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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. buyers decrease spending by primarily the most on yarn for the 2d straight month in April while boosting financial savings to an all-time excessive, and the increasing frugality reinforced expectations the economy would possibly per chance well rob years to procure better from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The verbalize from the Commerce Department on Friday also confirmed an economy highly reliant on the authorities, with financial lend a hand tests from a ancient fiscal kit rate merely about $3 trillion riding a yarn surge in private profits.
Along with files that monthly exports collapsed, the verbalize left economists observing for the faithful contraction in snide domestic product within the 2d quarter since the Big Depression. Knowledge has also been cross this month on the labor market, manufacturing manufacturing and homebuilding.
“Honest now, the economy is completely dependent upon the largesse of the authorities,” said Joel Naroff, chief economist at Naroff Economics in Holland, Pennsylvania. “Will the federal authorities retain sending out tests or will the family and alternate welfare payments dry up?”
The Commerce Department said consumer spending, which accounts for extra than two-thirds of U.S. economic verbalize, plunged 13.6% final month, the faithful descend since the authorities started monitoring the series in 1959. It eclipsed the earlier all-time decrease of 6.9% in March.
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast consumer spending would plummet 12.6% in April. Spending turned into as soon as unhappy by a decrease in outlays on healthcare as dental workplaces closed and hospitals postponed elective surgeries and non-emergency visits to focus on patients struggling from COVID-19.
The illness has killed over a hundred,000 folk within the US, the faithful death toll on the earth.
Spending declined at eating areas, which dangle shifted to supply and verbalize-up carrier most efficient, and resorts and accommodations. Spending on meals and beverages fell in April.
However the COVID-19 crisis boosted incomes for buyers in April, with the authorities transferring an further $3 trillion to households. It doled out one-time $1,200 tests to millions of oldsters and boosted unemployment advantages for the roughly 31 million out of work to cushion against economic hardship wrought by the pandemic.
Non-public profits surged a yarn 10.5% final month. With out the authorities money, profits would dangle declined 6.3% with alternate closures pushing wages down 8.zero%. The unprecedented economic upheaval noticed the saving rate hitting a yarn 33%.
“If the economy reopens quick with out rupture consequence, the millions who misplaced jobs are hired aid and don’t desire any reason to distress they’ll lose their jobs again, these financial savings symbolize noteworthy spending vitality within the 2d half,” said Chris Low, chief economist at FHN in Original York.
“If it takes longer to reopen the economy, these financial savings will likely be broken-down for sustenance over the following few months. They’ll restrict the decline, but now no longer fuel a gripping rebound.”
The economy is step by step reopening after nonessential companies were shuttered in mid-March to uninteresting the unfold of COVID-19, raising hope the industrial lunge turned into as soon as bottoming. A gaze on Friday confirmed consumer sentiment stable in Also can.
Shares on Wall Boulevard fell as investors braced for a U.S. response to China’s national security guidelines on Hong Kong. The dollar turned into as soon as regular against a basket of currencies, while U.S. Treasury costs rose.
In a 2d verbalize on Friday, the Commerce Department said goods exports tumbled 25.2% to $Ninety five.four billion in April, a ten-year low. The astronomical decline in exports turned into as soon as led by a 65.9% give scheme in shipments of motor autos and parts. That outpaced a 14.3% tumble in imports. This capacity that, the goods alternate deficit widened 7.2% to sixty 9.7 billion final month.
The higher goods alternate deficit is likely a inch on 2d GDP, which economists ask would possibly per chance well descend at as a lot as a 40% rate, a recede now no longer considered since the Thirties.
The economy lowered in dimension at a 5.zero% annualized rate final quarter, the deepest recede of decline in GDP since the 2007-09 recession. Person spending tumbled at a 6.8% rate, the sharpest descend since the 2d quarter of 1980.
With consumer spending unhappy in April, inflation pressures were feeble. The non-public consumption expenditures (PCE) imprint index with the exception of the volatile meals and vitality system fell zero.four%. That turned into as soon as the faithful descend since September 2001 and followed an unchanged studying in March.
Within the 300 and sixty five days through April, the so-known as core PCE imprint index rose 1.zero%, the smallest have since December 2010 which followed a 1.7% amplify in March. The core PCE index is the Federal Reserve’s most neatly-most trendy inflation measure. The U.S. central bank has a 2% inflation target.
“The core PCE decline displays some astronomical collapses within the costs of a exiguous selection of primarily the most-affected products and companies,” said Andrew Hunter, a senior U.S. economist at Capital Economics. “It isn’t proof of a trendy Jap-vogue deflation ensnaring The united states.”
Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Modifying by Paul Simao, David Gregorio and Chizu Nomiyama


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CBD Is The New IT Crop And Why
How The 2018 Farm Bill Will Change The Odds?
Updated on September 22, 2023
The 2018 Farm Bill is expected to pass this week and it has an underlying theme of legalizing hemp farming. There has been a decision by all politicians on this issue. As the US Congress seeks to vote for the Farm Bill, it has some provisions that could potentially change how hemp is viewed. Some of the premier provisions include:
- Define industrial hemp as a regular agricultural crop
- Allow hemp growers to buy federally subsidized crop insurance policies
- Clarify the legal status of hemp extracts
- Give the definite status on hemp and its products
The Farm Bill is sponsored by Mitch McConnell who is a majority leader. The US defines hemp as anything that has 0.3% or less THC.
- In 2014, the farm bill opened up for industrial hemp cultivation. The land under hemp cultivation has since then increased as per the US Department of Agriculture records.
- The consumer craze helped drive its demand and growth
- By 2018, it grew to overtake tobacco in some areas like Kentucky where it is almost 90%
- The per area yield of hemp is more so one can milk more money from an average landholding of hemp as compared to any crop say soy.
- Hemp fields are growing while a shrinking is observed in tobacco fields with 5000+ more acres
States With the most Hemp-Planted Land-2018
How 2018 Farm Bill will Grow CBD Industry?
- It will help hemp companies receive more funding and help in the ongoing expansion effort
- It will help the easy provision of equipment to cannabis cultivators
- It will aid help producers in accessing financial services benefits
- It will open banking and traditional capital markets
- It will help farmers gain crop insurance
- It will help make a cleaner shift from tobacco
- It can aid in making CBD industry the largest by 2022
CBD is a Drug which is not a Drug
A Bright Future Lies Ahead for CBD
- Allow hemp growth in all 50 states including production, CBD extraction and making into products
- States can submit their own plans to regulate hemp
- It will allow for inter-state movement of hemp
- It also allows hemp producers to fill agricultural jobs with foreign nationals
- Remove barriers under federal law with respect to intellectual property rights like trademarks and patents
- Requires the USDA to coordinate and consult with US attorney general on all rules regarding hemp

domain: news


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Why food and beverage floor space in shopping centres is growing and what significance this has. With insights from JLL and figures from Coniq.
Coniq conducted extensive research among over 500 shopping centre owners, managers, retailers and shoppers from across the world, to provide shopping centre professionals with a definitive view on the current state of shopping centre loyalty. Here’s some of the highlights from the shopping centre loyalty whitepaper.
18 retail property professionals came together to discuss data at a roundtable event hosted by Coniq and Shopping Centre Magazine and held at the Gherkin. Here’s our highlights of the evening.
Coniq has launched the ‘Broadway Rewards’ loyalty program for The Bradford Broadway. Westfield’s and Meyer Bergman’s newly opened shopping centre.


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OC&C's annual review of the UK's top 150 food and soft drink producers (2014)
In the toughest grocery retail conditions for a generation, it's not scale so much as fleetness of foot that counts, reveals the latest OC&C Top 150.
If the UK's food and drink producers did not realise they had been experiencing a momentary calm before the storm, they are now in little doubt a category five hurricane is upon them.
Pressure is intensifying not so much due to fundamentals (the economy is, after all improving) but as a result of seismic structural change wihin the grocery retail industry. As prices are slashed, shares crash, and senior execs are hastened to the exit, supermarket margins have reached their lowest level for almost 30 years.


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Before you head to Zabar’s brandishing your fondue forks, outraged by what you may have heard about the store supposedly misrepresenting its Gruyère cheese, you should hear Zabar’s side of the story.
An article in the January 12 New York Times says that Zabar’s received a letter in 2017 from a law firm representing a consortium of Gruyère producers in Switzerland, complaining that the food emporium was palming off German cheese as authentic Gruyère.
The consortium has been raising a stink about U.S. regulations governing cheese labeling. Under European guidelines, Gruyère is a trademark that can be used only for certain mild, nutty cheeses made in the region around Gruyères, Switzerland (and in France, though the French can’t claim the exclusive “Protected Designation of Origin,” or AOP, for their products).
But last month, a U.S. district court said that American purveyors can officially sell cheeses that are called “gruyère,” regardless of whether they’re made in the Netherlands, Wisconsin or anywhere else, because the term has become generic after decades of their doing so.
But Zabar’s has no intention of ever doing that, says Olga Dominguez, Zabar’s cheesemonger. The store, famous in part for its cheese counter and expert salespeople, sells only Gruyère from Switzerland. Yes, they marketed a German version once, and it was an “honest mistake,” she states. “We were offered the cheese. It was clearly not Swiss Gruyère — the wheel was the wrong size. But the label said German Gruyère, and when the sign for the cheese was made, the label and the ingredients were copied.” Once this was brought to their attention, the sign was changed immediately to say “Alpine-style cheese.”
The consortium says it will appeal the ruling, and Ms. Dominguez is pleased to know that. “The groups that are policing these kinds of things have every right to protect these cheeses.”
The court ruling is unfortunate, she says, for many reasons. It will confuse customers who are learning about cheese, for one. Plus, she said, “the price of Gruyère is what it is because of the way it’s made and aged and the fact that it’s imported. … These cheese producers have been making Gruyère for centuries—the terroir, the cows, everything about it make it special.” Gruyère can sell for more than $20 per pound, and it isn’t fair, she says, for these products to share the shelf with “gruyères” that can be sold for half that price, even though they might be very good. “It’s apples and oranges.”


