text:
Industry Insights: 2021 looks like becoming an important year for AVOD services while the importance of maintaining deep libraries and offering 4K content is also being highlighted.
AVOD already reaching 2021 take-off point
The start of the year has featured several stories highlighting the growing momentum behind AVOD and how it is seemingly resistant to the global ad downturn precipitated by the Covid crisis.
In what Variety calls ‘a classic case of co-opetition’, which is an ugly word but gets the sentiment across well, Roku and Amazon have signed a deal to bring Amazon’s AVOD-supported streaming service, IMDb TV, to the Roku platform in the US.
This is an interesting one because IMDb TV competes for viewers — and, by extension, ad dollars — with the Roku Channel, which is a similar ad-supported streaming service. It seems that content is still king in this situation, however, and IMDb’s mix of original titles (Variety namechecks spy thriller “Alex Rider” and docuseries “Top Class: The Life and Times of the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers”) and extensive library are big enough draws for Roku that it’s prepared to host the competition.
Roku’s standard distribution agreements see the company taking 30% of ad inventory on its partner channels. The exact terms of the deal with IMDb TV have not been disclosed, but the pain of that will be sweetened with the expansion of the service to Roku’s 51.2 million acute accounts.
More could be on the way too with AVOD services looking to follow the SVOD pioneers and expand beyond its US heartland. Ampere Analysis reckons that the UK market could be one of the main targets,
“64% of UK internet users had used an AVOD or catch-up service in the past month, exceeding the 42% and 38% reported by French and German respondents respectively,” says Ampere. "With the highest engagement with free VoD services among major European markets—and one of the highest tolerances to seeing ads while watching TV in the world—the UK is primed to become a stepping stone for AVoD services’ international expansions, particularly into Europe.”
This data has been mirrored elsewhere by research suggesting that 83% of UK consumers are willing to watch ads to gain access to free streaming content.
The UK is, of course, a fairly uniquely shaped TV market. But it’s also been something of a trendsetter over recent years and, even post-Brexit features powerful media companies whose reach extends well into the European market and beyond. An increasing AVOD surge in the UK coupled with events such as the launch of Pluto TV in France in February would be a strong indicator that the continent is about to see a similar sort of thing happen as the year progresses.
The importance of the deep library
US analyst and measurement firm Nielsen is increasingly convinced that some of the changes that Covid wrought in 2020 have permanently changed the way that people consume and engage with media
The big beneficiary is, unsurprisingly, streaming, with consumers watching a phenomenal amount of content via a growing variety of streaming platforms. What’s interesting though is its analysis of what people are watching and how it divides between new, original content and older, familiar material.
Take the following two shows: Ozark and The Office, both on Netflix (at least in 2020). Consumers watched 30.5 billion minutes of Ozark, but 57 billion minutes of The Office. If you break that down per episode, Ozark is way out in front, with an average of just over 1 billion minutes for each of its 30 episodes, according to Nielsen figures. 192 episodes of the US version of The Office, meanwhile, gained 0.3 billion minutes each on average.
The salient point here is that The Office was licensed content. A broadcaster might need more than three of them to get the same amount of viewing minutes as an original series but will have spent a lot less money doing it.
“When looking at the types of content that were successful in 2020, it was original content that sparked cultural phenomenons and shepherded in new subscribers to both established and nascent platforms,” writes Nielsen. "However, the most-viewed pieces of content on streaming platforms overall weren’t simply the original ones: They were the older shows that first found success on more traditional channels. While original content can generate buzz and draw in audiences, library content is what viewers find comfort in, watch casually and often return to. Simply put, they’re known quantities.”
Is 4K Ultra HD finally a must-have feature?
Compared to the decade-plus it took for the HD rollout to take place, the 4K one has been comparatively quick. It has seemed to stall in recent years, however, to the extent that while the majority of new sets being sold are 4K capable, enthusiasm for the services — and for paying a premium to access them — has been lukewarm.
That though could be changing. Data from Parks Associates suggests that 63% of consumers think that 4K picture quality is an important new feature when it comes to selecting a new Smart TV set. And there even seems to be a groundswell of interest in 8K, with around 50% saying it was an important factor.
Between those two formats in descending order you have the desired Operating System, voice remote, exclusive video services, and the ability to cast or mirror content.
This all came out in its analysis of a new Sony Bravia set that was released at this year’s virtual CES, which is in itself an interesting development. The new Bravia Core service (pictured above) is a TVOD streamer available exclusively on Sony’s new line of 2021 BRAVIA XR TVs and carrying around 300 of the media giant’s titles.
It uses what Sony has dubbed Pure Stream technology to deliver an up to 80Mbps stream for a lossless 4K picture that is purported to rival Blu-ray discs, though reading the small print you’re going to need 115Mbps to make it happen and a lot of users may well be connecting at closer to its minimum spec of 30Mbps.
Connectivity issues and poor picture quality are some of the biggest complaints about streaming services among audiences, and with theatres still closed around the world, Sony is making much of being able to provide a cinema-like experience at home. Certainly for those with the bandwidth to spare it means that streaming picture quality is being raised to new, and dare we say, in the future 8K capable height.


text:
Campaign and policy-related material on SNS plays a modest role in influencing most users' views & political activities. Democrats & liberals are the most likely to say the sites have impact and are important.
52% of adult cell owners use their phones while engaging with televised content; younger audiences are particularly active in these "connected viewing" experiences
17% of cell phone owners do most of their online browsing on their phone, rather than a computer or other device. Most do so for convenience, but for some their phone is their only option for online access.
How mobile/social tools are changing the way Americans give to and interact with organizations
Overall adoption remains steady, but "typical day" usage continues to grow. 8% of online adults now use Twitter on a typical day. African-Americans, young adults, and mobile users stand out for their high rates of Twitter usage.
In a Pew Internet/Elon University survey, internet experts predict that payment with mobile devices will be commonplace by 2020, although a number of potential hurdles and holdouts stand in the way
While increased internet adoption and the rise of mobile connectivity have reduced many gaps in technology access over the past decade, for some groups digital disparities still remain
18% of users have shunned "friends" who have different ideas and 16% have found friends whose beliefs match their own
46% of American adults now have a smartphone of some kind, and for the first time smartphone owners outnumber users of more basic phones
85% of the adults who use social media report that people are usually kind on the sites. At the same time, 49% have witnessed mean and offensive behavior and they usually respond by ignoring it.

domain: news


text:
Bitstamp earlier today received a boost in its quest to expand its operations in the US after it was issued with New York’s virtual currency license. The license was awarded by the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) making Bitstamp the 19th recipient of the BitLicense.
The issuance of the license means the platform is now free to offer exchange services for Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, Ripple and Bitcoin Cash trading pairs to the residents of New York.
The approval comes almost four years after the crypto exchange applied for the license back in July 2015 after the NYDFS had just created the law.
Speaking to CoinDesk, Nejc Kodric who is the CEO of the platform said that Bitstamp was among the first 22 applicants for the license. Initially, the regulator only issued a handful of BitLicenses, but lately, they are doing it more frequently.
According to Kodric “this year we are the [fifth] that was granted, so I guess the pace is picking up.”
This year alone Robinhood, Tagomi, LibertyX, and Cotton Vending have all received the coveted license. Kodric added that before the decision to award Bitstamp with the permit was reached the platform had to discuss with NYDFS on the various aspects of its operation.
“There were questions all around how the matching engine works, how we store crypto, how we [conduct] audits. The license is a set of rules and procedures you have to follow on a daily basis, so once you do that you can [receive a BitLicense].”
According to the CEO, the approval process is similar to the European Standards so meeting their criteria was no problem. Already the exchange has a payment institution license in EU that allows it to operate in all the 28-member countries.
What’s your take on Bitstamp becoming the latest crypto exchange to receive a virtual currency license in the state of New York? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.


text:
Find out what our customers have to say about our service.Read more
Pet owners urged to enter photo contest
Tuesday September 20th 2016
Pet owners in Leicestershire have been urged to enter their furry friends into a photo competition.
The Hinckley Times is encouraging local animal lovers to send in pictures of their pets, ranging from cats and dogs through to rats and parrots.
The newspaper said hundreds of entries have already been submitted to its Pet Idol 2016 competition, with a cheque of £100 available to the winning owner.
A special supplement will be published by the paper next month, with readers then given the chance to have their say on the most eye-catching pet.
Commenting on the contest, editor Simon Holden said it gets better with each passing year.
He added: " Last year there were 400 entries. The people of Hinckley really love their pets and I am sure there will be an even bigger entry this year."
Mr Holden also pointed out that any type of pet can be entered into the competition, with unusual creatures welcome.
To enter the Pet Idol competition, readers can send in images of their pets to firstname.lastname@example.org by midnight on September 25.
Copyright Press Association 2016


text:
BEAVERTON, OR--Biamp Systems, a 33 year old Oregon company has relocated its headquarters to a larger facility in Beaverton.
As Biamp expands its market leadership position in the commercial audio market, and makes significant inroads with the introduction of its new advanced paging and voice evacuation product, Vocia -- the company has outgrown the 40,000 square foot manufacturing facility it occupied for the last ten years. The new 70,000 square foot Beaverton building on Gemini Drive will accommodate an expansive manufacturing floor and will double the size of Biamp's training facilities. The company's global expansion has also precipitated the addition of several new staff members in the manufacturing, engineering and marketing departments for US and International locations over the last 12 months.
"We have continued to experience strong demand for our technologies as the global economy sought to recover. We know that distance conferencing systems and Biamp's entry into the advanced paging and voice evacuation market will be key drivers of growth for the company, said Steve Metzger, Biamp president. "With our need to add new people and increase production capacity, we made the decision to expand our corporate headquarters and manufacturing facilities here in Beaverton. Our people are our greatest asset, and the new facility allows us to assure that our growth in development and production can remain under one roof. The new Gemini location is a resource that allows Biamp to develop and produce products, and train our customers on our rapidly growing suite of unique products that make up the next generation of networked audio systems."
The AVNetwork staff are storytellers focused on the professional audiovisual and technology industry. Their mission is to keep readers up-to-date on the latest AV/IT industry and product news, emerging trends, and inspiring installations.


