text:
For the past few years I’ve got into the habit of starting the new year with an article consolidating my thoughts on where we’re at with consumer digital technology; looking at the landscape, and at what the biggest players are doing—my focus is mostly on Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google, but it’s not exclusively on them. I want to tease out a few trends to help orient myself in my role for the year ahead. I try not to make predictions, but perhaps play out some possibilities.
There are two big declines at the core of this year’s trends, which I think set the tone for where consumer tech might head in 2019. They are the smartphone decline, and the Facebook decline.
The Smartphone Decline
The smartphone market is in recession. To be clear, hundreds of millions of new smartphones are still sold every year, but that number seems to have peaked (it’s 6% down from last year in the last reported financial quarter, according to IDC). There are many reasons for this, but the fundamental truth is that most of the ‘easy’ growth is gone; it’s harder to sell to new customers, and people who already own smartphones are upgrading less frequently.
Despite what Apple say in each of their annual new iPhone presentations, hardware has pretty much reached a plateau; there’s very little differentiation year-on-year, so people are hanging on to their phones for longer. Also, Chinese brands like Oppo, Huawei and Xiaomi are making mid-range phones with excellent technical specifications that are taking sales from flagship phones. It’s only the first week of 2019 and already Apple and Samsung have reported lower than expected sales.
There are a number of noticeable effects of this: firstly and most obviously, that brand-loyal fans are being charged more for new flagship smartphones; for example, the ‘budget’ iPhone XR is $50/£50 more expensive than last year’s iPhone 8, while the iPhone X and this year’s XS start at $999/£999. Secondly, phone makers are ramping up their service offerings; from storage subscriptions such as iCloud, Google One, and Samsung Cloud, to media stores such as iTunes, Apple Music, and YouTube Music, the companies want to make more money from their customers through software sales after the hardware purchase.
The third noticeable effect is that there’s a lot of experimentation with smartphone form and features as manufacturers look for ways to stand out from the competition. From sub-screen fingerprint scanners to in-screen speakers to foldable screens, there are many new innovations/gimmicks. But the current arena for competing to differentiate is the camera.
While some manufacturers compete on camera hardware—like Huawei’s Mate Pro with its three rear-facing Leica cameras—most are making a show of how good computational photography is becoming. It was notable that Apple spent a long chunk of its last iPhone presentation highlighting new computational camera features, and Google’s Pixel 3 was sold almost entirely on its photography software (and it’s probably the best single-lens smartphone camera available).
As well as improving photographs through features like Smart HDR and Night Sight, there are also early steps in making the camera a key input to the device, with services like Google Lens, Bixby Vision, and Pinterest Lens. Google’s camera recognises plants, fabrics, text, phone numbers and website addresses, and a claimed one billion products, four times more than at launch. More categories are set to be added in 2019 and I expect that Google will allow brands and services to add custom training to Lens to make their own products and promotional materials searchable and, eventually, shoppable.
Computational photography also drives the adoption of on-device neural engine chips, for the complex calculations required for image processing. Apple’s A12 Bionic, Google’s Visual Core and Huawei’s Kirin 980 are all examples of dedicated mobile chipsets for this task. These chips, with pre-trained on-device machine learning models, also enable other machine-learning powered functions and will be increasingly at the heart of future mobile and wearable devices.
The fourth effect of the smartphone plateau is that phone makers are diversifying their wearable hardware ranges. It’s interesting to note that at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) some phone manufacturers chose to display wearables directly alongside phones, not as a separate category. The first wave of wearables is on the wrist (such as Apple’s Watch and Google’s renewed support for WearOS), and in the ears—with headphones, earphones and earbuds featuring built-in support for smart assistants, such as Apple’s AirPods with Siri, Google’s Pixel Buds with Assistant.
These hearables (to use the neologism) are an interesting category. Last year chip-maker Qualcomm released a new system-on-a-chip (SoC) that’s specifically designed for wireless earbuds with third-party smart assistant integration, making it much easier for electronics manufacturers to make their own smart earphones. Later in the year they teamed up with Amazon to provide a ‘reference design’ for Alexa-enabled hearables, giving manufacturers further incentive to choose Amazon’s platform.
An emerging category to watch out for is glasses/headwear. Some head-mounted devices have already launched, such as Microsoft’s HoloLens, the Magic Leap One, North Focals, and Vuzix Blade. But there are still some fundamental issues to overcome before they hit the consumer mainstream: they need good battery life and high quality sensors, both without making the device too heavy to be comfortable; the cost needs to drop significantly; they need to look like something you’d be happy to wear in public (unlike Magic Leap or HoloLens One); and, crucially, there are issues with the lenses still to be worked out (more about this later in this article)
A couple of other emerging technologies will boost wearables in the future. eSIM puts SIM card functionality onto hardware chips, so devices can directly send and receive data over mobile networks. This opens the door to autonomous wearables that don’t require your phone as a data hub, such as Apple Watch 3 & 4 and a smattering of Wear OS devices. eSIM technology could also work for hearables, making them into independently-operating portable smart speakers. And the roll-out of 5G networks will make it possible to stream high-quality data to future smart glasses, providing the 3D assets that make rich augmented reality experiences possible.
Smarter wearables indicate a move away from the phone screen and towards an atomic computer, where actions are invoked from different devices as appropriate; for example, seeing messaging notifications on your wrist, or translating a phrase through your ear.
When the computer is fragmented across many different surfaces you’ll need a system to manage your memory, identity and history across them. And for surfaces where there’s no screen available, like earphones, the primary access to internet services will be through voice commands. The solution to both of these is the smart assistant.
One of the biggest contests in consumer tech in 2018 was between Amazon and Google. More specifically, the contest is to make their respective smart assistants, Alexa and Google Assistant, dominate as a new commerce platform; and the first piece of the prize is your home.
An estimated 23%–32% of US households (and some 18% in the UK) now own a smart speaker; Alexa powers most of them, with Google Assistant in second place. While Google may have sold fewer devices in the home market, they still have greater reach because Assistant is also available on most new Android phones (outside China)—while Amazon are obviously delighted with 100 million Alexa-powered devices sold, Google say that by the end of this month Assistant will be available on one billion devices (although it must be pointed out that one billion devices doesn’t equal one billion active users).
In the home Amazon have more at stake, because unlike Google’s Android they don’t have a platform of their own, which Alexa provides them with. Creating this market is so important to Amazon that they have a reported 10,000 staff working on Alexa.
Sometimes markets need to be made, not simply seized.Ben Thompson
Google’s mission it to prevent Amazon from running away with the market, because a consequence of Alexa becoming the primary interface in your home is that it then extends Alexa’s usefulness into your phone, and anything that prevents Google from being your first port of call for finding things out is an existential threat to that company. (This is a similar threat to the launch of the iPhone and Apple’s control over the nascent mobile web—to which Google’s response was Android.)
Just four years after Amazon announced the first Echo as a standalone home device, an increasing number of household objects have become controllable by, or enhanced by, smart speakers. Bret Kinsella of Voicebot describes this as the second phase of voice assistants:
Voice is quickly becoming an expectation. For several product categories it is now a minimum market requirementBret Kinsella
Using Bluetooth and WiFi, smart speakers are able to directly control new devices in your home even if they’re not ‘smart’ devices. Google’s freshly-announced Assistant Connect program is for exactly this purpose, while Amazon are a step ahead with their preview late last year of their Alexa-enhanced microwave oven and wall clock, which gain extra powers when connected to an Echo speaker by Bluetooth.
Not every device incorporates a microphone and voice-processing functions: greater support for programming interfaces and the ability to relay commands from speech-activated devices such as smart speakers brings voice control to otherwise “deaf” products.CCS Insights
The problem with voice-only devices—especially smart speakers—is that, while they’re great for giving simple answers, for controlling media playback, or for certain heavily-prescribed functions such as setting alarms and timers, a lot of their capability is hidden. A usability study by the Nielsen Norman Group found users were very unaware of what their smart assistants could do for them.
Considering that 62% of the needs could be fully or partially solved by today’s intelligent assistants, users employed their current assistants only in one of the 9 times when they could have used them with some success.Raluca Budiu
This continues to be a problem for Amazon and Google as they want to get more brands onto their platforms in order to make those platforms more valuable—but there’s still no way for users to find out about new branded applications without some other form of promotion (both Alexa and Assistant have catalogues of third-party actions and regular emails telling about new features). I talked about this in a little more detail in my previous article, Thinking Out Loud: Understanding Voice UI, and How To Build for It.
One approach to solving this discoverability problem is with intent-based discovery; rather than the user having to know how to say “Hey Google, talk to Nike Coach”, they might ask “Hey Google, how can I start running?”, to which Assistant might suggest Nike Coach as an option. This means third-party assistant applications, especially from brands, should very clearly be designed to meet a user’s intent; and, further, to meet the very different contexts of (for example) using an assistant on a speaker in your home, and using an assistant in your ear while out of home.
Another potential solution lies in the move to add screens to voice devices, whether through smart home hubs (Amazon Echo Show, Google Home Hub), the TV (Amazon FireTV Stick with Alexa, Google Home + Chromecast), phones, tablets, and laptops, or by turning those phones and tablets into smart home hubs using docking stands (Amazon’s Fire HD Show Mode Dock, Google’s Pixel Stand). A smart assistant with a screen makes it easier to present more options to a user wanting to find third-party applications, and opens up the possibility of suggesting more branded applications ambiently.
While Amazon and Google dominate the smart speaker market, that’s not the end of the story. Apple’s HomePod is unlikely to take much market share (although will make them lots of money), but Siri is doing very well on phones, home media (Apple TV), and AirPods and Beats earphones. It was also notable to see many new devices at CES come with support for Apple’s Airplay 2 protocol.
As I’ve said frequently throughout 2018: Amazon’s end goal isn’t an Echo in every home, it’s Alexa in every thing. And the same goes for Google with Assistant, Apple with Siri, and every other player in the market. The ultimate prize to be won by any company is to have their smart assistant be the meta-operating-system across all the surfaces of your interactions with the internet—from your home to your car to the wearable tech on your body. Ecosystem lock-in will be much stronger when an assistant is integrated into everything you own. I covered this in more detail in a previous article, Why Is Every Company Making a Digital Assistant?.
As for other players, Samsung’s Bixby hasn’t made much of an impact this year but a recently-released Bixby 2.0 is apparently much-improved and Samsung have already declared their intention to make their 500m annual home appliances Bixby-compatible by 2020. Chinese makers Alibaba, Baidu and Xiaomi are impacting on the global market, and could launch their smart speakers and assistants outside of Asia soon.
Microsoft’s Cortana is… well, I’ve no idea what their strategy is as their partnership with Amazon puts Alexa on Xbox and Windows and so Cortana doesn’t seem to have much of a role anymore. Finally there’s Facebook, who launched their video-calling device / smart speaker, Portal, late in 2018; I’ve no idea how sales have gone but they’re going to have an uphill struggle after their very bad year.
The Facebook Decline
Facebook was rarely out of the news in 2018 for a series of scandals, from privacy to fake news to bias to being an “enabling environment” for the genocide of Rohingya in Myanmar. They have a further, perhaps existential, problem as can be seen from two charts: the first shows how growth of time spent on Facebook’s feed is in a slight decline, as digital video consumption increases.
The second shows how, while globally Facebook’s growth remains strong, it’s less impressive when considering users in Europe and North America—the most valuable users in terms of monetisation.
Together these charts indicate that Facebook’s not acquiring new high-value users—as with smartphones, the ‘easy’ growth, which saw it bloom to over two billion users in around ten years, is over—and the users they have are spending less time engaging with the news feed (which is, more precisely, where the decline is happening, not in the company as a whole). A decline in attention to the news feed means a decline in advertising revenue.
A lot of the public, permanent sharing on the news feed is moving instead to private, ephemeral sharing through messaging and Stories. The good news for Facebook is that they’re well-placed to benefit from that shift with their own Messenger and their acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp.
This is the future. People want to share in ways that don’t stick around permanently, and I want to be sure that we fully embrace this.Mark Zuckerberg
The Stories format is the great breakout hit of the latter days of the smartphone age. From its beginning in Snapchat it was—ahem—adopted by Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger and usage on those platforms now eclipses those of Snapchat. Subsequently we’ve seen the format taken up (with varying degrees of success) by a great number of other apps—most notably, Chinese behemoth WeChat’s latest major update was entirely Stories-focused (albeit called Time Capsules), and Google are getting behind the web-based AMP Stories format in search results pages.
Messaging in general, after the bot gold rush a couple of years ago, seems to be coalescing around customer support. There should be an opportunity there for brands to turn customer support into further engagement, especially post-sales—starting from utility rather than campaign (which should always have been the approach).
A second wave of messaging applications could come through WhatsApp’s Business API, Google’s local business messaging, and the Google-backed Rich Communication Service (RCS)—although the success of RCS relies on every mobile network carrier getting on board, and Apple supporting the protocol in iMessage, which currently seems unlikely.
But both Stories and messaging are harder to monetise than the news feed, and the question is whether these properties can increase monetisation without alienating users. Facebook are trying to diversify their revenue streams with tools for small businesses (especially fashion) to become more shoppable on Instagram, while the WhatsApp Business API aims to charge businesses for access to customers, as they try to reduce their dependency on advertising.
The Advertising Shitshow
The ad tech ecosystem needs to be burned to the ground. Until that happens everything that’s wrong with the internet will continue to just get worse, because ad tech creates the incentive to make it worse.Aram Zucker-Scharff
Billions of pounds are being spent on digital advertising, and billions are being wasted. Ad companies themselves are doing very well, but publishing businesses that rely on ads for revenue are struggling. One of NiemanLabs predictions for journalism in 2019 is “goodbye attention economy”. I really hope so.
The attention economy is toxic. It’s responsible for garbage content, fake news, and the excessive power of the giant social-media platforms. Competing for money forces media to think about how to give their users long-term value instead of short-term gratificationGideon Lichfield
The consumer backlash isn’t against advertising per se—just that ads are too prolific, annoying, irrelevant, intrusive, and cumbrous. Annoying overlays, autoplaying video, Bitcoin scams… little wonder that a survey early last year found that over 40% of users said that they’d used an ad blocker in the past month.
Ad-frustration, whether from annoyance with ads or a feeling that they’re excessive, is the most popular motivation to block ads in all age groups.GlobalWebIndex report
People hate digital advertising, and digital advertising hates people. I don’t know what’s going to happen in this field in 2019, but it feels like its reaching crisis point.
I worry about the long-term relevance of the web because browsing, especially on phones, involves running a gauntlet of popups and overlays and buttons for granting or refusing permission to be tracked. It’s a combination of the advertising shitshow and some well-intentioned but misguided GDPR and cookie regulations from the EU, and it’s a terrible experience and potentially counterproductive to preserving privacy.
Websites throw up pop-ups and overlays that no one reads, or ban entire continents, not because their users care but because a regulator said so.Ben Thompson
Unlike many of my peers, I hope the AMP project is successful, because it imposes strict rules about page loading speed and advertising which essentially benefit users. I fully understand concerns about being a ‘land grab’ for the web from Google, but its new governance model, including independent advisory and leadership boards, hopefully indicate that this should no longer be a concern.
XR: the Post-mobile Platform
XR is a spectrum of the interaction between our senses and the digital world. At one of the spectrum is cold, hard, reality; at the other, our senses are fully captured by a digital layer—this is virtual reality (VR). In between we have augmented reality (AR), where a digital layer is overlaid on (our sense of) the physical world but without any awareness of its space; and mixed reality (MR), where the digital layer interacts with the physical space of reality. XR is generally understood as an acronym for eXtended Reality, or sometimes the X is understood to be a variable, like the 𝑥 in algebra; as a placeholder for ‘your reality here’. The XR spectrum is sometimes called the immersive spectrum.
I still don’t believe that VR is going to break into the home consumer mainstream. It has a small but dedicated market in gaming, in business applications, and perhaps experiential destinations (although IMAX closing their VR centres isn’t a good sign), but it’s just too isolating to be used regularly—at least with current hardware devices.
The virtual reality market is fundamentally constrained by its very nature: because it is about the temporary exit from real life, not the addition to it, there simply isn’t nearly as much room for virtual reality as there is for any number of other tech products.Ben Thompson
I think VR might stand a chance on notional future hardware which is capable of displaying the full XR spectrum, from lightly-enhanced AR to full VR, where VR is simply a mode that’s toggled on and off without requiring dedicated specialist hardware.
I believe that XR is going to be the post-mobile platform (or, at least, a post-mobile platform), but there’s no existing hardware solution that’s sufficient to take us there yet. Smartphone-based AR is great for augmented selfies, as enhanced ‘mirrors’ (especially for cosmetics brands), for AR stickers in messages, and perhaps for sharing (passing the phone to a friend) to, for example, show a friend an object such as furniture; but it’s not comfortable or convenient enough for extended use, which eliminates a lot of potential use cases.
XR will really hit its stride when someone makes a breakthrough head-mounted device—probably glasses. I mentioned earlier some of the issues that still need to be worked out, including sensors, battery life, and appearance. But many of these are already being worked out through phones and wearables, and I don’t see them as insurmountable—a new headset by startup Nreal looks to have made some promising steps forward this year already, especially in appearance.
The biggest blocking problem right now is the lens. Some early AR headsets, such as those from North and Vusix, use a heads-up-display; information projected onto the lens, in a similar way that Google Glass did a few years ago. What you see is a flat image overlaid on your vision, like a smart watch screen being dangled in front of your eyes. It adds information to your vision, but there’s no sense of it interacting with the physical world. This interaction, or mixed reality, requires the illusion of dimensionality which is provided by sensors building a picture of the world around you and feeding it to a visual display. There are currently two approaches to this display.
With video see-through (VST) lenses, a camera records what’s in front of you and passes that to LED screens, so your eyes are seeing a captured vision of the world, then adds digital information to the signal; you’re never seeing the world directly, only a mediated image. VST lenses have issues of social awareness, as they block your eyes from people looking at you, and of focus as everything is on a flat plane a few centimetres from your pupils, which will tire your eyes.
With optical see-through (OST) lenses, light containing digital information is projected onto darkened glass lens while you look through it, so digital objects appear to render directly in the scene. The major drawback with OST is that it can only add light to a scene and not subtract it, meaning they don’t work well in bright light. The mixed reality headsets HoloLens and Magic Leap currently use OST, but it will be interesting to see if that’s where the market eventually lands.
Regardless of the technology approach, I believe that XR offers new opportunities in visual user interfaces; it could free computing from the confines of a 15cm rectangular screen, and could be the dominant platform of the next ten years—if the problems can be overcome. I don’t foresee the breakthrough device coming this year, but I hope to be proved wrong.
One interesting cultural trend to watch will be the development of digital identity in XR. Apple’s animated Emoji, Snapchat’s Bitmoji, Samsung’s AR Emoji, even (to a degree) Google’s Gboard Minis, are all developing our online visual identities from static avatars to animated characters based on our physical attributes. Machine learning can create a model of our speech patterns, as in Gmail’s Smart Compose and Smart Replies. Extrapolating from this, we could have digital selves that create entirely virtual identities to augment our actual selves. I don’t know where this is going yet, but it’s interesting.
2019 vs 2018
Looking back at last year’s equivalent trends piece, I’m struck by the similarities to this year’s. For all that it sometimes feels like we’re moving at a whirlwind pace, technological progress is mostly quite stable, with true breakthroughs like the smartphone happening more rarely than we might think. Rather than constant revolutions, we have more of a punctuated equilibrium model; occasional bursts of rapid transformation followed by periods of relative stability.
Featured image: Softwear by Kiki van Eijk.
Also published on Medium.


