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According to insider word from a Subaru dealer, the Subaru BRZ is confirmed to hit Australia in May. It will rival the Toyota GT 86 (which could be called, simply, the Toyota 86).
There has been a bit of hesitation from Subaru Australia over the possible introduction of the Subaru BRZ, with fears that it may disrupt the current brand personality and its ‘all all-wheel drive’ lineup. But according to a report, citing insider word from a dealership, the BRZ has been confirmed.
Earlier this week Subaru New Zealand confirmed it will be getting the highly anticipated new coupe. Official word from Subaru Australia is still yet to be made however, as the company did say a decision wouldn’t be announced until the week before Christmas.
It will feature the same engine as seen in the other half of the joint project, offering a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder boxer engine producing 147kW of power and 205Nm of torque. Acceleration from 0-100km/h will be in the 6.0-7.0 seconds range.
The Toyota GT 86 is set to hit the market in mid-2012, so maybe the Subaru BRZ will not only be headed our way, but it could be the introductory model of the new project.
Exciting times ahead for Subaru, as the news is likely to claw back some of its performance enthusiasts and fading WRX fans.
More details on the BRZ can be found here.
UPDATE: Subaru Australia has now officially announced that the Subaru BRZ will join the local lineup in 2012. Subaru Australia managing director Nick Senior, said in a recent statement,
“We have been an exclusively All-Wheel Drive car company since 1997, so the decision to import the Subaru BRZ was not taken lightly.
“However, several factors swayed our decision – the passion and persuasion of the FHI engineers involved in the project was telling.
“They have poured their DNA into this car, so it drives like a Subaru. And because it is built in our spiritual home in Gunma prefecture, it has to be a Subaru.
“It’s a driver’s car, so is in keeping with our fun to drive philosophy.
“Secondly, the testing and development we have undertaken for the Australian market has left me in no doubt that this is a Subaru specifically for our unique Australian conditions.
“Thirdly, we have been overwhelmed by the response to the BRZ since its unveiling in Tokyo. People have been pleading for us to bring the BRZ into the country.
“Dealers have been astonished at the level of interest. Indeed the first BRZ has already been sold in Adelaide, despite no pricing or specification being released.”
Pricing and official specifications and trim levels are yet to be finalised, but we could expect it to enter the market at around the $40,000 price point just like the Toyota GT 86.


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Jumping back into Halo Infinite?
Welcome to the weekend! We've got a bunch of new Xbox Game Pass titles to check out over the next few days including Return to Monkey Island and Vampire Survivors, three more Free Play Days titles, and another set of excellent discounts in the weekly sales. Plus, Halo Infinite and Microsoft Flight Simulator have received major updates!
Here's what we're playing this weekend:
Read the full article on purexbox.com

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Intuition launches m-learning course for banks
Intuition, the tech-enabled learning expert has announced the installment of the world’s first mobile e-Learning course for smartphones and PDAs.
The course has been developed for financial services institutions, which will allow banks to track and automatically record users’ progress. Financial services institutions are working with Intuition to launch training programme through BlackBerry phone for business need of remote access for learning through converged devices.
mGBL – mobile Game-Based Learning
mGBL – mobile Game Based Learning is a research project with the aim of improving the effectiveness and efficiency of learning and guidance in the target group of young people through the development of innovative learning and guidance models based on mobile games.
The project, which began on 1 October 2005, is a STREP (Specific Targeted Research Project), funded for three years by European Community through the 6th Framework Programme, addressing the Strategic Objective of “Strengthening the Integration of the ICT Research Effort in an Enlarged Europe”.
The project idea is based on the fact that mobile devices are currently increasingly widespread, and mobile phones in particular represent what young adults, with different levels of education and culture, have in common. Moreover, several research projects have shown the potential of game-based learning, and the project seeks to further exploit that potential by means of the pervasiveness of mobile technologies, by developing a new paradigm of m-learning usage and interaction with regard to the classic e-learning models.
The project aims to develop a platform that can be used to efficiently design and develop games for m-learning and m-guidance, seeking to support decision-making in critical situations and user choice in transition moments. Moreover, based on that platform, two game prototypes will also be developed during the project, and their contents will be based on e-health, e-commerce and e-guidance.
The project is based on a bottom-up approach, which means that end users of the mobile games and experts have been directly involved from the very beginning through specific interviews and focus groups carried out in the three fields of analysis: e-guidance, e-health and e-commerce.
Mobile subscribers to reach 2.6bn this year
The number of mobile phone subscribers worldwide will rise to 2.6 billion this year and 4 billion by 2010, thanks to the development of ultra-low-cost handsets, market researcher iSuppli says.
New subscribers in developing nations such as India and China are behind the rapid increase in mobile phone users, the researcher said, while the mobile industry has rallied to the cause with ultra-low-cost handsets.
Africa and the Middle East are also playing a key role in driving new subscriber growth. The ultra-low-cost mobile phone initiative started early last year as a way to connect people to existing mobile networks. The GSM Association (GSMA) challenged handset makers to design a phone that would cost under USD30.
iSuppli believes India will drive growth for ultra-low-cost handsets next year. The nation will be home to 405 million mobile phone subscribers by 2010, up from 140 million by the end of this year, the market researcher says. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India reports that as of the end of September, there were 129.5 million mobile phone users in the country, a huge increase from 75.9 million at the end of last year. In China, the figure climbed to 443.2 million at the end of September, up from 393 million at the end of last year, according to the Ministry of Information Industry, that country’s telecom industry regulator.


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This week we’re cycling with the pros in the Tour de France, celebrating a download milestone and recognizing moms as the most socially engaged group. We’re also buzzing about Instagram video, which can now be embedded in posts! All that and more in this week’s edition of the Weekend Reading.
Pedal the Tour de France
My Facebook stream is filled with friends posting finish line selfies and Endomodo bike commute updates, so I feel it’s pretty safe to say that fitness and technology go hand in hand. And now Google has made the Tour de France accessible to armchair athletes. In honour of the 100th edition of the race, the search engine giant has launched a tool called Your Tour, which lets you “cycle” through the course by scrolling with your mouse or trackpad. Race stages are added as the pack arrives, and include video from a bike and a map of the course.
While I may be a weekend warrior, I’m far from Tour-worthy, so I loved getting a peek into this world that could previously only be experienced by elite athletes.
This week, Rogers magazine titles celebrated one million tablet app downloads, a milestone recognized by Masthead and the Canadian Magazines blog. We’re proud to be the first major magazine publisher to offer readers tablet versions of every one of our consumer publications, including Chatelaine, Sportsnet and HELLO! Canada. Rogers Media currently offers 22 publications on iPad, Android and BlackBerry devices. Starting with the launch of the Maclean’s app in 2010, our “replica apps” offer enhanced versions of the print editions, adding photo galleries, audio tips, behind the scenes videos and more.
We should note that our one-million mark doesn’t include the more than 60 ebooks we’ve published or our standalone apps, like Chatelaine’s 10-Minute Fitness App for iPad, which reached the top spot in the health and fitness category in 31 countries.
Do you read magazines on your tablet?
Moms mad about social media
There’s tonnes of online buzz around the tech-savvy millennial generation, but according to a new eMarketer report, moms are actually the most socially engaged demographic in Canada. Overall, in March 2013, moms spent 18 per cent more time on social media – that’s more than 10 hours a month – than the average Canadian female social media user. A full 86 per cent of internet-using mothers go online every single day, with visiting social networking sites the most common activity. Other top daily online habits include commenting on social networking activities, profile updates, reading forums or discussion groups and watching videos. Moms also dedicate more time to the internet than to watching television. And be sure to check out Clare Kumar’s tips on how technology can help moms.
Are you a social-savvy mom? How often are you online?
Ready, set, filter
A few weeks ago, Instagram announced it would be adding video capabilities to its photo-sharing social network. Users uploaded 5 million 15 second-videos, complete with carefully chosen filters, in the 24 hours following the app upgrade. Celebs are also hopping on board with the service, as James Franco used an Instagram video this week to announce he’ll be the lucky recipient of a Comedy Central roast.
Not even a month old, the service is already rolling out some changes, announcing this week that content would now be embeddable. And, if you want to share your photos in a more tangible way, be sure to check out these 10 gifts from your Instagram pics from Mashable.
What have you captured with Instagram video?
Jennifer is a regular RedBoard contributor.


