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Nvidia Announces 'Cg' - C for Graphics
9:42 AM | Andy Largent | Comment on this story
In a very interesting announcement, graphics chipset maker Nvidia has revealed Cg, a new programming language specification for graphics. The spec promises a high level language that will bring cutting-edge graphics into games by increasing the abstraction to the actual graphics hardware. The company has also released a set to tools to compliment the language and announced developers are already jumping on the bandwagon. Here's a clip from the first of three press releases with more about Cg:
"Cg has already garnered a tidal wave of industry support ranging from game developers to digital content creators," said Jen Hsun Huang, CEO at NVIDIA. "Cg is a significant milestone for the computer graphics industry as it moves real-time 3D graphics programming a quantum leap closer to the programming model of cinematic rendering. Cg will dramatically increase the speed at which increasingly sophisticated and exciting graphics features are adopted. Cg will do for GPUs what C and C++ did for CPUs."While the press releases seem to indicate a heavy dominance of Windows and DirectX in the system, IMG has been assured the tools will be portable for other platforms such as Mac OS X. Here's more from the toolset announcement:
NVIDIA's Cg Compiler was designed to take full advantage of NVIDIA's GPU features and pipeline, ensuring optimal performance and visual quality. In addition, NVIDIA's Cg Compiler uniquely supports OpenGL®. Cg shaders written for OpenGL platforms are compiled and optimized to take full advantage of the extended graphics feature set in NVIDIA GPUs. NVIDIA's Cg Compiler is also cross platform, supporting programs written for Windows®, OS X, Linux, Mac and Xbox®.It's expected that the release of OS X 10.2 this summer will bring new high-end Nvidia features to the Mac finally as well as full support for the Cg SDK. Stay tuned to IMG for the latest on this exciting new technology, and have a look at Nvidia web site for much more information.
NVIDIA Introduces "Cg" -- C For Graphics
VIDIA Ushers in a New Era in Graphics with its Advanced Compiler for the Cg Language
NVIDIA Cg Compiler and Cg Language Universally Embraced by the Graphics Community
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Young entrepreneurs may be twice as ambitious as their older counterparts about the growth potential of their businesses, and four times as likely to hire staff, but this could mean they are delusional rather than talented.
The latest Albion Growth Report, an annual poll of Britain's small businesses, which is now in its third year, found that entrepreneurs aged 35 and under - the "Millennials" - were bullish on the growth prospects for their new ventures, with 14pc predicting "dramatic" expansion compared to just 8pc of 45 to 54-year-olds.
Bank managers and financiers don't see eye-to-eye with Millennials on growth and revenue forecasts either.
While a third of these young entrepreneurs have attempted to raise finance, compared to just 14pc of middle-aged business owners, they were five times more likely to have their applications rejected.
Proven entrepreneurs are likely to find it easier to raise finance than first-timers but the research from venture capital investor Albion Ventures, which polled 1,000 people from across the UK, found that Millennials were worryingly overconfident about their business prowess.
Some 77pc claimed they did not require mentoring to help hone their entrepreneurial skills. Just 16pc said they would benefit from better financial management and fewer than one-quarter said that they needed to improve on their business planning skills.
Just 17pc would be willing to trade equity for more experience on their management team, suggesting complete confidence in their own capabilities.
Young entrepreneurs are also big spenders, and are more likely to seek finance to pay for research and development and new staff than their older counterparts, who prefer to grow organically.
Some business experts say that Millennials' super-charged growth ambitions may benefit the economy in the long-term.
"The younger generation is by far the most optimistic and ambitious about the future," said Patrick Reeve, managing partner at Albion Ventures. "This pro-growth sentiment is excellent news for the UK economy as the under-35s will become increasingly influential over the years to come."
Millennials in the UK are looking increasingly like the start-up whizz-kids over the Atlantic, he added: "We're shifting towards a more entrepreneurial model as seen in the US."
"You would expect to see Millennials setting up businesses in the tech, software, and media industries where there has been huge growth in recent years and so they may well be projecting that in their forecasts," added Deniz Ucbasaran, professor of entrepreneurship at Warwick Business School.
"Older start-up owners may well be in more traditional sectors where the growth returns are not as good. There is also a tendency for younger entrepreneurs to be over-confident as they have not failed yet, whereas older start-up owners might well be trying out their second or third venture, so are more cautious.”

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GIFs of cute kittens that we all share between friends or colleagues seem to be free of any commercial interest. The mistake is that Meta's takeover of Giphy is actually much more strategic than it seems. In the United Kingdom, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) feared, among other things, that this merger would only increase Meta's advertising monopoly on social networks a little more. This is the main reason why the CMA said last Monday that Meta's acquisition of the GIF sharing platform "Giphy" could harm users and advertisers. The CMA has been dragging its feet a bit: the buyout has been on the books since May 2020. Nevertheless, Meta Platforms is asked to sell Giphy as soon as possible. The American firm did not care about this requirement, preferring to continue the integration of the GIF platform bought a few months earlier for $400 million. The CMA had already imposed a £50.5m fine on the buyer for not putting the brakes on the integration while the investigation was underway.
A highly strategic merger
If for most people, GIF rhymes with short, meaningless video, Giphy is not (anymore) just a simple library of offbeat videos. In Meta's eyes, the American GIF platform is both an important trading tool and a key advertising platform in the making. But before we continue on this highly strategic platform, let's take a look back at Giphy's unsuspecting business
Launched in 2013, the American platform has quickly risen to become one of the most visited websites in the world. As a result, Giphy has quickly grown from a simple GIF library to a social platform and search engine that allows users to discover, share and save GIFs. While the company has long been the target of strong criticism for its inability to build a sustainable business, and thus its heavy reliance on venture financing, Giphy had recently found a stable and sustainable business model. It must be said that the $150M raised during its existence has long allowed the platform to follow despite the lack of a business model.
Today, Giphy earns money mainly through the creation and promotion of sponsored GIFs. Revenue from sponsorships is likely paid on a campaign basis. For example, a brand like the NFL might pay Giphy to create custom GIFs and promote them across multiple platforms. This content, especially in combination with its various third-party integrations, is often seen by millions. To carry out this mission, Giphy has its own design studios.
Naturally, the GIF platform has also looked at other ways to generate revenue. In the past, the company had tried to set up a keyword advertising system. Brands that wanted to associate some of their GIFs with keywords could do so, in order to have them appear at the top of the results pages. A business model that is not unlike Google AdWords and it's far from a coincidence. The platform was initially called Gifgle (GIF-Google) but due to copyright issues, the name had to be changed.
But Giphy also maintains a community of creators so that many GIFs are continually added to the existing base. If some creations are charged to companies, Giphy also promotes the most successful artists on its platform and even invites other companies to hire them. Finally, software and website developers can also take advantage of Giphy's vast content library by connecting to the platform's API for free. This allows them to surface Giphy-based content in their own applications and websites. This last point, while seemingly trivial, is of huge importance.
What to remember:
Creation of GIF content (paying = business model)
- Creation of advertising campaigns with GIFs (paying = business model)
- Raising awarness of creators
- Free and open API (access to the Giphy GIF library)
One of the CMA's major fears is that Meta's acquisition of Giphy will further reduce competition. Facebook's social networks may indeed be able to increase their dominance over industry competitors by denying access to Giphy's GIFs (API). This would send more traffic to Meta-owned sites - Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram - which already account for 73% of user time spent on social media in the UK. This access to GIFs could be used as a bargaining tool against competitors such as TikTok, Twitter and Snapchat. Meta could be led to ask for more user data in exchange for access to the Giphy library.
But the CMA is also concerned about Facebook's dominance related to advertisers. While limited access to GIFs may hurt Twitter, Snapchat, Tiktok, etc., the impact on advertisers is far more serious. Giphy's advertising services allow companies to promote their brands through GIFs. A tool that, as we have seen before, has become a must-have on social networks and indispensable for community managers. Several panels believed that Giphy's advertising services could, in the near future, compete with Facebook's own display advertising services, while encouraging innovation. But as soon as Giphy and Facebook merged, the ad services were shut down. A major cause for concern, especially since Meta controls nearly half of the £7 billion ($9.4 billion) display advertising market in the UK, according to the CMA's estimate.
The fact that no antitrust body was notified of the proposed acquisition of Giphy must surely not have played in Meta's favor. The American firm was able to avoid this thanks to a legal loophole. By paying a dividend to existing investors, Giphy was able to reduce the size of its assets, allowing Meta to refrain from reporting the transaction to authorities.
The acquirer is still determining what its defense will be. An appeal seems likely, although it is unclear at this stage what the concrete consequences of this decision will be. The UK regulator is ruling on the domestic market and obviously has no global jurisdiction.


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Google recently announced that it has made a deal with HTC, according to which HTC would be selling off a big chunk of its smartphone division to Google for a total of $1.1 billion (Approximately Rs 7,012 crore). Today, the deal has been closed between both the parties officially.
It means that Google now owns a major chunk of HTC, and soon all the HTC employees under the deal will be joining Google. Interestingly, HTC has kept a small part of the company with them and will continue to function independently including the VR division, communications division and more.
As for HTC, this deal might have come just at the right time, as according to the recent financial reports of the company, they didn’t have a good standing. This cash infusion will help them concentrate more on the divisions which the company executives think will be much more profitable for them. Currently, HTC has been burning almost 75 million USD per quarter, which it was classifying as losses.
This sale will also help the company cut the operational costs, as around 2,000 employees will be moving to Google. These 2,000 employees represent around half of HTC’s R&D team and 20 percent of its total workforce. One really interesting quote has been given by the company, which states that the company will still be competing in the smartphone market, even which the huge staff cut.
For Google, this deal will bring all of the Pixel team (which was currently in HTC) under Google’s roof. This team will be integrated into the hardware group, formed by Motorola CEO Rick Osterloh back in 2016. Now that the entire Pixel team is in-house, it will give Google much more control over how the next Pixel and other devices will turn out.