text:
Consumer spending softens in December despite Q4 growth
Consumer spending rose 4% in December, dropping below the Q4 average of 4.8%, suggesting shoppers have started to rein in spending amid concerns over the wider economic picture moving into 2017.
Consumer spending softens in December despite Q4 growth hitting a four-year high
Consumer spending rose 4.0 per cent in December, suggesting shoppers have started to rein in spending amid concerns over the wider economic picture moving into 2017.
Retailers set for a subdued Christmas sales period as fewer consumers plan to bag a bargain
The traditional Boxing Day sales may be on the wane in 2016, as more retailers slash prices on Black Friday and in to early December.
Economic and political uncertainty results in a year of two halves for consumer spending
Consumer spending shifted in response to the changing economic and political environment, resulting in a year of two halves.
Contactless spending increases 166 per cent in 2016
Our contactless Spending Index shows that ‘touch and go’ payments have rocketed in the last 12 months, with year-on-year spending up 166 per cent*.
Pay @ Pump: Barclaycard launches world’s first contactless beer pump
The world’s first contactless, self-serve beer pump, “Pay @ Pump” helps bars and pub reduce queuing time for customers buying drinks during busy periods like Christmas.
Technology becomes the stocking filler of choice for many Brits this Christmas
Expensive technology is contributing to a rise in the value of the average Christmas stocking easing out traditional satsumas as the go-to stocking fillers.
Stressed shoppers urge retailers to help ease festive frustrations
Stressed shoppers are appealing to retailers to urgently enhance the shopping experience in the busy festive period or risk losing out on sales both now and in the future.
Record spending on essential items drives 5.1 per cent increase in consumer spending
Consumer spending grew 5.1 per cent in November as consumers spent more on the forecourt and in supermarkets than the same month last year.
High-street struggles to meet demand of time-poor and tech-savvy shoppers
Frustrated consumers are turning their backs on the high street. As a result, retailers are facing growing pressure to improve their in-store experience, or risk losing out on sales.

