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Kroger, Rockfish execs among keynoters at D2
D² Cincinnati, the digital marketing conference focusing on customer experience, has announced keynote speakers for its Sept. 22-23 conference at Horseshoe Casino Downtown. Keynoters will include:
• Matt Thompson, director of digital and e-commerce at the Kroger Co., one of the world’s largest grocery retailers, with fiscal 2013 sales of $98.4 billion. Kroger operates under nearly two dozen brands, all focused on the customer experience.
• Adam Symson, senior vice president and chief digital officer at E.W. Scripps Co., the Cincinnati-based media company that serves its customers through an expanding collection of local and national digital journalism and information businesses, including online multi-source video news provider Newsy.
• Dave Knox, chief marketing officer at Rockfish, a digital innovation partner and co-founder of the Brandery, Cincinnati’s startup accelerator that focuses on applying principles of brand marketing to startups.
• JB Brokaw, president of North America Sociomantic Labs, a leader in personalized digital media and marketing recently acquired by dunnhumbyUSA. Brokaw will be joined by a soon-to-be-announced executive from dunnhumbyUSA.
• Pete Blackshaw, global head of digital and social media at Nestle, will join the keynoter lineup remotely from Switzerland. Blackshaw is founder of PlanetFeedback.com, co-founder of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association and an Advertising Age columnist. Blackshaw, who is from Cincinnati, was involved in what’s now D² as early as 2008.
Now in its seventh year, D² Cincinnati is organized by the American Advertising Federation-Cincinnati, the local affiliate of AAF, the oldest national advertising trade association. A limited number of tickets will be sold for the event, and early registration is strongly encouraged. Early bird discounted rates are available through Friday.
To stay updated on the latest news, visit www.d2cincinnati.com or follow D² Cincinnati on Twitter @d2Cincinnati. ■


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Gold Advances for First Time in Three Days on U.S. Retail SalesJoe Deaux
Gold futures rose for the first time in three days as U.S. retail sales in January fell more than forecast, signaling a cooling economy and increasing demand for the precious metal as a haven.
The 0.8 percent drop in retail sales followed a 0.9 percent decrease in December, government data showed Thursday. The median forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for a 0.4 percent decline. Gold also gained as applications for unemployment benefits climbed more than forecast, Labor Department figures showed.
The metal rose 8 percent in January, partly as a decline in global equities boosted demand for alternative assets. Holdings in exchange-traded products backed by gold have advanced 4.9 percent this year amid turmoil in currency markets.
“The weak U.S. data in retail sales, especially core retail sales, and the jump in jobless claims above 300,000 has pushed gold modestly higher,” Tai Wong, the director of commodity products trading at BMO Capital Markets Corp. in New York, said in a telephone interview. “On the margin, it pushes back the time line” for the Federal Reserve to boost interest rates, he said.
Gold futures for April delivery rose 0.1 percent to settle at $1,220.70 an ounce at 1:40 p.m. on the Comex in New York. The price dropped 1.8 percent in the previous two sessions. The metal has advanced 3.1 percent this year.
Euro-region finance ministers failed to reach an agreement on how to keep funds flowing to Greece, and are set to resume talks next week. The impasse risks leaving the region’s most-indebted nation without funding by the end of this month, when the current bailout expires.
The dollar fell as much as 1.2 percent against a basket of 10 currencies. On Wednesday, the gauge reached the highest since at least December 2004.
Silver futures for March delivery gained 0.2 percent to $16.794 an ounce, rising for the first time in three days.
Platinum futures for April delivery added 0.4 percent to $1,200.50 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange, snapping a four-session losing streak. Palladium futures for March delivery climbed 0.9 percent to $773.65 an ounce, the biggest gain in more than a week.

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Upcoming cryptocurrency august 2017
Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency Review June-July 2017Success in investment vehicles with the best prospects for price appreciation can only be achieved through proper and rigorous research and analysis.Reuters August 11, 2017 5:05 AM. Above:. the third-biggest cryptocurrency,.Cryptocurrency: where to next? eServGlobal - May 15, 2017 August 1, 2017.
Savvy investors are making money hand over fist by going in on what many believe to the be the future of money.Why Aphria Inc (TSE:APH) Is Poised to Take Advantage of Marijuana Stock Market Resurgence.ICO Calendar gives you the latest info on upcoming and ongoing ICOs. Invest in real estate with cryptocurrency.There are all manners of new ICOs coming out, ones that tackle everything from betting on sports to wagering coins when you play a video game to coins that make investments easier with cryptocurrency.The Solomon Exchange ICO token sale will be starting from 28th august 2017 and is one. access to global crypto currency. of the upcoming ICO that is.
Share this: Tweet Share on Tumblr Pocket Email Print crypto news, crypto updates, eth news, eth updates, ethereum fork, ethereum news, ethereum updates, mike b Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published.
The Golden Age of Cryptocurrency | The Golden AgeWhen black markets develop on the sidelines of most massively multiplayer online role-playing games, most developers would panic.Massive Bitcoin liquidation likely to happen before August 1st, warns crypto currency. is crypto currency safe to hold.Cryptocurrency News: Bitcoin Price Jump,. withdrawals and deposits four hours ahead of a potential hard fork on August 1, 2017. Upcoming Events.Discussion topics must be related to cryptocurrency. Wired. Last modified August 11, 2017. close the gap to BTC with a number of innovations upcoming.
The path of the 2017 eclipse crosses with the path of the upcoming total solar.
Tech Stock Earnings For Upcoming 7 days – August 18, 2017
Cryptocurrency: where to next? - The Mobile Money Channel
Viberate.io Enables Cryptocurrency Payment for Live MusicNo comments Upcoming Ethereum Fork Source: Mike B My Tweets Disclaimer: No information on this website should be considered legal or financial advice.August 3, 2017 TK 0 Comments. a Service startup Node40 has released its cryptocurrency tax.
Below is a full list of upcoming 2017 movies, both nationwide and limited releases.Providing breaking cryptocurrency news - focusing on Bitcoin, Ethereum, NEO, ICOs, prices, blockchain technology, and smart contracts.We urge our readers to review the financial statements and prospectus of any company they are interested in.Crypto Currency News (EN) 13 August 2017 18:00 Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple,.The solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 was a total eclipse visible within a band.
Cryptocurrency News: Bitcoin Price Jump, Ether Fraud Fears
The only difference is that while IPOs are generally slower and, especially when it comes to larger companies, not terribly common, the upcoming ICO cryptocurrency list 2017 shows that the sheer amount of new offerings hitting the cryptocurrency market is daunting.REcoin Group is the real estate-backed start up that has recently announced its pre-sale and ICO launch to be started from August 7, 2017.That type of massive growth potential—not to mention a lot of good press surrounding ETH and its versatility—has many investors looking deeper into one of the more notable success stories in the market.
Future Cryptocurrency will need massive developer
The cryptocurrency market, therefore, has never been more exciting.Massive Bitcoin liquidation likely to happen before August 1st, warns crypto currency expert.On the 7th of August, 2017,. bank blockchain buterin car coin country crypto currency dao decentral decentralized digital eth.The wonderful world of cryptocurrency has grown from a budding. as of August 17 th it reached an.With the value of cryptocurrencies rising to new highs, the market has never been more frothy.
Emmett Brady on Veritaseum Update: Jamaica To Open Most Innovative Digital Asset Exchange.


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EU regulators will decide whether to clear Apple’s acquisition of Shazam by April 23rd.
The European Commission will either clear the $400m deal with or without conditions, or open a four-month investigation, according to Reuters.
European antitrust regulators started looking into the acquisition following requests from seven countries.
It started with Austria, with other similar submissions coming from France, Iceland, Italy, Norway, Spain and Spotify’s home of Sweden.
Apple sought EU approval for the deal on Wednesday.
The acquisition’s pricetag wouldn’t normally lead to such an examination, as it is under the threshold for an EU review.
However, following the submissions, the EU antitrust enforcer has decided that the deal does carry a risk of having anti-competitive effects in Europe.
Previously, the Commission has raised concerns over big companies acquiring small but data-rich rivals.
When Apple announced its acquisition of Shazam on December 11 last year, it said in a statement: “We are thrilled that Shazam and its talented team will be joining Apple.
“Since the launch of the App Store, Shazam has consistently ranked as one of the most popular apps for iOS. Today, it’s used by hundreds of millions of people around the world, across multiple platforms.
“Apple Music and Shazam are a natural fit, sharing a passion for music discovery and delivering great music experiences to our users.
“We have exciting plans in store, and we look forward to combining with Shazam upon approval of today’s agreement.”
Music Business Worldwide


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An alert has been issued to Australian companies to be wary of false claims when renewing licenses for com.au domain names.
The Australian industry body overseeing domain names, auDA, said some domain name suppliers are offering to renew licenses for up to ten years, an offer fraught with danger.auDA CEO Chris Disspain said com.au licenses are for a fixed period of two years and must be renewed at the end of that period.
"Some businesses may receive an unsolicited note to renew a domain name for 10 years and firms may be tempted to save time and effort but it cannot be done, all they will get is a reminder service every two years," Disspain told Computerworld.
"auDA believes com.au domain names will be significantly cheaper in two to four years time so companies may be paying more than they need to; also if a company signs up for 10 years the supplier may go out of business during this time and not be able to process the renewal even though its paid for in advance."
Each time a license is renewed at the end of two years Disspain said the application is checked to comply with eligibility rules.
"It is possible that a renewal is rejected and if that occurs there is no guarantee a company will be able to recover the pre-paid sums from the supplier," he said.


