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Zingaya is one of 70 companies chosen by VentureBeat to launch at the DEMO Fall 2010 event taking place this week in Silicon Valley. After our selection, the companies pay a fee to present. Our coverage of them remains objective.
As the relevance of traditional phone lines begins to fade, Internet calling is entering a golden age — and a new startup is looking to apply it to toll-free 800 numbers, where calls are typically routed to landlines.
Zingaya is looking to cut the costs of 800 numbers by providing a voice-over-Internet-protocol solution that allows consumers to call customer service representatives directly from the website. The audio data from consumers’ calls is crunched into a format similar to those used by services like Skype. The service is currently embedded on websites with Flash, but Zingaya is looking at moving it to HTML5, the latest version of HTML, the Web’s common language for pages, which promises wider compatibility across Web-capable devices.
Zingaya, founded in 2008, is currently run by a team of five that formerly worked on Flaphone, another Web-based phone app. It competes with other VOIP web services like Ribbit and Google Calling.
Zingaya has landed a well-known advisor, Esther Dyson. The company is currently self-funded with profits from the founders’ previous software-licensing venture and does not have outside investors.
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The 52m card cheques we didn't ask for
Credit card issuers will bombard their customers with more than 52m unsolicited cheques in the run-up to Christmas. This is despite continued criticism of the practice by consumer groups.
Bombarded: Rebecca Ford was so fed up with being sent cheques she cancelled her card
Half of all credit card holders have received these cheques and almost one in 10 consumers is sent credit card cheques monthly, according to research published tomorrow by price comparison website uSwitch.com.
Barclaycard, Capital One and MBNA are among the biggest issuers of credit card cheques, which are estimated to net the banks about £650m a year.
They usually invite cardholders to pay off other debts, make home improvements or even treat themselves to a holiday.
But the interest and handling fees are typically higher than those for transactions via the credit card. Interest is also applied from day one.
According to uSwitch.com, the average interest rate charged on credit card cheques is a staggering 27.6%, while handling fees are 2.8% on average.
Apacs, the UK payments association, says the average value of cheques written is £976, which means charges - assuming the debt was paid off over a year - would be £73.
'One of our main concerns is that half the consumers using credit card cheques don't know the costs and many don't realise there are handling charges,' says Mike Naylor, personal finance expert at uSwitch.com.
'It also calls into question the issuers' commitment to responsible lending when millions of cheques are posted out ahead of Christmas without being requested.'
Last year, the Office of Fair Trading called for unsolicited credit card cheques to be banned, but this recommendation was not acted on by the Government. Instead an option was introduced so that card customers can request not to be sent cheques.
Since September 2006, issuers have also been required to print a summary box clearly showing charges.
Cathy Neal, senior researcher at consumer lobby group Which? says: 'Having an opt-out clause and emphasising charges is all well and good, but we know that the vast majority of consumers do not read the small print on credit card agreements.
'We urge consumers to shred any cheques they receive as they are one of the most expensive ways to borrow.'
But a spokesman at Barclaycard says: 'The vast majority of card cheques we issue are at 0% interest and are a means for customers to transfer outstanding balances from other cards. They can be an excellent budgeting tool.'
Barclaycard imposes a 2.5% handling fee on all its credit card cheques.
Of those who have used credit card cheques, uSwitch.com says one in five needed them to pay money into their bank account. A further 14% used them to pay household bills, while 11% required them for debt consolidation.
CHOOSING A CREDIT CARD
This is Money has various tools that can help you choose the right card
The site's research also shows that one in three consumers who used credit card cheques would have used a standard bank cheque, debit card or cash instead if the card cheques had not landed on their doormat.
Rebecca Ford, 26, from Battersea, south-west London, cancelled her credit card with Alliance & Leicester after it bombarded her with the cheques every month for almost a year.
Rebecca, a marketing analyst for a financial services company, admits there were times when she was tempted to use the cheques, but she didn't want to pay over the odds for borrowing.
'Some of the deals are dressed up as if they represent really great value, but when you read the small print the interest and charges are high,' says Rebecca.
'I was also worried that getting the cheques through the post was a fraud risk.'
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Netflix is hiring a seasoned executive for expansion into video games
Netflix has been busy building its catalog of original works in an effort to become less dependent on licensing content from third parties, who are slowly locking the best of it away and into their own streaming services. The company is said to be exploring an expansion into video games, which is dangerous territory that others like Google, Amazon, and Disney have failed to navigate. If it really wants a piece of the $170 billion (and growing) global gaming market, there is little room for error as Netflix has only recently ended its run of debt.
The streaming wars are raging on, despite an oversaturated market where even the explosive growth of up and coming services like Disney+ is slowly coming to an end. Others like Netflix, who now has over 200 million subscribers, are exploring different ways to expand their services beyond video on demand.
According to a report from The Information, Netflix is hunting for a new hire that will preside over a new effort to get into the video games arena. Over the last few weeks, the company has been in talks with several game industry executives, but details are scarce about its progress on the matter. There’s also no official job listing as of writing.
Netflix supposedly wants to emulate Apple’s strategy with Apple Arcade by offering a bundle of games with no advertising or microtransactions. At this point, it’s not clear if Netflix will offer third-party titles, but industry watchers speculate the company will focus on publishing games based on original Netflix intellectual property, such as popular series on its streaming platform.
This wouldn’t be the first time the company has dipped its toes into video games. Over the last few years, Netflix has worked with game developers to create a game based set in the Stranger Things universe, as well as populate its streaming service with interactive shows such as Minecraft: Story Mode and Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, to name a few.
The interactive format has been a gold mine of user data for the company, but at the same time it’s been perceived as a gimmick that’s been expensive to produce.
The timing is definitely interesting, as the growing gaming industry saw an additional big boost over the past year as more people were stuck at home during lockdowns. So much so that more Gen Xers and Baby Boomers are paying for video games now than ever before.
It’s worth noting that three years ago, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said the company considered Epic’s Fortnite to be more of a competitor than say, HBO. Last month, during an investor call on Q1 2021 earnings, Hastings explained the company is already invested in gaming with the interactive movie format, and that “there’s no doubt that games are going to be an important form of entertainment and important modality to deepen that fan experience so we’re going to keep going.”


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It's a question a lot of us have been asking: With so many people stepping into smartphones that have GPS capability, how long will it be until these phones destroy the standalone GPS business altogether? ZDNet had the same questions, and had a sit-down with Tom Murray, senior vice president of market development at TomTom.
According to Murray, the fact that Personal Navigation Devices (PNDs) generally have bigger screens, onboard maps, better audio, and sharability in their map systems still make them a better option to own as a standalone device than solely depending on your smartphone for GPS applications. Having to buy separate car mounts for your phone and draining battery life from your phone and not being able to use it for other functions were also discussed.
While TomTom would obviously love you to buy their PNDs, they are not completely turning their backs on the smartphone world. TomTom has released an iPhone app which uses the same navigation tool as their own devices. At a fairly steep (for an app) $49.99, you may as well step into the real thing and leave your iPhone for other tasks.
Check out the complete interview in the source link below.


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Botswana: Botswana Ministry of Agriculture is planning to improve the genetics of the animals and avail sexed (male/female) opportunities which will help increase the National herd, which is low.
Improving genetics does not affect the meat quality of the animals; the quality of meat is affected by what they eat and the medication administered to them. In Botswana, the laws are strict on animal feed. Feeds that are used and sold in Botswana are ensured to be organic. The market of Botswana has animal feed standards at BoBS.
This is a great opportunity for Botswana to export good quality stud animals, semen and embryos in the SADC region, and South Africa is still not controlling their FMD situation.
We have been seeing even SA buy from Botswana farmers recently, which means our growth is commendable. Most countries have closed their borders in importing animals from SA, and it has been impacting negatively the growth of the beef industry in Botswana for the past four years. So this move by Government will be highly beneficial for the farmers in Botswana, giving them an opportunity to purchase quality products at more affordable rates, said the Ministry of Agriculture.
Furthermore, Agriculture Ministry asserted, “Farmers are actually happy about the move. These bulls will be more of an asset because we will be getting our own semen from them, which comes in millions, and we can sell it off to Batswana and export. The animals will be staying at Ramatlabama AI Centre, where we have been currently having bulls, semen and even a training centre.
They will also be increasing and improving the AI training centre for the farmers, which is at subsidized prices.
This is an advantage now that Limid is open farmers should go and apply to build crushes so when courses come out, they are able to learn and come administer on their farms. Also a business opportunity for those that have been trained over the years by the Ramatlabama training centre.
Botswana should await the full announcement on the whole details regarding this. Naysayers and prophets of doom should be ignored. This is what is expected of opposition lots.
Their purpose is to simply criticize and criticize. They oppose everything that comes. That is why they are even failing to meet at a table to decide on how they are going to face the BDP as a collective in the upcoming general election.
As the Botswana Democratic Party, under the very able leadership of Dr Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi, they continue to deliver their promises in pursuit of a far greater Botswana than before.


