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The companies that altered BlackBerry devices, has also led to damaging and often repeated rumors.
The FBI has arrested the founder and CEO of Phantom Secure, Vincent Ramos. Phantom Secure is a Canada based seller of modified encrypted phones. The charges that are stacked against Ramos include racketeering, conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs, conspiracy to distribute narcotics, and aiding and abetting.
While the charges are being brought against Ramos in a California court by the FBI, Canada’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police contributed to the investigation by purchasing phones from the company with a clearly stated intent to commit crimes. When undercover federal agents met with Ramos in Las Vegas in 2017 posing as drug traffickers, Ramos informed them ““We made it—we made it specifically for this too.”
The evidence appears strong against Ramos, and if that story intrigues you, I suggest you head over to Motherboard for more details. But there is an aspect to the story that is only touched on there, and it’s an aspect I believe needs to be spotlighted.
The phones used by Phantom Secure, and other “secure phone” suppliers, are typically BlackBerry phones. It appears that now many, including Phantom, are now offering Android phones, but historically, these were always BlackBerry phones. And not modern phones. These phone suppliers would take BBOS phones, and modify them. These modifications include both the hardware and software of the device. Camera’s are removed, and Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) is installed. Once modifications are complete, these BlackBerry devices are really only BlackBerry in hardware only. The ability to make calls, use GPS, use email or messaging, any of the things you would use a BlackBerry or any smartphone for, has been disabled. All that is left, is the ability to send encrypted messages through overseas PGP servers.
Why does this matter? Because of stories that have a tendency of popping up. Stories of BlackBerry’s getting hacked. Now, I’m sure you remember the story of the Dutch police hacking BlackBerry. The story tends to make it’s rounds every year or so, usually used as a way to reinforce another story that sounds detrimental to BlackBerry. The actual story is that Dutch Police hacked PGP BlackBerry devices. In fact, Dutch police arrested people involved in producing and selling those phones in 2016 and in 2017
Perhaps, as the existence of these PGP phones become more well known, thanks to the arrests of those that choose to utilize these devices for criminal enterprises, people will begin to realize the truth. That the “hacked BlackBerry phones” aren’t really BlackBerry phones at all. It’s not BlackBerry software being hacked, but PGP software. Criminals can enjoy their Pretty Good Privacy while they can, but I enjoy the best privacy with official BlackBerry hardware and software.


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Chinese brand Xiaomi remained the top vendor, growing 9% with shipments of 13.1 million units, while Samsung regained the second spot from vivo, with 10.2 million units, up 7%. vivo was third with 19% growth and 8.8 million units.
Just behind vivo was realme, with 8.7 million units shipped, with OPPO making up the top five with 6.1 million units.
Canalys analyst Adwait Mardikar said smartphone vendors were definitely bullish. “The government, slowly but surely reducing restrictions on movement after a three-month lockdown, has created the perfect atmosphere for sustained growth," he said.
Research analyst Varun Kannan said: “Ongoing tension between India and China has been a hot topic in the past few months, but we have yet to see a significant impact on purchase decisions of mass market customers.
Chinese vendors together shipped up 76% of shipments in the quarter, up from 74% year-on-year.
Kannan added: “However, the tensions have caused Chinese smartphone brands to act more conservatively in recent months, reducing their marketing spend, and carefully trying to project the image that they are important contributors to, and stakeholders in, the economic future of India.”
Apple gained some momentum in the third quarter, increasing its shipments to about 800,000 units.
“Apple is finally paying attention to India,” said Canalys research director Rushabh Doshi. “It has opened a direct online store, giving it several new angles in its go-to-market strategy, such as utilising device trade-ins to provide purchase incentives, or bundling AirPods with iPhones to make them more appealing.
"However, its new iPhone 12 family will be a tough sell in India this year, as network operators do not yet have the infrastructure for mass-market 5G deployment, erasing a key feature of the devices. Not to forget, Apple’s pricing strategy for its new iPhones in India needs serious consideration.”
Mardikar said the impact of COVID-19 in India had been a dichotomy of sorts. “The lockdown forced most of working India to stay at home and refrain from big-ticket spending on travel, food and beverages, increasing the overall dispensable income," he observed.
"On the other hand, unemployment has risen, impacting the lowest rungs of society most, and affecting the long-term outlook of India’s smartphone market.
"As much of India remains physically disconnected, the smartphone has increasingly become a necessity not only for social connection, but also for entertainment, education, banking, payment and more. Vendors in it for the long run must acknowledge their responsibility in uplifting the country, and helping India emerge out of COVID-19 as swiftly as possible.”

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Sisters Kareena, Karisma at Lakme Fashion Week.
It is showering Bollywood stars at the Lakme Fashion 2013. Yesteryear B-town queens Urmila Matondkar, Juhi Chawla, Soha Ali Khan walked the ramp with today's ...
Bollywood actress Urmila Matondkar during the the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Winter/Festival 2013 on Friday in Mumbai. (PTI Photo)
Juhi Chawla at the Lakme Fashion Week 2013 in Mumbai on Friday. (PTI Photo)
Nawazuddin Siddiqui during Lakme Fashion Week 2013 in Mumbai on Saturday. (PTI Photo)
Randeep Hooda showcases a creation by designer Rajat K Tangri during the second day of the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Winter/Festival 2013 in Mumbai on ...
Bollywood actress Sonali Bendre (L) and Isha Koppikar (R) showcase a creation by designer Harshita Chatterjee Deshpande (C) during the second day of the Lakme ...
Shilpa Shetty (R) and her sister Shamita Shetty (L) attend the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Winter/Festival 2013 in Mumbai on August 24, 2013. (AFP Photo)
Bollywood actors Amyra Dastur and Prateik Babbar walk the ramp during Lakme Fashion Week 2013 in Mumbai. (PTI Photo)
Actress Gul Panang attends the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Winter/Festival 2013 in Mumbai on August 24, 2013. (AFP Photo)
On the opening day of Lakmé Fashion Week, strong shows by Nikhil Thampi, Ranna Gill, Anita Dongre and Gen Next set the tempo for the four days to follow. The previous night, Manish Malhotra opened the event with a relaxed, wearable diffusion line. Here are our picks.
Nikhil Thampi's Kathakali motifs are set to be a new rage, but what caught maximum attention was the all-net pleats in his saris. Very daring, very modern and definitely made to stand out!
Skirt over pants
Payal Singhal took the layering trend further by putting flowy skirts on top of pencil trousers. Team with a crop top (still very much the in thing), pulled-back hair and funky jewellery for maximum effect.
Mostly seen in the sari cupboards of Gujarati women, Anita Dongre took Bandhani out for a spin in her Jantar Mantar-inspired collection. Gota work took the print to another level. This trend is easy to follow.
At the opening show on August 22, the usually conservative Manish Malhotra displayed some very deep V-necks. On Day One, Nikhil Thampi took the same route with plunging necklines, made more risqué with cut-outs at the waist.
What we don’t like
The show had enough bling to have us reaching for our sunglasses, but the piece de resistance was the designer herself. The last model took to the ramp in a maroon net lehenga with some seriously bejewelled leggings underneath and a mask to match. Then as the designer's name was announced, the model calmly took off her mask and walked the ramp again… this time in her capacity as designer.


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888.com Gets TRUSTe Stamp of Approval
Poker website 888.com recently announced receiving the stamp of approval from highly respected Internet safety provider TRUSTe. In what may be a move to help prepare the popular site for post-Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA) landscape, 888's move to tighten security for its players will only help the site's attempt to pursue the U.S. marketplace.
While this may not seem like a big deal to the casual poker player, 888's deal allows TRUSTe to do what it does best, protect individual and company privacy. TRUSTe is the leading privacy service provider, working with top Websites such as Yahoo, Facebook, MSN, eBay, AOL, Disney, New York Times, Comcast and Apple. In other words, it is the biggest and baddest security group online and 888's decision to align itself with the company is a big plus for the site's legions of dedicated players.
Although 888.com has found tremendous success through its online casino, the site is still looking to add punters to the poker part of the casino. According to Senior Vice President of Regions Itai Pazner, the move is more for the players than it is for the site. "At 888.com we believe that entertainment and safety come hand in hand. Our player's welfare has always, and always will, come first," he said.
TRUSTe offers participating sites the TRUSTe verified Web Privacy Seal, which will be available for all 888-owned platforms.
Wanna give 888.com a test-drive? Sign up with PokerNews for an amazing bonus.


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Eastport Liquors recently donated nearly $22,000 to a local nonprofit after selling off the proceeds of its Pappy Van Winkle bourbon.
This is the second year in a row that the store agreed to auction off its bottles and give the proceeds to Seeds 4 Success, which provides services to children living in public and subsidized housing.
This year, the store raised $21,609 after auctioning off 26 bottles. Last year, the auction raised about $18,000 for Seeds 4 Success. Eastport Liquors will plans to hold the auction in the future, if it gets enough Pappy Van Winkle bottles to hold a meaningful auction, owner Dan Lederberg said.