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At EventCity, we’re passionate about ensuring as much of our trade as possible is fair. Our team work hard to source suppliers that align with these values – making a big difference to the lives of those who grow ingredients for the products we use.
This week marks the halfway point of Fairtrade Fortnight 2020 (24th Feb – 8th March), which aims to raise awareness of the right to a living income for cocoa farmers. Fairtrade’s mission is to connect disadvantaged farmers and workers with consumers, promoting fairer trading conditions and empowering farmers to combat poverty, strengthen their position and take more control over their lives – this is a vision we are working hard to support, by teaming up with suppliers who are Fairtrade certified.
We’ve recently partnered with Fairtrade certified Tony’s Chocoloney, a range of chocolate that is not only incredibly tasty, but also committed to making the chocolate industry 100% slave-free. The company works to highlight the harsh reality of inequalities in the chocolate supply chain – starting with millions of farmers who produce cocoa and ending with billions of consumers who enjoy it. But, the area in the middle is dominated by a handful of chocolate giants that profit from keeping the price of cocoa as low as possible. As a result, farmers are forced to live in poverty – leading to child labour and slavery.
In order to fight this, Tony’s advocates five rules for slave-free chocolate, which we’re proud to support here at EventCity:
But it’s not just our chocolate that gets the thumbs up from Fairtrade. Our coffee supplier, Broderick’s, holds both Fairtrade and Rain Forest Alliance certificates. A family run company with three generations in the business, Broderick’s offer a large variety of coffee, tea, chocolate drinks, fruit juices and confectionary. Fairtrade is at the heart of the business, an early pioneer which has been buying Fairtrade coffee since 1998, long before other coffee companies were willing to take the risk.
Its early confidence and belief in Fairtrade has helped to grow the movement to mainstream, which means consistency for farmers and quality for coffee lovers. What’s more, the Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seal on Broderick’s Coffee Beans promotes environmental responsibility, social equality and economic viability for farm communities.
We’re delighted to be associated with both Tony’s and Broderick’s, just a couple of the fantastic Fairtrade suppliers we work with to ensure that we’re doing as much as we can to promote Fairtrade.
For more information about our in-house corporate catering, The Kitchen, please visit our dedicated page.
To receive exclusive offers from EventCity Limited plus the latest event news and information.


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With yields going berserk, the upcoming batch of US economic data on Friday could be crucial for the dollar’s fortunes. Personal income and consumption numbers along with the Fed’s favorite inflation metric will hit the markets at 12:30 GMT, before the ISM manufacturing survey is released at 14:00 GMT. Overall, the outlook for the dollar remains positive against the euro and yen.
Brace for earlier rate hikes
The Fed is turning more hawkish. Chairman Powell stated quite clearly last week that unless a catastrophe strikes, his central bank will start dialing back its asset purchases this year. More importantly, the new interest rate projections showed the FOMC being split 9-9 on whether liftoff will begin next year already.
Markets seem much more certain though, as the first quarter-point rate increase is now fully priced in for December 2022. This has propelled Treasury yields higher, along with some signs that inflation is unlikely to cool anytime soon amid an energy crisis in China that threatens to exacerbate supply disruptions. The dollar typically benefits when yields spike higher, particularly against the yen.
The central question that will drive the dollar moving forward is whether an even earlier rate increase is possible, for instance in September 2022. Markets currently assign a 60% probability to that scenario.
ISM manufacturing in sight
There are several releases slated for Friday, but the most important one is the ISM manufacturing PMI. That’s because it’s a forward-looking indicator. It will reveal whether supply chains worsened further in September and give us an early look into how the labor market performed during the month.
Personal consumption and income numbers for August, as well as the core PCE price index are quite important too, but they usually don’t move the markets much. Investors already have a very good idea of how the economy and inflation evolved in August, so this would essentially be ‘old news’.
Dollar/yen cruises higher
In the big picture, the outlook for the dollar seems positive, particularly against the euro and yen. American inflation could become persistent as supply chain disruptions continue to rage, consumption is booming with retail sales being far above their pre-crisis levels, and the labor market could be back to full employment by next year.
Don’t forget about Congress either. If the Democrats manage to pass anything remotely close to the $3.5 trillion social package they are working on, it could be a real game-changer. It would juice up economic growth for years, and likely push yields even higher on expectations of bigger deficits and a more aggressive Fed.
In contrast, neither the Bank of Japan nor the European Central Bank will raise rates in the coming years. Japan is still trapped in deflation and economic growth is anemic. Meanwhile, European inflation has accelerated lately but that won’t change much for the ECB, which is confident that price pressures will cool once supply chain disruptions ease.
Central banks view inflation through the prism of the labor market. If inflation is hot because of supply problems but your economy is still far away from full employment, inflation is unlikely to be persistent because consumers don’t have the pockets to sustain it. That’s the situation in Europe.
The Fed might be a different story though, as the US labor market recovery is at a much more advanced stage. Hence, the Fed will most likely out-normalize the ECB and BoJ, ultimately making the dollar more attractive from a relative rates perspective.
Taking a technical look at dollar/yen, if the bulls manage to overcome the 111.65 barrier, their next target might be the 112.20 area, marked by the high of 2020.
On the flipside, a reversal lower could encounter initial support near the 110.80 region, before the focus turns towards the 109.05 zone.


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SEOUL, July 19 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean imports of beer fell for the first time last year in a decade, largely on a nationwide boycott of Japanese products amid a yearlong trade dispute, data showed Sunday.
Imports of beer stood at 360,000 tons in 2019, down 7.2 percent from 387,000 tons a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Korea Customs Service.
It marked the first on-year decrease since 2009, a sharp turnaround from a 17.1 percent hike in 2018 and a 50.2 percent jump in 2017.
Local vendors largely attributed the fall to weak demand for Japanese beer products.
Since July last year, South Korean consumers have waged an anti-Japan campaign in protest of Tokyo’s export regulations on some key industrial materials crucial to the production of chips and displays.
Whisky imports also dipped last year, extending their fall to a third consecutive year.
Inbound shipments of whisky stood at 19,800 tons in 2019, down 0.7 percent from 19,900 tons in 2018 and 20,200 tons in 2017.
The decrease began amid the country’s implementation of a new anti-corruption act in 2016, industrial sources said.
The introduction of a 52-hour work hour system in 2018 also pulled down whisky consumption, they said.


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Ketan Pratap | Friday April 18, 2014
Samsung's latest 10.1-inch tablet runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and is backed by an Intel Atom Clover Trail+ (Z2560) processor.
Robin Sinha | Tuesday April 1, 2014
Samsung is offering its Galaxy Tab3 Neo, Galaxy Tab 3 211 and Galaxy Tab 3 311 tablets in exchange deals and EMI options.
Robin Sinha | Monday March 31, 2014
The 10-inch tablet does not carry very impressive specifications, placing it in the affordable segment.
Jamshed Avari | Friday March 28, 2014
It's huge, it's outrageous, and it's expensive but is it useful enough to justify all that? We dug deep to find out.
Ketan Pratap | Thursday March 27, 2014
@evleaks has leaked press renders of Samsung's alleged first Galaxy Tab 4 tablet in Black and White colours.
Robin Sinha | Tuesday March 4, 2014
The tablet's Wi-Fi only model with 8GB inbuilt storage is available online via an online retailer.
Robin Sinha | Monday March 3, 2014
The Samsung Galaxy 3 Lite tablet is listed on the firm's Latin American site in three new colours.
Ketan Pratap | Tuesday February 25, 2014
The Samsung Galaxy S5 has been spotted in its full glory hours ahead of the official launch at MWC 2014 in Barcelona.
NDTV Correspondent | Friday February 21, 2014
Samsung Galaxy S5 has been allegedly leaked in Amazon's Spigen case listing, showing of the front panel and rear camera.
Robin Sinha | Thursday February 20, 2014
The two ads by Samsung compare the Galaxy Tab PRO 10.1 and Galaxy Note 3 with their Apple counterparts.
Ketan Pratap | Thursday February 13, 2014
Samsung is rumoured to debut a new tablet series dubbed Galaxy Tab 4, along with the Galaxy Gear successor at the February 24 event in Barcelona.
Robin Sinha | Wednesday February 12, 2014
The three devices fall under Galaxy Tab 4 tablet version and will arrive in Wi-Fi, 3G and LTE variants.
Ketan Pratap | Thursday January 30, 2014
Samsung has unveiled a new education-specific Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 tablet; launching as a part of the Google Play for Education program.
Robin Sinha | Wednesday January 15, 2014
The tablet's user manual has been published, and the device has also been listed at on online retailer.
Ketan Pratap | Monday January 6, 2014
Samsung's tablet plans for CES 2014 seem to have been revealed, thanks to an alleged advertisement put up at CES 2014.
Tuesday December 31, 2013
Electronics major Samsung has launched an ownership plan - Stay New - for its flagship Galaxy devices, which will offer an 18-month EMI scheme to consumers as well as an option to upgrade to newer models.
Saturday December 28, 2013
Apple Inc has asked a federal judge to bar US sales of Samsung smartphones and tablets in the blockbuster patent case involving the two electronics giants.
Ketan Pratap | Thursday December 19, 2013
Samsung's rumoured 10.1-inch AMOLED tablet and the most-affordable Galaxy Tab 3 Lite are all set to hit the market soon, reveals report.
Ketan Pratap | Monday December 9, 2013
Samsung is expected to launch its cheapest Galaxy tablet yet, the rumoured Galaxy Tab 3 Lite, at roughly Rs. 8,500.
Ketan Pratap | Thursday December 26, 2013
Can the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 211 tempt consumers away from cheaper, better-specced offerings in the voice-calling tablet segment? We try to find out, in our review.


