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Nokia’s rumored new tablet, the Illusionist, is now likely to come with a slightly bigger display than the 8-inch one expected earlier. Nokia Power User has been tipped about the tablets import entries surfaced on Zauba, which confirms Nokia’s 8.3-inch tablet model named as the RX115 under works.
The leaked information suggests that the tablet will come with an 8.3-inch IPS full HD display with 1080p resolution, and also house a nano-SIM card slot. Also, going by the rumors earlier, the tablet is likely to support stylus and is expected to be positioned as an affordable tablet offering from the company.
There is no information on its launch time, but we are expecting it to get unveiled at CES in January.


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British chip designer ARM could cash in on the mobile industry's rush to transition to 64-bit operating systems and hardware.
Samsung has lost smartphone market share, ending the quarter on a low note and Xiaomi appears to be the big winner.
It looks like Intel will be showing off its 14nm processors, codenames Broadwell, in a couple of weeks at CES 2015.
Today we’ll be taking a closer look at the recently introduced Gainward GTX 980 4GB with the company’s trademark Phantom cooler.
Zotac has been in the nettop and mini-PC space for more than four years now and it has managed to carve…
In 2K and 1080p display versions
Possible, but not very likely
Hints from teaser images interpreted
Worth $300 million
Smartphones and tablets in tow
Focus expands to mid-range devices
Wipe that smug look off your face
Claims to own emergency call patent
Gingerbread finally sputtering out
Vanilla Android is the opium of the people
Quite a snapper
Features same rear volume buttons
In some parts of Europe
Titanium for $225
Hardly surprising given the number of Tegra 4 devices
Climbed 38.4 per cent
Eldar Murtazin says yes
There's an idea for kitchen countertops
Adverts move out of the walled garden
Most popular articles:

domain: news


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Frasers Hospitality has bought four UK hotels through its Malmaison and Hotel du Vin subsidiaries.
The Singapore-based hotels and apartments operator purchased the hotels from Swire Properties Hotels Holdings in a deal worth £36.1 million.
The Magdalen Chapter, Exeter
The hotels, which will continue to operate under their existing names until 2016 when individual development plans will be revealed, are Avon Gorge in Bristol, The Magdalen Chapter in Exeter (see news, April 2012), Montpellier Chapter in Cheltenham and Hotel Seattle in Brighton.
The purchase comes after the group acquired Malmaison and Hotel du Vin earlier this year, doubling the company’s hotel stock in Europe to 4,000 guestrooms at a cost of £363 million (see news, June 19).
Choe Peng Sum, CEO of Frasers Hospitality said: “These four stylish and iconic hotels in their respective cities are a perfect fit for Malmaison and Hotel du Vin, and this acquisition is clearly in line with the group’s expansion strategy of the brands within the UK, Europe and Asia.
“With these two best-in-class lifestyle brands, we are on track to achieve our goal of operating 30,000 keys by 2019.”
Frasers’ global portfolio now stands at 136 properties in 78 cities.


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GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Drew Dykstra is looking forward to driving his new Tesla 3 to Chicago for repairs. It's the closest place he can get a clunking noise in the front suspension fixed.
The defect cannot be fixed any closer to his Grand Rapids Township home because the front suspension will have to be re-aligned. The electric car maker does not have a dealership or repair facility in Michigan.
"It is, but it isn't," Dykstra said about the inconvenience of driving out of state to get repairs on his new car.
The 34-year-old also owns a Tesla Model S, a full-sized luxury version of the all-electric car that's been in production for several years. Dykstra owns an information technology firm.
"When I bought both Teslas, I bought into it knowing Michigan doesn't allow Tesla to sell or service vehicles here. It frustrates me a lot," said Dykstra, who had owned a pair of Chevrolet's Volt, a plug-in hybrid sedan, before he bought a Tesla.
Nonetheless, Dykstra is thrilled to be one of the first owners of the electric car Tesla has developed to appeal to the mid-priced car market. After four weeks, he's put 2,600 miles on the odometer and offered countless friends and acquaintances test drives.
The Tesla 3 is one of the most talked about and anticipated new cars in the U.S. market.
Built in a highly automated assembly plant in California, Tesla CEO Elon Musk promised to deliver up to 20,000 Tesla 3s per month after Tesla took 400,000 pre-orders in 2016. Instead, the company delivered only 1,550 models in the entire fourth quarter of 2017 as Tesla struggles with what Musk has described as "production hell."
Dykstra placed his $1,000 reservation on the first day Tesla began taking orders two year ago. He moved closer to the head of the line as an existing Tesla owner and by ordering a version with an extended range battery, an upgraded interior package and 19-inch sport wheels. He estimates his edition is approximately the 4,700th model to come off the line.
By adding the upgrades and including a no-black paint job, Dykstra said his Model 3 ended up costing him about $52,500. With a $7,500 federal tax credit, he'll end up paying $45,000.
Since picking the car up in Chicago, Dykstra has meticulously monitored its performance and energy bills. Unlike other electric car owners, he has less "range anxiety" because Tesla has built a network of "supercharging" stations across most of the U.S. so he can quickly recharge the batteries.
According to a spreadsheet he prepared on a recent road trip, Dykstra estimates he spent $13.68 and 2.5 hours at four recharging stations to travel 563.3 miles. Unlike his Model S, Tesla charges Model 3 owners for their time at its supercharging stations.
"I never had to think twice about going to Nashville with it," Dykstra said.
Like most electric vehicle owners, the bulk of Dykstra's charging activity takes place at his home, where he has installed two Tesla chargers.
Dykstra, a stickler for details, said he's pleased with the fit and finish of his new car -- better than his Model S. "There's nothing on this that drives me nuts. I have no real gripes."
Unlike most cars on the road, the Tesla 3 does not have a dashboard array mounted behind the steering wheel. Except for a small gear shift and wiper controls, most functions are handled on a large touchscreen mounted in the center of the dashboard.
If there are service issues, 90 percent of them can be handled by a cadre of "mobile service rangers" who come to your home, Dykstra said. Upgrades to the vehicle's software are automatically downloaded to the cars in the evenings.
He's also pleased with the handling and acceleration of the rear-wheel drive sports sedan. It also has exceeded his expectations on snowy roads.
"It's just fun to drive," he said. "Once you go electric, it's a whole new experience and you don't want to go back."


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posted on Dec, 1 2009 @ 05:50 PM
I don't know If this is the right forum for this thread but here goes!!. Hoooray for the Loonie!! I think.....
This is one of these good news bad news kindof deals. Good news is that our economy is showing signs of strength, our exports of oil, gas and other
natural resources plus other markets and countries are investing our currency because it seems like a safe bet right now. So in one way the recession
looks like it's over. One the other hand This is bad for our manufacturing sector since it will now cost more to purchase commodities, so in that way
the recession is still going strong.


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BYE, bye to bonnie babies smiling at us from the supermarket shelves.
Cute infants beaming from the front of formula packs will soon be a thing of the past.
New EU legislation is to outlaw the use of baby pictures on labels for milk and other products.
The new regulations ban pictures of well-fed-looking babies from labelling on infant formula for ages up to 12 months, as well as on some foods sold for special medical purposes.
A spokeswoman for the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) said that under current labelling restrictions no baby pictures are allowed on infant formula up to six months.
However, the restriction on infant pictures hasn't applied to follow-on formula, such as those by Cow & Gate (right) and SMA (inset), the milk-based food for babies over six months.
"We welcome the fact that it is coming in. The number-one advice is that breast feeding is best for infants," the FSAI spokeswoman added.
It said that the aim is to provide better protection for consumers and help them distinguish more clearly between foods for normal consumption and foods for specific groups such as coeliacs. The new rules also cover some low-calorie diets.
Labour Party MEP Nessa Childers said: "Parents need to be confident and have reliable information when buying food for their babies, in particular, milk-based products.
"In future, the labelling of milk-based food for babies up to the age of 12 months, including follow-on formula, will not include any pictures of infants or other pictures intended to idealise the use of such foods, to make sure that breast feeding is not discouraged.
"After much tough negotiations by MEPs with national governments, the Parliament won a victory to extend labelling restrictions which currently apply to infant formula, to follow-on formula.
"Using pictures will not be permitted on either infant or follow-on formula," she said.
However, graphic representations intended for easy identification of the formula and for illustrating methods of preparation will still be permitted.
The regulation will be published in the EU's Official Journal in the coming weeks but will only apply from 2016, giving businesses time to adapt their commercial practices. However, no products will have to be withdrawn from the market.
Milk-based drinks for young children, from one to three years, are not included in this special foods regulations, also known as 'growing up milks'.


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Walmart announced Thursday that it is expanding its hiring and termination policies, announcing a policy to allow workers to choose whether or not to apply for a job.
The new policy states that employees may choose whether to apply and, if successful, to apply again, after which the employer can either offer a promotion or offer them a job with no further action.
This policy is the first of its kind in the industry.
The company said that the new policy will allow employees to discuss their decision to apply with the manager of their company, and then allow them to apply as long as they agree to have that discussion with the company.
This is a major change from other companies that have only allowed employees to make this decision when making a hiring or firing decision, such as with the hiring of a new CEO.
Walmart said that its new policy allows employees to take a company survey and have it recorded and used by managers, who can then discuss with employees the decision to work at Walmart, as well as any other matters that the company deems appropriate.
Walmart also said it will allow people to take part in these interviews, and if they don’t agree to participate in the interviews, they can leave.