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TORRANCE, Calif. — LCT Magazine has lined up key sponsors and advertisers for its three web channels set to debut next month.
The three micro-websites — Finance & Insurance, Driving Green, and Technology — will offer specialty content and links for each of these industry topics.
Sponsors/advertisers so far include:
F&I: Lancer Insurance.and Transpo Insurance
Driving Green: Green Ride Global, Binz, and Create-a-Card/Limousine
Environmental Action Partnership (shared sponsorship)
Technology: Limos.com, CorporateCarOnline, LimoLive24.com
LCT Magazine’s channels are creating an online center for experts and consultants, manufacturers and service providers, associations, and operators concerned about these parts of the business. Content will include news stories; magazine features; resources (including whitepapers and reports); discussions; links to legal news, regulatory agencies, and specialized organizations; and a products/services profiling the latest offerings.
LCT Magazine will be launching these new channel pages connected to the LCTmag.com website. The LCT channels will feature articles written by LCT editors, freelance writers, and submitted by marketers/sponsors and other industry experts. LCT accepts quality material from a variety of sources. Marketers are welcome — and encouraged — to submit as much material as desired.
To submit channels content, please contact LCT editor Martin Romjue at firstname.lastname@example.org.
For marketing and advertising opportunities, please contact LCT sales manager Julie Hennessey at email@example.com.
Source: Martin Romjue, LCT Magazine


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This acquisition vehicle will greatly help Aurobindo as a launch pad for marketing biosimilar and other products in India, the company said in a statement.
Veritaz had a turnover of Rs 133 crore for the nine-month period ended December 2021 and it had a turnover of Rs 127 crore for the full year FY21. For the nine months ended December 31, Veritaz has reported revenues of Rs 131.2 crore, a growth of 4.9%.
Veritaz caters anti-infective and pain-management therapeutic areas and has a pipeline of products to enter into the cardio-diabetic, ortho and gynecology segments
"The addressable market of Veritaz’s current product portfolio is around Rs.26,775 crores which is an interesting space for Aurobindo to grow our business," Aurobindo said.
Veritaz has around 40 brands across the acute and critical care segments with a total number of 180 trademarks registered in its name. Its largest brands are Fepanil and Merogram.
The acquired business has more than 900 people including 700 sales
reps covering more than 50000 retailers with nearly 1700 stockist, presence in 23 cities, reaching out to more than 70,000 doctors and empaneled with major hospitals.
Vertiaz was founded on September '14, 2006 and so far promoters have invested more than Rs.80 crore to build up the distribution infrastructure and brands.
"The acquisition of the business by the Company is being done at an arm's-length price to supplement the company's plans to enter into the domestic formulations business," Aurobindo said in a statement.
"..with this acquisition; with this acquisition we strongly believe that with Aurobindo’s ability to built a product portfolio, and with the existing and expanding distribution network of Veritaz, we will be able to create a significant footprint in the domestic pharma market over the next few years,” said K. Nithyananda Reddy, managing director of Aurobindo.
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Sales of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), cars, smartphones, and household appliances surged in the September quarter, both sequentially and year-on-year, company executives told ET.Piyush Goyal, Chandrasekhar to Grace ET Startup Awards
Union Cabinet minister Piyush Goyal and minister of state Rajeev Chandrasekhar will be the guests of honour at a dazzling ceremony to celebrate the winners of The Economic Times Startup Awards on Saturday, October 7.GST Collections in Sept Jump 10% to ₹1.63 L cr
Goods and services tax (GST) collections rose 10% to ₹1.63 lakh crore in September from a year earlier , maintaining the recent robust pace of growth, showed data released on Tuesday.
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Bangalore – Coffee exports in the crop year (October 2011-September 2012) are down 8.54 per cent at 3.21 lakh tonnes (lt) compared with previous years (2010-11) exports of 3.51 lt.
The decline in exports is mainly due to lower robusta crop production in 2011-12 as compared to previous year. In crop year 2010-11, the country saw record robusta output, M.P. Devaiah, General Manager, Allanasons, was quoted by Business Line as saying.
Decline in production also has contributed to the fall in exports, said Bose Mandana, a senior coffee planter from Suntikoppa (Kodagu).
White stem borer (WSB) which is currently ravaging the plantation belts in Karnataka, for last four years, has resulted in many estates having more non-fruit bearing plants resulting in less quality coffee for exports, he explained.
Coffee Board, which released statistics for crop year 2011-12, said unit value realisation of Indian coffee went up 12.03 per cent at Rs 1.49 lakh a tonne as against last years realisation of Rs 1.33 lakh.
Exports in rupee term are marginally up 2.12 per cent at Rs 4,800 crore (Rs 4,700 crore).
However, in terms of dollar realisation, it is down 7.10 per cent at $955 million as against $1,028 million.
Devaiah said: As for the prices during crop year 2011-12, the growers got much higher than last crop year. The year also saw lower robusta parchment leading to record prices, almost equal to Arabica.
At the end of first nine-months (January September) of exports, arabica parchment constituted 40,023 tonnes (last years exports stood at 38,690 tonnes), arabica cherry 11,357 tonnes (9,771 tonnes), robusta parchment 21,575 tonnes (25,727 tonnes) and robusta cherry 1,21,223 tonnes (1,38,799 tonnes) and instant coffee total exports 70,226 (72,914 tonnes).
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Greene King revives team member support fund for third lockdown
Brewer and pub operator Greene King has launched a new Covid emergency support fund using voluntary salary sacrifices from its executive board and leadership team alongside a company donation in order to help its team members during lockdown three.
The new team member support fund mirrors the first edition which ran from March to June 2020, through which Greene King donated £650,000 in grants for team members to access essential food and retail vouchers.
Once again, the fund will again be managed independently by Licensed Trade Charity.
“It’s a really tough start to 2021, back into lockdown and all of our pubs closed,” Nick Mackenzie, CEO at Greene King, said. “Most of our team members are furloughed, and we know how severely this is affecting some of our people financially, so we wanted to bring back the team member support fund to help the members of our team who need it most at this really difficult time.
“Our industry has been one of the hardest hit by the pandemic, and when we have been able to open our pubs, our brilliant team members have eagerly welcomed our customers back, safely. But right now, they need our help.
"One of our key objectives since the start of the Covid crisis is to, as far as possible, protect our employees and leased and tenanted partners from the worst impact of the crisis. We’re a family, and we want to support each other.”
Covid-19 shrinks hospitality workforce by a quarter
In the region of 660,000 hospitality jobs were lost in 2020 according to the latest figures from sector software provider Fourth.
The huge job losses represent a 28% drop in overall hospitality staff headcount versus December 2019 according to Fourth – though pubs experienced the least negative impact with a year-on-year drop of 22%.
Fourth’s findings, compiled from more than 700 companies across the restaurant, pub, bar and fast-food sectors, were revealed after a further 8,591 workers lost their jobs in December.
After the hospitality workforce shrunk by 4% in November, December’s 3.5% decrease in sector jobs was, however, the smallest decline since May.
What’s more, although Fourth found that the number of hospitality hours worked dropped by almost two thirds (63%) in December year-on-year, it is still 49% greater than the number of hours worked in November while England was enduring its second national lockdown.
Karen Jones named hospitality representative on new Business Council
As reported by The Morning Advertiser’s (MA) sister title MCA, the current chair of Prezzo, Mowgli and Hawksmoor, Karen Jones, has been appointed to represent hospitality on the Government’s new Build Back Better Council.
One of 30 members representing industries from retail and hospitality to finance, science and technology, Jones will provide quarterly input on the economy, commercial perspective on policy and highlight obstacles and solutions to economic recovery.
Co-chaired by the Prime Minister and the Chancellor, the council held its first virtual meeting on 18 January, with Johnson updating members on the vaccine roll-out and plans to for post-pandemic economic recovery.
378 roles made redundant at JDW
As reported by The MA, More than 300 staff have been made redundant across JD Wetherspoon (JDW)’s airport sites and head office, as the operator revealed it expects pubs to remain closed until at least the end of March.
The operator revealed in September that staff at its airport sites had been told a possible 400 to 450 roles were at risk due to a drop in passenger numbers.
This followed news in August that the business notified its head office workforce potentially 110 to 130 positions were at risk.
Now, according to a coronavirus update, JDW stated it currently has 99% (37,000) of its employees on furlough.
The company also estimated the cost of employees not on furlough alongside taxes and other costs of furloughed employed meant it was spending £800,000 a week while pubs are closed.
It has managed to reduce costs across a plethora of areas in the business including repairs, maintenance, IT, head office, executive pay, capital expenditure and rents.
The pub group also worked out its cash burn is about £4.1m a week during the closure period.
Drake & Morgan hires former Fuller’s financial chief
According to reports in MCA, former Fuller’s head of finance David King has been appointed as bar and restaurant group Drake & Morgan’s new chief financial officer (CFO).
Replacing outgoing CFO James Sherrington, who will step down after six years at the group, King brings more than two decades’ worth of financial experience to the role, having held similar positions at Clarion Events, Vue Entertainment, McDonald’s and Deep Blue Restaurants.
“We are delighted to have David on board and his multi-site experience will be invaluable in supporting the brand as we develop our ‘at home’ experience further and in getting us ready to reopen,” Drake & Morgan CEO Jillian MacLean said.
King added: “I have long admired Drake & Morgan and am looking forward to working with Jillian MacLean and her team; supporting the Drake & Morgan brand as we navigate through the pandemic whilst ensuring we are in the best shape possible when we are able to reopen safely and welcome our customers back.”
New pubco set to launch by trio of industry veterans
Three top operators are set to re-enter the UK pub market with the launch of the Valiant Pub Company.
Gerry Carroll and Mark McGinty, co-founders of Hawthorn Leisure and James Croft, former group strategy and retail director at Ei Group, are looking to use their extensive experience to create a new operation, targeting the suburban and community pub sector.
The trio, who previously all worked together at Enterprise Inns and were instrumental in rolling out the company’s Beacon concept, are now keeping an eye for when the market starts to open back up.
Carroll said they are setting the operation up with their own funding, alongside investors, and are engaging with potential others. He said they were “poised and ready to go”, but added timing was key.
Diageo appoints new chief financial officer
Drinks giant Diageo has announced chief financial officer Kathryn Mikells will leave the company at the end of June 2021 and will be replaced by Diageo North America chief financial officer and global head of investor relations Lavanya Chandrashekar.
Mikells joined Diageo from the Xerox Corporation in November 2015 and, after relocating to London, will be replaced by Chandrashekar – who will also join the Diageo executive committee and board – on 1 July.
Chandrashekar joined Diageo in July 2018 as chief financial officer, Diageo North America having previously spent four and a half years at Mondelēz International in various senior finance positions in North America, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa.
“I am immensely grateful for the leadership role Kathy has played in making Diageo a consistent top-tier performer,” Ivan Menezes, Diageo chief executive, commented.
“She has made a significant contribution to Diageo’s improved performance trajectory, including her leadership of a substantial global productivity programme and her critical role in active management of our brand portfolio through our acquisition and disposal activities.
“I want to thank Kathy for being a terrific and committed business partner and colleague to me and wish her every continued success in the next chapter of her career.
“I am delighted that Lavanya will take up the role of chief financial officer.
“She brings a breadth of international experience, has an exceptional grasp of consumer products value creation and world class experience of effective cost management.
“I am confident she will be a huge asset to the Diageo executive team and board when she joins on 1 July.”
Whitbread cuts 1,500 jobs
The parent company of Beefeater, Brewers Fayre and Premier Inn confirmed 1,500 job losses in its latest trading update – just over 4% of its 36,000 staff.
The Q3 FY21 update, which covered the 13 weeks to 26 November 2020, stated the Government’s Covid-19 restrictions continued to create very challenging hotel market conditions and as a result, total UK accommodation sales were down 55.2% with occupancy at 49.3%.
The firm stated the Government restrictions had a greater impact on the operations of its restaurants with the national lockdowns and measures in the highest tiers forcing closures.
On average, 82% of its restaurants were open during the quarter and combined with reduced capacity in each site and subdued market demand, total food and beverage sales were 53.9% behind year on year.
The firm stated its balance sheet had a net cash position at 31 December 2020 of about £40m compared to £196.4m at the end of H1.
MPs back hospitality minister motion: what happens next?
A petition to appoint a dedicated minister for the hospitality sector hit Westminster boasting more than 200,000 signatures.
As reported by The MA, a selection of cross-party MPs supported a motion to appoint a minister to represent the hospitality sector following a 90-minute debate on 11 January.
But after a positive Parliamentary reception, where does it go from here?