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JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - A local farmers market is getting ready to kick off another season.
The ETSU Farmers Market will reopen on Thursday, April 4th. That market is held in the parking lot between the D.P. Culp Center and Roy S. Nicks Hall.
Products consumers can look for include fresh seasonal produce, artisan breads, donuts, baked goods, goat cheese, granolas, cut flowers and dried chiles. New additions include a maker of gourmet chocolates and a prepared-food vendor who sells locally made sausages with homemade mustard and sauerkraut. There will be a noticeable increase in meat availability, as four sellers will offer such items as pork, grass-fed beef, breakfast sausages, chicken and goat.
The farmers market at ETSU's third season will run every Thursday through May 2nd from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
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Instead, it's believed that manufacturers seizing market share from competing vendors is fueling the increased supply concentration.
Rodney Bosch · July 20, 2016
Last year the video surveillance equipment revenues barely made it into the black, following a strong 2014.
SSI Staff · June 20, 2016
The key end-user sectors leading growth over the next five years include payment and banking, e-government and healthcare and transportation.
SSI Staff · May 16, 2016
With global populations aging, and with increased pressure for healthcare providers to reduce cost and improve outcomes, the Internet of things [IoT] will play a pivotal role.
SSI Staff · May 12, 2016
With computer hacking and other persistent threats on the rise, the North American managed security services market is forecast to be $26.9 billion in 2020
SSI Staff · April 29, 2016
Despite stagnant and slowing construction rates in Europe and China, the global market for mechanical locks and door hardware is expected to continue along a path of steady growth.
SSI Staff · November 12, 2015
IHS projects electromechanical locks to see the most uptake over the next 5-8 years, representing nearly 77% of the total electronic lock market globally this year.
SSI Staff · July 21, 2015
Changing legislation and initiatives such as Next Generation 911 are seen as growth drivers.
SSI Staff · July 09, 2015
Integration with home automation systems is driving growth for the products, according to IHS.
SSI Staff · January 29, 2015
Research firm IHS predicts that the global video surveillance market will grow more than 10% in 2015, and estimates the market to reach a revenue of $23.6 billion by 2018.
SSI Staff · January 19, 2015


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Australian toyco Moose Toys has tapped Toronto’s The Licensing Shop to launch a consumer products program based on its collectibles property Treasure X in the US and Canada.
The program is set to roll out for back-to-school 2019, roughly one year after the property first hit shelves, and it’ll be led by publishing, trading cards and board games with additional categories like apparel, bags, stationery and accessories to follow.
Moose Toys launched Treasure X in July as a range featuring 24 action figures and 30 different treasures encased in a brick of “sand”. The toy line boasts a multi-layered unboxing process that lets kids dig for and assemble the action figures before pouring water into a wooden chest to reveal a treasure, some of which is gold-plated.
To support the line, the toyco has also created a series of webisodes, the first of which is currently available on YouTube. Seven more will launch in the lead-up to holiday 2018.
Collectibles continue to lead growth in the toy industry, with recent data from market research firm The NPD Group showing that UK sales in that category have grown by 156% since 2015, and by 29% in 2018 alone. In fact, three in 10 toys sold in the UK between January and August were collectibles (representing 15% of total spend). Globally, NPD reports that the collectibles market has increased by 26% so far this year, accounting for 11% of dollar sales in the total toy industry.


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If you shrieked a little when you found out a "Gilmore Girls" reboot is coming to Netflix, you probably know the show well enough to remember Rory and Lorelai's diet.
The mother-daughter duo ate anything but the clean, calorie-limited diet favored by those in Hollywood. Instead, they sated themselves with hash browns, chocolate and pizza.
While we admire these two Stars Hollow residents for not being hung up on calories and following their collective bliss, their diets may be the least realistic part of the show: HuffPost previously calculated that Lorelai and Rory consumed roughly 3,970 daily calories each, close to twice the recommended amount for the average women.
What would this look like in real life? Lauren Valenti, an associate web editor for Marie Claire and self-confessed "Gilmore Girls" superfan, decided to find out. She created and then tried the "Gilmore Girls Diet," a journey fueled with coffee, fried chicken, Pop Tarts and some homemade "dessert sushi."
Valenti told HuffPost the idea came about in January -- a.k.a. "resolution season" -- when so many people make plans to diet and cut out every ounce of junk food.
She said she always admired Lorelai and Rory's attitude toward food: Eating what they want and not apologizing for it.
And, surprisingly, after a week's worth of calorie-laden concoctions like the one above, Valenti reported an unexpected two-pound weight loss.
The editor guesses that she lost the weight because she wasn't able to consume every calorie on her plate. The dishes were too rich, and her many cups of coffee acted as an appetite suppressant.
Does this mean we should all eat like Rory, Lorelai and Lauren?
Definitely not. Valenti sustained her junk food diet for a week, and after a day or so she didn't feel too hot. "I definitely felt groggy and got some headaches during the work days," she said. "That's when it was the worst."
Valenti said she typically avoids mid-day food comas because they make it hard to be productive. The "Gilmore Girls" diet had her eating Chinese take-out in the office, a stray from her usual green salad.
Plus, diets rich in artificial sugar and trans fats, which are often found in fried foods, are associated with health problems including liver damage, heart disease and stroke. Even more, subsisting on all that junk could lead to fatigue after the initial sugar rush, anxiety and depression and skin problems.
The lesson we can take from the Gilmores' diet is that it's OK to say yes to the foods you love: If you're craving fries, have them.
What we didn't learn from Rory and Lorelai is that it's worth figuring out what feels good for your body and that it's important to find a healthy balance. Valenti said she craved vegetables and healthier foods during her week-long challenge, but knew salad "was out of the question" for her week of fan girl devotion. While watching the "Gilmore Girls" munch on greasy grub is undoubtedly entertaining, trying it at home is decidedly less so.
Related on HuffPost:


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Ever eaten a magic brownie that didn't work at all? Some might expect weak results from a homemade product baked by a friend, but most would expect better from a professionally made weed treat.
Yet that's evidently not always the case in Colorado, where a robust market for recreational marijuana drinks and edibles -- including dixie elixirs, barbecue sauce and hash honey -- has grown since weed became fully legal in the state. A new study by The Denver Post has found the THC content labels on many of these products aren't accurate.
Those tests found that a chocolate bar made by Dr. J's Hash Infusion, a THC-infused candy manufacturer in Denver, had only 0.28 milligrams of THC -- the psychoactive compound that gives users a high -- when its label claimed it had 100 milligrams. (The study showed the company was one of the worst offenders.) Other weed treats were found to have significantly less THC than advertised, sometimes less than half of what the labels claimed.
However, three products were revealed to have more THC than they were supposed to. In one case, the THC content was almost 150 percent of what the label said.
When contacted by The Huffington Post, Dr. J's called the study "very one-sided."
"We have testing results from other testing facilities showing that our products are over 100 percent," Dr. J's Executive Chef Rachel Garnett said. "Unfortunately [the Denver Post] decided not to share any of that."
Dr. J's sent HuffPost its own tests, which confirmed that its candies showed results of more than 100 milligrams of active THC per product.
The company acknowledged, though, that there might have been some "mixing problems" in January, when it was struggling to handle a dramatic increase in business after weed became legal for recreational purposes. Some of the tests for the Denver Post study were reportedly conducted during this period.
"When we first started out in January, we were doing 10 times the amount of business that we did all of 2013. So we had much larger batches, which may have caused some mixing problems, that our hash wasn't getting diffused properly," Dr. J's spokeswoman Megan Bialas told HuffPost. "But we have since dropped back down to smaller batches to ensure the quality of our product."
Bialas said the issue had been remedied by Feb. 1, and that the company hasn't had any complaints since.
Update: March 11 -- In a response to Dr. J's comments, Denver Post Marijuana Editor Ricardo Baca told HuffPost it's possible that Dr. J's hash candies might have tested differently in a different lab. However, he says, that doesn't discredit the results the paper found with its study.
Baca acknowledged that Dr. J's had sent him a test it had commissioned on its THC-infused edibles but said the test was done in January and had the name of the lab blacked out. The Post said it asked Dr. J's for more recent test results but never heard back from the company.


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The Harry Potter studio tours get a festive makeover once more this Winter, with Christmas trees and a seasonal feast in the Great Hall, decorations in Gryffindor common room and snow drifts in Diagon Alley. The beautiful scale model of Hogwarts that was used for sweeping shots over the school will also be looking wintry, with snow and ice effects carefully applied by hand.
There'll be a focus on special effects for this year's displays, revealing how the experts make snow that never melts and flames without fire. The Goblet of Fire will be on display for the first time, 'lit' with flames that change from blue to red. Also looking especially magical will be the replica food in the Great Hall, in particular the flaming Christmas puddings (which burn with real gas flames).