domain: news


text:
Marchon and Converse Sign Exclusive Global Licensing Agreement
Marchon Eyewear and Converse Inc., the iconic American footwear and apparel brand, announced that they have entered into an exclusive, long-term global licensing agreement.
New sun and optical collections designed under this new partnership will roll out globally beginning January 2021. Taking cues from the brand’s legendary footwear, most notably the Chuck Taylor All Star and Pro Leather, eyewear styles will feature recognizable motifs and design elements such as the “All Star” patch and “Star Chevron” logo.
The eyewear assortment addresses adults and teens with 16 sunglasses and 43 optical styles at compelling price points. The brand targets all genders and ages 12 – 35.
“Marchon is thrilled to partner with Converse, an iconic brand that has a longstanding position in the footwear and apparel industry,” said Nicola Zotta, President and CEO of Marchon Eyewear. “We look forward to designing unique eyewear collections which will embody Converse’s style and authenticity, while also being a part of the brand’s growth and continued legacy.”
“We are excited to announce our partnership with Marchon Eyewear,” said Jon Tappan, VP/GM of Apparel & Accessories for Converse. “As we work to strengthen the Converse accessories business, we know that Marchon’s expertise in the eyewear space will complement and enhance our efforts to create products that serve the needs of our consumer, while enabling their individual style.”
The new eyewear line will be sold globally in select sun and optical retailers, as well as online at eyeconic.com.
Click HERE for the full press release.


text:
POCATELLO — Three partners have opened a new Great Wall Express restaurant in Pocatello.
Bo Dong, Cindy Dong and Monique Kuo of Pocatello are partners in the new Chinese restaurant venture at 408 S. Fourth Ave. in Pocatello.
The Chinese food restaurant is right across the road from the always busy Albertsons in south Pocatello, according to Kuo, who is a niece of Bo Dong’s. So they like the new location and it’s handy for customers.
“It’s more convenient for the neighbors and students,” Kuo said.
The new site opened on June 18 after the three entrepreneurs took about three months to remodel the building to how they wanted it.
She says the new location — there’s already an existing Great Wall Express near Costco — is serving the demand for Chinese dishes in a new site.
Further, the new location is also not too far from Idaho State University, Century High School and Pocatello High School, according to Kuo, who’s lived in the community for over 20 years.
Kuo says she and Bo Dong, 60, and his daughter Cindy Dong, who have lived in Pocatello for years, agree that there is an untapped market for their recipes in the new location.
And Kuo believes it won’t be long until sales further pick up as area schools reopen for students.
And she adds that customers coming into the restaurant have been very nice and friendly.
Some have even come in from the Great Wall Express near Costco.
Overall the new restaurant has already received a steady stream of customers before ISU has even opened, and they have strong hopes for yet more business as returning students become more aware that there’s another Great Wall Express restaurant even closer to the university.
Those customers seem likely to find their way to the chicken and pork dish, which so far has been one of their most popular menu items, according to Kuo.
Plus, the restaurant offers both take-out foods and sit-down meals.
But Kuo says so far that the take-out orders are what’s most commonly used by customers of the new eatery.
Just having the new location where it is also offers improved convenience for area neighborhood residents in that respect.
Though this location is new and in a different area than the one at Costco, there are similar menus in both places, Kuo said.
In fact, Kuo also helps out at the Great Wall Express location near Costco — which has been open for over 10 years — when she’s not busy helping customers at the new location.
Overall there’s a great variety of dishes on the menu for the new location, she says.
This includes curry chicken with potato, beef broccoli, pineapple pork, General Tso’s chicken, teriyaki chicken, kung pao chicken, cheese crab, sesame chicken, barbecued pork, sweet and sour chicken, mushroom chicken, black pepper ribs, orange chicken and walnut shrimp.
Brent McLane of Shelley, who ate at the Great Wall Express across from Albertsons for the first time on Monday, said the helpings were generous and he enjoyed the black pepper pork rib that he ordered. He says he will come back.
A combination with any one item for an individual is $7.49, and any two items costs $8.49 and any three items cost $9.49.
And that includes a choice of steamed rice, fried rice or lo mein and a free drink or soup.
Several other menu dishes are also available at the new restaurant.
The phone number for the business is 208-380-8299.
The restaurant is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.


text:
The maker of Kleenex tissues has given in to pressure from some customers who complained that one of its most popular products had a “sexist” name.
CBS News received a statement from Kimberly-Clark regarding the “Mansize” tissue box, available only in the United Kingdom.
The brand has been available in the region for about 60 years, dating back to a rise in popularity of large cotton handkerchiefs commonly used by men of the era.
In today’s culture, however, many critics denounced the label as exclusionary.
“Thanks to recent feedback we are now rebranding our Mansize tissues to Kleenex Extra Large,” Kimberly-Clark said in its statement.
The company further cited a “consistent increase of complaints on gender concern” as a motivating factor for the change.
According to a statement this week to The U.K. Daily Telegraph, Kimberly-Clark said that it “in no way suggests that being both soft and strong is an exclusively masculine trait” and does not believe that its longstanding brand “suggests or endorses gender inequality.”
It described the Mansize boxes as among its most popular Kleenex products, “with 3.4 million people buying these tissues every year.”
“Nevertheless, as we remain committed to developing the best possible products for our consumers and take any feedback extremely seriously, we decided to renovate our current product and update the product subbrand as Kleenex Extra Large,” the company said.
The shift had started to take place before Kimberly-Clark announced it publicly.
“Consumers may see the new name on our larger boxes in store already,” the company told CBS News.
A corporate Twitter account for Kleenex in the U.K. posted several public replies to social media users who had griped about the branding.
Thank you for sharing your concern. We recently made changes to our Mansize branding and will now be labeled Extra Large, keep an eye out in shops. If you would like more information please fill up our form https://t.co/mA83NBCWDX or call our consumer service 0800 626 008.
— Kleenex_UK (@UK_Kleenex) October 12, 2018
“Thank you for sharing your concern,” the company wrote. “We recently made changes to our Mansize branding and will now be labeled Extra Large, keep an eye out in shops.”
Feminist groups praised the decision.
“Kleenex’s re-branding matters because throughout marketing and advertising, we use lazy gender stereotypes to sell products and convey messages which reinforce those stereotypes,” Sam Smethers, chief executive of the U.K.’s Fawcett Society, told Sky News. “For example, strength for men and weakness for women, or we find women’s bodies used and objectified.
“I use ‘man-sized’ tissues all the time — it just means I have a bad cold!”
Critics, however, saw it as a ridiculous sign of the times.
“How did we ever become this sensitive,” one person said on Twitter. “I shouldn’t laugh – but it’s hard not to.”
Another wondered how people “actually have the time to be ‘offended’ by such ridiculous things.”
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.


text:
Comcast is getting close to the official debut of its voice-activated remote control, the XR11, and is already making it available to customers for early trials.
Timed to the release of a PricewaterhouseCoopers survey revealing that telecom customers are among the most receptive to customer service delivered over digital channels, Comcast says it will triple its social media-based customer service team.
A federal judge in Alabama refused to dismiss the personal lawsuit of a woman who claims Cable One worked with advanced advertising company NebuAd to improperly monitor her Internet use back in 2007.
Attempting to mimic the advanced advertising success it's had on the Internet, Google Fiber will begin to offer targeted local TV ads in Kansas City, Kan., and Kansas City, Mo.
Dish Network has expanded its relationship with multiscreen technology vendor Nagra to include dynamic ad insertion into TV Everywhere services.
Canoe, the cable-industry joint venture specializing in dynamic ad insertion (DAI) into video-on-demand, says its reach has expanded into 130 demographic marketing areas (DMAs) across the U.S., and 48 of the top 50 DMAs.
Comcast is in negotiations to acquire TV ad tech company Visible World, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed individuals familiar with the talks.
After blaming slowing TV ad sales in each previous quarter of 2014 on everything from government shutdown fears to Winter Olympics disruption to cold weather, media analyst Michael Nathanson says "excuses are running out" for the worst ad sales quarter since the great recession.
After announcing a 10-year agreement in early September to take over NASCAR's "triple A" racing circuit, the newly christened Xfinity Series, Comcast is rolling out new NASCAR-themed features for its X1 video platform.
Becoming the latest programmer to try to package its inventory for advertisers with greater insights as to what kind of viewers are watching it, A+E Networks has become the first to deploy Rovi's data-driven, targeted advertising platform, Ad Optimizer.


