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And now, on a big digital stage, in real time — the fab four.
Of Big Tech, that is — so, perhaps, depending on what viewpoint you take, it may be the not-so-fab four.
Today (July 29) will mark the latest appearance of tech’s marquee names before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law. The hearing is titled “Online Platforms and Market Power, Part 6: Examining the Dominance of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google.”
Broad title, to be sure, and it hints at a broad range of topics to be examined.
Expect some fireworks, as this is the latest installment (the sixth) in a series of grilling that have set sights on how commerce and competition have changed as the platform economy has taken root. The pandemic has reshaped how we interact and do business with one another.
Critics on the Hill have lobbed charges that these marquee tech companies have used scale and critical mass to stymie competition and innovation, particularly from relatively smaller players, and as a result, it is consumers who lose out.
Those criticisms, we think, may be misplaced.
As has been reported, the hearing will feature (virtual) testimony, and likely some finger-pointing from lawmakers, of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Sundar Pichai.
As previewed in this space, and in broad terms, each CEO will likely detail at least some of the ways their companies have been impacted by, and are impacting, the great digital shift.
Google's Pichai addresses that issue head-on in his prepared hearing statement, released ahead of the hearing, by pointing out 140 million students and teachers used G Suite for Education to remain connected and learning, among other examples. The committee released all four of the CEOs' prepared hearing remarks late Tuesday.
Amazon, we noted, will possibly give a nod to the explosion of eCommerce across a variety of channels. Bezos, in his prepared remarks, talks about his company's "obsessive customer focus."
Facebook may draw questions from Congressional representatives centered on advertising and social media. Zuckerberg, for his hearing statement, focuses on competition and its value.
Apple, of course, has been getting attention for the way it shapes competitive practices (or depending on how you view it, stymies competition) across its App Store — and Cook addresses those concerns in his hearing statement.
Drill down a bit, and at the heart of it all will be scrutiny on how Big Tech gets its customers, keeps them in place, and how, ostensibly, these juggernauts can leverage platforms to keep smaller rivals at bay — to the (supposed) detriment of everybody.
For Google, Facebook et al., the stakes are high. Today’s testimony can help inform congressional leaders’ report, likely to come by the end of the year, on how to regulate the technology industry.
At least some regulation certainly seems in the offing, as the hearings on the Hill are taking place as federal investigations are underway here in the states into these bellwether names. The Justice Department, for example, has been probing Alphabet (which owns Google), and the Federal Trade Commission has been examining Facebook. And a consortium of state attorneys general has been investigating Google, centering on ad technology.
Competition In Focus
With Instagram and WhatsApp folded into its operations, Facebook will likely face assertions that it has muscled aside competition in social media, where it has billions of users. CEO Zuckerberg has in the past pointed to competition, particularly from China (a la TikTok) as proof positive that the playing field is anything but tilted. Might Libra also find its way into tomorrow’s discussion?
Across the pond, of course, Apple has been accused by Spotify and Rakuten of raking a 30 percent commission from product and services sales made through the App Store. At the heart of the matter is the way apps make their way into Apple’s store, which of course determines how those apps (and their developers) find their way onto Apple consumers’ screens as they compete with Apple apps.
A bit closer to home, last week, as reported, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is at the helm of a multi-state investigation into Apple, and whether deceptive trade practices may have violated consumer protection laws. The scope of the probe is as yet unclear.
Data And Delivery
Data and privacy issues are going to be front and center, as are the ways in which search rankings are displayed, which of course connects consumers to the goods and services they seek across platforms. Google, of course, stands out here, with its strong standing in search and media and ads — a position cobbled in part through acquisitions (YouTube, etc.).
Amazon may be a key target here, as lawmakers may take a cue from testimony at a previous hearing, held last year, where in the summer of 2019, Nate Sutton, associate general counsel of Amazon, denied the eCommerce giant had harvested information from third parties in order to launch its own competitive offerings.
Beyond product development lie possible exploration of the ways in which Amazon has been building its logistics operations, bypassing, of course, the likes of FedEx and the U.S. Postal Service.
As recently as June, Amazon has poured as much as $60 billion since 2014 into planes, warehouses and other logistics infrastructure. Now, Amazon runs America’s fourth-largest shipping service. As estimated by Bank of America, Amazon delivers a bit more than half of all items that are shipped to end-users — 2.3 billion of an estimated 4.5 billion parcels annually.
What’s Really At Stake
The above is by no means a soup-to-nuts menu of what’s on tap to be discussed Wednesday. But underpinning it all will be a common thread, woven by lawmakers and law enforcers:
Big Tech has gotten too big for its own good.
Consider the fact that beyond the hearings and beyond the probes, earlier this year, Pandemic Anti-Monopoly Act debuted on the Hill, sponsored by progressive lawmakers Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
That legislation would mandate that firms with more than $100 million in revenues (i.e. including Big Tech) would pause acquisitions until the economic landscape, darkened by COVID-19, has brightened a bit. We note, of course, that Big Tech (heck, any tech) faces a perennial “build vs. buy” debate, and “buy” means that innovation can come to market a bit more quickly.
That proposed legislation was the focal point of a May roundtable between Karen Webster and a half dozen experts on platform economies, M&A and how they are regulated, across the legal, regulatory, investor, business and academic realms.
As Lisa Ellis, partner at MoffetNathanson, told Webster, “The pandemic has only dramatically accelerated … urgency around building out [digital] capabilities. So, on one hand, strategic steps that companies might have been looking at taking over a 12- to 24-month time horizon are now suddenly capabilities that they urgently need right now in order to help their customers. But on the flip side, businesses also have to focus on their own operations any time there’s a massive economic disruption [in] business.”
There’s a side argument here, too, as the lure of successful, lucrative exit strategies (building a startup from scratch and selling it) provide incentives for smaller firms and entrepreneurs to come to market in the first place.
Then there’s the trust factor.
As PYMNTS' Webster noted in this space, last year, Morning Consult found that Amazon and Google were the second and third most trusted brands among consumers. PYMNTS’ own research has found that Big Tech (and smaller tech, for that matter), earns a significant level of trust from consumers.
Along the way, of course, platform firms have demonstrated value (not just in pricing but in selection) that has enabled consumers, by and large, to get what they need, when they need it, across untold millions of apps and items. No small thing in a pandemic.
Yes, today’s grilling of the Big Tech’s quartet may be contentious. Sidestepping the fireworks to come this week, Big Tech’s value — with a nod to a tune by a different Fab Four — is Here, There and Everywhere.


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Matt Wilson confirmed as new Managing Director of the Americas at Aristocrat.
The leading industry solutions provider, Aristocrat, has announced that Matt Wilson has been promoted to oversee the company’s business in the Americas.
Following the receipt of all regulatory approvals, Wilson will continue his work with the company as the new Managing Director of the Americas.
Commenting on the appointment, CEO-Elect Trevor Croker, said: “Matt’s leadership has been instrumental to Aristocrat’s recent growth both in the Americas and across other key markets.
“Matt comes to the role with proven commercial and strategic skills and a genuine passion for product and helping our customers succeed. We are delighted to welcome Matt to the position of Managing Director of the Americas,” Mr. Croker concluded.
Wilson has been with Aristocrat since 2004, serving as Vice President of Marketing for the Americas, then as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for North America and then overseeing the company’s expansion in the Asia Pacific region as the head of the group’s Sales team.
Most recently, he was Senior Vice President of Global Gaming Operations, where he helped to grow the company’s Gaming Operations (leased) product line with landmark new titles.

