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NEW YORK, Aug. 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- automotiveMastermind®, the leading predictive analytics SaaS company, today announced they have been named a finalist in the 2017 SaaS Awards in the following categories: Best User Experience (UX), User Interface (UI) or Design in a SaaS Product, Best Data-Driven SaaS Product and Best SaaS Product for Sales and Marketing.
With awards for excellence and innovation in SaaS, the Software-as-a-Service Awards program accepts entries worldwide, including the US, Canada, Australia, UK and EMEA. The SaaS Awards - a new sister to the prestigious Cloud Awards, now in its second year of recognizing and celebrating innovation in software.
automotiveMastermind leverages Big Data behavioral analytics to revolutionize the way automotive dealerships and manufacturers find, engage and win customers. The proprietary technology analyzes years of customer, service and market data to help understand and predict exactly which customers are ready to buy, the reasons why and the key messages most likely to close the sale. automotiveMastermind helps businesses grow, increase customer satisfaction and retention.
"The demand for technology that can increase profits and enhance customer experiences is growing at an incredible rate. The ultimate goal is to deliver software that is extremely intuitive, maximizes profits and streamlines outdated and cumbersome processes," said Marco Schnabl, CEO and Co-Founder of automotiveMastermind. "To be named a finalist in three categories is a great accomplishment and proves that the automotiveMastermind's technology is helping to deliver the best results to our dealer partners."
"Software as a service is the new standard. The global competition is incredibly fierce, with incredibly disruptive technologies shaking up the marketplace – and the dust is far from settled," said Larry Johnson, SaaS Awards and Cloud Awards organizer. "It's a new playing field altogether, with providers constantly innovating to ensure their clients are always leveraging best-of-breed software services which are reliable yet still at the cutting edge."
Final winners will be announced on August 29.
Founded in 2012, automotiveMastermind is the leading provider of predictive analytics and marketing automation technology for the automotive industry. The company's cloud-based platform helps dealers precisely predict automobile-buying behavior and automates the creation of micro-targeted consumer communications, leading to proven higher sales and more consistent customer retention. automotiveMastermind currently works with more than 1000 dealer partners nationwide. Headquartered in New York City and San Francisco, automotiveMastermind has tripled its employee count in the last year. For more information, visit automotivemastermind.com or follow them on Twitter @autoMastermind.
About the SaaS Awards
The SaaS Awards is a sister program to the Cloud Awards, which was founded in 2011. The SaaS Awards focuses on recognizing excellence and innovation in software solutions.
About the Cloud Awards
The Cloud Awards is an international program which has been recognizing and honoring industry leaders, innovators and organizational transformation in cloud computing since 2011. The awards are open to large, small, established and start-up organizations from across the entire globe, with an aim to find and celebrate the pioneers who will shape the future of the Cloud as we move into 2018 and beyond. Categories include the Software as a Service award, Most Promising Start-Up, and "Best in Mobile" Cloud Solution.
Finalists are selected by a judging panel of international industry experts. For more information about the Cloud Awards and SaaS Awards, please visit https://www.cloud-awards.com/.


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A Nothing Bundt Cakes fan favorite is making its way back to the bakery case.
The chocolate turtle bundtlet returns Monday, March 4, at Nothing Bundt Cakes shops nationwide, for a limited time, according to the Dallas area-based bakery chain.
Last offered in 2018, the pop-up flavor features a chocolate chip bundtlet “baked with butter-roasted pecans” and is topped with cream cheese frosting, a product description says. It’s then drizzled with caramel sauce.
The “reimagined” treat will be available in-store and online until March 17, Nothing Bundt Cakes said in a news release.
It’s not the only flavor returning to bake shops.
The popular Oreo Cookies and Cream cake will be available Feb. 26 through April 14, according to the bakery chain. It’s made with white cake baked with Oreo cookie crumbles and topped with cream cheese frosting.
The cake is available as a personal-size bundtlet, bite-size bundtini and 8- or 10-inch cake, if you’re in the mood to share, the release said.
Pricing information wasn’t immediately available.
“Our guests often share their suggestions for new flavors and urge us to bring back their favorites, so we’re making it happen,” Claire Jessen, vice president of culinary at Nothing Bundt Cakes, said in a statement, adding that the bakery has more “innovative” flavors in the works.
In January, the bakery rolled out the gluten-free Lemon Raspberry cake, its first gluten-free flavor since 2018.

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Violent crime has never been higher up the agenda and shopworkers are on the front line. Charlotte Hardie asks what is being done to protect them from knife attacks
Store staff wanted. Must be able to offer outstanding customer service; work as part of a motivated team; be willing to be abused verbally and threatened every day; contend with violent members of the public and be aware of the risk of physical assault.
There is no such thing as a quiet day at work if you are employed in a retail store. It’s disturbing enough to read news stories about the torrent of violent crime that is sweeping the UK, but store staff have to experience it first-hand.
At the most extreme end of the scale, it involves serious assault and even death (see box). Less than two weeks ago, two Nike Town security guards were stabbed by teenage shoplifters at London’s Oxford Circus. A female member of the security staff was punched in the face. Two weeks earlier, a shopper was killed at Sainsbury’s Merton store in South London during a row in a supermarket queue.
No one knows the true extent of retail violence, because hundreds – if not thousands – of cases go unreported. Shopworkers’ union Usdaw’s general secretary John Hannett says that the union has “lots of examples that prove violence is a daily event”.
One thing is clear: the problem of violence is not getting any better. In fact, many retailers think the opposite. Sainsbury’s head of corporate security Phillip Hagon says: “If we’re suffering a downturn, that usually lends itself to increased crime and one could predict confidently that this is a problem that is going to intensify.”
HMV head of risk and loss prevention Colin Culleton agrees. “If you went for a cross section of retailers, I would think there are very few that would say it’s not getting worse,” he says.
Geoffrey Northcott left his role as Borders’ head of loss prevention a few weeks ago to set up outsourced field-management loss-prevention service TLPC. He says: “We live in an increasingly aggressive society and the general customer is also becoming more aggressive. We had our security staff threatened [at Borders] on a number of occasions. They’ve had broken toes, dislocated shoulders, fractured noses. For store staff, they’re affected to the point where they’re extremely upset or have minor injuries.”
Bill Fox, founder of conflict-resolution training company Maybo, says that over the past few years, he has come across increasing numbers of cases where store staff have been threatened or stabbed with syringes. Security guards are often being either deliberately or accidentally hit by thieves’ cars as the guards chase them.
Paradoxically, Northcott believes the problem of violence is exacerbated by the fact that technology makes it easier to control certain types of crime and catch those responsible. “It’s forcing those people who are still going to steal from us into a narrow corridor of having to be violent when they commit theft,” he says. “The majority of conversion theft [when goods are stolen with the intention of selling them on] is committed because of some sort of addiction. The last thing these people want to do is sit in a cell for hours on end, so they’re far more likely to be aggressive and violent.”
Retailers often voice concerns that the police do not take retail crime seriously enough. Last week, Retail Week reported on Iceland founder Malcolm Walker’s fury that one of his store managers had been arrested and later bailed after a shoplifter accused him of assaulting her when he detained her.
Hannett says: “There is some evidence that the police probably haven’t given retail crime the highest priority. There is still more work to be done. Retail crime is a crime and any reported offence should be taken seriously.”
Part of the problem is that dealing with cases of violence is not one of the police force’s key performance indicators (KPI). Although dealing with serious assault is a KPI in official police terms, it looks unlikely that cases of violence ever will be.
Metropolitan Police detective superintendent James Sirrett says he has spoken to business groups about this issue, but that many of his colleagues believe the fewer KPIs they have, the better. This is firstly because many feel that KPIs should reflect the specific concerns of local communities and, secondly, because violence takes many forms and so there can be problems with definition. “You start getting into the semantics of what violence actually constitutes,” he explains.
However, Sirrett is in charge of a new body set up two months ago by the Metropolitan Police – London Business Crime – that might help improve the situation for retailers, in the capital at least.
He says he is “very optimistic” about improving the outlook for businesses. “I’ve been given space and time to work towards developing a relationship with bodies in London, such as the GLA [Greater London Authority] and the LDA [London Development Agency], to provide businesses with focus,” he explains. His primary goals include working on business crime policy development and enabling the sharing of best practice. For instance, Sirrett’s plans include setting up a practical web site for businesses to network and find answers to commonly asked questions.
Business crime reduction partnerships are also proving useful for some. The membership groups, based around the UK, work to unite businesses, the community, local authorities and the police to tackle the problem of local crime and anti-social behaviour.
In most areas, there is a membership fee and an optional, additional cost of a two-way radio to help inform others of criminals’ physical descriptions and activity. The partnerships can also serve exclusion notices, under which people are banned from all participating stores if they have been violent, have been sent a warning letter previously or work as part of an organised-crime team.
Stephen Govier leads one of London’s 23 partnerships, Lambeth Business Against Crime (LBAC). Today he is due to present to New Scotland Yard to propose the creation of a framework in which data on crime in London that affects businesses can be shared across the whole of the capital.
LBAC will also be testing an online information-sharing system. At present, data-sharing is paper-based and thus slow and time-consuming. From next month, anyone with a PDA or laptop will be able to log on and submit vital information quickly. “If we make it easy to report, we can link that in with police stations and build up a clearer picture of exactly what is happening, when and where,” says Govier.
However, Northcott says the efficacy of business crime reduction partnerships varies enormously. He adds that another issue is the fact that retailers often find that their security guards are consistently helping out other stores in the neighbourhood that do not always pay to be part of the partnership. “If that continues to happen, eventually you’re going to pull the plug,” he warns.
Retailers cannot rely solely on the efforts of external bodies to improve the situation for their store staff. Hannett says there are good signs that employers are taking the problem seriously and that tackling in-store violence is becoming an integral part of the health and safety agenda. However, he admits that “not everyone is doing as much as they can”.
Govier agrees. “Our work doesn’t replace what individual businesses should be doing. We’re trying to reinforce what they should be doing,” he says.
So what, in practical terms, do they need to do?
Budgets may be especially tight at the moment, but retailers will have to accept that investment in training for their store staff will increase their safety. Fox says that all staff should be taught simple skills to diffuse potentially volatile situations. Once Borders invested in conflict-resolution training, the levels of violence fell dramatically, says Northcott.
Whether retail staff should arrest criminals is a contentious issue. HMV, for one, has invested a lot of time and resources into reviewing its policies and increasing staff training since a member of staff at an HMV store in Norwich was murdered by a 19-year-old shoplifter in December 2006.
“Our policy up to that point was that we would arrest in extreme circumstances, but that arrest had to be justified,” says Culleton. The retailer has operated a “deter first, arrest last” approach for some years, but this has now been extended and 65 per cent of stores are not permitted to make arrests in any circumstances. Encouragingly, shrinkage figures have not increased and levels of violence have gone down.
Culleton says: “I am genuinely surprised that some retailers measure the success of their loss-prevention staff by the number of arrests they make. It’s not always necessary and it can potentially put colleagues at risk.”
Sirrett agrees. “The first consideration has to be their safety. That’s much more important than the apprehension of a criminal,” he says.
Above all, says Fox, “staff in all roles need a very clear idea of what they should and shouldn’t take on. You need to decide whether you allow or encourage arrest as an option and, if so, what your position is on staff using force”.
Importantly, it is not just the risk to staff that retailers need to bear in mind. In the past three years, there have been three cases in the licensed retail sector in which violent aggressors have died because of unsafe methods of restraint – asphyxia being the most common cause. Retailers need to be aware of the litigation and reputational risks if a violent customer is injured in similar circumstances on their premises. The employer is likely to be found negligent and that could lead to substantial prosecution claims.
Incredibly, Sirrett says a huge number of staff forget to call 999 if they need help. “It’s amazing how many people say they called the number of the local police station and couldn’t get through. If you think it’s an emergency, call 999,” he urges.
He also advises retailers to engage with unions. “It’s part of their basic health and safety duty and a serious part of employers’ liability,” he says. Usdaw started its Freedom From Fear campaign in 2002 to tackle the problem of shopworker violence. Hannett says: “Before we started this campaign, people didn’t think they could speak out because they thought no one was listening.”
Another often overlooked way to address the problem of retail violence is to provide a simple, efficient way of recording incidents. Govier says he knows of one retailer whose policy is that all violent or aggressive incidents are written in a log book by the security guard and then reported to the store manager. The store manager then reports to head office “and, if I’m lucky, head office tells me”, he explains. Disorganised systems, involving pointless duplication, will rarely prove instrumental in catching quick-footed criminals.
Equally, encouraging staff to report each case of verbal abuse or violence can be a challenge in itself. Govier says this is one of his biggest problems. “Instances when [aggressors] say: ‘I’m going to get you when you come out of work’ is valuable information because you can build up a pattern’,” he explains.
Culleton agrees. “At some stores, if it’s happening day in, day out, violence or aggression can become like water off a duck’s back, but we can only look for trends and act on that if our colleagues report incidents consistently – whether verbal or actual violence,” he says.
Sadly, store workers are so accustomed to coping with the public’s aggression that many could be forgiven for thinking it comes with the turf. They may put up with a lot for a long time, but everyone has a breaking point. As Hagon says: “This is about partnership. It’s about working closer together with the Government, retailers and the police force to make sure there are protective mechanisms in place.”
Unless all parties act now to address the problem, retailers may find that their workforce starts to leave in droves. And who could blame them?
Extreme violence spirals in retail
September 2005: 22-year-old Clare Bernal was shot dead by Michael Pech at Harvey Nichols’ London store. Pech had been a security guard at the store where they both worked.
December 2006: 19-year-old shoplifter David Watson killed HMV security worker Paul Cavanagh in Norwich’s Chapelfield centre.
December 2006: William Otim Alikori stabbed TK Maxx co-worker Rina Panchal to death at the retailer’s Thurmaston store.
March 2008: assistant manager Jamie Simpson was knifed in the neck and killed as he was cashing up at Matalan in the Kingsland centre in Hackney, east London.
June 2008: shopper Kevin Tripp was punched and fell and died during a supermarket queue row at Sainsbury’s Merton store in south London. It is thought to be a case of mistaken identity.
July 2008: a gang of teenagers stabbed two Nike Town security guards in the arms, back and legs at London’s Oxford Circus. A female member of the security staff was punched in the face.


