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Bless me Father, for I have spammed.
It has been 13 million cycles per second since my last Hail Mary.
In that time, my prayer was routed via T1 to a local Ethernet and transported to SprintNet via multiple hops, circuitously passing through MAE East to arrive at a Sparc station running Apache.
Forgive my packet loss and low frame rate. I am but a small e-commerce start-up and have yet to determine if a sustainable market exists to support 24-hour-a-day computerized prayer.
Just when it seemed like the anything-for-a-buck business of e-commerce couldn't get more absurd, a new Web site is offering a way for people to outsource their religious devotion.
PrayerWheel, based in Yonkers, New York, is charging US$19.97 a year to have its computers provide personalized prayers in any of seven major religions.
The computers don't actually pray out loud, but they do route text messages containing prayers across the Internet in a loop around the world.
The company's founder, Richard Cavitch, sees the service as a way for busy people to alleviate guilt about forgetting to say prayers. From a business standpoint, it's also a pretty low-competition area of electronic commerce.
"I didn't want to do a porn site, because I figured there's already enough of that," said Cavitch, an accountant, former marketing associate, and self-professed Catholic. "I figured maybe we should try to do something more wholesome."
So far, the wholesome approach hasn't been very profitable.
Since launching PrayerWheel in April, Cavitch has only signed up about 20 customers. He's been more successful at generating interest in the site, which logs several thousand visitors a month from all over the world.
Cavitch says people are signing on to read the Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, and Islamic prayers posted on the Web site, rather than to subscribe to the automated service. Once they get used to the concept, however, he thinks people won't see much difference between signing up for PrayerWheel and enlisting another person to say prayers in one's stead.
"Whether you buy a prayer from a priest of a church or you buy a prayer from a private organization on a computer, it's basically the intention that counts," he said.
Odd as the argument may seem, it's not a new subject for religious scholars.
"There's always been this kind of balance between the mechanization of prayer and its authentic human expression," said Erik Davis, author of Technosis, a book that analyzes the relationship between mysticism and technology.
The concept of a prayer wheel, Davis said, comes from Tibetan Buddhists, who crafted hollow, cylindrical objects and filled them with written prayers. Tibetan prayer wheels were placed in streams or outside in the wind, where the forces of nature caused them to turn and, in a mechanized fashion, to utter the prayer.
Routing a prayer across the Internet isn't entirely different from the Tibetan practice, Davis said, though it is definitely a stretch.
"These guys are pushing the mechanization of prayer to the extreme," he said. "It smacks too much of cheesy commercial religious culture."
Still, if televangelists can rake in millions, Davis conceded that an operation like PrayerWheel probably stands a decent chance of succeeding.
Cavitch, for his part, said he hopes to donate most of the profits to charity.
The site already offers a variety of subscriptions targeted to a wide customer base – anything from $19.97 a year for three Catholic prayers to $29.95 for 12 Islamic prayers a day in devotion to Allah.
Who knows? Maybe there could even be a stock offering in the picture.
Whatever the future holds, Cavitch already has his legal bases covered. The PrayerWheel site contains a succinct disclaimer aimed at warding off potential lawsuits. The provision also lets PrayerWheel evade the thorny issue of whether the Supreme Being actually reads email:
"We make no warranties or guarantees or implied guarantees that the prayers said will be heard or granted by God."


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This year’s Anime Expo (Anime Expo 2021) is the 30th-anniversary Anime Expo event, originally slated to take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center on July 2-5, 2021. Recent developments will not be too pleasing to anime and manga fans as the Anime Expo event has been canceled.
The CEO of The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA), Ray Chiang, has announced that this year’s in-person Anime Expo convention has been canceled due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation.
What Happened Last Year?
The coronavirus pandemic ensured that all anime conventions were canceled last year (2020). A few of them were able to take their activities online and 2021 isn’t looking any different as anime, manga, and gaming events have had to go virtual or were called off entirely due to the rise of a new strain of Covid-19.
A press release from the Los Angeles Convention and Tourism Development Board of Commissioners had previously stated that Anime Expo was “signing their license agreement through 2030”. It also listed Anime Expo 2021 as “doing a virtual event over 4th of July nevertheless it didn’t state that the physical events had been canceled”.
Anime Expo has released an official statement on their Twitter account saying that they will be canceling the physical Anime Expo event. Instead, the organizers will host the “Anime Expo Lite” virtual event during the July 4 weekend.
In 2020, Anime Expo was planned for late July but was canceled due to COVID-19. The organization chose to host the “Anime Expo Lite” virtual event on July 3 and July 4.
The online event garnered more than 500,000 views from over 70 countries. The event featured over 50 hours of content such as panels, interviews, and announcements from anime powerhouses such as Square Enix, Warner Bros. Japan, Bushiroad, Crunchyroll, Pony Canyon, and Viz Media.
What to Expect for 2021
The virtual event will be filled with wholesome anime content and tons of other engaging events.
The ticket for the event will be rolled over for Anime Expo 2022. The anniversary will be celebrated through photos, videos, and other moments shared online.
Anime Expo might be used to having virtual events, however, fans are still finding it difficult to come to terms with the absence of physical events. We hope the Anime Expo Virtual Lite event this year lives up to expectations and is still able to thrill and entertain otakus.
Are you attending? When will we have in-person anime events again?!
Madly in love with anime and football...... it's disturbing.

domain: news


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Our friends at US Cellular have made public the existence of a new phone they’re set to sell soon. It’s being called the Samsung Repp and is poised to enter the market as a mid-range handset. For specs, we have a 3.2 inch display, stock Android 2.3, a 3 megapixel camera capable of recording video and more. This one most likely won’t be able to handle many GPU-taxing games, but for those who just want a small touchscreen device for basic apps and usage, it should be quite alright. It’ll be coming sometime soon for the low, low cost of “free.” [US Cellular]
stars Popular this Weeklaunch
While smart TV makers are keen on wowing you with the promise of “Netflix and Chill” at the click of a button, we’re going to buck the trend and take the stance that you shouldn’t buy an Android TV with Chromecast built-in.
A scary new WiFi vulnerability is being reported this morning, and it affects pretty much every WiFi device out there.
Google customer support has confirmed that the company will not void the warranty for any Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL owners who have rooted their devices.
The OnePlus 5T rumor mill has been churning lately and these latest images with a fingerprint sensor on the back fuel that fire.
Looking for something fun to do this month? Noodlecake has announced that zombie road-trip survival sim Death Road to Canada is finally coming to Android.
more_vertGoogle Search custom widget
The latest beta of the Google app (7.14.15) get some cool customization tools for the Search widget.
more_vertSamsung & Google ARCore
Today, Samsung and Google announced a partnership to bring ARCore to Galaxy smartphones. This is a huge step in ARCore being a viable competitor to Apple’s ARKit.


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updated 05:35 pm EDT, Mon October 13, 2008
MacBook price drop benefit
Bernstein Research has upgraded AAPL stock status and claims that a $900 MacBook could lead to substantial revenue and market share gains, as reported by AppleInsider. The firm placed the stock in the "Outperform" category, citing its current price as overly discounted and expects its near-term financials to remain strong even in the current economic maelstrom. This is undoubtedly good news for Apple, which has seen its stock battered in the recent market sell-off and downgraded by other firms amid fear of consumer spending declines.
The anticipated price cuts and distribution expansion are key factors contributing to confidence in Apple's future performance. Analyst Toni Sacconaghi suggested that the Mac division represents the "biggest wildcard among Apple investors today." Bernstein's analysis found that a MacBook entry-level price of $900 could enlarge the company's addressable notebook market by 50 percent in terms of revenue with the potential to ship 67 percent more units. If Apple were to drop the price by another hundred dollars, they could see revenue gains of 69 percent, according to the study.
Although the short term performance of Apple is difficult to forecast with certainty, the firm suggests that the company's cost structure and use of contract manufacturing lead to a high level of variable costs, which offers a lower earnings downside risk. Nonetheless, Bernstein put a wide range on near-term price fluctuations that could fall anywhere between $75 and $135.
"Apple's COGS (Cost of Goods Sold) are nearly entirely variable, and operating expenses relative to gross margins are low," Sacconaghi pointed out. "The upshot is that Apple's earnings per share suffers less to a given revenue reduction than many of its peers."
The company, like others in the consumer electronics segment, will face uncertainty going into the holiday shopping season. Consumers are expected to spend less this year, at a time when Apple could see a 20 percent drop in iPod revenue from 2007. The tighter wallets of shoppers could be offset by the company's successful marketing to teens, with 22 percent planning to purchase an iPhone in the next six months and 84 percent of the media player market held by iPods, as indicated by a recent Piper Jaffray survey.


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Caleb Merkl, co-founder of the startup, talks about the crowded business. Read More
Hospitality & Tourism
Fourth of July fireworks will be at two locations on the East River
The fireworks will blast off from barges in midtown Manhattan and south of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Danny Meyer looks to open giant food hall at Hudson Yards
The restaurateur behind Shake Shack is negotiating to take a 40,000-square-foot space at 10 Hudson Yards on the far West Side for the new culinary destination.
Move over, Whole Foods—Wegmans is coming to New York City
The grocery store will anchor the $140 million redevelopment at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Five new restaurants and bars in 12 months? Not a bad year for this celebrity chef
After a long simmer, Mr. Palmer turns the heat way up. But don't expect to see his face on a jar of pasta sauce
Saying no to nail salons is harder than you'd think
Horrible working conditions revealed by an investigation prompts some women to forsake manicures and pedicures.
New York Road Runners CEO Mary Wittenberg steps down
She will become global chief executive officer of Virgin Sport.
After Times exposť, Cuomo to create task force to crack down on nail salons
The task force will recover unpaid wages and shut down unlicensed businesses.
FAO Schwarz wants to move to where the children (and their tourist parents) are: Times Square
Deal would bring toy retailer from the center of luxury to the city's tourism hub.
Chef Thomas Keller to curate restaurants for Hudson Yards
The chef-owner of Per Se will open a restaurant at Related Co.'s far West Side $20 billion, 17.4 million-square-foot development.
Businesses cater to travelers clamoring for high-end, 'unique' New York experiences
Firms market one-of-a-kind experiences.