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Ahead of the Spring Budget and International Women’s Day, the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, and the Government have received an open letter calling for the removal of the tampon tax from sustainable and reusable period pants. The open letter has received nearly 30 signatures from environmental, health, and women’s organisations such as Modibodi, the UK’s best-selling period underwear brand, Wen (The Women’s Environmental Network) and The Fawcett Society, campaigners for gender equality and women’s rights.
Whilst the Government announced that ‘sanitary products are essential so it’s right that we do not charge VAT’ and claimed to remove the tax from ‘all women’s sanitary products’ from 1 January this year, the legislation excluded period pants, which it categorises as underwear. These pants are consequently taxed at 20%, the same luxury tax applied to champagne and private jets. The letter and campaign entitled ‘ThisTaxisPants’ is asking for Rishi Sunak to remove the 20% VAT in his upcoming Budget announcement.
The letter, which is born from an ongoing grassroots campaign, ‘ThisTaxisPants’ and led by Modibodi, innovators of period pants and the best-selling period underwear brand in the UK, in partnership with Bloody Good Period, Wen (The Women’s Environmental Network) and the Fawcett Society, has gained support from organisations ranging from environmental charities to women’s health organisations.
The letter calls on the Government to remove the tax so that reusable period pants are subject to the same zero rate of VAT as other menstrual products including conventional disposables such as pads and tampons, which can be made of up to 90% plastic. It is estimated that the UK spends around £88m a year clearing blocked sewers from menstrual products (combined with fats, oils, grease and food waste). It’s also estimated that 1.5-2 billion menstrual items are flushed down Britain’s toilets each year. Given that the Government committed to tackling plastic pollution in its 2019 manifesto, it seems hypocritical to retain a tax exclusively on more environmentally friendly menstrual products.
Period pants are growing rapidly in popularity as a form of menstrual protection as menstruating people switch to more sustainable ways of managing their periods. The products typically have a lifespan of up to at least two years and are made from environmentally friendly materials such as bamboo or wool, reducing the microplastic particles threatening our planet.
The high levels of comfort and absorbency provided by period underwear is also a lifeline for those with disabilities, sensory issues, painful conditions such as endometriosis, or those who struggle to make regular bathroom visits to empty a keeper or change a pad. They have even been a relief for the likes of our key and frontline workers, such as nurses or drivers doing long shifts to support the country with limited breaks to adequately manage their personal menstrual needs.
Kristy Chong, CEO and founder of Modibodi, said: “As the Government stated in January, sanitary wear is not a luxury but essential, so we’re frustrated that the government has created a limit to what is considered a necessity when it comes to period pants.
“We’re calling on Rishi Sunak to recognise how vital period pants are in overcoming major issues like period dignity, quality of life and disabilities and sport related needs, whilst also reducing waste and tackling climate change. It’s important that the UK population has a choice to use reusable period pants without being penalised with a tax that is actually for luxury items.”


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- Amid its push for new accounts, card company Discover Financial Services spent $271 million on marketing and business development in the fourth quarter, a 70% YoY increase, the company shared during a Thursday earnings call.
- New accounts for the Riverwoods, Illinois-based company were up 23% year-over-year, and 13% over 2019. "The strong level of card acquisition contributed to our return to loan growth over the second half of last year," Discover CEO Roger Hochschild said during the call.
- The company had expected fourth quarter marketing spending to pick up from the third quarter, when it totaled $210 million. CFO John Greene said during the Q3 earnings call last year that the company expected Q4 marketing spending to be somewhere in the range of $220 million to $280 million.
In the face of competition from fintechs, buy now-pay later providers and card rivals, Discover launched a new campaign in the fourth quarter to push "marketing expense toward the top end of our previously guided range," Greene said during Thursday’s call with analysts. Fourth quarter spending in this area was up $112 million over the same period in 2020, when marketing expense totaled $159 million.
When asked about account growth, Hochschild said the company doesn’t disclose the number of new accounts.
Costs have gone up since the low levels seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, the company "kept marketing and a lot of others pulled back," the CEO said.
Looking ahead, "our expectation is the cost per account will be roughly where it was pre-pandemic," Hochschild said.
When asked about the risks to growth targets given the competition, Hochschild said the company is confident in its 2022 growth forecast, and acknowledged "the card business is just always competitive."
"We have been very clear for many, many years that ours is a lend-focused business, going after that prime revolver segment. We’ve tailored our products for that," he said. "Again, we feel very good about the return we’re getting on the dollars we spend in marketing."
Discover reported net income of $1.1 billion for the fourth quarter of 2021; for the same period in 2020, net income was $799 million. For the full year, Discover reported net income of $5.4 billion, compared to $1.1 billion in 2020.
The company reported year-over-year loan growth of 4% for the quarter. Discover Network payments volume jumped 25% YoY, to $53.2 billion, according to the company's presentation. Compared to 2019, proprietary card spending increased 31%.
Discover expects loan growth in the high single digits, based on recently acquired accounts and current expectations of sales trends, and a modest decline in the payment rate.
"The primary drivers of year-over-year growth were continued strong sales volume and significant new account growth throughout 2021," Greene said.
As for areas of strategic interest, Hochschild said the company is "always looking for new opportunities on the payments side of our business," like the partnership it's forged with buy now-pay later provider Sezzle, for example.


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GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — It’s “Jersey Mike’s Subs” annual Day of Giving.
For the stores in eastern North Carolina, they have decided to donate 100 percent of their proceeds to the Children’s Miracle Network.
All of the money will stay here in Greenville to help kids in need at the James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital at Vidant Medical Center.
They stayed busy today, making subs for those excited to donate.
Even Miss North Carolina stopped by and had a sub.
“Where they can see where their money is actually being put, that’s an integral part,” said Victoria Huggins, Miss North Carolina 2017. “So to know we have local businesses like Jersey Mike’s to contribute to that. All their proceeds going to Children’s Miracle Network is so important.”
This day happens every year and all across our country.
Over one thousand stores chose a charity of their choice.


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by Alyssa Oursler | March 1, 2013 1:15 pm
Anyone who has shopped at Walmart (NYSE:WMT) or Target (NYSE:TGT) could tell you that — even though the two are often compared as dueling big-box discount retailers — they come with two very different customer experiences … thanks to two very different corporate strategies.
Arkansas-based Walmart, to start, began with a simple concept: Everyday low prices. Even now, if you head to its website, it boasts “the strongest match policy in the industry.” And last year, WMT had a $2 billion initiative working to further lower prices. Head to a store and you can tell that low prices are the driving force behind the business, as the customer experience is far from pleasant.
Target, on the other hand, is much more focused on customer experience. The store, from the beginning, branded itself with a hip, edgy look and hip designer products. Just glance at the clean-cut graphic design of its website and commercials. But it’s not just about customer experience; it’s having the best of both worlds. The retailer is still a discounter, as it recently added a low-price promise, for example.
Really, the difference can be summed up as a matter of want vs. need. One of Target’s biggest recent moves, for one, was introducing a loyalty card — an incentive for shoppers to buy more. Walmart doesn’t offer one because it simply doesn’t need a card to lure in consumers; it focuses on consumers who need to shop there.
Such a divergence between the two companies raises a simple question for investors, as well: Which strategy is better … and when? This question is especially relevant in light of yesterday’s GDP revision. The growth rate for Q4 came in at a meager 0.1% — up from an initial reading of a contraction of 0.1%, but far from earth-shattering. While GDP has technically grown for 14 consecutive quarters, growth slowed sharply at the tail end of last year.
An article on the two discount chains recently conjectured that the more affluent shoppers found at Target “spend more freely as the economy begins to show new signs of life, while consumers in the lower-income brackets continue to hold tight to their purse strings.” She also added that “Target’s customers may be a little more resilient than Walmart’s to the economy’s woes,” making Target sound like the better choice after yesterday’s news.
But historically — looking at each company’s stock compared to GDP numbers — such a conjecture is only half-true. In general, the two stocks actually move in lockstep and more or less correlate with GDP — as you can see in the charts to the right from the past decade.
With that in mind, slow GDP growth is naturally worrisome for both companies. But several times over the past decade, Target’s consumers appeared slightly more affected by economic conditions — whether those conditions were good or bad.
Click to Enlarge If you take a look at the second half of 2004 and second quarter of 2005 , for example, GDP growth led to TGT outperformance. The same was true in the fall of 2006 and, in 2007, Target’s stock gained steadily toward the middle of the year, even as GDP and Walmart muddled. The third quarter of 2009 and the tail end of 2010 tell similar stories.
This confirms the first half of CBS’s analysis — that affluent Target customers spend more freely when things are good — and jibes with our want vs. need dichotomy.
Click to Enlarge But the flip side is also evident throughout.
In 2006, GDP slipped in April and Target felt
the effect much more dramatically than Walmart a month or so later. The middle of
2008 along with the beginning of 2009 tell a similar story. When GDP slides, Walmart and Target both tend to fall, but Target often falls more.
And sometimes, Walmart actually gains slightly. GDP dipped at the start of 2007’s Q4 and Target slid the rest of the year as a result, while Walmart eked out mild gains, as was true toward the end of 2009.
With that in mind, Walmart’s “need” strategy seems to make it a steadier bet for investors, as its products are essentially consumer staples for its penny-pinching customers. Target, on the other hand, has more upside when things are good … but that also means more downside when things are bad.
If you really think GDP is slowing to a crawl, you may be better of loading up with WMT shares. But remember, slowing GDP slows down Walmart most of the time as well.
And if you think things will be all all right and consumers are feeling fine — despite GDP fears, despite sequestration, despite still-problematic unemployment — Target will offer you far more room to run.
As of this writing, Alyssa Oursler did not own a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
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It’s been slightly over a quarter since the official launch of the Dell XC Web-scale Converged Appliance and Wyse DataCenter Appliance XC at Dell World, and the partnership continues to thrive. Just a few weeks ago, over 2100 Dell sales team members heard from Nutanix SVP of Sales, Sudheesh Nair, at Dell’s FRS event. Riding a huge wave of momentum following the event, demand has never been higher to deliver hyperconverged solutions to customers and competitive prospects.
To expand their Software-Defined Storage (SDS) Portfolio and stay consistent delivering solutions with the latest hardware technology available, Dell announced today the new Dell XC Series 2.0 built on proven Dell PowerEdge 13G (Haswell-based) servers and powered with the latest Nutanix software. Dell XC Series 2.0 includes three different new models: XC630 (1 node, 1U) which packs more power in half the rack space of the XC720xd and two flavors of the new XC730xd which supports up to 60% more storage than the 1.0 offerings. Check out the new datasheet here.
Dell will also have the flexibility to design exact Dell XC Series 2.0 solutions for the customer’s specific virtualized workloads by utilizing a new configure-to-order (CTO) procurement model. The new CTO procurement model will allow to select quantity of processors, memory, drive and NICs enabling more granular configurations to meet the needs of customers’ workloads. Dell is targeting the following virtual workloads within their customer and competitive prospects to sell Dell XC Series: Server Virtualization, VDI, ROBO, Private Cloud Dev/Test and Big Data
We’re excited to see this partnership flourish and look forward to many Dell XC success stories to come. For now, the new Dell XC Web-scale Converged Appliance 2.0 is available to quote, configure and sell as of February 25th, 2015 with ship dates targeted for March 3rd in the North America and Worldwide later in March. For more detailed information on the Dell’s announcement and to hear about a Dell XC Series success story, please check out Dell’s official press release.