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All of us at Porsche of North Houston were delighted to have Steve Krysil and Dave Kurtz from Porsche Cars of North America join us to celebrate our Porsche Premier Dealer Award on Wednesday, May 25. Our entire team celebrated the recognition with a lovely dinner at local Houston hot spot Da Marco Cucina E Vino.
The Porsche Premier Dealer program identifies 25 top Porsche dealers in North America each year. Porsche North Houston is currently the only dealer in Houston to hold this prestigious title. This is the fourth time we’ve earned the award since becoming an indiGO Auto Group dealership in 2010.


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- Berkshire Hathaway, run by Warren Buffett, reported third-quarter 2019 earnings on Saturday.
- Berkshire ended the quarter with a record $128 billion in cash, even though it repurchased $700 million of its own stock.
- The cash pile highlights difficulty Buffett has had finding companies to purchase.
- Read more on Business Insider.
Berkshire Hathaway, run by "Oracle of Omaha" Warren Buffett, reported Saturday that it's cash pile grew to a record in the third quarter.
The company reported in its quarterly earnings release that it ended the quarter with $128 billion in cash, even though it repurchased $700 million of its own shares.
It highlights the difficulty that Buffett has had deploying his large amounts of cash into acquisitions. Buffett's last major deal was in January 2016, according to the Wall Street Journal.
In a 2018 letter to shareholders, Buffett wrote that it's become increasingly difficult to find large companies to purchase. "In the years ahead, we hope to move much of our excess liquidity into businesses that Berkshire will permanently own," Buffett wrote.
He continued, "The immediate prospects for that, however, are not good: Prices are sky-high for businesses possessing decent long-term prospects."
The release showed that operating income rose more than Wall Street expected, to $7.86 billion from $6.88 billion a year earlier. That's roughly $4,816 per Class A share, up from $4189 per share a year earlier, and higher than the $4,405.16 per share that analysts were anticipating.
Net income during the quarter fell 11% to $16.52 billion. That's about $10,119 per Class A share, down from $18.54 billion and $11,280 per Class A share last year. Berkshire said that a change in accounting rules that require companies to report unrealized gains contributed to last year's boosted net income.
Berkshire's cash pile has ballooned over the last decade, growing from roughly $23 billion in 2009 to $128 billion today, even as the company's shares have underperformed the broader market. This year, Berkshire's shares have gained 5.7% as of Friday's close, lagging the S&P 500 which has returned roughly 22%.
Some investors have been unhappy that the company hasn't spent more of its cash on share buybacks, according to the Journal. Last year, the company changed its policy for how it will repurchase its own stock.
Berkshire's outstanding amount of cash on hand has also drawn attention to the company lately. Recently, California Governor Gavin Newsom called on Warren Buffett to consider purchasing Pacific Gas & Electric, according to Utility Dive and Bloomberg. The company is in the midst of a takeover attempt from bondholders, ongoing wildfires in California, power outages, and bankruptcy proceedings.
But Buffett has denied any interest in buying PG&E, according to CNBC.
Berkshire Hathaway makes most of its money in the insurance business. It holds companies such as Geico, Kraft Heinz, Apple, and Wells Fargo in its portfolio.