domain: news


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The S&P 500 is edging up to the 2,000 mark. After Friday's close, the index would only need a 2.5% gain to boost it to the 2k level. It still may take a little time to advance though, as the index has not made a 1% move in a single session in almost two months. Analysts are expecting the S&P to break the record in the next few weeks.
Asian stocks hit their highest levels in nearly three years today, after the Dow Jones and S&P 500 ended at new records this past Friday. The Nikkei stock average is up by over 0.3%, and Hong Kong up 0.7%. The yuan rose after the People's Bank of China unexpectedly fixed its daily midpoint higher against the dollar for the second straight session, leading to an additional rise in other Asian currencies.
Russian companies are looking to change their U.S. dollar-denominated contracts, to renminbi, Hong Kong or Singapore dollars due to increasing western sanctions. The move shows a Russian shift towards Asia, as tension mounts between Russia, Europe, and the West. Sanctions have led Russian companies to limit their dependence on the western financial markets, and increase the importance of bilateral trade with China.
Former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was sworn in as president of Egypt yesterday. Sisi is said to have won 97% of the vote in last month's election. Egypt's economy still has a long way to recovery, and a rapidly growing population mixed with widespread poverty should make job creation a number one priority. The forecast for the country's economic growth for the fiscal year beginning July 1 is set at 3.2%.
Tyson Foods appears to have won the battle to buy Hillshire Brands (NYSE:HSH), after offering $7.7B for the company, or $63 a share. The offer is nearly $1B more than the bid cast by Pilgrim's Pride (NYSE:PPC) last week. However, the agreement is still not finalized. Hillshire cannot even make the deal with Tyson (NYSE:TSN) until it terminates a previous merger agreement with Pinnacle Foods (NYSE:PF), paying $163M towards a break-up fee.
Amazon will break into the online payments market today by launching its new role of managing subscription payments - starting with start-ups and other companies. The service will allow more than 240M users to use credit card details stored on Amazon.com to pay for services such as a monthly phone bill or a digital music subscription. PayPal (NASDAQ:EBAY) is set to feel incoming pressure, as Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) encroaches on the sector it has long dominated.
SABMiller is seeking a bigger share of the U.S. craft beer market. While one-third of beer volumes sold in the U.S. is premium beer, the category is only 8% of the company's sales. "We’ve got to shift our portfolio to premium," CEO Alan Clark says. SABMiller (OTCPK:SBMRY) is already doing well with many of its new brands, contributing to 25% of last year's growth in the U.S. craft-brew industry.
Credit Suisse has yet another reason to be excited for Alibaba’s (ABABA) IPO - the bank would make a paper profit of $68M if Alibaba lists at a valuation of $121B, due to $50M worth of convertible bonds it purchased in the group in 2012. The $68M gains would be a notch higher than the underwriting fees Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) would see from the IPO. The bank expects to receive $66M from the offering.
Nestle is looking to dive into high-end chocolate, as a way to increase growth for its confectionery business. The question will be if the company will build the business internally, or look for an outside acquisition. Nestle (OTCPK:NSRGY) sold $8.39B of chocolate in 2013, about 8% of the group's sales. The company has been rapidly expanding its product lines, and CEO Paul Bulcke forecasts the company will be able to achieve 5% organic growth this year.
Kraft raised prices by 10% on its product lines - Maxwell House, Yuban roast and ground coffee brands, as a result of climbing bean costs which went into effect on June 6. Kraft (KRFT) is not alone. J.M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) has already increased prices on its retail brands Folgers, Dunkin' Donut roast, and ground coffee products by ~9% last week, while reporting lower sales in FQ4 due to pricing actions in the quarter.
United Continental is still facing a series of challenges nearly four years after the deal between United and Continental closed in October 2010. The company faces an outdated fleet, slipping customer satisfaction and unmatched losses compared to its rivals. United Continental (NYSE:UAL) experienced a terrible 2012, after losing a total $723M. Last year, the airline came back with $571M in earnings, but declined again during the first quarter of this year posting a $609M loss.
Lonestar Resources (LNREF) - new article by Value Digger »
Flextronics International (NASDAQ:FLEX) +14.8% since May 14 Helix Investment Research article »
NTELOS Holdings (NASDAQ:NTLS) -34.7% since Jul. 16 Dr. Hugh Akston article »
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In Asia, Japan +0.3% to 15124. Hong Kong +0.7% to 23117. China flat at 2031. India +0.7% to 25580.
In Europe, at midday, London +0.2%. Paris flat. Frankfurt +0.1%.
Futures at 6:20: Dow -0.1%. S&P -0.1%. Nasdaq flat. Crude +0.5% to $103.20. Gold +0.2% to $1255.30.
Ten-year Treasury Yield +3 bps to 2.62%
Today's economic calendar:
12:30 TD Ameritrade IMX
Notable earnings before today's open: FGP
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Google's travel plans slowly becoming clear
Google maps receives around 17 million visitors, across all devices each month. This could soon be the new starting point for a lot of travel bookings.
It was just over a month ago I wrote that I was surprised to learn that Google was not keeping pace with the “big three” in travel metasearch (TripAdvisor, Expedia, and Priceline). There has been a lot of criticism regarding Google’s low traction in the travel arena. Google Hotel Finder and Google Flight Search have been operational for quite some time now, but their market share in the world of online travel is still marginal.
Google not in a hurry?
Ironically, it doesn’t seem that Google is in a hurry to penetrate the travel vertical. It looks like they are using the same strategy as they do for Google+. At least, I find myself logging in to Google+ more and more as they are slowly connecting all the dots in making Google+ the backbone for all of their services (Calendar, YouTube, Picasa). I think the new Google Maps will be the backbone for travel related searches.
Read full story at: http://www.olery.com/googles-travel-plans-slowly-becoming-clear/


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Quick Bites: 4.6.22
feeding good | All 15 dining concepts at City Foundry STL’s Food Hall have joined the GiftAMeal program. The nonprofit helps fight food insecurity by working with restaurants and Operation Food Search. Diners simply download the app and take a photo of their meal at a partner restaurant, and GiftAMeal helps provide a meal to someone in need. The new City Foundry partnership is expected to help provide thousands meals in 2022.
cup of joe
Looking for a caffeine fix? Goshen Coffee Roasters is moving into the former Soulard Coffee Garden space at 910 Geyer Ave. in Maplewood. The popular Edwardsville coffee company offers a variety of roasts and specialty drinks, and each coffee variety is paired with a unique charity to which a portion of its sales are donated. … In more brew news, Northwest Coffee Roasting Co. has opened up a new space in Schnucks in Webster Groves. It’s serving up the same menu as the coffee shop’s Central West End spot.
under new management
Michael and Tara Gallina’s restaurant group, Take Root Hospitality, has acquired Bar Les Freres in Clayton. The restaurant is one of the trio of beloved spots owned by Zoe Robinson, which closed at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bar Les Freres will remain a French bistro, and several popular menu items also will continue being served. The relaunch is expected to happen in June.
Local plant-based food company rootberry has expanded its headquarters to the former Weber Grill restaurant in the St. Louis Galleria. As well as serving as the company’s corporate headquarters, the space will be used for preparation and production of its products. In more rootberry news, it also now will be partnering with Mercy Hospital to provide health care workers, patients and visitors a healthy dining option with its ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat meals.
opens + closes
This spring, Warson Woods is getting a new Italian restaurant with an impressive local pedigree. Vangel’s Restaurant & Bar is a new concept from Louis Vangel, grandson of restaurateur Charlie Gitto, and will open at 10017 Manchester Road. … UKraft has opened its third location, UKraft Cafe & Smoothie Exchange, at 14888 Clayton Road in Chesterfield. … After a final Pi Day celebration on March 14, Pi Oh My! in Maplewood has closed. The bakery opened in 2012. … At the end of the month, Persian restaurant Cafe Natasha’s will close. Owner Hamishe Bahrami plans to retire, and her daughter Natasha Bahrami will launch a new concept in the space.


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from the like-fried-chicken-and-doughnuts dept.
Dotnaught writes "New Scientist reports that Nestec, a Nestle subsidiary, has applied for a patent on a fermented coffee beverage. In other words, coffee beer -- it foams like beer and packs the caffeine of coffee, with "fruity and/or floral notes due to the fermentation of the coffee aroma."
If it happens once, it's a bug. If it happens twice, it's a feature.
If it happens more than twice, it's a design philosophy.


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Are you ready for the New Year? It looks like 2004 will be a good one for the chauffeured transportation industry. After surviving the fallout of more than two years of distressing, if not tragic, economic and political events, there are a number of signs that we are entering a period of steady and solid business growth.
Let’s start with the big picture: The stock market is up and the rally seems to be a sustained one. Even technology stocks, the sector that fell the hardest when the bubble burst in 2000, have become the new darlings of Wall Street.
The New York Stock Exchange is up more than 20% this year and the growth of NASDAQ was up even more.
Then there was the recent news that the U.S. economy raced ahead at a 7.2% annual rate for the third quarter, its best gain since 1984. The growth was in large part fueled by a long-awaited burst of corporate investment, a sign that business was finally coming out of its cocoon.
Business investment increased at an 11.1% pace in the July-September quarter, up from 7.3% in the April-June quarter.
“Business is finally coming out of its cocoon, and not just with technology spending but across to board,” Gerald Cohen, a senior economist with Merrill Lynch & Co., told the Los Angeles Times. “This is just what we were looking for.” And that should translate into good news for the chauffeured transportation industry.
Closer to home, there were encouraging signs that the anticipated rebound in business travel was happening. An American Express official told those of us attending the LCT Leadership Summit in Florida that more corporate travelers were taking to the air again. He said that data from a number of sources point to a return to a long-term trend of gradual, incremental growth for the business travel industry. Take a look at the story on Page 16. And while you’re at it, the articles starting on Page 40 and 52 offer a glimpse of the valuable information that delegates attending the two-day Summit gained.
So what’s the word from our backyard? Limousine operators shouldn’t count on an industry-wide return to the free-spending days of the late 1990s; it’s probably not going to happen.
But many of the operators we have talked to in recent months – large and small and in most areas of the country – say that corporate and retail business is up; dispatchers and chauffeurs are staying busy.
Granted, not every sign of business and limousine industry growth is entirely positive. The American Express expert warned that corporate managers were expected to keep a close eye on travel spending. And many operators, especially those working in the corporate travel arena, bemoan that their profit margins are as slim as they’ve ever seen them because of troublingly high expenses and continued pressure to keep rates low.
As we close the books on 2003, we hope you are ready for the challenges, surprises, hard work and rewards that lie ahead. From everyone on the staff of LCT, we wish you a bright – and profitable - New Year.


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Illegal: No More Eyelash and Eyebrow Tinting in New York
The service is no longer permitted in Hudson Valley and all of New York.
People have been tinting their eyebrows and eyelashes to make them look more voluptuous for years, but the popular procedure is actually illegal in New York. You might not know that because countless stores and licensed estheticians offer the service.
Fox5 New York reports that the popular service of applying dye to eyelashes or eyebrows is now prohibited in New York State. It's a rule that has been in the books since 1994 according to the NY Department of State has stated that the rule was based on FDA regulations in the 90s that didn't provide safe for a safe dye or tint to be used on lashes and brows. The move came as a surprise to many businesses that had been offering the service for decades.
Dangers of Eyelash and Eyebrow Tinting
Eyebrow and eyelash tinting has been said to be dangerous, in that it could cause an allergic reaction, with redness, scaliness, and extreme itching that could last several days and need medication to treat. And those are just the temporary side effects. You could also suffer chemical burns to your eyes and possibly permanent eye irritation.
Things could change as the department is said to be reviewing its policies, which gives New York salons some hope, and many businesses like salons and spas offer various other services, so hopefully the pulling of eyelash and eyebrow tint services won't hurt the businesses significantly. This being said any businesses at this time being caught offering the services could be fined a maximum of $500.
What are your thoughts on the banning of eyelash and eyebrow tinting in New York State? How will the move affect your everyday lifestyle?