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Italian BES has held its first ever hair-dressing show and seminar for Mogilev hair stylists
The top managers of the Italian company paid a visit to Mogilev in January 2006 to negotiate cooperation issues with the local administration and the administration of the free economic zone “Mogilev”. The Italian company may set up a branch producing hairdressing accessories in the region.
The Italians will make up their minds following a series of workshops and showcases of their perfumes and accessories that will soon be held in major district centers of this country.
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Global OOH revenues Up 6.2% in 2016, strongest growth since 2007
By VJ Media Bureau - January 12, 2017
Global OOH advertising revenues, including digital and traditional OOH media, grew 6.2% to $49.23 billion in 2016, as consumer time spent with OOH media increased 1.5% to 66 minutes per week, according to new research from US-based PQ Media
Global out-of-home (OOH) advertising revenues, including all traditional, digital and ambient media platforms, grew an estimated 6.2% to $49.23 billion in 2016, the fastest growth rate in nine years, according to new research from PQ Media. Key growth drivers included the rise in real-time information via digital signage during the Summer Olympics, which led to higher consumer engagement with OOH media, as well as the strength of traditional OOH, particularly in transit locations, as brands sought to reach on-the-go consumers with media void of ad-skipping technology.
Meanwhile, consumer exposure to OOH media grew 1.5% worldwide to nearly 66 minutes on average per week, driven by more consumer viewing of content related to the Olympics, coverage of the fierce US presidential campaign, and new content partnerships and expanded OOH media footprints across various types of airports and rail systems, according to PQ Media’s Global Out-of-Home Media Forecast 2017. In comparison, global OOH ad revenues grew at a slower 5.4% in 2015, while consumer exposure to OOH increased at the same 1.5% rate, driven by a rebound in cinema advertising and continued strength in the healthcare and transit verticals.
“Our research shows that OOH media is one of the fastest-growing ad-supported media in both operator revenues and consumer exposure time, compared with decelerating growth among many traditional media platforms, particularly print,” said PQ Media President & CEO Patrick Quinn. “With consumers increasingly accessing media outside their homes and the rise of ad-skipping and ad-blocking technologies, brands are increasingly turning to OOH media to engage target consumers near the point of decision.”
PQ Media defines OOH by two broad media platforms – digital out-of-home (DOOH) and traditional & ambient OOH. Within DOOH are two channels: digital place-based networks (DPNs), screens that combine content and ads in venues like doctor’s office, elevators and gas pumps; and digital billboards & signage (DBBs), signage that changes ad messages at predetermined intervals, like roadside billboards on a 30-second loop. Traditional OOH includes static billboards, street furniture and transit posters, as well as ambient OOH media, including ads placed on objects, non-traditional vehicles, and in unique locations.
Based on pacing through 3Q16, DOOH was driving overall OOH growth worldwide, increasing at an estimated 12.6% to almost $12 billion for the full year, the strongest growth since 2011. DOOH is estimated to command a 24.1% share of overall OOH in 2016, up from only 16.8% in 2010. DPNs are the larger of the two DOOH channels, exceeding $8 billion globally in 2016, and posting 12.2% growth, while DBBs will rise more rapidly at 13.5% to over $3.7 billion.
Meanwhile, traditional & ambient OOH was up 4.4% in 2016 to more than $37 billion, the strongest increase in nine years, and well above the 3.3% gain in 2015. Traditional OOH is the largest of the four OOH channels, reaching almost $35 billion in 2016, up 4.1% from the 2015 level, while ambient OOH is the smallest channel at slightly below $2.8 billion worldwide, though it rose at a faster 7.8% in 2016.
The five largest global OOH media companies – JCDecaux, Clear Channel Outdoor, Outfront Media, Lamar, and Focus Media – were the only OOH operators to exceed $1 billion in revenues in 2015 and 2016, with Stroer and Exterion Media the only others to surpass $500 million. Nine other global OOH operators generated revenues of more than $100 million, resulting in the Top 15 operators accounting for about 30% of worldwide OOH ad revenues.
The United States is the largest market in all aspects of the OOH industry – total revenues, T&A OOH, and DOOH, as overall revenues reached almost $9 billion in 2015, with China and Japan both exceeding $7 billion. Australia was the market leader in overall and DOOH ad revenue growth, rising more than 15% in total revenues in 2015, according to PQ Media’s Global Out-of-Home Media Forecast 2017. Brazil, Argentina and the UK all posted double-digit gains during for the year, while Brazil was also the fastest-growing traditional & ambient OOH market in 2015.
Brazil’s strong growth can be directly tied to an increase in its OOH footprint in its anticipation of hosting the 2016 Summer Olympics. However, other nearby Latin American nations also exhibited a major uptick in OOH revenues, mirroring the 2014 trend during the FIFA World Cup. DOOH, for example, in transit locations were often used to provide commuters with real-time updated results from the events in many global markets.
In addition, transit was the hottest location category due to many nations upgrading airport terminals, deploying digital signage on rail systems for the first time, and expanding taxi-cab networks in major cities. Transit locations are also less encumbered by government regulations that are impacting the roadside static and digital billboard industries amid clutter and light pollution complaints from politicians. As result of the growing DOOH and transit OOH networks, consumer time spent with OOH media increased for the fourth consecutive year in 2015 and was pacing for similar growth through 3Q16.
“Macro trends, such as consumers spending more time outside their homes and gradual improvement in the US and global economies, should help brands open more media-mix models for inclusion of OOH ad media going forward,” Quinn said. “Healthcare, transit and entertainment ad networks stand to gain the most from these trends.”
PQ Media expects DOOH growth to track more closely with even-year growth spikes in TV advertising during the 2017-20 period, due to emerging trends in programmatic buying, day-parting and mobile tech integration. Trends among DPNs indicate a converse trajectory of higher growth in odd years. Global OOH ad revenues are projected to grow 6.2% again in 2017.
PQ Media’s Global Out-of-Home Media Forecast 2017 is the 10th installment in the OOH media industry’s KPI benchmark since 2007.


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The Crypto market and world’s leading cryptocurrency have bounced back finally as there has been a decrease in the China crackdown FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt).
Both the leading digital asset Bitcoin and crypto market have been trading bearish for a while and now they have pulled up as they have made gains.
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BTC and Crypto market is making gains
It was being expected that Bitcoin and crypto market may not get gains soon because of the oppression of Chinese crackdown over crypto exchanges and other token issuing platforms. But despite this, the crypto market and bitcoin have made gains today showing an opposite response toward the Chinese crackdown threat.
Recently, the crypto-assets market has bounced back off from the bottom. The total market cap has come back at $200 billion again and the world’s leading crypto asset Bitcoin’s price has surged by making a gain of around 5% and has crossed the key level of $7500.
China crackdown FUD is crumbling
Effects of the Chinese crackdown on the crypto industry are vanishing and China crackdown FUD is crumbling. As a result, there has been a decrease in the oppression of the bitcoin and crypto industry in China. The crypto Industry has faced such situations many times before.
According to a report, a Chinese social media platform Weibo has recently dismissed some accounts which were being operated by Binance and Tron. The report further said that this crackdown had become the largest crackdown since Sep 2017.
In China, many of the local exchanges such as Bitsoda, Akdex, Biss, Idax, and Btuex were recently shut down. The head of research at Los Angeles based crypto asset manager Arca, Katie Talati said:
It appears that, like everything else within their borders, China feels it needs to have tighter controls on the crypto market including exchanges, miners and asset issuers. I do believe, however, they are moving in a similar direction as Japan and other jurisdictions that have tight and clear regulations for crypto businesses.
In short, despite Chinese crackdown FUD, the world’s leading crypto asset Bitcoin and other crypto-assets market have succeeded to make gains.


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2011 Volkswagen Golf Starts at $18,725, GTI from $24,450
Volkswagen has announced list pricing for its 2011 Volkswagen Golf and GTI, with pricing for the two-door Golf hatchback starting from $18,725, including a $760 destination charge. A 2.5-liter inline-five and five-speed manual transmission remains entry-level fare and the 2011 Golf is $355 more than its 2010 kin.
Like the 2010 model year, a TDI version with a 2.0-liter inline-four diesel engine is also available, although pricing hasn't been announced yet. The four-door Golf can be had from $20,445, while the sporty two-door GTI carries an opening price tag of $24,450 and a direct-injected, turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four with 200 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque. That engine remains paired to either a six-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic. There aren't too many changes for 2011, save for some added technology and options, such as a new sound system for the Golf and Bluetooth, 18-inch alloy wheels, and premium packages for the GTI.
All prices include a $760 destination charge.