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China milk scare escalates
China says nearly 13,000 children are in hospital after drinking toxic milk powder in a dramatic escalation of Beijing's latest safety scandal.
As the World Health Organisation questioned Beijing's handling of the crisis, Premier Wen Jiabao appeared on state television promising to head off further incidents.
But a Hong Kong toddler also became the first child affected outside the mainland and more countries moved to bar Chinese milk products.
The health ministry said 12,892 infants were in hospital with 104 babies in serious condition, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
Some 1,579 babies had been "cured" and discharged, the ministry said, adding that hospitals nationwide had seen almost 40,000.
At least four children have died from drinking poisonous baby formula.
The scandal stems from the practice of adding industrial chemical melamine, normally used to make plastics, to watered-down milk to boost apparent protein levels.
Melamine, which causes urinary problems including kidney stones, was first discovered in baby formula and then in liquid milk, yoghurt and ice-cream, leading to mass recalls.
The problem first came to light last week in state-controlled media but New Zealand dairy Fonterra, which has a joint venture with China's Sanlu, has said it knew for weeks and had been pushing for a recall.
Some Chinese press reports have said the scam had been going on for years, with the country's chaotic and corrupt food safety system unable to detect or prevent it.
Shigeru Omi, Western Pacific director of the UN's World Health Organisation, raised concerns the matter was not reported earlier.
"Evidently there is also a problem with internal communication," Dr Omi told a news conference in Manila.
"It seems people already knew of this problem for some time and did not share this information."
With Brunei, Bangladesh and Burundi becoming the latest countries to bar Chinese milk products, Premier Wen pledged to put an end to the long line of safety scares.
"What we want to do now is prevent this happening again, not just with milk products, but with all foods," he said.
"We want to prevent similar incidents occurring so that the common people can eat in peace."
China has endured a litany of scandals in recent years over dangerous products including food, drugs and toys, many of which were exported, dealing a blow to its manufacturing reputation.
Last year, melamine was found in exports of Chinese pet food which killed cats and dogs in the United States.
Meanwhile Hong Kong's government said a three-year-old girl developed a kidney stone after drinking Chinese milk powder but she has left hospital and is in good condition.
Burundi became the third African country to bar Chinese milk products after Gabon and Tanzania, while Brunei joined neighbouring Malaysia, Singapore and Bangladesh in freezing imports.
A Japanese company is recalling thousands of buns made with Chinese milk, fearing contamination. Eighteen people have been arrested in China over the scandal, state media have said.


text: Sector3 Studios have released a mouthwatering batch of fresh in game preview images of the mighty Nurburgring-Nordschleife circuit in Germany. The behemoth legend is currently under development and due to be released for RaceRoom Racing Experience in the new year. Utilising Laser Scanning technology, Sector3 look like they have been very busy in recent weeks bringing the same level of attention to detail to this immense 14 mile monster as they have lavished on previous releases for the title, ensuring this track is bound to be a favourite among fans on its release. Still with no official release date announced, these latest images make it difficult to imagine roll out to the general public is very far away at all. There's not really much more that needs to be said as a picture is worth a thousand words, so here's four more pictures.


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Freedges, or “free refrigerators,” continue to grow nationwide
In the year since Victoria Jayne placed four community fridges across Philadelphia with free food, she has been amazed at how quickly they empty. And hungry Philadelphians seem to be picking up food from any refrigerator they can find: outside a doctor’s office, near an art space, next to a building, and even near a playground.
“The refrigerators, they completely turn over every eight hours,” she said. “You put something on at night. You show up the next morning and go.
Refrigerators are just a handful of the vast network of ever-expanding community food centers that have been launched across the country, in cities large and small.
During the coronavirus pandemic, as the economy was turned upside down and the demand on food banks continued to increase in many places, the desire of local food activists also created small locations where n Anyone can pick up a few items at any time with no questions asked.
While the concept has been around for many years, the pandemic has inspired the creation of hundreds of new free fridges in dozens of cities over the past 18 months and made it into something that is here to stay.
Ernst Bertone Oehninger, who runs freedge.org, an online list of free refrigerators in the world, cautiously estimates that the United States has 400 free refrigerators, and almost all of them have been created in the past 18 months.
Refrigerators keep proliferating, and some are moving into different business models and offering other products.
A refrigerator project in Chicago not only provides food for pickup, but also sets up boxes of free produce for local delivery. Another group in Washington state offers not only food, but health-related products as well. A suburban Boston food bank has expanded its traditional brick-and-mortar offering to include a free refrigerator, set up in front of a dry cleaners. And a refrigerator project in Los Angeles offers bedding and other camping-related items for homeless communities desperate to stay warm.
“It takes a whole host of programs and approaches to eradicate the multifaceted problem of hunger in the United States, and community refrigerators can certainly play an important role,” said Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach, economics professor and expert in poverty at Northwestern University, which is a board member of the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
How they work
Free refrigerators typically operate on a fairly simple version of a motto: “Take what you need and leave what you can.” “
The aim is to provide reliable places for people to eat, especially in neighborhoods with high poverty rates.
“We have people shopping and leaving extras,” Jayne said.
Some free refrigerators across the country, sometimes called “fridges,” run on donated groceries. Others operate more on cash donations, which are used to purchase food to donate.
Community refrigerators in South Philadelphia rely primarily on donations of basic items like cooking oil, coffee, grains, and other items from food banks, grocery stores, nonprofits, and individuals. In addition, the group collects thousands of dollars in donations per month.
Small but mighty
Few of the people who use free refrigerators have the illusion that they can have a large and substantial impact nationwide. But every little bit counts.
A report released this year by the Department of Agriculture found that more than 10 percent of U.S. households, or nearly 14 million people, remain food insecure.
More than 1.3 million people go hungry across Pennsylvania, according to Feeding America, a national nonprofit food bank organization. Philabundance, Philadelphia’s largest food bank, distributed more than 55 million pounds of food last year, serving more than 135,000 people a week.
Food policy experts say even a four-location refrigerator network, like the ones in South Philadelphia, can have a small but positive impact. One of the many benefits is that most free fridges never close, unlike food banks and pantries that have fixed dispensing times.
Jayne said community building is an essential part of the work she and dozens of other volunteers do.
“People need to eat. That’s really all there is to it, ”she said. “It is important to me that the needs of my neighbors are met.
Kristin Guerin, who launched her first free fridge in Miami over a year ago, acknowledges the efforts of free fridge organizers are tiny compared to the scale of the problem. But she’s proud of the little effort she’s made to alleviate hunger.
“A lot of the work we need to refocus on is countering that work to make sure we’re working for long-term change,” she said. “Community refrigerators are a band-aid. The ultimate goal is to end food insecurity.
While Philadelphia’s always-open refrigerator network is a model, another model operates in the Englewood neighborhood of south Chicago, where Dion’s Dream Fridge is open seven hours a day, five days a week.
The refrigerator is managed by Dion Dawson, 30, who said he started his location across from a playground just over a year ago. The organization mainly accepts cash donations but not food gifts, and it prefers to purchase food from retailers. Dawson said that unlike most personal refrigerators or refrigerator networks, his group is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit that has grown in the last year from a $ 20,000 budget. to $ 300,000.
“We realized that we had to fill our refrigerator with brand new products in order to stabilize the quality and make sure it had the most impact possible,” he said. “From there, since September 11, 2020, we fill our fridge every day. We do not take donations or mutual aid.


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In a research note, Jonas wrote:
The name 'Autopilot' could create a consumer expectation problem and a potential moral hazard. When you hear the world 'Autopilot,' you may think of technology for commercial airline pilots which temporarily relieve the human operator from using the aircraft controls. In fact, Tesla Autopilot is meant to be a driver assist and when activating the system, the driver is presented with a warning that is meant to keep his hands on the wheel at all times to ensure safe operation of the vehicle. Unfortunately, some drivers may be tempted to explore the novelty factor of the system in ways that expose themselves, fellow passengers and other vehicles on public roads to great danger.
Tesla's Autopilot is under fire after a Tesla driver died while using the technology. Since that story broke, more stories of people getting in accidents on Autopilot have emerged.
Now, consumer watchdog Consumer Reports is telling Tesla to disable autopilot.
Jonas argued that Tesla's Autopilot isn't really autopilot, it's more like cruise control on steroids. By calling it Autopilot, Tesla is creating a false sense of safety among users, which can be dangerous to everyone on the road.


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Shiseido Is Giving Itself A Whole New Look
In the newly chic circles of China's cosmopolitan cities, Chinese women with money to spend are buying beauty. As one might expect, they prefer French for fashionable clothing and Italian for stylish shoes. But for cosmetics, their choice, surprisingly, is Japanese. "It's better for sensitive skin and suits Asian skin more than the European brands do," says a freckled 33-year-old civil servant purchasing makeup at the Shiseido counter inside the China World Trade Center in Beijing.
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A new cold calling Resale Company has been spotted by the name of Inmobiliaria Carbonell.
Inmobiliaria Carbonell contact timeshare owners, mainly French speaking owners, by cold call and tell them a story about a corporate buyer which they have already waiting, keen on purchasing their weeks, and the price offered is well over the current market price.
As to reports received from consumers, the buyer that supposedly is interested to purchase their weeks is a big international company, Union Fenosa España and Inmobiliaria Carbonell provide the consumer even with a contract that seems to evidence this.
As usual with this kind of business, Inmobiliaria Carbonell asks the consumer to pay an upfront fee, and once more we ask ourselves how it is possible that these people do not know about the European Timeshare Directive, which states clearly that requests for upfront fees are not allowed when offering resale of timeshare weeks.
We would say this looks the same as all the other resale companies that pop up and disappear continuously, and we would certainly not recommend paying any money to such a company.
PLEASE MAKE SURE NEVER TO MAKE ANY UPFRONT PAYMENTS!
Their address stated on their documents is in Alicante.
Telephone number (+) 00 34 91 18 689 35 and Fax (+) 00 34 91 27 259 87
If Inmobiliaria Carbonell contacted you with this or a similar offer, please let us know.
You can either e-mail us to email@example.com or leave your comment here on our blog. In both cases we will shortly come back to you with more information.