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A broad coalition of companies including Google, Microsoft, and AT&T, joined by liberal and conservative advocacy groups, will announce a major push Tuesday to update federal privacy laws to protect mobile and cloud computing users hoping to convince the U.S. Congress to update a 1986 law--written in the pre-Internet era of telephone modems and the black-and-white Macintosh Plus--to sweep in location privacy and documents stored on the Web.
That law, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, or ECPA, is notoriously convoluted and difficult even for judges to follow.
Under current law, Internet users enjoy more privacy rights if they store data locally, a legal twist that some companies fear could slow the shift to cloud-based services unless it's changed. "The main thing that's broken about ECPA is that it penalizes you for using cloud computing,".
CNET News: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-20001393-38.html


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Green Cross Pharmacy teams up with PrEP Advocate Rodney Ellis to cut the price of PrEP
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Working with a Australian PrEP activist, Rodney Ellis, Green Cross Pharmacy, have relaunched their direct service, removed the middleman, Dynamix International, and substantially reduced the cost of PrEP online. The relaunched direct service includes the coupon scheme funded by sales of PrEP which continues to provide PrEP free to those who need it most. Green Cross Pharmacy currently deliver to the UK, Australia,Belgium, Switzerland, Ireland and Israel.
The new link to the site is www.GreenCrossPharmacy.online .
Noel Offer from Green Cross Pharmacy added, “I’m really pleased to be working again with Rodney Ellis to get PrEP into the hands of people. I’ve never been interested in making money out of this and the reputation of my business and the community service we provide is my driving force. My customers, and especially my PrEP customers, have always come first.”
Noel and Rodney were dismayed at the recent jump in prices and wanted to work together to build a solution that means PrEP is accessible to as many people as possible, at the lowest price possible..
Rodney Ellis, PrEP advocate and previous founding member of Australian community group PrEPaccessNOW, said “There have been increased prices for a while and I became alarmed when people were saying they could no longer afford PrEP. On 23rd March I asked Phil Joffe why the system that we’d built for Green Cross was so much more expensive and rebranded as Dynamix. He told me that Dynamix was a private profiting business and he was a shareholder.”
PrEp users using Dynamix International have been buying marked-up PrEP, with former PrEPaccessNow member and signatory to VAC’s PrEP Accord, Phil Joffe, openly admitting to profiting from sales of the HIV prevention medication.
“While it's really disappointing that someone has put money in their own pocket at the literal expense of PrEP users, the bright side is that Green Cross Pharmacy are back and the prices are back down. I’ll continue working with Noel and Green Cross Pharmacy to see what other overheads we can reduce. Each dollar off the price puts it in another band of customers’ reach.”
Green Cross Pharmacy will continue to offer free PrEP coupons to people on low incomes. Every ten sales generates one free donated coupon. On current sales and estimates it will generate about 10 coupons a day or the equivalent of 900 people “Trial” places.
Rodney said, “The coupon scheme is entirely self funded, not reliant on a government hand-out or the political will of the government of the day. Ultimately this is the gay community providing for its own through the facilities of Green Cross Pharmacy. It will scale up automatically as more people buy PrEP. We’ve managed to get about a 30% reduction in price while including those who would normally not be able to afford PrEP. Where there are “Trials” it’s an important community back-up plan in case they are ever taken away.”
Rodney Ellis has stated that, “In this collaboration there will be no middleman overheads. Not a cent will go into my own pocket as it was when we first set this up. The 30-45% drop in HIV sero conversion rates we are seeing from PrEP has always been the goal. I’m pleased we are back on track”
As an indication, pricing at 05/05/2017 from Dynamix International for the generic PrEP 90 pill pack with delivery to Melbourne is about $211.23 AUD, with Green Cross Pharmacy the exact same product and package would cost $147.88 AUD, delivery included. That’s about a 3 month supply and represents a 30% reduction in the cost of a typical PrEP package.


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Corporate Finance, Deal Advisory
Gerald Edelman’s Deal Advisory team advises on the sale of Chillblast
Gerald Edelman is delighted to announce that its Deal Advisory team has advised the shareholders of Chillblast, a leading custom PC system builder, on its sale to Tactus Group, a high-growth multi-channel ecommerce business.
Chillblast is a highly regarded custom PC manufacturer based in Poole with expertise in the high-end gaming sector. As the official PC supplier of Williams eSports – a Formula 1 eSports team – Chillblast devices are designed for gamers using high-end equipment. The Ministry of Defence’s training simulators, commonly used by RAF pilots, are also built on Chillblast’s cutting-edge technology.
Headquartered in the North West with a footprint across Europe, North America and Asia, Tactus is a team of 200 technology experts with unrivalled knowledge of the computing industry. As well as boosting Tactus’ capabilities in the gaming sector this acquisition cements its status as a multi-channel e-commerce business on a global stage. The acquisition forms part of an exciting growth strategy, facilitated by a £40 million investment from Chrysalis Investments which was secured earlier this year.
Chillblast’s unique offering and positioning in the gaming technology market is complementary to the existing brands in the wider Tactus Group, and is the fourth transaction Tactus have made this year. Chillblast will receive strategic and operational guidance from Tactus’ highly experienced team, whilst also benefiting from the sharing of resources and international presence of the group.
Ben Miles, Managing Director of Chillblast, added:
“We’re excited to become part of the Tactus Group. We have built Chillblast into an award-winning gaming brand over the last two decades and, with our presence in the gaming space well established, this is an exciting time for us to be joining a fast-growing technology group like Tactus.
Gerald Edelman have been instrumental in navigating this deal, and the team provided exceptional advice throughout. Their dedication and guidance made the process run smoothly and enabled us to focus on the day-to-day running of the business. Their experience of working on similar deals was evident, and their advice has been invaluable and for that, we are enormously grateful.”
Nick Wallis, Partner in Gerald Edelman’s Deal Advisory team, added:
“We are thrilled to have successfully advised on an excellent deal for Chillblast. We knew how important it was that we found the right partner for the management team and we are confident that we have found that in Tactus.
Chillblast’s recent success in spite of the pandemic is a testament to its strong business model and highly-capable management team. We wish Ben, Martin, and the rest of the team at Chillblast the very best for the future with Tactus, and look forward to watching the Group continue to go from strength to strength.”


text: The Inside EVs report is based on some EA stations having problems, but you failed to mention that the article states they will be fixed within a short time. Regardless of EA or other networks, they all can have issues so it is not fair to single out any one of them. As far as VW claims regarding surpassing Tesla, I've never heard that but if they stated that, they should have known that is a big pill to swallow and almost impossible to achieve. Bottom line, VW is just as incented as Tesla to do the right thing now and being forced to provide DCFC infrastructure is fine by me. The more charging infrastructure the better so bring it on. We can't change the world and impact Climate Change positively just by promoting one single EV Vendor like Tesla. We need all car manufacturers to get with the program so I always put the hammer down to people that just promote Tesla and say how good they are and they are the best. If Elon can build 50 million cars a year, then I'll be at the front of the Tesla bandwagon yelling the loudest. But since he can't, we need VW's 1 million a year, GM, Ford, all of them to start cranking out EVs as soon as they can to make the difference we need in a short time. 93 million cars and light trucks sold last year globally, just over 2 million were EVs. We have a long long way to go.


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Smoked salmon brand Bleiker's Smokehouse owed more than £2.8m when it went into administration earlier this year before being acquired, new documents show.
The Leeming Bar-based business has now reportedly been bought by US-based Seriously Fish following a troubled period in which the loss of a major supermarket contract spurred its collapsed and a fraud investigation was launched into the company over concerns about country of origin claims on some of the brand's products.
The National Food Crime Unit confirmed to Business Live that the investigation - which has so far prompted one arrest - is still ongoing. Administrators at FRP confirmed that in late March Bleiker's largest supermarket customer, accounting for 50% of its sales, abruptly pulled its products from the shelves and cancelled orders over doubts about provenance of Bleiker's foods.
Directors attempted to sell the company but despite detailed discussions with some interested parties, no deal was reached and administrators were called in. The firm's 84 staff were left some £106,000 short in pay arrears, pension contributions and holiday pay while Clydesdale Bank is expected to suffer a shortfall of £458,000. Bleiker's also owed hundreds of thousands to other creditors including seafood suppliers.
Writing in a report on the progress of the administration, FRP explained the sequence of events: "The company had experienced volatile trading conditions during 2020 and 2021 as a result of the impact of Covid on its customer base. It had managed to maintain profitable trading during most of this period and serviced its debt facilities.
"The statutory accounts for the year to April 30, 2021 showed turnover of £14m and a profit after tax of £296k. However, increasing raw materials prices which could not be passed on in full to customers, combined with difficulties sourcing temporary labour in the busy pre-Christmas period in 2021 resulted in poor trading performance during the final quarter of 2021.
"This in turn placed pressure on the company's cash position. Management carried out a review of the business and identified some changes to the company's cost base which, alongside sales price increases from customers, it believed would allow the company to trade on with the continued support of its funder.
"In late March 2022, the company's biggest customer (approx. 50% of sales) notified the company of concerns regarding the provenance of goods supplied and withdrew its products from sale in its stores, ceasing all orders. Despite an ongoing dialogue and a number of audits being undertaken by the customer and its agents, no resolution could be reached. A confidential settlement was eventually agreed with the customer on April 26, 2022 which ended the relationship.
"The sudden loss of this customer's business, combined with the already weakened financial position meant the company was no longer viable."
Bleiker's Smokehouse, under the new ownership, was contacted for comment.