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Fraud During a Pandemic
Fraud identification/prevention tips relating to the CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) Pandemic
Scammers do not take a break, even during a pandemic. In fact, this is their time to work their magic. We want you to be safe, and as the effects of this virus will more than likely be felt for months, fraudsters are hard at work right now attempting to take advantage of the situation and those vulnerable to their attacks.
As Heartland Bank is committed to protecting our clients, we feel that education is the best way to stay ahead of these threats. To be on top of the possible and probable fraud, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC - a consumer protection agency) has released information related to potential coronavirus scams on their website. We would like to share several of these with you:
- Don’t respond to texts, emails or calls about checks from the government. The latest information regarding economic impact payments from the IRS can be found on their website. Click here for up-to-date information.
- Hang up on robocalls. Scammers are using illegal robocalls to pitch everything from low-priced health insurance to work-at-home schemes.
- Watch for emails claiming to be from the CDC or WHO. Use sites like coronavirus.gov and usa.gov/coronavirus to get the latest information. And, don’t click on links from sources you don’t know!
- Do your homework when it comes to donations. Never donate in cash, by gift card, or by wiring money.
- Ignore online offers for vaccinations and home test kits. There are no products proven to treat or prevent COVID-19 at this time.
- The FTC and FDA have jointly issued warning letters to seven sellers of unapproved and misbranded products, claiming they can treat or prevent the Coronavirus. The companies’ products include teas, essential oils, and colloidal silver.
- The FTC says the companies have no evidence to back up their claims — as required by law. The FDA says there are no approved vaccines, drugs or investigational products currently available to treat or prevent the virus. Read more about the warning letters.
If you come across any suspicious claims, report them to the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint.
To contact Heartland Bank about suspicious account activity, please click here.


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Estonia-based Bolt is a transportation platform providing ride-hailing, micromobility, and food delivery services. The company claims to build the future of logistics – one platform that connects with cars, motorcycles, scooter sharing, or food delivery from restaurants.
Bolt raises fresh capital
In a recent development, Bolt has announced that it has raised €600M in a fresh round of funding, at a valuation of more than €4B.
The current round saw participation from a range of investors including Sequoia and fund managers Tekne and Ghisallo. Existing investors G Squared, D1 Capital, and Naya also invested in this round.
Readying to take on the competitive grocery delivery space
The proceeds from this round will be used by Bolt to accelerate its new grocery delivery service, Bolt Market, as well as boost the company’s expansion of existing mobility and delivery products.
Bolt Market will be launched in 10 European countries over the next few months, including the Baltics and Central Europe, Sweden, Portugal, Croatia, and Romania.
Speaking on the development, Markus Villig, CEO at Bolt says, “After seven years of relentless execution, Bolt’s mobility and delivery products offer a better alternative to almost every use case a car serves. I’m thrilled to bring these products to millions of customers around Europe and Africa, taking the emphasis off cars and giving cities back to the people.”
He further adds, “In addition to our core ride-hailing product, we now offer a car-sharing service, Bolt Drive, and scooter and e-bike sharing. Our delivery services include Bolt Food, which enables customers to order meals from restaurants, and the most recent addition to Bolt’s ecosystem is a grocery delivery service, Bolt Market.”
The company faces stiff competition from Istanbul-based online grocery delivery unicorn Getir. Earlier this year, in June, the company raised a whopping $550M in its Series D round of funding at valuation at over $7.5B. Last month, Getir announced the acquisition of the online grocery startup BLOK to cement its position in the European market. Getir is active in Spain and Italy, with the big markets being Barcelona, Madrid, and Milan. Post the acquisition, Getir will get immediate access into Spain and Italy, with Portugal soon to follow.
Affordable and sustainable mobility
Bolt was founded in 2013 by Markus Villig, Martin Villig, and Oliver Leisalu. Previously known as Taxify, Bolt is a transportation platform that provides ride-hailing, micromobility, package delivery, and scooter-sharing services.
The company’s mission is to make urban travel easier, quicker, and more reliable. It has more than 75 million users in more than 45+ countries across Europe and Africa. The company claims that all Bolt rides in Europe are 100 per cent carbon-neutral as part of its Green Plan, a long-term commitment to reduce the ecological footprint of the company.
Earlier in May 2021, Bolt announced the launch of its new car-sharing service, Bolt Drive. It is a free-floating car-sharing service. It allows customers to see the vehicles nearest to them on a map and book a car using the Bolt app. Users can start the ride by unlocking a car with a mobile phone and finish it anywhere in the city, within an area indicated in the app. Also, users do not have to pay for parking or fuel.
Prior to that in March 2021, the Estonian ride-hailing company received a €20M investment from International Finance Corporation (IFC) – a member of the World Bank Group. The startup partnered with IFC to expand its mobility services in emerging markets.
And in December 2020, Bolt raised €150M in funding led by D1 Capital Partners, with the participation of Darsana Capital Partners. The capital was raised to help Bolt further enhance the safety and quality of its products.


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Total smart mobile device (notebook, tablet and smartphone) shipments for this year’s first quarter exceeded 308.7 million units, according to a report from Canalys. This represents a year-on-year growth of 37.4 per cent.
The report also shows that, in terms of OS vendors, the Open Handset Alliance continues to dominate, with Android the OS of choice on 59.5 per cent of all smart mobile devices shipped.
Of the other OS vendors, Apple holds a 19.3 per cent share in the smartphone and tablet PC markets, while Microsoft’s 18.1 per cent share reflects its relative strength in the PC market but continued challenger status in the smartphone space.
Of the three, the tablet market continues to grow the fastest. Worldwide, tablet shipments grew 106.1 per cent year-on-year to 41.9 million units. Though Apple continues to lead in the tablet space with a 46.4 per cent share, it lost share to its Android-based rivals for the third consecutive quarter.
The study found that smartphone shipments came in at around 216.3 million for the quarter, maintaining the strong growth (47.9 per cent this quarter) that the market saw throughout 2012. Android handsets accounted for 75.6 per cent of total smartphone shipments, and Samsung dominated once again, growing its volume by 64.3 per cent year-on-year, which helped its market share exceed 32 per cent. In contrast, Apple saw modest annual growth (6.7 per cent) in its smartphone shipments — the lowest level since the launch of the original iPhone back in 2007.
Huawei, LG and ZTE completed the top five smartphone vendors, all with less than five per cent market share each. Once again, Huawei and ZTE benefited from their strength in their home market, with 84 per cent and 71 per cent of their shipments respectively in mainland China.Notebook PC shipments amounted to 50.5 million units, declining by 13.1 per cent during the quarter compared with the same period in 2012. The biggest decline was in western Europe, where shipments fell by 25.2 per cent on an annual basis.


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- Inclement weather, coronavirus curbs disrupt operations
- Some producers trucking goods to Port Elizabeth, Durban
Delays at Cape Town’s main port are forcing fruit exporters in South Africa’s Western Cape province to truck their produce hundreds of miles to access shipping routes to the European Union.
Inclement weather and a shortages of staff, some of whom have fallen ill with the coronavirus, have delayed ships from docking in Cape Town — some for weeks at a time. Some vessels have been turned away, while others have opted to bypass the port completely.
Some exporters of perishable agriculture produce have been trucking their goods to Port Elizabeth, which lies 750 kilometers (466 miles), to the east, or northeast to Durban, a 1,635 kilometer drive away, said Justin Chadwick, the chief executive officer of the Citrus Growers Association of Southern Africa.
“It’s been quite disruptive,” Chadwick said. “Softer fruit is very time-sensitive so it’s important to get it to the market as quickly as possible.”
Cape Town’s port has been operating at reduced capacity since the government imposed a lockdown in late March to contain the spread of the coronavirus. While activity has increased since the authorities began easing the curbs on May 1, the container terminal is still only operating at 60% of capacity and the multipurpose terminal at 75%, said state-owned Transnet SOC Ltd., which runs the main ports. Just 60% of port staff are at work, it said.
South Africa’s wine industry, which was already reeling from a halt in exports during the early stages of the lockdown, has also been badly affected by the shipping delays, with some produce left waiting at the harbor for several weeks, said Maryna Calow, a spokeswoman for Wines of South Africa, an industry body. That’s pushed up producers’ costs and placed them at risk of losing international contracts, she said.
Shipping lines MSC Group and Ocean Network Express Holdings have removed Cape Town from their main Europe route, while CMA CGM SA is charging extra to deliver to the port due to the delays, Business Insider reported, citing documents it had seen. MSC and ONE will use the Port of Cape Town for its smaller weekly routes, with ONE opting to offload cargo in Port Elizabeth before moving it to Cape Town on smaller vessels, the news website said.
About 500 containers with fruit destined for the EU were transported from the Western Cape to Port Elizabeth in the past four weeks, said Mitchell Brooke, logistics development manager at the citrus growers’ association.
“If your fruit arrives a week or two later, that market is gone,” Chadwick said. “I would imagine a number of people aren’t meeting their contractual obligations. The concern for us is the reputational damage that you could face as a result of not being able to be a reliable supplier.”


