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The Big Story
A Public Lesson
Womenswear apparel retailer J.Jill reported some unexpected bad news last Wednesday about its performance in the current quarter ending October 28, 2017. The update was so awful the Company’s stock price dropped by over 50 percent, causing the company to lose about $230 million in market value. The negative reaction extended less dramatically to apparel retailers across the board, with many wondering whether the news is a harbinger of more widespread weakness in women’s apparel.
J.Jill’s news is not just a story about brick and mortar retail. While the majority of the company’s sales are generated through its stores (the good news is that its store locations are primarily in “A” malls), it has a relatively high direct/ecommerce sales penetration of between 40 percent and 45 percent. On a comparable sales basis, J.Jill analyzes its sales performance holistically, only publishing combined store and direct comparable sales, which has been the primary driver of its overall sales increases.
The latest guidance from the company reduced expected third quarter comparable sales to (3) percent to (5) percent, from its August 29th guidance of an “increase in the high single digits.” That’s a reduction of almost 15 percentage points in the 43 days between the two company announcements, and makes one wonder if August sales were worse than the company led investors to believe on August 29th, or if sales just fell off a cliff in the period from August 29th to October 11th. Adjusted diluted earnings per share in the third quarter are now expected at $0.07 to $0.09 per share versus the $0.18 to $0.20 per share announced on August 29th. Since J.Jill has only been a public company for seven months, perhaps the ill-timed change in guidance is just a rookie mistake, but nonetheless, it was cause for concern for J.Jill investors and retail followers alike.
Credit should be given to J.Jill for its admission that the decline in third quarter performance was self-inflicted due to “product and marketing calendar issues that are affecting traffic and conversion.” The company has also assured investors it has already begun to fix the problems, leading several analysts to predict that holiday sales will turn around.
The market’s reaction to last week’s news was a hard lesson for J.Jill, and likely exacerbated by the fact that the newly-public company has not yet had time to gain the trust of the investor community. With no track record, last week’s downward revision to guidance was likely more damaging to the company’s credibility than it would have been if J.Jill had already established a history of achieving its guidance. The market always prefers those companies that consistently meet or beat expectations – even if most observers assume that guidance is conservative. It will be interesting to see if the next newly-public retail company learns from this mistake and establishes guidance that is more conservative than it would have otherwise provided. In the meantime, let’s hope J.Jill has identified and corrected its issues, and that the market has reason to react favorably to the company’s earnings release in December.
Headlines of the Week
Sears Canada said Tuesday it plans to seek court approval to begin liquidation of all of its remaining stores and assets, a move that would see about 130 outlets close and put about 12,000 employees out of work. “Sears Canada, with the recommendation of its advisers and approval of the monitor, FTI Consulting Inc., is seeking an order to commence a liquidation that would result in a wind-down of its business following court approval,” Sears Canada said in a release. “The company deeply regrets this pending outcome and the resulting loss of jobs and store closures,” the retailer said.
Google and the country’s biggest brick-and-mortar retailers have one main problem in common: Amazon. Now both sides are acting like they are serious about working together to do something about it. On Thursday, Target and Google announced that they are expanding what was a years-old delivery partnership from a small experiment in a handful of cities to the entire continental U.S. The expansion will allow Target to become a retail partner in Google’s voice-shopping initiative, which lets owners of the Google Home “smart” speaker order items through voice commands like owners of the Echo can do from Amazon.
Apparel & Footwear
Coach announced last Wednesday that it is changing its corporate name. Three years ago, Coach announced its intention to grow beyond the Coach brand, acquiring Stuart Weitzman, an upscale shoe brand, in 2015 and Kate Spade & Co., a maker of handbags, apparel, shoes and accessories, over the summer. Coach has been Coach since 1941, when it began as a family-run workshop in Manhattan with handmade wallets and billfolds. The company said in a statement that the name change will take effect Oct. 31.
J.Jill lowered its expectations for fiscal third-quarter earnings and same-store sales. The Quincy, Massachusetts-based now expects same store sales to decline between 3 and 5 percent. Initially, J.Jill had forecast comparable sales to be up in the high single digits. Some analysts are saying there’s still hope for J.Jill to turn sales around ahead of the all-important holiday shopping season. On the heels of its March initial public offering, J.Jill offers an example of just how difficult it is to be an apparel retailer today, as forecasting where shoppers will spend their dollars is becoming increasingly uncertain.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Joseph Abboud label, and the New Bedford factory has never been busier. Abboud, a 67-year-old Boston native, got his start on the floor of Louis Boston in his teens, then launched his design career under the tutelage of Ralph Lauren. While many of his contemporaries are closing stores, Abboud says he is a man in full, cutting a new path to meet the demands of a shifting industry. After three decades designing menswear — which includes seven years when a legal battle with his former partners left him unable to design clothing under his own name — Abboud is now the chief creative director of Tailored Brands, the parent company of Men’s Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank.
Athletic & Sporting Goods
Clearview Capital has acquired Nielsen-Kellerman, a maker of measurement instruments and equipment in the outdoor, tactical, paddlesports and professional markets. The sellers were JZ Partners and The Edgewater Funds. No financial terms were disclosed. Nielsen-Kellerman was founded in 1978 and is located in Boothwyn, PA. All of the company’s products are designed and assembled in the United States and are marketed under the Kestrel and NK brands.
While athleisure has been popular across demographic groups, a new survey suggests a shift in both fashion favor and brands among teens. Overall, only a third of teens say their favorite apparel brands are in the athletic category, down from more than 40 percent in the spring. Nike is still the No. 1 preferred apparel brand for teens, but it has lost share, falling from 29 percent of teens ranking it as their favorite to 23 percent. Adidas and American Eagle Outfitters have picked up most of the share Nike has lost. Adidas has doubled its mindshare and is now the No. 3 preferred brand, particularly popular with the guys. American Eagle holds on to the No. 2 spot but with a higher share this year than last.
Cosmetics & Pharmacy
Procter & Gamble claimed victory in its battle with Nelson Peltz, saying the activist investor had been denied a seat on the consumer group’s board after the largest proxy battle corporate America has seen to date. Trian bought a $3.5bn stake in P&G in February, giving it a roughly 1.5 per cent holding and representing almost a quarter of Trian’s fund. Mr Peltz had argued that P&G, maker of household brands such as Tide detergent and Gillette razors, has been stuck in the past and failed to adapt to significant shifts in consumer tastes and shopping habits. Trian’s defeat comes after its chief investment officer was elected to the board of General Electric, raising expectations of success at P&G.
Amazon is in the final stages of figuring out its strategy to get into the multibillion-dollar prescription drug market. The company will decide before Thanksgiving whether to move into selling prescription drugs online, according to an email from Amazon viewed by CNBC and a source familiar with the situation. If it decides to make that move, it will start expanding its senior team with drug supply chain experts. Amazon typically spends years researching opportunities before it telegraphs its intentions. The opportunity to sell drugs online is alluring given its market size — analysts have estimated the U.S. prescription drug market at $560 billion per year.
Teen apparel retailer Forever 21 is trying something different. The company created Riley Rose, a beauty boutique that’s being rolled out at 13 of General Growth Properties’ shopping centers across the U.S., to start. The first Riley Rose store opened at Los Angeles’ Glendale Galleria mall. The Riley Rose moniker was coined by Linda and Esther Chang, the daughters of Forever 21’s founders. While the two have been involved in marketing and visual merchandising at Forever 21, they’ve long wanted to tap into beauty.
Discounters & Department Stores
Walmart brass feels its brand may not be the best when it comes to selling to urban customers. The discount giant will have its youngish Jet.com e-commerce unit focus on shoppers in New York, Chicago, Boston and other large cities, while the 55-year-old discounter’s online store will focus on the rest of the country, The Post has learned.
The two-Americas strategy — Jet.com for urban millennial customers and Walmart for the remainder of the country — was disclosed recently to a town hall meeting of Jet.com employees at the 3-year old company’s Hoboken, NJ, headquarters.
Retailers that close a big chunk of their store fleet are likely only hastening their demise, predicted Hudson’s Bay Company CEO Gerald Storch. Storch, speaking on Monday at the Shoptalk conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, said his company would instead “play to win” in the radically changing world of retail, and not retrench and close stores. Hudson’s Bay, which owns Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor in the United States (as well as a namesake chain in Canada and the Netherlands and a pair of retailers in Belgium and Germany) continues to expand, opening dozens of Saks Off Fifth discount stores in the last year and renovating and rebranding 15 stores in the Netherlands.
Grocery & Restaurants
Kroger Co. is eying a potential sale of its convenience-store operations, which include 784 c-stores operating under several banners across 18 states. The c-store business generated revenue of $4 billion, including sales from 1.2 billion gallons of fuel in 2016, the company said. It has posted 62 consecutive quarters of identical-store sales growth. Kroger said it has hired Goldman Sachs & Co. to evaluate options for the c-store division, which operates under the Turkey Hill Minit Markets, Loaf ‘N Jug, KwikShop, Tom Thumb and QuickStop.
Kroger unveiled a series of strategic moves that include reducing its investments in new stores and leveraging technology to accelerate changes in assortments and improve customer service at existing locations. The “Restock Kroger” initiative will involve an accelerated and more data-driven effort around pricing, personalized communications with customers and a massive revamp of product assortments, executives form the Cincinnati-based company explained in Kroger’s annual Analyst Day. Kroger is the largest collector of food purchase data in the U.S., the company said, and it intends to use that data as a competitive advantage as it expands its efforts to provide meal- and food-shopping solutions.
Private-equity firm L Catterton has acquired the 29-unit Uncle Julio’s Mexican casual-dining chain, the companies said last Wednesday. Greenwich, Conn.-based L Catterton said it planned to accelerate expansion of Dallas-based Uncle Julio’s, which was founded in 1986 and has restaurants in seven states. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Home & Road
Ikea Group, the parent of the Ikea U.S., reported retail sales of $40.2 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, up 3.8% from the previous year after adjusting for currency impact. The company, with 355 stores in 29 countries, said it stores saw some 817 million visits while its Ikea.com websites saw more than 2.1 billion visits. It did not report same-store results as it did the year before. “We will use our stable financial situation to invest in meeting the needs of our customers even better,” Jesper Brodin, president and CEO of IKEA Group, said in a statement. The company said it continued to improve this past year with new store formats, shorter lead times and improved distribution.
Jewelry & Luxury
LVMH’s watch and jewelry sales saw healthy growth in the first nine months of the year, with organic revenue rising 13 percent. The company singled out Bulgari for its remarkable performance, with sales rising for its Serpenti, Diva, and B.Zero1 lines. “The launch of [Bulgari’s] new Festa high-end jewelry line is one of the highlights of the last quarter,” it added
Helzberg Diamonds confirmed Wednesday that it is dropping its just-launched line of Marchesa-branded bridal jewelry for now, a decision that comes in the wake of the sexual harassment and assault charges leveled against designer Georgina Chapman’s husband, movie producer Harvey Weinstein. First reported by The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday, Helzberg confirmed the news in an email to National Jeweler via its PR firm, stating that it is “not launching the Marchesa brand at this time.” The company declined any further comment.
Diamond and jewelry wholesaler White Pine Trading has announced the launch of a new e-commerce website specifically aimed at helping jewelers get their product online and in front of more customers. The website, BrightSociety.com, offers a full e-commerce experience for consumers, who can shop a wide variety of jewelry and watches stocked by various brick-and-mortar stores. Joe Mellet, Bright Society’s general manager, said in a press release: “Bright Society is committed to providing an industry-altering solution for jewelers, and changing the online shopping experience for customers.
Office & Leisure
Staples Inc. is the latest retailer to stop selling anti-virus software made by Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab Inc., which is allegedly linked to Russian spy agencies. The software was removed from the retailer’s website and is being pulled from all stores on Thursday, a company spokesman confirmed after an inquiry from Bloomberg News. Best Buy Co. and Office Depot Inc. vowed to stop selling the software last month after the U.S. banned government agencies from using it.
Character Group Plc, the British maker of Teletubbies and Peppa Pig toys, fell the most in more than eight years after saying the collapse of retailer Toys “R” Us Inc. is impacting every market in which it operates. “Sales have been adversely affected by a combination of several factors, not least of which is one of the world’s largest toy retailers entering into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. and Canada,” the London-based company said in a statement. Character Group now expects its performance for the year ending August 31 2018 to be significantly below current market estimates, as international customers in particular take a “very conservative approach to purchases.”
Technology & Internet
Amazon has almost perfected speedy delivery to your home. Now the company is working to make sure your packages get inside the front door, or even into your car. The company is in advanced talks to forge a partnership with Phrame, a maker of smart license plates that allow items to be delivered to a car’s trunk, according to a person with knowledge of the potential deal. Phrame’s product fits around a license plate and contains a secure box that holds the keys to the car. Users unlock the box with their smartphone, and can grant access to others — such as delivery drivers — remotely. At the same time, Amazon is developing a smart doorbell device that would give delivery drivers one-time access to a person’s home to drop off items, said two people familiar with the matter. The new initiatives are part of Amazon’s effort to go beyond convenience and fix problems associated with unattended delivery.
Finance & Economy
U.S. producer prices rose in September as the price of gasoline recorded its biggest increase in more than two years amid production disruptions at oil refineries in Texas caused by Hurricane Harvey. The Labor Department said its producer price index for final demand increased 0.4 percent last month after rising 0.2 percent in August. In the 12 months through September, the PPI jumped 2.6 percent. That was the biggest gain since February 2012 and followed a 2.4 percent jump in August. Wholesale gasoline prices soared 10.9 percent in September after increasing 9.5 percent in August. The Labor Department said higher energy prices were likely the result of “reduced refining capacity in the Gulf Coast area due to Hurricane Harvey.”
U.S. retail sales jumped last month by the most in more than two years as motor vehicles lost to hurricanes were quickly replaced and higher prices lifted receipts at gasoline stations, Commerce Department figures showed. Vehicle sales helped to drive the overall gain at retailers in September. Demand recovered after auto dealerships around Houston, among the top markets for new-vehicle sales, took a hit from Hurricane Harvey a month earlier. Industry figures released last week showed cars and light trucks sold in September at the fastest annualized rate since 2005.