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Feb 20 (Reuters) - Guess? Inc said on Tuesday its co-founder, Paul Marciano, will relinquish his day-to-day responsibilities at the company, on an unpaid basis, following allegations of improper conduct. reut.rs/2EEztp8
Earlier this month, model and actress Kate Upton tweeted, accusing Marciano of using his power to harass women.
The fashion retailer’s board in early February had formed a special committee, made up of two independent directors, to oversee an ongoing investigation into allegations against Marciano. (Reporting By Aparajita Saxena in Bengaluru; Editing by Bernard Orr)


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A recent study by MagnifyMoney found that travel rewards cards have been growing and becoming more competitive, with introductory bonuses nearly tripling in the last decade. The average initial bonus on a travel rewards credit card is currently 40,556 points—more than double the average bonus in 2008 (16,050 points) and up from 34,327 points five years ago.
MagnifyMoney looked at more than 90 intro bonus point offers from each of the five largest credit card issuers for personal credit cards in five-year increments since 2008. The study did not include offers targeted to consumers via email, direct mail, or site login. According to the results, the number of introductory bonuses offered by hotel-branded reward cards increased from an average of 21,250 in February 2008 to 60,000 in February 2018—higher than the introductory bonuses for airline-branded rewards cards, transferable points, and cash-for-travel points.
The report says that reward offerings help drum up new consumer interest and add to the bottom lines of both travel and card companies. Credit cards use these points and miles to attract new customers with intro bonus offers that allow them to cash in quickly for things like flights and hotel rooms.
For example, Marriott International last December announced new deals with JPMorgan Chase and American Express for Marriott Rewards and Ritz-Carlton Rewards Visa credit cards, and the Starwood Preferred Guest credit cards. Marriott also announced new co-brand products coming later in 2018, including super-premium consumer and small business co-branded products from American Express, and mass consumer and premium consumer co-branded products from JPMorgan Chase. In its 2017 annual earnings release, American Express cited its strategic co-brand agreement with Marriott and its announcement of a suite of new co-brand cards with Hilton as a bright spot during the year.
The study finds that most hotel-branded cards allow travelers to use bonus points for travel or transfer them into airline miles with the hotel’s respective partners, which helps boost miles in a loyalty program to use for things like free flights and seat upgrades. The report says that’s good news for frequent travelers who are finding it more difficult to earn rewards by racking up miles alone. However, these days, 50,000 miles is the new 25,000, says Brian Karimzad, vice president of research at LendingTree, the parent company of MagnifyMoney. “As offers and competition have increased, the bar for going through the trouble of applying for a card has gone up.”


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SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 19, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- LookSmart, Ltd. (NASDAQ:LOOK), a pay-per-click (PPC) Search Advertising Network and technology solutions provider, was named "Best Search Engine Ad Platform" today by Search Engine Strategies (SES) in its inaugural SES awards program. SES is the leading global conference and expo series dedicated to search advertising.
SES presented the award at a keynote address during the first day of its 10th annual Search Engine Strategies San Jose conference. The mission of the SES Awards is to inspire innovation and encourage new ideas. The awards were judged by a panel of industry experts and the SES Awards editorial staff.
"This award belongs to our talented employees who have built a proven search advertising platform that advertisers trust to extend their PPC campaigns beyond major search engines," said Ted West, chief executive officer and president of LookSmart. "We are honored that Search Engine Strategies has validated our company's strategy as we continue to emerge as a leading independent Search Advertising Network."
The Search Engine Strategies San Jose conference is the largest learning and networking opportunity of the year, with more than 70 sessions related to search. During the conference, attendees learn how to maximize their business' search engine marketing opportunities such as search engine optimization and paid search advertising. LookSmart will be showcased at booth # 609 in the exhibition hall. For more information about SES 2008 San Jose, please visit: http://www.searchenginestrategies.com/sanjose/.
At the conference, LookSmart will sponsor the keynote panel taking place on August 19 at 1:30 p.m. titled, "Technical & Information Giants". In addition, Jonathan Ewert, general manager of advertising networks at LookSmart, was a speaker on the "Everything but Google: Alternative Search Advertising Options" panel on the first day of the conference, August 18, 2008 at 2:45 p.m. During the panel, Ewert discussed topics including the evolution of Search Advertising Networks, redefining best business practices in search advertising and the benefits to search engine marketers of leveraging Search Advertising Networks to extend their campaign reach at competitive prices.
For more information about LookSmart at SES 2008 or to schedule a press briefing during the conference, please contact James David at 415-694-6712 or LookSmart@racepointgroup.com.
LookSmart provides premium and performance advertising solutions for advertisers and publishers. LookSmart offers advertisers targeted pay-per-click (PPC) search and contextual search advertising via its Advertiser Networks; and licenses its white label AdCenter technology to top publishers and networks. LookSmart is based in San Francisco, California. For more information, visit www.LookSmart.com or call 415-348-7500.
SOURCE: LookSmart, Ltd.
LookSmart, Ltd. Ted West, 415-348-7500 Chief Executive Officer and President email@example.com Brian Gibson, 415-348-7207 Acting Chief Financial Officer firstname.lastname@example.org or Racepoint Group for LookSmart James David, 415-694-6712 LookSmart@racepointgroup.com
Copyright Business Wire 2008
News Provided by COMTEX


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Weekly Update #257: Tech Tumbles Amid Trade Tussles
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Chart of the Week - Tech Tumbles Amid Trade Tussles
Concerns over escalating trade tensions with China roiled Wall Street over the past week, with tech shares hit disproportionately hard. The NASDAQ Composite (which is heavily tech-focused) slid 278bps since early last week, underperforming the S&P by ~70bps.
How will the trade concerns impact Silicon Valley investors? Difficult to say at this point as the full scope of trade policy has yet to be finalized and - as is many times the case - the devil is likely to be in the details. Further, unlike public markets where sentiment and expectations are immediately evident, any impact from trade will take time to feed into private valuations given lags between funding rounds. We note some potential ramifications of the new trade initiatives for startups below:
Other items we are reading:
Funding Rounds Since Last Week
To learn more about whether you're eligible, typical investment size, company valuation, and share price, request access here.


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Sharp to produce World's largest LCD television at 65 inches
June 5, 2005 Sharp has announced it will begin selling a 65’ LCD television in Japan in August, and in so doing will claim the title of the world’s largest “production” LCD television. The announcement is a major coup for Sharp in the public relations cut-and-thrust with its fellow television manufacturers Matsushita (aka Panasonic), Samsung and LG and pushes the Japanese company into screen real estate territory previously inhabited only by plasma screens. Further embarrassment will caused by the pricing and specifications of the Sharp 65 incher which will sell for 1.68 million yen and have a screen resolution of 1920 x 1,080 pixels both considerably better than equivalent plasma screens in the Japanese domestic market.
Don’t hold your breath waiting for the new screen outside Japan – production will be limited to just 300 a month and appears to be more a case of creating public perception than a genuine market launch at this stage.
We can however, expect to see production increased and the unit available outside Japan before the end of the year.
We should also point out that Samsung, showed the world's biggest LCD telly, a whopping 82 incher back in March, though it has yet to see production.


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Sheikh Hamad Rakadh Salem Hamad Alameri, popular sovereign riches fund (SWF) participant of the Royal Household in Abu Dhabi, has formally end up being a MaskEX investor adhering to the finalizing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to create a clever city in Dubai.
Hamad Alameri is a large advocate of Abu Dhabi’s 2030 Vision by straight adding to the emirate’s social and also human growth and also producing a lasting, knowledge-based country. MaskEX is a Canadian business. It has actually efficiently met the demands of the MSB conformity program and also is currently totally prepared to follow the laws in the SCA and also VARA conformity program in Dubai. The business has actually created a repayment system based upon the concept of ‘Your Purse, Your Means’, which intends to make life much easier for homeowners by giving a hassle-free and also protected means to pay and also handle monetary deals. Along with these, the system additionally makes use of innovative protection steps to shield individuals’ individual and also monetary info from scams and also identification burglary.
In the previous year, the business gathered a great deal of focus from investors and also financiers in the UAE market, which brought about substantial research study and also the concept of establishing a brand-new idea of a clever city in the UAE. MaskEX will certainly utilize its cutting-edge modern technology to boost the high quality and also accessibility to solutions and also enhance performance and also sustainability. Along with this, MaskEX is currently working together with a BIG 4 audit company to shield the environment and also blockchain framework.
After finishing its technique and also application for the UAE market, MaskEX strategies to broaden to the MENA area to offer individuals and also aid them adjust to wise cities. As a result of the MENA area’s appeal as a tourist location and also its varied neighborhood of migrants, MaskEX will certainly have the ability to bring in financiers from various markets.
To totally know the possibility of wise cities, MaskEX will certainly deal with way of life stores. In the meantime, the business has actually currently authorized numerous MoU’s with vendors in different nations, allowing consumers to spend for items, solutions, and also also living costs with an easy check of their purse.
Eric Yang, Chief Executive Officer at MaskEX, stated: “The wise city idea covers a great deal of fields such as health care, production, and also a lot more. One of the most vital is the definitely brand-new idea with our remedies. We are mosting likely to be adding greatly to the realisation of this vision.”
With the assistance of MaskEX’s brand-new investor, Sheikh Hamad Container Rakad Container Salem Container Rakad, MaskEX anticipates to develop an one-of-a-kind atmosphere in the UAE market to bring in even more FDI in the area and also develop cutting-edge remedies on the marketplace. As a result, MaskEX will certainly relocate its head office from Canada to the UAE. The MaskEX application currently offers individuals with accessibility to different electronic sector solutions, which can be accessed via the application.
To figure out much more, check out: Site|Twitter|Telegram|LinkedIn