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A woman who allegedly fled a Woolworths with a trolley full of groceries has appeared in court.
Brooke Davenport was last seen allegedly running out of a supermarket in Baulkham Hills last month with $600 worth of groceries in tow.
Watch the video above
Her court appearance on Wednesday was brief.
Trends, culture and exclusive features: Sign up for 7LIFE newsletters
However, other charges were brought to light, including allegations of a break and enter and credit card fraud.
She'll return to court next month.
For more NSW local news, head to 7NEWS.com.au


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Samsung Ireland has responded to claims of the company disabling Windows Update with its own software, stating that this is not the case and no form of blocking is currently rolled out across their laptop range.
It was only yesterday when Microsoft MVP Patrick Barker discovered a piece of software from Samsung installed on a colleague's laptop. This file seemingly prevents Windows Update from automatically checking for and downloading updates, forcing consumers to use Samsung's own update software instead. As noted above, Samsung has denied this is the case.
Here's the response from Samsung Ireland:
"It is not true that we are blocking a Windows 8.1 operating system update on our computers. As part of our commitment to consumer satisfaction, we are providing our users with the option to choose if and when they want to update the Windows software on their products. We take product security very seriously and we encourage any Samsung customer with product questions or concerns to contact us directly on lo-call 0818 717 100."
It's an expected response from Samsung. That said, we're not entirely sure what to make of a piece of software titled "Disable_Windowsupdate.exe" if it doesn't actually disable the Windows Update feature. Perhaps they should named the file "Does_Not_Disable_Windowsupdate.exe"? Unfortunately for the company, a rep confirmed the the report yesterday, stating that Samsung's software can and will prevent Windows Update from installing updates.
While somewhat good intentions may have played their part (as to not have Samsung laptops affected by updates that break the company's own bloatware), it's still a serious issue, especially given the fact that consumers aren't alerted to the updater tool blocking Windows Update. If you're rocking a Samsung laptop, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Simply uninstall the Samsung SW Updater tool and you're good to go.
Source: Ireland's Technology Blog


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Small business owners are complaining as strict Covid measures in Beijing make them struggle to make a living.
Beijing authorities recently banned the so-called “seven small places” from opening.
This measure affects small restaurants, Internet cafes, hotels, public bathing, dance halls, barbershops, and convenience stores.
In an interview with Radio Free Asia, a few Beijing residents shared their concerns about this order.
Mr. Wang, a resident in eastern Beijing, told reporters that many of his friends have suffered from this order.
One of his friends owns a small food store. After the order, he had to close it. The ruling leaves no exception. If the authority asks anyone to close it, they must close it. No one has the right to question.
Mr. Wang said such small stores are basically small businesses. Some stores have already sold food at discount prices. Many restaurants set up a few tables at the door, selling cooked food or something. They rely on this to make a living amid the lockdown time.
In fact, Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention has released a Covid-prevention guideline for these seven small types of businesses. The guideline only requires such places to control passenger flow and set up a system to monitor workers’ health. And Chaoyang district—Beijing’s central business district and home to many foreign embassies—has said that Seven Small Stores that were closed by now can “resume business in an orderly manner.”
But in reality, authorities shut down all of these businesses. And Beijing residents are to suffer.
Mr. Qin, a resident from Chaoyang District, Beijing, said that there’s no reason to close the “seven small places.” If it is for epidemic prevention, then wouldn’t people get Covid from each other when authorities order Covid mass testing in the community? He said that closing small shops to fight Covid is purely tossing the ordinary people.
Mr. Qin said that now many people are having a hard life under the current epidemic prevention measures. People have to apply for a pass to enter the community. Many small and medium-sized enterprises and restaurants have closed down. A lot of people have their freedom limited. And people are questioning the government’s reasons behind these strict epidemic prevention measures.
Mr. Qin said that Xi Jinping’s opponents in the Party must be pleased as public sorrow rises under this situation, especially as the big Party election is approaching.
Mr. Qin also said that some of his friends criticize the Covid policy. His friends said that the small shop owners are already in a complicated situation, and the authorities now forcibly shut them down. The only reason for this is that they want to toss the people. Maybe the government has long seen these stores as offensive, and now they have found a reason to shut down these low-end small businesses. After that, the government might start the planned economy 2.0 and all measures that harm the ordinary people.


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Ellen MacArthur Foundation report shows progress on throwaway plastic reductions, but more work to be done
by Perry Wheeler
March 13, 2019
Washington, DC – A report released by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF), in collaboration with UN Environment, finds that a number of corporations have taken steps toward increased transparency and reduction and reuse efforts, but more action and urgency is needed. The report follows EMF’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment launch in October, which set forth a vision to stop plastic pollution at the source.
The report finds that:
- More than 30 companies, including Coca-Cola, Unilever, SC Johnson, and Nestlé, have disclosed their annual plastic packaging volumes to move toward greater transparency.
- 100 more organizations have signed onto the commitment, including Barilla, Tetrapak, and L’OCCITANE en Provence, bringing the total number of signatories up to 350.
- 40 brands and retailers are piloting or expanding refill and reuse programs.
- Corporations and retailers have committed to increase recycled content in their packaging to an average of 25 percent by 2025.
- More action is needed to eliminate problematic and unnecessary plastic packaging, and shift toward reuse models that reduce the need for single-use packaging.
In response to the report, Greenpeace Global Plastics Project Leader Graham Forbes said:
“EMF’s Global Commitment recognizes the importance of transparency, reduction, and innovation in addressing the plastic pollution crisis and sets a useful minimum bar for corporate action. While some steps have been taken to fulfill the commitment, companies like Nestlé and Unilever have failed to deliver meaningful progress on the most important aspects of the commitment — reducing single-use plastic and innovating toward refill and reuse models.
“The current ambition level shown from some of the world’s largest companies falls far short of what is needed to turn the tide on plastic pollution. We echo EMF’s call for more action to eliminate problematic and unnecessary throwaway plastics and shift toward reuse models that reduce the need for single-use packaging.
“Since signing onto the EMF declaration, one of the world’s largest plastic-polluting companies, Nestlé, has taken baby steps to address its international plastic pollution footprint, while doubling down on its single-use packaging model. Thus far, Nestlé and other major players seem to be doing the bare minimum to secure a positive headline, but not the real work to tackle the crisis they helped create. It’s time for action that meets the scale of the problem at hand.”
To read the EMF report and press release, click here: https://newplasticseconomy.
Contact: Perry Wheeler, Greenpeace USA Senior Communications Specialist, +1 301 675 8766


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An eco-friendly firm, Paperbags by Ebees is promoting a circular business model in the implementation of its recycling outfit, while also expanding its business operations across West Africa and reaching more businesses.
To support its long-term growth plan, United Capital Infrastructure Fund (UCIF), an N150 billion close-ended fund sponsored by United Capital Plc, has announced its maiden investment in a brownfield lead production
A group, Recycling Scheme for Women and Youth Empowerment (RESWAYE), has asked coastal communities in Lagos to reduce the number of pet bottles, plastics, bottles, takeaway packs
20 Dec 2021
Experts in the environment sector have expressed dismay over the ways used batteries are dumped in locations where their chemicals may cause harmful effects to the environment
14 Oct 2019
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and stakeholders in the food industry have developed a standard that would save Nigeria foreign exchange used in the importation of plastics.
25 Jun 2019
International Breweries Plc., a member of ABInBev brewer, has flagged off the 2019 edition of Kickstart, an innovative youth entrepreneurship programme that empowers young people with the financial muscle and training to implement different entrepreneurial ventures. The company also unveiled its new foundation, International Breweries Foundation. ‘Kickstart’ was introduced in 2016 to empower young entrepreneurs…
6 Mar 2019
A recycling company, Lexsz Plastics has called on the federal government to create an enabling environment for businesses and address infrastructure challenges in order to attract foreign direct investment (FDIs) into the country. The Executive Director, Lexsz Plastics, Oba Olufemi Akowe, explained that despite the harsh business environment in the country, Nigeria still remains an…
3 Jul 2018
Guinness Nigeria Plc has announced the creation of 60 new jobs, as one of its commitment to investing more in the future of Nigerian economy. This was revealed by the Managing Director, Guinness Nigeria, Mr. Peter Ndegwu, during the media tour and launch of a PET bottle new format for its adult premium non-alcoholic drinks,…
12 Jun 2018
Achieving five per cent annual increase in recycling rates for plastics, glass, wood pulp, metals and minerals can generate around six million additional jobs across the world, the International Labour Organisation has said. The Director-General, ILO, Guy Ryder, in a statement to mark the World Environment Day, said more than 32 per cent of…
12 Jun 2018
Experts in the environment sector have canvassed the use of recyclable papers as alternative to plastic materials. The Head of Social and Environmental Forestry, Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources, University of Ibadan, Prof. Busuyi Agbeja, made the appeal during a lecture at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB). He said: “To avoid the danger…
2 Dec 2017
Tell us about yourselves. We are siblings and I’m the older one. My name is Ethan Obaloluwa Olayeni. I am 8 years old and in Year 3. My sister, Zoe Anuoluwani Olayeni is 6 years old and in year 2. At the last prize giving day in our school, we both got prizes for being…
17 Apr 2017
Recycling materials that contain persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and other toxic substances contaminates new products, continues human and environmental exposure, and undermines the credibility of recycling.


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A trademark filing in South Korea has revealed a new Samsung device called the ‘Gear Blink‘. As the name indicates, this could probably be a head mounted wearable, something similar to Google Glass, although there’s no confirmation of that yet.
Samsung recently filed a trademark for something know as the Gear Glass, so this is nothing new to us. It is possible that the company is looking at multiple names for its upcoming Google Glass competitor, with a launch expected to commence in late 2014 or early next year.
Hints like these are certainly giving us a better idea of what the future holds for head/face mounted displays. And it’s only logical for Samsung to swoop in with its offering, given all the hype generated by the expensive yet revolutionary Google Glass. We are yet to hear anything from Samsung on its plans for face mounted wearables, but we expect to know a lot more in the coming days.
Source: The Guardian
Via: Android Central
We’ve heard rumors of Samsung launching its very own Google Glass competitor, with patent filings confirming the company’s plans to venture into the segment. A new report now claims that this wearable could launch as the Gear Glass this year, possibly with the Galaxy Note 4 phablet at the annual IFA event in September.
If these rumors are true, it would essentially mean that Samsung is beating Google to the punch by launching a commercial version of a Google Glass like wearable. Until very recently, Glass was only a developer product and still costs a hefty $1,500, so maybe Samsung can try to one-up Google with its new offering. The Gear Glass will be reportedly running Tizen like the company’s new breed of Gear smartwatches.
Business Korea cites an undisclosed Samsung associate who is believed to have said the following – “The Gear Glass design combines an ear piece and display, enabling people to listen to music with the right ear while looking at the display with the right eye.” This is what the patent filing from last year indicated as well, so it could well be true.
But since it’s still too early in the day, we suggest you to take the report with a grain of salt until we have confirmation to prove its legitimacy. That said, this doesn’t seem like a long shot for a company like Samsung which has always wanted to bring unique and niche devices to the market.
Source: Business Korea
Via: Android Central