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- A Medtronic insulin pump hardware malfunction that prompted the company to alert certain MiniMed customers late last year has been linked to 26,421 complaints, 2,175 injuries and one death, FDA said in a notice issued Wednesday.
- Medtronic warned customers Nov. 21 that a potential missing or broken retainer ring, which ordinarily helps secure the insulin cartridge's position in the pump's reservoir compartment, could lead to under or over delivery of insulin, thereby increasing risk for hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia and ultimately loss of consciousness, seizure or death.
- Now the agency has categorized the action affecting more than 320,000 U.S. devices as a Class I recall, reflecting the concern that use of affected devices may result in serious injury or death.
In total, 322,005 devices in the U.S. are covered by the recall, FDA detailed Wednesday. Affected devices include all 630G pumps distributed between September 2016 and October 2019, and 670G pumps distributed between June 2017 and August 2019.
The latter model was Medtronic's big diabetes innovation approved by FDA in 2016 as the first automated insulin delivery device. In the years since, companies like Tandem and Insulet have broken through with their own diabetes management products, but Medtronic hopes to retake share with its forthcoming 780G pump.
That device, which Medtronic is calling a personalized hybrid closed loop system, is designed to automatically deliver correction bolus doses in anticipation of, or when a user experiences, prolonged high glucose levels. Medtronic expects to present pivotal trial data on the device at the American Diabetes Association meeting in June.
There are no new instructions to customers, a Medtronic spokesperson confirmed Wednesday. The company maintained earlier guidance that customers should contact Medtronic for a replacement pump if, upon examination, the reservoir doesn't lock into the pump or if the retainer ring is loose, damaged or missing. Medtronic also advised that users check for proper function of the retainer ring if the pump is dropped by accident and at every set change.
In the past week, FDA also sent a Class I recall notice regarding nearly 3,600 GE Healthcare anesthesia systems that may have problems with mechanical ventilation.
Medtronic is scheduled to report recent financial results and discuss plans for the coming months during an earnings call Tuesday.


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They were once accused of being "cheese-eating surrender monkeys".
Now the French are being urged to eat more fromage in an act of patriotism.
Makers of traditional French cheese have issued a plea to the nation to consume more of what is considered a source of national identity and pride due to plummeting sales under Covid-19.
Thousands of tons of Gallic appellation fromage risk being thrown away because the cheesemakers can no longer sell to restaurants and canteens while the French have put the brakes on comfort food in favour of essential fodder.
Notably, the French have lost their taste for buying traditional cheese à la coupe - at the counter - in supermarkets preferring vacuum-packed fare. Open-air markets are meanwhile shut, as are restaurants and canteens. The result is sales of appellation cheese are down as much as 60 per cent.
Those producers who can are freezing cheese while awaiting the end of confinement.
“From Brie to Rocamadour as well as munster or reblochon, the situation is catastrophic for cheese producers in AOP (protected designation of origin) zones,” warned Michel Lacoste, president of the national council of dairy appellations, CNAOL.
The cheese industry has even launched a campaign to get them to start buying called "Fromagissons!" (Let's act for cheese), urging the French to do their bit with one “common aim”, namely: “To encourage the consumption of traditional cheeses.”
The French government has relaxed a number of appellation regulations to help struggling producers. Farmers are, for example, allowed to store their milk longer before making cheese and these can be kept at lower temperatures to avoid having to throw them away.
Financial compensation is on offer for French dairy farmers who voluntarily reduce their production.
Some regions have taken initiatives to save their local cheeses.
In the northern Hauts-de-France, authorities have promised to increase orders for maroilles, the famously strong-smelling rectangular cheese, in school canteens - up from the current 6,400 kilogrammes over the next three years.
And they have issued a call for patriotic cheese-eating.
“Some 80 per cent of maroilles consumed in France is done so north of Paris,” said Marie-Sophie Lesne, vice president of the Hauts-de-France regional council in charge of agriculture.
“Half is eaten in the Hauts-de-France”.
If locals ate more of “their cheese”, she said, “we can save the industry”.


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Are there any true winners in the Apple vs Epic case? Friday's ruling in the ongoing battle between the two companies over in-app purchases saw a measure of defeat in both sides.
The 185 page ruling contained some victories for Apple. It will not be forced to allow a third-party in-app payment system, nor will it be compelled to reinstate Epic's developer account. The court also stopped short of labelling Apple an "illegal monopolist", although it did say the tech giant's rules on its App Store business violated California state competition laws.
Epic, meanwhile, was ordered to pay damages to Apple for breach of contract. The company had built a work around for its Fortnite game that would allow it to avoid paying Apple’s 30 per cent commission , leading to Apple removing the game from the App Store. Epic also eventually saw its developer account terminated.
While Apple certainly had something to be positive about – Epic lost on nine of the 10 points that it had brought to the court – it was by no means a clean sweep for the company. Apple will still have to loosen some of its rules – although it won’t have to allow third-party payment systems in apps, it was ordered by the court to allow developers to add buttons to apps that would direct them to outside payment methods.
The App Store has been chipped away at in recent months. In the past fortnight, Apple said it would allow developers of "reader" apps such as Netflix to link to external websites for payments by users, and allow developers tell customers about alternate payment methods through email and other channels, things it previously barred. It could result in millions of revenue leaving the App Store and its impact will be seen in the months to come, as the changes are implemented.
Epic has already said it plans to appeal the ruling. But it is clear this is only one battle in an ongoing war – and that war is nowhere near over.


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British Gas adds 1m customers
Almost one million customers have returned to British Gas since it became the first energy supplier to announce price cuts in February.
Britain's biggest energy company said it has stolen a march on rivals since breaking ranks and triggering a gas and electricity price war.
In a statement to the Stock Exchange, parent company Centrica claimed around 900,000 customers have signed up to British Gas in the past three months - about 65,000 a week.
The company would not reveal how many it lost to competitors in the same period but it insisted it was making 'solid gains'.
Centrica also said 'unusually low' wholesale energy prices had allowed it to make bigger-than-expected profits in the first half of its financial year.
Profits for the year as a whole are now set to be above City forecasts. This could pave the way for further price cuts for domestic customers later in the year.
British Gas, heavily criticised for its steep price increases in 2005 and last year, has already cut its tariffs in each of the last two months, knocking more than £200 off a typical bill.
The former state monopoly, which had seen its market share of gas customers drop below 50% for the first time, is now setting the pace for the rest of the industry.
All rival suppliers have hit back with price reductions of their own, although EDF and Scottish Power's cuts will not come into effect for a month. Under new chief executive Phil Bentley, British Gas has been attempting to claw back its damaged reputation.
However, it suffered a major blow last month when it was revealed that a new billing system had triggered a deluge of complaints from customers.
In the six months from October to March, British Gas accounted for more complaints than the rest of the suppliers put together, according to consumer body Energywatch. A new customer satisfaction survey published today shows it continues to be the least popular fuel supplier.
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NEW YORK — Sharps, a new men’s product line, is aiming to garner customers by taking the barbershop concept to specialty stores, gyms and department stores.
The company, which describes its products as “head-to-toe prep for guys,” is positioning itself as an “antigrooming” line.
“We chose [the barbershop] because it’s the best language to speak to the mainstream guy in America. The barber is about value, convenience and a sense of community,” said Oliver Sweatman, co-founder of Sharps. He noted the brand is “cloaked in a barber tradition” but is infused with modern ingredients, marketing methods and distribution.
Sharps was founded in early 2002 by Sweatman, age 32, who founded Spring Street Advisors LLC, a merchant banking practice that focused on emerging beauty and wellness companies, and Larry Paul, age 34, who served as general manager of Bliss SoHo and director of retail and merchandising at Blissworld.
“We’re really about being your own guy,” added Paul, a barber and graduate of Atlas Barber School in New York, who designed the products. The items were inspired by the simplicity of a barbershop and are younger in attitude and grooming than traditional grooming lines.
The product lineup consists of six stockkeeping units in three categories: hair; shave, and face and body. Each category is represented by a different image, which appears on the packaging. For the face, represented by an image of a white goat, there is Kid Glove Shave Gel, $12 for 5 oz., and Kid Glove Hydrating Gel, $16 for 2.5 oz. The hair category, with an image of an astronaut, consists of Mission Control Conditioning Shampoo, $12 for 8.5 oz., and Mission Control Guck-in-a-Puck, $14 for 2.6 oz. The face and body offerings boast a black-and-white image of a geisha and include Happy Me All Over Wash, 8.5 oz. for $12, and Happy Me Pit Guard, $10 for 2.5 oz.
The packaging was designed by Pandiscio Co. to “inspire people to spurn convention and try something new,” according to the company.
“We wanted to offer all the ingredients that the prestige lines have and make it as accessible as possible to the guy that’s looking for specialty products,” said Sweatman. “Our intent is to be the opening price point at specialty distribution, because we believe that’s where the market is moving.”Though Sharps executives declined to comment, industry sources estimate the line could generate retail sales of as much as $1 million in 2004.
The line launched in June 2003 with the shave gel in 10 locations that included Jeffrey and Bigelow. The line, including the additional five stockkeeping units, will debut in August in all Barneys locations, as will products for holiday in late October. Plans are to be in abut 50 doors by yearend. Rather than focusing on traditional classic specialty store and department store distribution, the brand is searching out “environments where guys feel comfortable,” such as gyms, barbershops and “guy-friendly” salons, as well as specialty and department stores that are “forward thinking and making an effort to attract the young, fashionable customer,” said Paul.
The company is currently developing a number of follow-up products in each category, added Paul. “As men get used to taking care of themselves and learn how to use our core products, we’ll bring them up a notch and introduce them to the next level,” he said.
— Kristin Finn
P&G, Valentino Venture
PARIS — Procter & Gamble and Valentino have joined forces on the beauty front.
The two firms said Wednesday that they have signed a licensing agreement involving P&G Beauté — P&G beauty unit’s fine fragrance division — designing and marketing Valentino fragrance and beauty products globally.
The agreement goes into effect Friday. Other terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“We took a long look at the marketplace and identified Valentino as a unique opportunity for us,” Hartwig Langer, vice president of P&G, told WWD in a telephone interview.
He explained the brand acquisition is important for global growth. “We have great success with Hugo Boss as well as with Lacoste. Hugo Boss has become a market leader in the men’s segment in most European countries — excluding Italy. We believe it’s number three there, while it’s number one [elsewhere] in Europe.”
And, alongside contributing what he called “a very strong global Italian name,” Langer said he expects Valentino will also add muscle to the women’s fragrance side of P&G Beauté’s business.Valentino, he continued, “is an ideal compliment to our existing portfolio.”
News of the P&G-Valentino deal came one week after Valentino ended its fragrance and cosmetics licensing agreement with Unilever Cosmetics International.
— Jennifer Weil
Madina Milano to Close
MILAN — In the wake of consistent losses, Intercos has decided to shut the doors of its Madina Milano cosmetic store in New York’s SoHo district.
Having just returned from overseeing Intercos’ new plant construction in Shanghai, Intercos chairman Dario Ferrari said the SoHo store was a “disaster from start to finish. It was not the right timing — we opened the store six months after 9/11 and it never recovered after that. It doesn’t make any more sense to keep it open,” Ferrari said.Ferrari also added he was happy with Madina Milano’s success in Italy and Asia and that the company would be refocusing on making Italy the center point of the brand.
@chanel and @pharrell dropped what’s being dubbed as the world’s most exclusive sneakers yesterday. The Adidas Originals NMD Hu, which Williams designed in collaboration with Chanel and @adidasoriginals, has a waiting list of over 120K people who pre-registered online at chanelatcolette.fr –– and only 500 pairs are on sale. The singer predicted the resale value of the shoes could reach $40K. Read the full interview on WWD.com. Link in bio. #wwdfashion (📷: Dominique Maître)
@imanshumpert is diving deeper into his creative endeavors and relaunching his clothing line, Post 90s, and is helping to raise money for the hurricane victims in St. Maarten with a jersey he’s designed with his brother. The Cleveland Cavaliers player talked to WWD about kneeling during the national anthem, working with fashion brands and how he wants to be more than an @nba player. Read the interview on WWD.com #wwdfashion (📷: George Chinese)
Not only does #TheProfit return to CNBC tonight, but @marcuslemonis has launched @shopmarcus, a new shopping and lifestyle retail experience in Aspen and Chicago, with more locations to come. The retail stores offer in-store stylists and a variety of contemporary womenswear selections.
“It’s life, I’m going to face it,” @mingxi11 sighed. “I fell, but you know, I think the most important thing is that I get back up. I had the love, the help from my sister — the girl next to me Gizele [Oliveira] — she’s so nice. When I went backstage everybody was trying to comfort me like ‘Oh Ming, it’s OK.’ I’m really, really touched. I think it’s them who gave me the courage to go back on stage for the finale,” Xi told WWD of her fall at the @victoriassecret fashion show. (📷: David Fisher) #wwdfashion #vsfashionshow #victoriassecret
@louisvuitton tapped @therealpeterlindbergh for its latest city-centric photo book, which is part of a series called Fashion Eye. The primarily black and white book captures the spirit of Berlin in 57 images shot between 1989 and 2019. “Berlin is an inspiration for me, more than a city. I mean @millajovovich is simply Berlin!” said Lindbergh. #wwdfashion
“You know, I think audiences expect a certain performance so I have to deliver to them what they’re expecting to a certain degree. But I’m also a different actor and a different person, I have my own spin on the character,” says @noahegalvin of his takeover of the leading role in “Dear Evan Hansen” following the departure of @bensplatt, who originated the role. Read WWD’s interview with the 23-year-old actor on WWD.com #wwdeye (📷: @jilliansollazzo)
For pre-fall 2018, @etro created richly-colored wonderland, using tapestries, textiles and wallpapers from the Eastern world at large. The line featured floral and graphic prints and jacquard motifs, like this two-piece look featured here. #wwdfashion (📷: Giovanna Pavesi)
@kith is moving into children’s. The men’s and women’s streetwear brand has launched Kidset, a Kith kids line located in New York at 64 Bleecker Street. The line includes mini versions of staple Kith pieces like the Astor bomber jacket and the Kith box logo sweatshirts, along with a wall that can display up to 120 pairs of shoes from @adidas, @newbalance, @timberland and more. #wwdfashion
“I just wanted to create this fully rounded character, but I do think what excited me most was just the opportunity to give a group of people representation that I feel needs it. I like to do characters in projects that stand for something and Karolina definitely does, so that was really exciting to me,” @ginnygardner says of her new role in @hulu’s “The Runaways.” Gardner plays Karolina Dean, a queer superhero, which is a rarity for @marvel. Read more about Gardner’s character on WWD.com #wwdeye (📷: @dandoperalski)