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by Paul Buchheit, mirrored from Common Dreams
There are so many to choose from. Every one of these selections is an act of corporate treachery that takes billions of dollars from the American people.
1. Selling Medication For Up To 100 Times More Than It’s Worth
Pharmaceutical companies reap billions of dollars in subsidies for research and development, but they’ve successfully lobbied Congress to keep Medicare from bargaining for lower drug prices. An extreme example is Gilead Sciences, the manufacturer of the drug Sovaldi, which charges about $10 a pill to its customers in Egypt, then comes home to charge $1,000 a pill to its American customers. Other outrageous examples are noted by Ralph Nader.
As a further insult, Americans are cheated when corporations pay off generic drug manufacturers to delay entry of their products into the market, thereby forcing consumers to pay the highest prices for medicine.
2. Paying Their Employees With Our Tax Money
Walmart made $19 billion in U.S. profits last year, and the four Walton siblings together made about $29 billion from their personal investments. That’s about $33,000 per U.S. employee in profits and family stock gains. Yet they pay their 1.4 million American employees so little that the average Walmart worker depends on about $4,000 per year in taxpayer assistance, for food stamps and other safety net programs.
3. Giving Money to Executives Rather Than Investing in the Future
Corporations are spending trillions of dollars on stock buybacks, which use potential research and development money to pump up the prices of executive stock options. Apple alone is spending $90 billion to repurchase its own stock through 2015. Walmart doesn’t provide a living wage for its workers, but its company management spent $7.6 billion, or about $5,000 per U.S. employee, on stock buybacks, in order to further boost the value of their stock holdings.

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UK 5G Cities for 2019
2019 will see companies launching the 5G network to select cities in the UK.
14:35 01 January 2019
5G is the next-generation mobile network that promises up to 10 times faster speeds than what 4G LTE currently offers. This exciting new technology is expected to supercharge the Internet of Things (IoT) and enable millions of connected devices to communicate with each other seamlessly.
5G is expected to be rolled out to a number of cities across the United Kingdom. It is currently being tested by various companies and educational institutions. The University of Surrey boasts the 5G Innovation Centre, which is said to be the largest 5G research center in the world. Meanwhile, 02 is working with Nokia to create two massive multiple-input, multiple-output (Massive MiMo), a major 5G building block, in the London’s Kings Cross Area.
EE has announced that it will launch 5G in sixteen UK cities in 2019, including London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast, Birmingham and Manchester. Also in the list are Bristol, Coventry, Glasgow, Hull, Leicester, Leeds, Newcastle and Liverpool. EE will also be launching 5G smartphones in 2019 as well as 5G home router for 5G broadband.
As for a nationwide rollout, experts hope that it will happen sooner than later to prevent the growing digital divide in the country.


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Interested in learning what's next for the gaming industry? Join gaming executives to discuss emerging parts of the industry this October at GamesBeat Summit Next.
Register today.Another bizarre week of 2022 in the bag. I’m not saying this has been a bad year, but oof, it’s been the most.
What happened this week? Goodness gracious. A hacker got hold of footage of Rockstar’s in-development game and published it online.
Logitech is making a Steam Deck competitor. And apparently it’s time to revisit Cyberpunk 2077? Like I said, bizarre week.The GTA VI leak was a doozy by itself, but I was a bit disheartened to see how critical everyone was of it.Read more on venturebeat.com


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12% of online purchases in Germany get returned
One in eight online purchases in Germany is sent back to the online retailer. Currently, 12 percent of products ordered online won’t stay with the customer. Two years ago, this share was still at 10 percent.
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This is the result of a survey commissioned by digital association Bitkom among over 1,000 online shoppers in Germany. The study shows that one in three online shoppers sends back at most every tenth purchase, while one in four sends back 10 to 25 percent of all online orders. And 14 percent even returns over 25 percent of the products they ordered online.
Return rate is high among clothing
According to Julia Miosga from Bitkom, the return rates are particularly high in product categories such as clothing and they rise from year to year. She says that for online retailers, it often requires a great deal of effort to prepare for the resale of returned items. “After all, returns do not only mean a loss of revenue, it also causes personnel and process costs, because online stores need to check the returned items and get them back to the warehouse.”
Young shoppers and women send lots of items back
It’s 14- to 29-year-old online shoppers who account for most returns: among this age group, 18 percent of all online orders get returned. Women are also well-known for their high return rate: 15 percent of their online orders will eventually come back at the retailer. For men, it’s only 9 percent.
Reducing the number of returns
In order to reduce the number of returns, many online shops in Germany would already rely on detailed product information and digital customer service solutions such as live chat. “The more information there is about a product, the better the customer can make his or her decision and the less surprises there are when opening the package”, Miosga says.
She gives the example of certain online retailers that do not only inform the customer about the pure clothing sizes, but also how well the clothes fit. And 360° images, close-ups and product videos should also give the buyer a better view of the desired product.
Some customers will keep returning products
Online retailers should however keep in mind that maybe not all returns can be prevented. The survey shows that 51 percent of online shoppers occasionally order products online with the intention of sending them back, because they just want to try different size of clothes. 28 percent does this rarely, 17 percent sometimes and 6 percent even regularly.