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Sign up for the PlasticsToday NewsFeed newsletter.
July 31, 2021
3 Min Read
Image: Kyle Brutke/Adobe Stock
Electric vehicles (EVs) continue to be promoted as the wave of the future, in spite of numerous obstacles several new EV companies have encountered.
First there was Nikola, which managed to rake in a lot of big-name investors and their money, only to fall flat when the company failed to deliver on its electric truck product and technology.
On July 29, it was announced that Trevor Milton, the founder of Nikola Corp. and former chairman of the company, was charged with making “misleading and false statements” to the company’s investors. Federal prosecutors in New York stated that between November 2019 and September 2020, Milton was a participant in an alleged scheme to defraud investors by getting them to purchase shares of Nikola with projections of big production and sales numbers. Milton said he will defend himself against these “false allegations.”
Sound familiar? It should, because Lordstown Motors Corp. finds itself in a similar situation. On July 16, several news outlets confirmed what had been announced earlier in the month: The Justice Department is investigating the company for matters related to its reverse merger deal last year and preorders for its forthcoming pickup truck, the Endurance.
The Ohio-based EV startup said it had received two subpoenas from the SEC requesting documents and information related to its merger deal last October with publicly traded DiamondPeak Holdings Corp., a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC), often referred to disparagingly as a “blank check company.” Specifically, the SEC is seeking information related to Lordstown Motors’ “preorder book” for its all-electric pickup truck. The company had used those preorder numbers indicating future demand to encourage further investment in a product that had not yet gone into production.
Lucid Group, another EV startup founded in 2007, first focused on electric-vehicle batteries, then moved into the goal of producing cars that “aim to replicate the success of Tesla.” There’s just one thing missing from that plan — billionaire Elon Musk. However, Lucid did something else to provide a pipeline of cash — it completed a merger with SPAC Churchill Capital Corp. IV. These blank-check companies appear to be riding to the rescue of EV startups, which are becoming wise to the SEC’s probes and moving instead to merge with SPACs.
SPAC mergers have looser regulatory requirements than traditional IPOs. They can “trumpet outsize revenue projections that some analysts have criticized as unrealistic,” said a June 27 Wall Street Journal article, “Lucid, an Electric-Vehicle Startup, Jumps 11% in SPAC Market Debut.”
It continues to amaze me that investors will throw money — and lots of it — into startup EV companies that haven’t produced a viable product. Lordstown’s Endurance pickup truck didn’t endure so well when it tried competing in the San Felipe 250 race in Baja. It seems that slogging through deep sand drains the batteries faster, so it had to drop out of the race. A fire in one of the prototype vehicles also set the company back.
All of these new EV startups present a problem for suppliers, as well. Molders and mold makers have had their challenges with the automotive industry throughout the decades, including getting paid for molds and molded parts. This in spite of the fact that the large global vehicle manufacturers produce millions of cars and trucks annually and have actual revenues and profits.
I find it amazing that any supplier would agree to begin work on molds and other components with nothing more than promised production and projected sales that cannot even be confirmed. Even the global vehicle makers are risking a lot with their plans to create EVs in the hope that there will be enough infrastructure (charging stations) as well as reliable, consistent energy to charge millions of EVs on the road. It’s a plan that I believe Henry Ford would have some doubts about.
About the Author(s)
Until she retired in September 2021, Clare Goldsberry reported on the plastics industry for more than 30 years. In addition to the 10,000+ articles she has written, by her own estimation, she is the author of several books, including The Business of Injection Molding: How to succeed as a custom molder and Purchasing Injection Molds: A buyers guide. Goldsberry is a member of the Plastics Pioneers Association. She reflected on her long career in "Time to Say Good-Bye."
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Antonio Galloni has announced that he is leaving the Wine Advocate, where he assumed coverage of California and Burgundy less than two years ago. He also reviewed the wines of Champagne and Italy for the publication.
He told the NYT-Diner’s Journal blog that he will be starting his own internet venture though he didn’t specify exact plans and said he is still seeking investors. In the past, Robert Parker derided those writing on the internet as “blobbers.” Galloni may well have an offline presence since he has organized several events, including the “Festa del Barolo.”
Galloni mentioned that the recent sale of the Wine Advocate to investors from Singapore played a part in his decision. At that time, the new editor-in-chief, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, left the door open to current staff departures, telling the WSJ, “There is a plethora of good wine writers out there. It’s a buyer’s market.” So did Galloni jump before he was pushed? The Wine Advocate has all the transparency of a papal conclave–and perhaps just as much smoke! Either way, I wish him the best with his new venture.
The Diner’s Journal post did not comment on who would take over for his coverage areas the Wine Advocate. But does it matter? With Parker selling his stake overseas, his diminished presence at the publication, his downplaying Bordeaux ’11 and ’12, and now Galloni leaving, the publication seems to be at a low. The Ralph Nadir of wine criticism?
Ray Isle, Executive Wine Editor at Food & Wine, digs through the the magazine’s 35 years of archives to dig up predictions that Robert Parker made in their pages. Then he presents those (often inaccurate) predictions to Parker himself. What follows is lots of contrition, honesty and humility. Well, not exactly. Click through to check it all out.
I find the prediction about distributors disappearing to be the most disheartening–did Parker really think these multi-billion-dollar oligopolies would just roll over and die? His lack of leadership on the crucial and related issue of direct shipping has been particularly glaring. Without direct shipping from retailers and wineries, tens of millions of wine consumers across the country face higher prices or simply can’t get many wines. Had he used his bully pulpit and renown to champion this issue, it would have burnished his reputation as a consumer advocate, papering over some of the cracks caused by the polarizing styles of wine that he championed.
Over on wine-searcher, I have a 1,300-word Q&A with Howard Goldberg. Howard has been writing about wine since the mid-1980s and just edited a compendium of wine writing from the New York Times.
Howard has lots of provocative views on wine writing and more; I humbly subit that it’s worth checking out.
Try on this shelf-talker: “Just think of a scene in a movie where the lead actress, obviously one of the greats, turns around slowly and walks away from the camera taking your entire attention with her.” A Chambertin? A ’47 Cheval Blanc?
Actually, it’s for a cheese. The Times ran a piece last week on cheesemongers and their descriptors. Their often serve up one part metaphor, one part tasting note and often are funny without being overdone. Cheese sales has an advantage over wine sales since a cheesemonger can use the shelf-talker to provoke interest and the consumer has the chance to sample, immediately reconciling his or her palate with the description.
Wine tasting notes have evolved from metaphor to the explosion of aroma wheel fruit descriptors and beyond. Of course, the culmination of wine shelf-talkers is point scores, a fate we would not wish befall cheesemongers. That would be stinkier than a ripe epoisses.
Writing good tasting notes is hard to do. What do you think of cheese descriptors–accurate? Annoying? Enticing?
Soo Hoo Khoon Peng is the newest owner of the Wine Advocate, report blogger Vincent Pousson and Decanter.com. They point to email received from sources close to the transaction saying that he led a syndicate of buyers to pay $15 million for an undisclosed stake in the company. Soo Hoo, listed as vice president at Detsche Bank on his LinkedIn profile (and on his Facebook page, which has now been removed despite frequent updates prior to Monday), was a co-founder and director at Hermitage Wines, an importer and retailer. Pousson and Decanter report that the email says he divested himself of the Hermitage stake last month.
In his announcing of the transaction, Robert Parker had described the buyers as “totally independent of the wine industry.” He also noted that the Wine Advocate headquarters would continue to be in Maryland. Decanter quotes the email as saying that Singapore is the new “command and control” of the Wine Advocate.
Hermitage Wines has organized events for various wine world luminaries, including Robert Parker at the three-day “Ultimate Parker in Asia” event in 2010. “Parker is god when it comes to wine, nobody in any business is as influential as he is,” Hermitage co-founder Arnaud Compas was quoted in the Reuters story at the time. “He has vision, the ability to anticipate how a wine will develop, and he has always been spot on, which sets the benchmark for prices. Because of that, Robert Parker has created fortunes.”
After several days, there was no reply to an email to Soo Hoo seeking verification of his role in the transaction.
Robert Parker has sold a “substantial” interest in the Wine Advocate. He is stepping down as editor and the newsletter will now be run out of Singapore. The new owners plan “wine education conferences” around the world and will accept non-wine advertising.
This seems like quite a volte face since, as Felix Salmon notes, Parker just told the WSJ last month that he has refused all offers over the years in part because he “would not relinquish” editorial control of his newsletter. Now the WSJ ran a story by Lettie Teague on the sale to an group of three unnamed, “young visionaries” in Singapore. The story reports that Lisa Perrotti-Brown, currently the Australian wine critic, becomes editor-in-chief and that they will cease the print edition, shifting to exclusively online. (Parker also posted details on his own web site in an announcement.) The WSJ story presents no history of the subscriber arc at the Wine Advocate but claims it currently has 50,000 subscribers (Since this is a news story in the Media & Marketing section, can one assume that this figure was verified in some way other than Parker’s word?).
Perrotti-Brown, long the least-known member of the staff, seems to have a swagger in her step as she commented to the WSJ that she and Parker “hope” the current contributing critics stay with the publication. But, if not, “There is a plethora of good wine writers out there. It’s a buyer’s market,” she said. On the thread on eBob, Neal Martin, who was rushing out to a tasting, posted that he is “very excited” about the changes. Read more…