text:
At least 221,558 sedans in the U.S. and other countries are being recalled by General Motors (GM) to fix a braking problem that may result in fire, USA Today reported on September 20.
According to reports, the recall affects several models of GM Cadillac and Impala sedans with a faulty electronic parking brake arm. The parking break may not fully retract, causing high temperatures when the partially engaged break pad grazes the rotor. Incidents of injuries or fire have not yet been reported to GM. Owners are advised to take their vehicles to local dealerships so they can be repaired.
Injuries caused by manufacturing errors or design flaws can be devastating, and people often suffer great financial loss. Negligent automakers may be held liable, and you may possibly get remunerations to recover your loss. Find out how the Madison lawyers of Habush Habush & Rottier S.C. may represent you today by calling 800-242-2874.


text:
Shoppers feel that they get a better retail experience online than in-store—including better service, more perks and rewards, and the ability to make smarter purchasing decisions, according to new findings from WSL. This data was derived from the Company’s recently conducted Digital Shopper Focus Group which gathered 11 frequent shoppers of both online retail sites and brick-and-mortar stores for a conversation about how ten-plus years of online shopping has changed consumer expectations in-store.
“Shoppers have learned how to find what they want quickly online, searching by category, brand, and style, while accessing product information, comparing features, checking prices, finding coupons, and getting help on the spot,” said Wendy Liebmann, CEO of WSL. “By comparison, traditional retail experiences are no longer good enough. Retailers now have an opportunity, and a challenge, to create a brick-and-mortar environment that cannot be duplicated online.”
Candace Corlett, president, continued, “This holiday season, savvy shoppers will be leveraging every channel they can in order to find the best gifts and the best value. With 60% of consumers now shopping online, this season will be a fitness test for retailers – those who are able to provide the best selection, service, information and rewards, as well as best price, in every channel, will win.”
“The ability to create a meaningful in-store experience, especially at holiday, is a key factor that gives brick-and-mortar stores an edge over the internet,” added Corlett. “Creating a retail environment that reflects the magic of the season, in a big way, not just a burst of cheer at the store entrance, gets shoppers in the holiday spirit, a feeling they just can’t get online.”


text:
Ferrari caused a stir in 2013 by revealing the LaFerrari, its new supercar, the successor to the classic Enzo. She fell in love the public and even with the hefty price tag of $ 1.4 million, the 499 units were sold within months.
The Honda Insight will no longer produce because of low sales. The brand had already informed its dealer network in November the model was discontinued in February, advising them not to accept any more requests.
JAC Motors revealed on Tuesday (11) the arrival of the van T8 to the Brazilian market. Aiming to be the pioneer in the segment, the model will be sold for R $ 114,990 and bet on the large internal space for up to seven occupants.


text:
"The Chinese side has come with great sincerity and is willing to make serious exchanges with the USA on issues of common concern such as trade balance, market access and investor protection, and promote positive progress in the consultations", Liu said.
Chinese Vice Premier Liu He met with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Mnuchin on Friday.
"National security hawks in the US are determined to show that no trade agreement will stop the USA from confronting China on other issues in the relationship, including technology competition, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the South China Sea", they said in a report.
In the Oval Office, Chinese Vice Premier Liu He gave a positive yet more measured review of the agreement.
If the deal comes to fruition, it would provide a much-needed salve on the wounds of the USA agriculture sector, a key Trump constituency that has suffered as China has thrown counter-punches to Trump's tariffs.
Stocks are closing sharply higher Friday as the USA and China reached a partial deal on trade and said they would continue negotiating.
Extinction Rebellion protestors block BBC's headquarters
Other protestors glued themselves to the entrance of the Docklands Light Railway station serving the airport. More than 1,200 protesters, who have vowed to shut down London for 2 weeks, were arrested since Monday.
US President Donald Trump expressed optimism on Thursday after the first in two days of trade talks with a Chinese envoy. -China tensions and suspend Trump's plans to raise existing tariffs on Chinese goods and impose new ones.
"A final deal must address the full scope of structural issues identified in USTR's Section 301 report and include strong enforcement mechanisms", Grassley said.
'The two parties had an honest, highly efficient, and constructive discussion in economic and trade issues, under the important guidance from the presidents of both countries, ' it said.
Also looming on December 15 is a proposed 15 per cent tariff on $156 billion in Chinese goods, including smartphones and other consumer goods.
As a sign of goodwill, China has plans to increase its purchases of U.S. agricultural products, but the move falls far short of Trump's demands.
There's still a lot that's not clear about what has been agreed upon that has farm industry leaders and lawmakers wanting to know more.
Turnout at early on-campus polls significantly up from 2015
As part of the Vote on Campus initiative from Elections Canada that ran from October 5 to October 9, 111,300 electors took part. You can look up your local election day polling station and your advance polling location by entering your postal code here.
"Both sides have been losing, and so has the global economy", said Myron Brilliant, head of worldwide affairs at the US Chamber of Commerce.
In 2017, before the trade war started, China imported US$19.5 billion of USA farm output, falling to just over US$9 billion in 2018.
Also as part of the deal, Trump will look at the blacklist of Chinese companies to determine what companies "should be on the list", he said.
Trump did not provide details and said that the accord has yet to be put in writing. "While there remains significant work ahead to address numerous most important USA trade and investment priorities, we will continue to lend our full support".
"For businesses this will mean less damage, not greater certainty", Daco said in a research note.
"Finally, a ray of hope for the U.S".
Blizzard se positionne dans le conflit opposant la Chine à Hong Kong
L'un comme l'autre ont d'ailleurs préféré se cacher sous leur bureau afin de ne pas être associé avec la déclaration du joueur. Cela pourrait me causer beaucoup de problèmes, même ma sécurité personnelle, dans la vraie vie.
Beijing has been reluctant to make the kind of substantive policy reforms that would satisfy the administration.


text:
A man was arrested in Milwaukee on Friday after stealing an Amazon delivery truck and leading police on a chase that lasted for miles.
According to the Milwaukee police, the suspect demanded keys from the delivery driver near 65th and Lancaster.
The chase ended near the BP gas station on 27th and St Paul, where security camera footage shows the police surrounding the stolen truck.
The 32-year-old suspect was taken into custody.
Witnesses reported feeling shaken up by the incident, particularly in light of a previous incident in which a mail carrier was killed nearby.
Amazon stated that it is grateful that the delivery driver involved is safe and is cooperating with the investigation.


text:
Rochester Bans New Marijuana Retailers Until 2025
Councilmembers resumed a hearing regarding legal marijuana retailers that was tabled after a lengthy public hearing earlier this month. Elected leaders heard from residents urging them to rebuke the state law legalizing marijuana and from potential marijuana retailers cautioning council members against passing policy that would limit business opportunities regarding cannabis sales.
The City Council unanimously passed an ordinance that prohibits new marijuana retailers until 2025. The new ordinance struck a provision that implemented a cap of one marijuana retailer per 12,500 citizens.
Despite marijuana use and possession becoming legal in Minnesota next week, businesses won’t be able to sell it until they’ve been listened to do so by the state Office of Cannabis Management which is expected to be fully operational sometime next year.