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FoodFacts.com knows that many in our community have strong opinions regarding the fast food industry and how it affects our children’s health. We knew the following information would be valuable as you continue to make healthy food choices for yourselves and your families.
Beginning today, McDonald’s and other fast food chains in San Francisco will, by law, have to stop giving toys away with their children’s meals. The city of San Francisco begins today to enforce the ordinance that prohibits including toys in any children’s meal that contains more than 600 calories, doesn’t include a fruit and vegetable or does include a sugary drink. We’re read a lot of conflicting opinions about these new requirements on fast food restaurants like McDonald’s — everything from fast food chains shouldn’t be patronized by adults, let alone children, ever … not even as a treat, to it’s the responsibility of parents and not the government to determine what their children consume and there should be no laws or requirements that restrict the habits of the public.
But, what if McDonald’s and other chains like it actually found a way to comply with the new law and basically give away the toys anyway? Are they doing something wrong? Are they being a smart business organization? Are they morally bankrupt? Or are they upholding the rights of people to decide for their children’s diet themselves, without government interference?
These are interesting questions, and we’ll all have to form opinions, because that’s exactly what the 19 McDonald’s restaurants in San Francisco have done. That’s right, they’re complying with the law, and anyone ordering a happy meal who wants a toy will now have to pay for it.
You might think that’s a deterrent to a child getting the happy meal to begin with.
Think again. The toy will only cost .10. And, in addition, that .10 will go directly to the Ronald McDonald House. Do you think that might be specifically designed to make the parents spending those ten pennies feel better about their kids eating all those greasy, fried, and sometimes strange ingredients?
But McDonald’s is not breaking the law. So now, by law, McDonald’s doesn’t need to make sure its kids’ meals contain less than 600 calories, include fruits and vegetables and don’t include any sugary drinks. That’s because, in reality, the consumer is paying for the toy … even if it costs a dime and that dime is being donated to the Ronald McDonald House charity.
So, for McDonalds anyway, all’s right with the world (or at least with San Francisco) … they comply with the law, they don’t have to change the ingredients in their children’s menu, Ronald McDonald House charities makes some money and the kids get the toys they wanted in the first place. Legislators heads may very well be spinning right now, because this is not the way things were supposed to unfold.
But, is everything alright for our children?
FoodFacts.com would like to get our community’s opinions on this very important subject. Do you think it’s o.k. for the fast food industry to market to children with toys (even if you have to pay .10 for them)? Or do you think that perhaps children’s meals don’t belong at McDonalds or Burger King or any other fast food establishment. After all, maybe if they weren’t there at all, future generations of adults would be far better off in the long run.


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Christmas has been in effect since the day after Halloween, and with it has come a boost in retail sales and international tourist travel to big cities like Houston.
According to Chinese news agency Xinhua, Galveston is also a popular spot for holiday festivities and tourist attractions. Xinhua describes it as an interesting port town with “pristine beaches, Victorian-era homes and a festive downtown shopping district.”
Xinhua reports that 6.5 million people in total visited Galveston in 2016 and spent $780 million. In 2015, Texas was host to 1.79 million international visitors, excluding Canada and Mexico, and those visitors put $1.8 billion of their money into the state economy.
Galveston is ramping up its tourism efforts as international traffic continues to grow, with plans to add new cruise ships and destinations to its roster.
“More and more people are discovering that Galveston is much more than a beach destination, from our many unique attractions and historic sites to our vibrant culinary, arts and entertainment scenes.” Kelly de Schaun, executive director of Galveston’s Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, told Xinhua.
Christmas events like Dickens on the Strand hope to attract holiday revelers, and in Houston, Chinese tourists are reportedly among the Galleria’s biggest customers.
Tourism made up 2.7 percent of the United States’ GDP in 2016, with the National Trade and Tourism Office listing Canada, Mexico, China, Japan and the U.K. listed as the top five origins of international tourists of the U.S. According to a report by the NTTO, the U.S. is the world leader in tourism cash, with 16.8 percent of worldwide travel spending.
According to the most recent report by the Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office, 4.66 percent of all international visitors to the U.S. visited the Lone Star State, and tourism has been steadily climbing overall for the past few years.


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A new study titled “Analysis of embodied carbon in on-street residential EV charging stations” by Sustainability Analytics reveals that a lamppost charger may have an up to 88% lower carbon footprint than a standalone charging pillar in production and installation, according to InsideEVs.
Purpose of the Study
ChargeLight, a UK-based company that installs lamppost charging stations, commissioned the research. It seeks to estimate the amount of carbon emissions that could be reduced by using lamppost chargers in place of traditional charging pillars. According to the authors, at least 300,000 lampposts in the UK might be modified for charging.
The authors came to the reasonable conclusion that lamppost chargers embody less carbon since they make use of existing infrastructure.
Installing a charger to an existing post should entail using less material, taking less time, and experiencing fewer difficulties, all of which result in fewer emissions.
Henry le Fleming, the founder of Sustainability Analytics, stated:
“The resource requirements for new charge pillars is much higher than using the existing sources of on-street electricity, so it is no surprise that building new pillars will cause more carbon emissions.”
Notably, everything leaves a carbon footprint. That said, people who install electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) frequently talk about how eco-friendly the electricity their chargers will utilize. However, the actual carbon footprints of different types of hardware are rarely, if ever, discussed.
In considering funding decisions for charging infrastructure, government organizations should take embodied carbon into account, according to ChargeLight.
ChargeLight Managing Director Tom Pakenham explained:
“This study shows not only that lamppost charging is by far the lowest-carbon solution for on-street charging infrastructure, but it also underlines why embodied carbon should be a much higher priority consideration for government funding bodies and corporate entities when selecting technology solutions.”


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February Magazine Rate-Card Advertising Revenue Up 5.7 Percent (posted 3/9)
Total magazine rate-card reported advertising revenue was just under $1.7 billion for February, up 5.7 percent over February of last year, according to data released today by the Publishers Information Bureau. Ad pages for the month totaled 16,571.67, up 1.8 percent from a year ago. Year-to-date ad revenue closed at almost $3 billion, up 5.5 percent from a year ago, and year-to-date ad pages totaled 29,738.51, a 0.3 percent gain.
Seven of the 12 major advertising categories posted revenue and page increases in February, with food, apparel and retail posting double-digit page growth. Five categories showed double-digit dollar gains: drugs, food, media and advertising, retail and technology.


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In a controversial move, Apple has triggered public outrage by introducing transaction fees that have the potential to increase costs for iPhone and iPad app users.
This development follows a court order demanding changes to the tech giant’s ‘Apple tax’ – a 30 percent levy on subscriptions and in-app purchases.
However, the recent adjustments have sparked fresh concerns about transparency and consumer costs.
Rule Changes and Consumer Impact:
Court documents reveal that Apple, while compelled to allow app developers alternative payment options to bypass the ‘Apple tax,’ has introduced a 27 percent commission on purchases.
This has implications for consumers, who are already witnessing heightened subscription costs for popular apps like Audible and X, as companies transfer the additional expense to the users.
The rule changes, though intended to address concerns around Apple’s monopolistic practices, have inadvertently given rise to a new set of challenges.
The impact on consumer wallets and the broader app ecosystem is a focal point of the unfolding controversy.
Geographic Scope and Global Concerns:
Currently, the fee adjustments affect App Store users in the United States.
However, there are apprehensions that this model could be extended to other regions, including the UK.
Calls have emerged for legislative interventions, urging ministers to empower the tech watchdog Digital Markets Unit to prevent a potential global rollout.
The geographic specificity of the fee changes underscores the potential ripple effect in the tech industry.
Concerns about the global applicability of this model highlight the need for regulatory frameworks to safeguard consumer interests.
Industry Response and Legislative Urgency:
Spotify, a notable player in the streaming industry, has strongly criticized Apple’s fee structure.
The call for urgent legislative action, particularly through the Digital Markets, Competition, and Consumers Bill, aims to address what is perceived as a lack of accountability and an attempt to replicate Apple’s existing fees.
The industry response indicates a growing tension between major tech players, each vying for a favorable position in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
The urgency for legislative measures emphasizes the need for a regulatory framework capable of adapting to the evolving dynamics of the tech industry.
Apple’s recent fee adjustments have ignited a contentious debate, bringing to the forefront concerns about fairness, consumer costs, and the broader implications for the digital market.
As stakeholders navigate this evolving landscape, the clash of interests between tech giants and regulatory bodies underscores the challenges in achieving a balanced and transparent ecosystem.
The ongoing developments will likely prompt further scrutiny and discussions surrounding the role of major tech corporations in shaping digital economies.
How regulators respond to these challenges will play a crucial role in determining the future dynamics of app transactions and consumer interactions within the tech ecosystem.Share on Facebook «||» Share on Twitter «||» Share on Reddit «||» Share on LinkedIn


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Brand of the Day: Abercrombie & Fitch
Welcome to Brand of the Day, where we pick the company making headlines for the day and explain five elements you need to know about what has happened for them to be in the news.
Today we feature a clothing retailer that has come under fire for its allegedly discriminatory hiring practises.
1) The brand
Abercrombie & Fitch was founded in New York in the 1892. The brand originally marketed itself toward outdoorsmen, but shifted its focus to young adults in the late 80s. The recent economic recession battered the brand, dropping its stocks from $84.23 in 2007 to $14.64 a year later.
2) The ‘models’
Abercrombie’s hiring practises have often been questioned. Until April, front-of-store workers were called ‘models’ and were hired largely in part to their physical appearances, citing its ‘look policy.’ In 2004, the brand settled in a class-action lawsuit which claimed it most offered ‘model’ positions to white males and often discriminated against African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, and women.
3) Michael Jeffries
One of the many reasons for the brand’s strict look-based policies was its long-time chief executive officer (CEO), Mike Jeffries. Jeffries publically said that Abercrombie was discriminatory “because good-looking people attract other good-looking people, and we want to market to cool, good-looking people.” Abercrombie, he said, was only for “cool kids.”
4) The rebrand
After losing the admiration of many of its teenage customers, the brand decided it needed a rebrand. Its first step was to get rid of Jeffries, whose worldviews had become synonymous with the brand. It announced in April that it would no longer hire people based on their looks, and that it would desexualize its image.
5) The girl with the headscarf
While Abercrombie seems genuine about its new image, a discriminatory choice from 2008 has come back to haunt it. In 2008, Samantha Elauf was rejected from a job at the retailer because she wears a hijab. The head scarf, of course, went against the ‘look policy.’ After a lengthy back-and-forth, the Supreme Court yesterday voted, 8-1 that Elauf can accuse the brand of discrimination based on its disapproval of her headdress.