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C2L Equipment, South Korea has been selected as Reseller of Orbit GT Mobile Mapping software products.
“We are glad to have signed a Reseller Agreement with Orbit GT, a powerful S/W provider of Mobile Mapping solutions. We have been waiting for the best S/W solutions to the acquired data by MMS”, says Bratt Lee, CEO of C2L Equipment. “OrbitGT’s Mobile Mapping solutions must speed up the mobile mapping market in Korea and we are very proud of being OrbitGT’s partner.”
C2L Equipment has been manufacturing GIS related equipment for years, and one of the most competitive products is its MMS (Mobile Mapping System). C2L Equipment has supplied several outdoor MMSs to customers and is currently manufacturing indoor MMS and drone MMS scheduled to turn out early next year. C2L Equipment is capable to provide any type of GIS related equipment on customers’ request.


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The folding phone market is gaining momentum with soon to be released devices like the Samsung Fold and the Mate X taking centre stage. Lenovo has also been working on its own unique, double-hinged folding phone design for the upcoming RAZR phone.
In March last year, Lenovo filed a patent for a ‘flexible electronic device’ with the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office). The RAZR foldable phone was due to be presented at this year’s MWC, but the deadline proved to be too soon to present the final product.
This week, on 10th September, the patent was published in both the USPTO database and the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Office) Global Design Database.
The patent included 14 sketches of a folding phone with a clamshell design, with light-ribbed plastic material on its posterior surface. The phone has two separate hinges, which allow you to either fold it just enough to preview the very top of the screen or fold it to check a larger portion of the screen.
Here we can see a thin, foldable phone, with round edges and small bezels. The upper bezel houses the front camera and speaker. The second speaker can be seen at the bottom of the phone. A fingerprint sensor joins the single camera on the rear.
According to LetsGoDigital, the RAZR-candidate will be sold in Europe from December 2019/ January 2020 for around €1500, which would put it amongst the cheapest folding phones on the market to date.
View the patent here.


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MILLBURN, NJ — In a bid to help boost consumer spending in downtown Millburn, the township recently announced a move to help alleviate parking costs for shoppers.
The township recently announced that shopper parking will remain free in Millburn until Sept. 1. "We encourage our residents and neighbors to shop and dine local," reads the post on the township website.
Residents and visitors should be advised that time limits still apply. Those with business and commuter passes should continue to park in their designated areas.


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Four things to learn about D2C economics from Casper’s S-1
Believe it or not, Casper will be the first IPO of the VC-backed D2C brand era — prior exits in the space (e.g. Harry’s, Bonobos, Dollar Shave Club) have been acquisitions. There’s a number of private D2C unicorns, including Allbirds, Away, Glossier, and Kendra Scott, that aren’t far behind Casper, and this IPO could have significant implications for their eventual exits.
Casper’s S-1, which was released last Friday, paints a fascinating picture of how these brands hope to be valued by the public markets. There’s a lot not to like — Casper raised $340M in equity funding to get to $357M in revenue, and is only growing 20% YoY. Casper is unprofitable with questionable unit economics, is operating in a crowded space, and has been less capital efficient than some competitors (see this comparison with Purple).
However, it’s important to give the company credit for what they’ve accomplished. They’ve achieved significant scale and brand awareness in a relatively short period of time — despite being founded less than six years ago, Casper has served 1.4M customers and has 31% brand awareness among U.S. consumers. It can be hard to change consumer behavior, and Casper deserves a lot of credit for making it common to buy a mattress online.
We want to provide a fairly balanced analysis, so we’ll highlight four things we learned (both positive and negative!) about Casper’s metrics and positioning for the IPO that we think are particularly important in evaluating the D2C economy more broadly.
- Casper doesn’t consider itself a mattress company — it’s the leading player in the “sleep economy,” which may involve expansion into surprising categories like medical devices.
This one isn’t too surprising, as Casper has been heavily leaning in to the “Nike of sleep” brand. The company sells 27 products, from mattresses, sheets, and bed frames to glow lights, dog beds, and weighted blankets. It took 18 months from the original mattress debut in 2014 for Casper to launch its second product, pillows and sheets. The pace of product innovation has exploded since then— the last 18 months have seen the launch of three new mattresses, a refreshed bedding line, a nightstand table and bedframe, and a wireless bedside light, as well as an online media site, a quarterly magazine, and a “Sleep Channel” on YouTube and Spotify.
Casper sees sleep as a new “third pillar of wellness” — a market sizing report from Frost & Sullivan puts the current U.S. sleep economy at $79B, and the global sleep economy at $432B. While the majority of this market ($285B) is composed of categories where Casper is already active (bedroom furniture, bedding, and mattresses), another $40B is in CPAP devices and medical diagnostic services. Casper is increasingly focused on developments in “non-traditional categories” like medical machines, connected devices, and services like sleep programming and counseling.
D2C brands won’t want to trade in public markets like typical retailers, which typically see a 2–3x revenue multiple. Expanding beyond physical products into medical devices and software could justify a larger market size, more sustainable growth, and a higher margin business. However, it may be tough for public investors to bet on Casper being able to successfully expand to these new categories where they have less expertise and less brand authority.
2. Physical stores seem to be working for Casper, and they plan to triple down on brick-and-mortar retail over the next few years. However, true cash-on-cash payback is still unclear.
It seems counterintuitive that digitally native brands would open physical stores, as one of the benefits of selling online is avoiding overhead costs, which enables lower prices and a better product. However, Casper currently operates 60 physical stores in North America, and plans to more than triple this in the next few years. Casper’s stores are 1,750–2,250 square feet (about half the size of the typical U.S. mattress store), and stores operating for one year or longer generate $1,600 in annual net sales/sellable square foot. This is significantly ahead of other mattress stores, many of which generate a maximum of ~$1,000 in sales per square foot.
It’s difficult to assess profitability of the stores. Casper reports that stores open longer than a year are “four-walls profitable,” which accounts for revenue less operating expenses, but excludes set-up costs and non-allocatable marketing, G&A, and other expenses (some have argued that this metric is outdated). The company expects stores to be cash-on-cash profitable within 18–24 months, which is about average for retail — though the S-1 is not specific about how many of the current stores have reached this level of profitability.
From a consumer engagement and brand awareness perspective, the stores appear to be working. The average consumer spends 25 minutes in a Casper store, and the company has seen ~2x faster growth in D2C sales in markets with a physical Casper store compared to markets with e-commerce only. Casper’s AOV for retail stores of $820 for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 is also 15% ahead of the company’s e-commerce AOV of $710. We expect physical expansion to become increasingly common in D2C, as founders of companies like Away and Winky Lux have also reported higher sales or retention in markets with physical stores.
3. Casper is still first-purchase profitable — but LTV/CAC looks fairly weak, and marketing spend may be trending in a troubling direction.
Casper doesn’t reveal customer acquisition costs, but does state that they have remained first purchase profitable (gross profit minus marketing) from 2017 through Q3 2019. The company spent $422.8M on marketing from 2016 through Q3 2019, and has served 1.4M customers since 2014. If we conservatively calculate CAC by allocating all of those customers to 2016 and beyond (which is clearly not accurate, but gives a lower CAC as more customers are “assigned” to the same spend), this yields a $302 CAC.
We can estimate a ~$765 AOV for Casper, given a $710 AOV for e-commerce and an $820 AOV for retail channels. Given refunds, returns, and discounts of $80M on gross revenue of $392M, we can calculate that ~20% of revenue is either refunded or discounted. We (conservatively) assume that 5% of this is true refunds and that discounts are already accounted for in AOV, and therefore adjust the AOV down to $727. Given Casper’s 16% repeat purchase rate (we assume 1 repeat order per repeat customer, which might not be accurate*), this gives us $843 in lifetime revenue per customer — at a 50.7% gross margin, this implies an LTV of $427.6.
*We also assume the AOV of the first order is the same as the AOV of the second order — the S-1 states that repeat customers “most frequently return to purchase the same product.”
These numbers yield an estimated LTV/CAC of 1.4x for Casper. This is likely fairly conservative, as it uses a current LTV (we have AOV numbers for 2019, and AOV has increased over time) but a historical CAC from 2016–2019 (and we would expect CAC increased over this time range). There are a few directions this ratio could go. If the company continues to grow gross margin (up to 51% for 2019 vs. 43% in 2016) through better manufacturing or higher margin products, or further increases AOV or repeat purchases, LTV will improve. However, with rising CACs on the digital channels that D2C brands rely on, we also wouldn’t be surprised to see this number creep up.
1.4x isn’t a very exciting LTV/CAC ratio for a company that is positioning itself as a consumer tech business (we’d ideally like to see 3x+ even for a non-tech D2C brand). However, Casper’s sales and marketing spend as a % of revenue has been fairly consistent over the last eight quarters between 35–40% — this implies that Casper may be able to continue to scale the business without CAC skyrocketing.
4. Though Casper now sells through other retailers, D2C continues to dominate revenue. This has positive implications for Casper’s brand, but may limit revenue expansion via partnerships.
Casper sells not only on its own site and stores, but also through other retailers. According to the company’s S-1, Casper has 18 retail partners. This includes stores like Amazon, Costco, and Target, which many D2C brands have famously avoided due to pricing pressure and lack of control over the customer experience. Casper has been selling on Amazon since 2015, in Target since 2017, and in Costco since 2018.
Despite the size of many of these partners, 83% of Casper’s revenue for the first nine months of 2019 came from D2C purchases. This is a slight decrease from 88% D2C revenue in 2018, but it’s still somewhat surprising to see that these huge retailers are driving such a small portion of Casper’s revenue. As expected, gross margins are also lower for retailer sales than from the company’s own channel.
There are tradeoffs to D2C brands partnering with other retailers. Companies like Harry’s (and later, Dollar Shave Club) benefited significantly from appearing in Walmart and Target. However, products like mattresses typically have a longer lead time to purchase, are difficult to transport, and seem to be less suited to discovery in other stores (it’s rare to stumble upon a mattress and make an impulse purchase). Casper’s retailer partnership revenue numbers may not be encouraging to similar brands looking to big box retail to give their revenues a boost. However, it’s also possible that customers are discovering Casper in more traditional stores and then purchasing online — which is positive for Casper’s brand awareness and ability to convert customers on a higher margin channel.
We’re interested to see the public market’s reaction to this IPO, but aren’t expecting it to be particularly positive. Casper is both unprofitable (with widening losses) and not growing particularly quickly, a tough combination in today’s market conditions. Casper does make a profit on the average order, which can’t be said for every D2C company, but the LTV/CAC is relatively low (even with our fairly generous assumptions). We don’t yet see a true “tech” component of Casper’s business that could scale near-exponentially with limited marketing spend — though some of the product expansion ideas mentioned in the S-1 could get them there.
Getting a peek at Casper’s metrics has made us even more curious about the other D2C brands we use (and love!) — how many of them have business models that will eventually be able to survive without VC funding? We’re curious to see if any of these brands will successfully make the case that they deserve to trade at a higher multiple than traditional retail companies. We’ll also be looking to see how multiples of later stage D2C brands at exit (either IPO or acquisition) trickle down to early stage brands raising VC rounds.
We’d love to get your thoughts on anything you found to be particularly surprising in the S-1 that we didn’t cover — tweet us @venturetwins!
We’re excited about the D2C economy more broadly, and have recently been spending time on software companies that provide infrastructure for next gen brands. If you’re a founder working on something in this space, email us at firstname.lastname@example.org!
Interested in reading more content from us? You can subscribe to our weekly newsletter, Accelerated, for more insights on millennial and Gen Z trends: https://accelerated.carrd.co/