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The classic recipe for things to worry about while dining out during holiday season: fat, calories, alcohol. Now add salt.
Beginning today, many New York City restaurant menus will feature little black saltshaker icons next to items high in sodium chloride. The city is only requiring restaurants with 15 or more locations to display the glyph, but those who steer clear of chain establishments have little to be smug about.
For those of us used to scanning the menu for low-fat or low-calorie options, salt isn’t usually a primary consideration. Yet it’s a mainstay of low-fat and low-calorie staples like soups, sushi, and even salad (a quick Google search reveals that this writer’s beloved chicken kebab cobb salad with Greek tzatziki dressing clocks in at more than half the recommended daily allowance). “Many foods that are lower in fat or sugar are higher in salt to compensate,” says Bruce Lee, MD, director of the Global Obesity Prevention Center at Johns Hopkins University.
The average American eats 50 percent more than the recommended daily limit of 2,300 milligrams (approximately one teaspoon). While there’s some controversy surrounding this limit, excessive salt intake can lead to increased blood pressure and is a major risk factor for stroke and heart disease. It also causes bloating; we respond to high sodium intake by holding onto water in order to dilute the extra salt.
Besides serving an obvious purpose—by allowing you to flag high-offender dishes as you scan the menu in real time—the new symbols may manifest themselves as subconscious reminders in the face of a festive holiday spread. Party season can be treacherous, as salt is everywhere—bread, cheese, even a glass of wine has trace amounts. “A good rule of thumb is to look for things that look like what they are supposed to be,” Dr. Lee advises. “A whole apple, a banana; if they look how they look when they come off the tree, then chances are they don’t have salt added.” Reach for fresh foodsover anything that’s frozen or processed, and ask for sodium-laden sauces and dressings on the side.
Another hack: Load up on potassium, which offsets salt’s effects by lowering blood pressure, along with a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and dairy products. Marissa Lippert, RD, a nutritionist and owner of Nourish Kitchen + Table in the West Village, has a day of air travel tomorrow and has already packed a sack of high-potassium clementines so she doesn’t resort to airport fast food. “Bloating is the worst. Citrus is your secret weapon,” she says—meaning that glittering party crop top is just one emergency speed-peel away.


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(WJW) — Proud pet parents are known to take photos of their dear Fido or Fluffy as much as possible, posting the best snapshots on social media for all to love.
But one company decided to delve deep into which breed of dog showed up the most on Instagram, and surprise, surprise, the top spots follow closely with the most popular dog breeds in the U.S.
The dogs that most showed up on Instagram, according to hashtag, was compiled by Our Fit Pets, a website out of the United Kingdom, using the list of American Kennel Club-recognized dog breeds.
Overall, Our Fit Pets found the French Bulldog is the most posted about, at least with hashtags being used. In looking at the Top 20 on the list, another trend became visible.
“The data revealed that smaller dog breeds tend to have a higher Instagram appeal than their larger counterparts,” Our Fit Pets said in a statement. “With eight of the breeds in the top 10 comprising of small or medium-sized breeds.”
Here’s a look at the most ‘Instagrammable’ dog breeds on the platform and their number of posts by hashtag:
- French Bulldog, 37,426,453
- Golden Retriever, 34,620,981
- Chihuahua, 34,567,175
- Pug, 23,938,945
- Bulldog, 23,199,468
- Poodle, 22,311,664
- Pomeranian, 21,270,151
- Dachshund, 19,473,384
- Border Collie, 17,499,859
- Shih Tzu,16,144,454
- Shiba Inu, 15,956,987
- Labrador Retriever, 13,973,083
- Beagle, 13,892,929
- Toy Poodle, 13,823,544
- Maltese, 12,785,571
- Cocker Spaniel, 10,621,936
- Boston Terrier, 10,490,578
- Australian Shepherd, 10,095,250
- Siberian Husky, 9,339,626
- Yorkshire Terrier, 8,827,880
Suggest a Correction
Clearlink CEO James Clarke sparks backlash after praising employee who sold dog after return-to-office mandate
Llama owner blames Portland police dog for livestock death
At Restaurants, Dog Menus Are the New Kid Menus


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The USDA says soybean and wheat export inspections as of the week ending March 16th remain ahead of the respective paces needed to meet projections for the current marketing year. The 2022/23 marketing year got underway June 1st, 2022 for wheat and September 1st, 2022 for beans, corn, and sorghum. The USDA’s next set of supply and demand estimates is out April 11th.
Wheat came out at 374,224 tons, up 117,323 from the week ending March 9th and 39,156 from the week ending March 17th, 2022.
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With Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) having raised its prices once again, some are asking whether Spotify (NYSE: SPOT) – the premium version of which still costs $9.99 per month in the United States – will soon follow suit.
Los Gatos-headquartered Netflix just recently announced the increased subscription prices for users in the United States and Canada, ahead of a Q4 2021 earnings call that’s scheduled for this Thursday, January 20th.
Stateside, the video-streaming giant’s standard plan now costs $15.50 per month, according to Movieweb, and $19.99 per month for the 4K Ultra-HD tier. These heightened prices have already gone into effect for new subscribers, but existing users will receive at least 30 days’ notice before they’re billed at a higher rate.
Netflix has upped its monthly charge six times since 2014, also per Movieweb – in a stark contrast to Spotify and other music streaming services, the single-user premium subscription options of which have cost $9.99 per month from the outset in the U.S.
Of course, Netflix (as well as competing film and television platforms) creates exclusive shows and movies in an effort to attract fans and justify price jumps. But as the major labels did away with streaming exclusives years back, arguing that they damage the subscriber market, Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music have turned to HD audio, merch stores, podcasts, remixes, and special versions of projects to stand out from the crowd.
Notwithstanding the largely identical song libraries that have compelled music services to continue charging $9.99 per month in the U.S., Spotify last April raised certain plans’ prices.
Though the jump affected Student, Duo, and Family plans alike throughout Europe and the UK, stateside subscribers only saw the price of the Spotify Family option increase, from $14.99 to $15.99. Moreover, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek acknowledged that his company would keep on “playing it very carefully” in terms of boosting premium subscription costs in America, to take advantage of ongoing subscriber growth in various regions.
Now, nearly one year later, it’s possible that Spotify could be planning to hike the pricing of domestic subscription packages once and for all.
The timetable associated with the Stockholm-based company’s possible stateside cost increase(s) might depend in part upon the number of subscribers that the service boasted as of Q4 2021.
Spotify is set to unveil its Q4 2021 (and full-year) performance specifics on Wednesday, February 2nd, having forecasted 400 million to 407 million MAUs (from 381 million) and 177 million to 181 million premium subscribers (from 172 million) for the quarter. However, it bears noting with regard to this relatively ambitious guidance – Q3 2021 delivered just 16 million new MAUs – that Spotify’s monthly cost varies dramatically by country.
Consequently, surpassing the subscriber and MAU milestones won’t necessarily bring a material revenue improvement for Spotify – and missing the targets could expedite the arrival of the long-rumored price boosts because of the resulting income.


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GM is preparing to revive the Hummer SUVJanuary 12, 2020
The car can be shown already in February at the final game of the US National Football League.
On the eve of interesting information appeared, according to which the auto giant General Motors is preparing to revive the Hummer brand, The Wall Street Journal reported. At the same time, the presentation of the car will take place quite loudly – the car will be shown during the break of the final match of the US National Football League. Note that this event from year to year is the most popular among television and Internet broadcasts. Present the novelty will be the basketball superstar LeBron James.
But the most interesting thing is not hidden in how the car will be presented, but its characteristics. According to rumors, the Hummer may become fully electric, and the first car will be a pickup truck.
Such a decision will really help to refresh the car and make it the main competitor of Rivian, Tesla, Ford and Bollinger, who have already held presentations of their “green pickups”. If the information is confirmed, then the new Hummer will be produced at the GM plant in Detroit. Upgrading production will require about $ 3 billion.
- Green Ferrari collection put up for sale
- Volkswagen accused of unfair competition
- Hybrid hypercar McLaren Saber showed on patent images
- Hengchi 1 electric sedan production begins in China
- Volkswagen Group uses Audi brand to catch up with Tesla in electric vehicle production


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European Union wheat is being scooped up at the start of the 2022/23 crop season as importers profit from a pullback in prices from records and seek alternatives to Ukrainian supplies disrupted by war, traders and analysts said.
A rare purchase of German wheat last week by Egypt's state grains buyer, which ramped up direct purchases outside international tenders, underscored how EU wheat is being tapped in the Middle East and Africa to cover the early part of the new season that started this month.
“The EU looks like having to take a big share of the burden of replacing Ukrainian wheat this summer,” a trader said.
There has been market talk of an unusually large volume of over one million tonnes of German new-crop wheat already sold in advance, including to Iran and buyers around Africa.
In France, the typically quiet export month of July is set to be much busier as harvesting starts early and core markets like Algeria and Morocco have fewer options in the Black Sea region.
Morocco's large import requirements, after drought slashed its own harvest, are expected to lead to several hundred thousand tonnes of French wheat being shipped this month, traders said.
Reduced Black Sea trade has also spurred inquiries about EU wheat from buyers in southeast Asia while market chatter last week about renewed interest from China, a major outlet for French wheat in recent seasons, suggested potential for demand to expand further.
The EU's executive projects record EU soft wheat exports of 38 million tonnes in 2022/23.
But some analysts see a record season as unlikely, anticipating exports nearer 30 million tonnes as they cite mixed EU harvest prospects and competition from Russia, which is easing export taxes to help shift an expected biggest-ever crop.
"The EU supply balance can't really be stretched. So what room is there for new destinations?" Nathan Cordier of consultancy Agritel said.
The course of the Ukraine war remains the big question mark.
While diplomatic talks to re-open Ukraine's grain ports continue, the market faces a tangle of Ukrainian grain being exported via Romania and Poland, and disputed supplies being shipped from Russian-held zones, traders said.