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Blog: Apparel firms face new cash squeeze
Leonie Barrie | 16 July 2009
As if trying to contend with a downturn in consumer spending wasn’t enough, US apparel firms now have to face the very real prospect of their credit and cash flows drying up too – potentially leaving retailers with a shortage of merchandise during the crucial back-to-school and holiday seasons.
CIT Group, the largest factoring firm to the apparel sector, is preparing to file for bankruptcy after hopes of a government bailout came to an end.
And as well as sending shockwaves across the industry, the lender's demise could start a chain reaction that would see thousands of small and medium-sized companies forced to cut costs, lay people off or shut down.
Confirmation that digital supply chains are top of mind for apparel industry executives came last week with the latest plans from global sourcing specialist Li & Fung....
As a barometer of the issues top of mind for apparel sourcing executives, it is hard to beat the annual Prime Source Forum in Hong Kong. ...
Over the past month, Donald Trump and his team failed to offer any clear plan to ensure Americans would "Buy American, Hire American" - while the British government's attempts to clarify the specifics...
The Bangladesh government was forced to respond late last week to pressure over its crackdown on labour activists after a number of global brands and retailers, including H&M and Inditex announced pla...
- No US rush to Myanmar despite end to sanctions
- Using worker surveys to drive supply chain change
- Where does VF supply chain sit in growth strategy?
- Investment continues in Ethiopia clothing sector
- Rana Plaza four years on – Timeline of change
- Driving ban intensifies Myanmar logistics hurdles
- Amazon wins on-demand apparel manufacturing patent
- Trump bolsters "buy American" with executive order
- Start-ups chosen to re-think fashion industry
- Inditex, Adidas and Patagonia top ethical report
- Global market review of denim and jeanswear – forecasts to 2022
- When Things Go Wrong - A Practical Guide to Managing Common Problems in Apparel Sourcing
- Myanmar - ISA Country Report
- Southeast Asia strategic sourcing review – a focus on Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar
- Clothing Market in the Top 5 American Countries to 2021 - Market Size, Development, and Forecasts


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Mir-Pharm Kaluga, a Russian company, became the resident of Kaluga Special Industrial and Manufacturing Economic Zone. The company is investing 975 million rubles in its new project.
The project includes the construction of a plant to manufacture high-tech pharmaceutical substances, with a capacity of up to 41 tons a year and 130 new jobs. The company selected a SEZ site located in Borovsky district.
The founder of Mir-Pharm Kaluga LLC is Obninsk Chemical and Pharmaceutical Company CJSC.
During the presentation, the company announced that it was implementing full-cycle projects.
“This allows us to launch high quality import-substituting drugs onto the market. In 2016, the company launched 6 generics. In 2017, it registered the generics of two drugs and two substances. The company has a strong technological potential. The project is environmentally safe,” said Igor Efimov, the General Director of Mir-Pharm Kaluga LLC and Executive Director of Obninsk Chemical and Pharmaceutical Company CJSC.
Obninsk Chemical and Pharmaceutical Company CJSC specializes in the manufacturing of pharmaceutical substances and finished dosage forms used primarily in such areas of medicine as gynecology, neurology, cardiology, transplantology, surgery, anesthesiology and resuscitation.


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Trade talks progressing, but no deal yet
China Vice Premier Liu He was in Washington this week to meet with President Donald Trump and continue negotiations on trade. No deal has been reached, but both sides seem optimistic that an agreement can be reached. The timetable remains unclear, with four or five weeks as a possible window to solidify a deal. It appears that intellectual property theft continues to be a sticking point in negotiations.
In the meantime, sales of soybeans continue to lag what is needed to reach the U.S. Department of Agriculture's estimate for the 2018-19 crop year. There have been some sales and promises of more by China, but until those materialize, stocks of old crop soybeans will continue to be burdensome. New supply and demand estimates will be released on Tuesday by the U.S. government and it will be interesting to see if the Department of Agriculture reduces its forecast for soybean exports given lagging sales.
Wheat markets pushed lower, with spring wheat contracts pressing to new lows every day. Domestically, supplies of wheat are more than adequate. Export demand has not eaten into supplies as previously expected, keeping pressure on the market. Now, spring is here and though many areas are very wet, this tends to not be an issue for winter wheat crops. The U.S. Department of Agriculture put out its first ratings of the winter crop for the calendar year. Of the U.S. crop, 56% is rated good or excellent compared to just 32% a year ago at this time. Only 9% of the crop is rated poor or very poor from 30% a year ago.
Globally, supplies of wheat are comfortable, too. Spring weather is very cooperative in the Black Sea Region as well as in most of Europe. Expectations for good crops after issues last year are keeping global markets pressured.
There was no change to the Minneapolis durum market this week. The market is simply holding steady on good supplies and has yet to see any boost from lower planted area expectations in the U.S.
The canola market has suffered tremendously by the lack of Chinese demand. Prices have stopped their freefall from last autumn, but no support can be sustained to get the market going. Sales to China have been curbed by political tensions that have yet to be resolved as well as some quality issues. A third exporter has been issued a complaint by Chinese importers due to quality problems. Until this is resolved, look for pressure to continue.
Pulse output could get a boost in Australia this year, with land dedicated to peas and lentils increasing to 1.82 million hectares from 1.3 million a year ago. This still lags the average planted area, but would clearly give a boost to output if normal yields are achieved. Domestically, the U.S. is planning to plant fewer acres to pulses but support has not come through to prices yet.
Mustard seed prices have been mixed, with little clear direction until spring planting efforts in the U.S. and Canada are under way.


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Samsung The Frame, the company’s art-minded lifestyle TV, has now launched in an 85-inch size – a huge step above the maximum 75-inch size that stylish shoppers had available until now. You’ll be stuck with wall-mounting or some counter feet at that size, though, as the tripod TV stand accessory is only available for sizes up to 65 inches – but it certainly expands the repertoire of sizes for Samsung’s design-first television.
That’s not all, though – the Samsung QN90A has been available for some months in 55-inch, 65-inch, 75-inch and 85-inch models, but the Neo QLED screen will now be coming in additional 43-inch, 50-inch and 98-inch sizes.
- The best smart TVs you can buy today
- Here are the best Samsung TVs
- Every new Samsung TV coming this year
Those smaller sizes will be a boon for those wanting a good Neo QLED screen in a more compact form factor (and, naturally, with a lower price tag), and likely make the screen’s somewhat compromised audio performance easier to swallow. We’re still sad that the QN95A isn’t available in the US, but some more flexibility in price and sizing for its step-down QN90A cousin is definitely a help.
That 98-inch QN90A, though, is a truly breathtaking size, on a par with the massive Micro LED TV models Samsung is starting to put out into the market. You’re still getting 4K resolution, though, so those looking for increased detail at that size should be looking at the best 8K TVs instead, given they tend to come in larger sizes as standard.
Samsung’s outdoor TV, The Terrace, is set to get a new 65-inch size for its ‘Full Sun’ iteration, which is designed for visible pictures even in direct sunlight.
Should TVs really be this big?
Of course, these larger size options will be inconsequential to most of us, given that a 98-inch or even 85-inch screen isn’t going to fit easily into the average flat-share.
For those with the space, and the cash, these super-sized screens will be smarter propositions, though it’s worth noting that there are alternatives to get a big picture in your home.
The best 4K projectors can easily scale up images to 100 inches and above – even 300 inches with certain models – and don’t take up nearly as much space when not in use. While good projectors tend to be a bit pricier for equivalent picture quality as mid-sized 4K TVs, they become much better value when compared to the largest TV screens out there, which can almost double in price when jumping from a 65-inch to a 75-inch size.
If you want a truly out-there screen, though, you may have to see if Samsung ever brings out the prototype smart display it teased at a recent expo...
- Check out every new Samsung TV coming this year
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Henry is a freelance technology journalist, and former News & Features Editor for TechRadar, where he specialized in home entertainment gadgets such as TVs, projectors, soundbars, and smart speakers. Other bylines include Edge, T3, iMore, GamesRadar, NBC News, Healthline, and The Times.


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What you need to know about Mobile Websites and Google
Google announced that having a “mobile friendly” website will be a factor in mobile ranking results starting April 21. This announcement, as you know, set the SEO world in commotion. The mobile algorithm change is set to run on April 21, but will likely roll out worldwide over the course of that entire week.
Let’s break this announcement down into it’s most basic form. Let’s first talk about this “April 21” date. It isn’t very often that Google announces an update BEFORE that update happens. I think Google is trying to give as many webmasters as possible the opportunity to change their websites to be mobile-friendly before the update. I don’t think they are doing this out of the kindness of their hearts however. No, they aren’t. If you think about it, Google’s goal is to display the best results in their Search Engine. What better way to reach that goal than to scare webmasters into making these changes.
Now, let’s talk about what “Mobile-Friendly” means. A “Mobile-Friendly” status is assigned to those websites that reach the standards that Google has set forth to be mobile-friendly. For the most part, Google is looking for a mobile site design that can be easily navigated through mobile searches.


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International Paper Co. said Friday it completed its acquisition of a 75 percent stake in Andhra Pradesh Paper Mills Ltd. of India for a total of about $388 million in cash.
The Memphis, Tenn., paper and packaging company purchased about 53.5 percent of Andhra's outstanding shares from L.N. Bangur and related family members and affiliates for about $226 million. It also made a $57 million cash payment to the sellers in exchange for a pledge that they would not compete with their old business.
International Paper also bought an additional 21.5 percent of Andhra shares for about $105 million in a public tender offer completed earlier this month.
Andhra, an integrated paper maker, operates two mills in India, makes paper and pulp products and employs about 2,500 people. International Paper has about 59,500 people in more than 24 countries, and company officials said in a statement the deal leaves it well positioned to serve the rapidly growing Indian market.
International Paper shares finished at $25.71 on Thursday.