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Club-goers in the Croatian capital Zagreb were able to order a ride home during December by tapping an NFC poster to call a taxi. In partnership with Nokia, the Aquarius, Groove, Mansion and Peppermint nightclubs all displayed smart posters which initiated a call to participating cab firms when tapped with an NFC phone.
- Messaging app Line reports 40m mobile payment users
- Hong Kong transit operator to test WeChat Pay and Alipay
- UK government expands open banking project to credit cards, e-wallets and prepaid cards
- UK consumers want to set their own contactless transaction limit
- Swiss consumers to get single digital ID


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The British car market was severely affected by the coronavirus, especially during the second part of the month, and overall new passenger car registrations collapsed by 44.4% year-over-year to 254,684.
It this gloomy image, the plug-in electric cars actually managed to continue with amazing growth this year, once again doubling the volume!
The new plug-in registrations amounted 18,512 (the all-time record), which is 109% more than a year ago, as manufacturers were delivering vehicles ordered over the past months (it might not be as strong in Q2 though).
Because of the record and overall market situation, also the plug-in market share is at a record high 7.27% (one in about 14 new registrations)!
More sales reports
Plug-in Electric Car Registrations in the UK – March 2020
The all-electric (BEV) segment was actually not only almost two times bigger than PHEVs, but also tripled its sales! Anyway, both categories noted new records.
- BEVs: 11,694 (up 197% year-over-year) at market share of 4.6%
- PHEVs: 6,818 (up 38% year-over-year) at market share of 2.7%
- Total: 18,512 (up 109% year-over-year) at market share of 7.3%
"There was some good news for early adopters, who were able to take delivery of the latest alternatively fuelled cars before the crisis took hold in the UK. Registrations of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) rose almost three-fold in the month to 11,694 units, accounting for 4.6% of the market, while plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) grew 38.0%. Uptake of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), however, fell -7.1%."
- BEVs: 18,256 (up 204% year-over-year)
- PHEVs: 13,662 (up 59% year-over-year)
- Total: 39,918 (up 119% year-over-year) at market share of 6.6%
More details, including also other types:
We don't have data for particular models, although - as it turns out - the one, named "Other" (aka Tesla Model 3) was doing quite fine. Thanks to a cumulative volume delivery in a single month, Model 3 noted 4,718 registrations. That's 40% of all BEVs and the #9 best result in March.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) calls Tesla as "Other", reportedly because Tesla's policy of not releasing regional sales data.


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Acer Swift 3 notebook launched in India
Panasonic launches Lumix G9 camera in India
Sony launches HXR-MC88 camcorder
Samsung launches Galaxy A51 8GB RAM model
Realme launches Smart TV
Tecno Spark 5 smartphone launched
Moto G8 Power Lite smartphone launched
Motorola launches Edge+ smartphone in India
Amazfit Ares smartwatch launched
Picture of Mark Zuckerberg getting haircut from wi...
Rare pictures of Apple's Steve Jobs having lunch w...
Apple acquires AI startup Voysis
Cut, copy and paste creator Larry Tesler passes aw...
Apple rumoured to launch iPhone SE 2 in March 2020
OnePlus 8 series design confirmed in new leak
Arvind Krishna to become the new IBM CE0
Sundar Pichai’s pictures
Google celebrates 21st birth anniversary with a sp...


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Coolpad announced the launch of two new power packed smartphones in the below 10K segment. The products are in line with the company’s philosophy on “Empowering everyone everywhere”. Launched exclusively for the Indian market, Note 3S and Mega 3 are competitively priced at INR 9999 and INR 6999, respectively. These devices will be available in India from December 7th onwards exclusively on Amazon.in.
Wednesday, 30 November 2016
Epson updated about its continued fight against the non-genuine ink business and the multiple measures taken recently to curb the sale of counterfeit bottles. To protect the rights of its customers, police authorities conducted a series of raids in Mumbai, Tirupati and Chennai recently, where operatives had generated information about fixers involved in filling, bottling, packaging and distributing counterfeit Epson ink. In an effort to send a strong message of zero tolerance towards the sale of fake cartridges, the police in different parts of the country have stepped up their cooperation and efforts to arrest and terminate such practices.
Veeam Software announced that is has joined the Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) Complete program. The program adds Veeam solutions to HPE’s price list so that customers can purchase complete HPE and Veeam solutions directly from HPE and its resellers. This enables customers to benefit from Veeam’s industry-leading Availability solution, enabling them to operate 24.7.365 in today’s cloud-first era.
Sunday, 27 November 2016
Quintype, a data driven SaaS Platform for the new age digital media backed by the Indian media baron Raghav Bahl, recently announced a partnership with Gaon Connection, India's first professionally run rural newspaper, that aims at bridging the information gap prevalent in rural India. The journal is currently published in Hindi, with plans to add other languages including English in the near future.
Saturday, 26 November 2016
Union Minister for Law & Justice, Electronics & IT, Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday disclosed that the NDA Government saved Rs.36,000 crores by digitalizing economic activities such as payment of subsidies and MGNREGA wages through direct cash benefit facilities on to the accounts of intended beneficiaries through Aadhaar.
The 13th World Robot Olympiad, jointly organized by National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) under the aegis of Ministry of Culture, Government of India and India STEM Foundation (ISF), commenced at India Expo Mart, Greater Noida today.
Friday, 25 November 2016
Tookan announces its partnership with PayLo, an omni-channel payment platform, to provide a hassle free payment option to its customers amidst the demonetisation wave in the country. The move to partner with PayLo is to provide digital payment option and ease the payment related challenges faced by Tookan’s customers. This partnership will enable over a million Tookan’s customers to continue with their day to day operations without any interruption caused by cash crunch in the market.
Safaricom has announced plans to recruit 62 interns by January 2017 as it progresses its agenda to woo more women to the technology field.
Delhi has emerged as the preferred state for hiring in telecom and allied sectors, according to India Hiring Intent survey. As per the survey, Hiring intent in this sector is expected to increase from 16 to 20 percent in 2017.
Cloudatix Biz India Ventures recently launched its unique platform for Mobile Application Security Vetting and revealed the development of sole Indian Standard for Mobile Application Security.


text: Faculty of Hotel & Tourism Management constantly endeavors to bring into its realm industry leaders and experts from culinary world in order to enthuse and inspire its promising young hospitality professionals. On April 25th Chef. Varun Bajaj enthralled the students with his awe-inspiring journey began as a Management Trainee Chef at the prestigious Leela Hotels to becoming Business Head India & South East Asia of German Kitchen Equipment Manufacturing giant MKN. On the way he gathered experience and expertise while working for brands like Electroluxe, Rational AG, Nestle etc. With food shows like “Technology with Kitchen” on FOOD FOOD Channel, creating first Eco friendly Food Truck of India Based on Maggi Noodles and organizing the first Corporate Super Chef Event in India this year in his kitty, Chef Varun Bajaj’s deliberations were gripping as he brought out variety of food items using the Combination Oven in the Studio Kitchen. He motivated the students by sharing about the Multiple Avenues available for Culinary Professionals. He shared that earlier working with food typically meant becoming a chef with a restaurant at an international hotel chain. But today, it’s hard to even keep track of the diverse range of opportunities in the culinary industry. From food television to cook-book publishing, owning/operating a restaurant to crafting unique pastry products, chefs work in every aspect of today’s food world – and that it’s never been more exciting. He gave insights about how technology has taken over traditional cooking to save on time, energy and resources.


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The Media is contantly talking about the depressing economy that is starting to annoy me. That is not to say that the economy is having problems, but, the media is reporting on every depressing news on the economy that they can find, that it is starting to get a little annoying.
Anyway, found this article on Starbucks that I thought was a perfect example:
Title of the article:
Scoll down to the end of the article:Starbucks to cut 6,700 jobs, close 300 stores, 200, in the US
So, Starbucks is going to close 200 stores in the US, while opening 140 new stores.The company said it plans to open only 140 new stores in the U.S. in fiscal 2009, down from its previous target of 200. Overseas, it will open 170, down from the 270 it had planned to open.
Also, Starbuck has been having problems since last year, & "all" of their problems may or may not be directly related to the economy. Once of Starbucks problems has to do with a "taste" problem & competition.
So, what are your thoughts?


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Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020, 12:15 PM
The all-digital Auto Intel Summit wraps up Friday with a day of sessions on auto innovation, digital retail and the role of venture capital in auto technology.
The day begins at 11 a.m. (ET) with a panel discussion titled, “The Auto Intel Council Explores the Edge of Auto Innovation.”
Moderated by Auto Remarketing senior editor Joe Overby, the panel includes the following members of the Auto Intel Council:
- Sharon Mancero Director Asset-Backed Securitization & Lending, Wells Fargo
- Joe Oliveri, Vice President, Data-as-a-Service, KAR Global
- Jeremiah Wheeler, Executive Vice President & General Manager, Fintech, DRN
Next up will be a digital retail-focused presentation from CarNow founder Tim Cox, whose “The Future of Automotive Retail” keynote begins at noon.
The day concludes with a 1 p.m. panel on the venture capital and investment space.
The “Auto Industry Venture Capital Fireside Chat — Exploring the 2020 Environment” session will be moderated by Spiffy co-founder and CEO Scot Wingo and include the following panelists from the investment community:
- Jason Caplain, Co-Founder and General Partner, Bull City Venture Partners
- Lister Delgado, Managing Partner, Idea Fund Partners
- Steve Greenfield, Co-Founder and CEO, Automotive Ventures
For more information and to register, visit www.autointelsummit.com.


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Online Video is the Leader of Future Marketing
Video is the Leader of Future Marketing
With more and more online videos becoming accessible to anyone with a computer and an Internet connection offering information on products and services into the comforts of your home, and advertisers are definitely taking notice! An increasing number of business owners investing in online videos soon find success by promoting their product or service. Online videos are a win-win for everyone!
Statistical results gathered from qualified online users continue to climb at overwhelming rates from specific respondents reporting to watch online videos. A collaborative study by Google and Bing recently conducted by the information group TNS yielded encouraging results for business owners considering an online marketing campaign.
Statistics concluded that 75% of the respondents reported viewing more videos online compared to that of a year ago. Even more encouraging results for indecisive advertisers debating on whether or not to launch an online video marketing campaign are that over half of the respondents anticipate watching more online videos in the next year.
While some skeptics may doubt the real success of online video marketing, statistical results prove otherwise. Respondents of the survey report that they feel as though they are better able to make more informed and empowered decisions by watching video ads online when compared to ads viewed on television.
In fact, 78% of respondents reflect that online video ads provide as much, and often more, of an opportunity to learn about a specific product or service rather than watching ads on television. Unlike television commercials, viewers have complete control over online videos, watching online ads at the viewers’ convenience.
Furthermore, 63% of the survey participants prefer video sites to host advertising, specifically if ads help keep content free.
The survey statistics also reveals additional pros for business owners opting to advertise using online videos:
• 64% took action after seeing an online video
• 44% visited the advertisers Web site
• 33% searched for a product or service
• 22% visited an offline retail store
• 21% discussing the advertised product with friends or family
Up until recently major television broadcast networks have set the bar for grand scale technique using online videos, however, small business owners are now able to establish an edgy and professional online presence at very affordable prices.
As the technological world continues to spin beyond the speed of light, business owners are constantly looking for marketing strategies to attract and appeal to new and existing consumers. The solution is simple: Online videos are categorically the leader of future marketing!