text:
MoneyGram International has entered into a remittance partnership with Digital Financial Services, a joint venture of Etisalat and Noor Bank.
The partnership will enable eWallet users to make cross-border remittances to more than 200 countries and territories.
Owned by Digital Financial Services, eWallet is a licenced digital payment service in the UAE.
Customers with a valid Emirates ID and a UAE mobile number can open a eWallet account. The service allows users to send and receive money, make purchases, transfer funds to bank accounts and pay bills.
Unlike other apps, people who do not have a bank account can also avail eWallet service.
Digital Financial Services chairman Ahmed Al Awadi said: “eWallet continues to be an innovative solution that enhances the way UAE residents conduct financial transactions today.
“Our partnership with MoneyGram will further enrich our customers’ lives with a state-of-the-art user experience which MoneyGram is renowned for and will boost our future expansion plans.”
MoneyGram chief revenue officer Grant Lines said: “Etisalat, like MoneyGram, has digitised its business to adapt to the increasingly tech-savvy lifestyles of its customers in the UAE.
“We’re excited about how this partnership builds upon our strong momentum in the Middle East market and further accelerates digital growth as we expand our customer-centric capabilities to the third largest outbound remittance country in the world.”
Recently, South Korean fintech Global Money Express (GME) partnered MoneyGram for cross-border money transfers.


text:
Oil, gas, gold, sugar prices down in Kabul
KABUL (Pajhwok): The prices of petroleum products, gas, gold and sugar declined in the central capital Kabul during the outgoing week, market sources said on Thursday.
The rate of one litre of diesel and the same quantity of petrol registered two and one afghani decrease respectively during the week, said Abdul Hadi, a filling station owner in the Wazirabad locality.
Similarly, the price of one kilogram of liquefied gas lowered from 50afs to 48afs, said dealer Mohammad Sharif in Kalola Pushta neighbourhood.
He linked the decline to increased imports of the commodity. However, firewood prices stayed unchanged during the week, but that of sugar decreased.
Fazal Rahman, the traders’ union head, said the price of 50 kilogram bag of Pakistani sugar declined to 1,450 from past week’s 1,550afs as a result of increase in its imports.
A 50-kg bag of flour stayed stable at 1,300afs, a 24-kg bag of rice cost 1800afs, a 5-litre tin of Momin ghee 380afs, one kilogram Vietnamese green tea was sold for 170afs and the same quantity of African back tea for 210afs.
However, wholesale rates varied from retail prices. Mohammad Aman, a shopkeeper in Taimani area, sold a 50-kg bag of sugar for 1,900afs, a 49-kg bag of Pakistani flour for 1,380afs, a 24-kg sack of rice for 2,000afs, a 5-litre tin of Momin ghee for 440afs, a kilo of green tea for 200afs, and black tea for 240afs.
Jeweler Abdul Baseer said the price of one gram of Arabic gold decreased from 2,200afs to 2,100afs and that of the Iranian variety from 1,800afs to 1,700afs.
Money changer Ahmad Shah said the buying rate of one US dollar was 57.42afs against last week’s 57.18afs and 1,000 Pakistan rupees cost 540afs against 534afs last week.
Download “Pajhwok” mobile App, on your smartphone to read and access latest news, features, interviews, videos and photos about Afghanistan.


text:
Thingsup has recently announced that it has received $100,000 from GSF Accelerator. iobot, the parent company of Thingsup informed that the investment will be used to the burgeoning demand for digitalising the cold chain logistics, the market for which is rapidly expanding due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Launched in 2020, Thingsup is a low-code, SaaS-based platform that comes with ready to use wireless IoT sensors and enables businesses to digitalise their entire supply chain operations within a few days, instead of months.
Rajesh Sawhney, Founder and CEO, GSF Accelerator said to a news portal, “The iobot team has built a fantastic low-code IoT platform in Thingsup and the feedback from their customers universally underlines the tremendous business value that their platform is already delivering. We are really excited to partner with them and are confident that they are going to be among the biggest IoT success stories to emerge from India in the months and years to come.”
Founded in 2012, GSF is one of India’s technology accelerator, with a portfolio including Whatfix, Slintel, Quizizz, Docsapp, Flinto, Citymall, Gamezop, Well Being, Zen Duty, Khabri and Vaultedge.


text:
Owners of La Dry Cleaners, a dry cleaning facility that shut down a month ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic, are now making free masks for the community. La and Trinh have been running their small business for three decades, but with the recent pandemic, the couple is now down to one meal a day. They said that their son has already lost 15 pounds and they have no idea how they will be able to pay rent.
Lily La and Tony Trinh are not letting the pandemic stop them from working. They have reportedly sewn and given away more than 2,000 masks for free, according to ABC7 New York
A daily dose of Asian America's essential stories, in under 5 minutes.
Get our collection of Asian America's most essential stories to your inbox daily for free.
Unsure? Check out our Newsletter Archive.
However, instead of selling the masks, they give them out for free as their own way of thanking America.
“That’s one way for us to say thanks America,” La told ABC7 New York. “We came here with bare hands, we raised our three kids, go to college. This is one way for us to say thanks.”
Trinh, who is known in the community as Tony, practices social distancing by using their son’s lacrosse stick to hand the masks to their customers.
Although they are doing this for free, the couple said they will not turn down any tips or extra fabric to make more masks. But their main objective right now is to simply protect their neighbors, the owners said.
La Dry Cleaners is one of the many Asian-owned businesses
across the United States that have converted into studios to make masks and other essential supplies to be donated to the community.


text:
For example, consider the New York City market. Last month, GM allocated 104 Volts to 14 dealerships in the area, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Dealers took just 31 of them, the lowest take rate for any Chevy model in that market last month. That group of dealers ordered more than 90 percent of the other vehicles they were eligible to take, the source said.
In Clovis, Calif., meanwhile, Brett Hedrick, dealer principal at Hedrick's Chevrolet, sold 10 Volts last year. But in December and January he turned down all six Volts allocated to him under GM's "turn-and-earn" system, which distributes vehicles based on past sales volumes and inventory levels.
GM's "thinking we need six more Volts is just crazy," Hedrick says. "We've never sold more than two in a month." Hedrick says he usually takes just about every vehicle that GM allocates to him.
GM spokesman Rob Peterson confirmed that "dealer ordering is down" for the Volt. He said many dealers have been waiting for resolution of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's investigation into the risk of fires in the car's battery pack. Last year three packs caught fire in the days or weeks following government test crashes.
This month GM announced a voluntary repair aimed at protecting the battery pack. And last week NHTSA said it has closed its investigation, concluding that the battery pack poses no significant fire risk.
"There's a lot of misinformation that has swirled over the past month," Peterson said. "Dealers are kind of waiting for things to settle down."
Hedrick and other dealers say that their GM zone reps aren't pressuring them to take more Volts. "They haven't jammed us," he says. "I think they'll just give them to somebody else." More at autonews.com


text:
- Tour of the AtariAge Booth on Saturday
- 360 view from the AtariAge booth on Saturday
- Autographs line for Ernest Cline, Mike Mika, and Howard Scott Warshaw
- Photo gallery of the AtariAge booth on Flickr
Next year's Classic Game Fest has already been announced, taking place July 30-31, 2016. The event is being held again at the Palmer Events Center, however, the show is nearly doubling in size, going from 25,000 square feet to 45,000 square feet! The next event we're attending is the Portland Retro Gaming Expo, October 17-18 at the Oregon Convention Center. We'll be releasing several new games at the show, and will have a large booth with many new and upcoming homebrews available to play. We look forward to seeing many AtariAge visitors in Portland!


text:
In a highly anticipated move, Xiaomi is set to launch its flagship smartphones, the Xiaomi 14 and Xiaomi 14 Pro, outside of China on February 25th. But that’s not all – the global event is expected to showcase the much-awaited Xiaomi 14 Ultra, and we’ve got an exclusive sneak peek at what could be the game-changer in the smartphone market.
Courtesy of renowned tipster Digital Chat Station, a leaked live image of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra has surfaced on Weibo, giving us a tantalizing glimpse of its design and camera setup. The device, showcased in an elegant off-white color, features a distinctive circular-shaped camera module, reminiscent of its predecessor, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra.
What sets the Xiaomi 14 Ultra apart is its cutting-edge quad rear camera setup, rumored to house four impressive 50-megapixel cameras. Among them, the primary camera is speculated to boast Sony’s latest LYT900 1-inch sensor with an impressive f/1.63 aperture, promising unparalleled photography capabilities.
But the innovation doesn’t stop there. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is rumored to sport a stunning 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a crisp 2K resolution and a buttery-smooth 120Hz refresh rate, ensuring an immersive viewing experience like never before.
Under the hood, expect nothing but the best, as the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is rumored to be powered by Qualcomm’s mighty Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC, delivering unparalleled performance and efficiency. With slightly curved screens and an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner for seamless authentication, this flagship is designed to impress.
And when it comes to power, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra doesn’t disappoint. With a robust 5,180mAh battery, supported by blazing-fast 90W wired charging and 50W wireless charging capabilities, you can bid farewell to battery anxiety and stay connected all day long.
As Xiaomi gears up for its global launch event, all eyes are on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, poised to redefine the smartphone landscape with its stellar features and groundbreaking technology. Get ready to experience the future of smartphones like never before!