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Today AT&T* announced it is hiring for more than 100 full-time and part-time retail sales consultant and sales support representative positions across Tennessee. These positions are available in AT&T’s company owned retail (COR) stores and are a result of the continued expansion of AT&T’s growing wireless segment which also includes the remodeling and expansion of AT&T’s stores.
Potential candidates will focus first on delivering a respectful and expedient customer service experience while selling AT&T products and services, handling billing and account inquiries, processing payments, reviewing account activity, discussing rate plans and features, as well as troubleshooting and answering simple technical questions about smartphones and mobile services. Potential candidates will also educate consumers on the latest AT&T wired products available for purchase.
“It is great to see that companies like AT&T are bringing new jobs to our state,” said Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey. “This news just reinforces that we must continue to make the volunteer state an attractive place for business investment, because it results in the creation of jobs.”
“When consumer demand for our products and services grows, so do employment opportunities,” said Gregg Morton, president, AT&T Tennessee. “We are proud to be making a contribution to the Tennessee economy during these difficult economic times and we look forward to continuing to provide world class products and services to Tennessee consumers and businesses.”
“It is always encouraging to see businesses making investments in Tennessee and creating jobs, particularly during these tough economic times,” said Tennessee House Speaker Kent Williams. “When we see encouraging news like this, it serves as a reminder that state and local leaders need to continue to make Tennessee a state that attracts business investment.”
AT&T employees are not only committed to providing unmatched customer service, but to giving back to their local communities. AT&T employees have the opportunity to participate with many organizations that AT&T proudly supports which include United Way, the Boys and Girls Clubs and more.
“Our customers are our number one priority, and I am confident the addition of these new jobs in our retail stores will enhance AT&T’s already solid reputation as a leader in customer service,” said Jim Thorpe, vice president and general manager of AT&T mobility and consumer markets, AT&T Tennessee and Kentucky. “In addition, we seek individuals equally passionate about customer service and new technologies who would enjoy helping people mobilize their lives for everywhere they live, work, and play.”
AT&T Mobility is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer, and we are committed to hiring a diverse and talented workforce. EOE/AA/M/F/D/V.
*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation’s fastest mobile broadband network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet and voice services. A leader in mobile broadband, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse® and AT&T |DIRECTV brands. The company’s suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T Advertising Solutions and AT&T Interactive are known for their leadership in local search and advertising. In 2010, AT&T again ranked among the 50 Most Admired Companies by FORTUNE® magazine.
Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com. This AT&T news release and other announcements are available at http://www.att.com/newsroom and as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @ATTNews. Find us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ATT to discover more about our consumer and wireless services or at www.Facebook.com/ATTSmallBiz to discover more about our small business services.


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All-You-Can-Eat Ice Cream at 2012 Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl
The 30th annual Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl will take place at Boston’s City Hall Plaza from 12 to 8 p.m. on June 5, 6, and 7. The event, which will be held rain or shine, features more than 35 flavors of popular ice cream and other frozen treats at the nation’s largest all-you-can-eat ice cream festival. All proceeds support adult and pediatric cancer care and research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
“It’s a fun summer event to benefit the Jimmy Fund and a real treat for ice cream fanatics,” says Cathleen Genova, senior media specialist at Dana-Farber/The Jimmy Fund. Since its inception in 1983, the Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl has raised more than $3.2 million for this cause. Scooper Bowl general admission is $10; $5 for children age 3 to 9. Children under 3 are free. A three-day Scooper pass for ambitious ice cream fans is $20. For more information and to purchase tickets, call 617-632-5655 or visit ScooperBowl.org.
Location: Boston’s City Hall Plaza, One City Hall Square, downtown Boston. For more information, visit ScooperBowl.org.


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Users of West Kelowna’s website—www.westkelownacity.ca—will notice a new look and new features next time they log on.
On Tuesday, the City of West Kelowna launched its new-look website, designed to feature more of the beauty of the community and to celebrate the city, as well as provide easy access to the information residents, visitors and businesses need.
According to the communications department at city hall, the new website uses a responsive design to provide an optimal viewing experience across a wide range of devices, from desktop computers to mobile phones. A prominent, enhanced search function ensures users can easily find information. The homepage offers familiar News, Calendar, Jobs and Maps links. Calls to action on the homepage can be geared to seasonal information.
Features of the new website include:
• Responsive design allowing users to effectively navigate the site whether accessing it on a desktop computer or a smart phone
• Robust search function
• Subscribe option to sign up to receive emails from the city on news, events and more. Subscribe at www.westkelownacity.ca/subscribe
• Online searchable directory of West Kelowna businesses
• Social media connectivity
Users will find comprehensive maps pages, searchable facilities and parks access and links to popular activities in the city.
People who have signed up to receive email-notification from the city’s previous website have been signed up to receive notification from the new site, and will be prompted to update their preferences.
Comments and questions regarding the new site can be directed to the West Kelowna’s communications department at 778-797-2253.
To report a typo, email:


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Shanghai is unlike any other city in the eastern part of the world. Home to approximately 30 million people, it is a constantly changing environment, where much of the population is competing to make money, especially the city’s restaurateurs. Emilia Shi,
When it comes to local food, visitors will find decent outlets less than 100 meters away, irrespective of their location. The number of small, independent stores in Shanghai, otherwise known as mom and pop shops, is vast, equaling, if not exceeding, New York City’s offerings. Some estimates suggest the number could even be double that found in the Big Apple. This is a major plus, as local Chinese food remains popular with Shanghai’s citizens, and these mom and pop shops generally serve the best quality cuisine for the price. The list of places with name recognition serving great Chinese food and favored by locals includes The Grandma’s, known for its Hangzhou style food, and Jesse, which is a Shanghai original, famous for its Xiefen potato soup and Shaoxing wine-marinated crab. Shanghai locals are also huge lovers of crayfish, so much so that there is an entire street, named Shouning Rd, with nothing but crayfish restaurants on it.
International food to fit any mood
Many Chinese people have a negative opinion of Western-style food, viewing much of it as too sweet or fattening. However, for the more adventurous locals and the tourists making their way through Shanghai, there are plenty of great Western-style restaurants to choose from, including both chains and non-chain outlets. Leading the way as a destination famous for showcasing a variety of food options from different cultures is the French Concession. Don’t be misled by the name, however, this must-visit area for foodies is home to an abundance of restaurants offering diverse cuisine options, including the famous Cantina Agave (Mexican) and Bella Napoli (Italian). Shanghai has also found itself caught up in a craze for bread in recent years, leading to the opening of several artisan bakeries, such as the excellent Bread, which is also located in the French Concession. Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Nanjing Rd has welcomed some well-known names since the beginning of the year, including one outlet each for American Bistro chain Hard Rock Café and New York City’s famous Joe’s Pizza.
Technology halts brick and mortar retail
While the food industry in Shanghai might be booming, the news has not been so good for the retail sector, which is bearing the brunt of the rise and rise of delivery apps.
Online ordering has taken the city by storm
In Shanghai, customers can order anything they fancy through a variety of apps, like Taobao - which is similar to Amazon - and Ele.me, the go-to food delivery app that delivers from almost any business selling
food and drink. Much of the time, these apps will waive delivery fees in a bid to secure repeat business. The philosophy among locals is, why leave the house when everything can be delivered free of charge? This massive rise in using the internet to buy goods and services has forced many businesses in Shanghai to make their products available online or face closure from a lack of both revenue and footfall. Many smaller malls and stores have shut down during the last five years, having failed to adapt and change. However, another new trend that is taking Shanghai and wider China by storm could help to stem the flow somewhat.
Sharebike is a movement, which encourages people living in and visiting China to get around its cities by hopping on a bike for a small fee. Under the system, the cycles are easily accessible, lined up along most streets and colorcoded by operator. Users can unlock the bike via smartphone, with fees ranging from between one and five yuan (USD 0.08 – 0.15) for half an hour’s use, significantly cheaper than traveling on the metro (four yuan) or by taxi (20 – 40 yuan). Once done riding, users can drop off the bike and relock it. Two firms have the lion’s share (70 percent) of the Sharebike business: Ofo, whose cycles are yellow, and Mobike (orange). Given cycling’s health benefits and suitability for city life, alongside Sharebike’s affordability, the system may well help efforts to revive retail footfall.
A call for new hotels
When it comes to the city’s hotel business, the hottest new thing is the Shanghai Disney Resort, which opened in June 2016 and serves the trademark Disneyland Park. The resort currently consists of two hotels - the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel and the Toy Story Hotel - offering 420 and 800 rooms respectively. Located near the new Disneytown, an area within the confines of the resort that has extensive retail shopping, dining and entertainment facilities, both hotels are extremely popular and usually booked up well in advance. Plans to build two more parks within the resort are in the pipeline, which will pave the way for many more hotels.