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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 3, 2024
Heavy-Duty Repair Shop Counter Sales and Labor Rates Rose in 2023, Per Latest Data
New Orleans, Louisiana – A new report from the American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council, in partnership with Fullbay, has found that counter sales and labor rates rose significantly in 2023 from the previous year.
Heavy-duty repair shops around the country reported up to a 40% increase in counter sales last year when compared to 2022, while at the same time, labor rates went up approximately $10 per hour, according to the groups’ fourth annual State of Heavy-Duty Repair Report.
“Our most extensive report to date, the fourth annual edition, brims with valuable data and analysis tailored to assist repair shops in optimizing their operations,” said Fullbay CEO Patrick McKittrick. “This all-encompassing report serves as a valuable resource for shop owners and managers, enabling them to benchmark their shop’s key metrics against counterparts nationwide. We take pride in providing transparent and unbiased data, supporting our industry partners and peers in their consideration of heavy-duty vehicle maintenance best practices.”
While the report contains an abundance of data, a preview of its key findings include:
- 45% of respondents reported between 21%-40% increases of counter sales from 2022 to 2023.
- Labor rates increased 9% across the country in 2023 – that equates to a roughly $10 per hour increase.
- Over 40% of respondents reported a net profit between 11% and 20%
- 18% of shops surveyed were pulling in between $1 to $2 million each year, while 12% reported revenue between $250,001 and $500,000.
- 25% of technicians indicated they worked at only three shops throughout the course of their entire career.
“For nearly 70 years, TMC has aided in developing best practices, technology, and maintenance practices to support the heavy-duty repair industry to specify and maintain their fleets more effectively,” said TMC Executive Director Robert Braswell. “There is no shortage of challenges repair shops face, and this annual report is an excellent tool for individuals of all sectors within the industry to use as a guide when faced with those particular challenges on a daily basis.”
Fullbay’s report data is drawn from individual survey responses and real-world shop data. More than 1,000 individuals from the commercial freight, logistics and repair industries completed the survey, while shops across North America, Australia and New Zealand were sampled for authentic shop data. Those surveyed were a combination of both customers and non-customers of Fullbay, while all sampled data went through data masking.
# # #
By providing leadership support and opportunities to collaborate, TMC helps members develop the industry’s best practices that address the critical truck technology and maintenance issues that have the greatest impact on truck fleets. For more than 60 years, TMC’s member-driven Recommended Maintenance and Engineering Practices have been setting the standards that help trucking companies specify and maintain their fleets more effectively. Follow TMC on X, LinkedIn and Facebook.
Based in Phoenix, Arizona, Fullbay revolutionizes the operations of heavy-duty repair shops and internal fleet maintenance departments to create more efficient, focused and faster organizations. The company provides a turn-key platform that connects every function of the business in real time from any location to improve workflow and create transparency in operations. Founded in 2014, Fullbay focuses on delivering operational excellence, preventive maintenance solutions, and inventory management optimization to its wide variety of customers. In April 2022, Fullbay acquired Dieselmatic, a digital marketing company, to offer extended services to its clients and improve the customer experience. The company most recently launched its All About the Grilles e-commerce store in which a portion of proceeds gets donated to Fullbay Cares, a program dedicated to giving back to the essential workers of heavy-duty repair.


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New iPhone May Offer a Mobile Payment Platform
The new iPhone 6 is coming soon. In fact, it’s expected that Apple will unveil its latest smartphone at a Sept. 9 event being held in Cupertino, Calif. There have been rumors about what the new iPhone will look like, what it will include and what it can do for months. The latest inklings suggest that the new iPhone 6 will include a mobile payment platform.
Microsoft Temporarily Cuts the Price on the Surface 2
Microsoft is cutting the price on its Surface 2 just a month after cuts to the prices of its Surface Pro 2 devices. The Surface 2 runs the much-maligned Windows 8 RT operating system. Microsoft will be taking $100 off the regular prices of the tablets. That means the 32GB Surface 2 will now cost $349.
New LG Smartphone Added to the G3 Line Has a Stylus Pen
LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company is getting set to introduce a new smartphone to the G3 line it introduced earlier this year. The latest advent of this series will feature a stylus pen, according to new information from the company. The announcement comes just days ahead of LG’s official unveiling of the aptly-named G3 Stylus at the IFA conference in Berlin.
Sustainable Startups Using Technology to Make Use of Food Waste
The developed world wastes almost as much food as sub-Saharan Africa produces in a given year, according to the United Nations. This means there’s an opportunity for sustainable startups to try and make use of all that food waste. And there are already a few companies using technology to make that vision a reality.
Giles House of CallidusCloud: Most Important Cloud is one that Turns Leads into Cash
While many people talk about the cloud in many different ways, to business people, all the talk doesn’t matter if it doesn’t lead to customers, revenues and profits. Giles House, SVP/CMO of sales and marketing effectiveness platform CallidusCloud, joins us to talk about what he calls the most important cloud to business people: The Lead-to-Money Cloud.
How to Get the Omnichannel Shopper Into Your Store
Previously we covered the growing trend for online-only retailers to open physical stores to cater to consumers’ desire for a physical, in-store experience. And I’ve got some more good news for brick-and-mortar retailers from The UPS Pulse of the Online Shopper (PDF) study.
Austin Brewery Sells 99 Beers in a Single Case
You’ve likely heard the song “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall.” But did you know you could actually buy a case of 99 beers in Texas? Local Austin brewery Austin Beerworks sold the 99-packs of its award winning Peacemaker Anytime Ale at select stores throughout Austin recently.
Small Biz Spotlight
Spotlight: Helena Tubridy Uses Hypnotherapy to Treat Infertility
For couples who want to have children, the first step can sometimes be the most difficult. So who can these couples turn to when they need it? And what if traditional infertility treatments aren’t working? That’s where Helena Tubridy comes in. Tubridy is an Ireland-based fertility specialist and author who helps people overcome infertility and similar issues by focusing on the mind.
Photographer Driven Bananas Over Wikipedia Monkey Selfies
In an interesting case of man vs. animal vs. copyright law, Wikipedia has refused repeated requests from a photographer to remove a famous series of monkey self-portraits because the animal pressed the button, which they believe puts the image into the public domain.
10 of Our Best Resources on How to Use LinkedIn for B2B
Are you looking for the best social platform for getting new business connections and referrals? If so, you should be on LinkedIn — a social platform for professionals. Unlike Facebook and Twitter, which focus more on communication and updates, LinkedIn is a social platform that focuses on profiles, groups and connections.
Beat the Facebook Algorithm With These 13 Techniques
Over the past year, Facebook has been rolling out algorithm updates that have resulted in decreased visibility for business’s organic page posts – in March, it looked like organic reach on Facebook was rapidly approaching zero. So how do you beat the odds? In my article today, I’ll cover 12 tactics to beat the Facebook algorithm and help you get your fan engagement back!
Is the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Working? Numbers Say Yes!
Over the last few weeks, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has gone viral prompting millions of videos. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge marketing campaign was created to help find a cure for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, by raising awareness and collecting monetary donations.
SoundCloud Introduces Program to Share Revenue with Artists
SoundCloud has introduced a new program, the On SoundCloud partner program, that aims to pay creators that upload their audio content to the service. If you’re unfamiliar with SoundCloud, here’s a quick rundown of how it works. Quite simply, musicians, podcasters, and others who create original audio can upload their files and share their content with a broader community.
Dropbox and Amazon Make More Storage Options Available
Dropbox and Amazon are making more storage options available that just about any business can afford. Amazon has widened the availability of its Zocalo cloud storage service. This is another product offered through Amazon Web Services. Right now, Amazon is offering Zocalo to its Amazon Web Services users for free for 30 days.
Weighing the Pros and Cons of Free City WiFi
The buzz in the world of WiFi at the moment is this: A large number of cities across the globe are already offering free Internet connections through free city WiFi technology. Even more are expected to soon follow suit.
VC & Angel Capital
Venture Capital Trends: A Shrinking, Evolving Industry
Four years ago Dr. Scott Shane wrote about a presentation he had made at a workshop at Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland on trends in the venture capital industry. In the intervening period, a number of people have asked for updated slides. The updated venture capital trends slides are now available. This article will highlight key venture capital trends.
Galaxy Note 4 Phablet Incorporates Fingerprint ID
Online and device security are among the biggest concerns of smartphone and tablet users these days. And those concerns are at least part of the reason Samsung has included Synaptics’ Natural ID fingerprint scanning technology in the new Galaxy Note 4 phablet. Samsung introduced its latest phablet at its #UNPACKED event recently in Berlin.


text: Msn.com has posted the following information, from Automobile magazine, about the future of the Challenger: "Fiat Chrysler's muscle/pony has had a checkered future, full of oft-cancelled replacements. The Challenger debuted in '08 in SRT guise, with the full line added for '09, and Dodge had planned a new "Barracuda" in the early 2010s that would be smaller than Challenger, though on the same platform. It was a pet project of Fiat Chrysler design chief Ralph Gilles. By Fiat Chrysler's second Five-Year Plan introduced by then-CEO Sergio Marchionne in 2014, the Dodge Challenger and Charger were to migrate to Alfa Romeo's rear-drive Giorgio platform, on which the Giulia is built. But delays and added cost in developing that platform put the Dodges on ice. By Fiat Chrysler's third Five-Year Plan presentation last year in Balocco, Italy, Marchionne confirmed that the Giorgio-based Dodges were off, and that constant updates of the Challenger/Charger/Chrysler 300 platform would keep the models fresh through the 2020s. Fiat Chrysler long ago evolved the chassis, cribbed from the Mercedes-Benz E-class during the DaimlerChrysler years, to the point that it considers the platform its own. For instance, AWD was added to the Dodge Challenger in the 2017 model year. Earlier in the decade, Fiat Chrysler had to pay a licensing fee to post-Chrysler Daimler for AWD systems for the Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300. Meanwhile, ZF Friedrichshafen last week announced Fiat Chrysler has placed the second-largest order for the transmission supplier's eight-speed automatic for longitudinal-engine, rear- and all-wheel-drive models. The order includes a "significant share of hybrid transmissions," which means Dodge, Chrysler, and Jeep, as well as Alfa and Maserati, will likely soon offer 48-volt systems like those seen on Ram pickups and the Jeep Wrangler/Gladiator. Fiat Chrysler now considers the Dodge's plus size an advantage, so we don't expect any significant downsizing when the next Challenger arrives, likely for 2022."