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The Commercial court of Lugansk region decided to collect the debt of 742.35 million UAH from Alchevsk Iron and Steel Works for electricity provided by the Lugansk power company. According to the decree, the works has also to pay 151.43 million UAH of fines. The power company states, that Ukraine-uncontrolled territories of Lugansk region receive…Details
The Zarechnaya mine is being taken from Lvivugol. Vladimir Lokshina has been appointed the acting director of the mine. The mine was put into operation in 1970 and joined Lvivugol in 2003. According to the Cabinet of Ministers decree of 2015 the mine was included in the list of profitless companies to be shut down.…Details
Donetsk Iron and Steel Works has resumed operation after a forced delay following the partial stop of railroad connection in the ATO zone. The works has already produced 1.5 thousand tons of pig iron. At the same time Alchevsk Iron and Steel Works has been working at low capacities for a week. It produces some…Details
ArcelorMittal Kriviy Rih has started producing a new type of reinforcement steel – A400 die-rolled section rebar with 6 mm diameter according to DSTU 3760:2006. Such rebars are used in housing and industrial construction. “We have increased the range of our rolled products from 22 types to 56. The new A400 rebars have been developed…Details
ArcelorMIttal Kriviy Rih has dismissed three members of the supervisory board ahead of time. Among them is the ex-head of the President Secretariat Oleg Rybachuk. According to the company statement, Frantisek Chowaniec and Gerhard Renz have also been dismissed. At the same time ArcelorMittal Berislav has dismissed Wilhelmer Michael from the office of the supervisory…Details
The state enterprise “Ukrpromvneshexpertiza” believes scrap prices to fall in the summer period. Local prices will be on the level of 3300-4100 UAH per ton till mid-July, and 3300-3800 UAH per ton till mid-August. HMS 1&2 CIF Turkey will cost $210-250 per ton. In May – early June scrap price dropped from $325 per ton…Details
In May Ukraine received 301 thousand tons of scrap while it needed 375 thousand tons. “Scrap deficiency went up 2 times YoY from the year start”, said Interpipe finance director Denis Morozov. The company explains increase of the scrap deficiency in May with the activization of exports. Despite the court decree 113 thousand tons of…Details
In May Ukraine exported $65.93 million worth of ferroalloys, while imports reached $6.1 million.
According to the State Fiscal Service, Italy was the largest importer of Ukrainian ferroalloys in May ($15.97 million).
In January-May Ukraine exported $274.03 million worth of ferroalloys, with imports on the level of $31.03 million. (Ukrainian metal)
The supervisory board of Trubostal has dismissed Vladimir Dzyuba from the office of the general director and appointed Vladimir Sparinyak, who previously worked as the sales director of Metinvest SMC. Dzyuba was appointed on February 1, 2015. Sparinyak has been appointed till December 31, 2016. In 2015 Trubostal received 4 million UAH of net profits,…Details
In May Ukraine exported $32.8 million worth of pig iron, while imports were on the level of $0.06 million.
According to the State Fiscal Service, Turkey was the major importer of Ukrainian pig iron in May ($14.49 million).
In January-May Ukraine exported $152.84 million worth of pig iron, with imports at $0.24 million. (Ukrainian metal)
NLMK Group has extended the management board of NLMK International B.V., a holding company for NLMK’s international assets. The number of board members has been increased to five with the appointment of Mr. Cornelius Louwrens to the newly introduced position of director of operational efficiency. Mr. Louwrens has over 20 years’ experience in senior positions…Details
The supervisory board of the machine-building works “Svet Shakhtera” has appointed Alexander Kovalchuk chairman of the board. According to the company statement, Irina Kiryanova, Gennady Vysotsky, Alexander Dyatlov, Vadim Leontiev and Vadim Dergousov have been appointed members of the supervisory board. At the same time Larisa Rak, Victor Kirilenko and Leonid Yevglevsky have been dismissed…Details
In May Ukraine produced 6551 thousand tons of iron ore and concentrate, up by 1.5% MoM, or by 97 thousand tons. In particular, iron ore production decreased by 2.4% MoM, or by 27 thousand tons, to 1111 thousand tons, while that of iron ore concentrate went up by 2.3% MoM, or by 124 thousand tons,…Details
In July Ukraine will produce 2.2 million tons of steel, 2.1 million tons of pig iron and 1.9 million tons of rolled metal, Metallurgprom believes. Railroaders strike in late May – early June paralyzed raw materials and products deliveries to and from some metal and coke companies, and this resulted in a considerable decrease of…Details
The head of the Donetsk region Pavel Zhebrivsky together with the people’s deputy Sergey Sazhko and the local authorities visited Krasnogorovka Refractory Works. The company has been idle for 2 years. Now it plans to start operating and employ some 500 people. “The works ceased operating because of the active military activities and the absence…Details
In May Ukraine imported $21.79 million worth of coke, while exports reached $2.29 million.
According to the State Fiscal Service, Poland supplied most of the coke ($13.51 million).
In January-May Ukraine imported $75.49 million worth of coke, with exports on the level of $10.81 million. (Ukrainian metal)
In May Ukraine produced 2246 thousand tons of pig iron, up by 8.9% MoM, or by 183 thousand tons.
In January-May pig iron production went up by 21.5% YoY, or by 1798 thousand tons, to 10162 thousand tons. (Ukrainian metal)
In May Ukraine produced 2003 thousand tons of rolled metal, down by 0.6% MoM, or by 13 thousand tons.
In January-May rolled metal output increased by 16.4% YoY, or by 1309 thousand tons, to 9314 thousand tons. (Ukrainian metal)
In May Ukraine exported $164.17 million worth of iron ore, while imports totaled $7.24 million.
According to the State Fiscal Service, most imports came from China ($59.79 million).
In January-May Ukraine exported $675.52 million, with imports at $46.45 million. (Ukrainian metal)
In May Ukraine produced 2307 thousand tons of steel, up by 5% MoM, or by 110 thousand tons.
In January-May steel production increased by 14.5% YoY, or by 1337 thousand tons, to 10587 thousand tons. (Ukrainian metal)
Kramatorsk prosecutors have filed a claim against Kondratyevsky Refractory Works, situated in Druzhkovka, Donetsk region. According to the prosecutors press-service, the works haven’t been paying for subsidized pensions. Thus it has a debt of over 400 thousand UAH to the Pension Fund of Ukraine. Prosecutors want to get this money with the help of the…Details
In May Ukraine exported $19.4 million worth of ferrous metals, while imports reached $1.09 million.
According to the State Fiscal Service, the largest importer of Ukrainian scrap in May was Turkey ($19.4 million).
In January-May Ukraine exported $36.25 million worth of ferrous metals, with imports on the level of $2.87 million. (Ukrainian metal)


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Apparently, the Beatles are worth more as a group than they are worth individually. An auction held on Saturday pulled in hundreds of thousands of dollars for Beatles memorabilia, but a signed album took home the cake in Dallas auctioneer Heritage’s Entertainment & Memorabilia Signature Auction.
The album sold was a 1967 mono copy of Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Before the auction, Heritage called the piece one of the most “spectacular jewels” in the auction. The copy was signed by all four Beatles—John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr—and was expected to bring in around $30,000. It ended up doing far better than that, pulling in $290,500 after a lengthy bidding war ensued between an Internet and phone bidder, according to Dallas News. The previous record for Beatles memorabilia was $150,000.
While not as impressive as the money brought in for Dorothy’s one-of-a-kind Wizard of Oz dress, humorously, the signed record went for more than this girl’s virginity.
Beatles memorabilia is on the market all of the time. Back in November, a rare 10-song demo tape was announced to go up for auction. In the same Heritage auction, signed items featuring individual signatures from members of the Beatles were also for sale. Of these, an Abbey Road display cover signed by John Lennon brought in the most money, selling for $ 7812.50—still a far cry from the money that the Sgt. Pepper album brought in.
Photo [email protected] Heritage Auctions


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Opera Software Launches Opera TV Ads SDK for Mobile Development
|Richard Harris in Monetize Tuesday, September 9, 2014|
Opera Software has launched the Opera TV Ads SDK allowing developers to serve video advertising on any platform.
Opera’s video advertising solution was previously available exclusively to apps distributed via the Opera TV Store application platform and developed through the Opera TV Snap technology, which transforms online video channels into apps for connected-TV devices.
Now the Opera TV Ads SDK is available as a standalone feature for any HTML5 app or Smart TV device, whether on the Opera TV Store or other application platforms. The solution integrates with Opera Mediaworks advertising platform.
Built on HTML5, the SDK gives access to a global ad supply from Opera Mediaworks’ demand partners across multiple networks, as well as Opera’s owned and operated ad networks and demand-side platform. Ad management and reporting is facilitated through a web-based central dashboard and the SDK also allows developers to upload, schedule and track their directly sold campaigns.
Integration of advertising with the Opera TV Ads SDK also provides TV manufacturers and pay-TV operators the ability to access a one-stop solution for placement of video advertising anywhere inside the device user interface, including targeting users across apps and interactive advertising via linear broadcast, where available.
Read more: http://www.operasoftware.com/opera-tv


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SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Boku, the global leader in direct carrier billing-based mobile payments, has announced a series of new partnerships to bring direct carrier billing to Google Play™ for more than 75 million mobile subscribers across 3 major European markets.
As a result of the new deals, subscribers can use one-tap mobile payments to purchase games and apps in the Google Play store. The charges can be completed using only the subscriber’s phone number and appear on the subscriber’s mobile phone bill or are deducted from the subscriber’s prepaid balance, with no additional personal information or credit card required.
These integrations further expand the footprint of Boku’s recently announced Boku Direct offering, which allows consumers to store and use their phone number in the exact same manner as a credit card.
“Central Europe is clearly a very important market for alternative payments, as we’ve seen merchants clamoring to integrate carrier billing in recent months with a focus on enabling consumers in the most sophisticated markets,” said Manfred Artmeier, Boku Vice President. “The fact that Boku has been selected by the largest carriers across the region to power their Google carrier billing is a strong indicator that carriers see value in consolidating their most important merchant integrations behind a single technology provider.”
Boku currently operates live carrier billing connections into other high value merchants such as Spotify Premium, Sony Playstation Store, Windows 10 Store, and Facebook App Center.
Boku, is a leading direct carrier billing mobile payments company that is integrated with hundreds of mobile operators all over the world. Its bank-grade payments technology allows consumers to charge purchases to their mobile phone bill. Boku partners with global merchants including Facebook, Sony, Spotify, Microsoft, Riot Games, and many more. Based in San Francisco with offices in Europe, Latin America, and Asia, Boku is funded by leading Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and venture capitalists including Andreessen Horowitz, Benchmark Capital, DAG Ventures, Index Ventures, Khosla Ventures, and NEA.
Boku website: http://www.boku.com
Media Kit: http://www.boku.com/press