text:
What Happened To The Instagram Carousel?
This week, Instagram has thrown us a curveball and mixed up the carousel option + decided to (finally) give us the hidden statistics we’ve been craving, and TikTok is shaking things up with a new format.
Gender Neutral Socials And Fake News
Instagram is adding to it's gender settings, Facebook is adding further 'fake news' precautions and WhatsApp is backtracking on their latest privacy update.
Virtual Dating On Hinge And Apple’s Podcast Update
Hinge is now introducing Virtual Dating with the launch of Video Prompts, Apple launches new Podcast Subscriptions service and Reddit zeroes in on search experience.
Monetisation of IGTV And LinkedIn Audio Options
Instagram is launching paid ads on IGTV to promote monetisation amongst creators, Google is giving Maps a makeover and LinkedIn is joining the audio bandwagon.
Equality And Inclusivity On Social Media
Social Media was celebrating equality this week, supporting and promoting females, creating inclusive bitmojis and opening up for user questions.
Facebook VS. The Australian Government
One of the world’s global tech giants is taking a stand against the Australian Government in a major way, say goodbye to news on your Facebook feed!


text:
NextNew Networks evolves – changing business models http://bit.ly/d6w8jh NextNew has been a leader in web video series production.
NextNew Networks is evolving from producing its own content to contracting with the producer to use their facilities and share revenue with them.
Instead of producing video on its own, NNN CEO Lance Podell said in an interview last week that the company seeks to be an incubator of web video talent, striking rev share agreements with independent creators who can leverage Next Newâ€™s studio, brand and marketing muscle to increase audience awareness. The reason for the shift is pretty simple: It takes Next Newâ€™s production costs down to nothing. And as a result, Podell believes that the company has finally landed a business model that is scalable.


text:
Today, we wrap up our series The Download on New Hampshire’s App Economy with the profile of an independent developer. In some ways, it’s a classic story: he left his full-time job to work on his program at home in Derry. But he’s anything but a stereotypical computer geek.
In the course of reporting this series, I spoke to very few women who were working with mobile apps. It wasn’t for lack of trying. This gender gap isn’t unusual in computer science in general. And it isn’t confined to New Hampshire.
This week we’re looking at New Hampshire’s developing mobile app economy. Although it’s nowhere on the scale of manufacturing or tourism, it’s gaining in popularity—and importance. But how do we educate this new workforce? Today, we talk with professors and students about how they see themselves fitting into the mobile app economy.
Some of our nation's hotspots for app development are fairly predictable - Seattle, San Francisco - but others will surprise you. North Carolina? New Jersey? Nashua, New Hampshire?
While the smaller markets on the list do have lower numbers of people employed in the field, their concentration in the overall job market is greater, giving them a higher "location quotient" - in other words, these are the areas most saturated with app developers.
Over the past three years, smartphone ownership has increased dramatically. Seeing this trend, entrepreneurs have sensed the strong demand for the mobile apps that make smartphones so popular. As part of our week long series "The Download on New Hampshire's App Economy," today we introduce you to some Granite Staters who are gambling on startup success…and the challenges they face.
This week, we're getting to the bottom of the growing app development economy in New Hampshire. So, who's using smartphones and mobile apps, and how many? And the people that make apps, what do they do? This infographic provides a snapshot of the U.S. application picture.
More than half of all Americans own a smartphone. The explosion of this technology over the past few years has created a rapidly growing job sector in designing and developing smartphone apps. This week, we launch our series "The Download on New Hampshire's App Economy." looking at how this industry is growing and changing in the state. We begin with an introduction to the world of mobile app development.


text:
With new car demand slacking worldwide, Ford of Europe has announced it will be slashing production at two of its European plants. Beginning May 1st, Ford of Europe will be cutting one of three shifts at its Valencia, Spain production plant, with the company’s Saarlouis, Germany plant continuing indefinitely on a four-day work week.
During the first two months of the year Ford of Europe saw its new car sales tumble nearly 22 percent, with no end in sight. As such, Ford of Europe revealed that more production cuts could be just around the corner.
“Ford of Europe must return to sustainable profitability as soon as possible,” Ford of Europe CEO
Fleming said in a statement. “We will do whatever it takes to ensure the continuing viability of our business and further actions can be expected.”
In addition to the cuts, Ford will also be shifting its European production. Ford’s Saarlouis plant will be used exclusively for the production of the next-generation Focus, which means the factory will cease production of the Kuga in 2011. The Valencia plant will stop making the Focus when the new model comes on line in 2011, but will gain the next-generation Ford C-Max and will retain its Fiesta production, according to Automotive News.ref


text:
Carrot consumption in the U.S. has risen substantially in recent years, a new survey shows. We bet tomato sales follow suit now that the fall campaign season is here.
- Potato chips are America's favorite snack food, a new survey shows. Except, of course, in certain Republican households, where the preference is for potatoe chips.- A new survey says 66 percent of folks in England want the monarchy to continue indefinitely. Sure. Nothing nearly so entertaining is on TV.


text:
Huawei surpassed Apple's global cellphone sales and became the second largest smartphone provider in the world this year, according to market share at the end of the second quarter. The new goal for the Chinese company is the first move, currently owned by Samsung, in 2020.
"Next year, we will be very close to number one, maybe we will be equal to Samsung, and at least the following year, maybe we have the opportunity (to be number one)," said Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei Consumer Division, for CNBC in an exclusive interview .
Huawei talks about folding phones, 5G technology, and augmented reality glasses. But that is not always a world class company. In fact, Huawei doesn't even have its own smartphone until 2010, three years after Apple first debuted with the first iPhone.
This company has become one of the largest technology companies in China due to the growth of cellular network equipment and is now one of the largest suppliers in the world for this market. It is also an original designer (ODM), which means it is designed and manufactured for other companies.
Innovation is the key to Huawei's rise
In 2010, Huawei launched its first smartphone called IDEOS with an operating system from Google Android and cost around 60 euros. Eight years later, the company launched mobile phones with genuine artificial intelligence and premium equipment at more than 1,000 euros.
Switching from ODM to giant today has been carried out by Richard Yu, who previously worked for Huawei's business-to-business division (B2B) and became CEO of Consumer Group in 2012. At that time, some market trends have made Yu see Huawei's potential in mobile market, including switching from smartphones to smartphones and 4G mobile internet arrivals.
He has decided that Huawei will stop producing classic cellphones and focus on high-end smartphones with more powerful batteries and larger screens, that's what consumers demand.
The CEO said he likes to take risks, which has helped Huawei grow rapidly.
"I encourage the team to have the ability to innovate, to make bold innovations, to do something that some say is a little crazy, to provoke themselves and the industry," Yu told CNBC.
For Yu, Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be a key technology that will lead smart phones to the next level and help companies grow in the future.
"AI will come in. AI will be the engine for all future services and will be the basis for working on multiple devices, will connect all applications." "The biggest change over the next ten years is AI's telephone capabilities," Yu said.
Huawei is currently working on a folding telephone that will debut next year and will become the company's first 5G phone. Yu also said that the augmented reality (AR) glasses were also in the factory. This new technology can provide the engine of growth for Huawei ahead.
In turn, Samsung CEO DJ Koh told CNBC in a September interview that the company changed its strategy for middle-class smartphones to bring more innovative features to their phones at lower prices, a move that could help reduce Huawei's threat. This strategy has been seen in the Galaxy A9, the world's first smartphone with a quad lens, launched in October.
And Samsung won't be easily defeated. It has fallen from the first position in the smartphone market three times over the past five years, usually only for a quarter, according to data from Counterpoint Research.
Neil Shah, research director at Counterpoint, estimates that Huawei must sell between 30 and 40 million more quarter smartphones to deal with Samsung.
But Shah said that Samsung's sales could be completed due to intense competition, which could help Huawei become number one.
Yu's ambition is bigger than a smartphone. They want Huawei to start developing new products such as laptops and smart speakers. Yu aims to create a smart device ecosystem.
"We want to take a leadership role for the next ten years to become an integrated smart solution," Yu told CNBC.