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/// Ballmer’s CES Keynote, Courtesy of Qualcomm (Video)
The scorecards were at the ready. Tech pundits were poised to poke fun. All were waiting to grade Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs’s performance as the CES keynote speaker on Monday evening. It’s the first year since Microsoft, the longstanding headliner and keynote company, pulled out of the conference entirely. And then Steve Ballmer showed up. The Microsoft CEO couldn’t stay away from the evening’s big event, after leading the charge for the past twelve years. About 20 minutes into the event, Jacobs brought Ballmer on stage to talk about all the “cool stuff” Microsoft is doing, running on Qualcomm’s chipsets.
Read more from the original source:
Ballmer’s CES Keynote, Courtesy of Qualcomm (Video)


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NEWS: Callaway Golf Co. reported that its third-quarter loss narrowed from a year ago as it saw strong sales. The company's results were better-than-expected and it boosted its 2013 outlook, sending shares surging 14 percent in after-hours trading.
DETAILS: Callaway Golf said it was able to increase revenue despite adverse changes in foreign currency, the sale in 2012 of the Top Flite and Ben Hogan brands, and the transition to a licensing arrangement for clothing and footwear in North America. The company said that its results also benefited from cost cutting and more efficient operations.
NUMBERS: Callaway Golf reported a loss of $21 million, or 32 cents per share, in the three months ended Sept. 30. That compares with a loss of $87 million, or $1.33 per share, in the year-ago period. Revenue rose 20 percent to $178 million from $148 million in the year-ago period.
Excluding one-time items, it said it would have posted a loss of 18 cents a share.
Analysts expected an adjusted loss of 28 cents per share on revenue of $152.6 million for the third quarter, according to FactSet estimates.
FUTURE: Based on stronger-than-expected third-quarter results, Callaway increased its full-year 2013 revenue guidance to $836 million, from a previous range of $810 million to $820 million. For the full year, it now expects to post bottom-line results ranging from a loss of 3 cents a share to a profit of 1 cent a share. Previously, it expected a range of a loss 12 cents to a loss of 4 cents a share.
For the full year, analysts expect a loss of 7 cents on revenue of $814.1 million, according to FactSet.
STOCK: Shares of Callaway rose $1.04 to $8.30 in after-hours trading. That was after closing down 7 cents to $7.26 in regular market trading.


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blog There’s a lot to like in the announcements made by iconic technology giant Apple this morning in the US. iOS 5 will bring some long-awaited enhancements to the iPhone, iPad and iPod, OS X Lion is looking sweet, cheap and convenient (no more DVDs, no sir), and the ability to synch your iTunes library to the cloud is something people have been writing hacking guides for forever. Now you can do it officially.
However, we can’t help but wonder whether Apple has just created a fistful of headaches for large Australian organisations with its broader iCloud service, which allows users to synch office documents, calendar, mail and contacts online. After all, like other cloud giants Google, Microsoft, Salesforce.com and Amazon, it’s not as if Apple will be serving that data from an Australian datacentre. This morning Apple supremo Steve Jobs said the company had built a new datacentre in North Carolina to help with iCloud, and website Data Center Knowledge lists the other known Apple datacentres; all also based in the US.
“Apple said its is “ready to ramp iCloud in its three datacentres.” Apple also has existing datacentres in Newark, Calif. and on its Cupertino headquarters campus. In April, Apple signed a seven-year lease for 2.28 megawatts of critical power load in a new datacentre being built in Santa Clara, Calif. by DuPont Fabros Technology (DFT), a leading developer of wholesale datacentre space. The Santa Clara facility would provide Apple with additional capacity on the West Coast.”
It’s clear that many Australians working in large organisations are already using iPhones and iPad in their professional lives. Many organisations — especially in government — have stringent requirements around the storage of company information such as email and documents on servers physically located in Australia, to prevent legal access by US Government authorities, for example.
Westpac’s top-level executives use their iPads in board meetings. Communications Minister Stephen Conroy uses an iPhone in his everyday life. What happens when this sort of high-level Australian starts automatically synching their sensitive data to Apple’s cloud, is anyone’s guess. Thoughts?
Image credit: Apple


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Today’s drivers are more likely to be distracted behind the wheel than ever before. And some enterprising automotive and tech companies have tried to combat that problem by enacting automotive voice controls and similar features so that drivers can operate certain vehicle, navigation or phone features hands-free. But according to AAA, some of those systems can actually lead to even more distractions for drivers. So what do consumers think about automotive voice controls? We asked 1,000 respondents about their thoughts on these features and the issues surrounding distracted driving.
In Ask Your Target Market’s latest online survey, 70% of respondents said that they currently own or lease a vehicle. Of those respondents, 9% said that they often use voice controls while in their vehicles, either to control vehicle or mobile device settings. 16% said they sometimes use automotive voice controls. 12% rarely use them. And 63% never do.
Automotive Voice Controls
Of those who have used automotive voice controls, 58% said they have used them to make phone calls. 37% have used them to compose text messages or emails. 34% use them to play music. 28% use them to listen to text messages or emails. And 18% use them to adjust actual vehicle settings.
Looking forward, 51% of respondents said they’re at least somewhat likely to buy or lease another vehicle at some point in the future. And 47% of those respondents said they would be at least somewhat likely to look for a vehicle that has some voice command features.
In general, 51% of respondents believe that using voice controls while driving can limit distractions. But 41% think that voice controls can actually lead to more distractions while driving. And 48% believe that more vehicles should come with voice control features.
Voice controls seem to be getting more popular with automotive consumers, since nearly half of future car buyers plan to look for those features when making their next vehicle purchases. But people are still fairly split when it comes to whether or not those features actually help to limit distracted driving. To help customers have a more positive outlook on those features going forward, quality is likely to be an important issue. If the features don’t work as expected, that’s likely where a lot of those potential added distractions can come in. In addition, most of those who have used voice control features have focused more on making phone calls and using their smartphones in other ways. So when promoting automotive voice features, calling attention to smartphone connectivity can be really beneficial to consumers.
You can view the complete survey results in the widget below and be sure to click “Open Full Report” to take advantage of all the chart and filter options.
What do you want to know? If you need some consumer insights on a particular topic, let us know in the comments below and we’ll consider it for an upcoming survey post.
Results were collected on December 19-25 via AYTM’s online survey panel.


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Apple's smart vehicle project is reportedly scheduled for release in 2026, and the company's recent patent application pertaining to intelligent cars has attracted considerable interest. The patent, entitled "Customizable System," represents a major milestone in Apple's smart vehicle endeavor, featuring an innovative system that customizes the driving experience based on user identity recognition.
According to GizmoChina, the incorporation of facial recognition, fingerprints, and voice biometrics into this intelligent system aims to improve security and offer personalized comfort settings, including seat adjustments, media preferences, and climate control, based on the passenger's location within the vehicle.
Additionally, the system's compatibility with portable electronic devices enables it to prompt passengers about any forgotten items, devices, or pets.
Are they (cat eyes like?) Apple Car headlights and is this an Apple Car in the Apple Park flyover during the event? Apple did show the 2nd gen AirPods with “Hey Siri” in a keynote long before they were launched. https://t.co/vYbh8raQnD pic.twitter.com/tChoD3HZaW— Steve Moser (@SteveMoser) November 2, 2023
Apple was granted a patent for a smart sunroof in the previous year, signifying advancements in its electric vehicle endeavor.
Nevertheless, setbacks have been encountered by the Apple Car project, casting doubts on its projected timeline, with certain individuals forecasting a release in 2026.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has proposed that Apple could contemplate acquisitions to establish a more robust foothold in the automotive industry.
Despite the presence of uncertainties and potential delays, there remains substantial anticipation for Apple's foray into the automotive sector.
Apple's advancement in the automotive industry has been outpaced by rivals such as Huawei and Xiaomi. Nevertheless, this recent patent highlights their commitment to establishing a unique position in the realm of intelligent vehicle innovation.
It should be noted, however, that not all patented technologies ultimately materialize into products for consumers.


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Qualcomm has sued Apple, alleging that it violated a software license contract to benefit rival chipmaker Intel Corp for making broadband modems, the latest salvo in the longstanding dispute between Qualcomm and Apple.
As things now stand, Apple utilizes chips from Qualcomm and Intel, so suitable terms must be agreed before they can continue with their mutually beneficial collaboration.
Bloomberg reports that the loss of Apple's business could cut Qualcomm's revenue by 7.5 percent.
In January, around the same time Apple sued Qualcomm, a Qualcomm shareholder filed a class-action lawsuit against the company, demanding compensation for a fall in share prices that he blamed on the way Qualcomm's management has handled its anti-trust controversies.
In its complaint to the ITC, Qualcomm asked the body to ban 'iPhones that use cellular baseband processors other than those supplied by Qualcomm´s affiliates'.
The report claims that the final straw for Apple was when Qualcomm allegedly made a decision to withhold the software needed to test Qualcomm's own chips on Apple's prototype devices. Qualcomm has said Apple is mischaracterizing its practices. The chipmaker also says that an Apple engineer who was working with a competitor (still probably Intel) requested protected information about data download tech.
The US chipmaker Qualcomm's legal battle with Apple did not dampen its growth as the company beat estimates with $5.96 billion in sales in the fourth quarter of its fiscal year that ended September 30. Apple's decision about next year's products comes after the San Diego-based Qualcomm withheld software needed to test chips in prototypes, the Wall Street Journal reported.


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Tesco plans loyalty scheme overhaul
Written by Peter Walker
Tesco is planning an overhaul of its Clubcard loyalty scheme, moving towards a programme similar to Amazon Prime.
The Times reported that the revamp would encourage shoppers to sign up to the supermarket chain’s bank and mobile phone services.
The new scheme is thought to be linked with the Tesco Pay+ app, which allows shoppers to use a smartphone to pay for their shopping by scanning barcodes in store.
The app is connected to the customer’s debit or credit card, as well as their Clubcard, allowing them to collect points without presenting their physical loyalty card.
Amazon Prime has redefined loyalty in recent years, with customers pay an annual membership fee of £79 to get unlimited next-day delivery and its music and video streaming service.
Retailers have been keen to update loyalty schemes for mobile technology, but without losing customers that don’t want to make the switch. Last year, changes to Tesco’s Clubcard points which made it significantly less generous caused social media uproar for the UK’s biggest supermarket.