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Batteries not included
Batteries are great. They make many helmets from the future, from smartphones to electric cars. The problem, of course, is that the batteries never seem to have enough time for a long time – and their environmental impact is considerable.
Now, though, an All-Star Team of Research from Caltech, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Honda say they have developed a fluoride-based battery that can provide ten times the energy density of a conventional lithium-ion cell – and take fewer resources to produce.
Fluoride with me
The team describes the new battery in a paper published Friday in the magazine Science. Basically, CNET Reports, fluoride batteries are around for a while – but they require oven-like temperatures of around 300 degrees in advance (150 Celsius) to function. The new battery, according to Caltech and the company, can produce power at room temperature.
"Fluoride-Ion batteries offer a promising new battery chemistry with up to ten times more energy density than currently available lithium batteries," said Christopher Brokes, a Honda Research Institute researcher and a co-author of the paper, in a press release. "Not like Li-ion batteries, the fibers do not provide a safety risk due to overheating, and obtaining the source of material for fibers significantly less environmental impact than the extraction process for lithium and cobalt."


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GARLAND -- Foodmaker Decker Food Co. is closing its sole U.S. production plant here and moving those functions elsewhere, laying off 250 employees and relocating its headquarters to Plano.
More than 100 years old, Decker is the smallest of six companies in the Refrigerated Prepared Food division of ConAgra Inc. The Omaha-based conglomerate is an international diversified food company logging $24 billion in annual sales from 80 individual companies.
The decision to close the plant and lay off employees was a tough one, said Michael Brown, president of Decker.
"It was a matter of efficiency. It just boils down to money," said Brown. "Within our portion of the industry, we have some capacity opportunities in newer facilities with state-of-the-art equipment."
Decker makes hotdogs, bacon, smoked sausage and luncheon meats. It produces about 10% of all brands of processed meats sold in Texas.
Despite the plant closing, Decker brands will still be available to consumers at the grocery store, according to Julie DeYoung, a spokeswoman for the group at its headquarters in Downers Grove, Ill.
"We remain committed to the Decker brand and the lineup of Decker products," DeYoung said. "We'll be consolidating production to other facilities."
Decker will continue as the official supplier of more than 1 million hot dogs a year to Texas Rangers baseball fans at The Ballpark in Arlington. The company will also continue producing Spicy Rangers hotdogs.
The closing comes in the wake of ConAgra's announcement in May that it would follow the food industry trend and consolidate some of its operations, which employ 82,000 worldwide. The Decker plant is the only one in the Refrigerated Prepared Food division being shuttered.
At its peak one year ago, the plant employed 328. Located on 15 acres in Garland's industrial area at Jupiter Road and Interstate 635, the 127,000-square-foot plant was built in 1962.
"We anticipate trying to sell the plant, but we haven't made any efforts yet in that direction," said DeYoung.
Decker's headquarters will remain in the Metroplex, moving to smaller digs at the Dallas North Tollway and Plano Parkway in Plano. The 25 remaining employees will handle corporate staff, sales, accounting and distribution.
Most employees being laid off are hourly production-line workers, many of them members of the United Food & Commercial Workers Local Union 540. Those jobs will go to various facilities all over the United States, said DeYoung.
"We are offering extensive outplacement services with a job fair at the plant," she said. "We're working aggressively to find as much employment as possible before the closing."
Decker, founded in Mason City, Iowa, in the 1800s, migrated south over the years. ConAgra acquired the company in 1983.
Even though Decker is downsizing its operations in the Metroplex, the company's name will still be prominent, said Brown, noting that Decker actively supports the nonprofit, children's home Jonathan's Place, as well as the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation and also Raffy's Readers, the literacy program of Rangers player Rafael Palmeiro.
"We're going to stay very active in the community," said Brown.
Decker's products are sold throughout the Southwest. The past five years they've been distributed by Mesquite-based Texas Freezer. That contract will continue as usual, he said.


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Source says Target hackers stole encrypted bank PINs
BOSTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The hackers who attacked Target Corp and compromised up to 40 million credit cards and debit cards also managed to steal encrypted personal identification numbers (PINs), according to a senior payments executive familiar with the situation.
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Indian telecom company Aircel has announced a new plan which will allow its users to have free local calling minutes with data usage. Despite this fact, reports state that other telecom operators are not threatened by the company’s latest move.
On the other hand, other telecom companies are looking forward to raise their call and data tariffs so as to improve their margins. The new plan that has been introduced by the company is known as ‘Surf To Talk Free’, which offers free calling with data usage. The new plan has been launched so as to improve Aircel's market share in the ever-competitive service provider space.
Aircel will be offering ten minutes of free local calls on the consumption of 1 MB or more data. This offer could be made available to users on a daily basis as well. Anupam Vasudevan, the chief marketing officer for Aircel said, “It is not discounting, it is actually giving the customer extra”. However, the catch here is that the company is offering free calling to users when they are using data at the base rate and not as a part of any pack. This is where Aicel could make up the margins that have been lost in the form of talk time minutes.


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Sushant Madaan, an organic farming enthusiast from Gurugram has set up a first-of-its-kind aquaponic farm of Northern India.
Sushant Madaan, an organic farming enthusiast from Gurugram has set up the first-of-its-kind aquaponic farm in north India.
Aquaponics is a system of aquaculture, which allows farmers to raise fishes while also being able to grow plants. The waste produced by the farmed fish or other aquatic creatures supplies nutrients for the plants.
Image for representation only. Source: By Bryghtknyght (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons
“In aquaponics, we grow fish and plants together in a tank. The tank has fishes in it and on the sides of the tank there are beds for plants. The water from the fish tank which is rich in nutrients due to the fish waste goes into the plants,” Madaan told The Times of India.
Madaan decided to pursue aquaponics after exploring different organic farming techniques for a while. Having set up the farm in June this year, he is planning to grow leafy vegetables this season.
The beds in an aquaponic farm that support plants are made using different types of material like thermocol sheets or gravel. The approximate cost of setting up an aquaponics farm ranges between Rs. 5 lakh to Rs. 15 lakh. While the cost of setting up such a farm is higher than conventional farming, Madaan says that the operational cost is much less because there is no need for fertilizers. An aquaponic farm also uses 90% less water than a conventional farm.
He claims that the yield from an aquaponic farm is two times higher. The only limitation of this farming technique is that one cannot grow underground fruits and vegetables.
You may also like: This Man Gave up City Life to Pursue Organic Farming & Preserve Indigenous Seeds in Mandya
The District horticulture officer Deen Mohammad Khan has been tracking this project since its inception. He said, “It is the first of its kind aquaponic project in Northern India and is a great technique especially with the ever increasing demand of organic fruits and vegetables in the urban areas.”


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Thirty women led by Jaqueline “Feisty” Branch, dubbed the “motorcycling grandma,” will begin their ride on Thursday, July 4 from Houston to New Orleans to attend the 25th anniversary Essence Festival celebrating African American culture and music in America.
Under the banner of Black Girls Ride, the first motorcycle magazine to target women of color, Feisty and gang will unite with almost 200 other bikers from Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana— even a few all the way from California. Zipping across the country on Polaris Slingshots and Indian Motorcycles, who are both sponsors, and in the case of Feisty, a matte black Harley-Davidson Road Glide, these women paint a much different picture of the motorcycling industry than that of the handle-bar mustache, beer bottle bar fight.
Porsche Taylor, who founded Black Girls Ride magazine in 2011, embraces the new image of the urban biker lifestyle. “Our fellow biker sisters come from all walks of life. We work in boardrooms and classrooms across the nation, but on the free road we are one. We are a family—women who continue to break barriers and defy stereotypes in motorcycling.”
Motorcycle ownership among women is on the rise as they now account for one fifth of the market. In the last ten years in particular, the female presence has more than doubled, especially among Gen X and Gen Y’s according to a 2018 survey done by the Motorcycle Industry Council. And according to a press release citing an MRI Simmons study, it states that among African Americans, female bikers make up more than half of the population.
Forty-nine-year-old Branch, who started as a backpacker on her dad's motorcycle when she was 12, has been riding her own bike since she was 18. Back then, it was more common to see women as backpackers, riding on the back of the bike, she remembers. “Of course, we weren’t accepted, it was like the housewife was expected to stay in their zone, but now, we have our zone.”
Though the motorcycling industry has targeted women since the 1980s with outreach programs like Discover Today’s Motorcycling, it wasn’t until the last ten years that Branch says the sport become more accessible. She credits the eight-year-old magazine; “Black Girls Ride gives us a voice; we are seen and heard throughout the community and over the state.”
In a press release prefacing the 2018 survey done by MIC, Cinnamon Kernes, vice president and general manager for MIC and the American International Motorcycle Expo explained that an increase in female involvement with motorcycle products is partly why. “Over the past decade, more women are designing riding gear and other products specifically for female riders… having gear designed for women by women was a huge step and has certainly helped encourage female ridership.”
Not only does Branch help prepare beginners and experts for long journeys like the one on July 4, which includes practice group rides and bike maintenance, she has intermingled Black Girls Ride members with her other passion: helping the homeless.
When Branch isn’t on the open road, she collects and delivers supplies for at her job with SEARCH Homeless Services while also making time to volunteer for Loaves & Fishes Soup Kitchen. "When you say, 'motorcycle ride events', the image comes to mind of long beards and tattoos. They aren't expecting professional women doing different rides and community service."