text:
UPDATE: A United States Senator from New Hampshire, Maggie Hassan, has sent a letter to the ESRB asking them to reconsider their position about loot boxes in video games. Back in October, ESRB released a statement that they do not believe loot boxes and microtransactions are a form of gambling and stated that they do not have any plans to actually change any of their rating policy.
Senator Hassan sent a letter to ESRB today asking them to reconsider and analyze how loot boxes are placed and marketed for games and see if it’s ethical or not. She says, at minimum, ESRB should consider putting identifying markers on physical boxes to inform customers that games have randomized loot boxes.
Here’s the letter Senator Hassan sent to ESRB’s President today:
Entertainment Software Ratings Board
Dear Ms. Vance:
I write to today regarding an important gaming issue that was recently brought to my attention by a constituent.
The Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) has an important mission in both providing parents with the necessary information to make decisions about the suitability of games, and their content, for children, as well as ensuring that the industry is following responsible marketing practices.
The ESRB rating system is of great value to parents across the country, empowering parents to make informed decisions on behalf of their children. As technology advances, ESRB must work to keep pace with new gaming trends, including the in-game micro-transactions and predatory gaming tactics, particularly as they are deployed on minors.
The prevalence of in-game micro-transactions, often referred to as ‘loot boxes,’ raises several concerns surrounding the use of psychological principles and enticing mechanics that closely mirror those often found in casinos and games of chance. The potential for harm is real. Recently the World Health Organization classified “gaming disorder” as a unique condition in its recent draft revision of the 11th International Classification of Diseases. While there is robust debate over whether loot boxes should be considered gambling, the fact that they are both expensive habits and use similar psychological principles suggest loot boxes should be treated with extra scrutiny. At minimum, the rating system should denote when loot boxes are utilized in physical copies of electronic games.
To that end, I respectfully urge the ESRB to review the completeness of the board’s ratings process and policies as they relate to loot boxes, and to take into account the potential harm these types of micro-transactions may have on children. I also urge the board to examine whether the design and marketing approach to loot boxes in games geared toward children is being conducted in an ethical and transparent way that adequately protects the developing minds of young children from predatory practices.
Further, I urge the ESRB to consider working with the relevant stakeholders – including parents – to collect and publish data on how developers are using loot boxes, how widespread their use is, and how much money players spend on them.
Finally, I ask that you develop best practices for developers, such as ethical design, tools for parents to disable these mechanisms, or making them less essential to core gameplay.
During a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing, Senator Hassan asked four potential FTC nominees if they would consider investigating best practices for developers and loot boxes to prevent children from being addicted to them in video games. The four nominees said they would consider investigating if their nominee to the FTC was approved. She also stated that if ESRB fails to act, the FTC should do something about loot boxes in video games.
Hawaii lawmakers have been adamant on having loot boxes removed from major video games after the debacle of Star Wars Battlefront II. When the debacle started, Hawaii lawmaker called Star Wars Battlefront II “a Star Wars-themed online casino.”
Lawmakers have introduced a pair of new bills in both the state-House and state-Senate (House Bill 2686 and Senate Bill 3024) to ban the sales of video games with loot boxes to anyone under the age of 21. Currently, many of the games with randomized loot boxes are rated Teen or Mature. This ban would impose the games to be rated similarly, but not sold to anyone under 21.
The next set of bills introduced, House Bill 2727 and Senate Bill 3025, would require all game makers to prominently label boxes for games that have randomized loot boxes and show the probability rates of receiving items in loot boxes.
These bills have not been adopted into state law yet, but if done, would set a precedent in how game makers can use loot boxes. There would have to be separate packaging of games for all titles with randomized loot boxes sold in Hawaii if the laws are implemented.
“I grew up playing games my whole life,” said state Rep. Chris Lee of Oahu, who spearheaded the bills. “I’ve watched firsthand the evolution of the industry from one that seeks to create new things to one that’s begun to exploit people, especially children, to maximize profit.”
Rep. Lee stated that he’s been communicating with legislators in other states about possibly implementing such laws in their states, but no bills have been proposed in any other state in America as of now.
SOURCE: Hawaii Herald
CoD publisher Activision Blizzard announce all US QA Testers will become full-time employees
Following backlash and developers walkouts, Activision Blizzard have announced that all US QA staff will become full-time employees.
Activision Blizzard were set to lay off members of Warzone developer Raven Software’s Quality Assurance team, and developers walked out in protest. Now, Activision Blizzard have confirmed that all US QA Testers across the whole company will become full-time employees with better pay and full benefits.
Back in December 2021, Warzone developers Raven Software received news from Activision Blizzard that there would be significant layoffs, particularly in the Quality Assurance department. This surprise announcement received severe backlash, and the QA Testers staged a walkout in protest, days before Warzone’s major Pacific update.
After months of protests and unionizing, Activision Blizzard informed its staff on April 7, 2022, that all of its 1,100 QA testers will receive a full-time contract, an hourly wage increase, and access to full benefits.
An Activision Blizzard spokesperson announced that they will convert “all US-based temporary and contingent QA team members at Activision Publishing (AP) and Blizzard – nearly 1,100 people in total – to permanent full-time employees starting July 1.”
“Additionally, we are increasing the minimum hourly rate for these team members to $20/hr or more effective April 17,” they continued. “These employees also will be eligible to participate in the company’s bonus plan and will have access to full company benefits.”
They explained that this decision follows the process of “converting temporary and contingent employees, including 500 at AP’s studios, to permanent full-time employees,” which began last year.
In an internal email, Activision Chief Operating Officer Josh Taub explained how their business model has changed to an “always on,” approach, which means they are “further refining how our development teams work together.”
“QA is, and continues to be, critical to our development success. We have amazing QA teams in place that work hard to ensure our players have the best possible gaming experiences – thank you!” he said.
Mike Ybarra, Head of Blizzard, relayed the same message to all of Blizzard’s staff, explaining the remaining US-based QA Testers will be made full-time employees, receive the pay rise, and gain access to increased benefits.
Image Credit: Activision Blizzard
Activision’s Beenox studio expands to Montreal as Warzone Mobile development ramps up
Activision’s Beenox studio is opening a new location in Montreal as they continue to support the development of Call of Duty titles.
Beenox studio have aided in the development of Call of Duty mobile projects as well as Warzone content. On March 29, the company announced plans to open a new location in Montreal.
Beenox studio have supported the content releases for several seasons of Call of Duty Warzone in addition to developing new CoD Mobile experiences. It seems they will also be working on Warzone Mobile and as this significant project continues to move forward, Beenox will be supporting from their new office in Montreal, Canada.
Beenox currently operates out of Quebec City, but this expansion to Montreal is the next step in the studio’s continued growth. At this time, Beenox employs over 400 game development professionals and will likely look to add more as their expansion proceeds.
Beenox was established in 2000 and has since been operating out of Quebec City. The company is owned by Activision and as such the two forces collaborate on exciting new Call of Duty projects.
The addition of a Montreal office will be a smooth one for Beenox as they already employ around 50 team members from the city. However, if you have hopes of joining their impressive team of game developers, Beenox have confirmed that they are looking to hire new members as well:
“The team is currently hiring for roles in programming, design and art departments, as well as for the mobile team.” Luckily, candidates aren’t restricted to Montreal inhabitants, “We want our location to attract local and international talent and contribute to the vibrant video game industry in Montreal” said Nour Polloni, Studio Head at Beenox.
Montreal seems like a perfect fit for the studio as the city is known for housing renowned gaming industry giants like Ubisoft, Square Enix, and Bethesda Montreal. Beenox will fit right in with the vibrant game development community in Montreal.
Although the blog post announcing the expansion, does not specifically mention Warzone Mobile, it’s likely that a major focus will shift toward the development of the upcoming game.
Despite being announced on March 10, Warzone Mobile is still very much shrouded in mystery but fans of the franchise are certainly hoping for a late 2022 release date.
For more Call of Duty news, check out how Warzone Mobile leaks hint at a Verdansk return with a twist.
Image Credit: Activision / Beenox
Will Call of Duty stay on PlayStation after Microsoft’s Activision buyout?
PlayStation fans may have some questions regarding the new Xbox acquisition, including whether Call of Duty will be on the platform.
After the huge news about Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision, PlayStation players are wondering what will happen with future Call of Duty releases.
Since the news broke about Microsoft’s purchase of Activision, the gaming community has gone crazy worldwide. The deal is arguably the biggest acquisition in gaming history and was even worth more than Disney’s purchase of the Star Wars franchise (Lucasfilm).
The deal has a lot of question marks surrounding it at the moment, but for those PlayStation users who are confused as to what it means for Call of Duty on the platform, here’s all the information you need.
The deal involves games under Activision and Activision Blizzard, which subsequently means Xbox will own Call of Duty.
This took the community by surprise when it was announced and naturally, a lot of people had questions.
For example, Call of Duty have had a close relationship with PlayStation for some years now, giving them exclusive/early access to content, so what will happen after the deal goes through?
Will Call of Duty still be on PlayStation?
Xbox’s Phil Spencer, the CEO of Microsoft gaming, confirmed in a statement over on Twitter that Call of Duty will remain on PlayStation following the acquisition. Further, the Xbox CEO also confirmed that they would honor all existing agreements that Sony has with Call of Duty.
On February 9 a Microsoft blog post reaffirmed their commitment to providing PlayStation owners with new Call of Duty titles in the years to come. Microsoft confirmed that they have no intention to undermine opportunities for PlayStation users with Xbox exclusive CoD titles.
Microsoft stated that they will continue to develop Call of Duty games for all platforms beyond the existing agreements in place, “we have committed to Sony that we will also make them available on PlayStation beyond the existing agreement and into the future so that Sony fans can continue to enjoy the games they love.”
For now, the companies will remain independent from each other until 2023.
This means that Call of Duty 2022 will likely retain a lot of the PlayStation exclusivity deals that have been around and PS players won’t have to worry about losing content to Xbox, at least not until these commitments and deals expire.
Once the deal closes and the commitment to existing contracts and agreements like PlayStation’s exclusive Call of Duty content expires, it’s unclear what will happen in terms of exclusive content. However, it is clear that Call of Duty will still be released on PlayStation.
According to Tom Warren, Xbox’s dealings with Bethesda when they purchased the company could be telling of what they will do with Activision. We will likely know much more about exclusivity for other games once the deal has closed, but we could be seeing a lot of Activision games going exclusive.
It wouldn’t have been wise for Microsoft to pull Call of Duty games from PlayStation, as the franchise remains the best-selling game on PlayStation platforms in the U.S. and has been for years, with Vanguard recently topping the charts for 2021.
What can be said, however, is that exclusivity deals may shift from PlayStation to Xbox after the deal is closed. Call of Duty games may even be seen on the Xbox Game Pass on release, but this is all still just speculation.
So, there you have it, Call of Duty will remain on PlayStation platforms but the exclusive content may shift over to Xbox and PC. For more, check out every Warzone weapon ranked.
Image Credits: PlayStation / Xbox / Microsoft / Activision / Retail Tracking Service / The NDP Group
All Rebirth Island updates in Warzone Pacific Season 3 Reloaded
Here are all the changes to the Rebirth Island map included in the Warzone Pacific Season 3 Reloaded update patch.
CoD fans reveal weapons they want to see in Modern Warfare 2
Modern Warfare 2 has been officially announced and players are sharing which weapons they'd like to see upon the game's...
Warzone Underground Transit System explained: All mine cart locations
The Underground Transit System has made its way to Warzone Season 3 Reloaded, and here's where you can find all...


text:
Most banks have accommodating policies for credit card theft. However, it can still be kind of a pain to cancel your card and all of its automatic payments. NerdWallet writer Virginia McGuire has a solution: designate a specific card for automatic bill pay.
After her credit card was stolen, McGuire went through the hassle of resetting her bill payment info. We’ve all been there, and she explains her solution:
Most of us have more than one credit card anyway. If you already have multiple accounts, it’s the easiest thing in the world to designate one credit card exclusively for automated bill payments.
I now keep that credit card at home — well-hidden and protected by a burglar alarm — and carry a different credit card for daily spending. That way, if my wallet takes a walk without me a third time, I won’t have to change the payment information on my Netflix account yet again.
Yes, that credit card info can still be compromised (maybe one of the providers gets hacked), but her method still minimizes the overall risk. It’s a smart idea, and an easy enough one to implement. For more detail, head to her full post below.
Photo by Chris Potter.