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Baxter Pharmaceutical’s stock is down as much as 13% this week, with shares of the company down more than 13% over the past year.
Shares of Baxter fell about 11% after the company announced that it would pay a $10 billion settlement to U.S. regulators over allegations that it misled regulators about its safety and effectiveness.
The company said it would share its full agreement with regulators, but the company said the agreement was subject to approval by a federal judge in New York.
The agreement includes an agreement to sell Baxter stock in a public offering and requires Baxter to report to regulators on its plans to address the risks posed by its drug products.
The U.K.-based company also said it was withdrawing from a joint venture agreement with the pharmaceutical company Amgen and was planning to buy back its shares in a separate transaction.
The $10,000 settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday was the largest such settlement for any pharmaceutical company.
In April, U.N. investigators announced that Baxter Pharmaceutical was the biggest pharma company to fail to provide adequate information on the safety and efficacy of its products.
The investigation, conducted by the U.KS.-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, also found that Baxter’s drug products had been linked to multiple deaths and other serious problems.
Baxter said that the settlement is not the result of any wrongdoing by the company.
The company said that it had already complied with all the U and UK authorities’ investigations and will continue to cooperate fully with the authorities.
Bardex Pharmaceuticals, which was acquired by Baxter in 2012, will pay $1.7 billion to settle allegations of marketing misleading claims.
The settlement, which will be made in a civil case in London, comes as a result of a criminal investigation by the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority into Bardex’s drug marketing activities.
The FCA said that Bardex failed to comply with its duty to disclose information relevant to its product offerings, including its adverse event reporting requirements, and that it breached its obligation to provide information to the regulator.
Basset Pharmaceuticals will pay an additional $1 billion to resolve an allegation that it did not comply with disclosure requirements.
The companies’ shares were down about 6% to $16.50 at 1:40 p.m. in New Orleans.


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Singapore’s digital economy contributed 17.3% to its gross domestic product (GDP) in 2022, marking a significant increase from the 13% contribution in 2017, according to a report released on October 6. This represents nearly a doubling of its value added or economic contribution, rising from S$58 billion to S$106 billion over the five-year period, as reported by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).
Between 2017 and 2022, the digital economy’s contribution rose by $48 billion. Among sectors, Information and Communications (I&C) played the most substantial role in Singapore’s economy, contributing $33 billion, which accounted for 5.4% of the GDP in 2022. In 2017, I&C contributed $19 billion, equivalent to 4.3% of GDP. IMDA identified I&C as the fastest-growing sector between 2017 and 2022.
IMDA’s inaugural Singapore Digital Economy report was developed in collaboration with the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. The report also revealed that technology adoption rates among Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) increased significantly, rising from 74% in 2018 to 94% in 2022. Additionally, the average technology adoption intensity by SMEs increased from 1.7 to 2.1 over the same period.
The expansion of the digital economy has led to the growth of the tech workforce in Singapore. The number of tech professionals increased from approximately 155,500 in 2017 to 201,100 in 2022, driven by demand across all sectors.


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Oregon restaurants react to chains
- Wendy Culverwell
Portland-area restaurateurs are watching warily as national chains rush to highlight local ingredients on their menus.
Portland has long been ahead of the curve when it comes to using local, sustainably grown foods. Many of the area’s locally based, mid-sized operators — Burgerville, Shari’s, Hotlips Pizza, for instance — have long sourced everything from beef to lettuce to berries from regional farms.
Now national restaurant chains are getting in on the action. In November, Nations Restaurant News reported that Chipotle plans to feature locally sourced ingredients at all of its 1,000-plus locations.
Portland operators worry it will strain the supply chain, but ultimately welcome anything that strengthens local agriculture.
Jeff Harvey, president of Vancouver-based Burgerville, owned by The Holland Inc., said competing with companies like Chipotle is one of the biggest challenges when it comes to keeping local ingredients on the menu.
Burgerville, which built its reputation on Northwest ingredients and has a decade-long history of developing vendor relationships. Today, about 70 percent of items sold at its 39 restaurants are based ingredients grown in the Northwest. The company recorded about $45 million in revenue last year.
Harvey said Burgerville’s long-term relationships with vendors such as Country Natural Beef will help ensure its restaurants are stocked with what they need. Country Natural Beef, a cooperative brand produced by 120 ranchers spanning 12 states, is based in Vale, Ore. It entered into an agreement with Chipotle earlier this year to supply the chain with locally raised beef.
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If you’re willing to do some walking and share your ride with someone you probably don’t know, you can save some money with Lyft’s new Shared Saver option. The new ride-sharing option isn’t subject to Lyft’s surge pricing, even during peak times, Lyft said in a blog post. You just have to be willing to walk to both your pick-up and drop-off locations and share the ride with a someone else, says Lyft. The new mode is just a slight tweak on the Lyft Line, where you carpool with other users whose routes are kind of on the way with yours. If you’re cool with a little walk, you could save money on your next Lyft ride.
Lyft says you shouldn’t have to walk more than a few blocks to get to your pick-up and drop-off spots; the screenshots in the Lyft blog post made it look like around a two-minute walk. And when you get dropped off, the Lyft app will show you where to walk to get to your actual destination, according to the blog post.
If you’re having a little déjà vu reading this news, that’s probably because Uber’s version of this program, Uber Express Pool, launched in 2018, according to The Verge. After three years of running Uber Pool, says The Verge, Uber learned a lot about the pros and cons of offering carpooling as a ride-share option — like sometimes people got matched up for rides even if they were going to places that weren’t anywhere near to each other. Situations like that caused a lot of inconvenience for pretty much everyone involved, so Uber worked out some of those kinks and launched Uber Express Pool on Feb. 21, 2018.
Uber Express POOL is a lot like Lyft’s Shared Saver. According to the news release, you walk to both your pick-up and drop-off locations and share a ride with someone else. According to The Verge, Lyft’s Shared Saver is currently only available in Denver, Colorado, and San Jose, California. Uber Express POOL has been piloting in San Francisco and Boston, and is currently available in Los Angeles, San Diego, Denver, Miami, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. More cities will be added to both ride-share services in the future.
Rideshare companies like Lyft and Uber have aimed to reduce the number of cars on the roads by offering more carpooling services, AP News reports. “Lyft is focused on making personal car ownership optional by getting more people to share a ride, helping to reduce car ownership, and partnering with public transportation,” Lyft spokesperson Adrian Durbin told AP News in a statement.
Rideshare options are certainly quite affordable and accessible in comparison to some modes of public transportation, especially in cities where public transport is unreliable, so more work needs to be done to understand why people are deciding to use certain kinds of transportation. It’ll be interesting to see how these numbers change as more people choose to carpool through their favorite rideshare services.
Whatever you decide, you’ve got options. Both Lyft’s and Uber’s carpooling options look like great ways to get around, and if they’re not in your city yet, they’re sure to be really soon. Just watch your rideshare app for when the option becomes available for you to save some money by sharing a ride with a fellow rider.