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The Tanzania Tourist Board, TTB has launched a new brand campaign to boost the country’s international appeal and visibility.
Dubbed ‘’Tanzania, Unforgettable’’, the move according to the Managing Director of TTB Devota Mdachi seeks to encourage travellers and tourists to visit and share Tanzania’s amazing tourism offering to the world.
‘’We want people to know that Tanzania offers tourists a product which is unique, superior and indeed Unforgettable. We are trying to encourage repeat visitation and believe that tourists who visit Tanzania leave as ambassadors who will definitely spread the word about Tanzania’s unforgettable tourist attractions and experiences’’ she noted.
She was speaking to VoyagesAfriq media on the sidelines of the recently held Swahili International Tourism Expo in Dar es Salaam.
She reiterated the authority’s commitment to promote the country’s tourism by leading the campaign and carrying along, other parastatals for the desired impact in the tourism value chain.


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A Sustainability Hub is one of the fresh new features set to capture attention when Fieldays returns to its winter dates at Mystery Creek in June.
Fieldays, the southern hemisphere’s largest agricultural event, is the ultimate launch platform for cutting-edge technology and innovation.
“Sustainability is a strong focus for the society, and it’s fantastic to be collaborating with the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) on the Fieldays Sustainability Hub under the theme of The Time to Act is Now,” New Zealand National Fieldays Society chief executive Peter Nation said.
“We’ve made a strategic decision to use the scale of Fieldays to help educate both visitors and exhibitors so that future generations will benefit from improved sustainability practices for New Zealand’s food and fibre sector.”
The new hub will feature a select number of sustainability-focused organisations, including Toitū Envirocare, Wilderlab and RiverWatch.
Paula Knaap, general manager engagement at the EPA, said visitors will be able to explore sustainable farming research and science, urban and rural waste management, as well as water management and renewable energy.
“Embracing initiatives that protect and enhance the environment has a range of benefits, from longevity of land use through to resilience to changing climate conditions,” Knaap said. “Not only that, but those who purchase our goods – from multinational companies to individual consumers – are increasingly demanding evidence that they’ve been sustainably produced.
“We want to support farmers, growers and the consumer on their sustainability journey. By showcasing some of the initiatives underway in Aotearoa New Zealand, we can help everyone see that together we can overcome the enormity of the challenges, with innovation and collaboration.”
Alongside the hub, the Fieldays Sustainability Trail, accessed via the official Fieldays app, will lead visitors to other Fieldays exhibitors who are demonstrating sustainability practices, products and initiatives.
The Fieldays Sustainability Hub joins the Fieldays Innovation Hub, Fieldays Opportunity Grows Here Careers Hub, Fieldays Hauora Taiwhenua Health & Wellbeing Hub, Fieldays Forestry Hub and Fieldays Digital Futures. The latter two were launched in 2022 as key focus areas for visitors to explore during Fieldays.
The new Fieldays Sustainability Hub will be located on site E38, on the corner of M Road and E Street, next to the Village Green.
Fieldays’ commitment to sustainability includes building the internationally recognised ISO 20121 Sustainable Events Standards into its management procedures.


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Fendi’s Pietro Beccari will head to Dior as chief executive while outgoing Dior chief executive Sidney Toledano will now lead the LVMH Fashion Group replacing Pierre-Yves Roussel, who is transitioning into a special advisor role.
oday’s game of musical chairs does not involve fashion designers, but rather the business minds leading the commercial charge.
In what is perhaps the greatest executive reshuffle to occur in the industry in some time, LVMH has announced that Pierre-Yves Roussel, chairman and chief executive of the LVMH Fashion Group, will transition into the role of special advisor to LVMH chairman and chief executive Bernard Arnault, effective January 2018. Current Christian Dior Couture chief executive Sidney Toledano will replace Roussel as chairman of the LVMH Fashion Group, while Fendi chief executive Pietro Beccari will head to Dior as chief executive. A successor for Beccari, who has led Fendi since 2012, has not yet been named.
In due time, Roussel will assume “new operational responsibilities” within the LMVH executive committee, of which he has been a member for 14 years, although the details of his new role have yet to be disclosed.
According to Arnault, Beccari’s appointment signals “a new era” at the house of Dior, which was integrated into the LVMH group earlier this year through a two-part deal worth $13 billion dollars. “Having been an integral member of our group for twelve years, Pietro has an excellent track record,” he said, citing Beccari’s work as marketing director of Louis Vuitton and the growth experienced by Fendi during his tenure. “He will be an excellent leader who will steer Dior towards ever greater success in the future.”


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After ten years of the anti-porn law that was under the Child Online Protection Act, stopping minors from viewing harmful content over the internet, silently died off in the Supreme Court after Congress overwhelmingly approved...
A week of Windows 10, holograms and Exploding Kittens on Mars
Office 2016 launching this year, touch apps coming soon
Microsoft reveals the next version of Windows 10
Introducing Windows 10 for phones
Hands on with HoloLens
Download: Windows 10 build 9926
Interested in ramping up on XNA but like to learn in short and sweet videos? Jennifer Marsman has created a short set of videos to help you learn XNA five minutes (or less!) at a...
A MSN Messenger Trojan is growing a botnet by hundreds of infected PCs per hou, adding VMs to the mix as well. A Trojan is introducing malware into thousands of computer systems worldwide, and the...
The 80GB Zune media player Microsoft Corporation launched Tuesday has sold out across the Web, to the dismay of online shoppers and delight of the world's largest software maker. Amazon was forced to announce that...
Security Researcher Aditya K Sood is alleging that Yahoo was at risk from a pair of critical phishing and redirection vulnerabilities. According to Sood, the first vulnerability could have allowed certain specific URLs linked on...