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By Troy Hasselman, February 8 2019—
Good news for fans of local beer, technology and/or puns.
Bock Chain, a new beer made in collaboration between producers in Calgary and the surrounding area, is available as part of a limited run at Last Best Brewing and in liquor stores around the province. The brew is a collaboration between Hamill Farms and Red Shed Malting in Penhold, Canada Malting Co., Last Best Brewing & Distilling and TE-FOOD in Calgary.
The new beer uses blockchain, a technology that stores information in various “blocks” that is seeing increasing use in the food industry to link ingredients to their origins. You can scan a QR code on the can to access an interactive site with information about where each ingredient comes from. Videos, maps and photos fully capture the process, from the growth and harvesting of the grains to the fermentation process and everything in between, giving the drinker an inside look at how the beer was made.
“The main concept of the beer is that it’s a blockchain beer. That basically means giving our consumers visibility over where our ingredients come from,” says Last Best head brewer Natasha Peiskar. “There’s a little bit of a pun involved there. Bock is a malty German-style lager that’s little bit higher in alcohol and more malty than your traditional American lager. We wanted to showcase the ingredients and what better way to do it than with a malty lager?”
There was a fairly lengthy process from the original concept of the beer to the finished product, which was released on Jan. 31.
“I think the original concept for it came back in July between us, Red Shed, Hamill Farms, Canada malting and TE-FOOD,” explains Last Best brewer and Albeerta Head of Production Kyle Smythe. “Figuring out the timeline and everything took time so there was definitely a good amount of work that went into the project.”
The technological concept of the beer is meant to showcase the brewers involved in the beer, highlight the ingredients used in it and shine light on the brewing process.
“Every time we write a beer recipe, we’re trying to shine through the ingredients and balance in some sort of flavour that hits the mark on what we’re going for,” says Smythe. “We just try and think of what are the flavours we want out of the beer rather than the ingredients, and we put down a baseline for what we want to brew and build the recipe backwards.”
The beer will only be around for a short time.
“We think it’s a pretty great beer although it has a lot of malty character to it,” Peiskar says. “It’s really crisp and dry and very drinkable so I’d say it shouldn’t be around for more than a couple of months.”
Bock Chain can be found at liquor stores around the city and at Last Best Brewing & Distilling at 607 11 Ave. S.W.


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The Internet sales division has become an increasingly important sales tool for builders, including Pardee Homes. Pardee currently employs Carolyn Berger and Aime Sibley as online sales counselors in its Internet division. These sales professionals help guide customers in their home buying process.
“The Internet has become an important tool for consumers researching everything from cheap flights to the best car deals,” said Rob Tuvell, regional sales director for Pardee Homes. “New home sales are not different, as many of our customers use our Web site as a starting point for gathering information on our homes and communities before they visit one of our neighborhood sales offices.”
Pardee’s Internet sales division takes the online experience a step further by providing agents who are available daily to respond to inquiries.
“We get a number of families requesting information that are in far away time zones, or just want an answer to a quick question,” Berger said. “We get a lot of military relocations, particularly from service members stationed overseas and the Internet is critical to communicating with these potential buyers.”
Berger and Sibley work with potential buyers to identify their new home needs.
“The majority of our clients are just so happy to have a ‘live’ person to talk to as a complement to their online research,” Berger said. “Yet, we function as a part of Pardee’s sales force with the only exception is our customers come to us online instead of meeting us as a sales office.”
Pardee Homes currently has homes available from the high $100,000s to more than $1 million throughout the Las Vegas Valley.
Neighborhoods include Bella Fiore and Tremezzo at Lake Las Vegas Resort; Montclaire off of Horizon Ridge and Jeffries in Henderson; Arrowhead, Sierra and Crestline at Sunrise Mountain; Horizon and Northpointe in Eldorado; Riverstone at Prescott Park in North Las Vegas; Solamar at Vista Verde in Centennial Hills; Rosetta and Serrano in Mountain’s Edge; and Trail Ridge near State Route 160 and Durango Road.
For more information, call 614-1400 or visit pardeehomes.com.
All Pardee sales offices and model homes are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday.


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- Subscribe NowLimited Time Offer
AT&T’s new pricing plan builds customers a better bucket, exec says
Send this story to a friend
Take one or two smartphones. Throw in 2 GB of data. Add unlimited talk and text and unlimited international messaging. Then toss in 50GB of cloud storage.
Charge $65 a month for one phone or $90 for two devices, which is $15 a month less expensive than before.
The cloud storage part of the bucket has Quintanilla especially pumped.
“That’s a tremendous value-add,” Quintanilla said. “To put that into perspective, what that enables you to do is to store up to 30,000 photos safe and secure on the network and access them on different connected devices. You can store things like photos, videos, music, documents. There is an auto-upload feature too.”
The package deal is an attractive option for families, individuals and businesses, he said.
It’s an especially good deal for customers who leverage it with AT&T’s Next program, which allows customers to get a new mobile device every year with no activation fee.
“It’s a fun time to be redefining the industry,” Quintanilla said. “Really creating some value options for our customers. It’s a great time to be able to give customers what they really want, which is value and technology that makes a difference.”
AT&T's new pricing took effect March 9, and includes those who are still under a contract.
AT&T’s price drop came two days after rival T-Mobile increased its prices for unlimited 4G LTE access by $10 to $80. T-Mobile also offers free talk and text within the U.S. and to select countries, with no annual contract.
Since January, AT&T and T-Mobile have cut costs and directly targeted each others’ customers.
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Puzzle and Dragons has been downloaded 32 million times, publisher Gung-Ho has announced. According to Siliconera, the mobile game has attracted 26 million downloads in Japan; 3 million downloads in North America; 2 million in South Korea and 1 million in Taiwan. Not so surprising when you consider claims that smartphone gaming accounts for half of the Japanese games industry’s value. Puzzle & Dragons was followed by 3DS sequel Puzzle & Dragons Z.
Buy our t-shirts, yeah
They're far more stylish than your average video game website tat.


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Clients must check out the Amazon Go app upon entering the store. Sensors will then track their actions and cost shoppers’ Amazon (AMZN) accounts for the items they grab. Customers just stroll out of the store. No cashiers needed.
Amazon Go’s offerings include groceries, ready-to-eat meals, cold drinks and meal prep kits.
The tech giant very very very first introduced the Amazon Go store concept in 2016, and it was established to open to the public in early 2017.
The Wall Street Journal documented final March that the tech that powers the shop was a bit more challenging to develop than initially thought.
Amazon on Sunday disputed that, telling CNNMoney that “there had been no technology problems.”
The organization stated it’s workers have been allowed to shop at the store throughout its screening phase. In accordance to the spokesperson the
“volume of business from just Amazon workers turned out to be significantly higher than expected.”
“We had been able to learn everything we needed from just that subestablished of customers,”
the person added.
Monday will mark the very very very first time the general public will be able to test it out.
Related: Why you want Amazon to be your new neighbor
The very very very first store is located in Seattle, where Amazon is headquartered.
Amazon stated Sunday that more may open in the future, but that
“for now we’re laser concentrated on this store.”
Amazon Go marks the latest addition to Amazon’s brick-and-mortar ventures.
The organization now operates 13 guidestores throughout the U.S., and three more locations are on the way, according to Amazon’s website. The organization also purchased the Whole Foods grocery chain in June for $13.7 billion.
Amazon’s foray into operating bodily shops is laced with irony, considering Amazon is widely blamed for driving some traditional retailers out of business with its quick-shipping e-commerce site.
But the organization has created it clear it’s not building your grandparents’ shopping destinations.
Just like Amazon Go, Amazon guidestores are geared for the electronically savvy.
Inside those shops digital displays under every guide display the number of stars it’s received on Amazon.com. At checkout, there exists no cash. Customers must pay with a card or through the Amazon app on their phones.