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Sony has confirmed that it is selling off the VAIO PC business as the market for traditional computers continues to shrink and the company is anticipating a finanicial loss throughout the year.
Windows 10 build 10532 rolls out to Windows Insiders
Known issues in build 10532
windows 10 update
Windows 10 Mobile news
windows 10 mobile
HP EliteBook 1020 Performance: Windows 8.1 vs. Windows 10
The Top 10 apps no Windows 10 PC should be without
Sony has denied claims that it is planning to sell off its international PC business to Chinese rival Lenovo, but says that it is considering "various options" for its loss-making Vaio unit.
Google has just announced that it will be offloading the loss-making Motorola Mobility smartphone business to Chinese OEM Lenovo in a deal valued at about $2.91 billion.
Lenovo has announced that it will be acquiring IBM's low-end server business for $2.3 billion in cash and stock along with job offers for 7500 of IBM's employees associated with the unit.
CES 2014 has been the excuse for major PC companies to announce 4K monitors that will be sold later this year for as cheap as $699, which may lead to more applications supporting 4K content.
Lenovo has revealed a new batch of Windows 8.1 laptops as part of their CES 2014 lineup, including the new Miix 2 10 and 11 models that have screens that detach to be used as tablets.
Lenovo has revealed plans to release the Horizon 2, a thinner and lighter Windows 8.1 version of its 2013 released 27-inch all-in-one PC that also doubles as a stand alone tablet.
Lenovo has revealed plans to released the ThinkPad 8, an 8.3 inch Windows 8.1 tablet that's designed for business use that will be out in January starting at $399.
The Erazer X700 touts a “helmet inspired” black exterior full of sharp lines further accented by blue lighting and silver gray elements. The resulting aesthetic is somewhat futuristic, sleek and...
Neowin goes all over the Internet to find what we think are some of the best technology and software sales that you might be able to take advantage of during Black Friday 2013.
Microsoft has released a new software update for Windows 8.1, which is meant to be downloaded just for owners of Lenovo's recent Miix2 8 tablet in order to fix a battery issue.
Lenovo has posted up word that it will release the Flex 10, a smaller 10.1 inch version of its Flex 14 and 15 notebooks for Windows 8.1, but no price or release date was announced.
Amazon starts its Black Friday 2013 sales event early with a week of price cuts, and it begins with sales on a number of Windows 8 and 8.1 devices, include a $229 Dell Venue 8 Pro tablet.
Lenovo announced record sales in the PC sector in a press release today. However, CEO Yang Yuanqing says more emphasis needs to be placed on mobile devices to build a strong foundation for the future.
As promised, Lenovo has started its newest marketing campaign with actor Ashton Kutcher with a new TV commercial that has Kutcher promoting the newly launched Android-based Yoga Tablet.
Actor Ashton Kutcher has now been confirmed as the new spokesperson for Lenovo and will make his official debut on Monday night to launch the company's "betterway" campaign.
Lenovo has finally and officially announced plans to release the Miix2, an 8-inch tablet using Windows 8.1 that will be released later in October for the price of $299.
Research firms IDC and Gartner claim that worldwide PC shipments went down 7.6 and 8.6 percent, respectively, in the third quarter of 2013, although the downturn was not as bad as first predicted.
An Lenovo executive said this week that the newest Haswell processors from Intel, which support Windows 8, allow for longer PC battery life and as a result eliminate the need for Windows RT.
Lenovo has revealed plans to release a number of other Windows 8/8.1 notebooks, hybrids and all-in-one PCs this fall, including the ThinkPad Yoga for business customers.
Lenovo has revealed plans to release several new ThinkPad Ultrabook models running on Windows 8, which are up to 20 percent thinner than earlier models, along with better battery life.
SweetLabs has announced it has secured a deal that will have its Pokki software package, including its Windows 8 Start menu program, pre-installed on all Lenovo Windows 8 PCs.
Microsoft has released a new Windows 8 versus iPad commercial that may be the best of the series by showcasing a real world scenario that hits home in the education market.
Lenovo's IdeaCentre Horizon embraces Windows 8's touch capabilities in a device that's meant to work as a desktop computer and a tabletop PC to enjoy games in or share moments with friends and family.
Lenovo, which is now the biggest PC maker in the world, said that in its latest financial results sales of its laptops increased by 4.7 percent but sales of desktops went down by 2.7 percent.
With Blackberry announcing that it could put itself up for sales, speculation has already started on which companies might be interested in buying the Canadian smartphone maker, including Microsoft.
Neowin presents the first part of a guide that checks out some of the best current Windows 8 PC sales aimed at students as they start to go back to school this month.
Lenovo has begun selling its previously announced 10.1-inch Miix Windows 8 tablet, with an Intel Atom processor. The tablet has up to 10 hours of battery life and a starting price of $599.
Intelligence services across the world are wary of products from Chinese tech manufacturing giant Lenovo, fearing the company has been including 'back-doors' that could be use to steal data.
According to the latest stats from IDC, the high-end smartphone market is clearly dominated by Samsung and Apple; but lots of companies are shifting focus towards the low-end, with a lot of success.
A new report claims that actor Ashton Kutcher is close to signing a $10 million deal with PC maker Lenovo that, if true, will likely see the man who played Steve Jobs promoting Windows 8 PCs.
A new report claims that Lenovo is planning to launch a new Windows Phone smartphone that will have a either a 4.7 inch or 5 inch screen with 1080p support and a quad-core chip in 2013.
Lenovo's latest entrant in the hybrid marketplace brings full Windows 8 to the 11-inch form factor. The Lenovo Yoga 11S is described on the company's website as a groundbreaking multimedia mini...
Lenovo has stopped selling its Windows RT Yoga 11 notebook on its own website, although the 11 inch laptop that can also serve as a tablet is still available on other retail websites.
Research firm NPD says that sales of the Chrome OS-based Chromebooks now have claimed 20 to 25 percent of the sub-$300 laptop market in the US and five percent of all PC sales.
When Apple's very first iPad hit the scene in 2010, their take on the "modern tablet" was destined to become ubiquitous: a thin, rigid slab of touchable electronics covered by a sheet of shiny...
Lenovo has officially revealed Miix, its newest Windows 8 tablet with a 10.1 inch screen that's due out later this summer, along with new Windows 8 touchscreen models in its IdeaPad lineup of laptops.
Lenovo has finally started selling its promised Erazer X700 Windows 8 gaming desktop PC, with its angular case design but with a second generation Intel Core processor that's overclocked to 4.2 GHz.
A decline in global PC shipments and sales has forced HP to reshuffle their PC business, moving long-time head Todd Bradley to strategic growth and replacing him with ex-Lenovo employee, Dion Weisler.
Some new images from Microsoft's Computex 2013 keynote address confirm that Lenovo is working on its own 8-inch Windows 8 tablet device. No other information was revealed.
Lenovo has told Neowin it still plans to launch its previously announced Erazer X700 high end desktop PC by the end of June, even though the listing for the PC is temporarily gone from its site.
Lenovo held its grand opening ceremony today for its first US-based manufacturing plant in Whitsett, North Carolina, where it is assembling many of its Windows 8 laptops.
Lenovo's ThinkPad Tablet 2 is a 10.1-inch Windows 8 tablet aimed at business users, but does it do enough to differentiate itself from the other Windows tablet offerings available?
Lenovo has uploaded a new commercial promoting its new Windows 8 Yoga 11S convertible PC that features silhouette dancers that, at one point, spell "Yoga" with their bodies.
Lenovo has revealed plans to launch Lenovo Reach, a new cloud-based service that will store all of a user's passwords to other sites and services in one place and help them manage their accounts.
While a non-player in the American phone market, it seems that China's Lenovo wants to bring its Android wares across the ocean, despite having never sold a phone in the United States before now.
Lenovo has published its quarterly earnings report and the Chinese manufacturer has had a record setting quarter. They now stand at 15.5% of the global PC market and they rank third on smart devices.
Lenovo has released new teaser images of two upcoming notebooks in its ThinkPad lineup, the 13-inch ThinkPad S3 and the 15-inch ThinkPad S5, with a possible launch in China in late May.
Lenovo has revealed three custom furniture designs that have been made especially for use by the recently launched 27-inch IdeaCentre Horizon touchscreen PC running on Windows 8.


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BRATTLEBORO, VT. (July 6, 2:25 p.m. ET) — Traces of heavy metals have been found in imported flexible PVC packaging for products sold at discount stores, according to a report from Toxics in Packaging Clearinghouse.
Our industry analysis highlights macro industry trends and micro trends faced by companies that do business in Mexico. The report also provides key industry statistics and forecasts to anticipate future industry expansion.
January 14, 2015 - January 14, 2015Plastics in Automotive
February 4, 2015 - February 6, 2015Plastics News Executive Forum 2015
June 2, 2015 - June 3, 2015Plastics Financial Summit - Chicago 2015
September 16, 2015 - September 18, 2015Plastics Caps & Closures - September 2015More Events


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During the event, it was confirmed that the PC version will be exclusive to Blizzard App aka Battle.Net. At this time, Destiny 2's September 8th release date only applies to consoles, meaning the PC version will be coming out later. The confirmation follows the other disappointing news that Destiny 2 PC will not offer dedicated severs either.
Let us know your thoughts about this new game.
Developer Bungie's loot-based online-only shooter is back in the first gameplay trailer for Destiny 2.
David Wagner leads Huddersfield away for sunshine break ahead of play-off final
Keeper Danny Ward is expected to be recalled by parent club Liverpool following his role in Huddersfield Towns promotion push.
There's no word yet how much of a delay the PC version will see. Gamers have all heard the horror stories of PC games that have been absolutely atrocious in comparison to their console counterparts.
One of the most interesting pieces of news to come out of the livestream, for PC players, was the service that Destiny will be purchased and launched through. Notoriously, Batman: Arkham Knight was totally busted on PC and that game was also outsourced to another developer as the series' creator Rocksteady Studios focused on the console versions of the game, so it's not exactly like those fears are unfounded. These activities will also be made public by the new Guided Games system that matches players not in groups or clans with other clans in-game so that endgame material can be made accessible to everyone.
In Countdown, the new 4v4 competitive PvP mode, the first team pull off six rounds of either arming or disarming bombs wins.
Theresa May redefines Conservatism as Tories move on from Thatcher
The party also aims to reduce asylum claims made in Britain, while promising to help people in "the most troubled regions". But there are signs that Brexit could already be biting the economy, such as quickening inflation.
Ahead of announcement, Bungie revealed what would and wouldn't transfer over from the original Destiny to the sequel, even addressing fans concerns about the specifics of what would carry over to Destiny 2.
Destiny was a game that had its own fair share of problems, but also many successes.
Why use Battle.net for Destiny 2, then?
OPEC panel looking at deepening, extending oil cuts, sources say
Meanwhile, the price for June futures of West Texas Intermediate ( WTI ) has grown by 0.75 percent and stood at $49.72 per barrel.
- Trump calls Russian Federation probe 'single greatest witch hunt' in United States history
- 'Most hounded leader ever' - Donald Trump claims witch hunt over Russian Federation investigation
- Chinese state media says USA should take some blame for cyber attack
- Brazilian President refuses to resign despite corruption allegations
- Comey Testimony Before Lawmakers in Doubt After Special Counsel Named
- Trump says he fired Comey because of Clinton investigation
- India ranks at 154, below SriLanka and Bangladesh, on healthcare index
- 'Baahubali 2' becomes first Indian movie to enter 1500-crore club
- House Dem threatens to introduce impeachment resolution
- Triple Crown in sight as Always Dreaming tackles Preakness Stakes


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Between 50 and 60 jobs are set to go at the Greggs factory in Cambuslang.
The Reformer understands staff at the factory were informed of the job losses earlier this week.
It is believed the positions will go over the next 24 months. Staff have been asked to consider taking voluntary redundancy.
Production will now concentrate on sweet bakery goods.
The news comes as an added blow to the town in the same week Clydesdale Bank announced they were shutting their Main Street branch.
Greggs spent £15 million moving production from Rutherglen to he Westburn Drive factory 10 years ago.
It is believed more than 200 people are employed there. The company were recently granted planning permission for an extension of the facility.
Last year Greggs announced the closure of three of their 12 UK bakeries but said they hoped to transform the Cambuslang base into a 'centre of excellence'.
Greggs have been contacted for comment.