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The sharp reaction of citizens to the insult of Amazon to Afghan National Flag
Reporter: Follad Ahangaran
Printing of Afghan National flag in bathroom Rug and Mats and putting these products for selling it to the Amazon website has provoked the anger of Afghan citizens inside and outside the country. Some Kabul citizens have called this act deliberate and insist that the powerful countries of the world are seeking to insult to the Afghan people. Abdul Hamid Sarir, a Kabul citizen, says: “The publication of the Afghan Flag at the Rug and Mats of the bathrooms is a big insult to a nation that due to their sacrifice today Terrorists does not target the US and Europe’s countries. We condemn this act and strongly request from the Amazon website and the US government to do not increase the distance between the citizens of Afghanistan and the United States and quickly remove this item from the website. ”
This approach has also raised the anger of the country’s citizens outside of Afghanistan. Najibullah Noorani, who lives outside of Afghanistan, has responded sharply to the website of “change.org” and has stated: “It is disrespect to our national flag and written verse of the Holy Quran on it and it is against our national and religious values. We demand Amazon issue apology statement and remove this product as soon as possible and blacklist this seller. Having this on Amazon can affect US/Canadian interest abroad, can create a threat to American/Canadian citizens and service member abroad.”
So far, the Afghan government has not spoken out on this issue, with a number of citizens outside the Afghan border trying to hire an attorney at the earliest opportunity and claiming a claim on the Amazon website.


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Earlier this week police in the UK arrested two people in connection to a suspected GBP3m wine investment scam dealing in Australian wine. The operation, codenamed Operation Iceman, has seen a total of eight people arrested in the operation. Here we take a look at other drinks scams.
- This week, officials from the European Union’s (EU) anti-fraud unit OLAF – l’Office Européen de Lutte Anti-Fraude – revealed to just-drinks how an international EU customs operation seized 6,400 litres of counterfeit and smuggled alcohol. The operation – codenamed ‘Matthew II’ – was organised by the Czech Republic, working closely with Poland and OLAF. The operation involved a major seizure in Romania of one truck illicitly carrying 1,410 litres of Curtea Taichii, Romulus, and Floredan branded alcoholic drinks. Another 880 litres of undocumented alcohol was found in a Romanian private car, while, separately, 918 litres and 418 litres were seized from two private cars in the Czech Republic.
- E&J Gallo Winery is currently facing a lawsuit over the wine firm’s link to a Pinot Noir wine fraud scandal in France. The class action lawsuit, , filed by law firm Kingsley & Kingsley in California, comes after Gallo said that it may have been duped into buying wine falsely labelled as Pinot Noir from the French wine merchant, Sieur d’Arques. In February, the ringleaders of the French operation were given suspended prison sentences and fines. It is estimated the fraudsters made a collective EUR7m by selling cheap wine at inflated prices.
- In December last year, Italian authorities were investigating whether large quantities of quality wine from the Tuscany region were illegally bulked up with lower end wine and with grape varieties forbidden by local production rules. Up to 10m litres of wine were understood to have been affected, according to Italian press reports. Producers of high-end Chianti DOCG wines and Toscana IGT were involved, with press reports also citing Brunello di Montalcino, which was subject to a similar investigation over its 2003 vintage.
- In October last year, a major counterfeit vodka manufacturing and bottling plant was dismantled in Leicestershire, UK, following raids by HM Revenue & Customs officers. Around 70 officers took part in the two-day operation, resulting in the seizure of 10,000 litres of fake vodka, branded as Glens. More than 35,000 litres of pure alcohol were also seized, enough to make around 100,000 litres of vodka. The customs office estimated the potential revenue loss to the public purse at over GBP1m (US$1.6m). Officers found manufacturing equipment, including stills, bottles and counterfeit packaging, labels and cardboard boxes.
- In December 2007, the former president and co-owner of Domecq Importers in the US was sentenced to ten years in prison for conspiring to defraud Allied Domecq. Michael Domecq was sentenced to serve two consecutive 60-month sentences and ordered to pay over US$4.5m in restitution. Earlier in the year, Domecq and several other senior Domecq Importers executives pleaded guilty to diverting more than $14.6m from Domecq Importers into their personal offshore bank accounts. The conspiracy was though to have taken place from at earliest 1989 until October 1995.
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One of every five beauty purchases online is made via the Amazon marketplace, according to a new report.
A new iPad app, Google Catalogs lets consumers shop 50 digital catalogs from such retailers Blue Nile, L.L. Bean and Pottery Barn.
Google Inc. is diving further into mobile retail. Last month it unveiled Google Catalogs, a new iPad app that lets consumers shop 50 digital catalogs from such retailers as jewelry merchant Blue Nile, apparel and outdoor gear retailer L.L. Bean and household furnishings merchant Pottery Barn.
Other brands in the catalog include Anthropologie, Crate & Barrel, Patagonia and Williams-Sonoma. Google organizes the 50 merchants into Women's Fashion & Apparel, Jewelry, Beauty, Home, Men's Fashion & Apparel, Kids & Baby, and Gifts.
Touching "Buy on Website" on a tag in the catalog opens up the product buy page on the retailer's e-commerce site without leaving the app. Google does not charge retailers to be included in the app, though that structure may change, a spokeswoman says. Touching "Find Nearby" activates the iPad's GPS technology and displays a map showing nearby stores.
Google is competing with four other catalog aggregator apps that have launched within the past year: Coffee Table, Catalogs.com, Catalog Spree from Padopolis, and Catalogue from TheFind.
Google announced Google Catalogs shortly after it said it would pay about $12.5 billion for Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc., a manufacturer of mobile phones that also owns thousands of mobile technology patents Google covets.


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It’s one of the world's most powerful disinfectants, but so non-toxic, you can drink it. It's changing the way consumers clean, but because of its unique way of destroying germs, bacteria and disease, it may usher in a new era in health care.
Tiny EnviroSystems in San Jose, Calif. is fighting fire with fire. By manipulating the individual molecules of a standard industrial disinfectant, the company has created an anti-bacterial cleanser so powerful, so popular and so safe, that it can't mix the stuff fast enough.
As a disinfectant, it's 100-percent effective against hepatitis, e-coli, even HIV and a laundry list of particularly nasty infectious threats. But because its lethal ingredients have been engineered away, one molecule at a time, this product is completely non-toxic...
“You always thought of having to kill bad things, bad bugs, with highly toxic products,” said EnviroSystems founder Diana Hoffman. “It's difficult to think in terms of: how can it be safe if it kills things, right? Well, this is.”
EnviroSystems is one of a handful of small but increasingly mighty companies, creating innovative products that would be otherwise impossible without advances in nanotechnology. In fact biotechnology companies, like EnviroSystems, are attracting the most venture capital dollars of any nanotech sector over the past 5 years.
Some 45 venture capital firms have invested nearly $200 million in 12 nanotech startups. That’s hardly an investment frenzy. But venture capitalists call it a “measured strategy” to invest in the best. And the companies establishing a nanotech beachhead reads like a who's who in biotech: Medimmune, Genencor, Genentech, and Celera Genomics.
“We see nanotechnology as potentially a very large market in the future as opposed to one today,” said Alex Wong, a venture capitalist at Apax Partners.
Wong specializes in funding nano startups. His firm examined more than 500 nano investments over the past year, but only put money in two. He is not an investor in EnviroSystems, but says nano-companies like it -- with real products, real growth and a clear path to profitability -- are what investors should be looking for.
“I think investors are still being very prudent in looking for companies that don't have just the nano name, but have something that is uniquely different,” said Wong. “And those are very hard to find.”
That's why EnviroSystems and its technology are so compelling, not just to industry, but to investors.
The company’s disinfectant, called EcoTru, uses something called "nano-emulsive particles" that are so small, they can wiggle their way through the walls of a bacteria cell and destroy it from within. It’s a kind of nanotech smart bomb -- smart, because the particles target tiny bacteria and germs, while leaving larger human or animal cells alone. That’s why it’s the only disinfectant on the market sold without any warning labels of any kind.
“What we've learned is by using the small particle size, we can have far greater effectivity and yet no toxicity for the product,” said Rodger Richeal, EnviroSystems Chief Technology Officer
That discovery lead to a whole new direction for the company; far more intriguing and immeasurably more lucrative.
“We had donated Eco-Tru as a surface disinfectant to a group called "angel docs" that fly down to Africa to do pro-bono surgeries,” said Hoffman. “They ran out of anti-septic and started using it on surgical patients. It eliminated post-operative infections in 500 out of 500 patients.”
There have been no clinical tests to prove these results -- something that would be required by the FDA -- but thanks to nanotechnology, this "cleanser" could launch a new era in eradicating bacteria and infectious disease.
EnviroSystems has conducted some preliminary testing with a company in Texas that grows human skin used in burn victim reconstruction. When the technology was incorporated into the process, EnviroSystems says, it eliminated the risk of organ rejection. The company continues to seek funding for such projects but says, for now, its primary focus is on the world of disinfectants.
(CNBC's Jim Goldman and Candice Tahi contributed to this story.)
© 2012 CNBC, Inc. All Rights Reserved


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Displaying items by tag: Middle East
This weekend's second-hand boat trade show at Dubai Creek Marina is expecting more than 7,000 visitors to peruse the more than 85 vessels on display, comprising the widest selection of boats for sale.
For this year the retail area has been expanded by 20% to make room for new retailers and exhibitors, including a new zone for personal water craft such as Jet Skis.
"There is a lot more demand [in the Middle East] for second-hand boats than new boats. The market has been growing, we have a lot of people from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain who come to Dubai to buy a boat," said marina operations manager Abdulla Ali Al Noon.
It's a market that's being increasingly sought by Irish dealers, too, following MGM Boats' visit to the UAE for the Dubai International Boat Show this past St Patrick's weekend.
One of the companies participating in the pre-owned show this year is Al Marakeb Boat Manufacturing, whose Nour Al Sayyed says: "The crowd at the show are people who already know they're buying a boat, it's just a matter of picking one."
The National has more on the story HERE.