text:
Services for investors
“Johnson Matthey” chose Macedonia as a destination for its European mega-factory for autocatalysts in competition with 13 countries, including the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia. The Johnson Matthey factory in the Technological-Industrial Development Zone Skopje 1 is the largest investment project, and also the most sophisticated and advanced Johnson Matthey factory in the world and is considered the largest exporter from Macedonia. The investment is € 80 million, and the initial number of employment was over 350.
In May 2012, Johnson Matthey marked the start of a major expansion project in Macedonia with the construction of a second factory located in the Technological-Industrial Development Zone Skopje 1. This investment amounts to € 65 million, which doubled the initial production and created over 500 new jobs.
In October 2021, the total number of employees is 998 people.
– Delphi is focused on delivering high quality, industry-leading technologies that help manufacturers achieve a higher electronic and security system. Capacities in Macedonia will help achieve this goal in 2015, said Lucie Toscani, former Delphi Global Operations Director. The value of this investment is € 30.3 million, with 441 jobs during October 2021 in Macedonia.
In May 2017, in addition to a factory in Turkey, “Çağatay Kablo” decided to build a new factory in Macedonia with an investment value of € 4 million. The company leased a plot of land in TIDZ Skopje 1 with a size of 26,000 m² and already in September 2017 began construction of the facility. The start of production of this new factory is expected to begin in 2018.
The company comes to Skopje as a supplier to the Belgian bus manufacturer Van Hool, which is also present in this industrial complex. This is important because the other companies with foreign capital in Macedonia, primarily “Van Hool”, will purchase spare parts from this factory, and will not import them from abroad.
The significance of the construction of the Turkish company, “Çağatay Kablo” in TIDZ Skopje 1 is certainly most pronounced through the announced new employments, about 300 people in a period of 5 years. At the beginning of October 2021, 79 people were employed.
300 jobs are planned, and at the beginning of October there are 79 employees.
The factory is located in TIDZ Skopje 1 and started operating in 2011. The size of the plot is 25 040 m².
5 million euros are provided for the investment, and from the beginning until 2021, 4.3 million euros have been invested. The number of employees during October 2021 is 43.


text:
We’ve been busy since we closed the pop up store on the 9th September….installing ex display hot tubs….moving the gazebo…installing the first two new display hot tubs…moving the display hot tubs…building the barrel sauna….building an Oregon cabin…building our Tiki bar inside the showroom
Still to come this week: Regency Collection Baron and Baroness hot tubs. PLUS a Brookhaven cabin with a Coast Spas Elite Zenith Curve hot tub inside. We’re really excited about this one – for the first time we’ll be able to offer wet tests of our Coast Spas hot tubs in the privacy of a luxury log cabin. Its important to try before you buy with a hot tub – its a luxury investment after all! Now you can at Award Leisure Birmingham’s new store.
PLUS EVEN MORE EXCITING NEWS- a Coast Spas Wellness II SWIM SPA is on its way – expected 12/13 October – we’ll be the only spa showroom for MILES with a working swim spa on display!! Once that is in situ and operational we will have an open weekend – when we’ll fire up the pizza open and open the Tiki bar!
Award Leisure Birmingham is moving – the pop up store closes at 6pm on Saturday 9th September
End of season sale extended until Saturday 9th Sept
*** Crazy prices and giveaways added ***
Free steps (RRP £185) and cover lifter (RRP £255) with every Coast Spas hot tub sold
Free Steps (RRP £185) with every Evolution range rotamold hot tub sold
Free delivery, installation and commissioning (RRP £395) with every hot tub sold and installed by end of September
Free Peroni and Prosecco to fill every outdoor cooler sold!
20% off all Regency models from warehouse stock (we have Barons, Baronesses, and Princesses available)
Over £2000 of free upgrades on all Coast Spas Elite and Luxury models from warehouse stock (9 different models, call for details)
Free outdoor coolers (RRP £375) IN ADDITION to the savings above with every Coast Spas Luxury model OR any of the ex display hot tubs
Offers end 6pm Saturday 9th September 2017.
The pop up store will then close whilst we move to our new permanent store in Hall Green…further news on our exciting new range of display models (including Birmingham’s ONLY demonstration Swim Spa!) to follow…


text:
A commitment to safety, health, environment & quality
30 November 2009
The chemical industry is constantly changing and facing numerous challenges to become more sustainable: new regulations, growing costs, environmental impact assessments, increasing globalisation and the economic crisis. Customers and suppliers have continual pressure to keep their costs down while at the same time maintaining standards of quality and excellence.
Univar, a leading global company specialising in the sales, marketing, application and safe, efficient handling of a wide range of chemicals and ingredients, understands these challenges perfectly and knows how to respond to them. The company is firmly focused on having the highest standards of safety, health, environment and quality (SHEQ) throughout its entire organisation. Whether providing best-in-class services to customers and suppliers or ensuring that employees have a safe working environment, SHEQ is at the core of Univar’s business culture. The company’s U+ certification programme, a goal-based combined management system, requires each site in Europe, Middle East and Africa to continually improve its Safety, Health, Environmental and Quality (SHEQ) performance.
U+, launched in 2006, sets a benchmark for safety standards in the chemical distribution sector, going far beyond the legal requirements. Over 20 Univar sites in EMEA are expected to have received U+ certification by the end of 2009. This standard gives confidence to suppliers and customers that products will be handled and delivered safely and with minimal environmental impact.
"Univar’s dedication to the U+ certification programme demonstrates the emphasis we put on safety, health, environment and quality", said John van Osch, President EMEA, Univar Europe. "U+ is about creating a strong safety culture and also about setting challenges to minimise
The U+ Programme sets out clear requirements for improvement in performance, with each site having to meet a set of pre-determined goals. Before a site can receive U+ certification, it needs to have demonstrated that all the goals have been achieved and that there has been significant improvement made in standards at the site.
The U+ programme is an EMEA-wide programme, and by the end of 2009 a total of 26 sites are expected to have received U+ certification1. In 2010 Univar will continue its focus on U+ certification and it is estimated that a further eight sites will receive this highly regarded recognition. "All of these sites have really made progress whether related to creating a safer working environment, warehousing improvements or implementing good practices to the benefits of our customers and suppliers," said van Osch. "We are extremely proud that these sites are U+ certified as they set an example to all other sites across the region."
Caring for the health and safety of employees, customers and the environment is Univar’s first priority. By training and educating employees in their own safety and in safe operational procedures for the products handled, Univar ensures the highest levels of safety at its sites and those of customers.
In just two and a half years since the launch of U+, Univar Europe’s Lost Time Incident Rate (LTIR) has decreased by more than 60%. Univar Europe now has the lowest LTIR rate in the industry; its sites are seven times safer than the average of other chemical distribution companies. "This extremely low LTIR demonstrates that even in such a harsh economic climate, raising the bar in health, safety and environmental performance is vital to the continued protection of our employees, the environment and in providing increased confidence for customers and suppliers alike." said van Osch.
Univar never compromises on safety, especially not when it comes to customers.. Through the company’s unique system of U+ Pre-Delivery Inspections Univar staff check that customers can safely handle the products delivered. Univar then helps make changes, where required, to meet the U+ standards for delivery. By offering this guidance to customers, Univar ensures that
potential safety risks are eliminated. "Just recently in France we requested a customer to change the delivery process of flammable solvents for safety reasons. We explained the risk factors and offered an optimized solution for their deliveries. The customer very much appreciated our expertise and guidance and this has helped us build a stronger relationship. They have now decided to switch completely to Univar for all delivery needs based on our expertise in safety," explained Christophe Jacob, country director, Univar France.
Operating from 56 distribution locations in 20 countries across Europe, Univar’s 2,400 local employees serve more than 50,000 European customers in a diverse range of industries including coatings, food, personal care, pharma and other major sectors.
Contact Details and Archive...


text:
according to the National Bureau of Statistics survey team in Xining survey, due to income levels and price increases and other factors, the first 9 months of this year, Xining residents tend to decline in consumer trends.
residents’ propensity to consume, that is, the proportion of consumer spending in disposable income, is an important indicator to reflect the wishes of residents. The first 9 months of this year, the per capita consumption expenditure of residents is 5999.95 yuan, accounting for the proportion of disposable income decreased by 74.6% over the same period last year to 72%, mainly due to the consumption tendency of the downward trend in two aspects: first, the current between the city residents’ income gap still exists, the difference of consumption different income is large, at present middle and high income household consumption is basically saturated, is stable, consumption concept from quantity to quality, and gradually transformed into the accumulation and investment. While low-income families affected by spending power, consumption based on practical, pay attention to conservation and rational, so that consumer groups appear fault, the overall demand for desire to decline. Secondly, the price increases the cost of consumption, to a certain extent, affected the further improvement of the living standards of residents. The first 9 months of this year, the city’s consumer price index rose by 9.7%, of which food prices rose significantly, the index rose by 21.3%. As the price index rose, the city’s residents in the consumption of more than 44.25 yuan per person per month spending on food consumption per capita spending more than $45.8 per month.
Statistics Department, according to the current status of social economy and social average income level, the city should continue to take measures to further improve the living standards of low-income families, low-income families and narrowing the gap of high income families.