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In October, the 2015 Autumn Canto Fair was held on October 19th, in Guangzhou Pazhou Hall come to an end. This year's Fair is still bursting with popularity, and our LCD TVs and tablet PCs are exhibited with good performance.
As the highlight of the year, the Marketing Department brought the latest researched A1, 81F and L91F series LCD TV, 800P71C, 800P72C, 101P61C, 116P61C series Tablet PCs to the exhibition, demonstrating the research and development result of our company.
A1 series, as the flagship of our company has just launched the new series of LCD TVs, is the first time to be showed on the fair, which combines the industry's top scientific and technological processes, the thinnest at only 7.9mm, far below the standard definition 9mm in "ultra-thin television industry technical specifications”, reached the top ultra-thin realm. Slim inside, using South Korea imported LG 4KIPS hard screen ELED LCD panel with resolution of3840 * 2160 ultra-HD. Our philosophy is to uphold the people, to introduce health technology in A1 product added the anti-ray technology to filter out most of the short-wave blue backlight on television, long-term care of children's eyes, the prevention of myopia, so viewing more comfortable, and therefore set stylish appearance and excellent quality in one of the A1 is particularly significant in the exhibition, many customers visited our booth for the new product. The 11.6-inch ultra-thin notebook, the 7-inch tablet, L9X, L7X LCD TVs and other products are also popular because of its superior performance and customer's favor and praise.
The two seasons of Canton Fair of each year are the good opportunities for us to show new products and communication with professionals. Electronics industry changing all the time, the unchanging part is KTC people’s faith in “integrity management" and "customer first". We will continue to increase research and development strength, innovation, produce more, better products to meet demands of market and the customers.


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Posted by Mark J. Miller on September 30, 2013 02:48 PM
Part of JetBlue’s charm (and brand) is that all passengers are equal. There’s never been a first class that 'coach' consumers are banned from entering, and no off-limits bathrooms.
But that’s all changing next summer on flights between New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles as the brand introduces its Mint "premium section" that will feature “lie-flat seats, its own tapas-style menu, and even little 'suites' with doors to give passengers privacy,” as well as “customized amenity kits,” USA Today reports. The first flight featuring such ammenities will take off from New York's JFK airport on June 15, and head for the City of Angels.
"This is seismic because now, admittedly only on the transcontinental routes ... JetBlue is saying some passengers are going to be more important than others,'' Henry Harteveldt, a travel analyst with Hudson Crossing, told the paper. "This move is not one that comes with guaranteed success, nor is it one that comes without risk to the brand. ... There is a chance that some customers may look at this and say JetBlue is selling out.''Continue reading...
Posted by Dale Buss on September 23, 2013 09:25 AM
Tesco launches own-brand tablet, Hudl.
Apple sells nine million new iPhones on first weekend, and is named the UK's coolest brand.
Netflix picks up first Emmy.
American Airlines, US Airways extend merger termination date in light of upcoming trial.
BlackBerry explores taking company private and bets future business on services as it haults BBM roll out for iOS and Android.
Bruegger's and Caribou co-brand in growth effort.
Chanel named coolest fashion brand by UK survey.
Darden Restaurant Group makes job cuts.
ESPN launches new ad campaign for SportsCenter.
Fiat plans to buy GM share of their diesel joint venture.Continue reading...
Posted by Dale Buss on August 29, 2013 09:28 AM
Verizon Wireless may soon buy out Vodafone stake.
Coca-Cola sees public-health battle over soda consumption flare in Mexico.
Renault sees operating chief quit amid speculation he may head for Detroit.
Amazon adds to server-market woes with its push to the cloud.
American Airlines and US Airways open to deal on antitrust concerns.
BlackBerry sees "savior" keyboard-equipped Q10 fall flat.
Carrefour's cost-cutting begins to bear fruit.
Chrysler strikes deal with Rush to promote its SRT performance brand.
Cinnabon outlines growth strategy.
GM tries to revive sales by boosting mileage of 2014 Chevrolet Malibu.Continue reading...
Posted by Dale Buss on August 23, 2013 09:33 AM
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says he will retire within 12 months.
QVC debuts second channel, QVC Plus.
Yahoo courts Katie Couric for video series.
Airbnb seeks to create "movie" entirely with Vine.
Al-Jazeera America makes debut with few national advertisers.
American Airlines and US Airways get states' support in merger bid.
Audi reveals new A8 family.
BMW will unveil X5 plug-in hybrid, featuring all-wheel drive, at Frankfurt show.
CBS cuts carriage deal with Verizon.
Coca-Cola hired private eye to snoop in Honest Tea trademark case.Continue reading...
Posted by Dale Buss on August 19, 2013 09:21 AM
Penguin Random House diversifies to TV.
Harley-Davidson launches biggest new product initiative.
Toyota lets dealers drop sagging Scion brand.
AB InBev and MillerCoors bet on boozier brews.
Al Jazeera America vows sober look at news when it debuts Tuesday.
American Airlines and US Airways are left in lurch by US over merger.
Coca-Cola begins marketing herbal drink in Thailand.
Cosi admits its service stinks.
Eight O'Clock Coffee ups marketing to refresh brand.
Eli Lilly enters unusual patent dispute.
Five Star Feature Films finds a flop in Jobs.Continue reading...
Posted by Dale Buss on August 15, 2013 09:28 AM
Facebook to test its own PayPal competitor.
Walmart cuts earnings guidance for rest of year.
Hertz remakes car rental as a retail experience.
AMC gets advertising bonanza as Breaking Bad winds down.
American Airlines and US Airways preview merger defense.
Cadillac plans to reveal new Escalade this fall.
Cisco cuts 4,000 jobs, blaming weak economic recovery.
Ford plans to boost capital spending as expectations boom.
Hooters blackballs embattled mayor of San Diego as brand dives into social media.
Macy's notes troubling slowdown in store traffic.Continue reading...
long arm of the law
Posted by Mark J. Miller on August 13, 2013 01:49 PM
Despite being announced on Valentine's Day of this year, the proposed merger between American Airlines and US Airways may not create a happy union, at least according to the US Department of Justice. American Airlines intended to exit bankruptcy by merging with US Air, resulting in what would be the world's largest airline, however today, the Justice Department and six state attorney generals filed a suit to prevent the merger, citing unfair business circumstances.
"By challenging this merger, the Department of Justice is saying that the American people deserve better," Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement, according to the Wall Street Journal. "This transaction would result in consumers paying the price—in higher airfares, higher fees and fewer choices."Continue reading...
Posted by Dale Buss on July 26, 2013 09:33 AM
Samsung reports soaring profits on smartphone sales.
GlaxoSmithKline names new chief in China amid bribery probe.
Apple still tops consumer brands.
A&P goes on auction block.
Activision Blizzard buys back most of Vivendi controlling stake in company.
Acura and Porsche lead in evaluation of websites.
Amazon swings to loss as expenses grow.
American Airlines and US Airways offer antitrust concessions.
AT&T nabs naming rights for Cowboys Stadium.
Daimler takes 5 percent stake in Aston Martin in technical partnership as CEO Dieter Zetsche faces pressure to catch Audi and BMW.
Facebook sees share price come within striking distance of disappointing IPO price.Continue reading...


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Boeing said it plans to raise production of its 777 and 747 aircraft earlier than previously projected amid increasing demand in the airplane industry.
"We see 2010 as the year of overall economic recovery within the industry and 2011 a year where airlines return to profitability," said Randy Tinseth, vice president of marketing for Boeing's commercial airplanes unit. "As a result, we anticipate an increase in demand for airplanes in 2012 and beyond."
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Amazon has decided to discontinue its “Just Walk Out” self-service technology at Amazon Fresh stores in the United States. Instead, the company will be replacing this technology with the “Amazon Dash Cart,” which provides a similar checkout-free experience for customers.
The new Amazon Dash Cart allows shoppers to scan items before placing them in the cart and pay automatically without having to wait in line. This feature offers more convenience for customers who expressed a desire for features like finding nearby products, viewing their receipt, and knowing how much they saved while shopping.
Amazon spokesperson Jessica Martin stated that the company has been redesigning its Amazon Fresh stores to enhance the overall shopping experience and provide more convenience. Customers have been asking for features like these, leading to the introduction of the Amazon Dash Cart.
While Amazon is removing the “Just Walk Out” technology from Amazon Fresh stores in the U.S., it will continue to be available at Amazon Go stores and smaller Amazon Fresh stores in the U.K. The first cashier-less Amazon grocery store outside the U.S. was opened in London in 2021, showcasing how this technology can be successful globally.