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Fans who attend the All-Star game's weekly festivities will be able to use Apple's mobile payments system to buy food and merchandise.
Wedged between techie territories like Palo Alto and Menlo Park, this once down-and-out California town is trying to turn itself around while still keeping its identity. We paid a visit on Road Trip 2015.
A month into its official debut, Microsoft's new system software is ahead of Windows 8 and Mac OS X Yosemite in desktop traffic, according to Web tracker NetMarketShare.
Those who have a Samsung Gear VR headset will be able to watch this weekend's All-Star events for free in full virtual reality -- though they'll have to wait a bit.
Google is working on a new technology called VP10 that will allow it to squeeze higher-quality video over broadband and mobile networks. And thanks to patent issues with a rival standard, it has a chance to catch on.
The $5 game includes the ability to transform a vehicle from a car to a boat to a plane midrace.
From the Cheapskate: This top-rated drive -- a perfect upgrade for laptops and desktops alike -- retails for $250.
The company highlights new Windows 10 devices using its new processors -- including an updated Intel Compute Stick -- during a press conference at the IFA electronics show in Berlin.
From the Cheapskate: The best laptop deal isn't always the deal you should choose. The most important "feature"? Usability.
The alliance, which includes Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Netflix, pledges to build next-generation video technology -- and offer it for free.


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South by Southwest has been growing to encompass more topics over the years, and now it has more Disney flair. If you’re at SXSW this year, you’ll get your dose of the Mouse in a gallery event speared by the Oh My Disney blog and Mondo. The collectible art division of Alamo Drafthouse worked with Disney to release posters inspired by DuckTales and The Little Mermaid last year, and this year they’re taking the relationship to the next level and opening a gallery show with a “Nothing’s Impossible” theme.
The Mondo Gallery will open the Disney show on March 7, and it will run through the duration of SXSW. Visitors will be able to view artwork inspired by Disney films old and new by artists such as Dave Perillo, Francesco Francavilla, Dave Petersen, and Martin Ansin.
Mondo CEO Justin Ishmael is looking forward to sharing the magic, saying, “Disney has a special way of bringing out the magic in all of us and we’re very excited to bring that feeling to Austin at this year’s gallery event. Having worked with Oh My Disney over the last year, we know the site celebrates reinventing timeless stories and we hope our work sparks the imagination of both Disney and Mondo fans.”
If you’re not attending SXSW, you’ll be able to gaze at the art digitally. Oh My Disney and Mondo will be releasing the posters digitally every week leading up to opening night.


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In the right geographic location as a glut of cruise ship capacity moves into the Chinese market, South Korean ports will be out in force at this week’s annual China Cruise Shipping conference and trade show.
A large South Korea delegation will join the event, also hosting a so-called destination promotion on Sept. 24 to promote cruise tourism and tourism. Nine South Korean government agencies will be represented.
The country is set to launch a new cruise destination development program to promote building cruise traffic among ports such as Incheon, Busan, the Gangwon Province, and Lishui. Incheon will open a new terminal in February 2017, with two mega-ship berths.
Gangwon Province has two cruise ports: Sokcho and Donghae. The Province will host the 2018 winter Olympics.


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Registration takes less than 1 minute.
The National Transportation Safety Board will still seek to locate the TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico ship and recover the "black box" voyage data recorder.
The asset-light transportation and logistics service provider has extended its existing credit facility from $550 million to $700 million through 2019.
“Supply chain has to be at the forefront of every enterprise in the world, especially ones that are consumer-facing,” Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said Monday at the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals’ annual conference in San Diego.
The entire investigation into the loss of TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico ship will take 12-18 months, but the NTSB will release findings on an "as needed" basis in advance of its final report.
The national mail carrier of Singapore and aspiring global logistics provider has agreed to purchase a 71.1 percent share in Jagged Peak, Inc. for $15.8 million.
The inability to agree on a long-term highway bill led Congress in July to pass a six-month extension of Transportation Department programs that will expire at the end of the month.


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Photos Courtesy of Blue Star LineWhile James Cameron may have impressed millions when he brought a new generation aboard the Titanic through his 1997 blockbuster film, Clive Palmer is doing one better. The eccentric billionaire is physically bringing cruise-goers onto the famous ship. Or rather, onto its new and improved twin sister Titanic II, that is. Palmer announced his intentions last year to build a modern replica of the legendary vessel and has just revealed some interesting details about what we can expect for its 2016 maiden voyage.
Palmer is creating the Titanic II not only to show people what it was like to sail on the ill-fated ship, but to have them truly experience it and feel like a part of history, minus the iceberg [fingers crossed]. Passengers will be given period clothing to don while on their voyage from Southampton, UK to New York City, as it was supposed to happen in 1912. While Palmer is still deciding whether to provide Internet access, he does note that there will be no phones and no TVs. Without these distractions, perhaps a few good conversations and even romance could ensue. It sure worked in the movie.
Mimicking the precise design detail of the original, the 10-deck Titanic II will contain all the same restaurants and dining rooms, a smoking room, casino, theater, and hospital. Of course some differences are inevitable, like the top-of-the-line engine and air conditioning, as well as the addition of more lifeboats, including 18 motorized ones, to rectify one of the most egregious errors made during the last century.
One particularly outdated practice from the Titanic that could take place on the new ship is the division of first, second and third class passengers, whom may be prohibited from intermingling. The idea that passengers would be able to experience all class levels during their stay is under still consideration as well. And while you may think a successful man like Palmer would be living the high life on board his own grand creation, he claims that he will be found traveling third class in authentic attire, sporting a wig, and dancing around like Leo did. I’ll believe that when I see it.
Blue Star Line, the shipping company owned by Palmer at the helm of this project, already has 40,000 people registered for tickets for the inaugural sailing in 2016. And while ticket prices haven’t been released yet, it was revealed that 16 of those registered are willing to pay between $750,000 to $1 million for a cabin to be a part of it.
Finland-based marine design and engineering company Deltamarin has started the plans while Chinese company CSC Jinling Shipyard is being commissioned to begin building the luxury liner later this year. With state-of-the-art technology and high-tech navigation systems coming to Titanic II, it has been said that this will be the safest cruise ship in the world. But, at the blue print unveiling in NYC on February 26 when asked the all-important question of whether the new version would be unsinkable, Palmer replied, ”It’s very cavalier to say that. I think people have said that in the past and lived to regret it.” Now there's an understatement.


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"The rise is larger than expected considering the modest economic growth we've had," said Jim Dunigan, managing executive of investments for PNC. He noted the government's Consumer Price Index had risen just 2 percent in the 12 months before September.
Thrifty shoppers may find some reasons for cheer. Six items mentioned in the song haven't gone up in price maids-a-milking, ladies dancing, lords-a-leaping, calling birds, turtle doves and the partridge. The eight maids-a-milking still cost just $58 because the minimum wage hasn't risen.
Twelve drummers drumming $2,775.50 and eleven pipers piping $2,562 might also be considered relative bargains compared to the seven swans, which will set you back $7,000. Nine ladies dancing will cost you $6,294.
Dunigan said the 2011 drought caused the prices of some birds to soar, partly because of corn and other feed costs.
"The geese were up 29.6 percent, and swans were up 11 percent," he said, adding that none of the gifts in the song went down in price this year.
The price of a pear tree is $189.99, an 11.8 percent jump from last year's $169.99. Five gold rings jumped 16.3 percent, to $750, and three French hens are $165, instead of $150.
The $15 partridge is the cheapest item, and swans the most expensive, at $1,000 each.
PNC Financial Services Group Inc. checks jewelry stores, dance companies, pet stores and other sources to compile the list. Some of its sources this year include the National Aviary in Pittsburgh and the Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania Ballet Co.
Partridge, $15; last year: same
Pear tree, $189.99; last year: 169.99
Two turtle doves, $125; last year: same
Three French hens, $165; last year: $150
Four calling birds (canaries), $519.96; last year: same
Five gold rings, $750; last year: $645
Six geese a-laying, $210; last year: $162
Seven swans a-swimming, $7,000; last year: $6,300
Eight maids a-milking (minimum wage), $58; last year: same
Nine ladies dancing (per performance), $6,294; last year: same
10 lords a-leaping (per performance), $4,767; last year: same
11 pipers piping (per performance), $2,562; last year: $2,428
12 drummers drumming (per performance), $2,776; last year: $2,630
Source: PNC Wealth Management


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is now in the vast rural areas and there are a lot of business opportunities, at the same time, for many migrant workers who, now the public began to enter the era of entrepreneurship, in such an era, the majority of farmers’ entrepreneurial activities also began much social attention.
well-off cannot fall in rural areas, entrepreneurial innovation can not let migrant workers absent; policy "next step", in order to get rid of obstacles, and never let the real threshold wear off migrant workers entrepreneurial passion
on entrepreneurial enthusiasm, a lot of migrant workers. According to the Ministry of human resources and social monitoring of rural labor in 500 villages, the number of self-employed in the first half grew by 3.1%, higher than the increase in the number of transferred employment. Special research found that in some of the major provinces of labor exports, home entrepreneurs faster growth, such as Guizhou, the number of migrant workers in the first half of the year on year growth of 58%. In the country, in recent years, about 2000000 migrant workers return home entrepreneurship.
on the value created, who can say that migrant workers bring economic and social benefits is not high? Zhang Mingfu national model workers, migrant workers of the Guizhou Valley, through breeding quail, driven more than 10 thousand farmers out of poverty, let the home become a local "dream" first village; village farmers Liu Qingquan Harbin Wuchang City home, founder of farmer cooperatives, with 20 thousand farmers to grow organic rice, red brand, a business, a year income tens of millions of dollars. Some people may seem, their project is not "fashionable", not "enough", but the "down to earth" for farmers, most can get benefits.
well-off cannot fall in rural areas, entrepreneurship and recommendation


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Maersk opens South Korea air link
Air link bridges South Carolina and Incheon
Maersk is opening up a new air cargo service connecting airports in South Carolina, USA, and Incheon in South Korea.
The link opened on 31st October 2022.
Operated by Miami-based cargo airline Amerijet International, two flights per week are currently scheduled.
Maersk is expanding from it shipping base into a global logistics facilitator as part of its long-term growth plans.
The service will use recently purchased Boeing 767-300 freighters.