text:
Listen to this article
Intel, the chipmaking giant, said on Monday that it would pay $15.3bn to buy Mobileye, the maker of autonomous driving technology, in one of the biggest deals yet in the emerging field of self-driving cars and Israel’s biggest-ever cross-border acquisition.
The two companies announced a definitive agreement under which a subsidiary of Intel will begin a tender offer to buy all of Mobileye’s shares for $63.54 each in cash.
The two companies said that the deal would “accelerate innovation for the automotive industry and position Intel as a leading technology provider in the fast-growing market for highly and fully autonomous vehicles” – a market Intel estimates will be worth up to $10bn by 2030.
Jerusalem-headquartered Mobileye, co-founded in 1999 by Amnon Shashua, a professor of computer science at Hebrew University, and Ziv Amiram, today its chief executive, makes cameras and associated computer vision and machine learning technology that allows cars to make decisions on driving autonomously.
It supplies a number of global carmakers, and in January formed a partnership with BMW and Intel aimed at putting self-driving cars on the road in 2017.
Intel –one of many foreign tech groups with large operations in Israel is Israel’s largest high-tech employer, with 10,000 people on its payroll. It is investing $6bn in the country.
The purchase is the biggest by a foreign company of an Israeli one in the Jewish state’s 69-year history. To date, the biggest foreign acquisition in Israel was Cisco’s roughly $5bn purchase of NDS, a software company, in 2012.
In 2001 Lucent Technologies bought Chromatis Networks, which makes optical networking systems, for about $4.5bn. In 2013
Get alerts on Intel Corp when a new story is published


text:
WonderKing begins open beta Jan 7
Ndoors has announced that WonderKing will be launching its open beta phase of testing tomorrow, January 7th, at 12pm PT.
The Open Beta will give special rewards to all Closed Beta testers. The Pet system will be available for testing, including a 7-day black panda pet for all players. New quests and a new map, Pruneus Lab, will also be added during the open beta phase.
Finally, the most important thing: there will be no data wipes, so character names and data will be saved even as the game goes live.
The Official Announcement:
To our WonderKing Community,We sincerely express our deepest thanks to all that have participated throughout our Closed Betas. It has been many months since the first whispers of a game called WonderKing was heard, and we have banded together to turn that whisper into a roar. We have journeyed together through days of arduous testing to take WonderKing to new heights, waiting for the day that it is ready to go into Open Beta. Wait no more.We are proud to announce that WonderKing Open Beta will launch on January 7th, 2010 at 12PM (PST)Open Beta will highlight all the best features of WonderKing, as well as introduce new ones. The new features will include:· Test the Pet System and everyone will receive a [Black Panda Pet] which will last 7 days only during OBT.· The Special Unknown Reward to all Closed Beta players.· The official unveiling of our new map, Pruneus Lab and additional quests· Numerous events for you to participate in.· Everyone will start out fresh and keep their character names!· No more CBT means No more WIPE!It’s the dawn of a new decade! Newcomers, veterans, and returning players, don’t miss the opportunity to be part of this historic event: WonderKing’s official launch of the Open Beta! The WonderKing Team
Articles You May Enjoy
- Ragnarok Online 2 Announces Commercial Launch Date
- WarpPortal yesterday announced their commercial launch date for the sequel to their world-renown title Ragnarok Online, Ragnarok Online 2: Leg...
- Battleplans Sets Android Release Date
- Battleplans is coming to Android via the Google Play store on June 30th, 2016.
- RuneFest Tickets Available for RuneScape Bonds Purchase
- Entry to the event, which takes place on Saturday 3rd October at London’s Tobacco Dock, costs 35 RuneScape Bonds or £99 plus booking fee.


text:
Flipkart Smart TV Carnival…
NEW DELHI: On January 8, Flipkart started its limited time period offer on those who are interested in buying smart TVs at discounted rates. Called as the ‘Smart TV Carnival’, the offer is valid until today so users still have a few hours remaining before the offers ends.
As a part of the Smart TV Carnival, brands like Onida, Kodak, Intex and Panasonic are selling their smart TVs at with different offers including no cost EMIs, discounted process and more in different price points. Most of them can be purchased at even lower prices as a part of an exchange offer.
Onida is selling its 43-inch full-HD smart TV with built in wi-fi and other features at Rs 27,999. Kodak is also selling its 32-inch and 40-inch smart TVs at Rs 14,999 and Rs 22,999 respectively. The 32-inch TV is HD ready while the 40-inch model has a Full-HD panel.
Intex has also kept a couple of its TVs on sales. The company’s 43-inch full-HD smart TV is priced at Rs 26,999, while the 32-inch HD ready smart TV will cost users Rs 15, 499.
Panasonic also has a similar offer in Flipkart’s “Smart TV Carnival”. It is selling two of its Smart TVs – 43-inch Full-HD and 32-inch HD at Rs 32,999 and Rs 19,999.
LG has as many as eight TVs available as a part of the offer. These range from Rs 21,999 and go up to Rs 58,900. All the smart TVs come with an exchange offer of up to Rs 12,000 and can also be purchased on EMI offers.
While Micromax has its 32-inch HD smart TV available at Rs 16,999, Sony is selling several of its E series smart TVs ranging from Rs 28,999 up to Rs 3,99,999. Companies like VU also have its HD Ready TVs and 4K TVs up for grabs starting Rs 15,499 and Rs 42,999 respectively. Sanyo, Samsung and Mitashi are offering HD and 4K TVs starting Rs 24,999 as a part of the offer.


text:
MNFashion released its Fashion Week events calendar Monday. This year they have introduced a more streamlined calendar, with no overlap, so fashionistas can attend every event and show.
The week kicks off on February 18th and runs through the 25th.
Make sure to check out the University of Minnesota College of Design Senior Fashion Show: Twelve at 5:30 and 8:00 p.m. on the 18th!
By Lacey Braun
Photo Cred www.metromag.com


text:
Fashion designer Donna Karan is selling a portion of her longtime family retreat on Parrot Cay in the Turks and Caicos Islands for $39 million.
Oscar-winning French director Claude Lelouch is selling one property in Deauville, a surreal round house on a 10-acre estate, for $9.34 million.
The penthouse at under-construction Manhattan condominium 1110 Park Avenue is now available for $44 million.
Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates has reportedly purchased a 228-acre horse farm in Rancho Santa Fe, California, the Wall Street Journal reports.
London is the destination of choice for multi-millionaires buying second homes, a new survey suggests.
A nearly 238-acre ranch in posh Montecito, the hilly enclave in the mountains above Santa Barbara, has hit the market with a price tag of $125 million.


text:
The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which together make up the nation’s largest port complex, set new records in cargo movement last month.
The Port of Long Beach had its highest monthly cargo movement in its 106-year history in July, moving 720,312 cargo containers, known as 20-foot-equivalent units or TEUs, up 6.4 percent compared to the same period a year ago. The port beat its previous record set in August 2015.
Imports rose 16.3 percent to 378,820 cargo containers, while exports slipped 11.7 percent to 126,098 TEUs. Empty containers numbered at 215,394 TEUs.
“These numbers are great for Long Beach and good news for the economy,” Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero, said in a statement.View Article


text:
Certain software companies have been doing a bit of a soft sell lately. An increasing trend of growing CRM businesses are selling out to extend their product line-ups. Peoplesoft bought Calico Commerce, Pivotal bought Exactium, the list goes on…
In this rapidly-paced, quickly evolving business world, it’s hard to keep up so here’s the lowdown on who’s bought who, what they’re up to and why.
Why Yammer went under the hammer
Rewind back to June 2012 and you might remember hearing the news that Microsoft bought out Yammer (a leading provider of enterprise social networks) for a cool $1.2 billion – in cash.
Yammer was launched in 2008 as an online service for making companies and organisations more productive through the exchange of file sharing, knowledge exchange and company collaboration.
It’s a bit like being able to use Facebook at work, only your ‘friends’ are your colleagues and your ‘wall’ is your workload.
When it was sold, had a base of 5 million corporate users including 85% of the Fortune 500 workforce. So it’s clearly to see why Microsoft was keen to get on board. They plan to accelerate the company alongside Microsoft SharePoint, Office 365, Microsoft Dynamics and Skype.
David Sacks, who will remain the CEO of the company, commented:
“When we started Yammer four years ago, we set out to do something big. We had a vision for how social networking could change the way we work. Joining Microsoft will accelerate that vision and give us access to the technologies, expertise ad resources we’ll need to scale and innovate.”
A few theories on why Microsoft were eager to add Yammer to their string of successes include:
- Microsoft buying Yammer for the same reasons it bought Skype – it needed a cooler, younger brand to refresh its image
- Microsoft needs to get involved in the business of social networks before it gets left behind. They were lagging behind competitors in terms of enterprise-level social networking, whereas Oracle, Salesforce and IBM have been leaps ahead
- Microsoft may use Yammer for advertising. According to TechCrunch, their biggest challenge will be figuring out how to profit from Yammer. They had similar issues with Skype and introduced new advertising strategies to try and resolve the issue
Unusually for Microsoft, they’ve already started to integrate Yammer into their portfolio – it usually takes much longer, which gives you an indication of how urgent they view the acquisition and its implementation.
Salesforce not so Dimdim in their strategic acquisition
At the start of 2011, competition was fierce in the social networking world between two main contenders – Chatter (run by web-software giant Salesforce) and Yammer.
It was only a matter of time before Salesforce set the pace and announced that they would buy web conferencing provider Dimdim for $31 million to deliver real-time messaging and collaboration tools to Chatter – a Facebook-style networking site.
Dimdim enables users to set up online and remote meetings cost-effectively and has been promoted widely on popular networking sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook.
Chief Marketing Officer of Salesforce, Kendall Collins, commented on the acquisition:
“We really want to follow the Facebook model. Think about that green dot and knowing that people are online and you can communicate in real time, that’s a critical aspect of what Dimdim delivers.”
Back in the day (which a mere few months in this digital age), Chatter was a pretty expensive service, requiring users to be Salesforce customers or pay $15 a month. Since switching to a completely free service, the company has enticed more users and has been hailed as some as the new Facebook.
If CRM systems were a monopoly board, Salesforce would be living pretty comfortably right now, snapping up existing hot property that’s crying out for development.
This is, after all, the third major acquisition by the company in less than a month. Prior to Chatter, they acquired web application developer Heroku in December and spent an ‘undisclosed amount’ on e-mail contact manager Etacts. They’ve also got Jigsaw, Radian6, Manymoon and Asisstly firmly under their belts.
There have already been rumours that Chatter will rival Facebook because of its new dominant tactics:
- Chatter can take advantage of Salesforce’s customer-base of 100,000 enterprises
- Chatter enables people to share everything – communications and apps
- Chatter is part of a broader social solution for enterprises including Jigsaw/Data.com, Chatter/Force.com, Radian6 and Force.com/Heroku
Oracle trumps Salesforce with a stream of acquisitions
If Oracle had a poker face, it would be near impossible to gauge. Their latest acquisition of RightNow was the latest in a string of successful acquisitions including Sun Microsystems, Datanomic, Ksplice, Endeca, Taleo, Vitrue, Instantis, Eloqua and this year, Acme Packet.
With Oracle and Salesforce in direct competition in the CRM arena, both companies have recently targeted businesses that will bolster their capabilities.
RightNow is a CRM provider with an emphasis on multichannel customer service and support. Oracle paid £1 billion for RightNow’s stock at about £28 a share, which is about 20% more than the company’s closing price on October 21st.
The company has been a major competitor of Salesforce and Oracle’s own CRM services. They most likely acquired RightNow because of its multichannel customer support capabilities that work across call centres, social networks and web self-service applications.
And according to Denis Pombriant, principal analyst with Beagle Research, which specialises in CRM market analysis, RightNow will “gel well” with their other acquisitions.
Some have viewed the merger as a win-win for both companies since RightNow are getting the big-company marketing they need, professional services, sales reach of Oracle to grow beyond their current run-rate and the opportunity to compete with Salesforce and Microsoft.
Oracle, in turn, is getting a full-feature, on-demand customer service solution and also get the chance to build their ‘cloud’ services.
The latest Oracle acquisition with Acme Packets highlights a growing trend in global communications – the fusion of IT and telecom products. Oracle are underlining their opportunity to strengthen their position in both markets through extending their product lines from every angle.
We can only assume where Oracle lead, others will follow… but where will this chaotic acquisition frenzy end? Only time and technology will tell.
More Business articles from Business 2 Community:
- What Comes After Content Marketing? Here Are Four Ideas.
- Celebrating National Grammar Day: 3 Mistakes to Avoid in Your Writing
- Content Curation – When Did It Begin?
- How To Get Email Subscribers Through Facebook Marketing
- Five Unique Examples of Brands Marketing on Pinterest, Instagram, and the Visual Web