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NEW DELHI: Over 60 per cent of marketers in India believe new-age technologies are going to impact their workplace practices and consider it the next big disruptor in the industry, a new report said on Thursday. According to a global report by software major Adobe that involved more than 5,000 creative and marketing professionals across…
We need to strengthen research for efficiently produced healthy food, while ensuring the availability of food at affordable prices. Finding out things like how much and how long it costs to produce a given crop, the available market say in a given region go a long way in ensuring that there’s efficiency in production.
With this information, the farmers are also able to concentrate on cultivating crops in which they have a comparative advantage as compared to those in the neighbouring countries.
“It’s no coincidence that in countries where agriculture has taken off there have been large investments in research and infrastructure.” Kanayo Nwawce, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development. (IFAD)


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In a move to push Narendra Modi’s “cashless economy” agenda, the government is planning to link all savings accounts with the Aadhaar numbers.
This move will allow account holders to carry out digital transactions at, say, retail points, The Times of India reported. More so, it will come in handy for India’s 30 crore non-smartphone users who are unable to make online transactions, and are forced to rely on cash.
According to TOI’s sources, the plan has been approved by Modi, who has now asked Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to carry out the implementation.
The higher the linkages with the Aadhaar number, the more we have in terms of seamless digital transactions.Ravi Shankar Prasad
Explaining the details of the measure, TOI quoted sources:
All that is required will be devices that support Aadhaar and biometric at the retail points. If anybody needs to make a transaction even without a phone, he or she just needs to log into his account through the Aadhar biometric link and make the payment. This will make digital transactions easy as no connectivity will be required at the consumer’s end.
In turn, the Reserve Bank of India has been insisting on the deployment of point-of-sale machines, with the option of Aadhaar, across the retail set-up. It is pushing for making the feature a must for new deployments.
(Source: Times of India)


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It appears the Far East may not be responsible for everything the United States imports anymore.
Read This Article
This week, Toyota released pricing info on most 2012 models and select Lexus vehicles.
This year's Super Bowl has come and gone but no matter what outcome you were hoping for, one thing is for certain; the commercials are always good.
Toyota announces pricing on the redesigned 2014 4Runner and 2014 Tacoma.


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Galeries Lafayette, the high-end department store and ESMOD Dubai, the famous fashion school recently collaborated to showcase the work of two upcoming designers by hosting a very exclusive fashion challenge-the first of its kind in the city. The work of the designers was displayed at Galleries Lafayette and media and VIPs were invited in-store for a chance to view and buy the collection.
Canella Hostal and Fatemah Banizaman, were the highest performing in their graduating class and were nominated to compete against one another in the fashion design contest. The pair were given the challenge to create an Autumn/Winter Capsule collection titled ‘Soufle de L’Est’ (Eastern Breeze). The designer who has a higher number of sales by December will also be given a prize that includes an in-store window display and a chance to sell one entire collection at the store.
The partnership between Galleries Lafayette and ESMOND further reinforces Dubai's reputation as one of the leading fashion capital's of the world. A city where there is homegrown emerging talent and they are given the right platform and resources to launch themselves.
“For Galeries Lafayette, the aim was to demonstrate the importance of installing faith and encouragement in young designers and to enable them to demonstrate their ability to create fresh and unique fashion collections” comments Etienne Roy the COO of Galeries Lafayette. As most of us know today, “Every artist was at first an amateur” and this summarizes the basis of our event. We are pleased that the exhibition was able to provide the designers with the exposure that they deserve.”
For more information, check out the Galeries Lafayette Dubai website.


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Vitamins, minerals and supplements are flying off retail shelves, giving retailers and suppliers a moment to cheer, while they collectively scratch their heads and try to keep up with demand.
As weary and concerned consumers continue to look for products to help them boost their immune systems due to the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic, retailers and suppliers report that they are having a hard time keeping up with demand in the VMS category, especially with any product that can give consumers a better piece of mind.
While innovation is crucial for the survival of any category, the VMS world faces certain challenges as it expands to meet consumer demands for proactive health. As more products enter the arena, the section can be a confusing one for consumers. “Especially in the digital age we live in, where the latest health news is at our fingertips, it’s difficult for consumers to know what they need, whether it’s more vitamin C or biotin,” said Michelle Yoon, brand manager at Olly based in San Francisco.
Atwater said that USP Verification Services can help build trust. “If a product is USP verified, both retailers and consumers can trust the quality of the supplement,” he said. “We do that through a multistep process, and all of these steps we do on an annual basis, not a one-time activity.” The verifications involve Good Manufacturing Practice, or GMP; facility audits; product quality control and manufacturing process evaluation; and product testing in USP laboratories.
The USP Verified Mark can help manufacturers and retailers with customers who care about quality. “It does highlight the fact their products are high quality,” Atwater said. “It also helps with risk management.”
According to the Washington, D.C.-based Council for Responsible Nutrition’s 20th CRN Consumer Survey on Dietary Supplements, 77% of Americans said they consume dietary supplements. The 2019 survey reported the majority of both males and females aged 18 years old and older take dietary supplements, which is in line with previous surveys’ findings. Among all the age groups, adults between the ages of 35 years old and 54 years old have the highest usage of dietary supplements at 81%.


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Amber Garrison and Corey Reese will both report to ELC’s Executive Group President, Jane Hertzmark Hudis
The new appointees will also serve on ELC’s executive leadership team
Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) has shaken up the leadership team for its Origins and Bumble and bumble brands with two new appointments.
Amber Garrison has been named as the Global Brand President of skin care brand Origins, and will be responsible for increasing brand equity and broadening its consumer base.
She joins from skin and hair care brand Bumble and bumble, where she served as Global Brand President.
“Amber’s track record of successful brand transformation, while mindfully preserving the heart and soul of a brand, make her ideally suited to lead Origins into its modern future,” said Jane Hertzmark Hudis, Executive Group President for ELC.
Corey Reese has also been promoted to Senior Vice President at Bumble and bumble.
ELC said Reese will lead new product and commercial innovations and further strengthen the brand’s digital footprint.
Reese previously headed up MAC, Clinique, Tom Ford Beauty, Smashbox, Glamgow and Too Faced as Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Business Operations.
"A highly collaborative leader, Corey brings to Bumble and bumble a strong tenure of working alongside indie and artistry brands to harness their potential and nurture their growth,” said Hertzmark Hudis.
“These appointments reflect our company’s commitment to enabling top talent with meaningful career growth opportunities and demonstrate the company’s unwavering confidence in their leadership to further maximise the growth potential of each brand,” she added.
Garrison and Reese will both report to Hertzmark Hudis and serve on the company’s executive leadership team.


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The dressers were sold online through Walmart, Amazon, Target and other retailers between October 2009 and July 2018. In the other incident, a child has bruises and scratches on his leg. Another 6,900 dressers were sold in Canada.
Some of the units were sold as part of a three-piece bedroom set that also include a bed and a nightstand.
The recall involves the Libra style three-drawer chest of drawers sold in nine colors.
Customers should stop using any recalled chest that is not properly anchored to a wall and place it in an area that children can not access.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is warning that the recalled chests are unstable if they're not properly anchored to the wall and could result in death or injuries to children. The model number is printed on a label on the back of the chest.
A Quebec furniture manufacturer is recalling a three-drawer dresser linked to a child's death in the United States.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced on Thursday that Shore Furniture has recalled its Libra three-drawer chest of drawers due to serious tip-over and entrapment hazards.
Health Canada said those who own one of these dressers should stop using it and contact the company at 1-855-215-4932 to receive a free fix kit they can use to secure the chest. By contacting the company, consumers can get a free pickup and refund, receive new drawer slides, or get free in-home installation of an anchor to keep it from tipping over.
Consumers can also visit www.ShouthShoreFurniture.com and click on the Recall Information link for more details. In 2015, Ikea launched a campaign in the U.S. and Canada to encourage owners of the Malm chests of drawers to anchor them to the wall.


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Shares of embattled daily-deals website Groupon (GRPN) surged on Monday after the company announced that it is looking for a prospective buyer. The stock was trading up over 7% during afternoon trading on Monday. According to the recent reports, the company, which has a market cap of $2.58 billion, has held preliminary talks with more than one potential buyers so far.
Though the names of the companies involved in the bidding was not revealed, industry watchers have made some guesses. These include Alibaba (BABA), which had picked 6% stake in the company in 2016, Alphabet (GOOGL), Amazon (AMZN), Apple (AAPL) as well as IAC, whose CEO Joey Levin sits on Groupon’s board.
Groupon has been struggling ever since it went public in 2011, as it failed to impress investors in terms of revenue growth. The company became subject to heavy backlash despite flowing more funds into marketing efforts, and many blamed the company’s flawed business model. International expansion plans also failed to take off as it was forced to exit many countries due to lack of profitability.
Stiff competition from peers including Yelp (YELP), Alibaba, Amazon (AMZN), and eBay (EBAY) has been crushing once popular coupons platform.
Groupon shares are up 19.4% in the past 52 weeks, but down 16.4% since the start of this year.
Groupon Q1 results (click to enlarge)
Shares of FedEx Corporation (NYSE: FDX) were up 1% on Tuesday. The stock has dropped 44% year-to-date and 34% over the past 12 months. The company delivered mixed results for
After a soft start to the year, the IPO market has witnessed muted activity so far though a few big companies entered the stock market. On the heels of AIG
After a prolonged slowdown, the restaurant industry is returning to normal patterns but macroeconomic uncertainties and high inflation are currently playing spoilsport for it. While the pandemic-related slump forced many