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KATHMANDU, JANUARY 28
WorldLink, the largest internet service provider in the country, has announced plans to build internet data centres (IDCs) in 14 major towns of Nepal ensuring at least one data centre in every province.
Organising a press meet today, WorldLink informed that out of the proposed 14 data centres, the Kathmandu data centre will be the largest and internationally accredited, Tier 3-certified world class data centre. The remaining data centres will be medium and smaller in sizes and will be Tier 2-certified, the WorldLink stated.
According to the company, all the data centres will be with carrier-neutral facilities, meaning they will not only facilitate WorldLink's infrastructure but also that of other ISPs, telecoms, government and private organisations for the development of ICT infrastructure of the whole country.
As per its plan, WorldLink will invest around Rs three billion over the next three years to build the data centres. According to the company, the major motive behind this project is to give quality internet service to its customers and support in building a Digital Nepal - a project initiated by the government.
"With these IDC facilities, everyone will get internet content faster, cheaper and in a more reliable mode. Even the government and private organisations will find a very secure and reliable world class facility to host their digital contents and cloud infrastructure," states the statement issued by the company.
The growth of internet traffic worldwide is increasing at an unprecedented pace putting pressure on the internet infrastructure and worsening user experience and internet speed.
"Therefore, for better internet experience, there is a need of having servers locally, to store the content as near as possible.
Nepal is also witnessing exponential growth in internet traffic with robust growth in the use of digital services," reads the statement.
The company has further stressed that the government and private sector organisations have to quickly adapt to advanced digital technologies and move to cloud services at a higher pace than anticipated earlier.
A version of this article appears in the print on January 29, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.


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This study also states that women who wear makeup have open relationships and are more likely to sleep around.
Women who wear a lot of makeup are seemingly less intelligent and more willing to have easy sex, according to a new study women worldwide have slammed as misogynistic, causing collective enragement and fuming replies.
Women slam misogynistic study that claims that wearing makeup is ‘less intelligent’
The research, conducted by the University of New South Wales in Australia and published in This Morning, claims that both men and women clearly understand that women who wear ‘too much make up’ are seen as being less intelligent and more prone to have casual sex, which makes of the study misogynistic and unfair.
Phillip Shofield and Rochelle Humes, both hosts of This Morning, discussed this misogynistic study being in agreement that claiming that women who wear makeup are seen as less intelligent is totally appalling. This study also states that women who wear makeup have open relationships and are more likely to sleep around.
Women slam misogynistic study
The study, that has been slammed by women as misoginystic, has enraged women worldwide, causing replies all over the media. One woman wrote: “I wear loads some days, and none other days. Does this mean my intelligence level varies?”


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Sunrise, Sunset: Passing Along the Family Business to the Next Generation
Anna Huthmaker of Huthmaker Violins on Taking Over from Her Parents
After almost 30 years in business, Roland “Buddy” and Dixie Huthmaker, owners of Huthmaker Violins – one of the finest violin and string instrument stores in the country – faced a choice that many owners do after pouring their hearts and souls into a business: sell it, close it, or pass it on to a willing heir.
Fortunately for the Huthmakers, their daughter Anna, a gifted musician and entrepreneur, stepped up, and in January 2019 will officially become the new owner of their beloved shop.
This week on Monday Morning Radio, Anna shares the planning that went into the ownership transition and what she plans to do differently now that her parents report to her.
[You may also wish to here our interview from September 2014 with Buddy, Dixie, and Anna. Click here.]
Posted: December 17, 2018
Monday Morning Run Time: 30:23


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T-mobile is at it again, drumming up new users by offering pretty awesome deals. Now they are offering Free data for life to tablet owners. Read on for more.
“Tablets are supposed to be un-tethered like smartphones, but it hasn’t worked out that way because people know carriers will charge them an arm-and-a-leg for mobile data,” said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile. “Carriers figured out a long time ago that they could make money – a lot of money – by forcing customers into restrictive, overpriced data plans. We changed it for smartphones and we’re changing it for tablets.”
Customers wanting more data can choose from a range of simple, affordable and flexible options – with no annual service contracts, no data overages and a blazing-fast nationwide 4G LTE network. T-Mobile offers daily, weekly and monthly options for adding 4G LTE data. For T-Mobile voice customers, ‘always-on’ tablet plans start at just $10 a month for unlimited data including 500 MB of 4G LTE data each month. Customers can add even more 4G LTE data in 2 GB increments for just $10 more per month. For customers who would rather have the flexibility of on-demand data, T-Mobile offers daily and weekly passes. Daily passes include unlimited data with 500 MB of 4G LTE data starting at just $5. The weekly passes include unlimited data with 1 GB of 4G LTE data for $10. No caps. No overages. Just simple value.
Additionally, postpaid customers who add a monthly Simple Choice tablet plan automatically get unlimited data to include more than 100 countries worldwide, at no extra charge. This means that T-Mobile’s home data coverage area for tablets is now larger than AT&T’s and Verizon’s combined.
T-Mobile is driving unparalleled value for tablets across its entire line-up. New and existing customers will get affordable and hassle-free access to the latest 4G LTE tablets at the upfront price of $0 down with monthly device payments. With incredible upfront pricing and great value rate plans, T-Mobile has the lowest total cost of ownership among the top US carriers for tablets. In fact, compared to similar AT&T plans, consumers can save up to hundreds of dollars over two years with T-Mobile’s Tablets Un-leashed offer.
“By offering free data for life with incredible upfront pricing, T-Mobile is un-leashing customers to fully enjoy tablets as they were meant to be enjoyed – mobile and connected,” Legere said.
T-Mobile Announces Tablet Trade-In Program and New Device
T-Mobile today also announced plans to extend its existing smartphone trade-in program to tablets. Beginning Nov. 1, anyone with a qualifying tablet can bring it into a participating T-Mobile store – even if it’s only Wi-Fi capable – and receive a discount on a new tablet.
Last Updated on January 23, 2017.


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On June 9, 2015, we reported that James Rogers of Port Arthur, Texas and his beloved dog, passed away while locked inside his 2007 Corvette. A battery cable was found to be loose on his 2007 Corvette and as a result, the electronic door release button wouldn’t work to open the doors. As a result, […]
Doha, September 07 (QNA) – The Ministry of Economy and Commerce announced it has recalled Chevrolet Corvette models from 2005 to 2007 due to a defect in the work of front lighting.
General Motors said Thursday it has informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of five safety recalls covering about 2.7 million vehicles in the United States including 103,158 previous generation Chevrolet Corvettes for loss of low-beam head lamps.


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A year ago, some local Salvation Army thrift stores were in danger of being closed. Now, thanks in part to the work of Capt. Alex Velasquez, and his wife, Capt. Jennifer Velasquez, there is new hope for the success of the stores.
That, in turn, helps the River Valley Adult Rehabilitation Center on North Brady Street in Davenport, which is funded by proceeds from the stores.
“Some, we were looking at closing,” Alex Velasquez said of the stores. “We were underproducing and we kind of changed the process of things.”
The Velasquezes are administrators of the 10 regional thrift stores in an area that includes the Quad-Cities, in addition to being administrators of the rehab center. They were brought in from Salvation Army operations in Fort Wayne, Ind., where they had similar success in turning around programs.
They also serve as ordained pastors of the Salvation Army church at the rehabilitation center.
The couple said the stores were not the only part of the organization’s services that needed a boost.
The rehab center, which offers counseling and training in the trades, was operating at about half of its capacity of 91 people, he said. Today, it is at full capacity.
“We have 91 people in the rehab program with different types of addictions, from drugs to alcohol, pornography. But also (it is for) those who have been in prison for a long time,” Alex Velasquez said. “They get released from prison with a limited amount of money. And when you are talking about convicted felons and finding a job, that can’t go very far.”
But, a new operating model for the thrift stores was a big priority.
“We have been focusing on the appearance of the stores, also increasing our production,” Jennifer Velasquez said. “We sell about 30 percent of the stuff we put out. Every week, we remove items that have been on our floor a certain amount of time.”
She said 30 percent is about the national average of items actually sold in all thrift stores.
Alex Velasquez said moving merchandise off the shelves in a timely manner is a key element in the success of the stores. Each week, Salvation Army staff price articles of clothing with a different color tag to help determine their shelf life. By the fifth week, if the articles has not been sold, its price is cut in half. By the sixth week, unsold items are taken off the floor.
“If people come into your store and see the same thing every time, they will stop coming,” he said. “We want people to constantly come into the stores because they do not want to miss a bargain.”
“We are getting a little more creative as to how we do sales,” Jennifer Velasquez said. “Before, we changed from day to day. Now, we are a little more creative, like advertising sales in the newspaper, passing out fliers to really build up excitement for that sale.”
Alex Velasquez said one area of change was the method of putting items on sale. Which items would be on sale at any given time had been up to individual store managers. Now, that process is uniform across the board.
Since they were transferred here in July 2011, the Velasquezes said sales have climbed 18.7 percent in Quad-City regional thrift stores. The number of recyclable items sold also is up 15 percent, he said.
Sales have turned around so dramatically that talk of shutting down stores have stopped.
“About every store in the region is talking about expanding the store or opening a new one. Our focus is expansion,” Alex Velasquez said.
Expansion could be on the table for the Moline retail store at 19th Avenue and 7th Street. “We are looking for a new spot in Moline and an additional spot,” he said. “We are looking for a more practical building and larger and better parking. We feel we are an anchor store and people are now looking at us as such.”
He said they also want to move the store on 11th Street in Rock Island to a location with a higher traffic count. And, he said, they are searching for a location in Bettendorf, where there is no Salvation Army Thrift Store.
Salvation Army Maj. Robert Buttrey is general secretary of the rehab centers for the upper Midwest region. Headquartered in Des Plaines, Ill., Buttrey also is assistant commander for an 11-state district.
He likes what is happening in the Quad-City region and beyond.
“The Velasquezes were assigned there with increased responsibility,” he said. “They came from a smaller center and a smaller sales territory. We thought they could handle this in a larger area, and they have.”
The Velasquezes measure success in more than increased sales at the thrift stores.
“As the sales turn around, we are able to help more people with addiction and create more jobs for our economy as well,” Alex Velasquez said.
Jennifer Velasquez would like to eventually see a rehab program for women in the Quad-City area. But for now, what she sees is fulfilling.
“What I enjoy most about the job is I see the transformation of the men from when they start the program until when they graduate or complete the program,” she said. “Seeing that change in the men as time goes by is really the best thing of the whole appointment that we have.”