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Downturn in European car market shakes up brand hierarchy
This is particularly highlighed in Germany, where continuing poor sales have changed the competitive landscape, benefiting other models than Volkswagen Golf, Opel Astra and Ford Fiesta, which have traditionally dominated sales.
David Di Girolamo, head of JATO Consult, explained: 'The economic waves that are buffeting the European countries are now starting to affect sales of brands that traditionally enjoyed loyalty in their “home” markets, allowing other brands to benefit and establish a stronger foothold.'
Both Ford and Volkswagen are suffering heavily from the downturn in the German market. Renault’s contrasting good fortune has helped the brand retain its second place above Ford in third and YtD have closed the gap to 13,684 units in sales.
Ford’s third place has been regained from Peugeot, which was unable to sustain its April gains.
In terms of model performance, the biggest net winner is Renault and its success has been driven largely by Clio sales, particular notable performances in Italy (+83.8%), the UK (108%) and its home market France (37.5%) contributing to its overall 43.3% rise YtD.
This success contrasts with the current performance of key segment rivals, with the Ford Fiesta and Peugeot 207 both down over 22% in May when compared with the same month last year.
Building on the Clio’s performance the French brand adds Mégane to the three models in the top 10 recording an increase in the month.
Looking at national sales trends, Germany and Greece feature amongst the largest contributors to the decline in May, reflecting the wider economic issues that have tied these two countries together.
Italy and France have also experienced a dip, joining some Central and Eastern European countries in a lack of consumer confidence pervading the euro-zone.
David Di Girolamo concluded: 'The current situation is significant, in not being one of the industry’s own making as it had hoped that the economy would have recovered by now. Without the assistance of scrappage, national markets and brands can only hope to ride out the storm and wait for more favourable and stable economic conditions.'


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"SVF India Holdings (Cayman) has disposed of an aggregate of 13,103,148 equity shares of One 97 Communications Limited in a series of disposals undertaken between February 10, 2023 to May 8, 2023, with the disposal on May 8, 2023 breaching the 2% threshold specified in Regulation 29(2) of the SEBI Takeover Regulations," SoftBank informed stock exchanges.
As a result of the stake sale, SoftBank's 13.24% stake in Paytm has now reduced to 11.17%. The market value of the total sale was not declared in the regulatory filing but reports said that it could be worth around $120 million.
According to an earlier ET report, Ant and SoftBank were likely to offload shares gradually in the market as part of their plan to exit Paytm.
After China’s Alibaba Group had sold 3.3% stake in Paytm through the open market in a Rs 1,378 crore deal, Alibaba affiliate Ant Group was also said to be in talks for selling shares in the company through a secondary block deal.
Ant group (formerly Ant Financial) is still the single largest shareholder in the Noida-based firm with about 25% stake.
March quarter shareholding pattern shows that Paytm CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma owned 9.13% stake in the company which doesn't have any promoter entity.
Paytm shares which have gained around 33% so far in the calendar year 2023 were trading around 3% lower at Rs 706.75 on BSE today. The payments firm, which was under trouble for mounting losses, is now seen as coming closer to its path to profitability.
In the March quarter, Paytm's consolidated net loss narrowed to Rs 168 crore from Rs 761 crore a year ago, and Rs 392 crore a quarter ago.
At the operating level, the company managed to rebound and reported a second quarter of EBITDA (before ESOP cost) profitability at Rs 101 crore.
"Our next milestone is to make Paytm free cashflow positive in near future. This has been possible by disciplined resource allocation and focusing on what has become our core revenue and growth driver – Payments and financial services distribution business," Sharma had said after Q4 results.
Among foreign brokerages, Macquarie has maintained an ‘Outperform’ rating on the stock while Goldman Sachs has taken a ‘Buy’ view.
"We believe these results should largely put to rest debates around Paytm’s business model traction and profitability, and we see resolution of outstanding regulatory issues (ban on PPBL and online merchant onboarding) as the next set of catalysts for the stock," Goldman had said, adding that it sees the risk-reward ratio as skewed to the upside, with 103% potential upside in a bull case vs. 17% downside in a bear case.
Thursday, 07 Dec, 2023
- Adani Looks to Buy SP Group’s Gopalpur Ports
Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone, India’s biggest maritime company by market capitalization, is in advanced talks to acquire Shapoorji Pallonji Group’s Gopalpur Ports in Odisha for up to ₹1,100-1,200 crore in equity value as part of a string-of-pearls strategy that involves owning considerable facilities along both eastern and western water margins.Cars, 2-wheelers Tow Vehicle Sales to a High
Vehicle registrations, a proxy for retail sales, rose 18% on-year last month to their highest level, amid robust festive demand. As many as 2.85 million vehicles were registered in November, surpassing the previous peak of 2.41 million in November 2022, according to Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) data.Japan Big on India’s Consumer Mkt, Mfg
Japanese companies see India as a credible long-term partner for manufacturing as well as a top consumer market, Masahiro Goto, global head of investment banking at Nomura, told Swaraj Dhanjal in an interview.
Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.


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Aldi plan for Tosa going nowhere
I've had several questions lately from readers in Wauwatosa about a plan for a new Aldi store in the former Jewel-Osco location on N. 124th St. It was reported in a local paper last winter that Aldi was interested in the site.
I checked with Wauwatosa, and was told that no formal plan was ever submitted for the location. When I asked Aldi about it, they wouldn't comment. That could mean that they are no longer interested in the site, or that it's just on hold.
Meanwhile, Aldi is going forward with the old Gander Mountain location on W. Blue Mound Rd. They hope to design the store with an open ceiling, which would give it a more contemporary look than their standard prototype.
- Two new Ross Dress for Less stores set to open Saturday
- Meijer store in Sussex to open Tuesday
- National Business Furniture grand opening set for June 14
- Men's retailer Richard Bennett Tailors moving to Brookfield Square from Mayfair
- Bon-Ton Stores Inc. planning to sell, lease back three more stores
- Hallmark aiming for another touchdown: Packer Jordy Nelson is 2016 Keepsake ornament
- Wisconsin's first Akira store opens Friday at Brookfield Square
- Downtown Boston Store's new furniture department debuts Thursday
- Meijer partners with Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin network
- Fox Bros. Piggly Wiggly lands meat contest awards
Retail Business News
All sorts of things are bubbling up — from exotica such as holograms and virtual reality to more-prosaic but potentially more-useful technology — as legacy retailers seek to merge their physical outposts with the online world.
The transformation has chains making major investments, and Menomonee Falls-based Kohl's Corp., one of the Milwaukee area's largest employers, is no exception.


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For the armchair shopper, placing an order is easy enough, writes NAPHTALIA LODERICK.
But waiting for it to be delivered can be a far more stressful affair, and it's one that pensioner Jimmy Thomas is all too familiar with.
The cause of his troubles can be summed up in one word - Parcelforce.
Indeed, the parcel delivery arm of the Royal Mail is better known as Parcel 'farce' in Mr Thomas's household.
Last month the retired publican, aged 66, of Gelli Road, Gelli, was waiting for two rotisseries he had ordered from home shopping channel TV Network to be delivered.
Unfortunately, Mr Thomas was in hospital being treated for a dislocated hip when the goods arrived but his wife Lynda, aged 60, was at home to take delivery of the items.
Mr Thomas said: 'My wife told me that only one rotisserie had turned up and said she was told by the driver that she did not have to sign for the package.
'I told her to ring the home shopping channel when she got home to find out what had happened to the other rotisserie.
'But when she got in touch they said both items had been dispatched and signed for at this end by a Mrs Williams!'
For Mr Thomas, since being discharged from hospital, this is the latest in a long line of delivery problems he has had with both Royal Mail and Parcelforce.
He said: 'I posted six Rhondda calendars before Christmas.
'Some of the people I posted them to have still not received them.
'My cousin in Haywards Heath [West Sussex] didn't get his last year or this year.
'I don't send parcels to my family in the US anymore because of the problems we've had in the past.
' I'm afraid to put anything in the letterbox.
'It's about time the whole system was investigated.'
Adrian Gillett, TV Network's chief operating officer and the person responsible for the dispatch of products, said: 'We operate a proof-of-delivery-only service.
'Otherwise, Parcelforce do not get any money from us.
'That's the contract we have with them.'
After the Leader's involvement, Mr Gillett has instigated an investigation into Mr Thomas's case.
'Parcelforce is a carrier we have used for a number of years and we have found them to be good, but I take this matter very seriously.
'Mr Thomas is a good customer.
'He has bought several products over the years.
'Mr Thomas's second unit, I'm told, is en route to him.'
Parcelforce spokeswoman Val Bodden said: 'At this stage, all I can say is that we will investigate further and try to get to the bottom of what has happened.
'We will be speaking to TV Network.'


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The Apple iPhone 6 is the most popular phone in China, according to the latest data from the country’s leading mobile phone service provider.
The country’s top-ranked mobile phone provider, Mobile Net, says the iPhone has been the top-selling smartphone in China for more than a year, and it’s the most downloaded smartphone in the country.
The data, compiled by the data analytics firm App Annie, was based on more than 1,000 monthly phone calls and more than 600,000 apps downloaded in the last six months.
It also includes monthly data on app downloads from App Annie.
The top-ranking iPhone in China is the iPhone 5S, which launched in September 2015.
The iPhone 6, which launches in November, was announced in November 2016 and was followed by the iPhone 7 in November 2018.
Apple’s smartphone shipments in China dropped from about 1.8 million in March to fewer than 800,000 in September.
That decline coincided with a series of software updates that included a new operating system and an overhaul of the iPhone’s display and processor.
Apple launched the iPhone SE in September, and the iPhone X in November.
The company also launched a revamped version of the Apple Watch.