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Cotton USA participates in Apparel Sourcing Show 2018
June 04, 2018 - United States Of America
Cotton USA, which promotes US cotton fibre and manufactured cotton products globally, participated in the Apparel Sourcing Show 2018, which was held from May 15 to 17, 2018, at the Guatemala City in US. Fourteen US textile mills were showcased as part of the Cotton USA Sourcing Programme pavilion at the global apparel and textile industry fair.
US mills were featured in the show’s directory, on banners throughout the show, and on bags given to each attendee. Approximately 120 representatives from companies in Central America and US companies gathered at the Cotton USA pavilion.
The US mills that participated in the event included Buhler Quality Yarns, Corp, Frontier Spinning Mills, Keer America, Hamrick Mills, Swisstex Direct, and Parkdale. (GK)


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Why is it so difficult to reduce domestic prices when global gasoline prices have dropped so dramatically?
TTO – Recently, the global price of gasoline has been declining. According to a key enterprise, the retail price of petrol in the country is 1,100 - 3,400 VND/liter higher than the base price in Singapore
The domestic price is higher than the Singapore base price:
On the afternoon of March 15, the chairman of the Board of Directors of a petrol and oil import enterprise told Tuoi Tre that due to the complicated development of the COVID-19 epidemic in China, while the US raised interest rates and sent positive signals in negotiations, the world crude oil price has fallen deeply and is forecast to reach 90 USD/barrel - this will help reduce the domestic petrol price
Leaders of Saigon Petro also stated that both crude oil and finished gasoline prices have cooled, if not dropped significantly. According to this individual's research, the price of finished petroleum products is typically 10 - 20 USD/barrel higher than the price of crude oil
However, in the past, the difference could have reached 40-60 USD/barrel. The spread has recently narrowed, indicating that the upward pressure on gasoline prices has abated. Second, the recent increase in petrol prices was primarily due to the psychological problem of lack of supply, fear of embargo, but current political developments show promising signs.
According to Saigon Petro's leader, the sharp drop in crude oil prices has resulted in a decrease in the daily updated base price in the Singapore market, as DO oil is currently around 128-129 USD/barrel, with a peak price of up to 176 USD/barrel. USD/barrel, which has dropped by more than 26%. However, when imported into Vietnam, gasoline and oil are subject to different taxes, fees, and surcharges, resulting in a higher retail price for gasoline
Currently, the retail price of gasoline in the country differs from the daily base price in Singapore, which is approximately 1,100 VND/liter of gasoline and 3,400 VND/liter of oil. If the base price remains unchanged or falls further, domestic gasoline prices, particularly oil, are likely to fall sharply in the operating period beginning March 21
According to the online newpaper's source


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As far as the Auto Care Association is concerned, the way telematics is currently used isn’t just one of the biggest issues facing the independent aftermarket today—it’s the industry’s number one issue. The Association is careful to point out that the problem isn’t telematics itself (after all, it’s designed to facilitate a better relationship between the motorist and the service provider); rather, it’s the right for vehicle owners and the independent repair community to have the same access to a vehicle’s data as the automaker. But currently, only the vehicle manufacturer can access all of the data being generated by vehicle telematics systems. In a recent interview with Motor, Bill Hanvey, President and CEO of the Auto Care Association, referred to the telematics “battle” as a challenge even bigger than the protracted right-to-repair fight to guarantee access to service and repair tools and information for independents.
According to the Association, by 2020, an estimated 90% of vehicles sold will have embedded telematics. Additionally, nearly 80% of consumers believe they should be able to decide if information generated about their vehicle can be shared and almost 90% feel they should decide which repair shop gets that information. Auto Care is determined to act quickly to guarantee access to the data for its members. To that end:
•It played an instrumental role in the formation of the Aftermarket Telematics Task Force*, whose mission statement is: “To empower vehicle owners to direct the service of their vehicles to locations of their choice, and to ensure that those locations have complete access to fully documented vehicle diagnostic data supplied via current and future data portals, including hard-wired connections such as the SAE J1962 connector and on-board or hand-held device telematics systems.”
•Together with the Coalition for Auto Repair Equality (CARE), it recently submitted testimony for a hearing held by the House Committee on Corporations regarding Rhode Island House Legislature (HB 7711) under consideration that would require car companies to provide car owners with the ability to control where information transmitted by vehicle telematics systems is sent.
•It recently announced plans for the creation of an education campaign on telematics and the connected car for consumers, policymakers and the industry, intending to raise awareness of the implications of access to vehicle diagnostic data to vehicle owners and the auto care industry.
•In 2012, it established the Annual Aftermarket Telematics Challenge to demonstrate that the auto care industry can provide the technology and solutions today for vehicle telematics.
In addition to these efforts by the Auto Care Association, the Automotive Service Association (ASA) is also quite active. Earlier this year, for example, ASA representatives met with their members of Congress and staff to discuss telematics and new-vehicle technologies, updating them on the importance of these new technologies to independent automotive repairers and consumers and the efforts of the automotive industry to work together. The Association also plans to host the third annual Technology & Telematics Forum at its NACE | CARS event next month in Anaheim, CA.
*For further reading on the Task Force, check out Bob Chabot’s write-up in a previously published newsletter from Motor at http://bit.ly/telematics-task-force.


text: A farmstead creamery, to be called Blakesville Creamery, is currently under construction at the farm. The creamery will produce artisan cheese using our farm milk. Our creamery will be led by General Manager and Head Cheesemaker Veronica Pedraza. We hope to open for production beginning in Spring, 2020 with products available later in the year through store and restaurant locations. There will not be any retail sales on site.