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We’re expecting the Xiaomi Mi 5 to be announced officially on January 21. Several images and information have been leaked already the past months and we’re guessing more will be leaked before the official launch. Some info like its being powered by a Snapdragon 820 chipset have been confirmed recently and it was sighted on Oppomart earlier equipped with a 4GB RAM and a Quad HD screen.
New images are making the rounds within the social networks in China. We believe it’s more like the upcoming Xiaomi Mi 5 because numerous rumors, renders, and leaks point to one design. From the Snapdragon 820 chipset confirmation to the hi-res images and demo video shared, to that Oppomart sighting– the design is consistent. Even the early render published last month showed a similar handset.
That January 21 unveiling is happening, no doubt about that. No CES launch this year because perhaps the Chinese OEM doesn’t want to compete with hundreds of new products but we’re excited to see the latest Xiaomi phone aside from the Redmi 3 revealed earlier which is impressive with a 4100 mAh battery.
Here’s what we know so far about the upcoming Xiaomi Mi 5: 5.2-inch QHD display screen, 565 ppi, 2.5D 32GB or 64GB onboard storage, 4GB RAM, 16MP camera, 13MP front-facing camera, 3,600 mAh battery, a fingerprint scanner, and that Snapdragon 820 chipset.


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In Pakistan, the Nokia C20 costs Rs. 13,500. The selling pricing of Nokia mobile gadgets in official warranty is regulated by authorized dealers and warranty providers.
The Nokia C20 is a low-cost smartphone.
Smart tachometer Nokia’s C20 smartphone will be released shortly. This smartphone manufacturer is attempting to introduce a new model. HMD Global has previously stated that a fresh product launch event will take place on April 8th. This will be a C-series smartphone. It will be a low-cost smartphone known as the Nokia C20. The strong 1.6 GHz Quad-Core CPU will power the new smartphone. Nokia’s C20 sports an IPS LCD Capacitive Touchscreen, and this incoming new smartphone has a large screen size of 6.52 Inches, which customers will appreciate. The resolution of this smartphone is 720 x 1600 pixels, which is full HD +. The Nokia C20 will contain 1 GB of RAM, which will aid the processor in performing effectively and allowing for lightning-fast execution. The Nokia crisp C20 has 16 gigabytes of internal storage, which is adequate to store a large number of data for a long period of time and be utilized afterward. However, because the C20 supports MicroSD cards, you may expand the storage capacity of the device. The handset will come equipped with a single rear camera setup. The sensor of the C20 will be 5 megapixels. There is an LED flash to assist the main sensor in taking photographs. The selfie shooter of the C20 will be 5 megapixels. The handset will run this smartphone on Android 11.0 (Go edition). This new handset C20 by Nokia is fueled with a gigantic battery that is going to be a Non-removable Li-Po 3000 mAh battery, also there is a 5W Fast charging.


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Citrix has announced a new version of Citrix XenServer claiming to have introduced new functionality to improve storage as companies roll out desktop virtualisation and ability to support cloud services.
McAfee has developed an antivirus product or virtulised environments. The company has partnered with Citrix to provide a means of protecting virtual machines in the same way that it can handle physical ones.
Mobile printing has never been easier. For a busy office, reliable and easy-to-use tools are essential. Samsung's latest smart printers are equipped for wireless printing from mobile devices. Find out more about what is all about.
TomTom has followed the lead its main rival Garmin by offering capacitive touchscreens and multitouch technology on its latest range of high-end portable sat navs.
Adobe has offered more details of the 'sandbox' security feature it plans to implement to secure its hugely popular but often-attacked PDF Reader software.
Microsoft today said it will deliver a record 16 security updates next week to patch a whopping 49 vulnerabilities in Windows, Internet Explorer (IE), Office and SharePoint.
Citrix has developed Project GoldenGate, a prototype e-mail application for smartphones and tablets that can secure e-mails based on location and adapt the user interface depending on the device.
Canonical has redoubled its efforts to lure consumers to its Ubuntu desktop Linux OS, revising the user interface for netbooks and tweaking services to better integrate Windows and smartphone users.
Expanding its efforts to bring Linux to the desktop, Canonical on Thursday is announcing upcoming availability of upgrades to Ubuntu Linux for desktop computers and netbooks, featuring interface and application installation improvements.
Some wireless application developers are hesitant about next week's launch of Windows Phone 7 devices, preferring to wait and see how the phones sell before investing big in the platform.
Apple's iOS and Google's Android OS dominate the new non-BlackBerry installations in enterprises across the globe between July and September 2010, according to Good Technology's tally of what the mobility management vendor's customers are deploying. ...
How to spot -- and take down -- the six most nefarious adversaries of IT
This year, BenQ plans to break into the Australian camcorder market with a range of affordable, self-branded digital video cameras. Each model in the BenQ camcorder range features Full HD video recording (1080x1920p), plus unique features such as dua...
It looks like nVidia is getting into the retail game, and is planning to manufacture and sell graphics cards under its own name, according to <a href="http://www.hardocp.com/article/2010/10/05/nvidia_enters_retail_direct_sales_at_best_buy">HardOCP</a...
These free and open source applications for Windows, Linux, and Mac desktops put power into the hands of users without taking from their wallets
If you need to justify a pricey 3D TV, you can give Activision a pat on the back for adding 3D support to Call of Duty: Black Ops when it ships early next month. For those keeping score, it'll be included in all three versions, PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.
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It’s a segment Chevrolet has sat out of for much too long. The hatchback market continues to grow at a healthy pace, and we think the 2017 Chevrolet Cruze hatch should be welcomed with open arms from across consumer bases. But, what about the enthusiast?
Chevrolet scored a cult classic with the Cobalt SS years ago. It’s still sourced, tuned up and prodded around by a younger demographic the brand would certainly love to appeal to today. And, while most of those young guys and gals spend their millennial monies on a Focus ST, Chevy has nothing to offer. Maybe that’s about to change.
During the 2016 North American International Auto Show, Car Advice had a few words with Chevrolet Executive Vice President Alan Batey. Bates first described the Cruze hatch saying, “we’ve really positioned this as sporty, and to appeal to those young, fashion-conscious consumers that are looking for something in the compact segment.”
Excellent, now we have our target audience. So, how about the go-fast stuff? When asked about a hotter Cruze hatchback with performance goodies, Batey replied “Yes, for sure, for sure.” Optimism runs deep.
But, he seemed to backtrack on his words in following remarks, but blurted out typical PR jargon in saying, “We’ve got nothing to announce at this point apart from what we’ve said today.”
We think that’s just enough to begin the rumormill churning on a proper successor to the Cobalt SS.


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Good help is hard to find. In Sioux Falls unemployment is nearing a record low, making it hard for businesses to find any help at all.
Employers are trying just about everything to attract workers.
KELO-LAND's John Bachman is Live on Minnesota avenue where help wanted signs are lining the streets.
Car washes, retail stores, and restaurants, are all suffering through the worker shortage. But one restaurant is trying something that's hard to resist.
Sioux Falls streets are getting busier, and the skyline is getting bigger. As more businesses pop up, and more people pull up to the drive-thru, places like Dairy Queen can't keep enough help behind the counter. The ice cream shop lost 15 kids to college.
That's why it's now offering a 1,000 dollar hiring bonus. Jill Willard, the Dairy Queen Manager says, "There's some people out there that think they can fill out an application and we'll hand them a thousand dollars."
Actually the incentive goes like this. Employees who work 20 hours a week will get 250 dollars every three months.
Even the 1,000 dollar hiring bonus isn't getting enough help. They've had four people sign up for the bonus, and then not show up for work.
The bonus brought in Angel Harmon and Shiel Cournoyer. "But see it didn't work right... it should've..." These new hires are learning to run the register. "Yesterday was my first day and they just kind of throw you in there and you follow someone around and you catch on pretty quick," Harmon says.
Dairy Queen is also serving up 200 dollars to any employee who refers a future hire. But they're still coming up short of help.
At 1.3 percent, Sioux Falls unemployment is three times lower than the national average.
Skilled labor positions, like carpenters and mechanics, are in big demand. Also, customer service and computer jobs.