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ONE of the world's top startup accelerators is heading to Australia to help local startup entrepreneurs expand and grow their businesses.
MassChallenge has partnered with the Australian Government and Microsoft Australia to strengthen the nation's startup ecosystem through idea-pitching competitions, startup boot camps and local and international mentoring.
During his visit to the Microsoft Innovation Centre in Adelaide, the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science Christopher Pyne announced $280,000 in funding to lure MassChallenge to Australia.
"Accelerators are an important component of the ecosystem and boost the skills of participating startups through training, mentoring and exposure to investor networks," says Pyne.MassChallenge is a non-profit that takes no equity in the startups it assists. It has a model that has graduated 835 alumni since 2010, raised $1.1 billion in funding, generated over $520 million in revenue and created 6500 jobs.
"That is the kind of opportunity we want to create for start-ups here in Australia while also helping upskill the Australia innovation ecosystem," says Pyne."The project also brings with it a strong international connection with startup ecosystems from Boston, London and Israel, ensuring a network of international connectivity and promotion of Australia as a global entrepreneurial hub."
Microsoft Australia managing director Pip Marlow congratulated the Government on the initiative."Microsoft Australia is delighted to be the founding partner for MassChallenge in Australia," says Marlow.
"This announcement continues a long association between MassChallenge and Microsoft globally, and is a further step in our 'Joined-Up Innovation' campaign to help build a stronger innovation ecosystem in Australia.
"Along with the Australian Government and Microsoft, MassChallenge is excited to support the highest-impact entrepreneurs in Australia to help boost the innovation economy across the country.
Kara Shurmantine, senior director of global partnerships at MassChallenge, says the partnership will work to connect Australian entrepreneurs and the wider ecosystem with its global network across the U.S., Europe, Israel and Latin America.
"This allows us to gain a valuable connection to the thriving startup scene in Australia and we're looking forward to working with key players here to exchange best practices and help the ecosystem to flourish," says Shurmantine.
Pyne says the Government's $1.1 billion National Innovation and Science Agenda (NISA) recognised the importance of startups to Australia as value creators and job creators.
"NISA is encouraging investment in startups via tax breaks and easier access to more diverse funding options through new laws that enable crowd-sourced equity funding," he says.
"We are committed to establishing Australia as a leading nation in innovation and want to help businesses embrace risk and incentivise early stage investment in startups."
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For the last few years the trend at Interbike has been fewer vendors and/or smaller spaces inside the Sands Convention Center, and more exhibitors with a bigger presence showing up to offer demo bikes and brave the winds of the Bootleg Canyon Trails here in Boulder City, Nevada.
After Day One of the two-day Outdoor Demo, we have yet to see what kind of turnout the halls of Interbike will see this year, but so far the trend of companies going big at Outdoor Demo is showing no sign of letting up.
Hundreds of retailers and media and hangers-on came out to Bootleg to demo the latest and greatest, fish for swag and do their best to stay cool.
Stay tuned for a photo-barrage wrap-up of all the On Dirt Demo action. We’ve already spotted some pretty slick looking new bikes from Yeti, Kona, Trek, Fisher, Specialized, Norco and many, many more.
Until then, a quick teaser.
School Picture Day: Bike's very own Greg "Chopper" Randolph was holding it down schlepping booth duty at his day job with Smith.
And by holding it down, we mean it literally—just check out the boxes of demo Pivlock v90s duct-taped to the table.
Cheap thrills: roadies riding clown bikes. All in a day at the demo
Speaking of non-traditional wheel sizes, 650B, aka "tweener" wheels, seems to be a reality this year at the demo. Both Jamis and Haro were busy sending inquisitive retailers out on these beasts all day long. (After riding both bikes today, this report: everything you know about 26, plus 29, divide by 2)
And more cheap thrills: Kuat's "Check out our racks" spokesmodel.... Seriously, check out their racks. Super nice aluminum construction with never-before-seen features like a built-in repair stand on a two-bike hitch rack. Very cool, more to come....
A less-impressive/more-impressive rack—Rad Ross Schnell with some fresh ink after winning the Singlespeed World Championships last weekend in Durango. Shitya!
Peanut Gallery: Fox Racing Shox' crack shock-pump squad was on hand to help countless test-riders dial in their suspension en route to the singletrack.
Don't be a "B".... The Fox crew was keeping a tally of "A" riders and "B" riders. "A" riders were those who, after having tires shredded by Bootleg's inhospitable death-coral substrate/landscape, were kindly walking their bikes back to the expo. Group B were the ridrers shredding tire and rim on the blast back down. D'oh!
Porter's new signature slopestyle bike: The Haro Porter.


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snowhydra games has announced Zarvot, a game about cubes for Nintendo Switch.
Zarvot is scheduled to launch in October 2018 via Nintendo eShop. The charming arcade game is all about friendship among cubes.
Watch the trailer below.
Charcoal and Mustard are the stars of this charming arcade game about friendship among cubes. In the game’s story mode, players adventure through nine worlds as they attempt to cheer up their best friend. And in Versus Mode, friends can challenge friends to some cutthroat cube action across five game modes. Zarvot launches first on Nintendo Switch in October.


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Shoreham Port has recently launched Shoreham Port Solutions, a new subsidiary company. The new company will provide high quality resources, training and expertise on a commercial basis to both Shoreham Port and other large customers across the port estate.
As a key local economic drive, Shoreham Port has 260 years experience and has built meaningful connections with local businesses across the operational and marine sectors. Launching their new service will meet the workforce needs of its tenants and customers by offering nearby support directly from trusted experts based at Shoreham Port.
Shoreham Port Solutions supports the Port Skills and Safety Sector Plan and the shared ambition to raise safety standards, proactively instead of reactively. New members of the Shoreham Port Solutions team will receive the same health and safety training as members of the Shoreham Port team.
Being a Trust Port, Shoreham Port is committed to being a fair employer and creating high-quality opportunities. Therefore, Shoreham Port Solutions is proud to be one of over 600 businesses who have signed up to be a Brighton and Hove Living Wage employer. By paying the living wage, Shoreham Port Solutions ensure that their team feel valued and supported.
Shoreham Port Solutions is looking to grow its workforce and is employing flexible workers to meet the resource needs of its customers. Port Operatives will be working on a variety of assignments based across the Port.
Tom Willis, Chief Executive, commented: “Shoreham Port is delighted to be able to launch Shoreham Port Solutions to expand its operational services and offer in-house people resources, equipment and training. This is an exciting period of change for Shoreham Port and everyone has had a part to play in making it a success […] By making this change, the company can combine together Shoreham Port’s existing knowledge and customer base to improve safety at the port, reduce costs and enhance the customer service levels which the company is known for here at Shoreham.”
Read the article online at: https://www.drybulkmagazine.com/ports-terminals/28022020/shoreham-port-launch-new-company-shoreham-port-solutions/
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Dec. 14, 2007 -- A new poll shows that some U.S. parents are reconsidering their use of over-the-counter cough and cold medicines for children.
In the poll, most parents indicated that they're aware of recent news about the safety and effectiveness of those cold medicines.
In October, an FDA advisory panel recommended that over-the-counter cough and cold medicines not be used in children who are 2 to 5 years old. The FDA hasn't decided yet whether to approve that recommendation.
The Consumer Health Care Products Association, a trade group representing over-the-counter drugmakers, calls the drugs safe and effective when used as directed.
The new poll, conducted by telephone in November, included some 1,500 U.S. adults, about a third of whom were parents of kids under 6.
Over 30% of parents with children under 6 say they plan to stop giving their children those cold medicines. But 50% say they'll keep giving their children those drugs. The remaining parents aren't sure, aren't aware of the issue, or said they never gave those drugs to their children, anyway.
Most of the parents say they've given their children over-the-counter cough and cold medicines in the past. And most say those medicines seem to be at least somewhat effective.
About 70% of all the parents of children under 6 say they are at least "somewhat" confident that over-the-counter children's drugs are safe. But 35% say their views about children's over-the-counter cough and cold medicines have become "more negative" in the past several years -- and roughly the same number say they're confused about the safety and effectiveness of children's over-the-counter cough and cold medicines.
Parents said their doctor is their most trusted source of accurate information about the safety and effectiveness of over-the-counter medicines for children. Pharmacists ranked second.
The poll -- conducted for National Public Radio, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Harvard School of Public Health -- has a 3% margin of error overall and a 5% margin of error for parents of children younger than 18.


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by Staff Writers
Manila (AFP) June 22, 2011
Jollibee Foods Corp, the Philippines' top restaurant chain, said Wednesday it planned to set up 280 new stores this year, including 90 in China, as part of a major expansion drive.
The firm is also looking to open 30 other stores in other countries that it did not identify, as well as 160 new branches in the Philippines.
"The rapid expansion this year will be supported by more than five billion pesos ($112 million) in funds," listed Jollibee said in a disclosure statement.
The Jollibee chain has more than 600 restaurants in the Philippines, half of them operated by the company and the other half by franchise-holders.
It also runs 26 stores in the United States and also has outlets in Brunei, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam.
Jollibee had seen its net profits plunge 8.8 percent from a year earlier to 631 million pesos in the three months to March due to rising inflation.
"JFC (Jollibee) hopes that commodity prices will stabilise and will not rise significantly more," it said Wednesday.
Jollibee, capitalised at 87 billion pesos, saw its share price close 1.43 percent up to 85.20 pesos after the announcement Wednesday.
The company has already established a presence in China by taking control of several restaurant chains there, including Hongzhuangyuan in 2007 and Shanghai-based Yonghe King in 2004.
Last year it announced it was taking a majority stake in the firm that owns Chinese fast food noodle chain San Pin Wang.
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Native Bees are Selective about Where They Live and Feed
Indiana Dunes IN (SPX) Jun 22, 2011
Native bees - often small, stingless, solitary and unnoticed in the flashier world of stinging honeybees - are quite discriminating about where they live, according to U.S. Geological Survey research. The study found that, overall, composition of a plant community is a weak predictor of the composition of a bee community, which may seem counterintuitive at first, said USGS scientist and st ... read more
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Prior to the arrival of the new (current) generation Ford Mustang, the previous Shelby GT500 Mustang was the most powerful production road car built by an American automaker.
Monday morning’s in box contained an owner’s forum comment thread from CivicX.Com addressing a handful of concerns as to the “thinness” of Honda Civic sheet metal, specifically the “flexable” hood
Meet the 2017 TT RS which debuted at the Beijing Auto Show today. Offered in a coupe and roadster, the TT RS marks the next-generation of the RS family.
What better way to show off the new 2016 BMW M2 Coupe at the press preview of the BMW M2 in South Africa, than to let BMW DTM driver Bruno Spengler do it at the track.
At the Oregon Trail Rally this weekend, it was another intense battle between the two 2016 Subaru WRX STI rally cars.
Now it's the Cayman's turn to drop the flat-six and go to the turbo-four. Today at the Bejing Auto Show, Porsche has unveiled the 2017 718 Cayman lineup.
There’s always a learning curve when you are in a new rally car with a new co-driver. It proved to be a big learning curve for Molly Taylor and co-driver Bill Hayes in the new 2016 Subaru WRX STI.
You’ve seen the Subaru commercials touting the brand’s safety features, but when it happens in real life it’s a different matter.
Why did Torque News journalist John Goreham buy a Subaru Forester over all other small SUVs? The average consumer gets to test drive a vehicle they are interested in buying for a few miles.
While both General Motors and the Chrysler Group have done a great job of keeping their fans in a new supercar over the past decade, it has been more than a decade since Ford Motor Company introduc
So, the fast-moving rumor of an AWD Hellcat Charger caught testing in Colorado was started by a site based on Colorado, which happened upon a pair of new Dodge Chargers with manufacturer’s plates s
But there is fresh competition in the form of the updated Nissan Navara and Mitsubishi L200 trucks.
There is a garage in Ukraine that specializes in transforming older Mercedes-Benz models into new ones. How is that possible?