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TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust. Read our ethics statement.
In brief: Graphics cards in Europe have fallen to their lowest point since at least January 2021, with both Nvidia and AMD products selling for around 9% - 14% under MSRP. A series of factors have led us to this point, though the main one has been the crypto winter that led to people getting out of the mining business and selling their cards.
We've been using 3DCenter's data as a benchmark for graphics card prices for a while now. Although it only uses retail selling prices in Germany and Austria, they're still a good indication of global trends.
The latest results show that average GPU prices in the countries have now fallen to their lowest points since 3DCenter's records began at the start of last year. Nvidia's RTX 3000 series is now going for 9% under MRSP, while AMD's Radeon RX 6000 series has fallen even further, down to 14% beneath the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price.
We've been observing this trend for a few months now. AMD's series was the first to drop below MSRP in mid-June, followed by the RTX 3000 line soon after. It's a far cry from May 2021 when team green's cards were over 200% above MSRP, and the Radeon RX 6000 cards were more than double MSRP.
Availability, once a problem as bad as the sky-high prices, also looks to be a thing of the past. The only RTX 3000 card not to receive five stars in this area is the RTX 3090 Ti (four stars). AMD, which has long fared worse when it comes to availability, has fives and fours across the board, the exceptions being the Radeon RX 6950 XT, RX 6800, and RX 6400, all of which have three stars.
The current situation is a massive contrast to lockdown times when crypto prices were high, demand was through the roof, and the chip crisis was at its worst. As ex-miners sell their cards at a discount and the shaky economy makes consumers think twice before splashing out on big purchases, Nvidia is sitting on an excess of GPUs that has seen the company cut prices and reportedly kill off SKUs as it looks to clear stock before Ada Lovelace arrives.
The dilemma facing PC owners looking to upgrade is whether to buy now, wait to see if prices fall even further, or hang on until the RTX 4000/Radeon RX 7000 series arrive. Given that Lovelace is rumored to be as expensive as it is power hungry, the decision isn't an easy one.


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Cautious purchasers and beginning of arrival of cotton from the new season led to decrease in cotton prices in the Brazilian market in June. Between May 30 and June 29, the Center for Advanced Studies on Applied Economics (CEPEA)/ Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (ESALQ) cotton index decreased 3.9 per cent, closing at 3.6032 BRL per pound on June 29.
“Some processors have been working with stocked cotton and/or below capacity and, thus, made purchases in small volumes in the spot market to replenish their inventories,” CEPEA said in its latest fortnightly report on Brazilian cotton market.
During the fortnight, trading companies were not very active, even for future delivery. One of the reasons for that is the uncertainty regarding freight prices in the future.
On the supply front, it was still low in the spot market, since the 2017-18 harvesting was slow in late June. In general, agents expect cotton availability to increase in July, based on harvesting advances in Mato Grosso, the biggest cotton-producing state in Brazil.
Cold weather in early June delayed the development of part of the crop. According to a report from Mato Grosso Association of Cotton Producers (Ampa), until June 23, harvesting was completed only on 0.88 per cent of the area sown (782,900 hectares) in the state. (RKS)
Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India


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Americans are in a buying mood, thanks largely to the housing recovery.
The latest sign emerged Tuesday as the Standard & Poor’s Case-Shiller home price index posted the biggest gains in seven years. Housing prices rose in every one of the 20 cities tracked, continuing a trend that began three months ago. Similar strength has appeared in new and existing home sales and in building permits, as rising home prices are encouraging construction firms to accelerate building and hiring.
The broad-based housing improvements appear to be buoying consumer confidence and spending, countering fears earlier this year that many consumers would pull back in response to government austerity measures.
In January, the two-year-old payroll tax holiday ended, stripping about $700 from the average household’s annual income, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center. Federal government spending cuts that started in March are also serving as a drag on economic growth, economists say. And some recent data on other parts of the economy, like manufacturing and exports, have also disappointed.
Yet consumer confidence reached a five-year high in May, according to a Conference Board report also released on Tuesday, with big improvements in Americans’ views about both the current economy and future economic conditions. Consumer spending has also been strikingly resilient so far this year, given the tax hikes.
“Five years after the start of the financial crisis in earnest, and four years and a week’s time from the beginning of the economic recovery, we’re finally starting to get more of a pickup,” said John Ryding, chief economist at RDQ Economics. “It’s been a very drawn-out process, but you have to remember what we’ve been digging our way out of.”
The recent decline in gas prices is probably helping, as are increases in the stock market even though only about half of Americans own any equities. Perhaps most important, economists say, the growth in the value of the existing housing stock means that homeowners around the country are finally feeling richer, and that so-called wealth effect is probably making consumers loosen their purse strings a bit.
The positive impact of rising home values and the appreciating stock market is expected to offset at least a third of the fiscal tightening, according to Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomic Advisors.
The Case-Shiller 20-city composite index rose 10.9 percent over the last year, the biggest increase since April 2006. Several cities — Charlotte, N.C.; Los Angeles; Portland, Ore.; Seattle; and Tampa, Fla. — had their largest month-over-month gains in more than seven years.
Stock markets rose on the news, with the S.& P. 500-stock index up 10.46, or 0.63 percent, at 1,660.06 and the Dow up 106.29, or 0.69 percent, at 15,409.39 at the close on Tuesday. The Nasdaq was up 29.74, or 0.86 percent, at 3,488.89. The 10-year Treasury yield surged to 2.17 percent, its highest level in over a year.
The double-digit housing price increase is being driven by a confluence of factors.
For one, employers have added jobs for 31 straight months, so families are willing to start buying again. At the same time, the inventory of homes available on the market remains unusually low, thanks to little new building in the last few years and the large number of homeowners who are still underwater on their mortgages, making them reluctant to sell at a cash loss.
Now there are signs that higher prices are beginning to encourage some would-be sellers to come off the sidelines and place their homes on the market. That could be healthy for the market, countering concerns that housing might become overvalued again.
“You’ve had this dynamic that has been favorable for price increases now, but it’s also favorable for supply to come back on market, so that will mean some moderation in the pace of price increases,” said Daniel Silver, an economist at JPMorgan Chase, who said that he expected home prices to continue growing but not necessarily at the double-digit rate seen in May.
Construction has been picking up, too, in response to the rise in home prices, but builders cannot bring homes to the market as quickly as buyers want them.


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Google’s Daniel Waisberg stated in a new video that sites don’t necessarily need sitemaps unless they fall into one.
The M.I.T. Media Lab, an unconventional research center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has been under scrutiny since.
One of the key drivers to a multi-cloud strategy is the fear of vendor lock-in. “Vendor lock-in” means that.
FILE PHOTO: Pedestrians walk past a T-Mobile store in New York, U.S., April 27, 2018. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File PhotoWASHINGTON (Reuters).
Recession talk continues to make headlines and small businesses can’t avoid getting caught up in it — or can.
Amid global concern about raging Amazon fires, Brazil on Thursday said it was the target of a smear campaign.
There is a perception gap about how vulnerable small businesses are when it comes cyberattacks. The cybersecurity statistics from.
Google’s John Mueller says site owners shouldn’t worry about negative SEO attacks that involve malicious backlinks.A blogger reached out.
For this episode of the Dot Com Lunch, we had lunch at Happy Dining in Irvine, California. This is.


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ROCK SPRINGS — The Rock Springs Main Street/Urban Renewal Agency is inviting downtown merchants to attend the Downtown Merchant Meeting on Tuesday, April 30, beginning at 6 p.m. in the lobby of The Broadway Theater.
Business owners are encouraged to bring business cards, flyers, other promotional items and share successful strategies.
The topic will be “Taking Facebook to the Next Level.” Market Researcher, Audrey Jansen from the Small Business Development Center Network will be conducting the presentation.
She will discuss profile, cover photos and videos, explain how the section should describe the business, keeping up on reviews, responding on Facebook messenger, frequency to post, tags, hashtags, boosting post and other areas of social media.
It’s a free workshop and attendance is encouraged. Meetings will be held quarterly with dates scheduled for April 30, July 29 and October 29.


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As expected, Facebook posted its best-yet quarter for revenues, profits, and user totals Wednesday, beating Wall Street estimates once again. The Q4 figures also included news that Facebook's mobile advertising now makes up more than half of its revenue: 53% comes from mobile advertising. That's up 4% over last quarter. See also: Facebook in 2014: Fighting for Social Supremacy Here's how Facebook's record-breaking quarter looks in chart-form.
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It was another solid quarter for Facebook ads in Q4 of 2013, as the company recorded its best quarter ever in terms of overall engagement, according to new research from Adobe. Facebook saw record highs in areas such as total ad clicks and click-through rates last quarter, according to Adobe's Q4 2013 Social Intelligence Report, which analyzes ad clicks and referral traffic for most major social networks.
Google missed analyst expectations for earnings per share during the fourth quarter, sending its stock plunging in after-hours trading Thursday. The company had been expected to produce earnings per share of $10.49, but it chalked up just $9.50 in earnings per share excluding special items and also missed revenue targets.