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By: Heather McMillan, Marketing & Operations Coordinator, MaxxSouth Broadband
MaxxSouth Broadband hosted a grand opening for it’s newly renovated retail center in Forest, MS on July 12th. The new facility boasts a more modern décor and state of the art experience table for customers to try out MaxxSouth’s products and services.
MaxxSouth has grown significantly over the past two years, allowing the company to focus more on improvements and customer experience. The original office that was in Forest was very out dated and out of the way for customers to find. This new location will be easier to access with a lot more parking to make it more convenient for the customers.
City Officials such as Mayor Nancy Chambers, Director of Forest Area Chamber of Commerce Allyce Lott, Representative Tom Miles, and Senator Terry Burton attended the event. Tonya Thompson, MaxxSouth’s Regional General Manager, was also in attendance.
The new store location is at 826 Woodland Drive North (Highway 35). MaxxSouth invites all of Forest to come be a part of it’s continuing progress!
Pictures from the grand opening are below. Click to enlarge!


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Facebook’s First Quarter Earnings Beat Wxpectations
Facebook’s first quarter earnings beat expectations, and it is predicted that this quarter will be affected by iOS updates. The stock price soars by 7% before the market.
Social media Facebook (U.S.: FB) first-quarter profit beat expectations. Its turnover increased by 48% year-on-year to US$26.17 billion, and its profit rose by 94% to US$9.497 billion. With satisfactory performance of Facebook, its pre-market share price surged 7% on Thursday to a temporary price of US$328.94. Facebook CEO Zuckerberg said that he will continue to invest in new areas, including augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), e-commerce and creator economy.
Facebook’s earnings per share for the first quarter were US$3.3, higher than market expectations of US$2.37, mainly due to a 30% year-on-year increase in the average price of advertisements per unit and a 12% increase in the number of advertisements.
Other main operating indicators, Facebook’s daily active users in the first quarter were 1.88 billion, slightly lower than market expectations of 1.89 billion. The number of monthly active users is 2.85 billion, and the market is estimated to be 2.86 billion.
According to Facebook’s guidance, revenue growth in the second quarter of 2021 can remain stable, or even faster than in the first quarter. This is mainly due to the fact that the performance in the second quarter of last year was greatly affected by the epidemic, but the growth in the third and fourth quarters of this year will slow down, and supervision is also expected Pressure and platform conversion will bring pressure, especially pointed out that the impact of Apple’s iOS 14.5 update will begin to surface in the second quarter.
Facebook has increased its annual spending forecast from US$68 billion to US$73 billion to US$70 billion to US$73 billion, reflecting the company’s increased investment in technology and product talent. The level of capital expenditure has been lowered from the booked 21 billion to 23 billion U.S. dollars to 19 billion to 21 billion U.S. dollars.


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Widely deemed the country’s most important alcohol exhibition, the China Food & Drinks Fair / Tang Jiu Hui set for late March in Chengdu has been postponed due to the coronavirus situation. The announcement, made just before 1 PM today and already viewed more than 100,000 times, cited the need to get the epidemic under control and specifically the directions of the Sichuan government for the decision. A new CFDF date is to be determined.
The announcement comes on the heels of many closings, cancellations, and postponements for wine bars, educators, event planners and others the past few weeks.
- Wine distributors have canceled dinners, tastings and winemaker / supplier visits for February and in some cases longer. Beijing-based importer / distributor The Wine Republic says all events have been canceled through May.
- Wine education companies have canceled classes, including GrapeA, which will hold no classes this month but is offering free extensions, including on exams.
- At least some Beijing wine bars and shops remain closed, including Italian-themed Buona Bocca and The Merchants, which recently delayed its reopening to February 10.
These are just a few examples, and are in addition to challenges faced by wine companies, such as extended office building closings, the quarantining of staff, delays at Customs, struggles with delivery services, and more.
In terms of CFDF, while I’d heard from numerous people about international trade members planning to skip this year’s event, a decision made easier as many airlines canceled or reduced flights to China, some still held out hope the coronavirus situation would be remedied in time and the show would go on, especially as they had already booked notoriously hard to find hotel space.
The CFDF is the China’s oldest drinks fair. This year’s edition, the 102nd, was slated for March 26 to March 28, with the trade holding hotel meetings the four days prior. CFDF is especially important for local alcohol producers, including of China’s national spirit, baijiu. According to CFDF, the fair attracts 3,000 exhibitors and 300,000 buyers, leading to rmb20 billion in deals,
More on the CFDC and other situations in the next few hours.
Good content takes resources. If you find Grape Wall useful, help cover its costs via PayPal, WeChat or credit / debit card. Also check out Grape Wall on Facebook. Twitter and Instagram. And sibling sites World Marselan Day, World Baijiu Day and Beijing Boyce.


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The High Court has today ruled that easyJet did not infringe the airline reservation software copyright of Navitaire, a US-based company that is part of Accenture.The case was brought by Navitaire, which had previously supplied airline reservations software to easyJet, after the airline had developed its own reservations software. Navitaire has a virtual monopoly over reservations software in the low-cost airline industry and, as such, it was attempting to prevent easyJet from having the freedom to develop its business as it sees fit.
Navitaire attacked almost every single aspectÊ of easyJet’s own reservation system, e-Res. But there were principal complaints against the database structure; the internet booking interface; the agent interfaces in the call centre and airport environments; and the “business logic” of all aspects of the system.
The legal challenge failed in every major respect, and Judge Pumphrey said that parts of the case were so bad they should have been abandoned.
In an important precedent for the UK software industry, Judge Pumphrey ruled that allowing the “business logic” to be protected by literary copyright was
an unjustifiable extension of copyright protection.
Ray Webster, easyJet Chief Executive, commented: “This is a good day for the consumer, we have always maintained that this was a fatuous case - and a waste of time. The central parts of the case were found to be totally without foundation. This was the action of a monopolist trying to protect its own business - easyJet has always fought for the consumer against monopolies, there are still too many parts of the airline industry that do not act in the interest of the consumer and are resisting change. easyJet’s development of our own computer software system has been critical in allowing the airline to lead the sector in terms of innovation”.
“E-res has been pivotal in allowing easyJet to be the first European low cost airline to allow customers to both retrieve details of their Ê bookings and make itinerary changes online. Also it enabled us to be the first airline anywhere in the world to check-in every single passenger on a flight, including those with hold luggage using our self-check-in kiosks”.


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Overall retail sales dipped slightly in February, but core spending rose, according to data reviewed by the National Retail Federation.
“February’s retail sales growth is not surprising given the strong growth we saw last month, continuing to reflect consumers’ ability and willingness to spend thoughtfully on household priorities,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “While recent volatility in banking and financial markets is adding to economic uncertainty, the underlying fundamentals in the consumer economy remain on solid footing as jobs and wages are growing and inflation is trending down. Retailers continue to find innovative ways to meet consumers with the right products, offer the best prices to help families stretch their dollars, and deliver great experiences.”
“Sales growth has slowed in recent months, but consumers’ economic health still looks good,” NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said. “February is typically the slowest month of the year, so monthly fluctuations are expected. Sales are higher than last year and that’s due in large part to the strong labor market, which means more income and spending. We are seeing a decent trend for retail sales growth built on the upward revisions to December and January sales. Nonetheless, seasonal adjustment factors the government is applying to the monthly data to account for irregular post-pandemic spending patterns make it difficult to accurately measure the strength of the consumer.”
The U.S. Census Bureau today said overall retail sales in February were down 0.4 percent from January but up 5.4 percent year-over-year. In January, sales were up 3.2 percent month over month and up 7.7 percent year-over-year.
NRF’s calculation of retail sales, which excludes auto dealers, gas stations and restaurants to focus on core retail, showed February was up 0.5 percent from January and up 6.5 percent unadjusted year-over-year. In January, sales were up 2 percent month over month and up 6.9 percent year-over-year. NRF’s numbers were up 6 percent unadjusted year-over-year on a three-month moving average as of February.
February sales were up in all but one retail category on a yearly basis, led by general merchandise stores, online sales and health and personal care stores, and increased in five out of nine categories on a monthly basis. Specifics from key sectors include:
- General merchandise stores were up 0.5 percent month over month seasonally adjusted and up 10.7 percent unadjusted ear-over-year;
- Online and other non-store sales were up 1.6 percent month over month seasonally adjusted and up 8.5 percent unadjusted year-over-year;
- Health and personal care stores were up 0.9 percent month over month seasonally adjusted and up 8 percent unadjusted year-over-year;
- Grocery and beverage stores were up 0.5 percent month over month seasonally adjusted and up 5.5 percent unadjusted year-over-year;
- Clothing and clothing accessory stores were down 0.8 percent month over month seasonally adjusted but up 4.1 percent unadjusted year-over-year;
- Sporting goods stores were down 0.5 percent month over month seasonally adjusted but up 3.4 percent unadjusted year-over-year;
- Building materials and garden supply stores were down 0.1 percent month over month seasonally adjusted but up 0.7 percent unadjusted year-over-year;
- Furniture and home furnishings stores were down 2.5 percent month over month seasonally adjusted but up 0.4 percent unadjusted year-over-year;
- Electronics and appliance stores were up 0.3 percent month over month seasonally adjusted but down 2.2 percent unadjusted year-over-year;
NRF will release its 2023 retail sales forecast as part of its State of Retail and the Consumer venue on March 29.