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April 21, 2017
Apple wants to take going green to a whole new level.
The Cupertino iPhone maker, in its 2017 Environmental Responsibility Report, announced its plan to make its products solely out of renewable resources or recycled material in the, hopefully, near future. This, the report says, would reduce the need to mine materials from the earth.
“That means continuing to invest in ways to recover materials from our products—like Liam, our line of disassembly robots—and encouraging our customers to return products through Apple Renew, our recycling program,” the report reads.
“And we’re launching projects and experiments that help us learn how to close loops. For example, we’ve melted down iPhone 6 aluminum enclosures recovered from Liam to make Mac mini computers for use in our factories, and we’re transitioning to 100 percent recycled tin solder on the main logic board of iPhone 6s. We’re also continuing our quest to make our products and processes even safer by pioneering ways to reduce and remove toxins.”
Apple, which is known as one of the most environmentally-conscious tech companies — 96 percent of its facilities are run on renewable energy, for instance — outlined three additional priorities in its report:
• Reduce its impact on climate change by using renewable energy sources and driving energy efficiency in our products and facilities.
• Conserve precious resources.
• Pioneer the use of safer materials in both its products and processes.
To read the complete report, click here.


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IYDC MUST GO ON!
The IYDC (International Young Designers Contest), one of the largest and most influential professional competitions in Eastern and Central Europe, will take place on October 5-9, featuring a brand new unique format.
This year, due to the unprecedented global situation with COVID – 19, IYDC events will be organized totally online. The IYDC team believes that the online format is consistent with the current global circumstance while providing young talented designers with opportunities for new experiences of working in the realities of today.
The contest is organized by the Ukrainian Fashion Council with the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation. IED - Istituto Europeo di Design is the IYDC partner and co-organizer of the online Fashion Visual Art Residence. Ukrainian Fashion Week were responsible for developing the contest’s new visual identity.
IYDC 2020 will bring together the best young designers, representing countries of Central and Eastern Europe first and foremost. Each designer is the winner of the national young designer competition in their respective countries, what ensures the highest caliber of young talents. As a result of this unique selection process, the IYDC always attracts the attention of the international fashion community.
Thirteen countries have confirmed their participation in IYDC 2020. In five of them the winners of national contests have been already chosen to represent their countries at IYDC 2020. The organizing committee of the contest is expecting a record number of participants in its 2020 Finale - 22 young designers, representing Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, as well as new representation from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria and Slovenia.
"Young talents are emerging and need support no matter what is happening in the world. It would be unfair and irresponsible to deprive promising and talented designers the opportunity to present themselves and demonstrate their creative potential this year as a result of the global pandemic. Therefore, it has been important for our team to ensure the contest continues to be held this year. We have not been focusing on obstacles, but rather looking at options and for joint solutions with our partners. We are inspired by the increased number of finalists this year which has transpired into motivation and optimism for our team. " - says IYDC project manager, Victoria Kharchenko.
This year, for the first time in the history of the IYDC, an “independent participant” invited by the organizing committee will join the competition. The organizing committee made this selection via a rigorous process, reviewing applications from counties without an established young designer national contest or in countries that IYDC does not have established partnerships. Applications from various countries were submitted, including Ghana, Spain, Canada, Netherlands and France. This year’s independent participant will represent the Netherlands.
The video presentation of all the finalists and their collection, will release on social media in on October 5th through 7th with the final winner announced on the 8th. On the same day, IYDC will host an online press conference with all the finalists, our international panel of judges, partners and accredited international and Ukrainian media.
This year’s winner will receive the Grand Prix of $5,000 to invest in the development of their brand from the organizing committee as well as a scholarship from the Istituto Europeo di Design to study at one of the IED summer courses.
Since the IYDC launch in 2018, 36 finalists from 16 countries in Eastern and Central Europe have participated in this contest. In this short time span, the International Young Designers Contest has built a strong reputation and fostered cross border professional community. The IYDC now boasts strong partnerships with 16 national organizations and leading institutions working with young designers in their respective countries.Through its role in organizing IYDC 2020, despite the unprecedented global climate, Ukraine confirms its leadership position at the center of the European cultural and fashion industries, where young talent is discovered and promoted.


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A Regal Cinemas movie show stands at night time on 42nd Street in New York, U.S., on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020.
Amir Hamja | Bloomberg | Getty Images
When film theaters had been requested to shut this spring due to the coronavirus pandemic, many cinema operators had been beneath the impression that their venues can be reopened by the tip of June.
Larry Etter, senior vp at Malco Theatres, which operates almost 40 theaters in six Southern states, mentioned the corporate first deliberate for a 60-day closure. But because the weeks progressed, and film studios pushed again the discharge of increasingly titles, expectations shifted together with the new calendar.
By the tip of May, August was seen because the time to rent again workers and hearth up the popcorn machines. The business had misplaced the large moviegoing weekends of Memorial Day and July Fourth, however Labor Day would deliver the discharge of “Tenet.”
“So we had this moving target, and when you have a moving target of an opening date, it’s really hard to figure out what to do,” Etter mentioned.
Malco and lots of different theater operators did reopen, however the Christopher Nolan movie dissatisfied on the field workplace, and studios as soon as once more postponed a variety of movies. So now, eight months into the pandemic, there’s not a transparent path for theater homeowners.
“Our biggest challenge is we really don’t have a timetable,” Etter mentioned. “If we had known April 1 that we wouldn’t open until November, we could have started [earlier] on ancillary revenue programs to keep us afloat.”
Movie theaters large and small are hauling in lower than 1 / 4 of the income they had been producing final yr. For many, chapter looms. The largest cinema chain, AMC Entertainment, and B&B Theatres, the sixth-largest cinema chain, have each warned of this chance. Studio Movie Grill, a Dallas-based dine-in theater chain, filed for Chapter 11 chapter safety over the weekend.
“We will never be profitable under the circumstances we are under right now,” Etter mentioned. “What we have to do is, we have to stay in business. We have to keep paddling.”
Movie theater operators informed CNBC that they’ve felt strung alongside by studios and authorities officers. Inconsistent tips throughout state traces and the continued postponement of new movies have left them financially weak.
The mixture of capability restrictions, reluctant patrons and so few new movies imply cinema operators have had to adapt and turn out to be artistic so as to earn money. For many, that has meant making personal theater leases inexpensive, providing extra basic movies and turning the aspect of their buildings into drive-ins.
National Amusements, which owns the Showcase Cinemas circuit, is working with native libraries to present movies that are primarily based on books and with museums to play documentaries that are tied to displays, mentioned Mark Malinowski, vp of worldwide advertising and marketing for Showcase Cinemas.
Then there are the smaller gamers who’ve remodeled parking heaps into live performance venues, traded blockbuster opening weekends for trivia nights and negotiated offers with native schools to lease out the house for in-person studying.
“We’ve made the commitment to keep our doors open, keep our people working,” mentioned Jason Ostrow, vp of growth at Texas-based chain Star Cinema Grill. “Their sole purpose is to innovate and find ways to drive business however they can.”
For Star Cinema Grill, trivia nights, theater leases and showcasing reside sporting occasions helps to hold the lights on. The firm has even rented out a theater to a neighborhood highschool for its homecoming festivities.
“Just anything and everything that we can do, we are just giving the green light to our team, whereas in the past, we would probably say no to a lot of things,” Ostrow mentioned.
The firm truly loses more cash being open than it does being closed, however closing is out of the query, Ostrow mentioned. In shutting the doorways once more, Star Cinema Grill would have to rehire and retrain managers for its places, a course of that takes some huge cash and time. It is unlikely, he mentioned, that managers on the present places would stick round and await the chain to reopen.
Star Cinema Grill is making lower than 25% of the income it hauled in final yr, Ostrow mentioned. It is not paying lease, after understanding a cope with its landlords to pay a proportion of its product sales as an alternative. This is a typical answer that cinema homeowners and landlords have agreed to throughout the pandemic.
“So far we have been able to work with them, and that’s why we can still operate,” he mentioned.
Alamo Drafthouse, which presently has round 40% of its theaters open, round 18 places, is in an analogous scenario with landlords. The firm’s income is between 15% and 20% of prior years, CEO Shelli Taylor mentioned, which might not be sufficient for the corporate to break even after lease.
So for essentially the most half the theater chain is paying its landlords a proportion of its complete income as an alternative of lease.
Personal theater leases have been a profitable different for Alamo Drafthouse and account for 30% of its prime line. Guests can select from motion flicks comparable to “Jurassic Park,” ‘Wonder Woman” and “The Matrix,” family-friendly fare such as “Shrek,” “Despicable Me” and “How to Train Your Dragon,” and classics such as “Goonies” and “Gremlins.”
Earlier in the year, many worried that these older films would not drive significant traffic to theaters. However, over the Halloween season, operators have been quick to praise “Hocus Pocus” as a catalyst for ticket sales.
“‘Hocus Pocus’ is only a favourite, and we are thrilled that it was rereleased and folks are popping out for that one,” Taylor said. Since Oct. 2, the Disney film has rung up more than $5 million in ticket sales at domestic cinemas, according to Comscore data. This is the first time that “Hocus Pocus” has been rereleased since its debut in 1993.
Once the Halloween season wraps up, “Hocus Pocus” will go back into Disney’s film vault, available only on streaming or DVD. With only three major blockbusters slated to hit theaters before the end of 2020, cinemas will continue to offer up legacy titles such as “Star Wars” and “Jaws” but will also offer up a number of holiday titles come late November and into December.
Classic films can only drive so many ticket sales, however.
That’s why Malco Theatres has agreed to rent its auditoriums to the University of Memphis, starting in January. The university will use at least two Malco locations for spring semester classes between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. during the week.
The university wanted to offer more in-person learning, but its campus facilities could not accommodate socially distanced learning, Etter said. The arrangement allows Malco access to the rooms during the evenings and weekends, when moviegoers are most likely to visit. It has made a podium available for teachers at the front of the theater as well as projection equipment.
“That’s lifeless time anyway,” Etter said. The company has 37 locations open. Twenty are operating either with limited show times during the week or with only weekend show times.
The company has been looking for ways to use its facilities for other things and is even in talks with a local high school for a deal similar to the one with the university.
Malco Theatres is also venturing into the consumer products world by selling its own line of popcorn at Walmart and Kroger stores in the regions where it operates. The packaged popcorn is due to hit shelves around Thanksgiving.
“These are robust occasions for cinemas proper now,” Alamo Drafthouse’s Taylor said. “However, the necessity for socialization and getting out of your own home and experiencing life, that is simply not going to exit of favor.”


