Capital has made an agreement to purchase up to 12.75% of the Company’s outstanding shares
Eric Semler, Founder and President of TCS Capital, and consumer technology and media industry veterans, George Bell and Tom Evans, have been appointed to the Angie’s List Board of Directors.
“We are delighted to welcome well respected and accomplished individuals to the Angie’s List Board, including veterans of the consumer technology and media industry and a large shareholder who brings deep expertise investing in the digital media and e-commerce space,” said Angie’s List Chairman John Chuang. “George has always had a passion for the intersection of content, digital transformation and consumer experience, set against a backdrop of changing business models. Equally complementary to Angie’s List, Tom brings an outstanding record of catalyzing growth with consumer businesses built on technology-based platforms. Eric has an excellent investing track record in the digital space and we look forward to his input as we work to enhance shareholder value at Angie’s List. We are confident these new directors will be valuable contributors to the Company.”
Mr. Semler said, “We are pleased to have reached a constructive agreement with Angie’s List. The Company has a strong brand and customer base, and I believe we have the opportunity to realize exceptional returns for all shareholders. Tom Evans brings deep executive level experience in the e-commerce and digital media industries, George Bell further enhances the Board with his wealth of experience as a senior executive, board director and investor across a broad spectrum of the digital communications industry, and I look forward to joining as another shareholder representative in the boardroom. We will work with our fellow board members to oversee Angie’s List management and to help drive improved operating and financial performance in 2016 and beyond. We are excited to begin this important work immediately.”
Angie’s List turned down a buyout offer from IAC/InteractiveCorp last November for $8.75 per share.


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Blame it on the World Cup and economic fears, but PC market growth slowed down a bit in the second quarter.
Shipments of desktops, notebooks, and servers containing chips from Intel or Advanced Micro Devices grew by 9.5 percent in the second quarter, according to IDC, compared with the same period a year ago. PC shipments have been growing in double digits for the past few years.
However, while IDC pegged PC market growth in the single digits, Gartner reported that the overall market grew a total of 11 percent in the last year.
Both firms agreed that Europe was a bottleneck for the PC industry. Sales on that continent slowed down considerably, possibly because of excess inventory and World Cup fever, IDC stated. Shipments grew by only 7 percent in Europe, half the growth rate in the first quarter and well below the 12 percent growth rate IDC expected. The strong euro is one factor that has helped keep PC shipments high.
Gartner said sales in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region (EMEA) were up 7 percent, and tied the slow growth there to higher-than-normal "finished goods inventory."
In the U.S., price cuts helped increase shipments 6.1 percent, according to IDC and 6.4 percent, according to Gartner. Those numbers are slightly slower too. Gartner said U.S. shipments grew 7.4 percent in the first quarter.
Dell saw shipments grow by 10 percent, barely faster than the market, IDC said. That led to a slight market share increase worldwide to 19.2 percent. In the second quarter the year before, Dell posted a 19 percent market share.
Gartner said Dell's sales grew 11.6 percent in the quarter and that its market share was 17.7 percent.
Meanwhile, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo and Acer--which are ranked second, third and fourth worldwide, respectively--all gained on the Round Rock, Texas, giant. IDC said HP saw shipments grow by 13 percent, and gave HP a market share of 15.9 percent, up slightly from its 15.4 percent market share in the second quarter a year ago. Gartner put HP's numbers at 13.8 percent shipment growth, with a market share of 14.8 percent.
IDC said Lenovo saw shipments grow by 12.8 percent to give it a 7.7 percent market share. Gartner said the company's shipments grew 13.5 percent and its market share settle at 13.5 percent.
Acer, which has grown faster than any major PC maker for the past two years, continued its streak by growing shipments by 35.7 percent, according to IDC, which also put Acer's market share at 5.4 percent worldwide. Acer primarily concentrates on Europe and Asia and has grown faster than 50 percent in some recent quarters. Gartner said Acer's numbers were 34.7 percent sales growth with a market share of 5.2 percent.
In January, IDC said PC shipments would likely increase by 10.5 percent in 2006, following 16.4 percent growth in 2005. Double digit growth for the year isn't out of the question.
Shipments grew by 13.4 percent in the first quarter, according to Gartner, and Intel is releasing a number of new processors that are getting strong reviews from benchmark testers. Vista, the next big Windows upgrade, however, won't occur this year.
Gartner reported that Apple Computer gained market share in the second quarter, with its share growing to 4.6 percent from 4.3 percent a year ago. Those gains, however, were outpaced by both HP and Gateway.
According to IDC, Apple's sales, while still smaller than its major competitors, grew by double digits in the second quarter. The firm said Apple's sales of portable computers grew by 60 percent at its retail locations, and that overall sales at its retail locations grew by 50 percent. IDC attributed the growth to a successful transition to Intel-based chips.