text: The European Commission has found that Turkish & Russian hot-dipped galvanized coils were dumped in the EU and is proposing definitive anti-dumping measures in a range of 2.4-37.4%, according to a 10 May Commission document sent to interested parties. Interested parties are being granted a period within which they can make representations subsequent to the EC's latest disclosure.-----------------------Russia - 10.3-37.4%NLMK – 10.3%Severstal - 31.3%MMK 36.6%All other companies -37.4-------------------Turkey - 2.4-11%Tatmtal – 2.4%MMK Metalurji - 10.6%Tezcan – 11%Other cooperating companies – 8%All other companies - 11%With Turkey ranks first as the biggest HDG exporter to the EU, Vietnam, Taiwan, South Korea and India are now likely to replace Turkey's market share in the region The investigation was initiated on 24 June 2021, upon the complaint of the European Steel AssociationEC said “The commission established a causal link between the injury suffered by the union industry and the dumped imports from Russia and Turkey. The increase of dumped imports from the countries concerned coincided with a deterioration of the union industry's situation. Low-priced imports from Turkey and Russia increased exponentially and prevented the union industry from increasing sales prices and volumes following the anti-circumvention investigation concerning Chinese imports. In terms of prices, the dumped imports from the countries concerned continuously undercut those of the union industry sales prices in the union market, and in any event created substantial price pressure preventing the union industry from setting prices at sustainable levels necessary to achieve reasonable profit margins.”The investigation was started in Jun 2021 after EU producers submitted a petition to the commission. The EC in January this year decided to skip preliminary duties, as it said the case was technically very complex and it needed more time to determine the outcome. It was originally expected to come out with a decision by the end of August.


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40 Under 40 The celebration of youth flamed out with the dot-coms, but these 40 (plus one brother act) show that the young have remained restless.
(FORTUNE Magazine) – YOUNG, RICH, POWERFUL, AND CHANGING THE WORLD Work your way up from the bottom? Forget it. Our list of 40 (okay, 41) who have vaulted to the top before they hit 40.
The 40 under 40 captures the American dream--rising from nothing and nowhere to achieve wealth and power--and combines it with the American obsession: speed. In the pages that follow, you'll see whiz kids who have managed to get to the top, to change the way businesses and consumers think, and to make boatloads of money before many have even started rinsing with Grecian Formula.
For a time in the late 1990s and early 2000s, achieving this kind of quick success looked remarkably easy: (1) start a dot-com; (2) retire. And for the past five years FORTUNE has chronicled those who did it well, compiling a list of the 40 richest Americans under 40. But now, with so many tycoonlets "consulting" or back with the companies they had planned to bury, measuring success has become much more nuanced.
So this year we broke our list into four: We'd keep measuring wealth, sure, but also look at those who wield the most influence, who show the top entrepreneurial promise, and who have the most beautiful minds. The ground rules: No one could appear on more than one list (otherwise Michael Dell would pop up atop each), and only Americans or those working for American companies would be considered.
We calculated the "rich list" by combing through numbers from SEC proxies and stock-sale forms and by working with banking and real estate sources to divine valuations and property assessments. For the list of influentials, we scouted out leaders who control money, garner respect, and wield wide influence, from Linus Torvalds's Linux revolution to Aerin Lauder's transfiguration of global beauty. We ranked them based on interviews with peers and industry watchers--and after weeks of debate. Finding entrepreneurs was trickier; the proven ones made it to the rich list. So we found ten to watch--individuals who take chances, starting unusual and successful companies. Finally, the innovator list, which like entrepreneurs is unranked, falls furthest from the 40 Under 40's original goal. This group chases ideas, not money--though they don't turn that down--and have made their work transcend the theoretical world of the lab to apply to real life.
Ranking young success may have been easier during the boom, but it's a lot more fun now. --J.B.
THE TOP 10 MOST INFLUENTIAL In a short time this crew have become much followed (and in some cases feared) in their industries.
1 SALLIE KRAWCHECK, 38, CEO, Smith Barney Wall Street's "Ms. Clean" heads the $5.7 billion No. 2 research brokerage. The former CEO of Sanford Bernstein, Krawcheck delivered unbiased research when Wall Street was still delivering analysts to clients. Now the Street is watching to see if she can make research--and Citigroup--respectable again.
2 JEFF ZUCKER, 38, President, NBC Entertainment Programming prodigy Zucker helmed NBC's Today at 26, then led NBC to dominate prime time. Rivals still try to copy his format. He's in it for the long run: Zucker's a leading candidate to run all of NBC.
3 LINUS TORVALDS, 33, Fellow, Open Source Development Lab Torvalds dreamed up Linux--now he controls its growth. He has big allies and bigger enemies. IBM has adopted Linux; Microsoft abhors it.
4 B. KEVIN TURNER, 37, CEO, Sam's Club; Executive VP, Wal-Mart The former Wal-Mart cashier became its CIO at age 34 and revamped the firm's entire tracking and sales technology; peers raced to keep up. Now he's turning around the uber-retailer's 46 million-member Sam's Club.
5 LACHLAN MURDOCH, 32, Deputy COO, News Corp. Rupert's oldest son controls what Americans watch and read. As the No. 3 at News Corp., Murdoch oversees the U.S. publishing business and the company's 35 TV stations.
6 DON A. MATTRICK, 39, President, Worldwide Studios, Electronic Arts Another programming prodigy: At 17, Mattrick coded his first videogame, called Evolution, then built a company to market it. He sold to EA in 1991. Now he oversees all the giant's studios and programmers and has moved from virtual to real strategies.
8 STEVE JURVETSON, 36, Managing Director, Draper Fisher Jurvetson With hits like Hotmail and software company Interwoven, he has VCs watching what he's buying. Lately he has been looking at nanotechnology and molecular electronics to invest DFJ's $3 billion in capital.
8 BRYAN NESBITT, 35, Executive Director, GM Design While he was at DaimlerChrysler, Nesbitt's hip PT Cruiser steered in the cash, forcing automakers to ape his design thinking. One company went further: GM hired him to breathe life into Chevrolet.
9 AERIN LAUDER, 33, VP of Global Advertising, Estee Lauder Stylemaker, businesswoman, and socialite, Lauder is helping make over her grandmother Estee's once-staid company with edgy new images of beauty that influence global style.
10 THEO EPSTEIN, 29, General Manager, Boston Red Sox In his first season Epstein, the youngest GM in baseball history, confidently trades players, holds down payroll, and appeases baseball's crustiest fans.
THE 10 RICHEST Dot-commers still dominate this annual ranking. But those from the wide worlds of sports and Wall Street are making inroads.
1 MICHAEL DELL, 38 CEO and Founder, Dell $17.12 billion
The list's perennial No. 1, Dell wasn't shy about naming his company after himself. Now he ties it even closer, dropping "Computer" from the corporate name to reflect the push into servers, storage, and PC peripherals. No. 1 last year with $16.49 billion
2 PIERRE OMIDYAR, 36 Chairman and Founder, eBay $7.06 billion
eBay's largest shareholder splits his year between France and Nevada, but spends his time (and money) as a full-time philanthropist. A recent gift: $10 million to alma mater Tufts to create a school for public service. No. 2 last year with $3.82 billion
3 JEFFREY BEZOS, 39 CEO and Co-founder, Amazon.com $4.85 billion
He still can't turn a profit, but Bezos has turned plenty into believers. His stock was Nasdaq's best performer last year, and a surge in sales from free shipping this year has made Amazon soar. No. 4 last year with $1.66 billion
4 JEFF SKOLL, 38 Chairman, Skoll Foundation $3.85 billion
Skoll co-founded eBay with Omidyar. Now he's working like him, not with him: donating time and money. His foundation encourages social entrepreneurship. He has personally pitched in $165 million since 1998. No. 3 last year with $2.18 billion
5 DAVID FILO, 37 Chief Yahoo and Co-founder, Yahoo $1.45 billion
Press-shy Filo abandoned his electrical engineering Ph.D. attempt at Stanford to start Yahoo with No. 6 on our list, Yang. But just in case this whole "Internet" thing doesn't work out, Stanford says he's on a leave of absence. No. 7 last year with $551 million
6 JERRY YANG, 34 Chief Yahoo and Co-founder, Yahoo $1.28 billion
Still guiding Yahoo's strategy, Yang helped lead its recent acquisition of Overture, a coup in bolstering its business against competitors. With new CEO Terry Semel, he's branching Yahoo out into new areas. No. 8 last year with $514 million
7 SERGEY BRIN, 30 President (Technology) and Co-founder, Google $900 million
8 LARRY PAGE, 30 President (Products) and Co-founder, Google $900 million
These two came up with the idea for a better search engine while working on their Ph.D.s in computer science at Stanford. In the early days of Google they resisted selling ads. Good thing they reconsidered: Google has been profitable since 2000, and FORTUNE estimates Google's 2002 revenues at $700 million. Now other privately held tech firms are waiting for Brin and Page to pick a date to go public. They hope a Google IPO will revive the market for dot-coms. Not on last year's list
9 DAN SNYDER, 38 Owner, Washington Redskins $740 million
After making a fortune selling his marketing and advertising company, Snyder is paying big bucks to revamp the Redskins, aggressively recruiting free agents and sacrificing draft picks. No. 6 last year with $664 million
10 KEN GRIFFIN, 34 President, Citadel Investment Group $725 million
Notoriously secretive Ken Griffin, who manages a $9.5 billion hedge fund, got started while an undergrad at Harvard, where he ran two investment partnerships from his dorm. He married this summer--at Versailles. Not on last year's list
THE TOP 10 ENTREPRENEURS TO WATCH It's been brutal lately for startups, yet these few found rich niches, from gangstawear to software.
SEAN "P. DIDDY" COMBS, 33, CEO and Founder, Bad Boy Entertainment P. Diddy transformed himself from bad-boy rapper to multimedia mogul. His empire starts at music and puffs out from there: Clothing line Sean Jean brings in $300 million annually, his Justin's restaurants serve diners in New York City and Atlanta, and in the works are licensing deals for everything from furniture to vodka drinks.
BILL NGUYEN, 32, President and Founder, SEVEN Networks Mobile-phone makers would be lost (or late) without Nguyen. His industrywide software allows Sprint, Cingular, and others to give their phones e-mail, calendar, and document access. Investors always ring twice: He sold his last telecom venture for $850 million in 2000.
MARC BENIOFF, 39, CEO and Founder, Salesforce.com Looks as if nobody told Benioff the bubble burst. He built a company that sells sales-automation software by the sip. Running at $100 million a year, Salesforce.com is ripe for an IPO.
ELON MUSK, 32, CEO and CTO, SpaceX PayPal's co-founder sold it to eBay for $1.5 billion in 2002, then launched SpaceX. Its plan: a rocket that can put a payload into orbit for $6 million.
JAGDEEP SINGH, 36, CEO and Founder, Infinera Make that investors ring thrice. Singh's sold two of his last three telecom companies. Now he's shrinking telecom components, creating high-power iridium phosphide chips that are cheaper than standard silicon.
JOE LIEMANDT, 35, CEO, President and Founder, Trilogy Liemandt has thrived in the bust by selling his enterprise software on a pay-for-performance basis. The price is right, and public companies, which crave predictable income, have trouble competing.
MARTIN ROSCHEISEN, 34, CEO and Co-founder, Nanosolar After selling eGroups, FindLaw, and TradingDynamics, Roscheisen tried retirement, then started Nanosolar, which produces low-cost solar cells with the power to remake the alternative-energy market.
SCOTT BLUM, 39, CEO and Founder, Buy.com After taking his Buy.com public in 2000, he bought it back in 2001 and kept building. Now he's expanding, launching an iTunes Music competitor for the PC and a QVC knockoff for TV.
CHAD MIRKIN, 39, Co-founder, NanoInk and NanoSphere This Northwestern prof combined his entrepreneurial spirit with award-winning nanotech research to launch two companies that miniaturize circuits and detect biomolecules.
LIZ LANGE, 36, President and Founder, Liz Lange Maternity The hottest player in the $1.2 billion maternity clothing biz, Lange's in demand with new moms. Once an exclusive label with revenues of $8 million, her firm is growing fast, thanks to licensing and distribution deals with Nike and Target.
THE TOP 10 INNOVATORS It's not all about the money. These innovators have challenged conventional thinking by devising new ideas, new ways of working with materials, or new ways of solving problems.
ANGELA BELCHER, 36 Co-founder, Semzyme The nanotechie and MIT prof has a vision for viruses. She's created a way to grow Saran Wrap--like material that can make smaller computer chips or one day store vaccines without refrigeration.
MIGUEL DE ICAZA, 30 CTO, Novell Ximian The other Linux guy, de Icaza brought a graphical interface to the geeky open source OS. In August, Novell acquired his company, Ximian, and its software for converting new Microsoft Windows programs into Linux.
PAUL KRAJEWSKI, 34 Group Manager, Novel Alloys and Processes Lab at GM To reduce fuel consumption, GM's SUVs needed to lose some weight. Krajewski invented nine technologies to enable greater use of lighter-than-steel aluminum and magnesium.
ETHAN ZUCKERMAN, 30 CTO and Founder, Geekcorps To help conquer the digital divide in the Third World, Zuckerman launched Geekcorps. It sends high-tech volunteers to small businesses in developing countries, tying far-flung startups to the developed world.
KEITH SCHWAB, 34 Senior Physicist, National Security Agency Quantum physicist Schwab is building a monster code-breaking computer for the NSA. In academia, he devised better measurements for Earth's rotation and for tiny nanostructures.
ANDY, 35, and LARRY, 38, WACHOWSKI, Writers, Producers, Directors, The Matrix trilogy Two words: bullet time. The brothers reinvented action movies, taking Hong Kong movie tricks and adapting them for the U.S. The box office for the first two Matrix films: $1.1 billion.
MICHAEL KREMER, 38 Economics Professor, Harvard University MacArthur Award-winner Kremer has created econ-based programs that enable drugmakers to sell vaccines to the Third World at a profit while also making the drugs affordable to those governments.
STEVEN LEVITT, 36 Economics Professor, University of Chicago "Dismal scientist" Levitt's controversial research showed that legalizing abortion lowered future crime rates. He also studies sumo wrestling corruption, cheating, and gang economics.
PAUL DEPODESTA, 30 Assistant General Manager, Oakland A's Baseball vets go by the gut; DePodesta goes by the numbers. He tossed out traditional stats and designed new metrics for measuring performance, allowing the A's to build a top team on a low budget.
HELEN GREINER, 35 President, iRobot Greiner has made robots an everyday commodity. iRobot's Roomba vacuum cleaner sells for only $200, and the Army uses its Packbot for reconnaissance in Afghanistan and Iraq.