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It has emerged that ASOS had been in receipt of a takeover bid fronted by Trendyol, a Turkish online retailer, which is backed by Alibaba, in late December. The offer made of between £10 and £12 per share has not been progressed, according to reports. Detailed information is sparse with neither ASOS or Trendyol providing any comment.
ASOS recently completed a £75m fundraising round from investors in order to push through its plans to stabilise and emerge as a leaner and more efficient operation with the goal of returning to profitable trading. The business is currently valued at around £400m.


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A report published in the summer by the Automotive Council found automotive manufacturers already spend £8.4 billion with UK suppliers and actively wish to increase local purchasing. An immediate opportunity was identified to increase local purchasing by £3 billion per annum.
Today’s event at Chelsea Football Club in London has been organised by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) to inform global companies of the benefits of investing in the UK. It will also explain how Government is committed to growth through its industrial strategy, and the work of the joint Government and industry Automotive Council.
Opportunities for automotive supply chain companies to invest in the UK will be highlighted, including the opportunity to be part of a successful and growing UK automotive manufacturing economy. The UK made 1.4 million cars in 2011 and is forecast to make 2 million cars by 2015.
Business Minister Michael Fallon said:
“We need to do all we can to make sure the UK supply chain takes better advantage of business opportunities in the automotive sector, and showing global businesses what the UK has to offer will help make this happen.
“This will not only secure valuable business deals for UK firms, but further strengthen the success of the UK automotive sector.”
Co-Chair of the Automotive Council, Richard Parry-Jones, said:
“Our major manufacturers have already repatriated hundreds of millions of pounds worth of business to the UK. But there is the potential to win back so much more.
“With global vehicle makers investing millions in R&D and manufacturing projects in the UK, there is a real opportunity for more UK suppliers to become global players and to persuade new suppliers to base themselves here.
“Government and industry working through the Automotive Council are determined to help them grasp these opportunities in order to strengthen the UK supply base and secure growth and high value manufacturing jobs.”
UK Trade & Investment chief executive Nick Baird said:
“The resurgence of our car industry is a major British success story. Backed by substantial inward investment, the sector now employs over 700,000 people and accounts for nine per cent of our exports.
“Britain strongly welcomes inward investment which is important to enable our manufacturers to produce more components for the UK automotive supply chain.
**Notes to editors
**1. The Automotive Council’s report on supply chain investment potential is available here.
- The Government’s economic policy objective is to achieve ‘strong, sustainable and balanced growth that is more evenly shared across the country and between industries.’ It set four ambitions in the ‘Plan for Growth’ (PDF 1.7MB), published at Budget 2011:
To create the most competitive tax system in the G20
To make the UK the best place in Europe to start, finance and grow a business
To encourage investment and exports as a route to a more balanced economy
To create a more educated workforce that is the most flexible in Europe.
Work is underway across Government to achieve these ambitions, including progress on more than 250 measures as part of the Growth Review. Developing an Industrial Strategy gives new impetus to this work by providing businesses, investors and the public with more clarity about the long-term direction in which the Government wants the economy to travel.
- BIS’s online newsroom contains the latest press notices and speeches, as well as video and images for download. It also features an up to date list of BIS press office contacts. See http://www.bis.gov.uk/newsroom for more information.
Notes to Editors
BIS Press Office
Department for Business, Innovation & Skills
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
020 7215 6403


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Apple is initiating another bond sale, which is reportedly worth $5 billion.
Freedom is ready to let some 3G customers use their LTE network for free.
Apple has updated their Events app on Apple TV ahead of next week’s iPhone event.
Now this is one way to use your Apple Watch…
Apple has an exclusive deal offering a SteelSeries Nimbus controller and Minecraft Apple TV Edition.
Google Photos for iOS has gained a couple new features today.
365 Everyday Value products are now available on Amazon.ca.
The pro version will also include a redesigned user interface.
Cook has said that Apple will work with members of Congress to advocate for a legislative solution.
You shouldn’t even try to repair the Essential Phone.
Moleskine’s next paper planner is a combination of a Livescribe pen and special paper.
Apple has released the latest beta of tvOS 11 for developers.


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Tehran urged to revise tariff policies, facilitate Afghan traders
AT-KABUL: The second joint Afghan-Iran trade fair, organized by the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) in cooperation with the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran, was kicked off here on Tuesday.
The exhibition will continue for four days. Several and different Afghan and Iran goods such as machinery, beverages, dry fruits, handicrafts, cosmetics, dairy products, blankets and medicines have been put on display in the expo.
Second Vice President Sarwar Danish voiced his pleasure over running of the joint exhibition and termed it a great step for boosting commercial ties between the two countries.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, he asked Iran to revise the tariff-related policies regarding Afghan goods and provide the required facilities to Afghan traders in Iran aimed at increasing trade activities between the two neighboring countries.
Afghanistan presents good opportunities to foreign investors, particularly for Iranian businessmen. Kabul and Tehran are enjoying political, religious, cultural and social ties for long time. Organizing such exhibitions will enhance ties further, Danish said.
The Iranian vice president for executive affairs Mohammad Shariatmadari said that his country is ready to boost up commercial and trade relations with Afghanistan in different areas.
He encouraged Iranian traders to invest in Afghanistan and have long term educational and technical cooperation with Afghan traders.
ACCI’s Deputy Khan Jan Alkozai said that Tehran has helped Kabul at critical times and currently around 45 percent of Afghan goods are transported through Iran.
He said that commercial deals between Iran and Afghanistan are improving, but not balanced as Afghanistan’s import from Iran stands at $1.6 billion and its export is touching only $60 million.
He urged Iranian traders to invest in partnership with Afghans on resources in Afghanistan and get advantage of the available opportunities.
ACCI deems such exhibitions vital for growth of commercial ties between Afghanistan and Iran, he underlined.
The goods have been put for display in over 115 booths and it is open for general public.


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As part of its quarterly results’ announcements, Bausch Health said that it was accelerating the preparations for the spin-off of its Bausch + Lomb business. Having just completed its financial segmentation of the unit, the company said it expects to be ready for the operation in Q3 2021. The process will be managed by Joseph Papa and Sam Eldessouky, respectively CEO and CFO of the Canadian group. Bloomberg News had reported last week that Bausch Health was also looking at the possibility of a downright sale of its Bausch + Lomb business, but this has not been confirmed by the group.
Bausch Health posted sales of $881 million for its Bausch + Lomb segment for the first quarter of its 2021 fiscal year, a 1 percent increase in reported terms and a 2 percent decline in constant currencies compared to Q1 2020. Representing 25 percent of this amount, the Global Vision Care product category, which mostly includes contact lenses, grew by 13 percent year-on-year.
Sales of Global Vision Care products in the U.S. were up 4 percent compared to Q1 2020, thanks to astigmatism line extensions in the Biotrue ONEday and Bausch + Lomb ULTRA ranges, and to the recently launched INFUSE brand of daily contact lenses. International sales grew by 19 percent organically versus Q1 2020, driven by a strong rebound in the Asia-Pacific region. The company launched SiHy contact lenses in the U.S., Australia and Hong Kong and expects global annual sales in this product category to exceed $250 million.
As a group, Bausch Health posted total sales of $2,027 million in the quarter, up one percent year-on year and flat on a currency-neutral basis. Adjusted EBITDA went up from $813 million to $852 million, a 5 percent increase in reported terms from last year. The company confirmed its 2021 outlook, expecting annual revenues of $8,600 to $8,800 million and an adjusted Ebitda of $3,400 to 3,550 million, against $3,294 million in 2020.