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Last updated : September 25, 2014 04:04 PM
30-second TVC is just not enough to influence the young consumer today. More and more marketers are now acknowledging this fact, especially the youth brands.
Be it Axe, Sunsilk or Whisper now, brands owners have now realized that a 30-sec TVC can possibly hit the youth's blind spot, but to further involve and engage the consumers with the brand, online communities are the way to go.
Deodorant brand Axe was amongst the first to tread the blog road in India, with the Axe Unlimited Academy on Internet. To mark the launch of Axe Unlimited (a new variant), an online community - the Axe Unlimited Academy - was launched with much fanfare in 2005, for boys and young men to master the art of seduction. This was followed by Sunsilk, which rolled out sunsilkgangofgirls.com, an online blog for teenagers and young women.
While Axe was male-skewed, sunsilkgangofgirls.com brought together young women, who can air out their views and problems, besides getting makeovers and beauty tips.
Following the footsteps of Axe and Sunsilk, the latest to join the bandwagon is P&G's Whisper. The feminine hygiene brand has rolled out BeingGirl.co.in, an interactive online community for teen girls, so that they can share their joys and worries, experiences on relationships, discuss hushed girly topics, and get solutions to growing up concerns that every girl experiences.
Sounds suspiciously similar to Sunsilk's community blog?
"While the interactive part may be similar, there's a lot more to BeingGirl.co.in", says Isha Narayan, assistant brand manager, Whisper, adding, "The 'Your Body' section in particular has a lot on dating during the days of menstruation, and other personal topics that girls may not discuss with guys or their families".
Explaining what made the web so viable for Whisper, she continues, "As the Internet is a one-to-one medium as opposed to a one-to-many type, this was the perfect platform for a girl's own personal brand, such as Whisper".
"Such kind of blogs help a brand to access an intense population of exactly the kind of people it wants to target," adds Sriram V Iyer, creative director, Lowe, who was on the team for the Axe Unlimited Academy activity. MindShare Fulcrum was also a part of this. Internet provided Lowe and MindShare Fulcrum with 76 per cent reach and the time spent by each guy who visited the website crossed more than 28 minutes. The academy saw eight lakh hits on the website, 1.07 lakh mobile hits and 9,800 downloads. Eventually, there were 2.76 lakh visitors with 46,000 registrations. After the launch of the campaign, Axe deodorants captured more than 45 per cent of the market share, according to executives at MindShare Fulcrum.
So, do these online communities sponsored by brands, only bring in youth audiences? "I'm afraid statistics do say so at this point", says Iyer of Lowe. "However, as the reach and power of Internet expands, it is bound to attract more visitors and, in turn, more brands."
According to Narayan at P&G, that is already beginning to happen. A while ago, HSBC too had launched a discussion forum, yourpointofview.com, for everyone to air their views/queries on financial matters or even other unrelated topics such as family issues, social topics and the like.
© 2006 agencyfaqs!First Published : September 25, 2014 04:04 PM


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Bitcasino.io Calls Dibs on Top Post in Bitcoin Casino Market
No matter how many brands offer Bitcoin gambling services on a global scale, there is only one room for the top spot in the Bitcoin casino market. The competition has gone fiercer, but one brand is already gaining ground, if not already a few steps closer to being hailed as the best Bitcoin casino.
Online players may remember Bitcasino.io as one of the platforms bearing the ever-so-familiar CoinGaming theme, but much has changed for this site. It recently unveiled a new logo, improved aesthetics, and a promising set of services that challenge the current standards of the Bitcoin gaming industry.
Fully licensed and regulated by the Curacao Gaming Commission, Bitcasino.io promised to lead the market as it had registered a 30% monthly growth over the 10-month duration since its debut in January this year.
The significant progress highlights the continuous development of its library, which now houses over 200 high-definition slot games, as well as Bitcoin dice, blackjack, and lottery. Included in its offerings are the live dealer casino table games and a Bitcoin sports betting platform that offers more than 10,000 events each month.
While this range of Bitcoin games and services may be offered on other platforms, Bitcasino.io took it a step further by ensuring that its products will run on iOS and Android devices through the latest HTML5 technology.
Meanwhile, even though it holds a zero record of fraud and chargeback rating, this Bitcoin-only casino platform strengthened its security by providing another layer of protection in the form of two-factor authentication using Google Authenticator—a step that proves to be a necessity rather than a luxury as reflected by the series of hacking incidents that compromise both the business’ and the players’ funds and personal information.
Contributing to the brand’s candidacy for the top position are other factors, such as the expansion of its customer support and the launching of another product called Speed Poker before the year ends.


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(CNN) — Forget superyachts, a new residential vessel is on the way that’s so huge, it’s being referred to as a “yacht liner.”
Somnio, which means “to dream ” in Latin, was devised by Winch Design and Tillberg Design of Sweden, and is to be built by Norwegian ship designer and builder VARD at a cost of around $600 million.
The gigantic vessel will be fitted with 39 apartments across six floors, as well as restaurants, bars and an onboard beach club.
However, the purchasing process is “by invitation or referral only,” with apartment prices starting at over $11 million. A spokesperson for the project confirms to CNN Travel that some have already been snapped up.
Named the world’s first “yacht liner,” Somnio, which has 39 apartments on board, will launch in mid-2024.
Courtesy Winch Design
While the identity of the owners will be kept…


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Mahfuzur Rahman (2-R), chairman, ATN Bangla, speaks at the signing ceremony.
ATN Records Ltd, a concern group of ATN Bangla; Ittefaq Group and Concord Group are jointly organising a beauty pageant, "Style Icon '08," says a press release. The agreement was signed on October 23. Dr. Mahfuzur Rahman, chairman, ATN Bangla; Arshad Hossain, managing director, Ittefaq Group and SK Lala, managing director, Concord Group signed on the agreement papers on behalf of their respective organisations.
The beauty contest will feature individuals between 18 and 25. Registration will begin soon. The finale will be held on January 2 next year. ATN Bangla will telecast twelve episodes of the contest. The organisers informed that the programme would be held annually.
SSL is the web partner, Radio Today is the radio partner, Women's World is the beauty partner and Mantra is the fashion partner of the event.


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New Eatery Planned for Former Macaroni Grill
By spring 2022, a new drive-thru restaurant is expected to open on Commerce Boulevard where the shuttered Macaroni Grill is currently located.
Once open, the 3,329-square-foot Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers will employ “in excess” of 50 workers, according to Mike Meginniss, an attorney for the developer.
The Falls Township Board of Supervisors granted preliminary and final land development approval during Monday night’s hybrid meeting for the demolition of the 7,582-square-foot Macaroni Grill and construction of the brand-new chicken tender restaurant, which will feature indoor seating, as well as a 541-square-foot patio canopy and two drive-thru lanes. The Falls Township location will be one of the newest for the Louisiana-based chain, which operates more than 500 locations throughout the country.
“They are a very impressive organization,” Meginniss said of Raising Cane’s, adding that the company created a COVID Relief Fund to assist employees struggling during the pandemic and have not laid off any workers. “They pride themselves on being a local business, getting involved in the local community.”
The Supervisors voiced support for the new eatery, which will be situated at the intersection of Oxford Valley Road and Commerce Boulevard and adjacent to Outback Steakhouse.
“I’m happy to get another restaurant in there,” Supervisor John Palmer said. “The site is perfectly suitable for this type of establishment.”
The site has been vacant since March 2020, according to Meginniss.
“All of us are happy to see that building get filled,” Supervisors Vice Chairman Jeff Boraski said. “It’s a really nice location.”
While Raising Cane’s is a fast-food restaurant with essentially one item on its menu – chicken tenders – Meginniss described the eatery as pulling out all stops to offer a “very aesthetically pleasing” outdoor dining option, adding that the company spends a “significant investment” on the outdoor seating area.
Based on a traffic analysis and comparative data from similar Raising Cane’s, the fast-food chain has no more than 22 cars in the drive-thru que, even during its busiest times of day. The drive-thru at the Falls Township location would be able to handle more than 30 vehicles at a time in its two drive-thru lanes.
Since Raising Cane’s only offers chicken tenders (with sides and drinks), the food preparation is even faster than other fast-food restaurants, Meginniss said. On average, it takes a customer two-and-a-half minutes to place an order and pick up their food, he said.


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MCUL Joins Home Depot Data Breach Lawsuit; Credit Union Plaintiffs Sought
MCUL & Affiliates has joined CUNA as a plaintiff in a lawsuit against Home Depot for its September 2014 data breach.
In addition, Ken Ross, MCUL executive vice president and COO, said at least one Michigan credit union is likely to be added as a named plaintiff in the class action lawsuit this week.
CUNA News Now reported that plaintiff lawyers are seeking at least one plaintiff from each state for the class action lawsuit. The deadline for joining the suit is May 15.
Home Depot has acknowledged that 56 million credit and debit cards were compromised in the September 2014 data breach. CUNA said the breach has cost credit unions tens of millions of dollars, but did not give a more precise estimate of the costs.
Credit unions interested in joining the lawsuit as plaintiffs should contact Ross at (800) 262-6285, ext. 405, or email@example.com to main navigation


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Justice Department drops lawsuit against Apple
The court battle between technology giant Apple (AAPL) and the DOJ (Department of Justice) over a terrorist’s phone ended earlier this week. The FBI had asked Apple to modify its iOS 9 on a single iPhone, removing the limits on passcode attempts. This feature prevents hackers from trying to unlock phones, as the iOS will delete the phone’s data after so many invalid attempts to enter the correct passcode.
The DOJ decided to drop its lawsuit against Apple and stated that the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) unlocked the iPhone of San Bernardino terrorist Syed Rizwan Farook with the help of a third party.
According to court records, Google (GOOG) (GOOGL) has also been able to help the DOJ open cellphones. Facebook (FB) and Microsoft (MSFT) have also openly supported Apple on this issue. Thus, Apple is not the only company to be embroiled in user privacy and encryption issues.
Why Apple opposed the FBI
Apple continued to oppose the FBI and stated that this move would open a backdoor to any iPhone that the government could easily exploit. “The government is asking Apple to hack our own users and undermine decades of security advancements that protect our customers — including tens of millions of American citizens — from sophisticated hackers and cybercriminals,” Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, wrote in an open letter.
Cook has also stated that since smartphones store a huge amount of personal information like photos, music, notes, financial information, and contacts, users need protection from hackers and criminals who want to steal the information.