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The cooperation between AOI and Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the conduction of the project “Promotion of cooperation in private sector to develop comprehensive inclusive business models (IB) and responsible investment (IR) in the rice value chain in Vietnam. (2019-2020)
Following the success of the production link consumption in organic rice-shrimp models, in the Mekong Delta on the main crops for human food security, the project team continues to multiply organic agriculture on Pepper in Kien Giang province (Mekong Delta) and the country's Highland region.
One of the cooperation programs between TAIYO NOUEN Co., Ltd. and the Asian Organic Agricultural Research and Development Institute, we co-organized the Japan Agricultural Standards Training Workshop (JAS) on organic food:
In the framework of Graisea 2.0 project, AOI Institute in collaboration with RECERD and Kien Giang Province Extension Center organized a training course on "Improving the capacity of cooperatives in Graisea 2.0 project in Kien Giang province".
If you have driven your farm to be grown towards organic production… So the use of chemical pesticides is a taboo because organic farming requires very strict environmental and human health safety.
A recent study supported by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research found that mung beans (Vigna radiata) could be used to improve crop yield in certain crop rotation systems
Do you trust the “organic” label to really be organic? A U.S. farmer named Randy Constant killed himself to avoid a 10-year prison sentence after being convicted of running a massive organic fraud scheme that produced millions of bushels of “organic” corn and soybeans which were sold into the U.S. marketplace.
Organic farms not only produce healthy foods – they increase bird populations as well, a recent study finds. Researchers from the University of Helsinki in Finland found that organic animal farms are the most effective measures to reverse the decreasing bird numbers in Europe. The study, which was published in PLOS ONE, highlighted the importance of birds on farms and agriculture.


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A new haircut can help you feel more feminine and more confident, according to a new study.
The study, published in the Journal of Men’s Health, looked at the hair trends of 6,500 people in the UK over a 10-year period.
The results were pretty interesting: the trend of women’s haircuts appears to be on the decline.
It’s important to note that this is not a scientific study.
It relies on the opinions of the participants.
“I would say the trend in the United Kingdom is not that different from the trend that exists in Europe,” said lead author of the study, Dr Emma Roddick, of the University of Birmingham.
Roddick said there is a strong link between the hairstyles women are using and their appearance.
“Women are using hair products with more moisture, more pigmentation, more hair density, and that creates a more feminine appearance,” she said.
Men tend to use products with a less amount of moisture and hair density.
Researchers said the results could have implications for the way we look at the body.
“The research suggests that women are less likely to be using products with natural ingredients that mimic the natural characteristics of their body, like hair, makeup and make-up, than men,” Roddie added.
“They are also less likely than men to use hair products that mimic body hair and facial hair, like eyeliner, mascara and eye shadow.”
Dr Roddack said it was not possible to say if there is an effect on overall beauty, but there is evidence that women were more likely to use cosmetics with artificial ingredients.
“I think it is really important to make sure that people understand that all the research shows that natural ingredients are more likely in products that have a natural ingredient,” she added.
Ahead of the research, Dr Roddacks team published a study on the benefits of hair treatments in The Lancet journal, showing that the results of a facial treatment were more effective than the same treatment in a salon.


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A calendar-shortened holiday shopping season didn't keep sales down locally as several Paducah retailers reported heavy consumer traffic both before and after Christmas Day.
Projected to provide a 3.9 percent bump in the year's retail sales nationwide, the holiday shopping season between Black Friday and the end of December was anticipated to register only a marginal gain over the 2012 mark of 3.5 percent, according to the National Retail Federation. Yet retailers remained cautiously optimistic for even a small spike as those handful of weeks typically account for as much as 20-40 percent of annual sales.
Although it's too early for actual holiday figures nationwide, locally owned businesses in Paducah were encouraged by strong sales that continued even after the traditional gift-giving day passed.
The start to college basketball season brought about a surge in business at the Wildcat Wearhouse University of Kentucky fan apparel store, but Black Friday sales that saw up to 400 customers represented just the beginning to a busy holiday season that continued well past New Year's as people spent Christmas cash, said Jonathan Wise, store manager.
"Once the ball started bouncing our business spiked tremendously," Wise said Sunday. "(But) from Christmas Day even up to now with the bad weather moving through, we still had fans coming in here and buying products."
According to a retail federation survey, the average holiday shopper planned on spending about $700, with the two most requested gifts being gift cards and clothing. With this year's calendar having Thanksgiving fall on the last week of November, retailers faced one less week of holiday shopping. Many offered sales or specials to bring customers in earlier.
Amanda Thompson and Laura Witten, co-owners of Chrislyn's Boutique women's clothing store, anticipated the holiday rush and noticed a spike in customer traffic about two weeks before Christmas. The pair also noticed an increase in gift card purchases that they attributed to the shortened shopping time.
Where retailers would normally see returns after the holiday, the gift cards proved beneficial in bringing customers into the store post-Christmas for end-of-year sales.
"We actually did wonderful after Christmas, much better than last year," Thompson said.
"And a lot of the reasons we didn't have returns was because we did sell a lot of gift cards."
Although the International Council of Shopping Centers-Goldman Sachs sales index released figures Tuesday that indicated a 5.4 percent slip in weekly sales through Saturday - which the report attributed to adverse weather in the Midwest and Northeast - the weather proved beneficial for some specialty stores.
Hooper's Outdoor Center noticed steady seasonal sales throughout the past two months, including a strong sales period immediately following Christmas amid frigid and icy weather, said Matt Cherry, store manager.
"Even with the ice we still stayed open through much of it, and people definitely came here to get their warm gear," Cherry said. "Compared to earlier years where we didn't have much of a winter, this (season) has definitely been better than last for that reason right there."
Contact Will Pinkston, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8676 or follow @WCPinkston on Twitter.
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Market Review: The Chinese cyclohexanone market prices moved down this week. Benzene prices hovered at lows and Sinopec’s posted prices for benzene were stable at RMB 6,050/mt. The support to the production cost was not sufficient. The downstream demand for cyclohexanone got weak and the overall trading was flat. Up to April 12, 2018, prices for cyclohexanone in Shandong were in the range of RMB 11,400-11,600/mt, down RMB 200/mt week on week. Prices in East China were in the range of RMB 11,700-11,900/mt, down RMB 235/mt.
Forecast: The benzene market prices will continue to move marginally. The downstream demand for cyclohexanone will be hard to improve. Players are bearish about the market. It is predicted that the Chinese cyclohexanone market will continue to fluctuate down.
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Local vegetable production will be accelerated as the weather warms up and veget
Hong Kong: Poultry meat and poultry products suspended in Middelfart, Denmark
"Cosmetic Eggs": Getting off the shelf is not the end of the event
Delayed implementation of EU pesticide production ban
A fine of 15,000 yuan was imposed on Meilan Frog Times Restaurant in Haikou for
One third of children are obese! Junk Food Advertising Banned by 9 p.m.


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Hackers accessed the social security numbers, birthdates and other personal information belonging to about 15 million T-Mobile wireless customers and applicants, credit reporting agency Experian said on October 1.
The breach was at a unit of Experian, which T-Mobile uses to process information on subscribers.
Experian said T-Mobile customers who applied for wireless service between September 1, 2013 and September 16, 2015 may have had their information stolen.
Names, birth dates and social security numbers are among data stolen, but not financial details, the companies said.
T-Mobile CEO John Legere said his company would review its link with Experian.
In a statement, John Legere said: “I take our customer and prospective customer privacy very seriously. This is no small issue for us.
“I do want to assure our customers that neither T-Mobile’s systems nor network were part of this intrusion and this did not involve any payment card numbers or bank account information.
“Experian has assured us that they have taken aggressive steps to improve the protection of their system and of our data.”
Experian North America chief executive Craig Boundy said in his own statement: “We sincerely apologize for the concern and stress that this event may cause.”
It was unclear when the breach was discovered, but Experian said the matter was reported to the authorities immediately after it learned of the hack.
Experian said in a statement: “We continue to investigate the theft, closely monitor our systems, and work with domestic and international law enforcement. Investigation of the incident is ongoing.
“Experian is notifying the individuals who may have been affected and is offering free credit monitoring and identity resolution services for two years. In addition, government agencies are being notified as required by law.”
Experian said there “is no evidence that the data has been used inappropriately”.
There have been a string of high-profile hacks of businesses and other organizations in recent years affecting millions of people, including adultery website Ashley Madison, Sony Pictures, and retailers such as Home Depot, Target, and eBay.
T-Mobile is now the third biggest mobile company in the US, having surpassed Sprint this year.