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Vodafone India Ltd. has unveiled a first-of-its-kind Customer Experience Centre (CEC) in Gurgaon for its Enterprise customers. The CEC enables Enterprise customers to experience the world of latest and emerging business communication solutions that can help them to better Communicate, Collaborate and Connect.
The CEC has on display the complete suite of Total Communication Solutions comprising Wireline and Mobility offerings, Machine to Machine Solutions and more, hosted in a high-tech and futuristic zone. Customers can undertake their experiential journey via an engaging combination of interactive presentations and innovative live demonstrations. The Vodafone Business Services’ team of experts identify and discuss evolving customer needs and accordingly offer business solutions. The zone serves as both a showcase and interactive facilitator for this unique format of client partnering.
The ultramodern CEC in Gurgaon is the third facility to be launched by Vodafone Business Services following Mumbai and Pune. With the launch of its Government vertical last fiscal, this facility in Gurgaon will also act as a good conduit for Vodafone Business Services to engage and showcase its business solutions not only for larger private sector enterprises but also for Government and public sector companies many of whom tend to be headquartered in Delhi/NCR.


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Get the latest and most updated news for Hello Engineer here on Luro.io, a Cloud Gaming News blog!
The latest This Week on Stadia article has been posted, and we get to see which games will be available to claim on Friday, October 1st, for all Stadia Pro subscribers. If you were not aware, Stadia Pro subscribers can claim a handful of games each month as part of
On Google's recent This Week on Stadia post, we get some news on what is currently available and what is coming to Stadia soon. Hello Engineer on StadiaFirst and foremost, like we already reported earlier today, Hello Engineer is available to purchase on Google Stadia, and you can start playing
Updated: 6/22/2021 1:20PM Hello Engineer is now available to purchase and play on Google Stadia! Hello Engineer - Early Access - Store - Stadia (google.com) Stadia Early Access Disclaimer: Early Access grants you access to a game that is still in development. It is an unfinished


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Tesla model s is finally being challenged by the Taycan. For those not familiar with the taycan, this is a Porsche model that has undergone an intensive 4 year development. So, what do they have in common with Tesla? Well, for starters, they are BOTH electric vehicles.
What’s the Price tag for the Taycan?
The Taycan Turbo goes for approximately 150,000 USD while the Taycan Turbo S goes for approximately 187,000 USD.
Porsche will mass-produce around 20,000 Taycans for Year one. Over time, the company will introduce less expensive versions to the market.
Interestingly, around half of customers interested in Buying a Taycan already own a Tesla. This is according to Klaus zellmer, Porsche North America CEO.
The state of Baden-Württemberg – (where the factory is located) – is ready to challenge the electric vehicle-maker from California. However, the company continues to remain diplomatic.
“To Elon Musk,” Winfried Kretschmann, the state premier of Baden-Württemberg, said through a translator at the factory’s grand opening. “With green ideas, you can be in the black, not the red.”
The Taycan will deliver between 240 and 280 miles on a full battery charge. This is less than the Model S. However, it will replenish faster, gaining more than 60 miles of range in four minutes. When the Taycan reaches american roads in December, its 800-volt system will be the fastest on the market.
The 770 million USD Porsche spent to develop the factory where the Taycan is built is part of the company’s 6.6 billion USD investment in electric mobility through 2022. The automaker plans to electrify half of its lineup by 2025. The iconic 911 is slated to be the last model to make the transition to a hybrid or battery-electric powertrain.
The Taycan, however, will prove that Porsche EVs can consistently keep up their performance despite the extra weight of the battery pack. The company ensured the electric car would still clock track times and round corners like a Porsche. The flagship Taycan Turbo S can generate up to 750 horsepower. Additionally, it can zip from 0 to 60 mph in 2.6 seconds. This is according to Porsche. The 617-horsepower Turbo model takes 3 seconds. Both can hit a top speed of 161 mph.
“The kind of person who buys high-end EVs is always after the latest thing, and Taycan makes the Model S seem ancient in comparison,”
“Ten years ago, no one could have ever guessed that two-thirds of Porsche’s sales would be SUVs. Therefore, the brand has proven that it can find success by stretching into new territory without cannibalizing its brand,” he added.


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Baked Feta Pasta, Corn Ribs, Smashburgers, Pasta Chips — what do these foods all have in common? They all popped off and became viral recipes on TikTok this past year. Now imagine having these mouthwatering creations delivered straight to your door.
That possibility will soon be a reality, thanks to a new partnership with TikTok and Virtual Dining Concepts (VDC), which will launch TikTok Kitchens, as first reported by Bloomberg. The new food delivery concept aims to get fans the trendiest recipes on TikTok sent straight to their door. There’s big plans for TikTok Kitchen as TikTok and VDC will reportedly open around 300 locations across the US to start, with plans of expanding to around 1,000 spots by the end of 2022.
TikTok Kitchen looks to be a traditional ghost kitchen concept on the surface, but further details reveal that it will make use of existing restaurants’ existing kitchens and employees, who will then be provided the proper training, food packaging, and TikTok-sourced recipes.
The initial menu for TikTok Kitchen looks to serve up such viral creations like Baked Feta Pasta, Corn Ribs, Smashburgers, and Pasta Chips, though the menu will be updated quarterly to keep things fresh and current with viral food trends.
An noteworthy detail of TikTok Kitchen is that the creators behind the viral recipes on the menu will receive a part of the proceeds. Look for TikTok Kitchen to being rolling out around March 2022.


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US media said that tariffs on China might hurt Christmas shopping for low-income Americans and Wal-Mart.
According to the US Forbes biweekly website on October 20th, in the upcoming Christmas season, tariffs on China will make shopping more expensive. American consumers will have to pay more for Christmas items that are usually imported from China.
According to reports, tariffs on China will also damage retailers serving these consumers, such as Wal-Mart.
Last month, Wal-Mart warned the White House that the new tariffs could cost American families more to buy goods – from cribs to Christmas lights. Wal-Mart did not respond to requests for comment from reporters.
As with the average sales tax, some tariffs on China will be borne by the seller. Consumers will take the other part in the form of price increases.
The report pointed out that this is terrible news for all Americans, and worse for those living in poverty. They will be forced to reduce the number of Christmas items they buy.
The report also pointed out that this is also bad news for retailers like Wal-Mart. According to InfoScout, low-income people in the United States spend 20% to 22% more on Wal-Mart than other retailers.


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The Globe & Mail's Report on Business section featured an interview with the Masters of Digital Media Program's own Executive Director Dr. Gerri Sinclair on June 2.read more
In this year's Ming Pao Education and Career Supplement, digital media was identified along with health services, environmental and earth science, business and engineering as the hottest industries in Canada.
Vancouver's police have turned to the make-believe world of online virtual reality in a groundbreaking bid to attract tech-savvy real-life recruitsread more
Goods and services produced by new media and entertainment sectors make up a small percentage of the province's exports, but that percentage grows every year. According to figures provided by the B.C. Ministry of Economic Development, hightechread more


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By Yossy Mendelovich
Panasonic has redesigned the rotation mechanism in the removable grip of the new AU-EVA1 compact cinema camera, making it more robust and stress resistant. The company will replace the EVA1 grips of the previous design with new units.
The Panasonic AU-EVA1 Compact Super 35mm Cinema Camera has been gaining some positive feedback from filmmakers, offering impressive and professional looking images within a competitive price point, however it turns out that the EVA1 grip often collapsed when adding extra weight to the camera, which has caused some pain, especially for clients who wished to install more accessories on the camera.
The issue occurs when adding more extras to the camera and thereby making it heavier, which often caused the grip to “unlock” and flip around by itself, which could cause damages to lenses or the camera.
Panasonic now reacted with a solution to some disappointed customers who suffered from that issue, as stated in the press release: “Thank you very much for your purchase of Compact Cinema Camera AU-EVA1. Addressing customer concerns, Panasonic has redesigned the rotation mechanism in the removable grip of the new AU-EVA1 Compact Cinema Camera. Some clients wish to add numerous accessories to the camera, stressing the rotation latch on the grip and causing it to spin on its own. Panasonic will replace all grips of the previous design with new units.”
Grip Strength Improvements
According to the press release, the main improvement of the grip is the elevation of the torque-stress limitation from its original design to 4kg/9lbs of accessories and a lens mounted to the AU-EVA1.
Replacement of AU-EVA1 Grip
The replacement of the grip was scheduled to start from the 2nd week of December, so it seems to be ongoing already.
Here you can find a list of serial numbers of AU-EVA1 cameras that require replacing their
From:: Cinema 5d


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Steve Wozniak often provides his opinions on a range of different technologies from time to time, but despite being one of the co-founders of Apple, those opinions are often the most honest opinions going, event when talking about Apple’s own products, even going as far as to call out Apple for its lack of innovation, and even being rather aggressive with companies like Samsung.
So his recent interview with the BBC is really interesting, as this time we get to see his thoughts on a yet to be released product, the Apple Watch, in which he said that “Apple makes their products more fun than anyone else…it’s going to be so special, everyone is going to notice…everyone who owns Apple products will buy it. That means millions of people will buy this watch right from the start.”
Looking for something that is more than a simple Bluetooth connection to a smartphone, Woz also stated that the Apple Watch will be more than your average smartphone, pointing out that the the new watch would be especially significant for those who have diabetes for instance, allowing users to monitor their blood sugar with having to use any other products, or drawing blood.
For his own Watch however Woz shown off his own 45-year-old watch that was made up of three vacuum tubes that turn on tell him the time only when he moves his wrist, saving battery life.
Steve Wozniak then goes on to talk about what Apple might be planning for after the Apple Watch has been released, suggesting a move into self-driving cars, drones and Artificial Intelligence,
You can watch the full interview from the BBC below.