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Britons suffer ‘switching fatigue’
Consumers are suffering switching fatigue as firms get tough on ‘rate tarts’, according to a new report.
Five million fewer people have switched products or services in the past six months than in the second half of 2006, according to the Switching Index from Moneyexpert.com, a financial website.
The site said companies are withdrawing their best deals, but consumers are also more inclined to stick with what they know when money is tight. Households have suffered five interest-rate rises since last August and many are battening down the hatches.
Mobile phone and credit-card switching have been the worst affected, according to the index. The number of people switching mobile operators is down 1.4m and nearly 1m fewer people have switched credit cards over the past


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Founded in 2012 by John Battelle and Brian Monahan, NewCo is a conference model and media platform showcasing the networked economy. In each city, the company invites a select number of high growth companies in technology and other fields including retail, healthcare, transportation, media, and energy to open their doors and share their unique story to external people. They have the opportunity to visit these companies and learn from the engines driving real change in a given city.
Cities hosting events include Amsterdam, Austin, Boulder, Cincinnati, Detroit, Istanbul, Los Angeles, Oakland, New York, Silicon Valley, San Francisco and UK.
press release via FinSMEs | NewCo. Raises $1.7M in Seed Funding.


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Based on a survey conducted by the entertainment research group, EEDAR, a great amount of gamers who do not buy downloadable content are those who wish to protect their privacy.
The survey was taken by roughly 3,500 people and 47% of them agreed privacy was a huge factor. 38% of them said they wouldn't buy DLC because of the 'no return policy' and then 32% said they wouldn't because DLC is just too expensive. Only 11% won't purchase them based on their quality.
With all that being said, the EEDAR estimated that DLC will bring in about $875 million by the end of the year and then nearly $1 billion in 2012.


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- Along the Mississippi in Missouri and Illinois, the National Weather Service is predicting the worst flooding in 15 years. To date, flooding has destroyed nearly 20% of the Midwest's crops. Many farmers have commented that the current condition is 2x as bad as 1993. The flooding is hitting the corn crop hard, with some forecasters saying the crop will be down 10% this year. The biggest movers this week were once again corn (+10.2%), wheat (+8.3%) and soybeans (+5.8%). Corn prices are now up 56% year-to-date and up over 80% YOY.
- The company most levered to declining milk and coffee prices is Starbucks.
MCD Europe's accelerated F/X benefit started to hit the operating income line at a very welcomed time for the company as it helped to offset the restaurant margin declines in the U.S in each of the last 5 quarters. The spread between the company's reported operating income growth and currency-neutral growth widened dramatically in 4Q07 and 1Q08 as the Euro has strengthened further relative to the U.S. dollar. So the F/X comparisons will become more difficult going forward! And if the Fed raises rates anytime soon, the U.S. dollar should follow.
MCD does not provide specific EPS guidance but it does highlight some major earnings components. The company's 1Q08 earnings release stated:
A significant part of the Company's operating income is generated outside the U.S., and about 55% of its total debt is denominated in foreign currencies. Accordingly, earnings are affected by changes in foreign currency exchange rates, particularly the Euro and the British Pound. If the Euro and the British Pound both move 10% in the same direction compared with 2007, the Company's annual net income per share would change by about 8 cents to 9 cents.
Recently, these currency moves have worked to MCD's favor, but as outlined by the company, a move in the opposite direction will impact earnings in a meaningful way.
Bloomberg is reporting that retail sales in the U.S. rose twice as much as forecast in May as tax-rebate checks spurred Americans to shop at electronics and department stores, helping them cope with record gasoline prices.
I don't believe it, and have some data points refute today bullish retail sales figures.
Each month, BIGresearch's Consumer Intentions & Actions Survey monitors over 7,500 consumers providing unique insights & identifying opportunities in a highly fragmented and transitory marketplace. The following are some significant data points from the June survey which is not consistent with todays retails sales numbers.
- EconomyAlthough 45.3% of Americans report that they've received their economic stimulus checks, it appears that this boost to wallets is failing to raise morale regarding our economy...in June, fewer than one in five (18.8%) indicate that they are confident/very confident in chances for a strong economy, lowering from May's record low of 19.5% and less than half of June 2007's 43.9%: And adding to retailer woes: most consumers are making a beeline for just the necessities when shopping...in June, 53.8% indicate they are focused on needs over wants, rising three points from May (50.7%) and up almost 7 points from one year ago (47.0%). Economic stimulus checks were meant to jumpstart consumer spending, but it appears that consumers are stalling...of the almost half (45.3%) who've received their checks already, more than a quarter (26.9%) are saving them, 23.0% are paying down previous credit card debt, 16.3% are purchasing the necessities (i.e. groceries), 15.2% have put the checks toward gasoline expenditures, while 14.3% are paying down installment loans. Only about one in twenty are putting their checks toward vacation travel (5.9%), apparel (5.1%), or electronics (5.0%).
- Personal/FinancialWith gas prices crossing into $4 territory, an increasing number of drivers are rolling back on discretionary spending...among the now 86.0% who have been impacted by rising pump prices (a new high), the majority (54.7%) indicates that they will be curbing their cars and driving less...44.8% are reducing dining out, while - with the summer vacation season upon us - 44.1% are scaling back their travel plans: Most drivers expect no relief from surging fuel costs...almost nine in ten (87.8%) expect gas prices to continue to climb through the July 4th holiday, one in ten (10.3%) feels they'll remain stable, while a minor few (1.9%) optimistically call for a price decrease. Consumers are bracing for an average expected pump price of $4.39/gal come Independence Day, which may be right on target, given their prediction for $3.97/gal on Dad's Day.
- Future PurchasesPractical consumers, faced with rising gas and grocery prices, a crumbling housing market, increasing unemployment, forecast a continued dismal 90 day purchasing forecast, according to the BIGresearch Diffusion Index (those who say they'll spend less subtracted from those who will spend more). With most categories continuing to decline from May as well as June '07, it appears that retailers will ring up a less-than-stellar summer selling season: Six month purchase intentions for high-dollar durables aren't expected to provide retailers with revenue relief, either...compared to one year ago, fewer plan to spend on autos, computers, furniture, home appliances, housing, jewelry, major home improvements, stereo equipment, DVD/VCR, digital cameras, and vacation travel. The one anomaly continues to be TVs...9.2% intend to purchase, a slight uptick from 8.9% in June '07.
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Pre 2003: Carters is the dominant brand in the babywear market, with about a 35% share in this space. One of the most defendable brands in apparel retail. The product is very basic, has virtually no fashion risk and is more like a consumer packaged goods model than an apparel model.
2003-'05: CRI steps up its Playwear, Company Retail and mass market (WMT, TGT) businesses. Fashion risk enters the equation. Starts to compete with the likes of Old Navy. Initially does not feel the brunt of competitive pressure as sourcing savings more than offset unit margin pressure.
2005: Buys Osh Kosh, a family-owned brand with even greater fashion risk than Carter's Playwear.
So by 2006/7, CRI's business model shifted to a mix where less than half of sales comes from that core 'packaged goods' business and the rest is fashion. Not high fashion, obviously, but one where the competitive set is far more complex than CRI had when it sold mostly onesies and baby blankets.
CRI's response? It was to cut costs, of course. I love this example... Osh Kosh had about 500 employees when CRI purchased it in 2005, and now that employee count is closer to 150. A simple fact in this business is that brands don't sell themselves. It takes talent. Designers, merchandisers, marketing, etc... CRI aggressively cut costs from its model in order to buoy earnings. CRI did not appreciate this.
Think about it like this - how could a company consistently miss sales targets across virtually all of its fashion-driven businesses, subsequently face a 1,500bp slowdown in sales growth, and only see EBIT margins slip from 12% to 10%? It's what I call 'pulling the goalie.' Mask underlying weakness by cutting costs for a last shot at winning the game. As far as I'm concerned, the first team lost the game. The coaching staff was turned upside down, and now some tough choices need to be made before starting the clock and facing a new opponent.
What next? I still think a 10% margin rate is too high. Mr. Casey needs to buy himself some ammo. There's nothing stopping him from clearing the deck and resetting the margin bar at 6-8%, which is a level my math suggests would give him the resources to head closer to a profitable growth trajectory. That would take EPS from $1.40 to somewhere between $0.75 and $1.00, and is when the name gets more interesting to me. I think it's more likely than not that we see it.
(The chart below shows the disconnect between such a lack of EBIT margin change in the face of such severe business pressure. This is not sustainable...)
The Associated Press reported that effective July 24, the federal minimum wage will increase $0.70 to $6.55 per hour. This is by no means new news, but these higher labor costs will again be top of mind for investors as this second increase will impact most restaurant companies in the upcoming quarter (3Q08), putting even more pressure on margins.
A perfect example of a smarter capital allocation decision is the company's recent announcement outlining its new licensing agreement with SSP. Starbucks Coffee Company and SSP announced a significant licensing partnership to open more than 150 Starbucks stores in key European markets over the next three years.
The pan-European agreement gives SSP licensing rights to the Starbucks brand in travel channels, including airport and railway locations, throughout a number of significant markets and exclusive rights in France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
For Starbucks, this is the third announcement (following its agreement to acquire assets, including development and operating rights in Canada and its first store opening in Argentina) that signifies a change in the company's business model, particularly around its international operations. Importantly, the SSP agreement accelerates growth using a high margin, high return licensing strategy.
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ADT ushers in 2017 with an extensive portfolio of innovative security technology and collaborative partners because of one shared purpose: to help more people feel safe every single day. This year at ShowStoppers, ADT will premiere new IoT offerings and updates, including the launch of an ADT Canopy secured LG Smart Security Device, integration with the Samsung Gear S3 Smartwatch and Amazon Alexa, as well as a new family-driven security app called “ADT Anywhere.”
Launched in 2016, ADT Canopy is a standalone solution that allows consumers to add security services and automation to various connected devices and platforms. New for this year, ADT Canopy continues to expand its Canopy offerings via LG Smart Security, an all-in-one security and home automation device with full HD video capabilities, which makes its debut as the first device to be secured by ADT Canopy. LG Smart Security customers will have the option to choose from Intrusion Detection and Secure Video Storage solutions based on their lifestyle, and what they need protected among many more features. A Canopy partnership with Samsung and its sleek Gear S3 smartwatch aims to protect consumers both inside and outside of the home. Users may now stay connected to ADT and its 20,000 person call center anywhere, anytime. Using a distinctive “Panic” feature, summon for live help and connect to emergency personnel in your geographic area with just the tap of a button.
ADT Pulse continues to lead the industry in security and home automation services for traditional homeowners and businesses. An integration with Amazon Alexa makes safe home automation easy and enables ADT Pulse to lock doors, arm and disarm alarm systems, and close the garage door, all at your verbal command, utilizing a secure pin.
ADT Anywhere is a new family safety service and mobile app built in conjunction with trusted partner and family location market leader Life360. With ADT Anywhere, customers can now combine the convenience of family location and messaging with 24/7 crash detection, roadside assistance and professional panic response monitoring from ADT.
In an increasingly digital world, ADT remains committed to facilitating customer connections via its signature 24/7 support. While the company has evolved to meet the needs of a progressive technology industry, its unique combination of human and technology capabilities always ensures products are working effectively.
At ShowStoppers, ADT will be displaying all of the products mentioned: LG Smart Security, Samsung Gear S3, Amazon Alexa, Pulse 8.0 and ADT Anywhere.
In addition to these demos, ADT will bring the company’s “people protecting people” mantra to life in a unique way.