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TORONTO — Indian street-food concept Chaska is opening its fourth GTA location March 9 at 218 Adelaide St. W. in Toronto.
The new restaurant will be open until 3 a.m. on Thursdays and until 4 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
From Sunday to Wednesday the restaurant will be open until midnight.
“We’re looking forward to giving more people in Toronto the opportunity to enjoy Indian food the way it’s supposed to taste,” says Naveen Seth, CEO of Chaska.
The smaller restaurant will feature 22 seats for dining in, a takeout window and an open-concept kitchen.
The menu boasts Indian street-food staples such as, chicken tikka kathi rolls ($8.99), lamb seekh kebab rice bowl ($11.99), paneer tikka rice bowl ($9.99) and bhalla papdi chaat ($7.99).
Chaska sources its products from farmers and suppliers who raise and prepare foods with care and responsibility. Its meats are halal and raised without the use of hormones.
“We know a great meal starts with the best ingredients. The passion we put into our recipes starts with a commitment to simple and fresh ingredients,” says Seth. “The freshness and flavours you experience at Chaska are a reflection of our high standards and unwavering commitment to quality.”


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In early March, Facebook announced the acquisition of an app only a few people had ever heard of: Masquerade (MSQRD).
Mark Zuckerberg broke the news on Facebook with a video of himself using the product — a photo and video filter that allows users to add graphics to their selfies. In this case, Zuckerberg donned a filter that would turn him into Iron Man. When the small Masquerade team saw Zuckerberg's post, it sparked a frenzy of joy.
"We didn't know if there would be any public welcome or anything," Nikolay Davidov of Gagarin Capital, an investor in Masquerade, told Business Insider. "And then the way he did it was so cool. Everyone was so excited — like 'freaking out' excited."
The team had two other concrete offers from "tier-one" companies — one abroad and one in the US — and interest and conversations with three or four other companies, according to angel investor Yuri Gurski. But he had been hoping Facebook would show interest in the Belarus-based startup from the beginning.
"It is the Russian dream" to have Zuckerberg take an interest in your company, he says. Gurski explained that one of the top tech sites in the country — which has since changed its name — actually used to be called "Zuckerberg calls," alluding to the fact that a call from Facebook's CEO means you've reached startup success. Besides being an investor, Gurski is currently the vice president of product at Russian company Mail.ru.
Although Gurski declined to add specifics, a person familiar with the situation tells Business Insider that Twitter was one of the interested parties.
Other than the initial freak-out over Zuckerberg's message, the team didn't take time to celebrate. One of the stipulations of the acquisition was that the MSQRD app would live on in the app store. It would also get integrated into Facebook's products, meaning that all hands were on deck, hustling away on MSQRD's next update.
"I think that once the update is out, they'll celebrate the deal with eight hours of sleep," Davidov joked.
Where the Snapchat-like app came from
When the news of Facebook's acquisition hit, many headlines pointed out the obvious: MSQRD looks just like Snapchat's Lenses feature.
Both features layer funny masks onto your face and allow you to take goofy (or creepy) videos or pictures.
As both companies increasingly tackle digital video, the deal gives Facebook a way to quickly catch up to a feature that its competitor launched last fall after buying another Eastern European startup, Looksery.
The MSQRD team, as you might expect, thinks its tech is better. Gurski says that the startup's facetracking and real-time 3D graphic rendering are better than Looksery's, in part because cofounder Eugene Zatepyakin had been working on the tech behind it for about three years.
At almost 30, Zatepyakin is the eldest of the three cofounders. Eugene Nevgen and Sergey Gonchar are both 23, and Nevgen's also currently the cofounder and CTO of another A/B testing startup called SplitMetrics. (A/B testing is testing two designs against each other — say, for a website or app — in real time to see which one gets more desired actions, like clicks on a registration button.)
Gurksi says that he's been mentoring Nevgen for several years and that Masquerade got started through conversations they had about the explosion of video, and how it should have more personalization options, like stickers. Originally, the company planned to build a service that other messaging platforms could integrate into their existing products. But once they saw how much people enjoyed their beta version, they decided to create a standalone app.
MSQRD launched it in the app store right before Christmas. It took off in Eastern Europe and spread to the US after Masquerade launched an update with American-centric masks, like Leonardo DiCaprio for the Oscars.
The allure of FB
When Facebook acquired Masquerade, it had 16 million users, and Davidov estimates that it will finish March with more than 25 million downloads.
"Joining Facebook will allow them to bring the product to an incredible amount of people," he adds. "Even their 16 million users at the time of the deal can't compare to Facebook's 1.6 billion users."
Gurski says that enormous reach and the fact that Facebook still has a "startup spirit" made it the perfect place for Masquerade.
Gurski and Gagarin Capital collectively invested about $1 million in the startup. He and the team started talking with Facebook thanks to a "few friends" who had connections there.
The acquisition was a good deal for both parties, he says.
One of Masquerade's advisors, Jonathan Hart, says he wasn't surprised by how much interest the young app received from other companies.
"Silicon Valley didn't know what hit 'em and they should expect more of these innovations to pop up out of nowhere," he told Business Insider via email. "Not everything amazing is birthed in Silicon Valley."


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Forty percent of US households own a video game system, according to a report this week from the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing.
But that number is flat from last year, said the study. The most notable growth area was in high-definition television adoption. HDTV ownership grew from 35 percent last year to 53 percent this year.
The growth in HDTV is good news for the high-def console players Microsoft and Sony, whose hardware and entertainment services were designed with HDTV capabilities in mind. Meanwhile, the standard definition Nintendo Wii is the runaway leader this console generation.
In February this year, a Research and Markets analyst said there are more than 39 million US households with an installed HDTV set.
CENTRIS conducted the telephone survey on behalf of CTAM, contacting 1,144 random adults in June this year. The study has a +/-3.5 percentage point margin of error.
The above highlighted results came from from CTAM's June/July Pulse report, "Tracking Entertainment and Technology: Consumer Value in Media."
Here's an extended chart with further information from CTAM's report:


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ScreenHits TV, the London-based startup trying to take on Google, TiVo and a lot of other big technology companies that are attemping to build a better search and discovery mouse trap, has announced a deal to integrate German streaming platform Joyn into its software tool.
Starting at the end of July, content from Joyn, a combination AVOD/SVOD joint venture launched by ProSeibenSat.1 and Discovery Inc., will surface in the ScreenHits TV search and discovery aggregation guide in the European regions in which the JV is available.
“Joyn has succeeded in becoming a truly local platform that has transformed German TV. This partnership will make it even easier for the millions of fans of its outstanding programming to easily locate its wide selection of popular, binge-worthy conten,” said Rose Adkins Hulse, the former Hollywood Reporter and NBCUniversal executive turned international technology entrepreneur who founded ScreenHits TV.
The Joyn venture is one of several recent moves that seems to have righted Hulse’s ambitious startup, after a rather strange, inauspicious beta launch in July 2020.
Employing a fancy boutique PR New York PR firm focused on fashion and lifestyle brands, but seemingly bereft in the area of technology startups, ScreenHits TV last summer announced a highly ambitious streaming video aggregation agenda that seemed a little bit like Amazon Prime Video Channels and Roku Channels—put all your streaming services in one place, including billing, and you can search among all of them with one software tool.
For starters, even Amazon, Roku and Apple, as well, were starting to have a little trouble getting big SVODs like HBO Max to play along with their respective "channels" strategies.
We here at Next TV (OK, it’s really just me here!) were fascinated by Hulse’s media profile, which included splashy profiles of the entrepreneur in glitzy publications including Glamour Magazine UK, as well as abundant tabloid coverage of her 2017 wedding to British shipping magnate George Hulse, a man with royal bloodline.
Meanwhile, ScreenHits TV’s CrunchBase profile still indicates a £4.4 million seed investment from backers including London-based angel investor Rory Fleming.
So it had backing. But the tech seemed, at least at the time, like vaporware.
Initially, we couldn’t even access the ScreenHits TV beta. And a month later, when we did manage to access it, we couldn’t get it to work much.
A year later, the sprawling startup—which also lists Latin America in its streaming aggregation plans, along with Europe and North America—seems to have its business and technology acts a little more together, but still very, very far from being built out.
ScreenHits says its app is supported by iOS and Android mobile devices, Google Chromecast, as well as Amazon Fire TV and Roku HDMI sticks.
We searched for the ScreenHits TV app on a 2020 Roku-powered TCL smart TV, as well as Chromecast with Google TV device, but couldn’t locate it. (We don't own a Roku or Fire TV stick.) Likewise, the ScreenHits TV app didn’t surface in the Apple App Store via iOS on iPhone. The app appears to be supported for iPad and Mac, however.
We were able to access and use it via a Chrome browser on the open internet at screenhitstv.com. And it did work, surfacing content from Netflix, Amazon Prime Video Channels and Disney Plus, and taking us directly to those platforms upon selection of relevant content. (There doesn’t appear to be any playback or resale through those apps, at least not yet.)
Meanwhile, there seems to be some added heft on the ScreenHits business model side, with the announcement earlier this month of former Amazon Studios executive Joe Lewis, as well a ex-WarnerMedia and Disney EMEA distribution executive Humphrey Black, joining the ScreenHits TV board as advisors.
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Daniel Frankel is the managing editor of Next TV, an internet publishing vertical focused on the business of video streaming. A Los Angeles-based writer and editor who has covered the media and technology industries for more than two decades, Daniel has worked on staff for publications including E! Online, Electronic Media, Mediaweek, Variety, paidContent and GigaOm. You can start living a healthier life with greater wealth and prosperity by following Daniel on Twitter today!