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Saturday, July 20 — crypto markets have noticed every other upward transfer, with all most sensible 20 cash by way of marketplace cap seeing primary positive aspects, whilst Bitcoin (BTC) has approached $11,000 mark once more.
Marketplace visualization from Coin360
After dipping beneath the $11,000 threshold on July 14, Bitcoin has approached the cost level as of late, with its intraday top of $10,944, in step with knowledge from CoinMarketCap. The largest cryptocurrency added three.7% to its worth to business at $10,922 at press time. As Bitcoin has noticed vital volatility this week, with its worth having dipped beneath $nine,500, the cryptocurrency is down round three% over the last 7 days at press time.
Bitcoin 24-hour worth chart. Supply: Coin360
Ether (ETH), the second one cryptocurrency by way of marketplace cap, is up over five% and buying and selling at $232 at press time. The highest altcoin is down 13.four% over the last 7 days.
Ether 7-day worth chart. Supply: Coin360
Ripple (XRP), the 3rd most sensible cryptocurrency by way of marketplace cap, added 6.four% to business at $zero.339, additionally seeing a notable enlargement over the last 7 days, including as much as about 2.6%.
Ripple 7-day worth chart. Supply: Coin360
Bitcoin SV (BSV), the 9th most sensible cryptocurrency by way of marketplace cap, has added over 25% to its price as of late, seeing the most important enlargement some of the most sensible 20 cash by way of marketplace cap.
As of press time, general marketplace capitalization quantities to $298 billion after that quantity dropped beneath $250 billion previous this week. Day-to-day business quantity quantities to round $63 billion.
The brand new wave of inexperienced on crypto markets follows a contemporary bullish prediction by way of managing director and quant strategist at Fundstrat International Advisors Sam Physician, who urged that much-anticipated Bakkt’s Bitcoin futures contracts will release in Q3 2019.
Moreover, India’s Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur stated the day prior to this that there is not any regulation in India that expressly bans electorate from the usage of cryptocurrencies.
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Since most financial institutions have overcome workplace and customer service challenges initially created by COVID-19, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced it would begin exercising its full supervisory and enforcement authority effective April 1, 2021.
The CFPB said it was rescinding seven policy statements issued last year that provided temporary flexibilities to financial institutions in consumer financial markets including mortgages, credit reporting, credit cards and prepaid cards.
“We are now over a year into the disruptive and deadly COVID-19 crisis. The virus has affected industry as well as consumers, but individuals and families have been hardest-hit by the pandemic’s health and economic impacts,” said CFPB Acting Director Dave Uejio. “Providing regulatory flexibility to companies should not come at the expense of consumers. Because many financial institutions have developed more robust remote capabilities and demonstrated improved operations, it is no longer prudent to maintain these flexibilities. The CFPB’s first priority, today and always, is protecting consumers from harm.” Get more information.


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Woolworths is misleading customers using its phone app to find the cheapest petrol by failing to advertise the Majura Park service station's price-matching with the nearby Costco Petrol.
That's the view of motorist Steve Horswell who regularly uses the app to check whether petrol is cheaper at the Dickson Woolworths' petrol station closer to his O'Connor home or the Majura Park service station.
But over the weekend he noticed the phone app was still advertising the Majura outlet's petrol at the pre-Costco prices prompting him to complain to Woolworths about the incorrect information.
"The app is meant to assist people about where to buy petrol, it they're not showing the real price they're misleading people," he said.
"A user of the app won't be told that the petrol at Majura Park is very significantly cheaper and hence will simply attend another petrol station.
"This behaviour by Woolworths is extremely deceptive and designed solely to boost their profits at their customer's expense."
The situation remained unchanged on Monday morning when the phone app advertised unleaded petrol at 137.7 cents per litre for customers with an in store discount or 141.7c for those without.
But the electronic advertising sign outside the service station showed unleaded petrol at 123.7c for customers who had a discount, the same price as the supermarket chain's rival Costco, and 127.7c for those without.
By comparison, the unleaded petrol prices of 142.9c per litre with a discount and 146.9c without displayed outside the Woolworths petrol station at Dickson were the same as the phone app.
It meant only motorists who drove past the Majura service station were aware Woolworths was matching newcomer Costco, with a staffer at the service station saying petrol price information was not given out over the phone, when contacted by the Canberra Times.
But a Woolworths' spokesman blamed the price discrepancy on a glitch.
"We have been aware of a technical issue where the app is displaying a higher price than that being displayed at our Majura Park service station," he said.
"We're attempting to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.
"The price available to customers is of course the lower price displayed on the pumps and on the price boards at the station."
The rivalry between Woolworths and Costco began heating up last Thursday when the supermarket chain matched prices as low as 129.7 cents per litre on Costco's opening day.
But the joy for motorists was short-lived with the supermarket chain coming under fire for ceasing the price-matching when Costco turned off its pumps each night.
The Woolworths spokesman said the app prices were provided by a third party, Informed Sources.
The company has been under investigation from the ACCC since May 2012 and along with several service station chains was subject to legal action for alleged price collusion in August.
A spokesman for the ACCC said the watchdog had not received any complaints about Majura petrol prices since Costco had opened, but it was important price reductions in response to new market players were to compete with and not damage the opposition.
"It is also important that competing businesses are clear about their pricing in marketing to consumers and don't risk misleading consumers in the way they change their prices," he said.
"At one level, it is good to see the effect competition can have in reducing prices."
The ACCC spokesman said motorists who believed price representations were misleading could complain to the ACCC, but at this stage the watchdog had not received any information that raised concerns.
Mr Horswell called for his fellow ACT motorists to boycott Woolworths to put pressure on them to match Sydney prices with an allowance for freight.
"I've been writing to Woolworths about their pricing policy, Canberra motorists have been ripped off for years," he said.
"It's difficult; you have little choice. Coles would do the same thing if they were next to Costco we're caught between a rock and a hard place."


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My father, Charlie owned a string of Oldsmobiles through the years beginning with a 1950 Olds Futuramic 88 Club Coupé and ending with a 1988 Toronado Trofeo. There were many of “my father’s Oldsmobiles” between that first and last model. I was well into adulthood when my father titled his white 1988 Trofeo. He had been selling Oldsmobiles full time since selling out his half of Han-De Super Service to his partner, Harold MacFarland. By 1988 he was selling for Carlson Oldsmobile — the fifth local Olds dealership for which he worked.
Bavarian Motor Works’ sportiest sedan series dates back to 1975 with the BMW 3-series. Back then you were limited to a carbureted inline 4-cylinder motor producing 74 horsepower or an inline 6-cylinder producing 141 horsepower. They were not rocket ships, even for ‘70s standards, but fans quickly adored the 3-series’ suburb weight distribution and excellent handling.
Government and Talladega Super Speedway officials announced a $50 million infield transformation project to coincide with the track’s 50th anniversary next year.


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HTC Flyer now on pre-order in UK for £600
Carphone Warehouse has started taking pre-orders for HTC Flyer Android tablet. It has priced it at £599.99 without contract and unlocked.
While the store shows the tablet in stock, it is still taking only pre-orders and there is no mention for the expected availability date. HTC Flyer, which was announced at Mobile World Congress, runs on Gingerbread and HTC Sense UI.
Other features of the tablet include 1.5 Ghz processor, 1GB RAM, 32 GB Internal storage, 4000 mAh battery, and 5 MP ear camera with 1.3 MP front cam.


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Apple has something planned for iTunes today, yesterday we saw a change to the Apple homepage, with the message ‘Tomorrow is just another day. That you’ll never forget’.
The Apple homepage pointed to something new for iTunes, and according to the Wall Street Journal, today’s Apple announcement relates to the Beatles catalog coming to iTunes.
The Beatles catalog is something that Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs has wanted to bring to iTunes for some time, but previous negotations have failed and a deal could not be reached to bring the catalog to iTunes.
The announcement will happen later today at 3PM UK Time, I guess we will just have to wait until then to see if the Beatles rumor is true, or if Apple has something else planned for iTunes.
Image Credit: Berjack – Deviant Art
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Orange is strengthening its corporate venture strategy by creating a new Africa section in its flagship programme for investment in start-ups, Orange Digital Ventures. As part of this initiative, the Group is committing 50 million euros corresponding to half of the direct investments made via its new Orange Digital Ventures Africa programme; the other half is devoted to indirect investments through specialised funding for Africa.
Orange Digital Ventures Africa is the Group’s investment vehicle for early-stage innovation projects in Africa in areas such as new connectivities, FinTech, the Internet of Things, energy and e-health. The objective is to target start-ups offering responses to Africa’s fundamental challenges while leveraging the operator’s assets on the continent. This support will concern all innovative start-ups, whether they are based geographically in Africa or they address African issues from another continent.
A dedicated team based in Dakar will be set up next September for the programme in order to respond to the start-ups’ need for responsiveness and simplicity. It supports Orange’s existing open innovation initiatives in Africa, such as the Orange Fabs in Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Senegal and BIG in Jordan to facilitate partnerships with the start-ups; the network of partner incubators such as CTIC in Dakar; the availability of Orange APIs on the continent; and the Orange Social Venture Prize recognising social entrepreneurs in Africa.
Orange Group one of the leading telecommunication operators in Africa last year made a EUR75 million equity investment in Africa Internet Group. This follows hot the heels of AXA’s 75 million euros investment for an 8 percent stake in Africa Internet Group (AIG).
“Since the beginning of Orange Digital Ventures, the new services and business models in Africa have been one of the priority investment themes of our corporate venture business. With this announcement, we are engaging a bit further alongside the African digital ecosystem, which like everywhere else and maybe even more than elsewhere carries with it a development challenge” shared Pierre Louette, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Orange and Chairman of Orange Digital Ventures.