text:
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles [NYSE:FCAU] has named a Canadian executive as the chief for its prestigious Alfa Romeo and Maserati brands.
The automaker announced today Reid Bigland will replace Harald Wester as CEO of the premium Italian brands. Currently, Bigland serves as FCA's sales chief in the United States and CEO of the automaker's Canadian divisions. He'll continue to hold onto those positions, but he will now also be in charge of expanding Alfa Romeo globally and continuing Maserati's sales momentum.
German-born Wester will remain at FCA as Chief Technology Officer, a position he currently holds. Both Bigland and Wester are on FCA's top management body, the Group Executive Council.
High among Bigland's new responsibilities will be resurrecting Alfa Romeo for the U.S. and Canada, markets where the brand has only been an occasional niche player for the last two decades. Alfa Romeo's first effort at returning to a volume presence in the U.S. and Canada lies with its Giulia sedan, a BMW 3-Series rival that, after several delays, is set to go on sale later this year.
Bigland's automotive industry experience started 20 years ago when he joined Western Star Trucks, which is owned by Daimler. In 2006 he was named the head of the Chrysler brand in Canada and added other positions to his resume including head of Dodge and Ram Trucks at later dates.


text:
Hyundai And Kia Considering Tough Ladder-Frame SUVs
Hyundai has admitted that it is thinking about launching a ladder-frame SUV that could rival vehicles like the Chevrolet Tahoe and Ford Expedition.
Hyundai and Kia both produce large SUVs in the form of the Palisade and the Telluride but they feature unibody constructions and are simply not as capable off-road as the many ladder-frame SUVs currently on the market, including the Toyota Land Cruiser.
During a recent interview with Car Sales, Hyundai’s head of global product management Lorenz Glaab said such a vehicle could make sense for Hyundai.
“Nothing can be excluded. There is some dynamism in that segment you just described and we are very much aware of that. We monitor [it] very closely,” he said. “And if we believe there is an opportunity for us, we can move pretty fast.”
Neither of the car manufacturers’s currently have a chassis to suit such SUVs but it is believed the companies could work together to develop a modular frame that would work for flagship Hyundai and Kia SUVs. Kia has previously indicated it is also interested in a body-on-frame SUV.
“Yes, I mean from a brand perspective obviously that is thinkable,” Glaab said when asked directly about the new off-road SUV. “And now whether it makes sense and in what region and with what particular concept remains to be seen.”
It is not just off-road SUVs that Hyundai and Kia are considering. Hyundai is readying its lifestyle-oriented Santa Cruz for production and Kia is developing a pickup to rival the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger. What’s more, Hyundai is also said to be developing a full-size pickup to chase after the likes of the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado, and Ram 1500 that will also use a ladder-frame chassis.


text:
- In Melbourne today, a Tesla Model X P100D set a Guinness World Record as the heaviest tow by an electric production passenger vehicle.
- The car pulled a 130 tonne Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner along the tarmac.
- Qantas is also using electric vehicle tugs in Sydney and Canberra as part of the company's greenhouse reduction program.
A Tesla might be currently flying through space on its way to Mars, but in Melbourne today, Elon Musk's electric vehicle produced another first when it set a Guinness World Record attempt, as the heaviest tow by an electric production passenger vehicle, towing a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner along the tarmac.
Testing the torque on a Tesla Model X P100D, which has a road tow rated capacity of 2.5 tonnes, pulled the 130 tonne 787 (that's basically its unloaded weight with minimal fuel) almost 300 metres to satisfy the folks at the world records book.
It's also not the first time Qantas and Tesla have faced off — two years ago a Boeing 737 and Tesla Model S P90D raced over 3km from a standing start at Avalon airport, and while the car grabbed a headstart in the acceleration stakes, the plane thankfully didn't top out at the Tesla's top speed of 250km/h top speed and rubbed it in by taking off.
You can watch that race here.
And here's today's effort.


text:
Apple Music might have just topped 13 million paying customers, but that isn’t even close to the numbers Apple is looking for. Earlier this week, reports surfaced that the company is working on a major redesign of the app ahead of the Worldwide Developers Conference in June, as well as a planned marketing blitz around the new look, and now the company is working toward making the music-streaming service more attractive to students.
How? It’s simple: the company is offering a student discount. Students will now be able to use the service at half the price for standard customers, TechCrunch reports. In the U.S., Apple Music costs $10 per month, so with the discount, students will only have to pay $5 per month, automatically making it a much more attractive option than other services like Spotify or Tidal.
It isn’t just the U.S., either — students in other countries, including U.K., Ireland, Germany, Denmark, Australia, and New Zealand, will be able to take advantage of the discount as well. Apple Music’s pricing differs from country to country, but no matter what country the user is in, the discount will bring down the price by 50 percent.
This lower price will be available for up to four years following signup. These years don’t have to be continuous either, so if a student takes a semester or two off, they can resume paying the discounted price once they return to school. Just don’t think you’ll be able to pretend you’re a student in order to pay the lower price. Apple Music is using student verification technology from UNiDAYS to ensure that those taking advantage of the reduced price are actually students.
This isn’t the only way that Apple Music is working to be one of the most affordable streaming music services available. While the service’s monthly fee for a single user is the standard $10, its $15 per month family plan allows up to six family members to use the service for that price, while Spotify, for example, only allows two users to share an account for the same price.
This new membership tier is rolling out today in all supported regions, and is available to both new and existing subscribers.
- How Google’s $90M settlement could actually help small developers
- The ugly side to Apple’s embrace of third-party App Store payments
- Apple hikes Apple Music price for students in U.S., Canada, and U.K.
- This YouTube Apple Watch app is just as ridiculous as you’d expect
- Apple’s best iOS 16 feature is something you can’t see


text:
Singapore would possibly contemplate new guidelines and laws to guard shoppers amid the cryptocurrency market crash and sell-off that resulted in a string of dramatic incidents involving high-profile crypto blowups.
Based on a senior authorities minister, the Financial Authority of Singapore (MAS) is considering including extra restrictions on how most people can use cryptocurrencies.
The central financial institution could “place limits on retail participation” and implement laws on the usage of leverage in cryptocurrency transactions, in response to Tharman Shanmugaratnam, the minister accountable for MAS, who made the comment in parliament on Monday.
Murali Pillai, a member of parliament, had questioned Shanmugaratnam about whether or not the MAS deliberate to impose further limitations on cryptocurrency buying and selling platforms.
“Since 2017, MAS has persistently warned that cryptocurrencies should not appropriate investments for the retail public,” Shanmugaratnam stated. “Most cryptocurrencies are topic to sharp speculative value swings. Latest occasions have vividly demonstrated the dangers, with costs of a number of cryptocurrencies falling drastically.”
As a $2 trillion market selloff ensnared an increasing array of gamers, the central financial institution has reiterated this 12 months that cryptocurrencies should not for particular person buyers.
Each Terraform Labs, whose TerraUSD stablecoin imploded in Could, and Three Arrows Capital, the cryptocurrency hedge fund that was pressured into liquidation final month after failing to pay collectors, have their headquarters in Singapore.
There’s a rise in withdrawals
An increase in withdrawals depleted liquidity, subsequently Vauld, a Singapore-based cryptocurrency lender, acknowledged on Monday that it has frozen withdrawals and contacted advisors to analyze a possible restructuring.
Based on a weblog submit printed on Monday, the corporate is wanting into attainable restructuring potentialities as a method to take care of the problems it’s going through.
CEO Darshan Bathija famous that the enterprise had skilled important buyer withdrawals totaling $198 million since June 12.
The collapse of TerraUSD, Celsius’ withdrawal freeze, and Three Arrows Capital’s mortgage defaults, in addition to the monetary difficulties of enterprise companions, have made issues troublesome for Vauld, he famous.