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Today, Traeger introduced updates to the Pro and Timberline series while also rolling out the new Ironwood series. All six new grills, two options for each of the three series, include WiFIRE technology and the new D2 drivetrain system. Prices range from $799 to $1,799 and all can be controlled with your smartphone.
As a young US Coast Guard officer moving around the country, we stuck with inexpensive charcoal or propane grills that usually lasted two to three years before falling apart. When I left the service and settled down in a new house five years ago we decided to look for a better quality grill and bought a Weber model that connects to the natural gas in my house. My grilling game improved and with the help of the Meater wireless thermometer my results have been solid for the last several months.
Last month, Clay Blackham, senior VP of Method Communications, reached out to gauge my interest in testing out a new smart grill. I asked about the connection to mobile technology and learned that these new grills incorporated Traeger’s WiFIRE technology that provides smartphone connectivity and control with iOS and Android smartphones. Clay told me that my life would change with a Traeger and after more than a week with three different grilling sessions and different meats I think he may just be right.
See also: Cook a perfect turkey with the help of the Meater wireless thermometer and your smartphone
New Traeger Pro and Timberline models and prices
The Pro 575 and 780 were introduced today with the number specifying the square inches of grilling space. The Pro series has an 18-pound hopper for pellets, a meat probe, and an extra grill rack. The Pro 575 is $799 and the Pro 780 is $999.
These two grills have the new WiFIRE technology and D2 Direct Drive system. A new Pro D2 controller is also present with an increased temperature range of 165 degrees to 450 degrees, set in five-degree increments.
The Timberline 850 and 1300 were also revealed, again with 850 and 1300 square inches of grilling space, at prices of $1,799 and $1,999. The current Timberline series had WiFIRE technology so that continues here as well. In addition, the D2 Direct Drive system is included with a new Timberline D2 controller.
A new pellet sensing technology is present in these two new Timberline grills that allows users to monitor the amount of pellets currently in the hopper. You will still need someone to manually fill the hopper, but that’s usually an easy task for another family member or neighbor.
As specified by Traeger:
The new D2 Direct Drive drivetrain uses an all-new variable speed fan and auger, providing optimal blue smoke production across a much wider temperature range for the finest hardwood flavor. It also features Turbotemp technology, allowing the grills to get hotter faster so users can get grilling quicker and enjoy more precise cooking temps. The D2 drivetrain is all powered by an industry-first brushless motor, delivering years of reliable performance.
Ironwood 650 specifications
The new Ironwood series comes as the Ironwood 650 and 885, again with these numbers specifying the square inches of grilling space. The 650 is priced at $1,199 and the 855 at $1,399.
WiFIRE technology, the D2 Direct Drive system, Traeger’s DownDraft Exhaust and TRU Convection systems, and new Ironwood D2 Controller are all found on the new Ironwood series. The temperature range of the grill is 165 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, set in five-degree increments, with a new Super Smoke Mode that lets you quickly increase smoke and boost the flavor with a single button press on the D2 Controller or in the smartphone app.
The Ironwood 650 has assembled dimensions of 46 inches wide by 27 inches deep by 48 inches in height. The assembled weight, with an empty hopper, is 146 pounds. The pellet hopper has a capacity of 20 pounds.
A grease bucket is provided with a couple of extra bucket liners. The bucket hooks to a bracket on the lower left side of the barrel that is fed by the grease drip pan. You can purchase grease drip tray liners, a folding front shelf, and a grill cover. Traeger included a grill cover with this evaluation unit and it is made of very thick material with a rubber lining to keep the grill fully protected if you do not have it under a cover outside.
A smaller upper grate is provided with a lower one that can be used in two positions. You can fully remove the upper or lower grate too in order to have the most flexibility for cooking or to maintenance the grease tray or firepot.
A stainless steel shelf is provided for the left side of the Ironwood 650 with three hooks on the front to hang your grilling utensils. There are a couple of other screws in the left side for other accessories.
Unboxing experience and initial use
The Ironwood 650 evaluation unit was delivered via FedEx Freight with a grill cover and bags of hickory and apple pellets. It arrived on a pallet in a large box that stated two people were recommended for setup of the grill. Unfortunately, no one else was around the day it arrived so I set it up myself. Keep in mind, I played football and rugby in college so was confident in my ability to maneuver around 150 pounds of grill.
The box that the Traeger was packed in is quite large and when my three girls were young we always made forts out of these boxes. Thus, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Traeger provided directions to reverse the outer box and printed the inside of the box to be one of the coolest cabins for kids I have ever seen. I offered the box up in our neighborhood Facebook group and it was quickly scooped up by a family with young kids who have enjoyed playing in it every day since I passed it along.
Traeger includes easy-to-read assembly instructions, an owner’s manual, the tools you need for assembly (screwdriver and wrench), and all of the hardware necessary to assemble the grill. The major components, including the barrel, hopper, and controller, are all assembled in the box. Setup primarily consists of attaching the four legs, supporting brackets between the legs, handle for the lid, and stainless steel side shelf. Internal grill racks, grease drain pan, and other parts are removed from inside the grill first and then reinstalled into their proper location after you get the legs on and stand up the grill. One set of legs has large wheels while the other set has casters with locking mechanisms so the grill will not move around in windy conditions or on a surface that is not level.
The Ironwood 650 has a new pill-shaped barrel design, along with Traeger’s DownDraft exhaust and TRU Convection systems in order to help food cook in the shortest amount of time. Unlike many Traeger grills, there is no smoke stack for exhaust as the exhaust is instead forced out the upper back of the barrel and then downward towards the ground.
After assembling everything, I followed the instructions in the owner’s manual to season the grill. This is a process that takes about an hour and only has to be completed the first time you fire up the grill. It took longer for the first ignition than I anticipated, even after priming the auger, so I actually emptied out the fire pot and started up the ignition sequence a second time with more patience for ignition. The second time everything went as planned for seasoning.
The grill ignited in a timely fashion every single time after the seasoning process and I’ve been very pleased with how fast it heated up. While the app lets you easily send recipes and cooking instructions to the grill via WiFi, you can also manually enter custom cook cycles using the D2 Controller. Custom cook cycles can also be setup in the smartphone app and sent via WiFi to the Traeger. The grill is on my back patio and has held the WiFi connection with no issues.
The Ironwood 650 also comes with an internal probe. The prove connects via a 3.5mm jack on the front left of the D2 Controller and then through a rubber grommet into the inside of the grill. I’ve used the probe for a couple recipes and it has proven to be accurate and essential for properly cooking the meat to perfection.
There is a timer button on the D2 Controller that you can use for timing other things, such as vegetable cooking, basting, or toasting buns. It does not impact grill operation or recipes. There is also a Super Smoke button that you can use when the grill is between 165 and 225 degrees Fahrenheit in order to add more smoke flavor to your meat.
I also switched out hardwood pellets over the last 10 days. This was easy to do with a spatula and the rear clean-out door on the back of the hopper. I simply held a large bowl under the access door and removed the pellets in the hopper in this manner.
See also: Best BBQ equipment for tech fans
The Traeger app and WiFIRE technology was previously only provided on the Timberline series, but with today’s releases this smartphone connectivity is now also available on a couple Pro and Ironwood grills. In order to fully test out the capability of the Traeger app I tested it using an iPhone XS, Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus, Google Pixel 3 XL, and Samsung Galaxy Note 9.
The app appears to have the same capabilities whether your are using an iPhone or an Android phone with slightly different ways to access the various sections of the app. The Android app uses an three-bar menu icon to slide in options from the left side of the display while the iOS app has bottom icons to switch between the main pages for home, recipes, WiFIRE, shop, dealer locator, and other helpful Traeger references.
On the home panel you will see a featured recipe, the status of your connected grill, a troubleshooting section, and quick access icons to top 10 recipes, favorites, tips & tricks, and filters to quickly view recipes for beef, pork, poultry, lamb, vegetables, seafood, wild game, baked goods, and cocktails. The recipes have a thumbnail photo, name of the recipe, description, cooking time, and number of ingredients. Tapping on a specific recipe gives you the ability to quickly add it to your favorites, share the recipe, view the difficulty level, see the estimated prep time, view the cooking time, and see which hardwood pellet is recommended for that recipe.
Once you find a recipe you wish to cook, scroll down for the ingredients and then further down for the preparation details. After getting everything together and then before you go outside to grill, tap the button to cook now and the recipe will be sent via WiFi to your connected grill.
The app will control the full grilling experience, including informing you when time or internal probe temps are reached and then proceeding to the next step in the grilling process (as applicable). The app controls the grill temps, as well as sending alerts to baste and perform other manual tasks that the app cannot perform. Since many smoke and grill times continue for many hours, you are no longer tied to the house when preparing meals. I was controlling the grilling experience from the office one day and from a date night another day. It was awesome to have a full and complete understanding of the status of the meal on the grill through the smartphone app.
In the WiFIRE section of the app you can view the grill temperature, probe temperature, and timer status. Tapping on any one of these three dials puts that metric in the center of the display in larger size. Buttons on the bottom of the WiFIRE display let you set a sauce timer, super smoke mode, and enable the keep warm option.
The shop option in the app lets you order grills, hardwood, accessories, grill covers, sauces, rubs & spices, recipe books, Traeger apparel, and parts to repair your grill.
My brother is an avid outdoorsman who hunts and fishes regularly, including butchering his own game and then grilling it on Traeger grills. He has always been held up as the family grillmaster, but was also excited to hear about my experiences with this new Ironwood 650 smart grill. I took him a sample of the Traeger BBQ brisket I cooked up and he loved it. My youngest daughter loves her uncle’s brisket, but said the one I cooked beat even his standard of excellence.
Since I tested the Ironwood 650 out with multiple phones, it was clear to me that the iPhone app had just a bit better functionality. This isn’t surprising since I continue to find iOS apps to be better than Android apps in major and minor ways. The clear difference in the Traeger app is that the Android app does not show the current step in the process on either the home page or the WiFIRE status page. This is a bit annoying since I tried a few different recipes in the past week and like to know how many steps are left and where I was at in the whole grilling process.
In the past 10 days, I used the Ironwood 650 to cook a roasted beer can chicken, smoked pork loin, and BBQ brisket. I used hickory wood pellets for the chicken and brisket with apple pellets for the pork loin. I went to the store to buy some Traeger Signature pellets and mesquite to try out some other flavors. I have salmon to smoke next, but didn’t get a chance to grill it up before the review embargo lifted. The chicken was very moist, but next time I plan to smoke it for a few hours and then turn up the temperature at the end to get the skin crispy. The pork loin was excellent and extremely easy to grill. The BBQ brisket was fabulous and again so easy to do that it’s almost embarrassing to say all I did was rub on the spices, wrap it up for 24 hours, and then throw it on the Ironwood 650 as the Traeger did all the work.
I have thoroughly enjoyed grilling with the Traeger Ironwood 650 and absolutely love the smell of the smoke that is embedded in my clothes and in my nose. It’s amazing how much you can do with a Traeger grill and I have only begun to test out its capabilities. I understand you can bake pizza or cookies, grill vegetables, and so much more. We use our grills here in Washington State all year long because of the mild temperatures and I can’t wait to taste more great meals cooked with the help of my smartphone.
Facebook knows Instagram harms teens. Now, its plan to open the app to kids looks worse than ever – TechCrunch
Facebook is in the hot seat again.
The Wall Street Journal published a powerful multi-part series on the company this week, drawing from internal documents on everything from the company’s secretive practice of whitelisting celebrities to its knowledge that Instagram is taking a serious toll on the mental health of teen girls.
The flurry of investigative pieces makes it clear that what Facebook says in public doesn’t always reflect the company’s knowledge on known issues behind the scenes. The revelations still managed to shock even though Facebook has been playing dumb about the various social ills it has sown for years. (Remember when Mark Zuckerberg dismissed the notion that Facebook influenced the 2016 election as “crazy?”) Facebook’s longstanding PR playbook is to hide its dangers, denying knowledge of its darker impacts on society publicly, even as research spells them out internally.
That’s all well and good until someone gets ahold of the internal research.
One of the biggest revelations from the WSJ’s report: The company knows that Instagram poses serious dangers to mental health in teenage girls. An internal research slide from 2019 acknowledged that “We make body image issues worse for one in three teen girls” — a shocking admission for a company charging ahead with plans to expand to even younger and more vulnerable age groups.
As recently as May, Instagram’s Adam Mosseri dismissed concerns around the app’s negative impact on teens as “quite small.”
But internally, the picture told a different story. According to the WSJ, from 2019 to 2021, the company conducted a thorough deep dive into teen mental health, including online surveys, diary studies, focus groups and large-scale questionnaires.
According to one internal slide, the findings showed that 32% of teenage girls reported that Instagram made them have a worse body image. Of research participants who experienced suicidal thoughts, 13% of British teens and 6% of American teens directly linked their interest in killing themselves to Instagram.
“Teens blame Instagram for increases in the rate of anxiety and depression,” another internal slide stated. “This reaction was unprompted and consistent across all groups.”
Following the WSJ report, Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) announced a probe into Facebook’s lack of transparency around internal research showing that Instagram poses serious and even lethal danger to teens. The Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security will launch the investigation.
“We are in touch with a Facebook whistleblower and will use every resource at our disposal to investigate what Facebook knew and when they knew it – including seeking further documents and pursuing witness testimony,” Senators Blackburn and Blumenthal wrote. “The Wall Street Journal’s blockbuster reporting may only be the tip of the iceberg.”
Blackburn and Blumenthal weren’t the only U.S. lawmakers alarmed by the new report. Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL), and Lori Trahan (D-MA) sent Facebook their own letter demanding that the company walk away from its plan to launch Instagram for kids. “Children and teens are uniquely vulnerable populations online, and these findings paint a clear and devastating picture of Instagram as an app that poses significant threats to young people’s wellbeing,” the lawmakers wrote.
In May, a group of 44 state attorneys general wrote to Instagram to encourage the company to abandon its plans to bring Instagram to kids under the age of 13. “It appears that Facebook is not responding to a need, but instead creating one, as this platform appeals primarily to children who otherwise do not or would not have an Instagram account,” the group of attorneys general wrote. They warned that an Instagram for kids would be “harmful for myriad reasons.”
In April, a collection of the same Democratic lawmakers expressed “serious concerns” about Instagram’s potential impact on the well-being of young users. That same month, a coalition of consumer advocacy organizations also demanded that the company reconsider launching a version of Instagram for kids.
According to the documents obtained by the WSJ, all of those concerns look extremely valid. In spite of extensive internal research and their deeply troubling findings, Facebook has downplayed its knowledge publicly, even as regulators regularly pressed the company for what it really knows.
Instagram’s Mosseri may have made matters worse Thursday when he made a less than flattering analogy between social media platforms and vehicles. “We know that more people die than would otherwise because of car accidents, but by and large, cars create way more value in the world than they destroy,” Mosseri told Peter Kafka on Recode’s media podcast. “And I think social media is similar.”
Mosseri dismissed any comparison between social media and drugs or cigarettes in spite of social media’s well-researched addictive effects, likening social platforms to the auto industry instead. Naturally, the company’s many critics jumped on the car comparison, pointing to their widespread lethality and the fact that the auto industry is heavily regulated — unlike social media.
Twitter Super Follows has generated only around $6K+ in its first two weeks – TechCrunch
Twitter’s creator platform Super Follows is off to an inauspicious start, having contributed to somewhere around $6,000 in U.S. iOS revenue in the first two weeks the feature has been live, according to app intelligence data provided by Sensor Tower. And it’s made only around $600 or so in Canada. A small portion of that revenue may be attributed to Ticketed Spaces, Twitter’s other in-app purchase offered in the U.S. — but there’s no way for this portion to be calculated by an outside firm.
Twitter first announced its plans to launch Super Follows during its Analyst Day event in February, where the company detailed many of its upcoming initiatives to generate new revenue streams.
Today, Twitter’s business is highly dependent on advertising, and Super Follows is one of the few ways it’s aiming to diversify. The company is also now offering a way for creators to charge for access to their live events with Ticketed Spaces and, outside the U.S., Twitter has begun testing a premium product for power users, called Twitter Blue.
But Super Follows, which targets creators, is the effort with the most potential appeal to mainstream users.
It’s also one that is working to capitalize on the growing creator economy, where content creators build a following, then generate revenue directly through subscriptions — decreasing their own dependence on ads or brand deals, as a result. The platforms they use for this business skim a little off the top to help them fund the development of the creator tools. (In Twitter’s case, it’s taking only a 3% cut.)
The feature would seem to make sense for Twitter, a platform that already allows high-profile figures and regular folks to hobnob in the same timeline and have conversations. Super Follows ups that access by letting fans get even closer to their favorite creators — whether those are musicians, artists, comedians, influencers, writers, gamers or other experts, for example. These creators can set a monthly subscription price of $2.99, $4.99 or $9.99 to provide fans with access to bonus, “behind-the-scenes” content of their choosing. These generally come in the form of extra tweets, Q&As and other interactions with subscribers.
At launch, Twitter opened up Super Follows to a handful of creators, including the beauty and skincare-focused account @MakeupforWOC; astrology account @TarotByBronx; sports-focused @KingJosiah54; writer @myeshachou; internet personality and podcaster @MichaelaOkla; spiritual healer @kemimarie; music charts tweeter @chartdata; Twitch streamers @FaZeMew, @VelvetIsCake, @MackWood1, @GabeJRuiz and @Saulsrevenge; YouTubers @DoubleH_YT, @LxckTV and @PowerGotNow; and crypto traders @itsALLrisky and @moon_shine15; among others. Twitter says there are fewer than 100 creators in total who have access to Super Follows.
While access on the creation side is limited, the ability to subscribe to creators is not. Any Twitter iOS user in the U.S. or Canada can “Super Follow” any number of the supported creator accounts. In the U.S., Twitter has 169 million average monetizable daily active users as of Q2 2021. Of course, only some subset of those will be iOS users.
Still, Twitter could easily count millions upon millions of “potential” customers for its Super Follow platform at launch. Its current revenue indicates that, possibly, only thousands of consumers have done so, given many of the top in-app purchases are for creators offering content at lower price points.
Sensor Tower notes the $6,000 in U.S. consumer spending on iOS was calculated during the first two weeks of September (September 1-14). Before this period, U.S. iOS users spent only $100 from August 25 through 31 — a figure that would indicate user spending on Ticketed Spaces during that time. In other words, the contribution of Tickets Spaces revenue to this total of $6,000 in iOS consumer spending is likely quite small.
In Canada, the other market where Super Follow is now available to subscribers, Twitter’s iOS in-app purchase revenue from September 1 through September 14, was a negligible $600. (This would also include Twitter Blue subscription revenue, which is being tested in Canada and Australia.)
Worldwide, Twitter users on iOS spent $9,000 during that same time, which would include other Ticketed Spaces revenues and tests of its premium service, Twitter Blue. (Twitter’s Tip Jar, a way to pay creators directly, does not work through in-app purchases).
Unlike other Twitter products that developed by watching what users were already doing anyway — like using hashtags or retweeting content — many of Twitter’s newer features are attempts at redefining the use cases for its platform. In a massive rush of product pushes, Twitter has recently launched tools not just for creators, but also for e-commerce, organizing reading materials, subscribing to newsletters, socializing in communities, chatting through audio, fact-checking content, keeping up with trends, conversing more privately and more.
Twitter’s position on the slower start to Super Follows is that it’s still too early to make any determinations. While that’s fair, it’s also worth tracking adoption to see if the new product had seen any rapid, out-of-the-gate traction.
“This is just the start for Super Follows,” a Twitter spokesperson said, reached for comment about Sensor Tower’s figures. “Our main goal is focused on ensuring creators are set up for success and so we’re working closely with a small group of creators in this first iteration to ensure they have the best experience using Super Follows before we roll out more widely.”
The spokesperson also noted Twitter Super Follows had been set up to help creators make more money as it scales.
“With Super Follows, people are eligible to earn up to 97% of revenue after in-app purchase fees until they make $50,000 in lifetime earnings. After $50,000 in lifetime earnings, they can earn up to 80% of revenue after in-app purchase fees,” they said.
Facebook revamps its business tool lineup following threats to its ad targeting business – TechCrunch
Facebook today is announcing the launch of new products and features for business owners, following the threat to its ad targeting business driven by Apple’s new privacy features, which now allow mobile users to opt out of being tracked across their iOS apps. The social networking giant has repeatedly argued that Apple’s changes would impact small businesses that relied on Facebook ads to reach their customers. But it was not successful in getting any of Apple’s changes halted. Instead, the market is shifting to a new era focused more on user privacy, where personalization and targeting are more of an opt-in experience. That’s required Facebook to address its business advertiser base in new ways.
As the ability to track consumers declines — very few consumers are opting into tracking, studies find — Facebook is rolling out new features that will allow businesses to better position themselves in front of relevant audiences. This includes updates that will let them reach customers, advertise to customers, chat with customers across Facebook apps, generate leads, acquire customers and more.
The company earlier this year began testing a way for customers to explore businesses from underneath News Feed posts by tapping on topics they were interested in — like beauty, fitness, and clothing, and explore content from other related businesses. The feature allows people to come across new businesses that may also like, and would allow Facebook to create its own data set of users who like certain types of content. Over time, it could possibly even turn the feature into an ad unit, where businesses could pay for higher placement.
But for the time being, Facebook will expand this feature to more users across the U.S., and launch it in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, and the U.K.
Facebook is also making it easier for businesses to chat with customers. They’re already able to buy ads that encourage people to message them on Facebook’s various chat platforms — Messenger, Instagram Direct, or WhatsApp. Now, they’ll be able to choose all the messaging platforms where they’re available, and Facebook will default the chat app showcased in the ad based on where the conversation is most likely to happen.
The company will tie WhatsApp to Instagram, as well, as part of this effort. Facebook explains that many businesses market themselves or run shops across Instagram, but rely on WhatsApp to communicate with customers and answer questions. So, Facebook will now allow businesses to add a WhatsApp click-to-chat button to their Instagram profiles.
This change, in particular, represents another move that ties Facebook’s separate apps more closely together, at a time when regulators are considering breaking up Facebook over antitrust concerns. Already, Facebook interconnected Facebook’s Messenger and Instagram messaging services, which would make such a disassembly more complicated. And more recently, it’s begun integrating Messenger directly into Facebook’s platform itself.
In a related change, soon businesses will be able to create ads that send users directly to WhatsApp from the Instagram app. (Facebook also already offers ads like this.)
Separately from this news, Facebook announced the launch of a new business directory on WhatsApp, allowing consumers to find shops and services on the chat platform, as well.
Another set of changes being introduced involve an update to Facebook Business Suite. Businesses will be able to manage emails through Inbox and sending remarketing emails; use a new File Manager for creating, managing, and posting content; and access a feature that will allow businesses to test different versions of a post to see which one is most effective.
Other new products include tests of paid and organic lead generation tools on Instagram; quote requests on Messenger, where customers answer a few questions prior to their conversations; and a way for small businesses to access a bundle of tools to get started with Facebook ads, which includes a Facebook ad coupon along with free access to QuickBooks for 3 months or free access to Canva Pro for 3 months.
Facebook will also begin testing something called “Work Accounts,” which will allow business owners to access their business products, like Business Manager, separately from their personal Facebook account. They’ll be able to manage these accounts on behalf of employees and use single-sign-on integrations.
Work Accounts will be tested through the remainder of the year with a small group of businesses, and Facebook says it expects to expand availability in 2022.
Other efforts it has in store include plans to incorporate more content from creators and local businesses and new features that let users control the content they see, but these changes were not detailed at this time.
Most of the products being announced are either rolling out today or will begin to show up soon.
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Will Internet Radio and the Cloud Squash Sirius XM Radio?
Sirius XM Radio. (NASDAQ:SIRI) is a company that’s used to drawing controversy, but this week investors are worried that the lead satellite radio provider may be attracting the wrong type of attention. Concerns are rampant that upstart competitors with new business models such as Pandora radio, which will IPO this Thursday, as well as other young companies such as “Spotify” and “Beyond Oblivion” will be able to uproot Sirius XM by offering cheaper and more desirable services.
Sirius’ most pressing threat right now though may be internal as the stock price has fallen some 25% since hitting a 3 month high of $2.37 in late May. SeekingAlpha projects that this stock slowdown is a result of a “market saturation” that consumers finally appear to be appreciating. Over the last ten years the company has worked to expand its product to become available in new cars on sale. CEO Mel Karmazin recently claimed that by 2015, some 70 million cars on the road would have Sirius receivers installed. However, installation of the receiver does not translate into cash for Sirius. The company derives most of its revenues from subscription fees, and it is unclear how many of those new car owners will be willing to fork out cash for satellite radio.
And if they won’t pay for satellite radio…
The biggest threat to Sirius at this point appears to be Pandora, the Oakland-based leader in Internet Radio companies which offers an appealing, highly personalized music service. The immediate threat to Sirius from Pandora would be that if Pandora continues to strike deals with auto leaders to be compatible in mainstream cars. Pandora would represent a much cheaper — FREE — alternative to Sirius, though content-wise it would still pale in comparison to the 500 or whatever channels Sirius offers listeners. Still, free is free, and given that Pandora has already inked agreements with General Motors (NYSE:GM), Toyota (NYSE:TM), Ford (NYSE:F), BMW, Mini, and more, the company looks set to swipe at some of Sirius’ market share.
Sirius XM may also face new challenges from Cloud Music services provided by Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and GOOG (NASDAQ:GOOG), which offer mobile storage databases for personal music collections. In-car compatibility is already available and popular via mobile devices from both companies, and with data in the cloud things could get much easier (does a personalized cloud radio service loom?) for customers to access in transit. Sirius investors may be in for a rough ride yet again, but if they’re still holding a stock that was worth only a nickel a share two years ago, this should be familiar territory.
Father’s Day is Approaching June 19th: Make Your Father the Rich Dad with Wall St. Cheat Sheet’s Winning Newsletter!