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Cryptocurrencies are the hot topic of the moment. As more people worldwide look for alternative ways to manage their finance, they turn to the blockchain industry to fulfil this need. The traditional centralised method of making transactions is going out the window. Cryptocurrencies like Quant (QNT), Cardano (ADA), and Plona (PLON) are promoting the decentralised finance (DeFi) ecosystem. Plona (PLON), a recently released coin, is at the forefront of this initiative, making headlines.
Quant (QNT) suffers a 9.3% loss, worrying its investors.
The Quant (QNT), created by CEO and founder Gilbert Verdian, is a cryptocurrency on the Ethereum blockchain. The platform serves fintech developers, banks, asset managers, and other financial institutions. Quant (QNT) aims to connect public blockchains and private networks, enabling linking and flexibility between global networks and chains.
With aims to connect blockchain and networks, Quant (QNT) was developed to bring forth what Gilbert Verdian calls the “Internet of Trust”. Quant (QNT) is down by 9.30% and is looking to recover from a poor week. At a price of almost $200, new-time investors might want to consider cheaper options in the crypto market.
Cardona (ADA) loses 8% of its worth over the past week.
Cardano (ADA) was established based on peer-reviewed research and is regarded as the first proof-of-stake platform to apply tested techniques for application development. Some of the most well-known people in the industry make up its engineering team. Cardano (ADA) is giving its customers the security and stability they need to run their decentralised applications through technological advancements.
Charles Hoskinson, an Ethereum (ETH) platform co-founder, developed the cryptocurrency Cardano (ADA) in 2015 intending to foster innovation and positive change in society. About $422 million worth of Cardano (ADA) tokens were traded in the last 24 hours. Cardano (ADA) is down by 8% and is looking to make a comeback in the following week.
Plona (PLON) can sell out 140 million tokens during the stage one presale.
A team of luxury car enthusiasts and blockchain experts created Plona (PLON), an Ethereum-based cryptocurrency blockchain. The team wants to bring luxury cars to the blockchain industry by providing a way for crypto investors to own a fraction of their favourite exotic automobiles around the world for $29. Plona (PLON) will provide its users with exclusive networking events by partnering with premium car dealers.
Plona (PLON) token holders will also benefit from a 2.5% transaction fee on all network transactions. The team has also dedicated 2% of Plona (PLON) tokens to a charity of the community’s choice. Plona’s (PLON) phase one presale has started with 140 million coins available on launch. Investors have already speculated all 140 million tokens will sell out before the presale stage ends.
Learn more about Plona (PLON) and join its presale using the following links:
Disclaimer: This is a press release post. Coinpedia does not endorse or is responsible for any content, accuracy, quality, advertising, products, or other materials on this page. Readers should do their own research before taking any actions related to the company.


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The founders Pfisterer and Eugene Danilkis want to invest the more than 30 million Euros in more staff and their product, according to information from the Fintech Finance portal, which first reported on the round.
According to the report, the company has grown by more than 100 percent over the last four years. Most recently, Mambu had received eight million euros in a financing round in early 2016. According to the most recent annual financial statements in the Federal Gazette, Mambu wrote losses of around 2.1 million euros in the 2017 financial year and employed 32 people.
With their “Banking Engine” every bank can be operated like a tech company – this is the promise that the makers of Mambu give their customers. Berlin-based Fintech is developing cloud technologies for microfinance providers, lenders and established banks. Mambu has now received in a round of financing 30 million euros.
Also present: existing shareholders such as Acton Capital and Commerzventures. The round is led by US venture capitalist Bessemer Venture Partners, headquartered in Silicon Valley and one of the country’s oldest VCs, investing in such companies as Pinterest, Twitch and Periscope. The deal was supervised by the consulting GP Bullhound.
Mambu started its service in 2011. The startup initially focused on microfinance institutions in Latin America and Africa. Meanwhile, the target audience has increased. Among his clients Mambu claims to be about the listed former Kreditech competitor Ferratum. Co-founder Frederik Pfisterer described his cloud-based solution over Gründerszene three years ago as a “mix of accounting and CRM system”.
It’s the next big fintech round of financing this year. 260 million euros were in January for N26, recently also collected Raisin (World Savings) 100 million euros. After there had been fewer fintech deals in Germany in 2018 than in the previous year, the start of the year already promises that it could become more again in 2019.
Evaluation: There were fewer fintech deals in Germany in 2018. The investment volume has also fallen. In the previous year, it looked much better for financial startups. The study authors also have an explanation for this.


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Australia triumphed on Thursday in a major trade dispute over its pioneering “plain” tobacco packaging law, with World Trade Organization judges rejecting a complaint brought by Cuba, Indonesia, Honduras and Dominican Republic.
The WTO panel said Australia’s law improved public health by reducing the use of tobacco products, rebuffing claims that alternative measures would be equally effective. It also rejected the argument that Australia had unjustifiably infringed tobacco trademarks and violated intellectual property rights.
Australia’s law, introduced in 2010, bans logos and distinctively colored cigarette packaging in favor of drab olive packets that look more like military or prison issue, with brand names printed in small standardized fonts.
The challenge to it was seen as a test case for public health legislation globally, and could lead to tighter marketing rules for unhealthy foods and alcohol as well as tobacco.
Honduras indicated that it was likely to appeal, saying in a statement that the ruling contained legal and factual errors and appeared not to be even-handed, objective or respectful of the complainants’ rights.
“It appears that this dispute will require the review of the panel’s findings by the WTO Appellate Body before any final conclusions can be drawn,” it said.
An Indonesian trade official said Indonesia would examine its options. Cuban and Dominican trade officials were not immediately available for comment.
Australia said it was ready to defend against an appeal.
“We will not shy away from fighting for the right to protect the health of Australians,” Trade Minister Steven Ciobo and Rural Health Minister Bridget McKenzie said in a statement. “Australia has achieved a resounding victory.”
The World Health Organization welcomed the WTO ruling, saying it cleared “another legal hurdle thrown up in the tobacco industry’s efforts to block tobacco control and is likely to accelerate implementation of plain packaging around the globe.”
It said six other countries had brought in plain packaging laws — Hungary, Ireland, France, New Zealand, Norway and Britain — while another six had passed laws yet to be implemented — Burkina Faso, Canada, Georgia, Romania, Slovenia and Thailand.


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Despite the current wailing and gnashing of teeth on Wall Street, there is yet more good news out of Detroit. Turns out at least one of the Big Three U.S. automakers really can make good cars and-surprise! surprise!-when it does, people will actually go out of their way to buy them.
At the recent North American International Auto Show in Detroit, General Motors Corp.’s new Chevrolet Malibu sedan was chosen by a panel of journalists as the car of the year. However, the real verdict had already been passed months earlier by U.S. consumers.
Traditionally relegated to the world of fleet sales, GM completely revamped the Malibu so that it could go head-to-head with the likes of Toyota’s vaunted Camry, and the results have been impressive, to say the least. Since its launch in late 2007, GM has literally been unable to produce the new Malibu fast enough: This despite that fact that the company has added capacity to the plant where it first began assembling the car and has since begun production at a second plant in Michigan.
“We’re still very supply constrained…. We think we will be close to meeting demand sometime in May or June,” says GM vice president for vehicle sales Makr LaNeve, commenting on current production capacity.
If there’s anything odd about all this, it’s that GM actually seems to be have been caught somewhat off guard by its own success. GM vice president of product development Bob Lutz has been quoted by the Associated Press as saying the car has gone “way beyond” expectations. In a tepid acknowledgement of the car’s success, Chevrolet general manager Ed Peper says customers are “getting the message” that the Malibu “can challenge even the most formidable competitors in the midsize segment.”
“Getting the message?” What message? There is no message. There’s just a darn good car out there that consumers are willing to pay $20,000 for because it gives them what they want. Period. This is not about marketing. It’s not about image. It’s about hard work. It’s about quality. It’s about building something consumers have decided they can’t live without.
Kudos to GM and the Big Three in general for having the guts and the intelligence to take the fight right back to their competitors instead of just ceding market share and finding a new way of making money. After years of trying to figure new ways tosellcars, they are back in the business of figuring how tomakethem.
GM said as part of its turnaround plan that it was going to build cars and trucks that people really wanted. Lo and behold that turns out to be a pretty good business model. Detroit shouldn’t be surprised when its hard work and planning actually pay off. That’s the way a free market works.
Let the money guys on Wall Street play their games. Despite their never-ending efforts to make a quick buck, the greater economy will roll along as best it can-thanks to companies like the Big Three. Ultimately, the U.S. economy is not just about making deals, its about making things, things people want. The good news is that Detroit is once again ready to show the rest of the world how that’s done.
‘Surprise' Winner for Detroit?
By Adam Cort


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The galaxy just got a lot more detailed thanks to the No Man’s Sky Origins update. The free update introduces a solar system’s worth of new features, ranging from new weather conditions and new planets to improved interfaces.
Almost every star system gets a bunch of additional planets in the Origins patch. These planets have more diverse topography as well, including huge mountain ranges, volcanoes, moist swampy regions, and more.
Some of the changes affect the terrain in other ways. Volcanic planets have patches that spontaneously combust, for example. Storms might spin up, spawning tornadoes or devastating lightning.
Whatever happens, players will see the atmosphere responding more dynamically.
Cloud cover varies more often and matches the surface conditions, and the amount — and color — of cloud coverage changes over time and with each planet.
Every planet has fresh fauna with a wider range of interactions, both with the environment and each other. There are more bugs (not glitches) now, for better or worse, plus massive sandworms lurking beneath the surface.
That’s all just the start. No Man’s Sky Origins adds more lore and secrets to uncover, ancient monuments, items, merchant NPCs, and a slew of improvements to textures and various parts of the game’s interface.
That’s not to mention the items and multi-tool upgrades added, as well as the tweaks made to photo mode and the game’s economy.
All this follows the Desolation and cross-platform multiplayer updates added earlier in 2020. If that’s still not enough to satisfy the space craving, there are plenty of No Man’s Sky mods to shake things up even more.
The update is out as of today on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Stay tuned to GameSkinny for more on NMS.
[Source: Hello Games]