text:
Well, these aren't very good. [Images via GamerSky}
A shopping centre in Beijing recently kicked off an anime exhibition with life-sized statues of famous characters from One Piece, Naruto and Attack on Titan.
As you can see in these images via GamerSky and Toutiaoabc, the results are not so good. Smart money says these are not licensed (obviously!), and naturally, anime fans in China aren't exactly thrilled with the quality of the statues.


text:
Dan Buettner says…
“Wine in moderation has been shown to be beneficial if consumed as part of a Mediterranean diet, which is defined by a high consumption of beans, greens, nuts, olive oil, and whole grains and a low consumption of meat and processed foods. This means that wine, as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle, can be beneficial to your health. It does not mean that wine will somehow ‘cancel out’ the negative effects of a poor diet (high in processed foods and saturated fat).”
“Consuming wine alongside a meal can help the body absorb more of the flavonoids, the artery-scrubbing antioxidants, from the food eaten with it. Among many others, this recent study published in Advances in Nutrition showed that consumption of wine as part of a Mediterranean-style diet could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and some cancers, perhaps helped by the anti-oestrogens found in extra-virgin olive oil.
“Resveratrol, the polyphenol found in the skin of grapes, is known to protect the body against damage that puts it at higher risk for cancer, heart disease, and dementia. According to a study by Philippe Marambaud, PhD, a senior research scientist at New York’s Litwin-Zucker Research Center for the Study of Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders, this compound can combat the formation of the plaque that is found in the brains of dementia patients.
“In another study published in The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease, those who consumed alcohol at least once a week (hello, Wine @ 5), had significantly better cognitive function in old age than those who did not drink at all.”
Dan Buettner is the author of The Blue Zones Kitchen.


text:
Latest Communication Stories
Chief Crisis Officer will look at the leadership, systems and technology needed for effective crisis communications in a media-saturated world NEW YORK, April 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/
Newly Created Role Will Drive Global Practice and Key Clients NEW YORK, April 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Havas Worldwide announced today the appointment of Beth Pasciucco as Managing
NEW YORK and MONTREAL, April 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ - Canwealth Minerals Corporation., is seeking developing partners.
OLD SAYBROOK, Conn., April 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- From You Flowers announced the acquisition of Social Media Link, a leading advocacy activation company that works with brands to grow their
DoubleClick Digital Marketing earns Leader status while Marin Software tops overall satisfaction rankings in crowdsourced report CHICAGO, April 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The first Grid?
VANCOUVER, April 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ - Red Eagle Mining Corporation (TSX-V: RD, OTCQX: RDEMF) has completed its previously announced financing with Orion Mine Finance ("Orion")
LogMyCalls will provide service to hundreds of new large call analytics clients. Silicon Slopes, UT (PRWEB) April 01, 2015 LogMyCalls today
"LogicArt" Reduces Production and Distribution Costs of Display Advertising by Approximately 30% Using Monitoring Surveys and Statistics Tokyo, Japan
New App Integrated into the Adobe Cloud Marketing Exchange Helps Maximize Ad Campaigns NEW YORK (PRWEB) April 01, 2015 wywy, a market leader in TV syncing
- Emitting flashes of light; glittering.


text:
- Huawei Mate 40 Pro renders and complete specifications have leaked online
- The flagship has been tipped to come with a 6.76-inch OLED display, Kirin 9000, and quad-cameras
- The Huawei Mate 40 series is scheduled to debut on October 22nd
Huawei Mate 40 series, which is expected to feature vanilla Mote 40 and Mate 40 Pro, is set to debut on October 22nd. We’ve already come across various leaks surrounding the flagships, revealing bits and pieces of information about the upcoming models. The recently leaked renders showed off the phones in full glory. Now, ahead of the announcement, more renders of the Huawei Mate 40 Pro have leaked online, alongside key specifications, including display, camera, chipset and more details have surfaced online, courtesy of WinFuture.
Huawei Mate 40 Pro design
Huawei Mate 40 Pro specifications (Rumoured)
The leak further claims the Mate 40 Pro will be powered by the Kirin 9000 octa-core SoC with 3x ARM-Cortex-A77 cores clocked at 2.54GHz, 1x ARM Cortex-A77 core at 3.13GHz, and 4x ARM Cortex-A55 efficiency cores running at 2.04GHz. The chipset is built on TSMC’s 5nm process and is backed by Mali G78 GPU for graphics and integrated 5G modem. The Huawei Mate 40 Pro will be available in 8GB RAM and 256GB UFS 3.1 storage option with no microSD card expansion. Moving to optics, the Mate 40 Pro has a 50MP primary sensor with OIS, a 20MP ultra-wide-angle lens and a 12MP telephoto shooter. There will be a 13MP primary and a 3D sensor on the front.
As per the report, a 4,400mAh battery with 65W SuperCharge fast charging technology fuels the phone. Connectivity options include Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 6, and wireless charging support. It is likely to boot Android 10-based EMUI 11 custom skin on top with HMS. While we don’t really know the pricing details, the launch is just a couple of days away, we should learn more information soon.


text:
Half of Consumers Prefer Social Media for Customer Service
- Tuesday, June 3rd, 2014
- Share this article:
Social media is an emerging channel for customer-care assistance, with many consumers preferring to communicate this way, a report by Amdocs shows.
50 per cent of consumers have attempted to contact service providers through social media, but three quarters never received a response, demonstrating a clear need for companies to improve their social media presence.
The report, based on separate studies by Ovum and Coleman Parkes, shows that by linking customers social media identities to the profiles they store on CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems, companies can improve customer experience, reduce call centre costs and pre-empt complaints.
Customers are ready for the consumer life to be integrated with their social media presence, with 64 per cent willing to share their social identity with a service provider in return for better service, and 48 per cent happy to receive relevant, personalised offers through social media.
However, companies seem to be lagging behind on this trend, with only seven per cent able to identify customers from their social media profiles, and only 36 per cent storing interactions made through social media in the CRM databases. 68 per cent believe that customers only take to channels such as Twitter and Facebook because they have been unable to reach a care agent over the phone, but in fact half of consumers surveyed prefer using social media as a first point of contact.
“The research shows a huge opportunity to deflect customer care to lower-cost, social media channels and to increase Net Promoter Score and positive word-of-mouth visibilty,” said Rebecca Prudhomme, vice president for product and solution marketing at Amdocs. “When people take to Twitter or Facebook to ask questions or, worse yet, complain about their service provider, thats an opportunity the service provider can take to proactively resolve that customers issue – if they know that customers real identity.”


text:
FORT VALLEY, Ga. — Hankook Tire America Corp. was among more than a dozen companies picking up top supplier awards from bus maker Blue Bird Corp. The company announced the winners for its 2013 Supplier Award winners at its recent supplier conference.
Roush CleanTech, manufacturer of propane autogas fuel systems and tanks, was Blue Bird’s 2013 Supplier of the Year. Throughout 2013, Blue Bird’s exclusive partnership with Roush CleanTech provided school districts across North America with environmentally-friendly and cost-effective propane autogas school buses, according to the company.
Other winners of Blue Bird Outstanding Supplier Award included:
- Allison Transmission, Inc.
- Chicago Expert Importers, Inc.
- Cummins Emission Systems
- Cummins, Inc.
- Dana Holding Corp.
- Dekalb Tool and Die, Inc.
- Ford Component Sales, LLC
- HSM Transportation Solutions
- Neovia Logistic Services, LLC
- Piedmont Plastics
- Quality Drive Away, Inc.
- SoundOff Commercial Vehicle Products
- St. Claire Technologies, Inc.
- Sunrise Wheel Corp.
“Blue Bird is honored to present these outstanding suppliers with their respective awards,” said Trey Jenkins, vice president of purchasing and supplier quality.
“For the past year, these suppliers have provided Blue Bird with superior performance related to cost, quality, delivery and technology. Blue Bird is privileged to have an outstanding supplier base and we look forward to 2014 as we continue to increase market share and provide our customers with top-quality buses.”


text:
The BPI, Britain's answer to the Recording Industry Ass. of America (RIAA), today said it had filed lawsuits against 65 more UK residents for allegedly sharing music without the permission of the copyright owner.
The new lawsuits take the total number of file-sharers accused by the BPI of music piracy - a group the organisation characterises as "digital shoplifters" - to more than 150. Of that number, 70 have agreed to pay up to £6,500 to settle their cases out of court, the organisation said. Five more currently have court cases pending against them.
The 65 UK lawsuits are among 2,100 similar cases launched around the globe this week by local recording industry trade associations operating under the auspices of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). So far some 3,800 people have been sued by the music biz around the world, though that figure excludes the 16,200-odd individuals targeted to date by the RIAA in the US.
The latest international action saw lawsuits issued for the first time in Sweden, Switzerland, Argentina, Hong Kong and Singapore. ®


text:
It was announced today by the Entertainment Software Association, that the Electronic Entertainment Expo, better known as E3 will remain in Los Angeles for the next three years. They also confirmed that E3 2013 will take place June 11-13, 2013, at the Los Angeles Convention Center, L.A. LIVE and a number of venues throughout Los Angeles. Earlier this year, many exhibitors used venues and even parking lots across the street from the convention center to showcase games and other products. An apparently non-running bus was used to promote the action adventure game “Lollipop Chainsaw” and housed playable demo units.
“We are proud to partner with Los Angeles for another three years. The City serves as a strong backdrop for the video game industry’s biggest announcements and we look forward to remaining in LA,” said Michael D. Gallagher, CEO of the ESA, which represents U.S. video game industry. “Video games are a dominant force in the global entertainment marketplace and there is no better place to display that than Los Angeles. We look forward to continuing our relationship with the City and AEG.”
In 2012, E3 brought 45,700 video game industry professionals, investor analysts, journalists and retailers from 103 countries together for a three day industry trade show that generated $40 million in revenue for Los Angeles. It’s no wonder Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was happy with the announcement.
“The City of Los Angeles is thrilled to welcome E3 back for another three years,” said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. “My office was committed to doing whatever it took to keep the largest annual conference that the City hosts here for another three years. I personally joined in the negotiations, and we worked with all parties to ensure the needs of E3 would be met. The City is grateful the Entertainment Software Association continues to view LA, the entertainment capital of the world, as the ideal location for the world’s premiere video game convention.”
The three-year agreement with Los Angeles also ensures E3 will continue as scheduled alongside AEG’s plans for downtown Los Angeles, including development of the new Farmer’s Field. The event will be open to ESA members and non-members alike. Companies involved in console, PC, online, and social and mobile game publishing and development, qualified business partners, as well as makers of video game hardware and peripherals can exhibit.
Feel free to subscribe to this column to get every new article sent to your email. This article is also available in its entirety with additional media on Lance’s personal page, RPGameX.com.
You can also like my page on Facebook and follow me on Twitter.