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It’s in nearly every news story in the US: the economy is growing at an exponential pace, and there’s no sign of it slowing down. The three factors that affect everything, especially 3PL, are:
- Wage increases
- Lower unemployment
- Easier access to credit
Consumers are working, have more money to spend, and are purchasing goods and services daily. This trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. That translates to more freight sent to retailers as well as packages ordered online. The US Post Office as well as UPS and FedEx are delivering millions of packages every day in a world where they only get busier.
So how does this affect the 3PL industry?
3PL Is Growing
Shippers are continuing to utilize everything 3PL has to offer, including helping to optimize their supply chains, minimize costs, produce value, and bring expectations into line as a crucial part of helping both parties achieve success.
In fact, the 2020 Third Party Logistics Study states that 93% of shippers report that their relationships with a 3PL have been successful, and 99% report that customer relationships have been successful.
Of course, the booming economy has been a great boon for 3PL as well. Both shippers and 3PL providers have benefited from the favorable economic conditions. Innovations in both services and technology help providers deliver on time and efficiently. Focusing on improving efficiency in digital resources as well as asset and cost efficiencies helps to expand their services to the customer.
Shippers understand that if they don’t have the technology to serve their customers, they need to partner with someone who can help. 3PL providers have also been able to make substantial investments in their company’s technology to better serve their shippers as well as partnered companies.
While the economy grows and 3PL continues to move forward, the industry has a specific set of challenges that continue to impact the industry in several areas.
- Driver shortages. Although this is a problem worldwide, it is particularly concerning in the US. The American Trucking Association estimates the current shortage at 60,000, and could potentially reach 160,000 by 2028.
- Shortage of diesel mechanics. In addition to drivers, the Tech Force Foundation estimates that the demand in the US will be more than 29,000 new technicians, in 2019 and more than 25,000 annually from 2020 to 2022. Without them, repairs and preventative maintenance could cause more delays in transportation.
- E-commerce growth. It’s almost as if “As Amazon goes, so goes the nation.” With multi-channel sales as a moving target, brick-and-mortar retailers are forced to change the way they do business to keep up with ever-changing customer needs. This is usually attributed to the so-called “Amazon effect,” the continual disruption of traditional retail sales by the online e-retailer.
- Continual Improvement And Disruptive Technology. While Amazon’s delivery drones haven’t yet taken off (they’re still in testing) it’s still a game-changer for “final mile” package delivery. Additional tech like the Internet Of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), cloud-based functionality, and autonomous vehicles (especially long-haul trucks) are poised to take 3PL to the next level. New generations of hardware, software and middleware, and continuous improvement added into the mix provide another level of improvement.
Even though 3PL is currently benefiting from the robust US economy, the industry is predicted to reach $1.3 trillion worldwide by 2024.
Let 3PL Worldwide Is Your Supply Chain Partner
When it’s time to outsource all or part of your supply chain, 3PL Worldwide can offer your company a full range of logistical services. We also offer additional services such as a call center, bi-coastal warehouse space in Southern California and Connecticut, as well as transport nearly anywhere. We’re based in Southern California but work with customers nationwide. We’re ready to help, so contact us today at (877) 444-0002 or use our online contact form.


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NEW DELHI: The upcoming Kumbh Mela at Ujjain might provide a major boost to virtual reality in India. Twist Mobile has introduced its Mahakumbh Cardboard headset to provide 360-degree immersive videos of the religious event, which will take place between April 22 and May 21.
The firm will set up 5000 units of Mahakumbh Cardboard headsets at shops in Ujjain to provide an immersive experience to pilgrims of the famous Mahakal temple. The mobile app called ‘TMVR- VR of India’ is available for free on Google Play. Android smartphone users who have got VR headsets can download the app to experience it from anywhere in India. This app should work fine with Google Cardboard as well.
“At the Kumbh Mela, all pilgrims would want to see the Mahakaal temple and witness Bhasam Aarti in it. However, only 150 people per day are allowed during the Bhasam Aarti. While TVs will be installed across Kumbh Mela, they are not capable of providing an immersive experience,” said the company in a statement. Simhastha 2016 at Ujjain is expected to host 70 Million pilgrims over 30 days.
TMVR team has worked with Madhya Pradesh Tourism, Nestle and Culture Machine on virtual reality previously.
“Ujjain government was very supportive in this project, as sponsorship is very difficult for this type of initiatives. Achal Choudhary, Chairman, IPS Academy helped us with sponsorships and more. Virtual Reality is our core vision. We want to use technology for purpose of spreading and preserving our culture, traditions and history,” it said.
The app will look forward to create Aarti, songs, hyms, Sholak and all Indian rituals and tradition in virtual reality.
As part of their aim to fast change themselves from a traditional IT infrastructure to a modern structure, the company is looking forward to boosting their in-house applications, cracking the partnerships, and enhancing employment for their future projects.


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Mobile phone maker HTC has released an official statement, declaring that the company will 'fully defend itself' against the lawsuit filed by Apple Inc.
Apple claims that the company has infringed 20 of its patents related to hardware and software technology in most of HTC's smartphones which run on Google's Android OS.
According to the press release, after carefully examining the 20-odd patent infringement claims made by the iPod maker, HTC has announced that it was confident that the company will be able to defend its interests in every possible way imaginable.
In what seemed like a call for battle, Peter Chou, chief executive officer, HTC Corporation said in a statement that “HTC disagrees with Apple’s actions and will fully defend itself. HTC strongly advocates intellectual property protection and will continue to respect other innovators and their technologies as we have always done.”
The lawsuit filed by Apple is an indirect attack on Google, which has partnered extensively with the smartphone maker in order to develop its Android mobile phone operating system.
Interestingly, HTC, which first started with Window Mobile based phones, has benefited from the increasing popularity of the Android platform, as sale of its Android based smartphones has sky-rocketed with an exponential rise in the number of handset it has released.
The war by proxy between Google and Apple is likely to continue with more fury in 2010. After the departure from the board of Apple of Google's CEO because of the fact that both companies were starting to become competitors in a number of segments, Google launched its own smartphone.


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My concern is at some point I’m going to out-grow the “Madden’’ franchise – just age out one of these years after decades of playing EA Sports’ crown jewel.
That’s why this “Madden NFL 21’’ review is so conflicting. Did the game miss on some huge opportunities of advancement this year, or have I, at 52, simply become the guy telling you to get off my lawn?
Are the numerous game glitches because of a world-wide pandemic handcuffing most people to their homes for months or was it just a lazy year for the game developers?
So many unanswered questions, so much confusion.
First, the bad.
For most in the Madden community, especially the lifers, the movement to make the Franchise Mode more authentic, while keep an old-school feel to it proved to be a fail. Taking it a step further, if you buy the game solely to play Franchise Mode just stick with Madden 20, because there are very few changes between the two.
The other noticeable problems with the latest version of Madden is all of the glitches. Wrong uniforms, players morphing into each other, game crashes in certain modes … it’s all been on display in the early version.
The good news is the game developers realized the mistakes that were shipped to the public and are quickly sending install patches out to attempt to fix all that has gone wrong.
They’ve also said that there will be updates and patches coming to improve the Franchise Mode experience, so the early complaints are already being heard.
Just how loudly remains to be seen. Fingers crossed.
As far as the good the game offers, well, it does outweigh the bad, with one saving grace called The Yard.
Think NFL Blitz – last released back in 2012 – on steroids.
Does this new game mode mostly appeal to the younger generation that wants arcade-style hits and crazy rules in the backyard football-style mode? When it’s 6-on-6 where any player can get the snap and multiple passes are allowed on a single play?
Heck yeah, the answer is obvious.
What makes The Yard even more of an eye-grabber is the graphics of the different fields to play on, the new-look uniforms, and the player allowed to collect coins to purchase new gear.
That’s the other key addition to this year’s Madden that will attract a younger demographic: The attire that can be bought or collected.
Borrowing the playbook from NBA 2K and its Playground game mode, The Yard not only allows a crazy play-style, but the ability to level up and change the look of your player with creative jerseys, helmets, arm wraps, the whole shebang.
Fortnite skins for football.
The other plus that remained in Madden 21 is the stick work. Game play is still smooth, whether running with the ball or scrambling to find an open receiver. They even added some new tools for the defensive lineman to be more effective, as far as defeating blocks and making life hell for the opposing quarterbacks.
A strength the Madden franchise has always had.
In the end, however, it just feels like they released a game that wasn’t quite finished. That’s why this year’s grade is a C+ with the hope of eventually becoming a B- as the mistakes are corrected.
Madden 21 is still the best football gaming experience on the block … or in this case, in The Yard. The Yard I may unfortunately yell at you to get out of.


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A fresh face for Lokelani
Housemart Ace Kihei sales associate Caleb Guarriello (second photo) helps paint his former school Thursday afternoon as he and other store employees Jackie Villegas (first photo, from left), Carlo Lubaton and John Webb apply a coat of fresh paint to the exterior walls of a Lokelani Intermediate School building. With their store closed for a scheduled termite fumigation, staff members were given the opportunity to work their regular hours while helping freshen up the school located less than a mile away.
Store Manager Douglas Duarte (not pictured) said that the store donated the manpower and $1,000 worth of high-grade paint. “The best thing is the kids,” Duarte said. “Every time the bell rings they come out in groups, ‘Thank you, thank you,’ they say. That is the reward for us, just their appreciation.”