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Hit the deck, G.I. Joe.
Run for cover, Cabbage Patch kids.
And yes, Michael Jackson dolls, beat it.
GoBots and Transformers are invading America. They're taking over kids' minds, moving into the nation's living rooms and invading the shelves of toy stores across the country.
Tonka Corp.'s GoBots and Hasbro Industries Inc.'s Transformers are colorful metal and plastic "2-in-l" robot toys. They're made in Japan, range from about $3 to about $29 and are promoted as "male-action figures" -- dolls for boys.
With a few intricate twists and turns, the robots can be reshaped into sports cars, trucks, helicopters, fighter jets, trains, tanks, motorcycles, cassette recorders and guns, and then back again.
They're the hottest new high-tech toys of the year.
Just ask Josh Levy, a six-year-old, erudite action-toy aficionado who obviously appreciates the finer points of marketing these sleek new toys.
"GoBots and Transformers are terrific!" said Levy, who lives in Bethesda. "They're really well-made, and they're two toys in one. It's not hard to put them together. So, I think they're going to be around for a long time."
Levy is one of millions of kids across the country who are being swept up by the GoBot/Transformer phenomenon.
"It's the year of the robot in the toy industry," said Paul Valentine, leisure-time analyst at Standard & Poor's.
Tonka, based in Minneapolis and best-known for its motorless trucks, expects to sell 15 million of its GoBots this year. GoBots hit the store shelves in January, and by August they were ranked as the third-best-selling toy of the month by Toy & Hobby World, one of the toy industry's trade magazines.
Hasbro, of Pawtucket, R.I., is known best for its G.I. Joe. Advance orders for the company's Transformer toys already exceed those of any other nonelectric toy in the industry's history, said Stephen D. Hassenfeld, Hasbro's chairman. Transformers reached toy stores in May, and by the end of July Hasbro already had shipped 3 million of them.
Hasbro expects the phenomenal success of the toys so far to help boost its revenue to $400 million or more this year, Hassenfeld reported at the company's annual meeting in June. He said Hasbro earnings for the first half of this year alone are expected to exceed the $15 million total of 1983.
Each of the two manufacturers predicts that its GoBots or Transformers will have the most successful first year ever for a new toy. The toy robots already are threatening to make the record $60 million sales of Coleco Industries' Cabbage Patch dolls look like coleslaw. Both Hasbro and Tonka say they have each received orders of more than 00 million for the toy robots, more than their Japanese plants can produce.
And retailers report that GoBots and Transformers are selling out faster than they can get them on the shelves.
"They're selling like hotcakes," said a saleswoman at an FAO Schwarz toy store in Georgetown.
"We couldn't buy nearly all the GoBots and Transformers we wanted," said John Hall, manager of Lowen's toy store in Bethesda. "There's no way we'll have enough for Christmas. If anyone has bought too many GoBots or Transformers, they should bring them to us and we'll exchange them for other toys."
Some stores even have asked Tonka to quit advertising GoBots because demand is so high they're forced to turn potential customers away, a company spokesman said.
The success of GoBots comes at a good time for Tonka. Pretax losses from continuing operations soared from $3.4 million in 1982 to $4.5 million in 1983. Tonka was slow to diversify from its basic toy truck line and was hurt by persistent start-up problems at its new plants in El Paso, Tex., and neighboring Juarez, Mexico.
In February, Tonka dismissed its former chief financial officer, Martin LeBus, saying he had invested $2 million of the company's funds, apparently improperly, in a firm that went out of business. Tonka was then forced to add an after-tax $1.34 million write-off to its 1983 loss on operations, and its stock price dropped $3.75 to $23.12.
But the GoBot success has revived Tonka's stock price. It was $30 a share in early March and closed Friday at $38.84, below its peak of $46.75 in early August.
Meanwhile, in the first six weeks after Hasbro's Transformers hit America in May, retailers reported the toys sold out as fast as they could stock them.
Hasbro's Transformers were developed by Takara Co., and the Tonka GoBots are made by Bandai Co. Ltd., both leading Japanese toy makers. Bandai sold between 10 million and 20 million of its toys over the past three years in Japan, Europe and Australia, where the robots have been a great hit. Bandai introduced the toys -- then called Machine Men -- here in 1983, but they languished on the shelves for a year before Tonka bought the marketing rights.
Tonka says the problem was that the Japanese manufacturer didn't effectively market its toys with a story line.
"The Japanese weren't successful because they were unfamiliar with the U.S. market," said Raymond E. McDonald, Tonka's director of marketing. "They weren't prepared to support the introduction of the line in the same way as Tonka. And they failed to develop a story line.
"We provide the names and the information, and the kids run with it," McDonald said.
The story line goes like this: There are good GoBots and bad GoBots, and they are all from the planet GoBotron in a distant galaxy. Good GoBots are led by Leader-1, who can turn into an F-14 fighter plane. The enemy GoBots have just escaped from prison and are out to invade Earth. Their leader is Cy-Kill, who can be reshaped into an ominous-looking motorcycle.
To disguise themselves, each of the bad GoBots has taken a shape familiar to earthlings -- a car, a plane, a cassette player. Their most fearsome weapon is Zod, a mechanical monster shaped like a lurching alligator, with moving jaws and an appetite for good GoBots.
But not to fear . . . the good, "mighty" GoBots discovered the enemy plot, and they've come to earth similarly disguised as "mighty vehicles." Their supreme weapon is the GoBot Command Center, a mobile fortress that can turn into a vehicle and into a Star Wars-style land walker. It comes complete with a revolving head, an alarm sound system and chromatic "scanners" for identifying enemy GoBots.
There are 24 kinds of regular GoBots; they stand about 4 inches tall and sell for about $3.50. In addition, there are six Super GoBots that are five inches tall and sell for about $10.00. The robots are geared to children ages 5 to 11.
Hasbro's Transformers also have a story line of good and evil robots warring for control. Transformers are either Heroic Autobots (robots that turn into cars or trucks) or Evil Decepticons (robots that turn into guns, planes or cassettes). They come in 27 different models with names such as Frenzy, Ravage, Bluestreak and Optimus Prime. They sell for prices ranging from $3 to $29.
Each Transformer comes with a biographical card and a Tech Specs chart, which rates its strength, speed and skills. The specifications can be deciphered using a special decoder found in each package.
One Decepticon called Soundwave looks like a portable tape-cassette player until it's unfolded to form a robot, whose story-line motto is "Cries and screams are music to my ears."
"We've been told that little kids try to transform the evil Decepticons into good-guy Autobots -- that's encouraging for the world of tomorrow," said a Hasbro spokeswoman.
It's not clear which company's line of robot action figures will be most successful at capturing kid's hearts in this latest extension of the toy wars.
"It's hard for me to believe that Hasbro can ship more than we can ship," said Tonka's McDonald. He noted that GoBots reached the market before Transformers and that Tonka's Japanese supplier is a larger company, both of which should help Tonka outpace Hasbro, he believes.
But Hassenfeld is equally confident that Transformers will be the leader by the end of the year. "I think we'll ship $75 million to $80 million," he said. Based on his review of Takara's plans for the line, Hassenfeld said Transformers will "have more staying power." A spokeswoman for the company attributes that staying power to the wide variety of robot models offered by Hasbro. "Kids will keep coming back to buy more," she said.
Both Tonka and Hasbro plan to spend about $8 million each this year to advertise the new high-tech "male-action" figures. In addition, Tonka is syndicating a five-part GoBot television show in October, produced by Hanna-Barbera. Hasbro will run a three-part miniseries featuring its Transformers in September, produced by Sunbow Production Inc.
Both toy companies have robot-theme comic books and broad-based product licensing programs. GoBots and Transformers will appear soon on watches, books, party goods, sneakers, balloons, children's socks, Halloween costumes, mugs, cups, plates, bowls, jeans, sweatshirts, t-shirts, stationary, swimwear, umbrellas, sunglasses, headbands, backpacks, lunchboxes, belts, earmuffs, scarves, kites, pencils, pens, billfolds, walkie-talkies, clock radios and underwear.
Some companies are following Tonka's and Hasbro's lead with various 2-in-1 robot figures, many of them modeled after Transformers and GoBots.
In addition, other companies are spinning out toys with the robot theme, including Milton Bradley's robotic building set, Tomy Corp.'s Starrions and CBS Ideal's Roboforce.
Author and robot enthusiast Robert Malone believes playing with robots is good for children. "There's something magical about children's fascination with robotics," said Malone, curator of a robot exhibit at the American Craft Museum in New York, who has been on a promotion tour for Tonka. "It's as if they really do sense that this is the future and they want very much to be part of it."
Stephen Shank, president of Tonka, believes the popularity of his company's GoBots centers on their "Rubik's Cube quality."
A Hasbro spokeswoman called the new toy robots "a step beyond the G.I. Joe or Masters of the Universe. They conceal, reveal."
That quality is part of the attraction for Levy.
"From these robots and stuff, I've learned to never trust anything from its appearance," Levy said. "Because things are just not always as they seem."