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The collapsing toy business, which is liquidating its US and UK operations, is moving ahead with plans to sell some of its non-US operations, the company’s lawyer said in bankruptcy proceedings yesterday.
According to Reuters Toys ‘R’ Us has received multiple bids its majority stake in the Asian business which is run as a joint-venture with 15 per cent stakeholder, Fung Retailing.
Meanwhile Toys ‘R’ Us is attempting to maintain profitable operations throughout the region, despite winding down trading in its core markets.
Fung, a logical suitor for the business, has previously declined to comment on whether it would be launching a bid for full ownership of the Asian arm, but there have been reports that it is circling a proposal that would see it fund a buy with other partners or by taking the business public.
Toys ‘R’ Us locations throughout Asia and Australia continue to trade while the US-based business undertakes fire sales to clear stock and repay indebted creditors.
There are more than 200 stores in the Toys ‘R’ Us Asia portfolio which have thus far skated clear of the disruption taking place for the brand in western markets.
In an earlier statement Toys ‘R’ Us Asia president Andre Javes sought to distance his operation from his company’s majority owner.
“We are a financially robust and self-funding retail operation, which continued to significantly grow and invest in this region,” he said in March.
“Every year we are opening new stores in all our markets and particularly in China where we now operate over 150 stores and will be opening another 30 in the coming months.”
A $1 billion crowd funding initiative is still underway to save the collapsing US business, but it is unlikely to result in a purchase offer.
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The economy is incredibly hard to read at present but an increasingly consistent trend emerging across the UK is falling high street retail sales.
Almost every retailer that is primarily based in bricks and mortar has seen a trading drop-off during this year, but is this decline a small blip or the start of a long period of austerity retail?
Consumers are certainly feeling the pinch. High inflation, stalling wage increases and rising unemployment are making it increasingly difficult for consumers to justify splashing out on a new Lipsy dress or Blu-Ray DVD player.
To add to their problems the coalition government is currently attempting to cut the national deficit at a considerable speed, and this means significant spending cuts.
A one per cent rise in National Insurance Contributions, five per cent increase in the rate of stamp duty on properties worth over £1 million, the restriction of pension tax relief and a freeze on the inheritance tax threshold will all affect households.
The most significant change announced by Chancellor George Osborne in his recent Budget speech however, is the change from indexing benefits by the retail price index (RPI), which includes mortgages and household costs, to the consumer price index (CPI) which does not.
Capital Economics estimates that this switch from RPI to CPI will cost households £1.5 billion this year, while changes to tax credits will cost a further £0.3 billion.
Vicky Redwood, Senior UK Economist at Capital Economics, said: “We think that real household disposable incomes will fall by two per cent this year and just stagnate next year.
“Obviously this is a big hit to households’ spending power. Part of this is due to inflationary forces outside of the government’s control.
“That said one of the factors pushing up inflation is of course the VAT rise. What’s more, incomes are also being hit by rising taxes and benefit cuts.”
To suggest that the retail industry is against the bulk of the government’s measures is incorrect however, and most independent commentators would agree that the cuts need to be made to reinvigorate the economy and inspire growth.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has just reported the biggest fall in retail sales for 16 years during March and while they see that austerity measures are affecting the industry, they still “fully support” the government’s cuts to public spending.
Richard Dodd, Head of Media Campaigns for the BRC, said: “The cuts and prospect of cuts is one of the main factors seriously undermining trading, as shown in the latest retail sales figures.”
Instead of criticising the cuts programme however, the BRC is more concerned that the Bank of England keeps interest rates at their historic low of 0.5 per cent, thus protecting families from further financial pressures.
“We do not want to see an interest rate rise in May as it will not address the main causes of inflation, global commodity prices, but will certainly further curb consumer spending,” Dodd added.
In truth there is little the government can do to help consumer finances and Capital Economics estimates that the latest wave of fiscal consolidation, which came in at the start of April, only accounts for 0.25 per cent being taken off consumer finances.
Rising commodity prices, the main pressure on inflation, are international and made worse by events out of UK control such as natural disasters and the conflicts in the Middle East.
Just in the last month, John Lewis, Dunelm Group, WHSmith, Gap, Halfords, Carpetright, Mothercare and Best Buy have all seen sales fall in the UK and Dixons, HMV and Clinton Cards are among the companies to post profits warnings.
Even if the economy starts to pick up in the second quarter, as many predict it will, there is no guarantee that retail sales will follow suit.
Director of Retail Research at market research group Mintel Richard Perks admits that it is presently difficult to read the markets but expects the retail industry to have a much slower recover then the rest of the economy.
“During 2008/09 families cut back on everything but retail, with people unwilling to give up the standard of living they had been accustomed to,” Perks said.
“Consumers are largely de-coupled from the larger economy however. Retail did well during the recession and I suspect will suffer as the economy starts to recover. All the spending of the last few years will now have to be paid for.”
Retailers are aware of the dangers and the good ones are adapting to suit the new environment, putting value and cost-cutting and the heart of strategy.
Lord Wolfson boosted his reputation even further in the last six months by firstly being the first major CEO in the sector to predict the bad times and by secondly maintaining profits by efficient costs control.
Dodd said: “We are setting no timescale for retail sales to recover. The retail sales figures were worse in many ways then during the recession and when the country emerged from recession we expected a gradual if slow improvement.
“For retailers it is all about running an efficient business with value the most important principle for the industry, not just in terms of price but also quality.”
Some are doing very well within retail, notably e-tailers and youth brands such as Asos.com, but the traditional landscape of the business is shifting.
This is likely to only be the beginning of a prolonged period of low retail sales and with so much changing within the industry, not least in multichannel development and the decline of the high street, the sector is going to dramatically change before it returns to pre-recession trading levels.


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Holmes Report 13 Nov 2011 // 12:00AM GMT
NEW YORK—Ekaterinburg 2020, Russia’s bid committee for the 2020 World Expo, has appointed Weber Shandwick to support its global public relations campaign. Weber Shandwick has a track record in World Expo bid campaigning, having most recently supported the successful bids for Shanghai Expo 2010 and Milan Expo 2015. The firm was also global public relations agency of record for the Sochi 2014 successful Olympic Winter bid.
DENVER—Linhart Public Relations has been selected by Celestial Seasonings, a leading brand of natural and specialty teas, as its agency of record. Linhart PR will provide Celestial Seasonings with strategic counsel to help increase brand awareness and consumer engagement, and drive sales of the brand’s tea and kombucha products through integrated brand campaigns which will include media and blogger relations, events, and digital strategy and engagement.
PROVIDENCE, RI—Duffy & Shanley has been named the marketing communications agency of record for BrewGene, a free beer recommendation mobile application and website. Duffy & Shanley will oversee a strategic media and social media campaign designed to reinforce BrewGene’s brand identity and awareness and to create new consumer engagement. The plan will be led by Duffy & Shanley’s public relations and creative groups.
NEW YORK—Crenshaw Communications has been named as agency of record by email marketing and marketing automation provider Silverpop. Crenshaw will provide the Atlanta-based company with public relations and marketing communications services, including traditional and digital media relations, executive visibility, and key social media initiatives.
NEW YORK—St. Giles Hotel New York has selected M. Silver Associates as its agency of record. The agency’s work will include special events, brand strategy, media relations, social media activities, promotions and business partnerships.
NEW YORK—The Thomas Collective has been named the agency of record for the health and wellness company i-Health, handling media relations for its brands Culturelle, Estroven, AZO and Brainstrong.
NEW YORK—JS2 Communications has signed Triomphe and Lantern’s Keep for press representation.


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Details have surfaced of a second generation mobile PC from Samsung dubbed the Q1 Ultra, based on the Santa Rose platform from Intel.
This new mobile beast boasts features'a'PLENTY. It comes with a 7 inch WSVGA display and also Microsoft Vista Home Premium edition pre-installed (and yes, it'll do aeroglass too!). Thanks to the wraps being taken off it at CeBIT today, theres a number of sites with piccies and info as per the below linkies :-
Hannover (Germany) - Following Microsoft's Origami campaign last year, we expected a world-changing mobile PC - and were disappointed by a product that was too large, too slow, too expensive and lacked important wireless features. Samsung has redesigned its Q1 for 2007 - and believes that the Q1 Ultra will fill the Q1's gaps. But we still have the impression that UMPCs remain half-baked products.
But let's talk about the improvements first. According to Samsung, buyers of the first generation UMPC liked the device's design, the screen size, the touch screen and its full PC functionality. However, on the other side, customers criticized the device's size, lack of connectivity, not enough battery life and the absence of a real keyboard.