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Share prices of the nation’s biggest solar-cell makers, Neo Solar Power Corp (新日光) and Motech Industries Inc (茂迪), plunged yesterday after Taiwan and China were targeted by new anti-dumping and anti-subsidy cases filed by SolarWorld AG in the US.
SolarWorld on Tuesday filed the cases with the US International Trade Commission and US Department of Commerce, requesting that they close a loophole in trade remedies issued more than a year ago.
The loophole enabled Chinese producers to circumvent duties averaging 31 percent by assembling modules from cells manufactured in third countries, SolarWorld said in a statement.
Motech shares fell 4.42 percent to NT$58.4 yesterday, ending their longest-winning streak since May last year.
Neo Solar shares fell 1.7 percent to NT$43.3.
IMPACT NOT IMMEDIATE
Sean Kao (高鴻翔), who tracks the solar industry for researcher Market Intelligence and Consulting Institute (MIC, 資策會), said the impact of the US case would not be immediate as there were mixed voices in the US about whether to increase punishment for China over the SolarWorld suit.
“It will take at least three to nine months to complete the investigation,” Kao said. “Taiwanese solar cell makers will suffer significant and adverse impact, if they are found violating the [US] anti-trust law, or receiving subsidies from the government.”
Chinese solar module makers have been buying solar cells made by Taiwanese firms to evade punitive duties on China-made solar cells imposed by the US since December 2012, he said.
During the fourth quarter last year, Taiwanese solar cell makers shipped 34.4 percent of cells they made to China, which re-exported solar modules containing the Taiwanese-made cells to the US, MIC said.
Manufacturers are mulling raising the price of cells in the near term after increasing prices by 0.26 percent this week on the back of strong demand and persistent increases in the cost of raw materials, market researcher TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) said yesterday in a report.
The price of a solar cell rose to US$0.389 per watt this week from last week, TrendForce said.
“Manufacturers are hiking prices slightly to reflect hot demand, which helps boost factory utilization to high levels, and results in raw material prices rising significantly,” analyst Arthur Hsu (胥嘉政) said in the report.
Solar cell makers aim to raise prices by another US$0.4 per watt in the short term, Hsu said.
The price of polysilicon, a key raw material for solar cells, is expected to rise to between US$19 and US$20 per kilogram this month after increasing 7.2 percent since its price started to rise in July last year, TrendForce said.
Meanwhile, the price of solar wafers would rise to between US$0.98 and US$1.02 per unit this month, it said.


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Broadband bragging rights could go to Charter Communications, which is ready to launch a 60 Mbps service. It would apparently be the fastest available to U.S. consumers. No details yet on price or when, or where, the service will appear from the cableco.
60 Mbps would top telco Verizon, which sells 50 Mbps service through its FiOS fiber-optic service. Comcast last year started rolling out 50 Mbps service in some of its cable markets at a monthly cost of $150.
Charter would presumably use the same Docsis 3.0 technology that Comcast uses to pump the high speeds across its coaxial cable. The new rate would more than triple that of Charter's current top offering, its 16 Mbps High-Speed Max.
The one-upping would be a rare bright spot for struggling Charter. The St. Louis company said earlier this month that two subsidiaries had missed interest payments and were negotiating new terms on outstanding debt.


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Happy Holidays to everyone and we hope this holiday season treated you well. Sadly with the ringing in of this New Year, my first post-holiday blog comes with some bad news. Another market is being targeted by vacation rental scams, Lake Placid and the Olympic village has reported dozens of rental scams this holiday season.
These scams are a little different in nature than some of the past scams we have reported. Usually, scammers linger on unverifiable sites like craigslist.com and other anonymous classifieds sites. In Lake Placid, most of the current rings of scams are coming through more reputable sites, even referencing VRBO.com. We hate to see such malicious use of the people looking to become part of our industry but this serves as another reminder of the perils that exist for our clients.
One specific trend discussed in the original article was price changing. A guest booked a vacation rental home, only to have the owner try to change the price and increase the payment required. I have not seen this type of scam before, hooking a guest and then trying to drive the price up certainly raises some hairs. In the end, we are happy to see that there is a friendly, professionally managed company in the area that is helping these families find suitable vacation homes. It is another testament to the security provided by a professional managed vacation rental company.
We have found that there are some simple ways to separate yourself from RBO listings on these sites so please read that article here. As these scams come up, it’s always smart to make sure your vacation rental software has the ability to offer pricing options for those coming in for the holidays.


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tech in the spotlight
Posted by Shirley Brady on March 7, 2012 04:31 PM
Apple introduced the new iPad today, which starts at $499. Described by Apple as "brilliant from the outside in," the third generation tablet boasts sharper-than-an-HDTV graphics thanks to its "stunning Retina display," ultrafast 4G LTE, a 5-megapixel iSight camera and 3D capability.
Check out the "don't call it the iPad 3" below and tell us: enough to merit trading up — or finally taking the iPlunge if you've been iPadverse until now?Continue reading...
brand vs. brand
Posted by Mark J. Miller on March 5, 2012 10:01 AM
Building up a brand has always been crucial to a business but the value has gone up even higher in the Internet age. The New York Times reports “brand experts and trademark lawyers say the value of simple, easily understood brand names has escalated in the Internet era because consumers are more likely to find such products while doing searches on the Web.”
Because of that, trademark fights have escalated, the Times notes, pointing to the trademark spat over the phrase "app store" by Microsoft, Apple, and Amazon.
But it is the smaller companies that have more stake in grabbing hold of those trademarks, the NYT points out, since the larger ones can attempt to crush the smaller — a legal tactic that some call "trademark bullying."Continue reading...
Posted by Reneé Alexander on February 28, 2012 05:49 PM
The University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux are back! For now, anyway — although UND was just snubbed over the name, so watch this space.
The Grand Forks-based school has been embroiled for decades in a tug of war over its moniker and logo, which features a Native American warrior wearing a feather headdress.
Traditionalists have fought to keep it while those who believe it is offensive to Native Americans have long argued it needs to be retired in favor of something more politically correct.
UND officially dropped the divisive nickname in late 2011 but it was resurrected this month after local residents collected 17,000 signatures seeking to put the issue to a state-wide vote. As part of the process, a law requiring the school to reinstate the nickname went back into effect. Continue reading...
Posted by Mark J. Miller on February 23, 2012 11:02 AM
Back in 2010, when Jeremy Lin was 'just' a Harvard-educated, undrafted rookie with the Golden State Warriors, Chinese businesswoman Yu Minjie, the owner of a sporting goods company, took 5,000 yuan ($793) and purchased the trademark for “Jeremy S.H.L.” That prescient investment is paying off.
“S.H.L.” stands for Lin Shuhao, Lin’s Chinese name, according to China Daily. Now Yu can use the trademark on sportswear, accessories, balls, and toys all the way up through August 2021.Continue reading...
in the spotlight
Posted by Abe Sauer on February 20, 2012 07:02 PM
On Friday, Apple's week of bad news from China got the proverbial icing on the cake in the form of an initial report from The Fair Labor Association about Apple's manufacturing partners. The report had a number of points but the single bite the media latched on to was "tons of issues."
From its lost iPad trademark to working conditions to a smoldering conspiracy theory about the brand punishing The New York Times, Apple stands on the verge of flipping from the brand we love and hold up as an example to emulate, to the brand we love… begrudgingly.Continue reading...
Posted by Sheila Shayon on February 16, 2012 01:53 PM
In the ongoing news of worker abuse and suicide at Apple's top eight suppliers in China, with Foxconn Technology Group's factories most prominent in the glaring international spotlight, the Fair Labor Association (FLA) has begun its on-site inspections of conditions at factories at Apple's behest, and the initial reports are better than expected.
"The facilities are first-class; the physical conditions are way, way above average of the norm," commented Auret van Heerden, president of the FLA, after visiting two Foxconn factories in Shenzhen in southern China and another plant in the central city of Chengdu with a contingent of 30 FLA inspectors. "I was very surprised when I walked onto the floor at Foxconn, how tranquil it is compared with a garment factory. So the problems are not the intensity and burnout and pressure-cooker environment you have in a garment factory. It's more a function of monotony, of boredom, of alienation perhaps."Continue reading...
Posted by Abe Sauer on January 23, 2012 11:50 AM
In the new age of product placement, it's difficult to believe a movie like Underworld: Awakening could only have one easily identifiable brand. (And a gun brand at that.)
Not that the franchise was ever a product placement extravaganza. The first two films in 2003 and 2006 had but 13 identifiable products between them: a handful of them, also gun brands.
In the Underworld franchise's fourth outing, this new #1 movie adds to a robust collection of film "brands": A fake bioengineering corporation.Continue reading...
Posted by Mark J. Miller on January 20, 2012 02:25 PM
The folks at Samsung, busy promoting the Galaxy S II (its latest commercial is above), must be feeling pretty good in general these days. Samsung filed trademarks for ‘Samsung Joy’ and ‘Samsung Fresh’ smartphones on Jan. 13, cheerful names meant to elicit delight and spark interest.
“Both trademarks were registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and labeled as ‘telephones; smart phones; mobile phones; computer software for mobile phones, portable media players and handheld computers,” according to BGR.com. More will be explained at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February. GizmoCrave is hearing that Samsung will bring two new devices to the Congress, possibly entry-level handsets.
One thing Samsung likely isn’t feeling joyous about is its loss in a patent suit in German Friday against Apple.Continue reading...