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KUALA LUMPUR (May 9): Messaging app WhatsApp is now available on Nokia 8110, according to Finnish mobile phone company HMD Global.
In a statement May 8, HMD Global country manager for Malaysia and Myanmar Vijay Thangavelu said the Nokia 8110 is available at Nokia authorised dealers nationwide or Nokia's Official Store on Lazada at RM299, and that WhatsApp can be downloaded from the Store.
"Millions of people stay in touch with their loved ones through messaging apps like WhatsApp, and we wanted to bring this to fans of our retro classic, the Nokia 8110.
"Now, you can keep up to date on your family and friends' groups, share messages and never miss a moment, all with the style and cool-factor of a true Nokia classic," he said.
HMD Global said with a familiar and easy to use interface, the Nokia 8110 features intuitive tactile mechanics such as sliding the cover open to pick up calls and sliding it back to end them, as well as a design that allows for a helicopter-style spin on its axis.
"It comes with the craftsmanship you would expect from a Nokia phone, delivering durability and reliability as standard," said Thangavelu.
HMD Global said the Nokia 8110 is powered by KaiOS, the mobile operating system for smart feature phones, and the only lite OS with an app store, and delivers crystal-clear VoLTE calling and is perfect for anyone who wants an iconic 4G feature phone or a companion device.
The firm said the phone comes equipped with the Store, a home to KaiOS-powered apps, rich content and services that enhance user experience.
It said this includes a suite of preloaded Google applications such as Google Assistant, Google Maps and Google Search as well as popular apps like Facebook.
Meanwhile, KaiOS Technologies founder and chief executive officer Sebastien Codeville said WhatsApp is now available on the widely popular Nokia 8110, enabling users to easily communicate with friends and family, both near and far.
"Our mission is to provide affordable digital services to everyone, and this announcement marks a big milestone towards our goal," said Codeville.
HMD Global said the Nokia 8110 is available in two colours, Traditional Black and Banana Yellow, and includes a revamped Snake game.


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Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 4: New report refutes Samsung Foundry exclusivity rumour
There has been plenty of confusion around the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 in recent months. A report claimed Qualcomm would dual-source it from Samsung and TSMC. A subsequent one said it would use Samsung's 3 nm node exclusively. Now, yet another leaker has chimed in on the matter with an entirely new take.
@tech_reve says all Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 versions (regular and for Galaxy, assuming the latter exists) will be manufactured on TSMC's N3E process. A report from Commercial Times further confirms the speculation by stating that TSMC's N3E capacity will be divided between Qualcomm, Apple and MediaTek in 2024. N3E has supposedly passed verification, and mass production is expected to kick off in Q4 2023.
The leaker adds that negotiations between Samsung Foundry and Qualcomm are in progress for the 2025-bound Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 (tentative). Whether or not Qualcomm will dual-source it from both chipmakers (N3E plus 3GAP) remains to be seen. Mapple_Gold, the leaker who initially claimed that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 would be exclusive to Samsung, is sceptical about @tech_reve's claims.
While @tech_reve has been relatively spot-on about many unreleased products in the past, Mapple_gold's arguments do hold some water. Although it is unclear how much share of TSMC's capacity Apple has booked, its entire M3 lineup will be based on 3 mn nodes (likely a mix of N3E and N3B), leaving little room for a high-volume company like Qualcomm.


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Euro RSCG Discovery named Alex Bombeck president. Bombeck was promoted from president of digital, North America at Euro RSCG 4G. He worked in the agency’s 4G unit since 1999.
Platform A’s Adtech signed an exclusive agreement with InteractiveMedia for digital ad serving. InteractiveMedia, the ad network of Deutsche Telekom, will migrate its portfolio of digital properties to Adtech’s ad serving solution for display, video, and mobile advertising.
FreeWheel named Brent Horowitz as director of sales and business development. Horiwitz was previously director of business development at Homestead technologies. He also held the position of senior manager of business development at NexTag, and was at DoubleClick for five years before that.
Ipsh named two senior executives. Craig Turner was named senior VP, client service. Turner is a former executive with Rare Medium, Agency.com, and Sony. Brad Vettesse was named EVP and managing director. Vettese will lead ipsh’s LA office, and will be responsible for developing engagement strategies for the agency’s clients. Vettesse previously served as CMO at Teleflip, and VP of Limbo 41414 before that. He was CEO of mobiico for five years.
Gorilla Nation was selected by Mattel Properties to represent U.S. ad inventory. Gorilla Nation will represent online display ad inventory for Mattel’s Barbie.com and PollyPocket.com sites.
Zig created a campaign in Canada for Unilever’s Axe Body Spray. The campaign consists of English and French language TV spots, online banner ads, and a promotional Web site created by Dashboard.
Silverpop promoted Will Schnabel to VP, international markets. The promotion comes amid the company’s international expansion efforts. Schnabel was previously general manager of Vtrenz at Silverpop.
Taco Bueno refilled its Cellfire mobile coupon account.The decision came after a successful test of 80 stores in Dallas. The fast food chain will accept Cellfire mobile coupons at participating locations throughout the full chain.
Market research firm InsightExpress appointed three senior management positions in the ad agency sector. Ed Agvent, senior manager of client relationships, agency sector, will be responsible for creating customized marketing research programs. Ryan Grady and Jeff Gerken were both named account executives, agency sector. Both will provide agency clients digital marketing research solutions.
Aggregate Knowledge joined Bazaarvoice’s Radius.
Netshelter Technology Media hired Patrick Houston its SVP, media, and chief publisher. Houston was a founding general manager of Yahoo Tech, and a former editor-in-chief of CNET.com.
Adverplex hired Tom Ellis as search marketing manager. Ellis was previously with Commission Junction’s CJ Search.
They're arguably the most annoying video ad formats in existence, but soon they'll be a thing of the past, at least on YouTube.
On Thursday, Twitter reported its earnings for Q4 2016, and the results have raised questions about the company's long-term future.
From its $1.5 billion air cargo hub to its growing network of contract last-mile delivery drivers, Amazon is increasingly looking like a logistics company; but shipping and logistics giant FedEx isn't sitting idly by.
Havas Group's Meaningful Brands report delivers sobering news for brands: consumers wouldn't care if 74% of the brands they use disappeared off the face of the earth.