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You have to hand it to Nintendo: the 3DS hasn't even launched yet, and the possibilities of how the device might change our definition of gaming are already piling up. In the latest edition of Iwata Asks, the company's President and CEO Satoru Iwata spoke with developers about the various technical challenges that arose when developing the new handheld, and revealed that the ability to record video in 3D is something that they are definitely looking into for future updates.
The ability to capture friends and family in three dimensions won't be available with the device's launch, but with the launch of the 3DS rumored to be arriving sooner rather than later, the potential of the handheld is just as promising as the existing content.
The developers made it clear that those who've already purchased one of the millions of 3Ds's are likely to overlook just how difficult it was to make sure that every single device was perfectly aligned and prepared to capture accurate 3D images. The task was a monumental one for Nintendo to undertake, but according to Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto, Iwata is already looking to the next achievement in the device's future:
"Miyamoto: But Iwata-san also wants to include 3D video in the future! (laughs)
"Iwata: I think it will be fun if we're able to include video recording capabilities with future updates."
All of you budding James Camerons out there rejoice, as at least one man at Nintendo is making it his goal to bring the ability to capture video in all three dimensions to the masses. We have no idea what kind of effect the new ability would have on the device's battery life, but the external storage means that space wouldn't be an issue.
The ability may just be a pipe-dream at this point, but it wasn't too long ago that being able to have glasses-free 3D technology in your hands was a complete impossibility, so it wouldn't be wise to dismiss the idea. One thing we can be certain of is that the 3DS is more of a doorway than a piece of hardware. It could be years before the true potential of the handheld is realized, only then proving that it deserves its place among Nintendo's other landmark achievements.
We don't know what other Nintendo news will be coming with each passing day, but we'll bring you all of it as it happens. What's your take? Do you think 3D video is something that Nintendo should be spending their time on, or focus it instead on adding games to their list of launch titles?
Make sure you mark your calendars to get your own piece of gaming history, when the Nintendo 3DS arrives in spring 2011.