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Visa Inc. took a significant stake in mobile-payments company Square Inc. prior to its initial public offering, according to a regulatory filing Thursday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The global credit card and financial services firm acquired some 4.19 million Class B shares in 2011 that do not publicly trade. It has the right to convert 3.52 million of them to Class A shares, the filing by Visa said.
FOR THE RECORD
9:01 a.m.: Earlier versions of this article said Visa had taken a new stake in Square Inc., according to a Square regulatory filing. Visa took the stake in 2011 and disclosed it...


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Kylie Jenner and Kendall Jenner were seen in their Instagram Stories last night getting drunk on tequila and laughing together… to the point where Kylie Jenner “peed her pants.”
Kendall Jenner shared the video of her younger sister to her story on Instagram, with the hashtag #DrunkGetReadyWithMe.
In the video filmed by 25-year-old Kendall, 23-year-old Kylie is heard laughing and saying, “I peed my pants” several times.
The sisters had been drinking tequila from Kendall’s new brand, 818 while applying ugly makeup and then laughing at the finished product.
After seeing herself in the mirror, Kylie Jenner, who had terrible makeup and hideous hair extensions, burst out laughing at her clownish look — a look which was not typical of her usual glamorous standards.
She was wearing purple lipstick, yellow and pink blusher, glittery eyeshadow, and a blonde hair extension.
Kendall Jenner continued filming her sister, who covered her face with one hand and carried on laughing at the sight of her new look.
Kendall also showed Instagram followers her own unique look, with highlighter on her nose, which had not been blended properly, and far too much pink blusher.
The makeup was from Kylie Cosmetics — Kylie Jenner’s famous cosmetics company headquartered in California.
Kendall appeared in a different photo holding a branded mirror that read “Kylie.”
Kendall, who seemed drunk, also played fight, and she appeared to almost kick a girl in one of the videos.
Some fans are upset over the kick.
A person made this remark: “She almost kicked the girl and didn’t say “sorry” just because this dumbass was drunk! And you can clearly hear Kylie yelled at Kendal for that.”
Another commenter shared: “I really hope that the girl in the second video was a close friend or family of theirs and not just someone who works for Kylie because that’s disrespectful.. drunk or not. I would’ve wanted to fight.”
This social media user stated: “I’m talking about Kendall putting her foot that close to the blonde girl’s face. I just think it’s rude. Unless it’s a close friend or family that is used to how she plays around.”
And “Kylie” was not the only Kardashian-Jenner brand the women showed off on their social media yesterday.
Kendall’s recently released tequila brand, 818, also made an appearance. Fans spotted various bottles of the Mexican drink on a table alongside a bowl of lime slices, a bowl of salt, and several glasses.
Kylie and Kendall were seen in a separate clip on the floor together with Kylie’s dog, Kevin, after falling over each other as a result of their hysterical laughing.
They told followers in the caption that they were “filming another YouTube video” and used the hashtag #DrunkGetReadyWithMe to explain their hilarious makeup.


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TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian banks and credit card companies have reached a deal with the federal government to cut fees charged to retailers for credit transactions and are likely to announce the agreement next week, according to a source familiar with the talks.
The industry source, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the agreement, said on Friday discussions were completed earlier this week.
MasterCard Canada (MA.N) spokeswoman Serda Evren said reports about a deal were accurate, but the company could not provide further information, and details were likely to come next week.
The Canadian Press news agency, citing unidentified sources familiar with the talks, said earlier on Friday the deal will result in lower interchange fees charged to retailers and service providers for using credit cards, and fees would be capped for an unspecified period.
Consumers could expected to benefit from a deal cutting these fees, said Karl Littler, vice-president, provincial government relations and strategic issues at the Retail Council of Canada.
“Right now, consumers who pay with cash and debit are subsidizing those who pay with credit,” he said.
Littler said there are about C$5 billion ($4.43 billion) in total fees paid annually in Canada, with about 80 percent going to banks. He estimated banks give about a quarter of their take to rewards programs.
The potential savings for consumers will depend on how much fees are reduced said Littler, but added: “We think it will be certainly in the hundreds of millions of dollars a year.”
A Finance Ministry spokesman said he could not comment on speculation. But Finance Minister Joe Oliver said in a televised interview there would be an announcement on the issue “soon”.
A representatives for the Canadian unit of Visa Inc (V.N) could not immediately be reached for comment.
Reporting by Jeffrey Hodgson, Euan Rocha and Solarina Ho in Toronto; Additional reporting by David Ljunggren and Randall Palmer in Ottawa; Editing by James Dalgleish and Andrew Hay


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The stockholders of River Country Coop based out of Chippewa Falls and Heartland Cooperative based out of Dorchester have voted and passed an approval to merge the two cooperatives. The name of the newly combined Cooperative will be River Country Coop with its main office in Chippewa Falls.
The boards of both cooperatives have selected Bruce Mlsna as the CEO of the new company. The new cooperative will employ over 600 personnel in over 29 locations in a trade area that expands from Bloomer to Antigo. Mr. Mlsna has been the CEO of River Country Coop for 21 years and has worked for Cooperatives for 30 years.
Mlsna said, “The boards of both cooperatives and I recognized the future needs of our stockholders, specifically our ag farmers and we feel this new cooperative will give us the footprint and size to compete and to be here for future generations.
“I am proud of how we have grown locally here at River Country Coop with our facilities and personnel, and I am excited about the future implications this merger will bring,” Mlsna said.
River Country Coop is a product of several past mergers, the latest being in 2012 with the Bloomer Farmers Union Coop. The new Cooperative will have sales in excess of two hundred million dollars and serve over three thousand farm stockholders and forty thousand consumer members.


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By GRACE WYLER
General Motors posted a $4.3 billion loss Wednesday for the six months since the company emerged from bankruptcy.
But the loss will not affect GM’s plans for the Lordstown plant and the production of the Chevrolet Cruze, said Jim Graham, president of United Auto Workers Local 1112.
In the earnings report, the company’s first since the bankruptcy, GM reported $57.5 billion in revenue and $1 billion positive cash flow between July 10 and Dec. 31, 2009.
The $4.3 billion loss includes a $2.6 settlement with the UAW over retiree health care. An additional $1.3 billion can be attributed to foreign currency re-measurement losses.
Excluding these one-time costs, the company lost around $600 million in the fourth quarter, GM’s chief financial officer Chris Liddell said in a conference call with reporters and industry analysts.
Despite losses, the company has a chance of achieving profitability this year. “As the results for 2009 show, there is significant work to be done,” Liddell said. “However, I continue to believe we have a chance of achieving profitability in 2010.”
Graham said the earnings report was better than many had expected.
“GM is actually doing better than a lot of people thought it would,” Graham said. “GM’s car sales went up last month, and they are going to keep increasing because the economy is going to keep getting better.”
GM has invested $350 million into its Lordstown plant to prepare for production of the Chevrolet Cruze. The company recently announced it will add a third shift of 1,200 workers at the Lordstown complex.
The $4.3 billion loss will not affect GM’s plans for Lordstown, Graham said.
“It will not have any effect on Lordstown at all,” Graham said. “The Cruze is right on line. We are going to start production in July and be at full production by September.”
Wednesday’s earnings report is the first step toward achieving profitability, said Noreen Pratscher, a GM spokeswoman.
The report used “fresh-start” accounting, which allows the new company to reset the value of liabilities and assets. Fresh-start accounting is a necessary step before the company can go public.
“The filings close the chapter on old GM and move us toward achieving profitability and ultimately becoming a publicly traded company,” Pratscher said. “Fresh start was a first step towards that goal and a significant milestone.”
According to the report, the company had $36.2 billion in cash reserves and marketable securities at the end of 2009, more than double that on hand the year before.
GM executives and workers alike seem to have faith that the company’s fortunes will soon change.
Dave Green, president of UAW Local 1714 in Lordstown, said he believes GM will start to see profits as it moves forward with its new models.
“I really believe GM is going to turn a profit, based not only on their products but on the economy,” Green said. “I believe that GM is going to be one of the most profitable automakers in the world. They have a lot of the best products out there, and people are starting to see that.”
SEE ALSO: UAW sues General Motors.