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Pokémon Go Maker Is Facing a Privacy Lawsuit Threat in Germany
The game’s terms break German consumer and privacy law, say consumer advocates.
Consumer advocates in Germany have threatened Niantic Labs, the company that runs the hit augmented-reality game Pokémon Go, with a lawsuit if it doesn’t make the mobile app’s terms more privacy-friendly.
If Niantic does not change those terms in Germany by August 9, the VZBV said it would sue it. It sent an official legal warning to Niantic on Tuesday evening, according to Heiko Dünkel, the VZBV legal policy officer who wrote the notice.
The federation’s main problem with Pokémon Go‘s terms and conditions is that they give Niantic the right to pass on user data to third parties at the company’s discretion. As the game inherently involves a lot of location tracking and can connect with users’ Google GOOG 3.02% accounts, the VZBV is worried that the data involved could be quite sensitive.
The VZBV also highlighted various flaws in Niantic’s T&Cs that are regular bugbears for German data protection enforcers. For example, the company can amend the terms at any time or discontinue the service without user consent. The language of the policies is also hard for regular people to understand.
“We think is there is not a high enough level of consent in the use of data—these extended rights of giving users’ data away to third parties in circumstances, which are not sufficiently described,” Dünkel told Fortune.
If users have any disputes with the game provider, the terms also state that they have to go to arbitration in California, which is not a practical option for people in Europe. According to the VZBV, that’s not acceptable because people in Germany are within the jurisdiction of German and European consumer protection law.
Germany has always had very enthusiastic defenders of data privacy—it literally invented the field of data protection law—but it’s not the only country where people are concerned about Pokémon Go.
Last week, U.S. senator Al Franken also asked Niantic to better explain how it collects and uses players’ data, and with whom it might share that data. Like the VZBV, Franken said he was worried that Niantic was not getting “appropriate consent” from its users.
If Niantic does not amend its terms as ordered, Dünkel said, the VZBV will likely apply for a cease-and-desist order against it.
So why is the federation going after this game? After all, many apps, particularly those coming out the U.S., have similar terms and conditions.
Dünkel noted that the VZBV has also gone after the alleged transgressions of Google and Facebook FB -0.66% . However, he acknowledged that the high profile of the Pokémon Go, along with its large numbers of users, made it an attractive target.
“Because there’s a lot of public attention, we can better place our concerns about these apps in the public space,” Dünkel said. “We have limited resources. There are only four people here doing these kinds of legal warnings and procedures, so we have to carefully think of which companies we choose.”
Niantic Labs, which spun out from Google last year and produces the game in partnership with The Pokémon Company, had not responded to a request for comment at the time of writing.


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When NFL quarterback Justin Herbert says, “Go for it!” his team goes long. This year, it is launching this end zone flight route to a new set of recruits – first-time cruising enthusiasts. In “Board a Rookie. Flip a Pro.”, 2020 Pepsi Zero Sugar NFL Rookie of the Year star is giving rookie cruisers the chance to win a getaway. Fans can enter to win a trip on Carnival Cruise Line, giving them will transform into professional passengers on the high seas.
Pepsi is the Official Soft Drink Partner of the NFL and is in its 20th year as Presenting Partner of the NFL Rookie of the Week and NFL Rookie of the Year awards.
Pepsi Zero Sugar NFL Rookie of the Year winners know what it’s like to get off to a solid start and Herbert is no exception. From his first steps on this big league turf to his rise to a rising star last season, Herbert has proven himself as a pro and is looking to help fans do the same in a way fun and new.
“Being a rookie in any setting can be daunting yet exhilarating. That’s why it’s great to work with Pepsi Zero Sugar to share that feeling with fans by cheering on the next rookie of the year and rookie cruisers. to embark on a new adventure, ”said Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert.
“There’s an energy, excitement and curiosity that a rookie brings to an experience — something that Justin Herbert knows a thing or two about,” said Scott Finlow, CMO, PepsiCo Global Foodservice. “We wanted to harness that enthusiasm for this program and allow new cruise goers to experience the thrill of being a recruit to themselves.”
By February 28, fans can visit PepsiRookieCruise.com enter the raffle for a chance to win their first-ever cruise getaway – to sail their way anytime for the next 18 months – on a Carnival Cruise Line ship. Although they may embark as beginners, they will once again become a record memory pro.
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than a billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated $70 billion in net revenue in 2020, driven by a complementary portfolio of convenience foods and beverages that includes Lays, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker and SodaStream. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that each generate over $1 billion in estimated annual retail sales.
Leading PepsiCo is our vision to be the global leader in convenient food and beverage by winning with PepsiCo Positive (pep+). pep+ is our end-to-end strategic transformation that puts sustainability at the center of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for the planet and people. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.
For more information:


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As everything goes mobile, consumers expect immediate customer service options that are built into their apps and online experiences, as they’re hailing a car from their phone, playing a game or ordering from an online store.
Online customer service platform Zendesk has launched a suite of embeddable features that allow companies to integrate customer support and engagement into mobile, apps, websites and games.
A new mobile SDK (software development kit) and web widget allow organisations to offer live chat between customers and service reps, embedded self-service through a Help Centre and ticket submissions. Customers no longer need to leave an app and exit to a website for additional feedback or wait on the phone to speak to a support person.
According to Gartner, 35% of all customer support will take place on a mobile device by 2017. “We envision a future where service and engagement are immersed in the customer experience,” said Adrian McDermott, senior vice president of product development at Zendesk.
“Zendesk’s mission is to help organisations build long-term relationships with their customers. Embeddables strengthen those relationships by putting engagement with customers directly in the right place at the right time, while giving agents more context to personalise their interactions,” he said.
Along with helping customers, Embeddables also provide customer service agents with more context in their customer interactions so they can better personalise support. On mobile, for example, they can gather more technical details about a device or know where in an app a customer ran into an issue.
This shift represents an opportunity for companies to differentiate themselves by putting their support at the forefront of their user experiences.
GREE International, Inc. is a global mobile social gaming company and makers of top-charting titles like Modern War, Crime City and War of Nations. To make it easy for their gamers to get support and provide customer service throughout their mobile games, GREE has embedded Zendesk’s mobile SDK.
“Engaging with players in-game is one of the key components for great customer service,” said Chris Tabasa, director of consumer operations, GREE International, Inc. “Gamers don’t want to leave the game to submit a service request or look up the answer to a question. Zendesk’s mobile SDK helps us keep our gamers gaming, which is good for GREE and for our customers.”
Slack, KIXEYE, Getaround and SwiftKey are other companies that are using Zendesk Embeddables to integrate and improve customer service throughout their products.
In this opinion piece, Alpha Digital’s head of performance Amir Rezaee outlines the impact to brands of a potential banning of TikTok in Australia The six weeks or so since TikTok announced its local Australian office has been a busy period. Aiming to make a similar impression on SMBs as it has on its 1.6m […]
Amid the sadness of magazine closures, the challenges of COVID-19, and industry concern as companies merge or change hands, some magazines are thriving. NextMedia titles such as the much-loved frankie and ABC Gardening Australia magazine have been enjoying a surge in sales during this period of home isolation. Gardening Australia retail sales have been robust […]
In this guest post, MINT’s publicity director, Nathan McIlroy (pictured below), explores the new norm for Australian media and says Bauer’s/Mercury Capital’s recent mag closures should be viewed as an exciting opportunity for the brave… Last week’s announcement that new owners Mercury Capital were to permanently close eight of Bauer Media’s magazines sent shockwaves through […]
In a first for the Australian insurance market, Club Marine, Australia’s largest provider of boat and pleasure-craft insurance, has released a new series of videos to help explain insurance cover. With a few familiar Aussie personalities to help out, Club Marine is helping its members, as well as the broader boating community, to understand the […]
Junkee Media and parent company oOh!media have launched a powerful new way to reach young Australians – the Junkee Network. Combining Junkee Media’s content platforms with oOh!’s leading Out of Home assets in venues and universities across the country, the Junkee Network will be the largest and most influential youth content network in the country. […]
Australian small business owners are turning to skilled local freelancers and upping their digital marketing spend as they move online to connect with customers and keep cash flow positive. The Federal Government’s pandemic response has earned a tick from small business owners as have those of New South Wales and Queensland, but one in three […]
In the last 12 months, Optus’ AI Assistant Chatbot has surpassed two million conversations, with 1 in 6 Optus customers having their queries resolved immediately, providing a seamless experience without needing to speak to a person. Optus Assistant greets every customer that comes through My Optus App Messaging and its Web Messaging service with on average […]


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It's often hard to tell whether a government-sponsored initiative is worthwhile from a pure returns, or even more nebulous, 'doing good' point of view.
Accountants and economists can work magic with numbers, making you none the wiser, while any half-decent writer can justify anything.
However, given the Ministry of Economic Development's penchant for killing anything that doesn't deliver, the fact that New Zealand's start-up company incubators are still in existence must mean something.
Those nine incubators (see end of story for list), are surviving, even thriving, after almost 10 years operation, and as well as MED's stay of execution, some metrics around their performance seem to indicate there's good reason to keep them going.
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise is responsible for the money and support side of the technology incubators, and last year's appropriation was $4.5 million
In theory a start-up company is meant to spend two or three years getting themselves to a stage where they can leave the incubator nest and survive on their own feet. There's been about 150 graduations since the incubator programme was set up in 2001 says NZTE manager of incubator development, Richard White.
Naturally, NZTE keeps a track of their progress, and last year 90 companies reported back on their performance at a very basic level, around three key metrics for 2009/10 White says.
1. Revenue. Collectively, $130 million, with 45% being export derived
2. Employment (full time employees) - 1100 people
3. Investment capital raised - $30 million
Anyone of those metrics would be considered a good return on investment White says. Using an economic impact formula (so beloved by economists), the multiplier effect of those 90 companies adds up to about $450 million during the year, though he is reluctant to use this figure for fear of a type of cooking of the books (sticK's interpretation).
Beyond those pure numbers, White also notes the effect of the incubators is to help bring about changes in business culture within the country.
"There's more awareness and acceptance of benefits of entrepreneurship and innovation," he says. "More young people are graduating not simply determined to lead a corporate life. They want to work for themselves, and take their great ideas and do it themselves or with others."
Part of this is helped by the fact that the incubators often sit alongside universities, with its invariable cross-fertilisation of faculties and scientists, as well as the wider campuses and community.
Another cultural change has been the rise of the angel investment community, particularly their role in helping early stage companies achieve an international presence. The payback history for angel investors doesn't yet have enough history to provide a reasonable return on investment number White says.
"At the moment, angels may not be doing well, but they know they're doing good," he says. "They're creating opportunities for start ups, alongside the incubators, that otherwise may not have happened."
White says a lot of start ups would've happened without the presence of the incubators, but that many great ideas would've been too hard to kick off without the support an incubator gives.
The trick will be to use incubators (among other things) to transform to a knowledge economy that is more weightless and more value-added compared to the commodity-oriented primary sector.
Moving the start ups into internationalised companies is the next step, and NZTE is well-aware of the investment 'valley of death' funding issue from about $2 - $10 million White says.
"There's also an acknowledgement that growing beyond start up is hard," he says.
The tyranny of distance and cultural divide often sees companies a long way away from their natural partners (unlike say a European company whose partners may speak half a dozen languages for example).
"We're also told more and more that we're not well-prepared when trying to tackle new markets. We have to get better at being geared up, better at doing market validation work, at understanding markets and better at selling ourselves."
This also means recognising Kiwi differences to other cultures, and taking steps to deal with it White says.
MED regularly evaluates its programmes, including incubators, and "so far the results have been encouraging," he says.
"We expect the metrics to get better, because the companies themselves are getting older and are growing," White says. "We're also getting a better understanding of what the issues are for incubators and for start up, and are wrapping better solutions around them."
For the record, the incubators are (starting at the south for a change):
• Upstart (Dunedin)
• powerhouse Ventures (Christchurch)
• CreativeHQ (Wellington)
• Biocommerce Centre (Palmerston North)
• SODA Inc (Hamilton)
• WaikatoLink (Hamilton)
• The Icehouse (Auckland)
• AUT Business Innovation Centre (Auckland)
• e-centre (Enterprise Centre) (Albany/North Shore)