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There were 8.6 million of those involuntary part-time workers, a number also unchanged from the previous month.
So what did change?
McDonald’s said it would hire 50,000 workers, but that was outside the April reporting period, so it didn't help these numbers.
Retail created another 57,000, including 27,000 in general merchandise stores.
Leisure and hospitality continued its torrid pace of job creation, adding 46,000 to bring its three-month addition to the burgeoning job market to 46,000.
Manufacturing? There continued to be a slow rise, with 29,000 news jobs recorded, while mining added a net 11,000, most in support positions.
Professional and business services had a sold month, adding 51,000 positions.
But the average workweek, considered a key barometer of economic activity, also did not move, staying stagnant at 34.3 hours. At the same time, wages actually edged higher, up three cents, or 0.1 percent, to $22.95.
Wages, which are looked at as important for inflation expectations, have gained 1.7 percent over the past year.
The upshot, then, is that there is reason to cheer, but also some things to fear.
“In stark contrast to the payrolls figures, the household survey measure suggests that employment fell by 191,000 last month, with the labor force expanding by 235,000,” Paul Ashworth, chief US economist at Capital Economics in Toronto, wrote in a note to clients. “Overall, very encouraging, although the rebound in the unemployment rate underlines how far we still have to go.”
Correction: An earlier version of this report incorrectly suggested that a good portion of last month's hiring came from McDonald's, which moved to hire 50,000 workers last month. That hiring came after the reporting period in the jobs report.
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Crypto investors are rushing into the Metacade beta stage presale to buy tokens at their lowest price. The world’s first play-to-earn arcade Metacade opened its presale with 1 MCADE token for $0.008. The blockchain gaming newcomer has received an electric welcome from the crypto community with over $933k worth of MCADE tokens sold in the beta stage in under 18 days
Once the beta stage closes the MCADE price will rise to $0.01 per token – a 25 percent increase. By the end of the presale, the token price will have increased by over 2.5x to $0.02 per MCADE.
As of writing, a phenomenal $933k has already been poured into the project since the Metacade presale opened. There are only 12 percent of tokens left before stage one begins, so it’s crucial to purchase MCADE tokens now before the price leaps.
What is Metacade?
Metacade is the next big thing in the metaverse and P2E gaming. The platform will be home to a tremendous array of arcade-style games where players can earn, compete and connect with fellow gamers.
Metacade will also be home to the hottest gaming alpha and reviews, leaderboards of what’s trending on the platform and across the GameFi space, and a hub where users can chat in real time with like-minded gamers.
Metacade isn’t just for hardcore gamers: the platform offers something for everyone. Investors can stake MCADE tokens to earn rewards. Entrepreneurs and developers can build games on the platform, supported by a funding initiative known as Metagrants. Job seekers can find their new roles in Web3.
The community-driven blockchain gaming platform will take the GameFi platform by storm with its huge array of Web3-forward features that allow players to truly take control of their gaming experience, leaving traditional gaming far behind.
The platform’s ultimate goal is to build a platform that gamers want and allow its community to shape the future of gaming and earn as they do so. Ultimately, Metacade will transition into a DAO, allowing the dedicated community to fully control and continue building the platform they love.
How to buy $MCADE tokens
MCADE tokens can be purchased on Metacade.co. Here are some easy steps to get your hands on your Metacade tokens before the token hits the major exchanges and the price shoots up.
Set up a crypto wallet. Metacade is built on the Ethereum blockchain, so ensure that you have a wallet that is compatible with ETH. The wallets supported by Wallet Connect are suitable. The Metacade team recommends Metamask for a smooth buy experience.
Get some crypto. Metacade can be purchased with ETH and USDT, so ensure you have enough of one of these currencies in your wallet before buying MCADE.
Connect your wallet to the Metacade website and access the DEX. You’ll be given the option to swap your ETH for $MCADE. Enter the amount you’d like to purchase and click “buy”.
Here are some further details on how to purchase $MCADE.
Metacade presale is off to a flying start
With beta presale tokens selling fast, there’s never been a better time to get in on a phenomenal GameFi project on the ground floor.
Find out more on Metacade.co.
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- @ December 14, 2022 1:27 pm


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Cement Manufacturers have agreed to sell a 50kg bag of cement at a retail price between N7,000 and N8,000, depending on location nationwide.
The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, announced after a meeting with leading cement manufacturers on Monday in Abuja adding that Nigerians will feel the impact in 30 days.
The manufacturers however stated that the price drop from the current market price would depend on the fulfillment of certain government interventions to ameliorate critical challenges faced in the industry.
The meeting was against the backdrop of the ballooning price of the commodity to approximately N13,000 in several retail stores in the Federal Capital Territory, and Enugu, indicating the impact of inflation within the country.
But at the meeting ordered by President Bola Tinubu, Umahi lamented the current rate stating that it was abnormal and detrimental to the economic prosperity sought after by the current administration.
Reading the communique after a three-hour discussion, the minister said certain issues including smuggling, bad roads, high energy costs, and the forex crisis caused the high prices but stressed that manufacturers have expressed their readiness to be willing to bring down the prices in the future.
He said, “The meeting discussed extensively the current prices of cement vis a vis the challenges from the manufacturers. They talked about their challenges ranging from the high cost of gas, high import duties from their spare parts, bad road network, and of course the high FX rate.
“They also talked about the issue of cement across our borders and how it is creating scarcity and high increase.
“We agreed that the trade ministry will seek some remedies from the president on the high cost of gas and the issue of import duties and fixing of the roads within the distribution corridors.
“The cement manufacturer has noted and the government that the present high cost of cement in the market is very much abnormal in some locations nationwide. Ideally, they noted that cement price, and retail price to a consumer should not cost more than between N7,000 to N8,000 per 50 kg bag of cement.
“Therefore, the government and the cement manufacturers, which are Dangote Plc, BUA Plc, and Lafarge Plc have agreed to have their cement price nationwide between N7,000 to N8,000 naira per 50 kg pack of cement, depending on the locations, which means that this price depends on the locations. Going forward, the government advised manufacturers to set up a price monitoring mechanism to ensure compliance with the prices that are set today and manufacturers have willingly accepted to do that and sanction any of their distributors or retailers found wanting.”
He mentioned that the government anticipates a reduction in the agreed price following interventions to address manufacturers’ challenges on gas, import duty, smuggling, and better road network. The meeting concluded with an agreement to reconvene in 30 days to assess the progress achieved.
In her remarks, the Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Doris Uzoka-Anite, pledged the government’s commitment to collaborate with industries to remove bottlenecks and encourage smooth operations.
“We will continue as a government to collaborate with the industries to deepen our engagements with them and remove bottlenecks to have smoother operations and the benefit of the backward integration program is enjoyed and felt by every citizen.
“Nigeria stopped importing cement since 2012 and there is no reason why we should be experiencing the kind of issues we are having in cement pricing,” she added.
BUA pledges six million tonnes to boost supply
On his part, the Group Executive Director of BUA, Kabiru Rabiu, disclosed plans by the company to supply 6m tonnes of cement into the market to mitigate the surging prices.
He also said cement continues to be smuggled by mischievous retailers because the price is the cheapest in the region, which makes it vulnerable to smuggling adding that this activity does not through official channels and does not benefit the government.
“BUA is committed to bringing in an additional six million tonnes of cement in the next few weeks and that would seriously dampen the pressure of supply. we would remain committed to these engagements and we would reassemble in 30 days.”
“The high cost of cement in Neighboring countries has made smuggling lucrative. The cost of cement in Chad and Cameron is about N15,000 per bag and we noticed that distributors through the North Eastern part smuggle products to neighboring countries. They do that not through official channels and the government is not benefiting from their export. Unless that is sorted, we’ll continue to have pressure from those markets.
“There is a big disparity between demand and supply in Nigeria. I think some plants have issues that have reduced production. We are at the peak of cement demand but supply seems less so there is going to be a crisis and that is why we are working hard to bring more products to the market to reduce the pressure of demand and supply in the market,” he concluded.


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Last Build Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2009 05:30:00 -0600Copyright: Copyright 2009
Tue, 10 Feb 2009 05:30:00 -0600
But the CPSIA makes no distinction between such businesses and consignment shops, thrift stores, and small manufacturing companies. Under the new law, even stay-at-home moms selling baby blankets and headbands online would be vulnerable to fines and lawsuits for not conducting the expensive tests or filling out "Form XYZ" in triplicate.
Riding a wave of outrage and media attention, opportunistic advocates of big government convinced Congress that only such a sweeping, one-size-fits-all bill could possibly "protect the children." Consumer and environmentalist groups seized the "lead scare" to push for increased regulations across the board, and now the law may prove as harmful as the danger it was designed the thwart.
My office has been bombarded with phone calls and letters from people from around the country concerned about how this law will affect their livelihood. Companies large and small that were looking to expand and hire more employees are being forced to rethink their business plans now that CPSIA stands in the way.
And just last week, a federal judge sided with environmental and consumer groups in overturning the law's timeline. Rather than allowing for any grace period during which the children's products industry could adjust to the new rules, everyone - even granny knitting her stocking caps - is vulnerable to lawsuits and fines right now.
Worried about just these kinds of problems, I was one of three senators to vote against the original bill last year. Our products - especially children's toys - must be safe, but I believe free-market solutions offer better ways to protect public health while allowing small businesses and second-hand stores to compete.
This past month I drafted legislation that would postpone for six months the effective date of the new regulations, giving all parties involved the chance to find a workable solution - the common good has to include common sense.
My legislation (S. 374) would cut back on duplicative and wasteful testing, while continuing to ensure safety needs are met. After all, if the materials a small manufacturer buys from a large supplier have already been tested, there is no reason to test the final products as well.
It would also exempt thrift stores, yard sales, consignment shops and other re-sellers from being forced to meet unwarranted requirements and remove the threat of retroactive repercussions for selling items already produced under previous rules. That way makers of homemade goods and local manufacturers can stay in business and aren't stuck with un-sellable items already in stock.
Finally, my legislation would instruct the Consumer Product Safety Commission - the agency charged with enforcing CPSIA - to develop a plain-English compliance guide so that even companies without a team of lawyers on staff can understand and follow the rules.
No one can deny that the protection of our children from harmful toxins is of utmost importance, but CPSIA as currently written does more harm than good. Not only will it limit the range of children's products available in the marketplace, it will remove the opportunity to purchase them through less traditional and less expensive venues. And it will stifle market competition at the very moment we need it most.
Protecting children from toy toxins is a good idea, but we need to do it the right way - to make sure there are still jobs waiting for them when they grow up.


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Twitter have its mobile ads manager today, the mobile ads manger can allows the users of twitter’s smartphone to use this applications.
Today what a great announcement by Twitter. Twitter launches ads manager today, the ads manger can allows the users of twitter’s smartphone to use this applications to track their ad campaigns’ performance – including their impressions, engagements, spend, cost per engagement, and engagement rate. Ahead of a formal announcement from the company, The button was recently spotted in the wild, and not everyone was pleased with the addition.
This new button seem prominately on mobile users of twitter, twitter profile page, and next to the setting icon bar, on iphone 6 and later. Meantime, iPhone 5 or earlier users first they have to click to the gear icon then Twitter Ads. Android users can also access Twitter Ads from the Settings drop-down, the company says.
Although the feature, while designed for the mobile use’es, stops short of letting user actually they build their ad campaign from any of their smartphone. Instead, these campaigns must first be started on the web using a desktop and laptop computer’s. That’s a big different path than Facebook recently took with its dedicated Facebook Ads Manager App which lets advertisers to track their current ad campaigns’ performance, as well as create new ones on the fly.