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Chef™ (formerly Opscode) on Monday announced it has closed a $32 Million
Series D funding round. Scale Venture Partners (ScaleVP) led the round, which
included Citi Ventures, Citi's corporate venturing arm, as well as existing
investors Battery Ventures, DFJ, and Ignition Partners, and also included
The new round of capital will be used to further accelerate the development
of the company's Chef IT automation platform, expand market penetration, and
drive customer success.
Chef also today announced that Rory O'Driscoll, a partner with ScaleVP, has
joined the company's Board of Directors. In addition, the company has
expanded its executive team (see separate press release) and has changed the
company name from Opscode to Chef.
"The new normal of relentless 24×7 digital demand means that enterprises
must make IT the primary customer touch-point. Th... (more)
Click Here to View Video on YouTube
"It's been a great show for NetIQ - we've had the opportunity to speak about
how NetIQ is enabling the cloud - how we are allowing customers to get access
to cloud services that enable service providers to deliver cloud services in
a secure, compliant manner," explained Gary Ardito, Chief Architect for Cloud
Service Provider Solutions at NetIQ, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at the 13th
International Cloud Expo®, held Nov 4-7, 2013, at the Santa Clara Convention
Center in Santa Clara, CA.
A Rock Star Faculty, Top Keynotes, Sessions, and Top Dele... (more)
In my first post in this three-part series I talked about the need for
distributed transactional databases that scale-out horizontally across
commodity machines, as compared to traditional transactional databases that
employ a "scale-up" design. Simply adding more machines is a quicker, cheaper
and more flexible way of increasing database capacity than forklift upgrades
to giant steam-belching servers. It also brings the promises of continuous
availability and of geo-distributed operation.
The second post in this series provided an overview of the three historical
approaches to... (more)
As more business applications move to the cloud, security seems to be
top-of-mind for all concerned parties. Also, the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
to work trend, along with more smartphones and tablets that require wireless
connectivity in the workplace, has increased the level of concern for many IT
managers and executives.
Keeping business systems safe and protecting the data that they hold has
never been more difficult to achieve, according to the latest market study by
Ovum. The typical corporate ICT environment continues to be threatened by
security attacks -- ranging from ... (more)
When asked about the actual cost of an hour or minute of downtime, frequently
the response is “it depends.” In some ways, we agree, it can be tricky to
pin the cost of downtime to one static number when the variables change so
dramatically from incident to incident. One hour of downtime at Amazon may be
completely different from an hour at Microsoft, Google or a much smaller
business. Nevertheless, we still get excited when the experts make an effort
to estimate the value of uptime and the cost of downtime. While they may not
be scientifically correct, assigning a tangible moneta... (more)
Best Recent Articles on Cloud Computing & Big Data Topics
The Arlington, Virginia-based National Science Foundation has just released its "Report on Support for Cloud Computing" - in response to the America Competes Reauthorization Act of 2010, Section 524.
It is an absolute must-read for all concerned with current and future research projects in Cloud Computing.
"The volume of data we're generating now from machines pales in comparison to the volume of data we'll soon generate from our own bodies," says data security expert Dave Asprey. Writing in a Trend Micro blog, Asprey - who is one of the leaders in the emerging Quantified Self movement - explains his vision of a world in which personal biometrical data is shared via the cloud.
Cloud computing has caught the attention of business leaders around the world in every
industry because of its enormous transformative potential. Visionary companies know that
the value of the cloud is far greater than the current focus solely on technology and operating
costs: when combined with a collaborative approach to designing processes, cloud computing
will change how we do business.
Want to make sense of the hottest new concept in Enterprise IT?
Want to understand in just hours what experts have spent many hundreds of days deciphering?
Cloud computing is a technology that has rapidly evolving peppered with a lot of hype along the way. Customers find it hard to navigate through this and make sense of what aspects of this technology will give them real business benefit.
Cloud Computing Bootcamp, led by our 2013 Bootcamp Instructor Larry Carvalho, is a great way to get a practical understanding of this technology. We offer multiple days of actionable insight into what vendor offerings are currently available and help you comprehend their strategy.
The ever-popular Bootcamp, which is now held regularly around the world, is being held in conjunction with the 12th Cloud Expo, June 10-13, 2013, at the Javits Center, New York, NY.
Did you know that ninety percent of the data in the world has been created in the last two years? Every day, we create 2.5 quintillion (or 2.518) bytes of data, according to IBM.
As corporations across all industries globally are struggling with how to retain, aggregate and analyze this mounting volume of what the industry refers to as Big Data, it also provides a unique opportunity for innovative startups that recognize the business prospects Big Data presents. Big Data is not just unlocking new information but new sources of economic and business value.
Interactivity is driving Big Data, with people and machines both consuming and creating it. Digital companies focused on becoming good at aggregating and analyzing the data created by the end users of their product, who then provide their customers with solid insights taken from that data are at a distinct competitive advantage over others in the marketplace.
Industry-specific clouds are those PaaS, IaaS, and PaaS services that are tailored for a specific vertical, such as transportation, retail, finance, and health care. IDC sees a $65 billion market in these industry solutions for 2013, rising to $100 billion in 2016.
The value of industry-specific clouds is that businesses within a vertical can connect to applications, processes, and databases that are pre-defined for that vertical within a public or private cloud. They can extend processes and databases into the business domain, versus defining the data and processes within a generic cloud-based platform.
So, are industry specific clouds right for your business? What options are out there? How do you figure out the ROI?
SYS-CON Events announced today that Rackspace Hosting, the open cloud company, has been named "Platinum Plus Sponsor" of SYS-CON's 12th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on June 10-13, 2013, at the Javits Center in New York City, New York.
Rackspace® Hosting (NYSE: RAX) is the open cloud company, delivering open technologies and powering more than 205,000 customers worldwide. Rackspace provides its renowned Fanatical Support® across a broad portfolio of IT products, including Public Cloud, Private Cloud, Hybrid Hosting and Dedicated Hosting. Rackspace has been recognized by Bloomberg BusinessWeek as a Top 100 Performing Technology Company, is featured on Fortune's list of 100 Best Companies to Work For and is included on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. Rackspace was positioned in the Leaders Quadrant by Gartner Inc. in the "2011 Magic Quadrant for Managed Hosting." Rackspace is headquartered in San Antonio with offices and data centers around the world.
10th International Cloud Expo, held on June 11-14, 2012 at the Javits Center in New York City, featured four content-packed days with a rich array of sessions about the business and technical value of cloud computing led by exceptional speakers from every sector of the cloud computing ecosystem.
The Cloud Expo series is the fastest-growing Enterprise IT event in the past 10 years, devoted to every aspect of delivering massively scalable enterprise IT as a service.
We invite you to enjoy our photo album of the show - we'll be adding new images all week.
Ulitzer.com announced "the World's 30 most influential Cloud bloggers," who collectively generated more than 24 million Ulitzer page views. Ulitzer's annual "most influential Cloud bloggers" list was announced at Cloud Expo, which drew more delegates than all other Cloud-related events put together worldwide. "The world's 50 most influential Cloud bloggers 2010" list will be announced at the Cloud Expo 2010 East, which will take place April 19-21, 2010, at the Jacob Javitz Convention Center, in New York City, with more than 5,000 expected to attend.
Cloud computing is becoming one of the next industry buzz words. It joins the ranks of terms including: grid computing, utility computing, virtualization, clustering, etc.
Cloud computing overlaps some of the concepts of distributed, grid and utility computing, however it does have its own meaning if contextually used correctly. The conceptual overlap is partly due to technology changes, usages and implementations over the years.
Trends in usage of the terms from Google searches shows Cloud Computing is a relatively new term introduced in the past year. There has also been a decline in general interest of Grid, Utility and Distributed computing.
Likely they will be around in usage for quit a while to come. But Cloud computing has become the new buzz word driven largely by marketing and service offerings from big corporate players like Google, IBM and Amazon.
SYS-CON Events announced today that Dell Inc. has been named "Silver Sponsor" of SYS-CON's 12th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on June 10-13, 2013, at the Javits Center in New York City, New York.
For more than 28 years, Dell has empowered countries, communities, customers and people everywhere to use technology to realize their dreams. Customers trust Dell to deliver technology solutions that help them do and achieve more, whether they're at home, work, school or anywhere in their world. Learn more about Dell's story, purpose and people behind its customer-centric approach.
One of the most compelling promises of the cloud is that you can pull out a credit card and be working in minutes. No purchase orders to fill out, no equipment to wait for on the loading dock. Just instant access to the resources you need, when you need them. But accessibility comes at a price, and an unintentional consequence may be that you create yet another orphaned identity silo. Enterprise IT has spent years consolidating its mishmash of directories, only to discover that cloud now threatens to turn back their hard-won victories.
In his session at the 12th International Cloud Expo, Scott Morrison, CTO and Chief Architect at Layer 7 Technologies, will look at strategies to incorporate identity into cloud applications. Enterprise identity or social login can both be a part of your go-to-cloud strategy, but you must plan for this upfront, rather than try to retrofit identity and access control at a later date.
Cloud Expo, Cloud Expo East, Cloud Expo West, Cloud Expo Silicon Valley, Cloud Expo Europe, Cloud Expo Tokyo, Cloud Expo Prague, Cloud Expo Hong Kong, Cloud Expo Sao Paolo are trademarks and /or registered trademarks (USPTO serial number 85009040) of Cloud Expo, Inc.


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What to Know
- Opens March 18 (select dates); tickets begin to go on sale, in a rolling fashion, on March 4
- Disney California Adventure in Anaheim (Disneyland park is temporarily closed)
- Attractions remain temporarily closed
Disneyland California Adventure in Anaheim has been partially open, in recent months, as part of a larger shop-and-eat Downtown Disney District experience.
But roaming further into the theme park, which sits directly across from Disneyland park, wasn't yet a possibility, and something akin to a food festival, the sort of happening that traditionally pops up at Disney California Adventure in the late winter, wasn't on the schedule yet, either.
That's going to change on March 18 when "A Touch of Disney" debuts.
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In early February, Disneyland Resort promised a new ticketed food event, but the dates and details were not fully known.
That info-filled announcement arrived on Feb. 24, along with what attendees can expect at the "... new, limited-capacity ticketed experience."
Both "new and classic menu items" from the food and libation sides of the famous Disney kitchens will be available for purchase during the experience, which will take place every Thursday through Monday starting on March 18.
The first set of tickets will be released for the March 18-April 5 window.
Yes, for sure: Churros and Dole whips, two of Disneyland Resort's most talked-about treats, will be part of the fun-eating line-up. Lobster nachos, torta de papas street tacos, and carrot cake funnel cake fries will also add spice and sweetness to the 2021 roster.
Look also for "unique photo locations" around the outdoor area, as well as chances to "wave at characters."
And a curated playlist will add musical flavor to the flavorful proceedings.
A ticket, which has an introductory price of $75?
It includes "... admission, parking for the experience at Mickey & Friends parking structure, unlimited downloads of Disney PhotoPass photos taken during the day of the experience, and a $25 A Touch of Disney dining card valid towards the purchase of food and non-alcoholic beverages (subject to restrictions including not being valid for alcohol)," shared the Disneyland Resort team.
Do keep in mind that ticket prices are "subject to change."
Also important to know? Attractions are still temporarily closed, but Downtown Disney District will be open throughout the run of "A Touch of Disney" for both outdoor dining and shopping.
Legacy Passholders, there's something special in store for you during "A Touch of Disney," so keep an eye on the Legacy Passholder Facebook page.
Tickets go on sale on March 4 for some of the dates, with new tickets to be released on a "rolling" basis as the opening date grows closer.
For more details on "A Touch of Disney," and what safety protocols you should expect, visit the official Disneyland blog now.


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Retail sales see small increase for October
WASHINGTON — Retail sales edged up slightly during the month of October, the U.S. Census Bureau announced Tuesday.
Adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, sales totaled $397.7 billion. Retail trade sales rose 0.6% above September and 7.3% above the year-ago period.
Adjusted grocery store sales increased to $46.8 million from $46.3 million in September, while health and personal care stores saw adjusted sales of $23.3 million from $23.1 million last month.
Although advanced estimates for pharmacies and drug stores are not included in the report, the Census Bureau disclosed that adjusted sales slightly decreased from August to September.
Commenting on the results, the National Retail Federation said that it not only marks the 16th straight month retail sales rose, but it also indicates that consumers are prepared to spend this holiday season.
“Retailers’ early holiday promotions seemed to strike the right chord with shoppers last month,” NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay said. “Knowing the economy is still a big factor in customers’ shopping decisions, retailers will continue to offer great deals and exceptional value throughout the holiday season.”
CityTarget to open in Westwood, Calif.
MINNEAPOLIS — Target is bringing its smaller-format store to the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
The 98,000-sq.-ft. CityTarget, which will be located in Westwood, Calif., will open in July 2012. It is the second store of its kind confirmed in the area, with the first being open in October 2012 in downtown Los Angeles.
Target currently has 58 other stores in Los Angeles.
“Target is thrilled to bring our newest store format, CityTarget, to this thriving Los Angeles neighborhood,” Target EVP property development John Griffith said. “We look forward to providing our guests on the Westside with high quality merchandise at a great value and the exceptional one-stop shopping experience they have come to expect from Target.”
Harris Teeter, MillerCoors to provide 400 military families with turkeys, meals
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Harris Teeter and MillerCoors on Tuesday announced that the companies jointly will host Operation Homefront Thanksgiving Feast for Military Families on Nov. 22.
Families of DC National Guard members will arrive at the DC Armory to greet a Harris Teeter tractor trailer filled with traditional holiday dinners. Thanks to the support of MillerCoors and Operation Homefront, Harris Teeter is providing 400 families — many of which have loved ones deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan over the holidays — with fully prepared turkey dinners.
Representatives from Harris Teeter will be on hand to receive thanks and commemorative coins from the commander of the DC National Guard, General Errol Schwartz and leaders of the Guard’s Family Readiness Group.
“Times are tough for our military, and multiple deployments, on top of a bad economy, have made it especially hard for their families,” stated Vivian Dietrich, president of Operation Homefront’s DC Metro Chapter. “On behalf of those who sacrifice so much for us, we thank Harris Teeter for its generous support.”