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Judging by the renders, we can expect the Mi Max 3 to come in gold, blue and black. "Any guesses? #2isbetterthan1". We already know that the two devices will be the Mi A2 and Mi A2 Lite. Taking previous leaks into consideration, the Mi A2 is expected to sport a 5.99-inch full HD+ display without a notch.
Alongside the Mi A2, Xiaomi is also expected to launch another variant of Mi A2 called Mi A2 Lite.
Other than the launch of Xiaomi Mi A2 and Mi X6, the Madrid event will also mark the release of Mi A2 Lite, which is similar to Redmi 6 Pro regarding specifications. It is seen to be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 SoC, paired with up to 4GB of RAM and up to 64GB of onboard storage that is expandable via microSD card (up to 256GB).
The Mi A2 is expected to be powered by a 3,010mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 support. While the main attraction at the event will be the Mi A2, based on the Mi 6X, the Mi A2 Lite is likely to draw a lot of attention as well.
Just yesterday, another retail box of the Mi Max 3 leaked online with an extensive confirmation of the phone's key specs. The smartphone will be the successor of Mi A1 Android One phone launched a year ago.
On the back side, there's a dual camera setup with sensors placed vertically and the module placed at the top-left corner. The Lite version is on sale on China's AliExpress in two variants - one with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage at $189.99 (approximately Rs. 13,000) and the other one with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage at $209.99 (roughly Rs. 14,400). Also retained is a 12MP + 5MP dual-camera setup and a front-facing 5MP selfie shooter. For the front, it has a 5-megapixel camera.
All this and more should be made available in the next few days when Xiaomi officially reveals the Mi Max 3.
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