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Huawei has had problems with the US government for over a year. The Chinese manufacturer is on a black trade list and is therefore no longer allowed to do business with Google, among others. The ban has been postponed several times, but unfortunately will take effect on September 15.
Huawei has indicated several times in the past that it would like to make smartphones and tablets with Android. It looks like it has not been awarded to Huawei. In the meantime, the Chinese company has been busy and has developed its own operating system.
Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei, announced during an interview with the Chinese website IT Home that we can expect the first Huawei smartphone without Android next year. Instead, the device runs on its own operating system HarmonyOS 2.0.
Huawei will present the latest version of the operating system during the Huawei Developer Conference 2020 this Thursday (September 10). According to the best man, the operating system is currently still intended for smartwatches, smart TVs, computers and cars. HarmonyOS 2.0 has been specially developed for smartphones and tablets of the company and should replace Android from next year.


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Following DDB’s win of BMW’s creative account, associated companies Rapp and Dynamo have picked up more work.
Media agency Dynamo will handle ad space bookings while Rapp has picked up the direct marketing work.
Omnicom-owned Dynamo was formed to service Telecom, in a move that shafted long time Telecom agency Starcom.
BMW Group New Zealand Managing Director, Ms Nina Englert says the pitch process was very robust and thorough.
She said for the direct marketing account, incumbent Twenty was invited to pitch with two others including Rapp.
Ms Englert says Twenty had worked on BMW for seven years.
“Twenty played a big role in supporting BMW to become the number one selling premium automotive brand in New Zealand. We thank Twenty for that and wish them every success in the future”
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Truck manufacturers aren’t the only ones girding themselves for the expected drop in truck sales next year. Carriers and dealerships alike are preparing for the long-anticipated sales decline predicated by the costly introduction of mandated emission control equipment next year. The good news is leading players indicate they expect truck demand will start to pick up before ’07 is out-- and to rise notably for two years after that.
“We expect first-quarter  deliveries to remain robust followed by weaker deliveries in the second and third quarters,” said Marvin Rush, chairman of San Antonio, TX-based Peterbilt dealership chain Rush Enterprises. “However, we believe the market will begin to rebound in the fourth quarter of 2007, followed by strong markets in 2008 and 2009 as customers purchase trucks in advance of even more stringent diesel engine emissions standards that will go into effect in 2010.”
“Production of on-highway trucks should be up about 8% this year, the result of better trucking company profits and ordering in advance of 2007 emission standards,” said Jim Owen, Caterpillar’s chairman & CEO. “Truck manufacturers have covered production slots through year-end with orders.”
Right now, many carriers are still taking a “wait and see” approach to 2007, with many stocking up as much as possible on trucks equipped with 2006 engines so they won’t be among the first to put the new low-emission models into service.
“[We plan to] delay the cost impact of the federally mandated engine emission standards that are required for all newly manufactured engines beginning in January 2007,” said Clarence Werner, chairman, president & CEO of Werner Enterprises. “During fourth quarter 2006, we’ll be taking delivery of a substantial number of new trucks. And those trucks are expected to be placed in service during the first half of 2007.”
“Based on our tractor delivery schedule into early 2007, we have the ability to expand our fleet by 300 to 400 tractors with 2006 engines or to maintain our fleet’s current size,” said Randy Marten, chairman, president & CEO of refrigerated carrier Marten Transport. “Following the purchase of these tractors, we expect that our fleet age will allow us to defer any additional tractor purchases until 2008 if we desire.”
As a result of moves like Marten’s and Werner’s, production of trucks equipped with new engines will drop, leading many dealerships to stock up on trucks with pre-’07 engines to soften the projected decline in sales next year.
“New emissions standards in the U.S. and slowing freight activity should cause heavy-duty on-highway truck production to fall an estimated 40%,” said Caterpillar’s Owen. “Truck engine shipments to OEMs would fall even further.”
He said Class 8 North American heavy-duty truck sales are anticipated to decline from about 325,000 units this year to between 190,000 and 220,000 units in 2007. “The industry drop is expected to be more concentrated in the first quarter of the year, with demand increasing somewhat in the remainder of 2007,” Owen added.
“We know that there will be a sharp decline in the Class 8 truck market next year, so we began increasing our new Class 8 truck inventory during the third quarter of 2006, and expect to continue to increase it through the remainder of the year,” said Rusty Rush, president & CEO of Rush Enterprises
“[Having] A large inventory of Class 8 trucks with engines manufactured before the new emission guidelines take effect should lead to a strong start in 2007,” Rush added. “By properly managing Class 8 inventory levels heading into 2007, we hope to soften the earnings impact that will result from fewer Class 8 trucks being sold in 2007.”


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US retail sales fell 1.5% in September after moving into positive territory the previous month as the country emerges from a long recession. The figures were affected by a drop in vehicle sales after the end of the US government's popular scrappage scheme in August.
The sales slump followed a revised 2.2% rise in August but was less than the 2.1% drop expected by most analysts.
Approaching a holiday shopping season critical to economic recovery, US retailers are bracing for a difficult period with credit still tight and consumer caution lingering.
Many early projections suggests retail spending in the final two months of 2009, a season that accounts for a large proportion of sales and profits, will be flat or lower.
A breakdown of the September figures showed that motor vehicle and parts sales tumbled 10.4%, the largest monthly fall since August 2005, after rising 7.8% in August.
Excluding motor vehicles and parts, retail sales rose by a bigger than expected 0.5% in September after increasing 1% in August. That cemented the view that consumer spending recovered and the economy started growing in the third quarter after the worst US recession since the 1930s. Economists had expected a 0.2% excluding cars. Consumer spending normally accounts for about 70% of US economic activity.


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China satisfies its hunger for Canadian lobster through JD.com
Export numbers for Canadian lobster continue to grow at a remarkable rate, with access to the market now available through major Chinese e-commerce platform JD.com.
140,000 live lobsters were recently sold through the website – one of the biggest platforms of its kind in the world - in a 24-hour period as China’s desire for the crustacean shows no sign of abating.
It measures second to the United States in terms of its lobster imports from Canada, with demand quickly rising among consumers since 2011.
Six years ago, it imported around $27.5mn worth of lobster from the Atlantic shores, with that figure now understood to be in the region of $162.8mn.
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The opportunities via web sales have been a catalyst behind such growth, with retailers such as iseafoods.com joining JD in marketing it as a product online.
At the end of July, JD will be presenting the benefits of selling through its platform to businesses in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently did his bit to further boost the trade route, posing for a photograph with Jack Ma, President of the online giant Alibaba - with the pair each holding a lobster.
The US has also benefitted from the culinary desires of the Chinese, with Maine landing a record-breaking $533mn for its haul in 2016.
Australia, China’s previous primary source, has seen a decline in its lobster population by half - another factor behind its focus on the North American market.
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CBSA: Copper, Brass Shipments Continue 2010 Increase
Shipments of red metals continued their yearlong climb in September, according to the latest report from the Copper and Brass Servicenter Association, Overland, Park, Kansas. For all products, warehouse shipments of 22.8 million pounds were up 12.7 percent compared to September 2009. For the year to date, total warehouse shipments of 203.5 million pounds were 22.9 percent higher than last year.
Copper shipments of 9.3 million pounds were up 14.0 percent from last year, and the year-to-date total remains 19.0 percent higher. Copper plate shipments of 664,000 pounds in September were a 33.3 percent jump from 2009.
Alloy shipments of 13.5 million tons were up 11.9 percent over the same period in 2009. For the year, alloy shipments of 119 million pounds represent a 25.7 percent increase.
Suppliers and distributors have differing views on what to expect for the balance of the year, according to a CBSA survey. More than half of service center operators expect incoming orders to increase or hold steady during the fourth quarter, while two-thirds of suppliers anticipate decreasing orders during the final three months of the year.


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Lenovo and HTC plan to launch some of the first standalone Daydream VR headsets later this year, and Google has developed a reference platform with Qualcomm that will let other companies bring their own to market.
Since these devices don’t use your phone or a computer, all you have to do is put on the headset to start a virtual reality session. There’s nothing to set up, and no wires to plug in (or trip over).
While 1st-gen Daydream systems allowed you to look around a room, Daydream 2.0 will work with standalone headsets to offer 6-degrees of freedom position tracking, which means you can move up down, left right, or forward and backward.
But at the Google IO conference, Google representatives are explaining to developers that they may need to do things a bit differently when creating apps for the new standalone headsets.
Existing Daydream-compatible apps will work on the new headsets. But since there’s no phone that you can remove to complete some actions on a touchscreen, Google says developers need to create VR-friendly experiences for doing things like signing into an account or updating payment information.
Google also notes that many people will likely be using Daydream standalone headsets in relatively tight spaces. So the company does not encourage developers to create apps that encourage people to actually walk around. Instead, the idea is to let people sit or stand, but also to learn and shift their balance for a more realistic experience.
For example, the company showed off a dodgeball demo game, where you lean out of the way of incoming balls.
Among other things, Google encourages use of “teleportation” as an alternative to walking. You can move through virtual worlds with the use of a Daydream motion controller by pointing at the space where you want to be and clicking to teleport to that position.
It might not be as natural as walking, but it should help keep you from bumping into real-world walls that you can’t see. Other VR systems (like the HTC Vive) have technology to detect physical objects in your path and warn you to stay out of their way.