text:
The Economist poll of forecasters
By The Economist online
Growth prospects in parts of Europe have diminished drastically in the past 12 months. In May 2011 our forecasters reckoned that Spanish and Italian GDP would grow by over 1% in 2012; now they expect both economies to shrink by 1.7%. The outlook for other European countries has worsened too, thanks to worries over contagion, default and the break-up of the single-currency area. While inflation could hurt the likes of Italy, where consumer prices are expected to balloon as energy costs and taxes rise, Switzerland is threatened by deflation. The appreciation of the Swiss franc creates deflationary pressure by driving down the price of imports. And falling prices can discourage consumption and increase real borrowing costs.
Disease modelling suggests that is unlikely
Closed-minded and immoral, according to a new survey
But price growth in the rich world is less shocking than it once was


text:
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned content on the respective websites. Company website content came under ASA regulation on 1 March this year.
Energise UK took down numerous claims on its website www.energiseforlife.com aimed at people looking at following an alkaline based diet after being challenged. The content included advice from a Dr Young, who is not medically qualified but has a PhD, saying how living an alkaline lifestyle “can help reverse” cancer.
Direct Healthcare was rapped for claims for its Electroflex Circulation Booster Massager, with website text stating that the product could “improve blood circulation, reduce swelling, ease aches and pains … fluid retention and numbness in the lower limbs” and “increase oxygenation and nutrition retention”.
Back Trouble UK, which offers treatment for back pain by an Osteomyologist, had a number of claims banned, including that its treatments could help with serious medial conditions, such as whiplash and arthritis.
In its adjudication on Back Trouble UK, the ASA pointed out that ad regulations say marketers must not suggest people can avoid essential medical treatment for serious conditions.


text:
Malaysia: BNM leaves policy rate unchanged in March
The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of Bank Negara Malaysia opted to keep the overnight policy rate unchanged at 3.25% at its 5 March meeting. The rate has been kept steady at this level since January last year and the decision in March met market expectations.
The decision was taken in light of stable core inflation, which excludes certain types of fresh food and administered prices of goods and services and which currently highlights “sustained demand conditions”. In year-on-year terms, however, headline consumer prices dropped 0.7% in January, the latest month for which data is available. This drop was mainly linked to a steep drop in global oil prices.
Inflation is expected to remain low in the months ahead “due to policy measures” and the Bank accordingly changed its outlook on inflation. It now expects inflation to be “broadly stable” this year compared to last year; previously the Bank expected inflation to trend higher this year. The main risk to the headline inflation outlook stems from oil price movements. More importantly, the Bank expects core inflation “to be sustained, supported by the steady expansion in economic activity
Looking ahead, the majority of the FocusEconomics Consensus Forecast panel expect the Bank Negara Malaysia to hold the overnight rate steady this year. Two panelists, however, see the Bank cutting its rate this year. Moreover, the Bank seemingly struck a slightly less dovish tone, adding that it recognized “that there are downside risks in the economic and financial environment” and that it would “continue to monitor and assess the balance of risks surrounding the outlook for domestic growth and inflation”.
The next monetary policy meeting is scheduled for 7 May.


text:
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, May 22
Malhar Road here is one of the posh areas of the city where the price of per square yard of land is in lakhs. Big showrooms, eating joints, salons, banks, jewellery houses located here witnessed flourishing business before the Covid-19 pandemic. But today, the situation is totally different.
The owners are worried as to how they would sustain in this scenario when there is no walk-in customer.
Talking to The Tribune, Sonu Gandhi from Sonu Gandhi Label said the trend of big fat weddings was gone. Now, people prefer simple and small weddings.
“The scene is totally different. We are now making business plans as per the budget of clients. There is no walk-in customer. At the same time, we cannot do cost-cutting. We cannot afford to lay off the skilled labour. The ACs cannot be kept switched off all the time. The rent has to be paid regularly. The government needs to infuse some liquidity into the market to generate demand. As there are no big weddings and parties, clients don’t want to splurge on designer outfits,” said Sonu.
The market, which otherwise remained abuzz with activity, wears a deserted look these days with hardly any visitor seen in shops.
Jasdeep Singh Kundan of Kundan Jewellers said he had the staff of over 20 persons. “They are skilled artisans. If we ask them to leave, they will not be available tomorrow. A few weddings are taking place these days. With people going for simple marriages, they demand simple jewellery. Things will improve but not in 2020, as people have no money to spend on expensive jewellery,” said Jasdeep.
The condition of eating joints and leading sweet-mart shops is no different either.
Bhupinder Singh of Ice Cream Studio said for them, the timings were not suitable at all. “Who will come to our shop at 7 am? In fact, our business starts in the evening, during late evening in summers. But by that time, we are asked to close the shop. With business plummeting to just 15 per cent, how will we survive? The workers are willing to leave as there is no business. The administration should have continued with the take-away/home deliveries. The ice cream industry will be finished if not allowed to operate till late evening,” said Bhupinder Singh.
India is seventh among worst-hit nations by COVID-19
Army, police launch joint cordon-and-search operation (CASO)...
It will control all ITBP formations in the western theatre
Ludhiana reports 6 cases, Bathinda 3


text:
Environmental organizations say the Transatlantic Treaty and Investment Partnership (TTIP) will be a disaster for the environment if it goes through. And if the past week is anything to go by, they have a reason to be concerned. There’s a lot at stake with this year’s TTIP negotiations in Europe. But there’s a lot to be gained, as well, say some researchers.
This category is about corporate social responsibility (CSR), a form of corporate self-regulation integrated into a business model. The goal of CSR is to embrace responsibility for the company’s actions and encourage a positive impact through its activities on the environment, consumers, employees, communities, stakeholders and all other members of the public sphere.
This week, Walmart started selling “beautifully imperfect” apples at some of its stores as more retailers decide it’s time to sell “ugly fruits and vegetables.”
A quickly emerging market of small, specialized group tour operators offer a more sustainable, social, affordable and ultimately transformative experience for the traveler.
Why would the maker of the iPhone buy and protect forests? In the words of Lisa P. Jackson, the company’s vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives, Apple believes that “paper, like energy, can be a renewable resource.”
If you run a business with a physical, brick-and-mortar location, it’s likely that the most overlooked aspect of your office, warehouse or storefront is its landscaping.
Sixty-eight percent of companies that use the ISO 14001 standard have either qualified or directly won business thanks to their green credentials, a new survey finds.
SPECIAL SERIES: Fostering Diversity and Purpose at Work
What rights do employees have under the Bill of Rights? When it comes to the private workplace, surprisingly little. We speak with experts to get the low-down.
Electric vehicles are still far from their promise to transform the automobile market. And the reason why is simple: EVs lack a comprehensive, complementary infrastructure on par with what exists for gasoline-powered cars.
Cargill, the largest privately-owned food company in the U.S. and a major producer and supplier of palm oil to food processors worldwide, will sever ties with a controversial Malaysian palm oil supplier.
Many Americans think of golf as an old sport with dated practices and traditions. This notion is prevalent on many levels throughout the game — none more so than the industry’s attempts to be a good environmental steward. But signs point to some improvement.
Under an agreement reached in a California federal court, Herbalife will pay $200 million to people who say they were victimized by the company’s moneymaking marketing campaigns.
Both Volkswagen and GM received disappointing news last week. The German automaker faces more fines and further negotiations with California over its emissions scandal. And GM must now restructure how it rates its franchises.
A new report from the nonprofit As You Sow analyzes the state of the oil industry. And researchers found several trends that should alarm global energy investors.


text:
NEW YORK — Intel Corp. on Wednesday said it would replace computer circuit boards containing a defective memory part that causes some personal computers to crash, a move that analysts said could cost the world's largest computer chip manufacturer hundreds of millions of dollars.
Shares of Intel were off $10.87, or more than 9 percent, at $106.06 on the Nasdaq stock market.
Intel said the problem arose from a defective memory translator hub, or MTH, component that translates signals from SDRAM, or synchronous dynamic random access memory, to the Intel 820 chipset. The problem results in "system noise" that causes some systems to suddenly reset, reboot or just stall.
In some instances it also can destroy important files.
Analysts said the replacement of the so-called motherboards on PCs shipped since November would dent Intel's earnings per share by at least a couple of cents during the current quarter. Motherboards are the computer equivalent of an automobile chassis, serving as the platform on which chips and other circuitry are mounted.
"This is a technology black eye for Intel," Merrill Lynch analyst Joe Osha said in a research note. "In terms of financial impact, we believe it will amount to roughly a few hundred million dollars."
Intel said it had no estimates of the cost of the replacement program but added that it planned to make a reserve for the costs, and that the reserve could be a material one, depending on the rate of replacements.
The company urged consumers who bought computers since November to contact their manufacturer if they've had problems or to go to Intel's Web site to determine if they have a component that needs replacing.


text:
Vanessa Kruze, CEO and Founder of Kruze Consulting
I’m Vanessa Kruze, the Founder and CEO of Kruze Consulting, CPA and big-four alum. I’ve helped startups raise more than $500 million in funding over the last 12 months and am an early adopter of cloud accounting solutions at scale.
CEO of consultancy firm Meotec, Richard Caron
Richard Caron, CEO of consultancy firm Meotec, tells us at CEO Today about his role from its foundation and his journey from the early days to creating a truly inspirational company.
Steve Cutler, CEO of Kalamba Games
Along with my co-founder, Alex Cohen, we spent time in the real money gaming industry and then the social gaming industry and thus, after gaining significant experience in both, we decided there was a gap in the market for a content creator who could bring the best of social into real money gaming.
Hazel Savage; CEO of Musiio
We’ve been a company for about a year and a half to date. And essentially our company is a combination of two very specific skills that myself and my co-founder have. So I’ve been in the music industry for about 14 years.
Pedro Conrade, CEO Neon Pagamentos
Pedro Conrade is CEO and founder of pioneer Brazilian fintech, Neon Pagamentos, which today has over 2 million users and is backed by blue-chip funds such as Monashees. In this interview, he discusses the key reasons behind Neon’s success, its greatest challenges and its plans for the future.
Espen Høiby, the CEO of OSM Aviation
Experienced pilots are already scarce and the projected growth rate of the industry shows no signs that the situation might change anytime soon. Espen Høiby, the CEO of OSM Aviation, shares his approach on how to fight ‒ and succeed ‒ in the “war for talents”.
CEO George Wright, Trackforce Valiant
Chicago, Il during the biggest tradeshow of the year, GSX. CEO of Trackforce Valiant talks about Trackforce Valiant’s role in the security workforce management industry.
Air Astana CEO, Peter Foster
Nestled between Europe, Asia and the Middle East, Kazakhstan holds many interesting opportunities for airlines, none more so than its flag carrier Air Astana. As CEO Peter Foster explains, the airline is in rude health and has bold plans for the future, including branching out into low-cost carrier operations, reinforcing the business strategy, and standing up in the battle against climate change.
ABN AMRO. CEO Kees van Dijkhuizen
Sustainability is a business opportunity for us. We won’t be the only bank doing this – but we do want to be a front runner.
Founder and CEO at Askdata, Simone Di Somma
We started our journey in 2014 with the obsession of making data access as simple as searching for a restaurant on Google. We are radically changing how people can interact with data on a daily basis. In order to do that we have to overcome different technical challenges from Data Science and user experience points of view.