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Amgen’s Stelara Biosimilar Produces Positive Phase III Results
Firm’s ABP 654 Ustekinumab Candidate Is Also Being Lined Up For Interchangeability
Amgen has reported positive preliminary results from a Phase III study for its ABP 654 proposed ustekinumab biosimilar rival to Stelara, for which the firm also intends to pursue an interchangeability designation.
You may also be interested in...
Alvotech and marketing partner Teva have confirmed that their AVT04 proposed ustekinumab biosimilar rival to Stelara has been filed with the US FDA, ahead of a key patent expiry later this year.
With Janssen’s Stelara set to lose its exclusivity in September 2023, the originator is looking to ward off potential biosimilar competition from Amgen by suing the firm for patent infringement in a US district court.
Hikma has signed another partnership agreement to gain Middle East and North Africa commercialization rights to an ustekinumab biosimilar – although not with its US partner, Bio-Thera Solutions.


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NFC Times Exclusive Insight – NFC and contactless vendor On Track Innovations has filed new patent infringement lawsuits against U.S. telcos AT&T and Verizon Wireless, less than a week after announcing a settlement with T-Mobile USA in a patent infringement suit it filed in 2012.
NFC Times Exclusive Insight – France-based Gemalto estimates it is losing around €30 million (US$33.8 million) in revenue per quarter from the closing of the Softcard mobile-payments service in the U.S. last March–a setback that will end up costing the vendor nearly €100 million in lost sales this year and around €50 million in profit.
NFC Times Premium Content (Free): The Isis joint venture and member mobile operators officially launched their Isis Mobile Wallet today, with the new Android wallet app now available for subscribers of all three Isis telcos and NFC SIMs in thousands of carrier shops.
NFC Times Exclusive: As the Isis joint venture gears up for its planned national rollout, NFC Times looks at the view on the ground in its pilot cities of Austin, Texas, and Salt Lake City, Utah, from the perspective of merchants and consumers.
Chris Bierbaum, who played a role in early development of the U.S. telco joint venture that would become Isis, has left Sprint as head of mobile commerce to lead mobile initiatives globally for UK-based directories and Internet services company hibü.
The Isis joint venture continues to gear up for a nationwide launch of its NFC-enabled Isis Mobile Wallet this year and has been in discussions with major U.S. banks along with merchants, NFC Times has learned.
As Google readies the launch of the next version of its wallet, expected to feature the addition of a physical payment card, other mobile-commerce players, including Google Wallet partner Sprint, are gearing up with their own offers.
It's been nearly a month since the launch of the large Isis Mobile Wallet trial in Austin, Texas, and Salt Lake City, Utah, and so far merchants are reporting limited use of Isis by consumers, interviews by NFC Times have found.
NFC Times Exclusive –Few industry sources agree on the size of the contactless-acceptance footprint in the U.S. that enables merchants to accept Apple Pay and other NFC-enabled wallets; but one thing most of them do agree on is that contactless acceptance is not sufficient to support any kind of significant adoption of the wallets.
NFC Times Exclusive Insight –Germany-based Giesecke & Devrient turned around its financial results in 2015, including its money-losing banking and SIM card unit, thanks mainly to restructuring and higher shipments of EMV bank cards to China and the U.S., the privately held company disclosed Tuesday.
NFC Times Exclusive Insight – Singapore’s three major mobile operators are giving SIM-based NFC services another try, hoping that the offer of mobile transit fare collection will encourage more consumers to use their NFC phones to tap to pay, following the flop of the country’s NFC retail payments rollout that began in 2012.
NFC Times Exclusive Insight – France’s domestic debit scheme Cartes Bancaires has been gearing up for the past year to launch a tokenization service for French issuers, with commercial service expected in coming months, including in support of HCE apps launched by banks and possibly for “OEM Pay” services.
NFC Times Exclusive Insight – Samsung’s announcement today of its move into China with Samsung Pay helped the OEM make good on its objective of launching in China by the first quarter, though the launch has happened well after rival device makers Apple and Huawei launched their own mobile payments services in China.
NFC Times Exclusive Insight – Six months after taking the helm of Israel-based On Track Innovations, CEO Shlomi Cohen is seeking to convince investors he can turn around the contactless reader and NFC vendor, which has been struggling despite greater global demand for the company’s main product, contactless readers.
NFC Times Exclusive Insight – Chinese payment network China UnionPay has announced support for Huawei Pay, a deal that could substantially expand the number of banks and payments cards that Huawei could enable for its NFC payments service as it seeks to compete with Apple and Apple Pay.
NFC Times Exclusive Insight – Toronto-Dominion Bank, one of Canada’s largest banks, is the first in the country to adopt Visa's tokenization technology and the third outside the U.S. that have been announced so far using the payment scheme’s tokenization service.
NFC Times Exclusive Insight – Taiwan’s second largest mobile operator, Taiwan Mobile, Tuesday launched support for credit and debit card payments on NFC SIM cards–but the telco is using an outside trusted service manager to manage its NFC SIM cards, not the TSM platform it set up with other Taiwanese telcos as part of a joint venture.
NFC Times Exclusive Insight – Israel-based contactless reader and NFC vendor On Track Innovations is hoping a planned move to enable the provisioning of payment applications onto wearable devices, will generate recurring revenue and help bolster its finances.


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Chief executive officer and executive producer of the MMORPG, Neo 2045, and its studio, NGames, and CEO of the company, NGames, and executive producer, COO, and executive producer of the MMORPG, Neo 2045, and its studio, NGames, and CEO of the company, NGames, and executive producer, COO of the MMORPG, Neo 2045, and its studio, NGames, and CEO of the company, NGames, and executive producer of the MMORPG, Neo 2045, and its studio, NGames, and CEO of the company, NGames, and executive producer of the MMORPG, Neo 2045, and its studio, NGames, and CEO of the company,
I’m happy to report that the developers of NEO (pronounced “New”) 2045—a space-faring MMORPG that the developers describe as the “Star Wars of gaming”—have announced that the game will be launching on September 23rd. Developed by the indie game studio ION Storm, the game is set in a future, neo-scifi environment where players can explore a massive open-world, in a full flight-simulator cockpit, complete with a hand-crafted 3D-engine that allows players to fly in a variety of different ships.
When most people think of MMOs they think of massive worlds, complex conversations with friends, progression, and most importantly—combat. However, many games are missing key elements that are key to the success of an MMO. NEO 2045 is an upcoming MMO that takes a different approach to MMOs. The game features a highly authentic, kid-centric sci-fi world, which is the main focus of the game.
We previously reported NEO 2045, a new Australian MMORPG with Roblox-like trappings that had entered open beta on Steam and mobile in June. We noted at the time that the studio, VR Realms, appeared to be owned by mobile publisher Bubble Gum Interactive; that the game received mixed reviews, owing to the fact that it was already marked as a launch product despite being in global open beta; and that online safety information for parents was oddly vague, unsatisfactory, and difficult to find.
Well, it’s still listed as a launched game on all of those platforms in early September, despite the fact that a press release sent out this week claims it won’t leave beta until September 23rd; reviews on Steam are “mixed,” while Google Play reviews are 3.4 stars; and the safety situation hasn’t changed, as the “parent portal” is locked behind registration and the chat/moderation section in the support page is still locked behind registration. But, hey, it’s still on the way.
“NEO 2045 is a sci-fi action MMO for all ages with a massive open world, a plethora of single and multiplayer mini-games accessible through various arenas and locations, and a series of Social Realms and Player Realms where players can terraform mountains and valleys and construct structures and vehicles using dynamorphic components that connect seamlessly. The new Game Maker, which is now available for download, is a drag-and-drop game editor that allows youngsters to co-create a variety of games, ranging from racing to puzzle games, action games to adventure platformers. The Game Maker also provides for scalability, allowing users to build games ranging in size from a few bytes to huge multiplayer experiences. Pet Battles, where players may pit their beautiful pets against each other in card combat games where they can collect cards, build decks, and choose their own Clash Cards for battle, selecting between their pet’s most amazing attack, defensive, or buff abilities, will also be available at launch.”
- top sci fi movies
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- mmorpg meaning


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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Fortune Brands Inc. FO, +1.92% said Friday it expects the spinoff of its Acco World Corp. office products business to close on Aug. 16. The consumer brands company plans to distribute to its shareholders all of its shares in Acco via a dividend. Holders will receive one share of Acco stock for about every 4.32 Fortune Brand shares outstanding as of Aug. 9, the distribution's record date. Acco will merge with General Binding Corp. gbnd and the combined company, Acco Brands Corp., will be trade under the "ABD" ticker on the New York Stock Exchange.
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McDonald’s Shakes Up German Ops, Sirius’s Buybacks, and 3 More Hot Stocks
McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE:MCD): McDonald’s has tapped Holger Beeck to be the new CEO of its German division, taking the helm from Bane Knezevic, who is retiring. Beeck takes the top spot — he is currently McDonald’s chief operating officer — at a challenging time for the company, as the downturn in Europe has put a sizable dent in the region’s spending. The German division is McDonald’s fourth largest market.
Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ:SIRI): Sirius’s stock is trading up as the company announces a share buyback program worth $2 billion. Sirius added that the cash on hand, future cash derived from operations, and potential borrowings will be used to fund the repurchases.
KKR & Co. (NYSE:KKR): KKR will be buying up two manufacturing businesses from the U.K.-based Melrose Industries PLC for about $1 billion. The two businesses are the Crosby Group and Acco Material Handling Solutions, which provides hoists, carts, and trailers used in manufacturing; the deal is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
MasterCard Inc. (NYSE:MA): MasterCard has purchased the Turkish payment provider Provus for an undisclosed amount. MasterCard believes that Turkey is a high-growth area and thinks that Provus’s acquisition offers a strategic platform for the company in the region.
Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT): Lockheed Martin shares are rising as the U.S. Air Force nears the closing of a $2.2 billion satellite contract with the firm. The new contract will finalize the terms of a former agreement, and it will cost the government around $1 billion less than initially projected, according Lt. Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski, commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center at the Air Force Space Command.
Investing Insights: Is Costco Set to Move Higher Post-Earnings?