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National Mall Washington Dc Map
Artpark has announced a series of new and adapted programs aimed at bringing relief and inspiration to members of the community while promoting social distancing and following all Artpark & Company Executive Director Sonia Kozlova Clark said, “Like everyone else, Artpark and our community have been living through an unprecedented time of major sacrifice and loss. Such a time Many are making the most of their own backyards as the virus cancels vacations. For our writer, day trips mean a slower pace and reflection.
Several US states activate National Guard troops as protests over police killings of unarmed Black people grow. Could this be the end of the great American shopping mall? For the malls we knew, the ones with big box anchor stores, heavily dependent on nation-wide apparel chains, quite possibly, yes.
The coronavirus has upended lives and businesses around the globe. From business interruption and supply chain disruption to event and travel cancellations, we are only just seein Across central and South America and the Caribbean islands, scientists found that lizards with larger toe pads seem to be more common in areas that have been hit by storm after storm in the past 70
National Mall Washington Dc Map : The coronavirus has upended lives and businesses around the globe. From business interruption and supply chain disruption to event and travel cancellations, we are only just seein The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can .


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Only 20 per cent of shoppers are expected to go back to the high street as shops open today, retail bosses have predicted.
While non-essential retail shops are permitted to open, the industry does not believe people will immediately flock to the shops, as a large proportion are still too scared.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has acknowledged that people may only “trickle” back to the high street, and urged those who do go out to follow social distancing and wash their hands.
Data from Europe shows that the lack of confidence is likely to be correct. In Germany, Italy and Spain footfall on the high street spiked on the day restrictions were lifted but had declined again within a week, according to data from ShopperTrak and the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
It was yet to return to pre-crisis levels in any of those countries within the first two and a half weeks.
Last week, data from accountants EY suggested that a large proportion of consumers would be too scared to go back to the shops, with four in five saying they do not want to try on clothes in a store.
Jace Tyrrell, of the New West End Company, a trade body representing retailers in London’s West End, said that he does not expect footfall to return to more than 20 per cent of its pre-crisis levels for some time.
“It’s going to feel quite different coming into the West End,” he said. “We are hoping not to see too many sales signs, particularly not in the first few weeks, because we want to see a steady flow not a sudden rush. Of course, safety is the priority.”
Meanwhile, the BRC's tracker, published today, showed that footfall in the UK decreased by 81.6 per cent in May because of the lockdown.
Shopping centres saw the biggest fall year-on-year of 84.9 per cent, with retail parks faring best despite footfall still declining by 55 per cent.
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, said that garden centres and homeware shops reopening had helped things to recover slightly, but that based on other countries it is only expected to rise by 15 to 25 percentage points in the coming weeks.
Boris Johnson has said people should “shop with confidence” as they return to their favourite stores, amid fears the economy may not bounce back as quickly as ministers originally hoped.
Speaking outside Westfield shopping centre yesterday, he said he did not know whether to expect "a flood or a trickle" when the shops reopened but that he hoped people would return in "sensible" numbers.
"I am very optimistic about the opening up that is going to happen tomorrow," he said.
"I think people should shop and shop with confidence, but they should of course observe the rules on social distancing and do it as safely as possible."
Sports Direct appeared to get the jump on other shops, with passers-by shocked to see its stores open across the country yesterday. Some shoppers said the retailer was only open for NHS staff. The business has advertised a 50 per cent discount for doctors and nurses from today.
While some said the shop should not have opened, the early start did not appear to breach rules. Hampshire Police Force confirmed it had cleared a local Sports Direct to open for NHS staff only from 11am until 3pm on Sunday. Sports Direct has been contacted for comment.
Councils are tentatively reopening public lavatories across the country as people return to town centres. Westminster City Council said that with the exception of the Broadwick Street site in Soho, all public toilets are open and operating normally, with entrance fee charges waived, and all public toilets in York will be open.
The government has urged local authorities to get the facilities open as quickly as possible. A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokeswoman said: "While decisions to reopen public toilets are for councils, we strongly encourage them to open wherever possible.
"We've published guidance to help them ensure facilities are safe where they are open including increasing cleaning of touch points."


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Man held for theft in Kishtwar
Jammu: A man was arrested for alleged theft at a shop in Kishtwar district, officials said.
A complaint was received by police from one Sameer Kitchloo that there was a theft in his shop by some unidentified persons in the Pochhal area, they said.
During investigation, 40 suspects were picked up on the basis of CCTV footage. The accused, identified as Chetak, was arrested, the officials said.
On his disclosure, stolen items like saffron worth Rs 50,000, two mobile phones, clothes and Rs 6,000 cash besides a motorcycle were recovered, they said.
Chetak was donning a police uniform while committing the theft, the officials said, adding a case has been registered in this connection. (PTI)


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Google Messages is experimenting with redesigned photo picker
Google Messages is the flagship app of Google and it is receiving constant stream of updates. It started experimenting with end-to-end encrypted group chats and Signal-style read receipts. Now the tests are being conducted to redesign the photo picker that makes it very easy to access the old pictures. The new photo picker loses horizontally scrolling interface of old for intuitive vertical scrolling one. The interface has expanded further to the top when you scroll, letting you to see more images at once.
Quick access to camera and your device folder has been retained. The camera preview is positioned at the top left corner and the Gallery has been renamed to Folders. Google is sticking with custom implementation for photo picker in its flagship messaging app. The company has introduced Android-wide photo picker that is backreported to Android 4.4 KitKat. Google has also added that method to Google Voice which is an online messaging as well as calling service.


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Lexmark Q2 Revenue Rises 6%
Lexington, Ky. — An 11 percent second quarter sales jump of laser and inkjet printer supplies, to $630 million, compared with a year-earlier $566 million, pushed consolidated second quarter sales at Lexmark International up 6 percent. This reached $1.12 billion, compared with $1.06 billion in the same three months in 2002. Laser and inkjet supplies revenue accounted for 56 percent of Lexmark's total revenue in the three months, up from a prior-year 54 percent. Second quarter laser and inkjet printer revenue edged up 2 percent in the second quarter, ended June 30, hitting $400 million, compared with $394 million year-on-year. Consolidated net income for the second three months came in at $101.7 million, up 14 percent from the $89.1 million recorded year-on-year. Gross profit margin climbed 200 basis points in the second three months, to 34 percent. Second-half consolidated revenue hit $2.2 billion, up from $2.1 billion year over year. Net income reached $196.3 million, compared with a year-earlier $160.6 million. Third quarter revenue is expected in the low to middle single digits.
Logitech Q1 Sales Increase 12%
Fremont, Calif. — Stepping up promotional spending in its fiscal first quarter, due to weaker demand and stronger-than-expected competition, personal interface products maker Logitech International reported a sales increase, but a decrease in profit, for its reporting period, ended June 30. Sales climbed 12 percent in the three months, to $218.2 million, up from $195.1 million in the year-ago period. Operating income was $7.9 million in the first three months, down 38 percent from the $12.6 million registered in the same quarter a year ago. Net income decreased 47 percent in the first quarter, to $5.7 million, compared with $10.8 million year-on-year. Gross margin slid 620 basis points, to 27.8 percent, down from 34 percent in the first three months a year earlier. Logitech noted strong growth in console gaming peripherals and audio and webcam products, but such items as corded computer mice fell short of expectations. In the second fiscal quarter, Logitech expects revenue of $270 million to $280 million, with operating income of $15 million to $17 million and a gross margin of about 30 percent.
Imation Q2 Sales Up, Net Drops
Oakdale, Minn. — Removable data storage media supplier Imation recorded a 2.5 percent sales increase in the second quarter, ended June 30, hitting $268 million, up from $261.4 million in the year-ago period. The data storage and information management segment revenue of $254.7 million increased 3.8 percent. Overall second quarter net income, however, dropped to $19.4 million, down from $21.5 million in the same three months in 2002. Gross margin climbed 30 basis points, to 30.4 percent in the second quarter. Even with economic uncertainty, Imation remains confident in its goal of 5 percent to 10 percent full-year data-storage-segment revenue growth. Full-year operating income outlook is 10 percent to 15 percent year-on-year growth, excluding litigation and restructuring benefits in 2002. Gross margin for the year is estimated in the range of 30 percent to 32 percent. Selling, general and administrative spending is targeted between 15.5 percent and 16 percent.
Plantronics Q1 Revenue, Income Increases
Santa Cruz, Calif. — New headsets for mobile phones were the major contributor to revenue growth at communications headset maker Plantronics in the company's fiscal first quarter, ended June 30. Revenue increased 15.5 percent, hitting $92.8 million, up from $80.3 million in the same three months in 2002. Operating income increased from $13.6 million to $15.7 million year over year. First quarter net income reached $11.3 million, up from $10.2 million in the year-ago period. Looking ahead to the second quarter, Plantronics anticipates revenue in the range of $92 million to $97 million.
Handspring Q4 Revenue, Profit Slide Prior To Palm Acquisition
Mountain View, Calif. — Personal communications and handheld computing company Handspring reported revenue of $14.5 million in its fiscal fourth quarter, ended June 28, compared with $49 million in the year-ago period. Revenue in the quarter included $10.3 million in communicator sales and $4.2 million in sales of organizers and accessories. Handspring, which is being acquired by Palm (the transaction is expected to close in the fall), recorded a net loss of $13 million in the fourth quarter, compared with a net loss of $15.4 million year-on-year. For the fiscal year, revenue dropped to $147.3 million, down from $240.7 million in the preceding 12 months. The company reported a 12-month net loss of $131.1 million, compared with a net loss of $91.6 million in the same period a year earlier. Excluding amortization of deferred stock compensation and intangible assets, the 12-month net loss reached $46.6 million, compared with a loss of $71.4 million a year ago.
Kodak Q2 Photo Segment Sales Down 2%; Digital Camera Sales Up 65%
Rochester, N. Y. — Although sales in the photography segment at Eastman Kodak declined 2 percent in the second quarter, ended June 30, consumer sales of digital cameras increased 65 percent. Photography segment sales in the three months hit $2.34 billion, down from $2.38 billion in the year-ago period. Segment operating earnings reached $119 million in the second quarter, compared with $257 million year-on-year. Kodak said it was cutting 4,500 to 6,000 jobs, beginning later this year, about 6 percent to 9 percent of its global workforce. The company's new round of cost cutting, an effort to counter its slowing film business, came after it reported flat consolidated sales in the second quarter, at $3.3 billion, and a 60 percent decline in net income, to $112 million, from $284 million year over year. The company will take charges in the next 12 months, ranging from $350 million to $450 million, to cover the personnel reduction costs. It anticipates generating $300 million to $400 million from the employee cuts, with $275 million to $325 million expected to be realized in 2004.