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You might not associate Halloween with Star Wars, but Gentle Giant has made a habit of it, and this year’s entry in the series is up for pre-order.
Halloween in the Cantina?
Ghosts, goblins, and… Star Wars aliens? That’s on the mark, when you’re talking about Gentle Giant. For 3 Halloweens now, the collectible company has been bringing a different creepy Cantina denizen to life.
The promotion began with space-wolf-man Lak Sivrak, then moved onto the demonic (looking) Labria, and now brings Ellorrs Madak. The Duros looks great too, and like all the rest of the aforementioned, reflects his appearance in the Cantina from Star Wars IV: A New Hope.
Measuring approximately 6 inches tall, this 1:6 scale mini-bust holds a drink in his gloved hand, but also comes with interchangeable ungloved blue hands to reflect his two different appearances! Limited to just 500 pieces, he comes packaged with a hand-numbered certificate of authenticity.Gentle Giant press release
Ellorrs Madak is yup for pre-order right now via Gentle Giant’s online shop, and is scheduled to ship out in the spring of 2023.


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The UBS Group AG (Basel, Switzerland) is predicting that 75,000 stores will close by 2026, according to Forbes. The financial group claims that online retail’s market share will rise to 25 percent from 16 percent, and with each 1 percent increase in online penetration, between 8000 and 8500 stores will close.
At that current rate, that means 75,000 stores would be forced out of business by 2026, reports Forbes. If 75,000 stores were to close during the next seven years, that means roughly 11,000 stores would be forced to close per year.
Other recent studies are just as glum: The U.S.-based CreditRiskMonitor assigns a score called a “FRISK” to companies with publicly traded bonds or debt. It claims a 96 percent accuracy rate, according to Forbes, and recently gave Neiman Marcus, Francesca’s, Rite Aid and J.Crew a score of “1,” which translates to a 9.99 percent to 50 percent chance of bankruptcy. Retailers who scored a “2,” meaning a 4 percent to 9.99 percent chance of bankruptcy, included JCPenney, Destination Maternity, Stein Mart and Blue Apron, among many others.
And yet another study by the Philippines-based BDO classified retailers into two distinct groups for its findings: Survivors (54 percent) and Thrivers (37 percent).
According to the report, Survivors are those “keeping their eyes on traditional competitors,” while falling behind in technology implementation. Conversely, Thrivers are those “actively planning for the next market correction,” and are e-commerce focused, says Forbes.


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WELCOME TO The entertainment REPORT
Feature market insights and perspectives from top C-Level executives, elite technology influencers and thought leaders from your company here. This signature initiative has garnered immense support...
sony | June 12, 2020
Sony had its big video presentation today, giving us both a deluge of big PlayStation 5 games and showing off the console itself for the first time. As far as a hype event goes, it was a huge success. These games impress for a few key reasons. First off is the variety: Sony had a good mix of first-party and third-party offerings and big triple-A games and smaller experiences, showing off a decent range of genres. I’m especially excited to see such a strong showing for 3D platformers, with ...
uploadvr | April 05, 2020
To mark the anniversary of the Vive Cosmos, HTC is offering the PC VR headset with wireless adapter and controllers for $799. That’s a saving of $248 over buying the Cosmos and wireless adapter separately, which would cost $1047. The offer lasts until the end of April 8 and is only available in the US. Neither Facebook’s Oculus Rift S nor Valve’s Index currently have a wireless adapter. Valve is working on it, and Facebook is potentially working on a wireless version of Link fo...
prnewswire | September 20, 2020
Last night, MPTF (Motion Picture & Television Fund) hosted the 14th annual edition of its iconic pre-Emmy Awards party, reimagined as "The Evening Before: Special Edition." The virtual benefit took place on Saturday, September 19, and celebrated Emmy nominees and other TV industry members, all while helping to raise funds for their colleagues and work family who benefit from MPTF's charitable programs and services. The evening featured one-of-a-kind musical performa...
Century Technology Group | September 02, 2021
Century Technology Group, a Grand Rapids, MI-based family office, announced today that Th3rd Coast Digital Solutions, an industry leader in extended reality (XR) and immersive technologies, will join its growing portfolio of companies. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Th3rd Coast Digital Solutions is an emerging technology and media development firm based in Grand Haven, MI. They partner with clients to deliver engaging content through entertaining, immersive...
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News story about Assess
Another school term is now just days away, but this one will be unlike any other. Teachers, parents and students will be forced to navigate online learning, and a Brisbane tech company is hoping its latest innovation makes life easier. https://t.co/VZ3A1cpmr5 @EmArnold_7 #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/AJpotBzmXN— 7NEWS Brisbane (@7NewsBrisbane) April 17, 2020
Despite being a popular tool with our customers, Assess was ultimately shelved due to shifting business priorities and unsustainable pricing.


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Logitech creates the “Powershell” that turns any iPhone 5/5s or 5th generation iPod touch into a gaming handheld. This is one of the most creative things that could’ve been produced for any phone, let alone the most popular, and we know it will do numbers. We definitely didn’t see this coming, especially from Logitech. The handheld has a built-in 1500 mAh battery to expand the power of the Apple product and offers a 3.5mm headphone adapter, which is the ability to charge the phone in the Powershell itself. This is now available for preorder for only $99 online here.
Check out some images for the new operating system by Apple that will be a free update software this fall. Changes and additions include: Control Center, Notification Center, iTunes Radio, Multitasking, AirDrop, Camera, Safari, Siri, Messages, Weather and Mail. Check out more photos and the official demonstration video here.


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San Francisco • Spotify is requiring people listening to its popular music service on Android devices to install new software as a safeguard against a recent security breach.
The break-in so far has only resulted in unauthorized access to one user's account, according to a Tuesday disclosure posted online by Oskar Stal, Spotify's chief technology officer. He said passwords and financial information were not stolen.
Spotify has more than 40 million users. A substantial number of them rely on Android, the world's most popular mobile operating system. Spotify users streaming on iPhones, iPads and Windows devices don't have to upgrade at this time.


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While the holiday shopping season usually means strong sales in one area of the country and terrible disappointments in others, this Christmas was oddly consistent from region to region, new figures show, reflecting in part a strong national economy.
For general merchandise retailers, sales at stores open at least one year -- known in the industry as same-store sales -- are not expected to rise sharply this year. Still, retailing experts say that areas of great strength and profound weakness were not nearly as evident this year as in seasons past, which economists say is unusual.
''There hasn't been a year when regional differences have been so low since 1984,'' said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Regional Financial Associates, based in West Chester, Pa., which has kept holiday selling data since 1970.
Mr. Zandi said he expected the difference among the percentage changes in sales from region to region this Christmas would average only about 1.75 percentage points, below the 25-year average of 3.3 percentage points and just slightly higher than 1984, the last time regional sales were so undistinguishable at 1.54 percentage points. ''You are hard pressed to find a time when regional economies look so much like each other,'' he said.
For example, Visa USA said that the average rise among credit card sales between Thanksgiving and last Sunday was 16 percent from a year earlier, and the only area of the country that came in more than two percentage points higher or lower than that figure was the Great Lakes region, where charges rose 13 percent.Continue reading the main story
At the same time Telecheck Services, the check acceptance company, found that sales rose 2.2 percent this season, and the only two regions that differed greatly from that average was the Southwest, where the company said check writing fell two-tenths of 1 percent, and the Southeast, where check writing rose 4.6 percent from 1996.
Tactical Retail Solutions, a retail consulting firm, said holiday sales rose 2.8 percent this Christmas but that it found only two places in the country where changes in sales stood out significantly: Phoenix enjoyed sales gains closer to 7.9 percent, while Galveston, Tex., had a gain of only nine-tenths of 1 percent.
''It is unusual to find so many regions of the country doing so well,'' Mr. Zandi said. ''And that is reflected in relatively healthy sales gains.''
Indeed consumer confidence, as measured by the Conference Board, a New York business research group, is at its highest in three decades, and national unemployment fell to 4.6 percent in November, the lowest level since 1973.
Most analysts think that same-stores sales for major retailers will rise around 3 percent, which will not make merchants happy because they are used to strong economies offering up bigger sales gains.
But such gains are a result of low inflation, which is strongly reflected in prices of general retail merchandise, and the fact that there are still far too many retail stores for the number of shoppers in this country.
''I think you can see that pattern that like politics all retail is local,'' said Isaac Lagnado, president of Tactical Retail Solutions, ''and things are pretty much equal these days.''
Regions that last year had yet to catch up to the low unemployment rates and high consumer confidence figures of the rest of the country stepped up this season, while areas where growth was tremendous last year calmed down a bit, helping to smooth these shopping patterns.
Consider the Northeast. Visa said that shoppers spent $7.8 billion with their credit cards this season, an 18 percent increase for that region from the previous year. Telecheck recorded a 2.2 percent sales gain in the Northeast, while last year sales in the region rose a mere eight-tenths of 1 percent, dragging behind an overall 5.7 percent rise nationally.
Visa's numbers are probably a more reliable indicator of the retail life in the Northeast, where consumers are more prone to paying with plastic than zippig off a check.
''My guess is that the Northeast gains reflect the fact the Christmas was good for high-income households,'' Mr. Zandi said. ''And the Northeast is the wealthiest region in the country. And the Boston and New York corridor benefited from financial service and markets and a booming high-tech sector in Boston, which is doing fabulously.''
Conversely, Telecheck found that sales in the West rose 1.4 percent compared with last year, when they grew 5.9 percent. ''As we listen to the different retailers,'' said Jay Meltzer, director of Johnson Redbook Services, which compiles retail data, ''they are saying that California has been good but not as good.''Continue reading the main story