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Figures showing UK retail sales had their biggest quarterly fall in seven years in March have sparked a warning from Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate for Blaydon, Dr Jonathan Wallace, that consumer spending is being hit by the fall in the value of the pound.
A fifth of the value was wiped off Sterling following the Brexit vote last year and this is now driving up prices in the shops. Inflation is now running at 2.3% while wages are rising 2.2%. Incomes are therefore starting to be squeezed.
Dr Wallace said, "Our economy has been sustained by consumer spending, based on substantial and unsustainable amounts of consumer debt. That now appears to be coming to an end.
"Consumers are being hit with a Brexit squeeze to living standards caused by rising prices and the falling pound.
"What the country needs is substantial investment to raise productivity, but this is being inhibited by all the uncertainty around a hard Brexit. This election is a chance to the change the direction of our country, prevent a hard Brexit and keep Britain in the single market."


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For 50 years, humans haven't traveled more than a few hundred miles above Earth. Now, NASA's plan to return to the moon is kicking into high gear.
The feature, which will be made available for iPhones, iPads and Macs in the fall, is designed to offer "extreme" protection.
Gamers scorn games that use crypto and NFTs. A new wave of these "Web3" games hopes to prove them wrong.
It's one of the most extreme, and baffling, cases of human survival.
Get all the takeout deliveries you want without added fees for one year.
The translation tool will be open source for others to use.
When you go over the speed limit, your car will have to let you know.
The US government is overseeing new post-quantum cryptography.
Capstone is meant to pave the way for future Artemis missions to the moon.
Marvel at these shortlisted images capturing the glory of the cosmos.
Looking to hire? Gates posts his resume from the mid-1970s.
Water vapor from Falcon 9 engines might be creating more of these distinctive clouds.
To be fair, it looked a lot like another species.
That's like four trips to the moon.
The "rugged" version of the watch will have a bigger screen, longer-lasting battery and a metal case, reports Bloomberg.
The Bentayga Belgian Equestrian Edition is limited to just 10 units.
This special edition is limited to 10 units, all of which will be sold in Belgium.
Everything you need to bring the gym home.
Pokemon Go is celebrating its sixth anniversary with a special event.
Apple's lowest-cost Mac computer is even less at Amazon right now.
Nvidia's GeForce RTX 30-series graphics cards are difficult to find on their own, but you can get a prebuilt desktop with one of the new GPUs.
There are some heavy discounts on 3D printers if you know where to look this Prime Day.
Starting at prices as low as $160, you can easily get an iPhone or Android phone that handles everything you need without spending anywhere near $1,000.
There are some definite trade-offs to get to that price though.
Normally, foreign transaction fees will cost you 3% of each transaction when you're abroad.
This handy appliance for making easy homemade bread has staged a serious comeback. Here are the best bread machines for home bakers.
The newly released Pokemon TCG expansion features an assortment of beautiful cards inspired by Pokemon Go.
Use a balance transfer card to consolidate your debt and save money on interest charges.


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Patch Tuesday dropped a slew of updates for supported versions of Windows, Insiders in the Fast ring got a new build to play with, and we got an Xbox 2018 best of. Be sure to catch up below.
Florin BodnarescuEditor Neowin
- Forum Name:
- 30 April 2012
- Forum Posts:
23 year-old student, currently pursuing my Master's Degree. Bachelor's in Nutrition & Dietetics, which is as far a subject as can be from what I was doing all twelve grades in Art School, previous to this.
Set up my personal blog in 2008, where I wrote all manner of things until I decided to discontinue it in 2012. To scratch my writing itch and combine it with my love of Trance music, I accepted an invitation to write for Vând Sunete, a music blog set up by a friend. All these years later, I'm still writing reviews over there, and on a similar publication, TranceMag, where I'm also in charge of editing and graphics creation.
Currently trying to go about creating comic strips, comic books and illustrations with a high school buddy of mine, under the very creative name 'Hoo Comics'.
Have been active on Neowin since about 2012, so when a post was put up requesting applications to write for the site, I jumped on the occasion. Since I'm pretty much the tech person in the house, I thought this would give me an opportunity to not only learn more about the ins and out of technology beyond what I already knew, but to basically give back to the community for being so welcoming all these years. The rest is pretty much (post) history.
Latest by Florin BodnarescuView All
Folks on Windows looking to test the newest features in Office can rejoice, as Microsoft has released a brand new build to the Fast ring. It brings support for live captions and subtitles.
In its attempt to modernize the browsing experience on Steam, Valve has unveiled a new design for browsing DLC. The dedicated pages share UI approaches with the existing curator pages.
We're about a week into the new year, so it's time to take a look at just what Microsoft announced these past seven days. A new build for Insiders, games, and new Microsoft 365 SKUs. Catch up below.
In case you thought we were done with these top 10s, there is just one more we'd like to bring to your attention. You can find out which of the reviews posted in 2018 were most interesting to readers.
It's perhaps of no surprise that the end of the year brings forth a list of some sort. In this case, we take a look at the 10 news posts that our readers found most comment-worthy.
It's that time of year again, when we take a look back at what happened over the past twelve months. In this case, we examine what were the most popular news stories on Neowin in 2018.
With the year's end just over a week away, Microsoft was busy pushing out previews, updates, and and some interesting gaming news to boot. Find all that and more in the handy guide below.
In honor of the two decade milestone since the release of Anno 1602, Ubisoft is giving it away until December 23. Furthermore, details about Anno 1800's closed beta have been shared as well.
We're getting ever-closer to wrapping up 2018, but unlike the year, news doesn't quite come to an end. Patch Tuesday updates, hardware availability details and more await the curious reader below.
As it usually happens during this time of year, GOG has kicked off its Winter Sale with over 1900 discounts. If you're quick, you can grab Full Throttle Remastered for free until December 15, 2pm UTC.
Another week, another set of interesting updates and announcements from the Redmond giant. Games, a preview for Visual Studio 2019, and much, much more awaits you at the link below.
To enhance its current offering, encrypted cloud storage company Tresorit has launched a beta of its free Tresorit Send service. Through it, users can send up to 5GB via a secure shareable link.
Quite a few updates showed up this week with fixes for a number of Windows 10 versions (including 1809), an interesting teaser for Obsidian's next RPG, and a lot more. Be sure to catch up below.
Cloud IT management company Nerdio has announced the availability of a free tool dubbed Plans Designer. Targeted at MSPs, it allows for the creation and provisioning of Azure infrastructure plans.


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All the sessions and keynotes are free for developers who are part of the Apple Developer app and on the Apple Developer website. Instead of providing a new iOS version for its iPad lineup, the company created a separate branch of its software focused on tablets - iPadOS. It'll air at 10 a.m. PDT/1 p.m. EDT on Monday, June 22. If you are an Apple device owner, you can also watch the keynote using the Apple Events app. This may not be as important as the other versions when you can check much of this information on the web, but it may be helpful if you'd rather not launch a browser and risk distraction when you're looking for some help with a project.
Ahead of Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) 2020, the Cupertino-based tech giant has released a Mac version of its Apple Developer app. Apple initially launched the app last past year but it was only available to iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV users to date.
However, Apple has then announced the iPadOS at WWDC previous year which was technically still derived from iOS but with several functionalities that are available only on iPad.
Apple is also expected to improve the photographic capabilities of the iPhone 12 Pro range, including improved low-light photography and better zoom. According to recent claims, the iOS 14 update will be released for all devices running its predecessor, iOS 13. Apple already offers the ability to record your screen from Control Centre, so it's an addition that makes a lot of sense. The "four year" time metric is most likely a way to steer clear of possessing gadgets that cannot be up to date to the newest edition of iOS by decreasing adoption charges.
As millions stay home due to the ongoing public health crisis, Apple is widely-tipped to bring some improvements to its FaceTime video call solution, which is the default for all iPhone and iPad users. Now, the company might let users pin widgets wherever they want. This could mean replacing Safari with Chrome and Mail with Outlook.
Geoffrey Berman: Trump fires top US prosecutor who refused to quit
Attorney for the District of New Jersey, to be the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of NY , added Barr . They pretty clearly serve at the pleasure of the President, regardless of whether they were directly or indirectly appointed.
Bolton claims Trump pleaded with China for re-election help
This story is breaking and will be updated . "And I would think that he would have criminal problems, I would hope so". The Department of Justice alleged in its suit that publication of the book risks "compromising national security".
Jio Platforms scores another investment: $1.5bn from Saudi Arabia's PIF
At Reliance's 42nd annual general meeting last August, Ambani pledged to make the company net debt-free by 31 March 2021. PIF will buy a 2.32 per cent stake in its digital unit Jio Platforms for Rs 11,367 crore.
According to various reports, Apple will announce a new iMac desktop that would feature an iPad Pro-like design and thin bezels. Messages may also get updated with a slew of new features.
Apple is said to bring many new features to watchOS 7 at the WWDC 2020. Apple usually uses WWDC to talk about software. Apple has not updated its iMac design for years, so it will likely announce this in the event.
There can also be a new and refreshed Apple TV, if rumours are to be believed.
Like every other major convention this year, Apple's WWDC 2020 will be an entirely online-based event to keep attendees safe.
As a massive change ever in the history of iOS, reliable rumours have also suggested that Apple might change the name of software to iPhone OS.
What do you think about the name change from iOS to iPhoneOS, yay or nay? Apple, in its presentations, may reveal the benefits and changes macOS developers would get on ARM-based Mac machines.