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Yara's AdBlue business, under the Air1 brand, is growing steadily in Africa despite a lack of the usual market driver - emissions legislation.
AdBlue is an operating fluid used in vehicles. It is a 32.5% solution of high-purity urea in de-mineralized water; used with Selective Catalytic Reduction technology (SCR) it reduces emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) from the exhaust of diesel vehicles.
The international market for NOx reduction solutions is mainly driven by new and stricter environmental legislation. The EU and USA in particular have implemented increasingly stricter regulations in this field, and more countries are to follow, as challenges related to harmful emissions to air are growing in all hemispheres. Yara provides a complete portfolio of offerings, from technical equipment, service and maintenance, as well as reliable supplies of reagents. Our plant in Sluiskil in the Netherlands is the largest single site producing AdBlue in the world.
Supplying the FIFA World Cup
"Things are progressing in Africa indeed," says Jeroen Schoonderbeek, Operations Director for Yara’s Industrial, Business Unit Environmental Solutions - Automotive. “With no emissions legislation in place this growth is promising, in my view."
Sales began back in 2010, with one of the first deliveries being related to the football World Cup in South Africa. "In at least one of the host cities Volvo supplied new buses for public transport - and we supplied the AdBlue. This supply is ongoing," Jeroen notes.
Sales continue to grow year on year, related to the use of AdBlue in new trucks and buses, used vehicles imported from e.g. Europe, and new agricultural tractors and machines and construction equipment. Even cars using AdBlue are already sold in Africa.
"Currently the majority of our sales are in southern Africa, where we have signed an agreement with Engen, who are a good fit as they have the same strong safety, quality and branding standards as Yara," Jeroen explains.
“Engen will be using Yara’s Air1 brand for AdBlue, and is preparing a full product launch in South Africa,” he adds. “This recent distributorship agreement with Engen, and the close cooperation we have with our existing African Yara sales teams, will ensure we are in position to help African customers’ businesses meet proposed legislation, which comes into effect in 2017.”
Making use of the Yara logistics system
A similar story is behind the start of AdBlue‘s business for Yara in Kenya, which started in 2012 thanks to connections with Yara East Africa Sales Manager Thomas Ambani. "We deal with transport companies for our fertilizer deliveries. They need AdBlue and we are naturally there to meet their needs, as well as preserve the environment.”
"Despite the lack of emission regulations on NOx today I am sure that in the near future local authorities will work on improving transport systems - using more environmentally friendly buses, as just one example," Jeroen adds. "Yara is present in most African countries. It means we are close to the market and able to meet the growing demand that will come from fleets.”


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Four NASA projects, an electric car produced by Elon Musk’s Tesla Motors, and the pressure suit worn by Felix Baumgartner during his record skydiving jump have all made Popular Science‘s Best of What’s New 2012 list.
The following project were recognized in the Aerospace category:
- Mars Curiosity Sky Crane » Read
- NASA Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) » Read
- NASA PhoneSat » Read
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Asteroid Anchors » Read
- Red Bull Stratos Pressure Suit » Read
The Tesla Model S sedan won the Grand Prize in the Auto category. The magazine described the electric vehicle in a press release:
The Tesla Model S sets the standard by which all future electronic vehicles will be measured. It is faster than any other street-legal electric vehicle, with a motor that generates a peak 416 horsepower. The family-size sedan can dart from 0 to 60 in 4.4 seconds and has a top speed of 130 mph. The Tesla Model S can also drive farther on a charge than any other electric car—up to 300 miles on the optional 85-kilowatt-hour battery.
Tesla’s sedan also captured Motor Trend’s Car of the Year honors this week.
A NASA press release about PhoneSat, in which a smart phone was used to power a satellite, follows after the break.
ASA’s Phonesat Wins 2012 Popular Science Best of What’s New Award
MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. (NASA PR)– NASA’s PhoneSat project has won Popular Science’s 2012 Best of What’s New Award for innovation in aerospace. PhoneSat will demonstrate the ability to launch one of the lowest-cost, easiest-to-build satellites ever flown in space — capabilities enabled by using off-the-shelf consumer smartphones.
Each year, Popular Science reviews thousands of new products and innovations, and chooses the top 100 winners across 12 categories for its annual Best of What’s New issue. To win, a product or technology must represent a significant step forward in its category. All of the winners will be featured in the December special issue of the magazine.
“NASA’s PhoneSat mission will demonstrate use of small satellites for space commerce, educational activities and citizen-exploration are well within the reach of ordinary Americans because of lower cost, commercially available components,” said Michael Gazarik, director of NASA’s Space Technology Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Thanks to America’s continuing investment in space technology to enable NASA missions, we’ve seen space tech brought down and into our lives here on Earth. With PhoneSat, we’re doubling up, and taking those same great technologies back to space.”
NASA’s PhoneSat 1.0 satellite has a basic mission goal — to function in space for a short period of time, sending back digital imagery of Earth and space via its camera, while also sending back information about the satellite’s health.
NASA engineers kept the total cost of the components to build each of the three prototype satellites in the PhoneSat project to $3,500 by using only commercial-off-the-shelf hardware and establishing minimum design and mission objectives for the first flight.
Each NASA PhoneSat ‘nanosatellite’ is a 4-inch cube and weighs three pounds. NASA’s PhoneSat design makes extensive use of an unmodified, consumer-grade smartphone. Out-of-the-box smartphones offer capabilities needed for satellites, including fast processors, versatile operating systems, multiple miniature sensors, high-resolution cameras, GPS receivers, and several radios.
“NASA PhoneSat engineers are changing the way missions are designed by rapidly prototyping and incorporating existing commercial technologies and hardware,” said S. Pete Worden, director of NASA’s Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., where a small team of engineers developed and built PhoneSat. “This approach allows engineers to see what capabilities commercial technologies can provide, rather than trying to custom-design technology solutions to meet set requirements.”
NASA’s prototype smartphone satellite, known as PhoneSat 1.0, is built around the Nexus One smartphone made by HTC Corp., which runs Google’s Android operating system. The Nexus One acts as the spacecraft’s onboard computer. Commercial-off-the-shelf parts include an open-source, micro controller adapted as a watchdog circuit that monitors the systems and reboots the phone if it stops sending radio signals.
NASA’s PhoneSat 2.0 will lay the foundation for new capabilities for small-sized satellites, while advancing breakthrough technologies and decreasing costs of future small spacecraft. PhoneSat 2.0 will be equipped with an updated Nexus S smartphone made by Samsung Electronics which runs Google’s Android operating system to provide a faster core processor, avionics and gyroscopes.
PhoneSat 2.0 will supplement the capabilities of PhoneSat 1.0 by adding solar panels to enable longer-duration missions and a GPS receiver. In addition, PhoneSat 2.0 also will add magnetorquer coils — electro-magnets that interact with Earth’s magnetic field — as well as reaction wheels to actively control the satellite’s orientation in space.
A beta version of PhoneSat 2.0 will accompany two PhoneSat 1.0 spacecraft aboard the maiden flight of Orbital Sciences Corporation’s Antares rocket from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility at Wallops Island, Va., in the coming months.
The PhoneSat project is a technology demonstration mission funded by NASA’s Small Spacecraft Technology Program, which is managed by NASA’s Space Technology Program. NASA’s Space Technology Program is innovating, developing, testing, and flying technology for use in NASA’s future missions and by the greater aerospace community.
For more information about PhoneSat, visit: https://go.nasa.gov/ZoNxpg


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Announcements from CES on mixed-reality hardware launches, innovative displays and enterprise metaverse application platforms point to sustained interest in the metaverse. For example, TCL unveiled various wearable displays, including AR glasses that show navigational information and language translations; HTC announced a pair of lightweight, mixed-reality glasses; LG introduced a 3D sensing module for VR devices; and Nvidia expanded its Omniverse platform to enable the creation of interactive avatars.
Such announcements remind us that to get to truly enjoyable metaverse applications, beyond content, we need the right hardware and software components. The metaverse will bring together immersive experiences, video projection, avatars and haptics, underpinned by AI and advanced connectivity. The telecoms world understands that the enabling technologies for mixed reality and metaverse applications will be 5G-Advanced and edge computing, so operators can help unlock the value of the metaverse. According to GSMA Intelligence , in 2022, 22% of operators surveyed globally see opportunities in the consumer metaverse space and 38% identify opportunities in the enterprise metaverse.