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Viva la Frida on again, off again, on again
Last week, it looked like Seminole Heights landmark Viva la Frida Café y Galeria had hosted its last supper. Reader Eric Sturm told the Weekly Planet that he and his girlfriend, Kimberly Finn, ate there Wednesday night and were told by waiters that the art gallery/ concert venue/ restaurant was closing its doors. The walls were bare of the distinctive art that was a large part of Viva's charm, the couple drank out of plastic and not glass, and kitchen staff were spotted tossing the inventory of food at the end of the night.
"It's kind of sad," Sturm said. "I'm glad we went. We had no idea it was their last night."
As we wrote earlier this year, one of Viva la Frida's owners, Angelica Diaz, wanted out, while the other, John Ames, was searching for a way to keep the restaurant open. Last we heard, he was vowing to keep the restaurant open "until further notice."
By afternoon on June 1, however, the story had changed, and the restaurant was still open. Ames explained by telephone that he had lined up a buyer — a sports bar operator with a Colorado investor. At the last minute, though, the buyer changed his mind. He didn't like the neighborhood.
"I'm open indefinitely right now. I'm cooking," Ames said. "I'm bringing the art back in."
Ames is continuing to seek a buyer. In the meantime, he's hoping his loyal fans will turn out for food, Thursday night jazz jams and the many concerts that he had canceled and will now have to re-book. —Wayne Garcia
The Sandwich Generation?
"Blondie" comic strip creator Dean Young has decided to take his popular comic strip character Dagwood Bumstead into the restaurant business. Young and Dagwood's Sandwich Shoppes LLC announced in May that they will be opening the first franchise location in mid-August in Tampa Bay.
Young, who took over the 75-year-old comic strip from his father in 1973, has his studio in Clearwater. He considers Dagwood, the sandwich-loving husband of Blondie, to be his alter ego, with a "PhD in sandwiches." According to a press release, he has been collecting sandwich recipes for years "and storing them away in a secret vault" for his themed restaurant.
Dagwood's will offer a range of sandwiches, including the skyscraper sandwich The Dagwood, deli-style corned beef and New Orleans po-boys, as well as soups and salads.
With more than 250 million "Blondie" readers in more than 55 countries, Young and his team are hoping to capitalize on the fame of the comic strip to create a chain of thousands of restaurants throughout the United States and abroad by 2008.
Lamar Berry, co-founder and CEO of Dagwood's, said in the release that "Baby Boomers — which we think of as the Sandwich Generation — are looking for a change, and we believe they're going to love what Dagwood's has to offer."
The first location will be located at the Coral Landing shopping center at the corner of U.S. 19 and Nebraska Avenue in Palm Harbor. For more information, visit www.dagwoods.us.com.
Publix v. Sweetbay in SoHo
The supermarket wars are on in the South Howard area. The Kash n' Karry at 2100 W. Swann Ave. is currently being converted into one of the chain's newer, more upscale Sweetbay stores. On Sunday, the market will open its new expanded produce section, although the transformation won't be officially complete until December. Also, Publix Supermarkets has proposed to open a new location a couple of blocks away on S. Armenia Avenue, between Platt and Swann streets. Publix has submitted its zoning request to the City Council for approval.
Know of restaurants opening or closing? Have news of new chefs, dishes or other culinary gossip? E-mail [email protected].


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AMD is expected to introduce a new 7nm mobile processor at its January 7 launch, and as time progresses, a lot of information about the new APU has been scooped up.
Not long ago, APISAK, a well-known blaster, found an HP laptop in Userbenchmark with an R74800U processor that showed up as an 8-core 16-threader. Now that Rogame has found information on the R74700U for the 8-core 8-thread, he says a mini-notebook will be available.
In terms of parameters, R7 4700u is 8-core 8-thread, with the main frequency of 2GHz and acceleration frequency of 4.2ghz. The core display is likely to be 10cu or 11cu.
In contrast, R74800U is an 8-core 16 thread with a main frequency of 1.8 GHz and an acceleration frequency (average) of 3.65 GHz. Nuclear display specifications are unclear.
In general, the 8 cores on the AMD U series mobile terminals can be basically determined. It is not clear whether the r54000 series is 6 cores or not. These information are expected to be released at the 6:00 a.m. Conference on January 7.
In addition, Xiaomi notebook this year basically no big action, the product line is minor repair small patch, the main push is Redmi Book. There have been previous news that Xiaomi is brewing big moves, if true, after CES, Xiaomi notebook officially will open a new wave of preheating.


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The European Commission announced specific VAT and Customs measures for the importation of medical equipment into the EU. The announcement underlines the urgency for countries to ensure that there is sufficient possibilities and materials available to effectively cope with the global pandemic.
The Commission has today decided to approve requests from Member States and the UK to temporarily waive customs duties and VAT on the import of medical devices, and protective equipment, from third countries in order to help in the fight against coronavirus. The Commission has swiftly approved requests received from all Member States.
This measure includes masks and protective equipment, as well as testing kits, ventilators and other medical equipment. It will apply for a period of 6 months, with a possibility for further extension.
The statement from the EU commission includes the following:
“Our hospitals, doctors and nurses need medical equipment, such as ventilators or testing kits, to treat patients and save lives. And they need equipment – masks, gloves, overalls – to protect themselves from contamination. We need a lot of this equipment. And it can be expensive.
That is why today we accepted to eliminate, for a while, certain taxes on the import of medical devices and equipment from countries that are outside the European Union. This is good for hospitals and for charities for example. This is our contribution to easing the pressure on prices for medical and protective equipment. And to making them more affordable.
To give an example: in Italy, customs duties of 12% and a value added tax of 22% is levied on some facemasks or protective garments that we import from countries like China. Our decision will make them one third cheaper.
For ventilators the average value added tax rate is 20%. There too, hospitals will save money and will be able to buy more ventilators.
This is a temporary measure and will apply for at least the next four months. Or longer, if necessary. We stand by our health workers and hospitals and we will do all we can to help them further.”
Source European Union


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Our whisky industry is a national success story and makes a huge contribution to Scotland’s economy. Today I visited the distillery and bottling plant of BenRiach – one of Scotland’s leading brands of whisky. The company must be commended for its part in Scotland’s whisky success story.
BenRiach has successfully development its brands over the last few years and established itself as a leading name in the industry. Its whiskies are available in over 30 countries internationally – from Kazakhstan to Vietnam! And with whisky exports up 22% in the first half of the year to £1.8 billion, what’s clear is that there continues to be a real taste for our national drink in new and expanding markets.


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iPhone sales continue to decline and, for the first time in years, no longer account for the majority of Apple’s overall revenue.
Apple (AAPL) said Tuesday that iPhone sales for the quarter fell to about $26 billion in the three months ending in June, a decline of nearly 12% from the same period a year earlier.
Even with this decline, Apple managed to grow its overall revenue by a slight 1% from the prior year as the company finds more traction selling wearable devices and digital services, including Apple Pay and Apple Music.
The Services segment, as Apple calls it, hit nearly $11.5 billion in sales for the quarter. Apple’s Wearable, Home and Accessories segment, which includes products like Apple Watch and AirPods, topped $5 billion in quarterly revenue for the first time.
Apple’s iPhone sales accounted for just 48% of its overall revenue for the quarter, highlighting the broader shift underway at the company as it works to diversity its revenue streams.
Shares of Apple rose 4% in after-hours trading Tuesday following the earnings report.
After years of defying gravity, Apple’s core iPhone business has now seen sales decline for three consecutive quarters. The slowing demand for iPhones comes as customers hold onto their smartphones longer and Apple works to reverse a slowdown in China, once its most promising market, amid an ongoing trade war with the United States.
On Tuesday, Apple reported sales in the China region fell 4% from the prior year, an improvement from a more than 20% decline in the prior quarter. On a conference call with analysts after the release of the report, CEO Tim Cook said Apple actually grew in “mainland China.”
Cook cited a “confluence” of factors helping to improve Apple’s business in China, including a government stimulus as well as trade-in and financing programs implemented in its retail stores.
Cook said Apple “couldn’t be happier” with its “progress” in China’s market.
But there is still reason for concern. The trade war has continued to drag on. And last week, President Donald Trump tweeted that he will refuse to exempt Apple from tariffs on parts for the Mac Pro, which Apple is said to be building in China.
“We’ve been making the Mac Pro in the US and we want to continue doing that,” Cook said on the call. “We’re explaining that and hope for a positive outcome.”