text:
The UK-based personalized publishing startup Wonderbly (previously Lost My Name) has raised US$8.5 million in Series B funding led by the European game, puzzle and book publisher Ravensburger. Additional funding comes from Project A Ventures, Greycroft, The Chernin Group, Allen & Co. and previous lead investor Google Ventures.
The US$8.5 million investment will be used to accelerate Wonderbly’s product development and international growth, and the company has also secured a venture debt facility from Silicon Valley Bank.
To start, Wonderbly is set to bow three new titles this year, including the first personalized publishing project from its joint-venture with The Roald Dahl Literary Estate. The new personalized book will explore the world of Willy Wonka and his Chocolate Factory, and is set to be released in September.
This JV marks the first time The Roald Dahl Literary Estate has commissioned an entirely new story based on the author’s characters. Dahl’s books—including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda and The BFG—are available in 58 languages and have sold more than 250 million copies around the world.
Since its launch in 2013, Wonderbly’s picture book The Little Boy/Girl Who Lost His/Her Name has sold more than 2.7 million copies worldwide and is available in 10 languages. The book follows the adventure of a child who wakes up one morning to find that his or her name has disappeared and must go on a quest to find the missing moniker. Each title is created on the Lost My Name website, where users enter a child’s name and, upon placing an order, the book gets printed and shipped.


text:
Aston Martin will be bringing a very special model to the 89th Geneva International Motor show that the public has not seen before: the Lagonda All-Terrain Concept. This new model’s unveiling comes after the Lagonda Vision Concept’s reveal at last year’s Geneva Motor Show and the launch of Lagonda as Aston Martin’s luxury zero emission brand. The unveiling will give the world the first glimpse into the first production model from Lagonda.
Joining the Lagonda Vision Concept at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show will be the Vantage, DB11 AMR and DBS Superleggera. If you’re interested in seeing them for yourself, you can visit Aston martin Lagonda’s stand at Hall 2, stand #2229 at the event, which runs from March 5 to March 17.


text:
Coca-Cola Co. shareholder David Winters, who raised a ruckus over the company’s incentive pay plan in April, is getting back in the fray -- this time accusing Warren Buffett of plotting to take the soft-drink maker private.
Warren Buffett, speaking last April at Coca-Cola Co.’s annual meeting, warned that the beverage giant shouldn’t get complacent about its success. Ten months later, those words could come back to haunt the company.
Coca-Cola Co. will expand calorie labeling to the front of all packages and reiterated its pledge not to advertise to children under 12 anywhere as the world’s largest soft-drink maker fights criticism that it is contributing to obesity.
Coca-Cola Co. Chief Executive Officer Muhtar Kent, trying to speed efforts to improve the company’s North American distribution system, shook up his management team, resulting in the departure of a leader once considered a contender to succeed him.
Coca-Cola Co., the world’s largest soft-drink maker, said fourth-quarter profit rose 13 percent as sales of non-carbonated drinks in North America such as Powerade helped counter lower demand in Europe.
Warren Buffett, chairman and chief executive officer of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., said a private conversation with Coca-Cola Co. CEO Muhtar Kent was better than publicly rebuking him over the company’s compensation plan.


text:
A release from Apple showcases the new looks, which start at $49 and include exclusive Nike bands that color-match with the latest Nike running shoes. There's the 38mm Double Tour in Blanc with rouge H polished edge and rouge H contrasted loop. Meanwhile, the Hermès bands will cost $439 and $489, respectively.
Facebook has already suspended Cambridge Analytica from its platform. The backlash against Facebook over its handling of personal data has seen a co-founder of WhatsApp back calls for users to delete their profiles in a protest and an attempt to wipe billions of dollars off the social media giant's market value.
The iPhone 5S launched with a fingerprint-sensing home button in September 2013, but it was only a short seven months before its biggest rival Samsung was able to deliver its own version in the Galaxy S5. Another is Apple's discussions with major cobalt producers to nail down supplies for lithium-ion rechargeable batteries that power its mobile phones.
Recently, Xiaomi also brought Full Screen gestures to the Redmi Note 5 Pro with the MIUI 9.2.5 update. Upon further inspection, it was proved that after updating to MIUI 9 .5 China stable, the Indian Redmi Note 5 Pro received Project Treble support, based on images uploaded by users.
Nix is the CEO of Cambridge Analytica, which had worked to develop techniques that could be used to influence voters. Wylie is a former contractor for Cambridge Analytica who shared evidence of the company's activities with The New York Times and London's The Observer .
Starting first with the Las Vegas Monorail, you'll be able to add tickets right to the Google Pay app on your phone and travel around the Las Vegas Strip without having to worry about using your debit/credit card. For consumers, one nice feature they may find is that they do not need to open an app in order to jump on the monorail. READ NEXT : Google to let retailers sell products through search "Crowded public transportation can completely derail your day - especially when you're ...
The counter witnessed a trading volume of 4.23 million shares versus an average volume of 4.47 million shares during last trading session. About 227,242 shares traded. Shares for $18.57 million were sold by JONES HARVEY C. Drell Persis sold $119,427 worth of stock. Byron Michael had sold 9,538 shares worth $1.71 million.
This enables users to work anytime, anyplace, with rich file fidelity. The software should help ensure Microsoft enterprise customers are able to securely interact with their Microsoft apps in the same way, regardless of which device they use to log onto them.
Hawking's family will hold a private funeral service for him on March 31 at Great St Mary's, the church for the University of Cambridge, the BBC reported . "Our father's life and work meant many things to many people, both religious and non-religious". Thousands more have signed the College's online book of condolence, filled with heartfelt messages of thanks.
Chief Executive of Cambridge Analytica (CA) Alexander Nix, . The process of wiping the associated data also takes a bit of time . Cambridge Analytica , which is partly owned by hedge fund billionaire Robert Mercer, played a role in Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, and the connection raises continued concerns over the influence Facebook had in the election.
Users can still download pictures from Google but now they have to visit the site it is hosted on, rather than simply opening the images in a new tab from their browser. In a Twitter tweet , Google said the decision is meant to strike a balance between serving user needs and adhering to publishers' concerns. However, the changes have been heavily criticized by user who have complained on social media.
All transactions are realised at the price of 66 Euros per share, a continued roll-out of Ubisoft's growth strategy, which is based on the company's new business model being deployed. Guillemot also pointed out the partnership with Tencent will enable Ubisoft to tap into the Chinese market which has a "considerable potential". It interests me, it also makes me happy that Ubisoft is not being run down in the background with threats any longer and can focus exclusively on it's games and its ...
It is down 20.46% since March 20, 2017 and is uptrending. It has outperformed by 56.45% the S&P500. Bluespruce Investments Lp acquired 248,843 shares as Comcast Corp ( CMCSA)'s stock rose 3.16%. 120,000 are held by Act Ii Mgmt Ltd Partnership. Kirr Marbach And Company Ltd Liability Company In invested in 562,362 shares or 2.43% of the stock. FBR Capital maintained Gentex Corporation (NASDAQ:GNTX) rating on Wednesday, July 19.
About 880,000 "payment cards" used between 2016 and 2017 were breached in the cyberattack . The company said an incident likely took place between October 1, 2017, and December 22, 2017, on a legacy Orbitz booking platform. population and Yahoo saying all 3 billion of its accounts were affected in a 2013 incident. "As part of our investigation and remediation work, we brought in a leading third party forensic investigation firm and other cybersecurity experts, began working with law ...
A side-scan sonar instrument on the R/V Petrel's autonomous underwater vehicle first picked up signs of the Juneau's wreckage on Saturday, sitting about 2.6 miles deep off the coast of the Solomon Islands. Rich Brown, commander of Naval Surface Forces, said in a statement . The finding of the USS Juneau is particularly resonant due to the lasting interest around the Sullivan brothers and their tragic legacy.
The stock decreased 0.48% or $0.3 during the last trading session, reaching $62.11. About 610,630 shares traded or 43.54% up from the average. (NASDAQ:MEET) has risen 40.79% since March 20, 2017 and is uptrending. Its down 0.10, from 1.36 in 2017Q2. It turned negative, as 73 investors sold AMZN shares while 549 reduced holdings. 127 funds opened positions while 657 raised stakes.
Then, the report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specifications, sales, market share and contact information. What will the be the market size of Global Automotive Ethernet market in 2022? With over 190 tables and figures examining the Automotive Ecalls market , the report gives you a visual, one-stop breakdown of the leading products, submarket and market leader's market revenue ...
Siemian has been sacked 64 times. In the end, the former Washington Redskins star ended up signing for the Vikings on a three-year, $84 million fully guaranteed deal, making him the highest paid player in National Football League history.
The reigning Super Bowl champion usually opens the following season at home on NBC on a Thursday. Regardless of who would be playing the Eagles, the 2018 NFL season opener will grab big television ratings and garner plenty of interest as fans thirst for the return of football.
The Milwaukee Bucks' playoff pursuit shouldn't have them lacking any motivation to begin with, but a national TV game against a marquee opponent like the Cleveland Cavaliers can only have further fueled their desire to win on Monday night.