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The product, priced at 0.499 per cent per month, can be used for auction purchases, light refurbishment, development exits and capital raises.
The lender will offer minimum loans of £100,000 and maximum loans of £1m up to 65 per cent loan to value (LTV) with a two per cent product fee.
It will be available in England and Wales for a maximum period of 18 months on a habitable residential property.
Ortus Secured Finance has also upgraded its processes and legal panel to enable faster lending.
Jon Salisbury, managing director of the lender, said these changes were made in response to broker feedback and to reflect the straightforward nature of bridging products.
Salisbury added: “We know the rate will be welcomed by our brokers and their clients, but we also know that price isn’t the only factor in choosing a lender.”
Richard Kind, head of sales at Ortus Secured Finance, said: “The impact Covid-19 has had on the residential market has meant that we are seeing a growing demand for bridging and as a result, borrowers are increasingly looking for greater flexibility and speed in a busy market.
“With this product we can provide really competitive pricing combined with the ease of a bridging process. For many borrowers this is a compelling proposition.”


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“We underwent such digital transformation in the last few years, that we engage better with our physicians and patients than we ever have before,” said Andy Eeckhout, global head of customer relations management (CRM) and digital solutions at ADVANZ, in relation to its collaboration with Veeva Systems.
At the Veeva Commercial Summit 2023, Eeckhout explained that the need for a digital revamp came alongside the pandemic as pharmaceutical companies faced a greater reliance on their digital platforms. However, he added that this has led to more long-term changes in ADVANZ’s operations.
The company began using Veeva Systems’ Commercial Cloud software four years ago, choosing to standardise all commercial operations with Veeva’s Commercial Cloud this year, as per a 20 June press release.
The rare disease company uses Veeva’s Commercial Cloud software to engage with key opinion leaders and customers, and has upcoming plans to leverage the system for the launch of a new health care provider (HCP) platform.
At the conference, Eeckhout discussed the pharma company’s use of Veeva’s Link Key People and Scientific Awareness data applications as part of its plans to launch a new HCP platform. ADVANZ has been preparing a new product website for HCPs, using the software, for the last ten months and has plans to launch the finished product in Q1 2024, he said. Eeckhout explained that the biotech has global sales in 90 countries, with an established presence in 20 of them, but the new platform will first be launched in the UK and Canada.
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ADVANZ acquired Intercept Pharmaceuticals in 2022, giving it the exclusive rights to commercialise its primary biliary cholangitis drug Ocaliva (obeticholic acid). The rare disease company also recently announced the acquisition of the anti-androgen therapy Androcur (cyproterone acetate) from Bayer. In a 7 November press release, ADVANZ forecasted the completion of the deal to happen in Q1 2024. This followed previous 2023 deals to acquire the rights for Progynova (estradiol valerate) and Cyclo-Progynova (estradiol + levonorgestrel) in selected Latin American countries from Bayer, and a deal in which Kyowa Kirin gave ADVANZ the global rights to Tostran (testosterone).
#ADVANZ #leverages #Veeva #software #develop #HCP #platform


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Dangers of wireless network use still unknown to many
Nearly half of home wi-fi networks can be hacked in less than five seconds, according to a new study. In an ‘ethical hacking’ experiment conducted across six UK cities, nearly 40,000 networks were revealed as high-risk, opening up the personal data of thousands of individuals.
Ethical hacker Jason Hart travelled within the main arterial routes of each city within a four-mile radius, using basic ‘wardriving’ equipment. The aim was to identify networks that emanated wireless signals excessively into a public place, but he did not connect to any of these networks or crack any associated passwords.
According to the findings, nearly a quarter of private wireless networks has no password whatsoever attached, making them immediately accessible to criminals. This is despite majority (82 per cent) of Brits mistakenly thinking their network is secure. And even password-protected networks are not secure. A typical password can be breached by hackers in a matter of seconds.
Hacking into a private network not only allows unscrupulous individuals to ‘cloak’ criminal activities such as purchasing illegal pornography or selling on stolen goods. It also allows them to view the private transactions made by individuals over the network, accessing passwords and usernames which can then be used to impersonate the victim and commit identity fraud and other illegal activity. Worryingly, only one in 20 people knows for certain that their network has been used without their permission, indicating that the vast majority remain ignorant of the risk.
The study also reveals the dangers of accessing the internet over publicly available networks. In order to review the potential issues around public hotspots, Jason used a portable wireless network router to attract users to connect with their wireless devices to see whether they would trust existing wireless connections and understand what potential information they were exposing.
While nearly one in five wireless users (16 per cent) say they regularly use public networks, hackers were able to ‘harvest’ usernames and passwords from unsuspecting people at a rate of more than 350 an hour, sitting in town-centre coffee shops and restaurants. In addition, the experiment showed that more than 200 people unsuspectingly logged onto a fake wi-fi network over the course of an hour, putting themselves at risk from fraudsters who could harvest their personal and financial information.
The study was commissioned by life assistance company CPP, who offer the following tips on using wireless networks safely:
- Use encryption on your wireless access points (WAP) – Make sure you have Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2) – the latest security standard introduced by global, non-profit industry association, the Wi-Fi Alliance
- By implementing a Virtual Private Network (VPN) you can create a secure wireless network. This is achieved by encrypting all of the data that passes over the ‘insecure’ network so that it cannot be accessed by an eavesdropper
- Install a firewall on any network you use
- All wireless routers should have obscure IDs. Rather than put in any real information that can make it clear who owns the connection or that can reveal your location or business name, use something common like “wireless” or “router 1” that doesn’t give away anything critical
- Try to position access points, which transfer data between your devices, away from the outside wall of your building to minimize leakage of radio signals. This limits the chances of interception from outside
- If you run a business, don’t allow employees to add access points without your authorization
- Be aware of what information you are accessing online, specifically when using public hotspots. Remember that any information you submit, including usernames and passwords, can be read by others
- Make sure you check your bank statements regularly to monitor for suspicious transactions
- Remember the Golden Rule: Identity thieves are experts at spotting an opportunity to steal your identity and only need a few personal details


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Looking to bolster its position in the market for storage products, Sun Microsystems Inc. on Monday announced it is shipping pre-configured storage area network (SAN) systems designed to help customers get a SAN up and running more quicklyThe offering combines Sun's StorEdge T3 array and its new StorEdge network FC switch series, and is described by Sun as a "customer-ready" SAN because it arrives pre-configured.
The product is available initially for Sun's Solaris operating system, and will be released for Windows NT and Hewlett-Packard Co.'s HP-UX within the next three months. IBM Corp.'s AIX and the Linux operating system will be supported shortly thereafter, Sun said in a statement.
The offering is part of a broader effort by Sun to make inroads against storage specialists like EMC Corp. Sun has made a handful of storage-related acquisitions in recent months and bolstered both its hardware and software offerings in a bid to gain ground on the rival vendor.
Sun will include its StorEdge software with the new SAN offering, including tools for component management, volume management and dynamic multi-pathing. The pre-configured SAN system is shipping immediately priced from US$97,700 for a 327 G-byte configuration up to $481,900 for a 5.2 T-byte configuration, Sun said.
Sun Microsystems, in Santa Clara, California, can be reached at +1-650-960-1300 or at http://www.sun.com/.


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Hi Bratzies! We have an EPIC announcement regarding our fab future! We were getting ready to tell you all about it, but our friends over at Bratz Boulevard explained our plans so well, we are going to let them do the job for us!
Below is an excerpt from our guest blogger, Bratz Boulevard:
Bratz Boulevard Excerpt:
After months and months of waiting (We’ve been sitting on this secret since October 2013!) we are so happy to finally make our much-hyped announcement regarding the Bratz and their plans for 2014… and 2015!
We’re sure a lot of you have been very curious, and maybe even worried about the brand lately, and for good reason! No new promo pics, no new art, and above all, no new dolls being spotted on shelves?! We’ve seen quite a bit of speculation from fans, but now we’re thrilled to put all suspicions to rest and officially announce that this is all part of MGA’s next big plan for the Bratz girlz! MGA has decided to dedicate the entire year of 2014 to re-building the Bratz brand, and getting back to what made it such a massive success in the first place! So to do this, the Bratz are going on a hiatus of sorts for the year, all leading up to a MAJOR comeback! …
Bratz Boulevard has WAY more info to share. To get the full scoop and read more about our 2014/2015 plans head over to the website of our guest bloggers:


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Local Yunnan businesses have transferred $580 million (£417m) across international borders using a blockchain platform developed by the Chinese Government.
Across a total of 638 transactions, some 208 of the southern Chinese province’s small to medium sized businesses took advantage of the platform.
The system, launched in December last year, allows export-focused firms in Yunnan to reduce the time needed for international money transfers from as long as two days to 15 minutes.
“China’s central Government wants to boost blockchain innovation in the country, particularly with regard to applications that make government more efficient,” CoinDesk reported.
As well as bringing greater efficiency to companies, the platform helps local authorities monitor transactions and implement regulations, said state-owned newspaper Spring City Evening News.
The project, which began in June 2020, is part of a wider national drive – in both the public and private sector – to deliver and improve blockchain-based payments systems across China.
Want to learn more from executives at the heart of this space? The Blockchain IoT Solutions Congress, on November 2 2021, will explore the convergence of these two technologies and the use cases and industries that will benefit.