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Bangkok Airways’ new service from Phuket is welcomed on the apron at Hat Yai Airport on 11 October, when the airline began daily flights with its 70-seat ATR 72s. There was also a colourful inauguration ceremony in Phuket before the first flight took place.
- Bangkok Airways on 11 October began daily flights on the 264-kilometre route between Phuket (HKT) and Hat Yai (HDY). The airline will use its 70-seat ATR 72-500s and -600s on the route, which is not served by any other carrier. This becomes the airline’s fifth route from Phuket and first to Hay Yai. Mr. Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth, President of Bangkok Airways said, “Bangkok Airways foresees the potential of Phuket and Hat Yai as prominent destinations of leisure and business. Phuket is recognized as one of the world’s most famous tourist attractions where millions of travellers from all over the world have visited. Hat Yai is a major commercial city of Southern Thailand and a gateway to Malaysia and Singapore. This new service between Phuket and Hat Yai will certainly enhance the growth of tourism and economy due to the convenience and ease of travel.”


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Earlier this week United State's top intelligence agencies warned the American public against using phones made by Chinese OEM’s Huawei and ZTE. The heads of FBI, CIA, and NSA made these warnings in person at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing.
FBI Director Chris Wray testified that "we're deeply concerned about the risks of allowing any company or entity that is beholden to foreign governments that don't share our values to gain positions of power inside our telecommunications networks," reported CNBC.
Wray added, "That provides the capacity to exert pressure or control over our telecommunications infrastructure."
"It provides the capacity to maliciously modify or steal information. And it provides the capacity to conduct undetected espionage," stated the FBI chief.
This is not the first time Chinese smartphone companies have been under scrutiny over collecting and sending sensitive user data to Chinese servers. The global intelligence community has long been suspicious of Huawei and its deep ties with the Chinese government.
Founded by a former People's Liberation Army officer Ren Zhengfei, Huawei has been described as "effectively an arm of the Chinese government." Huawei's deep roots with the Chinese government has got them in hot water before in the US.
The serial offenders
Four years ago Huawei was banned from bidding on government contracts. And a few months back, we saw the collapse of Huawei's carrier deal with AT&T, the biggest mobile network in the USA. Huawei sells phones in India under their Honor sub-brand.
In India, there have been numerous reports about Chinese smartphones sending data to Chinese servers.
In 2014, Indian Airforce warned its personnel and their families not to use Xiaomi phones. Air Force pointed out that these phones are believed to be transferring data to their servers in China and could be a security risk.
Security firm F- secure found that these phones were forwarding carrier name, phone number, IMEI and numbers from the address book to China.
In 2015, internet security firm GData reported that smartphones from Xiaomi, Lenovo, and Huawei had pre-installed spying malware on them. The report was soon concurred by Kryptowire. They found that these smartphones came with spyware made by Shanghai based Adups.
A year ago, Twitter user Christopher Moore raised concerns over the privacy of Oxygen OS. Oxygen OS is the Android operating system running on one of India's most popular phones -the OnePlus.
He discovered that Oxygen OS was gathering data such as IMEI numbers, phone numbers, the mobile networks it uses even which apps were being opened and their duration.
The government of India, however, took steps in August 2017 by sending notices to 21 smartphone manufacturers. They include Chinese brands such as Vivo, Oppo, Xiaomi, and Gionee, and were asked to provide the framework and procedures followed for data security. Additionally, these companies were asked to give a “detailed, structured written response” on safety and security of the data they collect.
Currently, the Indian smartphone is dominated by Chinese manufacturers. According to the recent IDC report, Samsung leads the smartphone market with 24.7% market share in 2017, with Chinese company Xiaomi at second with 20.9%. They are followed by other Chinese manufacturers Vivo, Lenovo, and Oppo.
With Chinese manufacturers constantly coming under scrutiny for sending user data and even espionage, isn’t it time we smartphone users make a call on whether or not to trust these brands?
(Header Image: Andri Koolme |Flickr)


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According to the company, the November offers are for a limited time period only and on limited stock. Under this, Triumph Bonneville has a scheme of 0% interest and an EMI of Rs 11,599.
These bikes have been incorporated in both the product bases – offline as well as online, the company said in a statement.
After over five years of operation in India, the company has sold close to 6000 motorcycles, 978 of them in FY19.
Triumph TR8 prices have increased 27% over the past 3 years, according to the Hagerty Price Guide.
The models come with a 2-year unlimited-kilometre manufacturer warranty with global coverage.
Since adoption of voluntary vehicle recall policy, 2.8 million vehicles have been recalled by various vehicle manufacturers.
Watch the confluence of major brands and startups at year’s biggest motorcycle shows EICMA.Sneak Peek: 2018 EICMA Motorcycle Show
“We’re super strong,” Lal tells ET's Ketan Thakkar and Satish John in an interview.
British superbike brand Triumph Motorcycles plans to introduce in India around six products, a mix of new models and upgrades of current bikes, by June next year, a top company official said Tuesday.
Sumbly's hiring is likely to give a boost to Royal Enfield's plan to become a global player in the premium motorcycle segment.
Unsurprisingly, the global majors are targeting the mid-size segment of 250-700 cc.
With the Triumph Freedom Ride, Triumph Motorcycles continued with it’s annual tradition of bringing riders together on the Independence Day to support girl child education.
Bajaj said now the company makes annually at Pune 1 lakh KTM motorcycles — representing 40% of the Austrian bike maker’s yearly output — which are sold across the world.
Triumph Motorcycles is going to launch its new classic cruiser, the Bonneville Speedmaster, in India on February 27. The British bikemaker already announced to launch three new motorcycles in the country this year.
Earlier, import of motorcycles with engine capacity of 800cc or less used to attract 60% duty, while those with capacity of 800cc or more attracted 75% duty.
Mercedes Benz, Audi, BMW prices to see a spike of Rs 1.25 lakh to Rs 10 lakh, Harleys and Triumphs to be dearer by Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000
Among two-wheelers, Bajaj Auto and Royal Enfield, which missed the earlier edition, would skip again, instead focusing resources on independent events.
The standalone store, which is spread across 5000 sq. ft and 3 floors, is one of the largest dealerships for Triumph Motorcycles in India.
The group retailed 63,404 motorcycles in the financial year 2017, compared to 56,253 motorcycles in the financial year 2016.
A wholly-owned division of Polaris Industries, it is present in 1,200 cc and above super bike segment in India and sells nine models, including the newly launched Scout Bobber with price starting at Rs 12.99 lakh (ex-showroom).


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Africa should strategically and fully utilize his expertise.
He is known as the World’s #No 1 Wealth Coach.
He’s name is JT Foxx.
JT has become one of the top platform speakers in the world and has been deemed the world’s #1 wealth coach as seen and heard on television, in radio and print.
Foxx, turning 37 this year, has been a radio and TV personality for the past years, and has worked with some of the biggest business names in the world from Donald Trump, Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Steve Wozniak (Apple Co-Founder), Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jack Welch, Kathy Ireland, Speaker of the House Denny Hastert, Senator McCain, Rev Jesse Jackson among others.
Steve Wozniak, Apple Co-Founder says, “JT Foxx is the closest person I’ve ever met to Steve Jobs.”
Recently, he ran the Mega Partnering Africa where the world and continent’s top entrepreneurs, CEOs, executives, and celebrities share their secrets to prosperity.
While Mega Partnering is with the former being regarded as the world’s number one wealth networking and business conference attracting attendees from all over the globe who come to learn, earn, and return.
What is most important to JT, are his philanthropic endeavors with youth entrepreneurs and kids with cancer.
But can JT help Africa to reach its full potential? Time will certainly tell.
And as Michael Fleshman, former editor of the Africa Renewal magazine, puts it, “Africa is finally emerging out of economic obscurity into the global mainstream, posting impressive growth figures in many countries for the past decade and becoming a major destination for international investors in sectors as diverse as energy and mining to telecommunications, fashion and infrastructure development.”
And this week, it was reported that Africa’s CEOs are confident that the outlook for business on the continent remains positive notwithstanding the unpredictable economic and socio-political climate.
It is in this spirit that a serial entrepreneur like JT Foxx would want to re-commit his work to a continent that shows great promise for the future and for the world.
With Africa’s biggest economy Nigeria, boasting more than 37 million registered small businesses.
And South Africa, at #NO 2, with the most advanced economy and leading financial services sector, the sky is the limit for Africa’s development.
Tycoons of Wealth, one his many programmes has been promised to be bigger and better than ever before, with Randi Zuckerberg (Former VP of Marketing for Facebook and she is Mark Zuckerberg’s sister), South African IT billionaire and entrepreneurRobert Gumede, and South Africa’s very own Olympic Gold Medalist Wayde van Niekerk.
J.T. Foxx started investing with nothing more than a rusted out Ford pick-up truck, $974 dollars and 1 cheap suit. And just 6 years later, by 2015, JT had acquired and sold over 500 properties. He had closed over $40 million in real estate deals.
JT advises that people must stop blaming the economy and create your own. “You can’t sit around and wait for things to get better; you have to make it happen.”
Also known as a branding and marketing genius, JT Foxx owns over 50 companies and brands in everything from education, technology, real estate, clothing, diamonds, insurance, lending and internet presence.
He is the author of the highly acclaimed book “Millionaire Underdog: Against All Odds”; which some top entrepreneurs say is the greatest book on how to start, grow and explode any business.
JT also does business in more than 40 countries worldwide.
South Africa’s Tycoons of Wealth is due to to take later in the year in August.
The JT Foxx M.B.A. is the newly developed sister event that is replacing Mega Partnering that was formerly held all over the world.
The JT Foxx M.B.A, or as some are calling it the Family First Reunion, is the new must attend World Summit for business owners, entrepreneurs, real estate investors, start-ups and people who want to further their careers.
The Top 1% Experience is an exclusive experience that draws entrepreneurs from all over the world, allowing you to connect with JT’s top students and personal business associates. This One-Of-A-Kind event affords you direct access to JT’s inner circle all while spending three full days with him and other a-list speakers in his home.
“You may have the loftiest goals, the highest ideals, the noblest dreams; but remember this, nothing works unless you do.” says Dr. Nido Qubein, “To create a legacy, and truly leave a lasting impact on the world you want to build an Empire. That is what true legendary entrepreneurs like Richard Branson, have done, and what JT Foxx is doing.”
JT notes, “As a serial entrepreneur and the world’s #1 wealth coach, I have come to see a disturbing trend. I do business and speak in over 40 countries all over the world, and I often find many businesses succumb to trying to model themselves after other successful companies; such as an Uber, or an AirB&B. They are comfortable with the thought of “as long as I grow, it doesn’t matter if I make money”. They think growth will one day equate to dollars.
In this regard, Amazon lost money for over 10 years before finally turning a profit and now they are worth billions.
In fact, many of them were worth billions before they even made 1 cent. Silicon valley dubs them as “unicorns”. The definition of a unicorn company is one that is relatively young and new yet worth at least 1 billion and not one of them is making any money. The problem for every Uber, and SnapChat out there, there are hundreds of thousands of other businesses that fail with this type of business model, and they are pretty much worthless.”
JT continues, “I own many companies and brands and my philosophy is quite simple, I find ways to make money from day 1 when I start any company. Profits are more important than growth. In order for a business to survive today’s ever challenging economic times it must have sustainability, predictability, and consistency. I made the mistake a couple of years ago by growing too fast too quick and before I knew it, my profit margin went from 32.7% to 8.4%. In fact, I had to change my entire business model to stop the bleeding.”
JT Foxx’s various coaching organizations have widely been hailed as the world’s top organization.
What makes his organization unique and a leader in this field, is two folds. One is the culture that has been built based on a “Powered by Your Success” philosophy. That basically means, “the more successful our clients are the more successful we become as an organization.”
“Our second is our #FamilyFirst mantra. We treat all our clients as if they were our family and as cliche as it may sound, it’s what has really differentiated ourselves from the rest of the competition. Every client is assigned to a personal relationship manager who is a liaison between you and the coach and constantly is in contact with the client. They are like accountability partners and also track your progress and report back to the director of coaching, the CEO and even sometimes Mr. Foxx personally.
In addition, “We take our coaching very seriously. We coach in the areas of business, start ups, real estate, internet marketing, passive income and mindset. Most of our coaches are people who have been coached personally with JT Foxx or have taken our 3 day intensive coaching certification process. We don’t teach from a manual or a script every coach is individually matched based on experience, needs and desired outcome.”
As of 2012, an estimated 1.07 billion people were living in 54 different countries in Africa.
And with the African economy which consists mainly of trade, industry, agriculture, and human resources of the continent, JT who refers to himself as a ‘Student of Results’, can connect the dots for the continent’s glory.
Africa remains a resource-rich continent, yet up until now the continent has not been able to provide a poverty and underdevelopment free standard for the majority of its citizens.
Perhaps, the likes of JT Foxx will add a trick or two to get Africa ahead.