text:
Everledger introduces provenance tracking of wine bottles through blockchain
Everledger, a blockchain technology firm based in London, has become the first organisation to secure a wine bottle’s provenance on the blockchain platform.
Yes, you read that right. The bottle is a 2001 Margaux, which was certified and secured on the Chai Wine Vault – a joint solution introduced by the firm and world-renowned fine wine expert Maureen Downey to transform provenance tracking in the fine wine industry.
Developed on the Linux Foundation Hyperledger Fabric, The Chai Wine Vault is authenticated and secured by IBM Blockchain that helps bring transparency, security and efficiency to transactions in a permissioned environment.
The Chai Wine Vault issues certification to bottles authenticated through Maureen Downey’s Chai Method (TCM) where 90+ data points are collected, in addition to high-resolution photography and records of a bottle’s ownership and storage. Everledger collates the details and creates a permanent, digital incarnation of the bottle that is written permanently into the blockchain.
Leoni Runge, Everledger’s head of fine wine, said: “We hear daily from our industry partners on the threat fraudulent bottles pose to sales, trust and most importantly reputation. Blockchain enables us to secure the identity of an asset in a way we haven’t been able to before. For the fine wine industry this means the opportunity to add a layer of transparency to every stage of a bottle’s journey across the supply chain.”
Donna Dillenberger, an IBM fellow, said: “Global trade fraud costs billions of dollars each year in lost revenue due to malicious activity or human record-keeping errors. Our work with blockchain shows the potential to dramatically reduce these losses by ingraining transparency and security in the system from the ground up. Working with Everledger in tracing the provenance of diamonds, and now wine, shows how the application of this technology can fundamentally change the way consumer goods are exchanged.”
Hear Everledger CEO/ Founder Leanne Kemp’s keynote on ‘How blockchain provides new methods of financing and insuring diamonds’ on the Blockchain for Industry track, 23rd January at Blockchain Expo Global.


text:
A couple of months ago, the upcoming device Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) with model number SM-J727V spotted on India’s import/export tracking website Zauba. Now the device received the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) certification. Since, it has already got the Wi Fi certification and unveiled that it will be run on Android 7.0 Nougat.
According to recent rumor, the device Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) will sport a display of 5.5-inch with the resolution of 1920 x 1080pixels, 3GB RAM.
The camera section of the device will include a rear camera of 13MP and front-facing camera of 5MP. It will be powered by a 3,000mAh battery.
The date of announcement as well as its availability is still unknown.
Go ahead with us for more information.


text:
- Meenakshi Kumar |
Lenskart Solutions is undertaking a secondary transaction estimated to value the Faridabad-based company at about Rs 3,000 crore. The deal is the latest example of investors that have, either backed some of India’s most richly-valued startups doubling their positions in the ventures, or joining the investor cap table at a time when there is an abundance of capital, while the deal flow pipeline remains inactive.
Ant Financial, the payments affiliate of the Chinese conglomerate, led a $200 million equity financing round in food delivery and listings company Zomato earlier in February, that saw long-time investor Info Edge dilute its holding worth $50 million in the Gurgaon-based company.
Lenskart over the last 18 months, will see TR Capital and PremjiInvest, the personal investment arm of Wipro Chairman Azim Premji, up their stakes in the seven-year-old company, having agreed to buy shares from IDG Ventures India.
The deal is expected to close by mid-March, according to the sources. It is, however, yet unclear if International Finance Corp, the private sector investment arm of the World Bank, Zurich-based asset management company Adveq and Ronnie Screwvala-founded Unilazer Ventures, the other three investors in the company, are also participating in the deal or not.
In a rerun of an earlier transaction in September 2016, PremjiInvest will, once again, pick up an undisclosed stake from IDG Ventures’ first fund. The earlystage, tech-focused venture capital firm will, however, continue to remain invested in Lenskart from both its funds. The transaction at the time had valued Lenskart at close to Rs 2,000 crore.


text:
Article Archive for February 2009
Trophies are now mandatory since January 1st right? Not if you read the fine print. Read on for some interesting revelations about just what games must contain the feature.
New details have emerged about a new expansion pack coming soon for Metal Gear: Online. Two new characters and three new maps have been revealed. Which new character would you rather play as?
…to bring back the name Jason.
Yep, that’s right. According to the Codies’ site, the name Jason is becoming less and less popular and – as everyone knows – people with unpopular names are less successful. Apparently.
In an article entitled “Killzone 2 is Who We Are” over at the official PlayStation site, Guerrilla Games talks everything Killzone, highlighting the fact that the graphical fidelity sought for the multi-player aspect of the game was “very very difficult.” And not without its price.
But will the sacrificed co-op mode be making a comeback via DLC? Read on to find out.
Famitsu, in a move that sees the continuation of the magazine scoring Yakuza games quite highly, really really likes the latest chapter in the adventures of Kazuma Kiryu, Japanese bad-ass extraordinaire. Though it didn’t get the elusive 40/40 – it wasn’t far off.
Want to show off your amazing baseball skills? What better way to prove this then by collecting all 30 trophies. 16 Bronze, 7 Silver, 6 Gold, and 1 Platinum are up for grabs.
Most of the trophies deal with winning streaks or calculated totals so don’t expect to earn them all in a weekend. From pitching a perfect game to having a 50 game hitting streak, MLB 09: The Show is making you earn every single trophy.
Oh we envy those guys at PS Only, they were lucky enough to get the chance to visit Guerrilla games in Holland. They also asked them about Home support.
They were unable to give any concrete details however they did say Home support is “likely”.
Our friends over at Eurogamer, not content with announcing the Euro price of â‚¬3.99 back in December have also announced today that Konami have stapled the enticing bounty of a mere Â£3.29.
You may be familiar with the Watchmen content in the European PlayStation Home Theatre. Well the content is set to dramatically expand.
We’re guessing you want to know what’s on the cards…
Crippled by lag while playing SOCOM: Confrontation? The boys over at Slant Six have your … eh, Six. Whatever. There’s a fix coming soon.
Changes. They play a major role in our every-day life and they affect everyone; even sales! After that poetic (yeah, right) sentence, let’s take a look at what the industry has for us this week. As you may have already figured out from the title, F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin made its depute in the UK earlier this week. Did we have any other changes?
As part of the Â£2 million UK advertising budget for Killzone 2, Threespeech has revealed Sony’s teaser trailer for their campaign.
It’s only 10 seconds long but we can expect a much longer (30sec?) trailer to arrive on our TV screens very soon.
In our first ever Cell Yell – the feature that sees our readers become the stars of the show – we asked you for five words that describe the PlayStation 3.
What did we do with the results?
With the release of Street Fighter IV this week, we’re here to remind you of another upcoming fighter that goes by the name of Tekken 6. The game has come a long way since its days on the PlayStation and it is looking beautiful. We especially love the great amount of detail put into the characters. By now you’ve already seen the trailer so click through to see the stills…
You might remember us mentioning Dante and his upcoming game, developed by the folks over at EA Redwood, a while back. No, we’re not talking about the devil slaying demon toting that giant sword of his. This Dante traveled through the nine circles of Hell in “The Divine Comedy”.
We bring you juicy details featured in the March issue of PSM3. Aside from a new look for the Middle Age poet, Inferno boasts controls and gameplay similar to God of War meets Deadspace…
Konami Digital Entertainment has announced today that Ã¼ber-popular Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots will be released as part of Sony’s budget priced Platinum series on March 5th.
Jeff Rubenstein, Social Media Manager over at the PS Blog, has posted about a cool new way of getting demo codes into the hands of the faithful.
From today, Helghan soldiers can be found running around Home probably wondering why everyone is dancing and not trying to shoot their collective faces off. Approach them for they have codes!
Home Manager TedTheDog has taken it upon himself to set the record straight regarding the almost daily outbursts from European Home fans complaining about the lack of EU content. Is there new content coming for the Europeans? You betcha! Can Ted talk about it? Not really.
The PSN revolution continues this week with the release of Noby Noby Boy.
On the eve of this imminent release, Takahashi-san himself has bucked his usual camera-shy tendencies to speak about the game on the PS blog.


text:
WASHINGTON, DC – The Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection, chaired by Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH), today announced a hearing for Tuesday, February 14, 2017, at 10:15 a.m. in room 2123 of the Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing is entitled, “Self-Driving Cars: Road to Deployment.”
A continued rise in traffic fatalities has highlighted the potential of automated vehicle technologies to make America’s roads safer. Next week, members will take another look at self-driving cars, exploring how they can improve traffic and roadway safety, in addition to the other social and economic benefits generated by these vehicles. Members will also examine how auto manufacturers and other entities are testing automated vehicle technologies, the existence of any barriers to the testing of this technology, as well as projected timelines for and types of commercial deployment.
“Self-driving cars are transforming the auto-industry as we know it,” said Chairman Latta. “Our subcommittee is going to focus all year on consumers and job creation, and self-driving cars are an excellent opportunity to advance both priorities simultaneously. In this and other hearings, we will explore the potential of this game-changing technology and ensure the proper framework is in place for a safe and secure deployment of self-driving cars.”
The Majority Memorandum, witness list, and witness testimony for the hearing will be available here as they are posted.