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Confidence in U.S. economic conditions increased in May, recovering from a dip at the beginning of the year.
The Consumer Confidence Index increased to 134.1 in May from 129.2 in April, according to data released on May 28 by The Conference Board, a think tank that creates the index from a survey conducted by Nielsen, a global performance management company.
“Consumer Confidence posted another gain in May and is now back to levels seen last Fall, when the Index was hovering near 18-year highs,” Lynn Franco, senior director of economic indicators at The Conference Board, said in a May 28 release.
The Present Situation Index, based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions, increased to 175.2 from 169.0. The Expectations Index, based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions, also increased to 106.6 in May from 102.7 in April.
“The increase in the Present Situation Index was driven primarily by employment gains,” Franco said, also adding that “consumers expect the economy to continue growing at a solid pace in the short-term, and despite weak retail sales in April, these high levels of confidence suggest no significant pullback in consumer spending in the months ahead.”
The job market appears to be the strongest part of the economy. Payrolls expanded by 263,000 jobs in April and the unemployment rate dropped to 3.6 percent, the lowest in almost 50 years.
The job gains are all the more optimistic given the modest inflation, as the Consumer Price Index rose by 2 percent April-to-April.
The benign inflation prompted President Donald Trump’s call for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates. The central bank recently suspended its three-year interest rate increase campaign and showed little desire in April to alter its monetary policy stance.
“As long as job growth is strong, that is the green light we need to keep consumers moving along,” said Jennifer Lee, a senior economist at BMO Capital Markets in Toronto.
Consumers anticipated inflation would remain muted over the next 12 months. The survey’s one-year inflation expectations fell to 4.4 percent in May from 4.6 percent in April.
Economy at Large
The gross domestic product grew at a 3.2 percent annualized rate in the first quarter, driven by a surge in exports and inventories, quickening from the October–December period’s 2.2 percent pace.
After a sluggish recovery from the 2008 recession, the economy has been in an upward swing, especially in the past two years, accelerated by Trump’s cutting of taxes and regulations.
The Trump election itself seemed to have infused optimism into the economy. The Consumer Confidence Index jumped 8.6 points in the election month of November 2016 and had risen 33.3 points by May 2019.
Consumer confidence doesn’t appear to have been affected by the U.S.–China trade spat as Trump raised existing tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods to 25 percent from 10 percent on May 10, prompting Beijing to retaliate with its own levies on U.S. imports. The confidence survey, however, was taken on May 16, not giving the respondents much time to process any potential impact.
“At this stage, consumers are nonplussed,” said Tim Quinlan, a senior economist at Wells Fargo Securities in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Other data on May 28 showed a further moderation in house price inflation, which could help support the housing market.
“A variety of different measures of housing activity have been soft in recent months despite the recent decline in mortgage rates and if affordability issues are weighing on the housing market, house prices could continue to soften moving forward,” said Daniel Silver, an economist at JPMorgan in New York.
The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller composite index of home prices in 20 metropolitan areas increased 2.7 percent in the 12 months to March after rising 3 percent the prior month. In another report, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) said its house price index rose a seasonally adjusted 4.9 percent in March from a year ago. That followed a 5.1 percent gain in February.
The FHFA’s index is calculated by using purchase prices of houses financed with mortgages sold to or guaranteed by mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Reuters contributed to this report.


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Facebook to Launch iPad App, Preparing Web-Based Mobile Platform
The New York Times reports that Facebook is finally set to release a free iPad app "in coming weeks", remedying a curious omission for the social networking service that touts over 600 million users worldwide.
People briefed on Facebook's plans say that in coming weeks the company plans to introduce a free iPad application that has been carefully designed and optimized for the tablet.
The app has been in production at Facebook for almost a year, going through several design iterations, and is now in the final stages of testing, according to these people, who declined to be named because they were discussing confidential product plans.
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who along with other company executives noted last November that the company was still been trying to decide how best to handle the iPad, is said to have been "heavily involved" in the app's development.
People who have seen the application said it has a slick design that has been tailored for the iPad and its touchscreen interface. Facebook developers and designers have also overhauled the Facebook Chat and Facebook Groups features for the application. And the app will go beyond the features available on the Facebook Web site by allowing users to shoot and upload photos and videos directly from the iPad’s built-in cameras.
Facebook's iPad app comes just as TechCrunch reports that the company is preparing to launch a new HTML5-based mobile platform codenamed "Project Spartan" that would take on iOS on its home turf by running within the mobile Safari browser.
As of right now, there are believed to be 80 or so outside developers working with Facebook on Project Spartan. These teams are working on apps for the platform that range from games to news-reading apps. Some of the names should be familiar: Zynga and Huffington Post (owned by our parent AOL), for example. The goal is to have these apps ready to roll in the next few weeks for a formal unveiling shortly thereafter.
Facebook's vision for Project Spartan reportedly includes integration of its Facebook Credits payment system that would allow developers to offer paid apps and in app purchases directly through the web-based platform.
Apple says iOS 16.4 is coming in the spring, which began this week. In his Sunday newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the update should be released "in the next three weeks or so," meaning a public release is likely in late March or early April.
iOS 16.4 remains in beta testing and introduces a handful of new features and changes for the iPhone. Below, we have recapped five new features ...
Apple is tracking the attendance of its employees at offices using badge records in order to ensure they are coming in at least three times a week, according to Platformer's Zoë Schiffer.
Since April 2022, Apple employees have been operating on a hybrid home/office work policy as part of a gradual return strategy following the pandemic, with staff required to work from the office at least...
While the iPhone 15 series is still around six months away from launching, there have already been plenty of rumors about the devices. Many new features and changes have been rumored for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max in particular.
Below, we have recapped 10 changes rumored for iPhone 15 Pro models that are not expected to be available on the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus:A1...
This year, all iPhone 15 models will include Apple's Dynamic Island that unifies the pill and hole cutouts at the top of the display, but there will also be a material change to the feature that wasn't included in the iPhone 14 Pro models.
According to a new tweet by Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the proximity sensor on the iPhone 15 series will be integrated inside the Dynamic Island ...
Nothing today announced the launch of its second-generation wireless earbuds, the Nothing Ear (2), which offer many of the same features as Apple's AirPods Pro 2 at a lower price point. We went hands-on with the Ear (2) earbuds to see whether they're a viable alternative to the AirPods Pro 2 for those who want to save some cash.
The Ear (2) earbuds are the successor to the Nothing Ear (1),...
The iOS 16.4 update that is set to be released to the public in the near future includes voice isolation for cellular calls, according to notes that Apple shared today.
Apple says that Voice Isolation will prioritize your voice and block out the ambient noise around you, making for clearer phone calls where you can better hear the person you're chatting with and vice versa.
Apple is no longer allowing customers who purchase an iPhone, cellular iPad, or Apple Watch to activate a device with now-defunct mobile carrier Sprint. Apple has also removed remaining references to Sprint from its online store.
When checking out with a new purchase, Sprint is no longer an option for connectivity, a change that Apple appears to have implemented today. Prior to now, Sprint...
The iOS 16.4 release candidate version that was provided to developers today appears to hint at a new set of AirPods that could be coming in the near future. According to @aaronp613, the beta features references to AirPods that have a model number of A3048 and an AirPods case with a model number of A2968.
There have been no rumors that new AirPods are on the horizon, and it is early for...
Top Rated Comments
By getting permission any paying them?
Man alive has that thing gone to **** in the last few months.
Marc Zuckerberg says "the ipad is not mobile"
Now there's an App for that. Idiot.
Sticking "as if" in front of a false statement doesn't make it true. Apple doesn't track iOS users.


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CD Projekt has announced financial results for the first half of 2023, and also talked about Cyberpunk 2077, its expansion Phantom Liberty and the upcoming game The Witcher.
Speaking about Cyberpunk 2077, we learned that CD Projekt is very pleased with the current number of preliminary orders for the addition of Phantom Liberty in two months that have passed since the start of the campaign. Nevertheless, they expect that most of the preliminary orders will be on the last preval days.
In addition, the basic game has already overcome the line of 80% of positive reviews in Steam. In addition, among the latest reviews almost 90% are positive.
As for the The Witcher franchise and the distribution of labor, by the end of July, the team working on the next main game of the Witcher (code name Polaris) has grown to almost 250 developers (compared to 220 in May). The team working on Phantom Liberty totaled about 300 people, remaining the largest among the team teams.
Turning to financial indicators, we note that sales for the first half of the year amounted to 325.214 million. zloty, which is lower than 377.916 million. zlotys, since over the past six months have not been comparable major releases.
Net profit amounted to 91.271 million. zloty compared to 113.746 million. last year.
It is worth noting that by mid -2023, 1297 people worked in the CD Projekt (compared with 1292 employees), but the company has already announced a number of dismissals that have not yet been included in this statement.
During the session of questions and answers during a press conference, Director General Adam Kiciński noted that in the future more and more developers will be transferred to the development of Polaris. Most of the Phantom Liberty team will go there after starting the expansion.
Some developers will go to other projects, and some will continue to support Phantom Liberty and after complementing the addition.
The studio is also satisfied with the transition to the Unreal Engine 5 engine, which turned out to be a good choice.
We also heard that version 2.0 Cyberpunk 2077, which will be released next to Phantom Liberty, will increase the value of the Cyberpunk franchise, although this effect is intangible and cannot be easily estimated quantitatively. The decision not to make another extension has already been adopted and confirmed, regardless of how much Phantom Liberty will be sold. According to the company’s heads, this solution is due to technological reasons, since the CD Projekt last time works with the Red Engine engine.