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Anti-Brexit protester Steve Bray (L) and a pro-Brexit protester argue as they demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster on January 8, 2019 in London, England.
jack taylor | Getty Images News | fake images
The UK’s growth prospects are even lower than those of Germany, whose economy is particularly exposed to higher energy prices due to its reliance on Russian gas imports. The OECD said “persistent uncertainty” coupled with higher capital costs will continue to weigh on UK business investment, which has fallen sharply since Brexit.
The UK’s independent Office for Budgetary Responsibility (OBR) has offered a bleaker outlook, projecting a 1.4% GDP contraction in 2023, even as the Bank of England and government are forced to tighten monetary policy and fiscal policy to contain inflation and prevent the economy from overheating. .
the OBR said in its economic and fiscal outlook last week that its trade forecast reflected the assumption that Brexit would result in the UK’s trade intensity (an economy’s integration with the world economy) being 15% lower over the long term than if the country had remained in the European Union.
Fall in trade intensity
In May, the OBR estimated that the UK’s new terms of trade with the EU, set out in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) which entered into force on 1 January 2021, will be reduce long-term productivity by a relative 4% to the previous trajectory had the UK remained in the EU.
the bank of englandThe Monetary Policy Committee issued a similar projection, and former BOE policy former Michael Saunders told CNBC on Monday that a key driver of the weakness in the UK economy is reduced trade intensity due to Brexit, leading to lower productivity growth.
Saunders argued that there is “abundant evidence” that higher trade intensity, or more openness to trade in both exports and imports, increases productivity growth.
“The UK has increased trade barriers with Europe and the trade deals that have been made with other countries largely just maintain the status quo of trade with third countries: there has been no significant net increase in the intensity of trade with non-EU countries. belonging to the EU,” he said. .
“So the overall net effect has been a significant reduction in UK trade intensity, which can be seen in the large drop in both imports and exports as a percentage of GDP since 2019 compared to trends in other economies. advanced and compared to the trends we saw in previous years.
UK trade as a percentage of GDP has fallen from around 63% in 2019 to around 55% in 2021, while domestic productivity growth is also slow. Both the Bank of England and the OBR estimate that UK potential output has fallen completely since the fourth quarter of 2019 and will endure anemic growth for years to come.
New York-based Kroll Bond Rating Agency downgraded the UK even earlier The disastrous mini-budget of former Prime Minister Liz Truss in September sent bond markets into a tailspin.
Ken Egan, KBRA’s director of European sovereign credit, told CNBC last week that Brexit marked a “tipping point” for the UK, as it led to several structural weaknesses in the economy.
“Part of the reason for our downgrade was a longer-term view that Brexit has had and will continue to have a negative impact on the UK from a credit perspective, in terms of everything from trade to government finances and the macroeconomic”.
KBRA, like OBR, the Bank of England, the International Monetary Fund, the OECD and most economists, believes that growth will slow down in the medium term as a result of Brexit.
“Trade has already suffered, the currency has weakened, but we haven’t seen the compensatory improvement in trade, investment has really been the soft spot since Brexit, business investment has really deteriorated quite a bit,” Egan explained.
“If you compare inflation at the current dynamics with the rest of the world, basic services, basic goods inflation in the UK seems to be much higher than in the rest of Europe. It’s that idea that even if the energy crisis ended tomorrow, you would still have these stickier inflation pressures in the UK.”
public mood swing
Saunders said that while some of the deterioration since the fourth quarter of 2019 was due to the coronavirus pandemic, Brexit also had a role to play, as the rise in trade barriers with the EU for businesses since the start of 2021 blocked the activity.
“If you don’t want to reverse Brexit entirely, you can still go for a softer Brexit than the one the UK chose,” he suggested.
“The UK opted for the hardest of hard Brexits and that was a choice, we could have left the EU but opted for a form of Brexit that would have put far fewer barriers in the way of trade, the intensity of trade would have suffered less, productivity would suffer less over time.
The government of new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to seek friendlier relations with the EU than any of his predecessors, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. However, both the Conservatives and Labor have ruled out any return to EU-aligned institutions for fear of disenfranchising voters in key pro-Brexit constituencies.
However, recent polls suggest that the public mood may have begun to change. A frequent YouGov poll earlier this month showed that 56% of the population said Britain was “wrong” to vote to leave the EU in 2016, compared to 32% who said it was the right move.
The 24-point deficit was the biggest in the series dating back to 2016, and nearly a fifth of Leave voters now believe Brexit was the wrong decision, which was also a record.


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Conviva, the global leader in preemptive video stream optimization, today announced that it has been chosen by AlwaysOn as a OnDemand Top 100 winner. Inclusion in the OnDemand 100 signifies leadership amongst its peers and game-changing approaches and technologies that are likely to disrupt existing markets and entrenched players. Conviva was specially selected by the AlwaysOn editorial team and industry experts spanning the globe based on a set of five criteria: innovation, market potential, commercialization, stakeholder value, and media buzz.
“Conviva is honored to be recognized alongside other forward-thinking companies making strides in the digital media space,” said Darren Feher, CEO of Conviva. “We are committed to ensuring viewers receive the high quality video they expect, streamline the adoption of OTT video everywhere as well as continue to apply our innovative techniques of SDN (Software Defined Network) to enhancing the video experience.”
Conviva and the OnDemand Top 100 companies will be honored at AlwaysOn’s OnDemand event on May 20th, 2013, at Hewlett-Packard’s Executive Briefing Center in Palo Alto, CA.
“The world of the cloud is beginning to live up to its promise of expanding and enhancing almost every sector of the technology world. Public, private, and hybrid, the cloud infrastructure companies that can provide the most robust, always-on performance are the ones that are propelling us into a completely new digital age,” says Tony Perkins, founder and editor of AlwaysOn. “This year’s OnDemand 100 winners represent the companies that are not only providing the space to develop daring, indispensible applications for a growing and increasingly mobile universe, they’re making sure that everyone has their information, data, media, and apps whenever and wherever they happen to be. “
The OnDemand 100 winners were selected from among hundreds of other technology companies nominated by investors, bankers, journalists, and industry insiders. The AlwaysOn editorial team conducted a rigorous three-month selection process to finalize the 2013 list.
Conviva takes preemptive action to ensure a quality experience for each and every viewer, ultimately strengthening brand profitability for content companies through its stream optimization technology, Precision Video. Its analytics offering, Insights, provides content owners and publishers the most detailed look into the Quality of Experience (QoE) of every single viewer accessing their content. By focusing on and improving the individual viewer’s video quality, viewers watch longer and return more often. Conviva reports that viewers with a buffer-free experience, with high picture quality watch 250% longer, in its viewer experience report.
A full list of all the OnDemand 100 winners can be found on the AlwaysOn website at:
Conviva is the global leader in preemptive video stream optimization and viewer analytics, ensuring the best viewing experience for leading media brands. By providing an ideal experience without buffering and stuttering, Conviva keeps viewers watching and increases engagement and monetization. Our clients include the world’s leading media, sports and entertainment brands including HBO, ESPN, VEVO, MLB, NBCU, Turner and ABC. Conviva is based in Silicon Valley, with offices in New York and London. For more information visit www.conviva.com. To download Conviva’s 2013 Viewer Experience Report visit www.conviva.com/vxr.
AlwaysOn is the leading business media brand connecting and informing the entrepreneurial community in the Global Silicon Valley. Founded by Red Herring founding editor, Tony Perkins in 2003, AlwaysOn’s mission is to continue to lead the industry by empowering its readers, event participants, sponsors, bloggers, and advertisers like no other media brand.


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Early Tuesday morning the Apple online store temporally shuttered its doors ahead of a company announcement to be held at Lane Tech High School in Chicago at 11 a.m. Eastern. Apple has called this event its “Field Trip” presentation, hinting that the tech company might reveal a new line of education-centric products.
People attempting to access the Apple Store were greeted by the company’s signature “We’ll be back” message instead of the online shop’s homepage. The store should be back up and running after the event wraps up, which should be sometime after 12 p.m. Eastern. The tech company launched a free in-store education program last year that gave attendees crash courses on iPhone photography and Swift coding. This school-themed presentation is expected to further these efforts to pose Apple products as accessible tools for education.
Apple watchers believe the new line of products being announced could include new iPads, a more affordable Apple Pencil, a new keyboard, and new software like additions to its Classroom app.
There have been rumors about a new MacBook that will retail for under $1,000, but most Apple analysts believe an updated iPad will hit shelves before that. Either way it seems like the tech company is honing in on making its products cheaper, something that people have been asking for quite sometime.
This comes just a day after the company released its newest software update, iOS 11.3, to the public. It’s unclear whether or not Apple will include any educational software in the future patches of this new update. The advertised features of iOS 11.3 did not mention anything of the sort.
It’s clear Apple is focusing on making their devices more accessible — and affordable — to a wider ranger of age groups. Apple enthusiasts will be anxiously waiting what the company will announce.