text:
It features a 13MP rear sensor and a 5MP front-facing camera
What's uncertain at this point is whether Asus will use the dual front-facing cameras
to make bokeh selfies a possibility.
People are moving from using their front-facing camera
to take a close-up selfie or have a solo Skype call, to making it much more about where they are and what they are doing," said Jon French, vice-president (Middle East), Microsoft Mobile Devices.
With a 5MP front-facing camera
, high-quality selfies are guaranteed, and re-takes won't be required, as the front camera's self-timer gives you ample time to prepare your pose before the image is captured.
According to CNET, the Superman, if it exists and launches, would match HTC's recently launched One M8, which also comes with a 5-megapixel front-facing camera
to enhance selfie shots.
Perfect for 'selfies', the Ascend P6's industry-leading 5MP front-facing camera
and auto facial-enhancing capabilities create model-gorgeous shots," the firm said in a statement.
The first is the security and integrity of the personal data from front-facing cameras
, which has already been declared dubious, bordering on unlawful by the Surveillance Commissioner.
Also used is the Truvelo, which is a front-facing camera
but does not produce as clear images at the new Gatso front-facing camera
, and the manually operated Lastec, which can be used front and back-facing.
LONDON -- Almost every smartphone shipped today has an embedded rear camera and one in three smartphones have a front-facing camera
Exercise your creativity as much as you want with the front-facing camera
for more enhancedcolors and bokeh effect.
The smartphone comes with a 20MP front-facing camera
with Selfie-light and Beautify 4.
The update allows greater use of the front-facing camera
by lighting up subjects with a pseudo-flash.


text:
Entries in 'xbox 360' (1620)
Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Games on Demand sale continues apace with recent release Resident Evil 6 cut to a staggeringly low price.
Such is the extent of the leaks surrounding Assassin’s Creed IV that Ubisoft has broken its own embargo and confirmed the game.
Capcom and Dontnod Entertainment have revealed upcoming action stealth title Remember Me will launch this June.
Microsoft efforts to thrust big brands upon you using Xbox 360 continues apace thanks to a new Gears of War partnership with Maxim.
Xbox Live is making a rare move by taking on High Street pricing in what Microsoft has dubbed the ‘Xbox Ultimate Game Sale’.
Ubisoft’s impressive looking Watch Dogs is, as suspected, being developed primarily as a PC title.
Irrational Games has announced Bioshock Infinite will seek the ways of the Season Pass for post-launch content.
Square Enix has confirmed platforms alogn with a vague release target for its freshly announced paranormal investigation game, Murdered: Soul Suspect.
Those found to be playing Gears of Wars: Judgement early can expect a swift can of whoop-ass courtesy of Xbox 360 platform holder Microsoft.
Everyone in games is talking about PlayStation this month. A big Sony announcement next week is getting tongues wagging. The long-awaited start to the next generation is almost upon us ...
The world’s eyes may be on PlayStation this month, but it is Xbox that is on the cusp of becoming the UK’s No.1 games console.
One of the founders of the original Xbox programme at Microsoft has lashed out at the direction the company has taken with Xbox 360.
Minecraft is still the top selling Xbox Live Arcade game in the UK.
Ubisoft has confirmed that former Wii U exclusive Rayman Legends is now also to be released on Xbox 360 and PS3.
Tecmo Koei has announced that Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge is coming to Xbox 360 and PS3.
Former vice president Joachim Kempin has revealed that Microsoft got into the console business primarily to take on and defeat Sony – after Sony denied Microsoft’s interest in partnership.
A detailed look at the until now mysterious innards of the Wii U suggests that Nintendo’s machine will be eclipsed by the upcoming PS4 and Xbox 720.
Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade saw revenue soar in 2012, thanks in large part to a trio of high grossing titles led by indie standout Minecraft.
Microsoft has confirmed it has no plans to produce future versions of its XNA development software.
65 per cent of DLC sales in GameStop stores are for Microsoft’s Xbox 360, the retailer has revealed.
Xbox 360 still rules the roost in the US, but sales for the December quarter were sharply down year-on-year.
Microsoft’s policy regarding the exchange of MS Points for currency is leaving Japanese developers on the short end compared to their peers, according to G.Rev boss Hiroyuki Maruyama.
Capcom has confirmed reports that 3DS hit Resident Evil: Revelations will be making its way onto several major platforms.
OPINION: Rumours of the games console's death greatly exaggerated - no thanks to Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony
Speculation lately about the decline and ultimate death of the games console is rife these days.
Microsoft's Xbox 360 has outperformed all other home consoles for 24 consecutive months in terms of US hardware sales.


text:
Some Guam restaurants reopening Friday, but not all ready
If you've been desperate for a sit-down restaurant experience after many weeks at your own table there are options available again — but not all your favorites are ready for full service.
A couple of possibilities for breakfast starting at 8 a.m. are Pika's and Little Pika's in Upper Tumon and Tumon Bay, respectively. Both are under the business umbrella of International Dining Concepts, which is reopening at all of its restaurants, which include California Pizza Kitchen, both Beachin' Shrimp outlets and Eat Street Grill.
A platter part of the menu of the Beachin’ Shrimp outlets is in the works, one clear lesson learned by the experience with the pandemic to date. Discounts are also being offered in light of the financial hit suffered by prospective diners.
Peter Duenas of Meskla, as well as Meskla Dos in Tamuning, will reopen Friday with all the newly customary precautions including masks and dividers between tables.
"It’ll be the new normal for a lot of businesses," Duenas said. "It will be a little different for restaurants where people were used to sitting next to each other.”
Not everyone is there yet.
Chito de Guzman of the Guam Reef Hotel, said the Sand Dune Coffee Shop there has never closed, but its traditional sit-down restaurants, bars and party rooms aren't ready.
"We just want to make sure everyone is safe,” DeGuzman said.
The same story at Jamaican Grill, according to Tim Murphy, its manager.
“In a nutshell, we’re not ready.”
Murphy says determining and meeting the new requirements has been tough. He expects it will be a couple of weeks before dine-in comes back at his restaurant.
Take-out orders are very strong, he said.
In Talofofo, Jeff Pleadwell of Jeff’s Pirate’s Cove may offer a little different dining experience for those seeking a dine-in experience again.
“I’ve got plenty of room. We’re open air, plus we have little tents in the back covering the tables," Pleadwell said."We’ve had to space our tables differently."
The new requirements have required Jeff’s to put half of its normal tables in storage.
“We’re up for whatever it takes," Pleadwell said.


text:
DETROIT -- Lexus and Infiniti are using the Detroit auto show to test new ways to regain momentum against rival German automakers BMW, Mercedes and Audi in the U.S.
The Japanese luxury brands are fighting to gain ground in the U.S. luxury market as Audi and Mercedes have expanded sales, and domestic automaker Tesla has provided a fresh alternative to the established brands.
Lexus, Infiniti and Acura launched in the U.S. market in the late 1980s and took advantage of quality problems at Audi and a lack of innovation at the then-leading domestic luxury brands in the market, General Motor's Cadillac and Ford Motor's Lincoln brand.
Now, the structure of the U.S. luxury vehicle market has changed. Four brands - Mercedes, BMW, Audi and Lexus dominate sales.
Lexus unveiled its LF-1 Limitless SUV concept in Detroit, signaling that the brand may start to focus more on SUVs than its traditional large sedans.
The LF-1 presents a sleek crossover form with a system called "chauffeur mode" which allows the driver to take their hands off the wheel and let the SUV handle most of the driving.
The LF-1 also previews a futuristic navigation technology that anticipates where the driver is going based on driving habits and history, and provides hotel recommendations or other concierge services.
"We don't want to be the race car brand; we don't want to be the quiet ride brand. We want to be the brand which is emotionally connected with the customer," said Cooper Ericksen, vice president of U.S. marketing for Lexus.
Last year, Lexus brand suffered a 7.6 percent slide in U.S. sales. At Honda's Acura luxury brand, 2017 volume fell 3.9 percent from 2016. Nissan's Infiniti pushed up sales by 11 percent, mainly by selling almost twice as many SUVs as cars. However, Infiniti's total 2017 sales of 153,415 vehicles put it behind the leading Germany luxury car brands, as well as Acura, Lexus and Cadillac.


text:
Just Eat has racked up a £17.5m bill fending off a hostile takeover takeover assault by Dutch internet firm Prosus.
The delivery company said fending off the bid cost it £15m for financial and corporate broking advice, while lawyers' fees were estimated to be £2.5m.
The expenses will be incurred whether or not Prosus prevails in a delivery bidding war with Takeaway.com.
Just Eat revealed the figures as it fleshed out details of the Takeaway.com merger, which is backed by its board.
Investment banks and other advisers will share a £119m bounty if this plan goes ahead, according to documents released on Wednesday.
Prosus - which last month tabled a £5bn cash offer for Just Eat - attacked the Takeaway.com merger, ...
Start a 30-day free trial for unlimited access to Premium articles
- Unlimited access to Premium articles
- Subscriber-only events and experiences
- Cancel any time
Free for 30 days
then only £2 per week
Save 25% with an annual subscription
Just £75 per year