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Why Nio Shares Are Moving Today
Nio Inc – ADR (NYSE:NIO) shares are trading higher by 4% at $44.52 Friday morning after the company announced it won a key European Whole Vehicle Type Approval license for the ES8, saying it will serve as an "essential foundation" for Europe expansion.
Nio operates in China's premium electric vehicle market. The company designs and jointly manufactures, and sells smart and connected premium electric vehicles, driving innovations in next-generation technologies in connectivity, autonomous driving, and artificial intelligence.
The stock has a 52-week high of $66.99 and a 52-week low of $5.66.
© 2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.


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COLUMBUS, Ohio, 2016-Nov-20 — /EPR Retail News/ — Express, Inc. [NYSE:EXPR], a specialty retail apparel chain, today (Nov. 17, 2016) announced that the Company will conduct a conference call to discuss third quarter 2016 results on Thursday, December 1, 2016 at 9:00 a.m. ET. Earlier that morning, the Company will issue a press release detailing those results. The conference call will be hosted by David Kornberg, President and Chief Executive Officer, Matthew Moellering, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, and Perry Pericleous, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
Investors and analysts interested in participating in the call are invited to dial (877) 705-6003 approximately ten minutes prior to the start of the call. The conference call will also be webcast live at: http://www.express.com/investor and remain available for 90 days. A telephone replay of this call will be available at 12:00 p.m. ET on December 1, 2016 until 11:59 p.m. ET on December 8, 2016 and can be accessed by dialing (877) 870-5176 and entering replay pin number 13650225.
About Express, Inc.:
Express is a specialty apparel and accessories retailer of women’s and men’s merchandise, targeting the 20 to 30-year-old customer. Express has more than 35 years of experience offering a distinct combination of fashion and quality for multiple lifestyle occasions at an attractive value addressing fashion needs across work, casual, jeanswear, and going-out occasions. The company currently operates more than 650 retail and factory outlet stores, located primarily in high-traffic shopping malls, lifestyle centers, and street locations across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Express merchandise is also available at franchise locations in Latin America and the Middle East. Express also markets and sells its products through its e-commerce website, www.express.com, as well as on its mobile app.
Director of Communications
Source: Express, Inc.


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Electric pickup trucks are a hot topic right now, so let's take a deep dive into electric trucks and what to expect from these impressive machines.
From the Tesla Cybertruck to the Hummer EV, from the Bollinger B2 to the Lordstown Endurance, here's all you need to know about zero-emission trucks.
Most of these electric trucks are hugely capable and some come with high price tags, but we feel that the selection of upcoming electric pickups will soon be vast enough to suit most budgets and tastes.
Of course, some electric trucks have turned out to be more highly anticipated than others, but each of the trucks promise to offer something unique and compelling.
The trucks we've rounded up include models that will launch as soon as next year, as well as some that are further off into the future. It's an open question as to which electric pickup truck will go on sale first, but it seems like the Rivian R1T will win that race. The R1T should be closely followed by the Tesla Cybertruck and Lordstown Endurance, while the other trucks may trail behind a bit.
Go ahead and watch the video for more on the future of electric trucks and be sure to check out our electric truck guide for 2021 and beyond here.


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The Blacklight: Retribution team is proud to announce that Evacuation, the latest update for the award-winning, free-to-play first-person shooter is live.
Perfect World Entertainment Inc. today announced the start of the $30,000 cash prize sweepstakes event 30 Days of Fight for the hit first-person shooter Blacklight: Retribution.
Higher tier equpment is balanced through a system that offers more customized strengths to cater to your gameplay style rather than increasing power that wrecks the game's balance.
The Blacklight launch is a great achievement and testament to all the hard work from the passionate and talented people at Zombie Studios and Perfect World Entertainment
After five successive months of closed and open beta testing, Blacklight Retribution has recruited a strong community of dedicated players that have provided valuable feedback.


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Aprilia is set to revive its RS250 with a new four-stroke platform.
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The history of the Aprilia RS250 motorcycle has been quite impressive since its introduction from 1994 to 2004. However, the two-stroke engine is rather old technology and is not cleared for the current market due to not passing global emission standards.
Despite that, sources confirm that Aprilia will bring back the RS250 model but with a new engine. The engine is a parallel-twin 250cc 4-stroke (4-stroke) platform.
This CAD sketch shows the all-new 250cc DOHC 4-stroke parallel-twin engine that Aprilia is developing. Interestingly, this engine places a ‘central-cam drive’ between the cylinders instead of on one side only.
This configuration is rarely applied but Honda has also used the same concept on the Honda CBX 1000 and VFR400R.
There are several factors that contribute to this configuration including producing a more compact ‘cylinder head’ while reducing the flexibility of the ‘camshaft’ and ‘crankshaft’. What is certain is that this 250cc parallel-twin engine developed by Aprilia has never been made by another manufacturer.
For the record, the engine has been registered by Zongshen-Piaggio in China and will be at the heart of the all-new RS250 for the European and US markets. Meanwhile, for the Asian market, Aprilia will use the name GPR250RR.
Zongshen was also previously responsible for producing the Aprilia RS125 and GPR250R for the Chinese market which is powered by a single-cylinder engine. The GPR250R is also the platform for the RS250 SP which is marketed as a circuit machine in the United States in 2020.
The development of this new model indirectly marks Aprilia’s new step and competes with the 250cc ‘sportsbike’ segment which is currently led by the Yamaha R25, Honda CBR250RR and Kawasaki Ninja 250.


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Three event technology companies were named leaders from a total of 13 assessed in Gartner's latest report.
Released on Tuesday, Gartner’s first-ever Magic Quadrant for Event Technology Platforms report assessed thirteen platforms and plotted them according to each brand’s “completeness of vision” and “ability to execute.” Bizzabo, Cvent, and RainFocus were named leaders as the only platforms in the top quadrant.
The “completeness of vision” criteria is a proxy for each company’s understanding of the market, its strategic approach and how this leads to product development. The “ability to execute” is a proxy for the overall viability of the product, how it is marketed and sold, and the overall customer experience.
Bizzabo scored highest in “completeness of vision,” narrowingly beating Cvent and RainFocus. In the report, Gartner highlights the wearable technology’s “advanced on-site tracking functionality” as one of Bizzabo’s strengths, also commending Bizzabo’s thought leadership and content initiatives.
Bizzabo acquired Klik, a Canadian startup, in November 2021 for $13.5 million. Before that, in late 2020, it had secured $140 million of funding. Interactive badging technology, such as the rebranded and integrated Klik SmartBadge, remains uncommon in the market. Pairing it with a fully featured platform makes Bizzabo’s offering unique. The company recently announced a study demonstrating that Klik SmartBadge delivers an almost 400% increase in exhibitor leads.
“We set out to transform the event industry with a modern, open Event Experience Operating System that enables organizers to customize every event experience with powerful, best-in-class integrations and apps. Being named a leader by Gartner validates our efforts and reinforces our commitment to moving the industry forward with exciting offerings like the Klik SmartBadge,” said Eran Ben-Shushan, CEO and co-founder of Bizzabo.
Cvent was clearly on top regarding “ability to execute,” followed by RainFocus, with Bizzabo coming in third. According to the report, the main strengths of Cvent’s Event Marketing and Management Platform lie in its robust reporting and analytics capabilities and its ability to centralize all events in one platform. The report also highlighted the company’s thought leadership on in-person events and its academy, which has trained around 86,000 people.
The report recognizes RainFocus’s expertise in event data. It highlights the platform’s ability to unify event data across multiple events into a global attendee profile. It also recognizes the company’s higher-than-average customer retention and high customer satisfaction within a mainly enterprise client base.
“We’re closely aligned with the movements of the industry, providing the best technology, solutions, and integrations to help our clients move the needle within their businesses. We believe that’s why we’ve been named a leader and recognized for our accomplishments and strategic partnerships. For us, it validates our commitment to our clients’ success,” said JR Sherman, CEO of RainFocus
RingCentral Events (formerly Hopin), Splash, and vFairs were named “visionaries,” rated in the top half for “completeness of vision” but in the lower half for “ability to execute.” VFairs stands out from this group with a higher score in both metrics, making it the closest challenger to the top three.
No brands we considered “challengers,” a quadrant reserved for brands with high “ability to execute” but low “completeness of vision.” This gap suggests that event technology platforms face a significant execution challenge when looking to scale.
Unsurprisingly, artificial intelligence (AI) in various guises made the development roadmap for ten of the 13 platforms.
The Evaluation Method
Gartner defines event technology platforms as “tools that enable B2B marketers to execute virtual and/or in-person events for external audiences.” The criteria for report inclusion included at least $10 million in revenue and a baseline number of new customers. Gartner also requires strong customer interest, which it assesses through client trend data, social media, and search analysis.
This is Gartner’s first report of its kind. In June 2023, it released its Market Guide for Event Technology Platforms, with a similar list of event technology platforms.
Gartner’s evaluation included a survey, executive briefing, demo video, confidential customer interviews, and “Gartner Peer Insights” reviews. The publisher makes it clear that it “does not endorse any vendor, product, or service depicted in its research publications.” It also “does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation.”
Gartner itself appears to be bullish on event technology. The report reveals some of the key trends shaping the market. These include consolidation, competition from adjacent markets, and the introduction of AI. Also discussed is the rise of smaller regional events, which may curtail the need for complex event technology.
Photo credit: ThisisEngineering RAEng / Unsplash