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- Mahindra XUV700 Revealed As Y400 — To Be Launched Soon
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Mahindra Electric and Zoomcar have announced the extension of their unique services of offering EVs as shared mobility Solution in Mumbai.
The two companies will offer 50 E2O Plus as self-drives. Mahindra will offer their all-electric, E2O Plus through the Zoomcar platform in Maharashtra. The company has planned to touch 100 EVs in the next quarter.
The first 50 E2O Plus cars, were flagged off at the Gateway of India. The cars were flagged off by Maharashtra Chief Minister, Shri Devendra Fadnavis and Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group.
The initiative is aimed at promoting connected, shared and electric mobility as a model. It will be in line with the government's 2030 vision. With recommendations from the NITI Aayog report.
The initiative first started in Mumbai as the city is the second-largest hub in the country. It is also an important business destination. This is one of the first initiatives taken as part of Maharashtra's EV policy 2018.
Mahesh Babu, CEO, Mahindra Electric, stated, "Mahindra Electric has been leading the EV space for close to a decade. We are proud to now extend our association with Zoomcar and introduce our EVs on the shared mobility platform in Mumbai."
"We are confident that our initiative will help people adopt EV as a technology and will contribute to Maharashtra's journey towards a greener future."
Greg Moran, Co-Founder & CEO, Zoomcar, stated, "As the pioneer in shared electric mobility in India, Zoomcar is thrilled to introduce EVs in Mumbai for the first time on a shared mobility platform."
"The Maharashtra government's progressive stand on EVs will surely contribute to a meaningful expansion of the electric ecosystem in the months and years ahead."
The vehicles under this initiative will be financed by Zoomcar and LeasePlan. Zoomcar will also obtain customised EV Financing.
Thoughts On Mahindra And Zoomcar EV Initiative
The Maharashtra state government is taking various steps towards switching to EV in the state. The state government also signed a MoU with Tata Motors recently for 1000 EVs.


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Plans now call for the prototype to be tested on seniors who have gait or stride difficulties. It is hoped that the final version of the device could be worn under the user’s clothing.
“Despite the advancement of exoskeletons, state-of-the-art exoskeletons are not suitable to promote independence and community living,” says McGovern Medical School’s Asst. Prof. Shuo-Hsiu (James) Chang. “There is a pressing need for wearable robots that can improve the quality of life for broader populations in community settings.”
Skyryse has been around since 2016 and its grand ambitions aren’t unlike others in the space; to make self-flying air taxis in urban areas a reality. Whereas Volocopter, Uber and a host of others are developing purpose-built VTOL aircraft that take off, fly and land themselves, Skyryse is focusing on tech that can give today’s standard aircraft these same capabilities.
Rimac, for its part, is building 17 prototypes of its 1,914-horsepower, 2,300-Nm (1,696-lb-ft) C_Two, each with its own development and testing goals, to evaluate everything from chassis rigidity, to driving dynamics, to driver feel and handling – not to mention “high-performance autonomous driving,” a concept that makes me want to nope my way back into the 1990s when nobody expected 200-mph (322-km/h) supercars to drive themselves.
Nikola Motor Co., a Phoenix startup, plans highway testing of its hydrogen fuel cell semi-tractor next year. Budweiser brewer Anheuser-Busch will test Nikola trucks in its fleet. The beer company said it plans to buy up to 800 of the hydrogen fuel cell models for its fleet of long-haul delivery vehicles
Now that Gigafactory 3 near Shanghai is almost ready to begin production, it’s time to start work on the next one. Speaking at a recent event in Germany, where he received a Golden Steering Wheel award from the German tabloid Bild, Elon Musk announced that Tesla has chosen the Berlin area as the location of Gigafactory 4.
According to Wong, HK$2 billion (US$255 million) will be appropriated in the next three years to install EV chargers at about 60,000 parking spaces in existing private residential buildings.
Three years ago, an outfit called Electric GT (EGT), led by Eric Hutchison, hit the green tech radar by converting a 1978 Ferrari 308 GTS to an electric car. Out went the mid-mounted 2.9-liter V8 making 280 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque, in went 48 lithium-ion batteries powering three AC51 HPEVS electric motors that cumulatively produced 465 hp and 330 lb-ft. The company’s relocated from San Diego to Chatsworth, California, and is back on the scopes at Green Car Reports with what it calls an Electric Crate Motor. The innovation repackages the ICE crate motor methodology into a system making EV conversions easier for the weekend enthusiast. EGT promises a plug-and-play system with “high performance and near zero maintenance,” having packaged its one- and two-motor systems into a “motor block” and peripherals that look just like an internal combustion engine.
Even though battery swapping brings forth concerns of the quality of the swapped battery, overall, while comparing EVCS and BSS, we find that BSS offer more flexibility and convenience for all involved entities, especially when considering densely populated area
Volvo Group has established a new dedicated business group focused on autonomous transportation, with a mandate that covers industry segments like mining, ports and moving goods between logistics hubs of all kinds. The vehicle maker has already been active in putting autonomous technology to work in these industries, with self-driving projects — including at a few quarries and mines, and in the busy port located at Gothenburg, Sweden.
Hyundai Motor Group, which oversees Hyundai and Kia, is slapping down a fat stack of cash in the name of self-driving and autonomous car technology. The automaker said at a news conference at the automaker’s research center in Hwaseong on Tuesday that it will invest $35 billion in the field to help make South Korea a leader in the segment, Reuters reports.
South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in, also speaking at the event, made the bold statement that South Korea will be the first country to put totally autonomous cars on the road and laid out a goal date of 2027, the Korea Times reported.
In particular, Volvo said it sees an opportunity for autonomous systems that repetitively moving large volumes of materials and goods in pre-defined routes. “In such situations, autonomous transport solutions can create value for customers by contributing to improved flexibility, delivery precision, and productivity,” the company said.
“We have experienced a significant increase in inquiries from customers,” stated Martin Lundstedt, Volvo Group president and CEO. “With the Volvo Group’s wide range of offerings and broad experience of different applications, we have a unique opportunity to offer solutions that meet their specific needs. It is a logical next step for us to gather expertise and resources in a new business area with profit and loss responsibility to take autonomous transport solutions to the next level.”
This EV will be the first vehicle of any type to hit the market with Google’s all-new Android operating system. Though the interface will look similar to anyone who’s sat in a new Volvo in recent years, the system promises new levels of processing speed, capability, and customization.
The system integrates Google Maps, Google Assistant, and the Google Play store as well as a host of other Android-supported apps.
Renault is going with a hybrid strategy of both hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and 100% battery electric vehicles.
A team of scientists at the University of Richmond, Virginia have taught rats how to drive tiny cars around a track, New Scientist reports — a bold step in the study of animal cognition.
The new funding leaves Motiv “debt-free with a strong balance sheet,” Matt O’Leary, chief executive of the Foster City, Calif., company, told Trucks.com.
Previously, Motiv had raised about $7 million in investment funding and $20 million in various electric truck development grants, mainly from California air quality regulators.
Winnebago and GMAG, a privately held investment firm, invested in Motiv’s initial financing efforts as well.