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Last night in the redesigned Wilmington/Christiana Hotel in Newark, Delaware Business Times gathered the 14 finalists of the 2017 Family-Owned Business Awards for an evening of music, food and networking. Today Media Publisher Rob Martinelli kicked ...
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Suzuki is well established as the small car experts and is pleased to announce that it has won the ‘Small Car’ category at the 2016 Scottish Car of The Year Awards held in Edinburgh by the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers.
Baleno was announced as a category winner following an intensive test programme over the last 12 months with the 18 members of the Association recently assembling to cast their votes for the best new cars on the market.
Stephen Park, President of the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers, said: “Value for money is hugely important to Scottish new car buyers spending their own hard earned cash and the ASMW recognised immediately that the Baleno is priced and equipped to deliver. It’s good to drive too with the incredible new Boosterjet engine delivering exceptional real-world economy and strong performance. Well packaged, generously kitted out and combining strong performance with exceptional eco credentials, our winner performs strongly across these key areas”.
Dale Wyatt, Director of Automobile at Suzuki GB PLC comments: “We have 22 dealers in the Scottish Region and this award is really positive news for us as the launch of Baleno has opened up further opportunities to win new buyers in the crowded small car segment. It certainly appeals to customers who are looking for a more rational choice than Swift with extra interior space and larger boot capacity but who may not be looking to move up in size to a Vitara or S-Cross”.
Priced from £13,249 the Baleno is available with Suzuki’s highly acclaimed 1.0-litre three cylinder Boosterjet turbocharged engine offering CO2 emissions of 105g/km and achieves 62.7mpg on the EC combined fuel consumption cycle. It was also Suzuki’s first car to be available with SHVS (Smart Hybrid Vehicle by Suzuki) technology and is equipped with a lithium–ion battery and Integrated Start Generator to enable CO2 emissions of just 94g/km.
Standard equipment for all Baleno models in the range is comprehensive and the SZ-T model (Available with 1.0-litre Boosterjet) includes six airbags, 16-inch alloy wheels, HID headlights, air conditioning, satellite navigation, DAB Radio with USB and Bluetooth connectivity, rear privacy glass, cruise control with speed limiter and front electric windows.
SZ5 (Boosterjet and SHVS model) adds automatic climate control, rear electric windows, 4.2 inch central colour trip display, LED rear lights, Adaptive Cruise Control and Radar Brake Support.


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Pune: Italian two- and three-wheeler manufacturer Piaggio's CMD has said high fuel prices may help e-mobility offerings acquire a significant portion of the total demand in the auto sector in the next decade.
"Because of India's plan for e-mobility till 2030, electric vehicles may form up to 20-30% of the total demand in the auto sector by then...And as we see now, the high price of petrol and diesel may drive growth in the e-mobility sector as well," Diego Graffi, told TOI.
This week, Graffi launched Piaggio's latest three-wheeler offering in the e-mobility space as a part of its commercial vehicles bouquet, titled the Ace E-City FX and Ace E-Extra FX. Piaggio claimed that its passenger offering, E-City FX, was the most profitable three-wheeler with more trips and more earnings.
While Yezdi is expected to add the much-needed volumes to Classic Legends' domestic business, the revival of BSA bikes offers a tremendous potential of scaling up the business in developed and mature motorcycle markets.


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OpenSea urges users to change API keys after a third-party vendor’s security breach; past vulnerabilities resurface concerns.
NFT trading platform OpenSea finds itself amidst another security concern. This time, they’re urging users who’ve linked their online services to the marketplace to change their API keys due to a third-party security compromise.
OpenSea discovered that one of its vendor’s security defenses got breached, potentially exposing information related to OpenSea’s API keys. This unfortunate incident has heightened concerns, especially given OpenSea’s growing popularity in the NFT realm. As of May 2023, the platform stands as the second dominant NFT marketplace with a trading volume of 36.5%. Its closest competitor, Blur, leads the charge at 56.8%, despite only being in the market for almost a year.
Immediate Actions Recommended
Understanding the gravity of the situation, OpenSea acted swiftly. They’ve advised users to stop using their current API keys and move to new ones. In a bid to ensure users’ seamless transition, they’ve announced that these newly generated API keys will maintain the same permissions and rate limits as the older, now vulnerable keys. This change is urgent, as the existing keys are set to become defunct by Monday, October 2. Although the company assures users that the security loophole won’t hinder their immediate interaction with the platform, there’s a looming risk that third-party access might disrupt users’ allocated rate and usage constraints.
Details about the extent of this breach remain under wraps. OpenSea hasn’t provided specifics on the number of impacted users or if there’s more data at risk besides the API keys. This recent security glitch brings back memories of another similar incident with Nansen. Their third-party vendor had a security oversight, revealing users’ blockchain addresses, password blueprints, and electronic contact details. Nansen confirmed a 6.8% impact on its user demographic, also mentioning the vendor’s association with several Fortune 500 corporations.
Past Security Concerns Haunt OpenSea
OpenSea’s tryst with security vulnerabilities isn’t new. Last June, an employee error in collaboration with their email service provider, Customer.io, led to the unintended disclosure of customers’ email details. Such email leaks are critical as cybercriminals exploit them, launching phishing attacks that mimic genuine communication.
Adding to their series of security mishaps, OpenSea’s Discord channel fell prey to hackers in May 2022. The miscreants falsely promoted an NFT mint, alleging collaboration with YouTube.
For OpenSea, safeguarding its user base and regaining trust remains paramount, especially as the NFT market continues its upward trajectory.


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According to Electronista, Microsoft has something really sweet here. It's a four-core tablet running Windows 8. I suppose it makes sense to try to leap ahead or at least keep up with the next generation Android tablet. and iPad next year.
It's likely using Tegra 3 from Nvidia that is slated for release later this year. And with Windows 8 tablets going to be big at CES in January of 2012, Redmond might as well use the latest and greatest. But actual release is not going to happen until spring of 2012.
This gives Android and the iPad a lot of time to further entrench the tablet market.
Still, it's good to see Microsoft ready to take the gloves off. ZDNet has more details but they're writing is as confusing as mine. Especially the part about Windows 8 tablet ready at end of 2011 but no release until 2012. Perhaps, they're not sure about their information.
However, there is an ASUS Transformer that is confirmed to ship in 2012 running Windows 8.
The impact on mobile warriors when Windows 8 tablets enter the market is obvious. As in obviously exciting because Apple and Google's Android partners will have to respond in mind. The iPad dominates the market and is expected to get mucho competition, more so than what they're getting now.
So far, Android tablets have largely failed to catch up on with consumers. Perhaps name recognition will help Windows tablet do better. Microsoft is slated to open many retail locations to match Apple's retail footprint, some even directly across from Apple stores.
However, the iPad should continue to dominate for a while. The greatest threat from a resurgent Microsoft is Google. Perhaps this is why Google bought Motorola at a time when they did and paid a 60% premium for it. I surmise that Microsoft quite possibly was ready to strike a deal with Motorola Mobility not only use Windows Phone but also Windows 8 in its next Xoom tablet.
Source: Electronista, ZDNet, Slashgear.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Tablet: Microsoft Has a 4-Core Windows Tablet?! Who Is More Threatened By It: Apple or Google?
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Maybe Facebook will take a weekend off to celebrate
Mashable() has learned that Google’s big social play could debut in March or April, a far cry from earlier rumors that pegged a 2010 launch date.
The project is a top-secret affair, even within the company. It is being led by Vic Gundotra, one of the company’s public faces and a VP of engineering.
Google's Secret Social Initiative Delayed Until Spring 2011 [EXCLUSIVE]
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FIDA, the Inventor of AUTOBRAKE LEASH, just had a perfect ending at GPE Orlando, USA.
The three-day GPE (i.e. Orlando Global Pet Expo) ended at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida on March 25. Produced by the American Pet Products Association (APPA) and Pet Industry Distributors Association (PIDA), it is the premier international gathering for the pet industry. It shows the latest and most innovative pet products in the market today. The exhibition is open to pet practitioners such as independent retailers, distributors and industry buyers, but not to the public. At the Global Pet Expo, more than 1000 companies from all over the world showed the latest and best products for all types of pets, including dogs, cats, birds, fish, reptiles, small animals and horses, with more than 3000 product releases.
At the exhibition, we saw the new trends, new products and new ideas in the current US and even the global market. Fida US team brought you a "bright" star product - Autobrake series. Since the Autobrake leash came into the market,, Fida has served more than one million pet families around the world. With its unique SRS blasting speed limit system and ABS braking system, Fida, as the first national brand in China, entered into Petsmart in the United States and ALDI in Germany. Like this Autobrake leash, Fida has always insisted on building a safe world for pets and pet families. In the future, it will continue to optimize and develop around quality and safety, and provide better products and services for pet owners.
Carlo, CEO of Fida Europe, gave a detailed introduction and product demonstration to Autobrake leash, which brought you a more immersive and intuitive experience and feeling.
In addition, the upcoming OEM FD52 series retractable leash and pet travel supporting products were also displayed, which attracted the attention of partners from all over the world, and many interested customers stopped at the booth to talk freely.
For 31 years, FIDA has been providing OEM service for the world's top pet brands and retailers. At this exhibition, we learned that FIDA will not only launch a variety of new products this year, but also open up its OEM business in China, covering multiple categories of products such as retractable leashes, pet bowls, drinking fountains, and travel drinking cup etc. What’s more, Fida Cambodia factory has also been put into operation since the beginning of 2022, expanding the production capacity, providing better service to customers.
The three-day GPE has ended perfectly. It is not difficult to find that people begin to pay more and more attention to the improvement of quality of life and have integrated pets into all aspects of life. After the ice age of the epidemic, the global pet industry has gradually awakened. Fida has noticed this trend and will share more brand news at the Interzoo exhibition in Germany on May 24, hoping to help the recovery of the global pet industry. It is believed that in the near future, China's pet industry will also blossom and disperse and usher in a better spring.