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1 min read.Updated: 30 Jul 2022, 08:03 PM IST Edited By Aman Gupta
Scorpio - N is in direct competition with Tata's Safari, Hyundai's Creta and Toyota's Fortuner
Listen to this article
Mahindra & Mahindra on Saturday announced that its new SUV Scorpio - N has received over 1 lakh bookings within the first half an hour of commencement of the booking, according to news agency PTI. The total value of vehicles sold translates to an ex-showroom price of ₹18,000 crore.


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Economic uncertainty. Swine flu. Almost all of us wanted to see the end of 2009. I say almost because for Apple, 2009 turned out to be a really good year.
Apple is one of the few companies that I admire simply because of their innovative technology that is cool and brilliant branding and marketing techniques.
In recent years, it might have seemed that Apple took its eye off the Mac platform in favour of newer, shinier gadgets like the iPod and especially the iPhone.
The past 12 months have seen Apple revamp its hardware offerings as well as the operating system that runs on them, with many of those changes helping fuel strong sales and profits at a time when other tech companies are scrounging for loose change among the couch cushions.
And Apple shows every indication of continuing that momentum into the new year.
Every desktop and laptop in Apple’s product line underwent an update in 2009, with perhaps the updates to the Mac mini being the most surprising of all.
Given up for dead by many Mac users, the mini saw its first update in more than an year adding new processors, improved graphics, and different ports.
Then later in 2009 Apple updated the Mac mini again, this time adding faster processors and doubling memory capacity.
The company also introduced a well-received mini configuration designed specifically to act as a server.
It was a remarkable change for a computer that began the year as the forgotten model in Apple’s lineup only to wind up as an exciting option for business users.
Since 2007 Apple’s largest share of revenue comes from the sale of laptops. In 2009, Apple sold more than 7.2 million laptops.
What’s driving those sales? Apple’s steady stream of updates to its laptop line. Apple kicked off the year by giving its 17-inch MacBook Pro model the same unibody enclosure that the rest of the MacBook Pro line got in 2008. But the biggest changes came in June of 2009, when Apple overhauled its entire laptop line.
The 13-inch unibody MacBooks were promoted into the MacBook Pro line, which also saw improvements to the specs of its 15- and 17-inch models.
At the same time, Apple refreshed the MacBook Air line, adding more processing power and storage space which it badly needed to be a hit. More significantly Apple slashed the prices of its ultra-thin portables.
The bottom line: Apple’s laptop line is continually evolving. If the current lineup doesn’t appeal to portable-loving consumers, chances are an update will soon come along that will grab their attention.
I guarantee you this will happen ! Simply because this approach has helped Apple sales even as PC makers try to carve out their own share of the portable market with netbooks that are both cheap in price and construction.
There is so much that all of us can learn from Apple, whether we are end users or corporations.
They have indeed homed the skill of delivering technology that works and meets the demands of the users continuously. Needless to say 2010 will be another great year for them !


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2 min read - Researchers have observed an increase in Asia-Pacific ransomware so far in 2017. Variants of these sophisticated attacks are likely to emerge in the U.S.
2 min read - Security companies are attempting to curb the surging ransomware industry with the help of cyber vaccines for the most serious infections.
2 min read - PHP ransomware is enabling cybercriminals to take over entire Web pages and broadcast their exploits to the masses, bringing in major paydays.
2 min read - The Windows 10 update marks a major turning point for Microsoft. But while there are new safeguards, experts say there are also new threats.
2 min read - Two new ransomware threats have surfaced in the last week, one identified by Symantec and the other by Rackspace. How can companies protect their data?
2 min read - The FBI says ransomware is targeting consumers and businesses and spreading via pop-up windows on websites instead of just email spam.
Analysis and insights from hundreds of the brightest minds in the cybersecurity industry to help you prove compliance, grow business and stop threats.


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CARSTAR Auto Body Repair Experts announced that after a record year in 2014 for sales, growth and industry performance, it finished the first half of 2015 with revenue of $386.2 million, which puts it on track to outpace its performance in 2014.
This year, CARSTAR is seeing year-to-date same store sales increases for the U.S. of 8.3 percent. According to CARSTAR, this leads the collision repair industry among all other companies, which it says deliver an average of four percent increases in same store sales. In addition, CARSTAR is expanding its insurance relationships, securing MSO programs with several of the top insurance carriers.
Last year, CARSTAR delivered North American revenue of $712 million, up nearly 10 percent from $649 million in 2013, a record for the company. It also ended the year with strong same store sales in North America, up 11.3 percent over the previous year.
“We continue to expand our network with strong, well-run shops and work to improve everyone’s efficiency and margins through programs focused on business management and operational improvements,” said CARSTAR CEO David Byers. “We’ve seen increases in repair volumes from the top 25 insurance carriers, driven by CARSTAR’s EDGE Performance platform and continued KPI performance. We are seeing higher repair values as consumers continue to purchase new cars. And, while the second quarter tends to have lower weather-involved repairs due to spring conditions, we saw strong growth across the network.”