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A DECISION to move forward with the planned redevelopment of Market Square in Letterkenny has been deferred so that objections from local businesses and taxi operators over the relocation of taxi bays can be looked at more closely.
A petition with 51 signatures, put forward by Hugh McFadden on behalf of taxi drivers, was submitted to Donegal County Council in response to the major development.
In their objection they stated that taxis have been in Market Square for over 50 years and are an important part of the town. The petition requested that the development does not proceed and questioned who it would benefit while noting that it ‘looks good’.
The plans propose to remove existing car parking, loading bays and taxi ranks from within Market Square and to construct a replacement taxi rank on Main Street in lieu of six existing on-street parking spaces.
John McGinley of McGinley Cabs raised concerns about the impact on taxi operators stating that Market Square holds between ten to twelve taxis.
He questioned whether taxi operators were consulted and requested that a meeting is held with taxi companies. He spoke about the economic difficulties facing the industry and said the funding to redevelop the square would be better directed towards tackling homelessness, mica and dereliction.
He asserted that the message behind the project is that cars are no longer welcome in the town centre and raised concerns about the amount of traffic management roadworks across Letterkenny.
According to the Council the up-to-date cost estimate of the ‘Reimagined Market Square’ project is in the region of €2.5 to €3 million.
The local authority said its aim is to reduce the dominance of vehicular movements within Market Square and to release the potential of the square as a safe, flexible place for people to sit in, to rest, to gather, to hold events, to animate and for business to spill out onto.
They said the fundamental objective is to capture the full potential of the public space and that this upgrade is a key component in the necessary reinvention of the historic town centre.
To achieve this the design the square “must provide a visually and physically open and accessible space and must critically prioritise pedestrians over cars”, they said.
Kristine Reynolds, Director of Courtyard Investment Management, on behalf of 18 collective businesses, lodged a letter of objection to the replacement of the six existing on-street parking spaces from ‘Fonez’ to ‘The Four Lanterns’ with a designated taxi rank.
They said the reassignment of these spaces to taxi bays will have a detrimental impact on businesses in the immediate proximity and within walking distance.
In its submission Letterkenny Chamber of Commerce welcomed the development and noted the work of the Chamber to progress the project with the Council over the last number of years.
The Chamber said it is encouraged by the plans that Market Square will become a space that can be utilised, welcoming and be a gathering space for citizens and visitors.
Peaceful and safe
In relation to the removal of car parking at Market Square the Chamber said the design will ensure cars do not dominate the Square making it a more peaceful and safe space.
The submission claimed that the taxi rank at Ulster Bank is never used and that the taxi rank outside the Brewery is mostly used at night-time suggesting that the removal of these ranks should not impact taxi services as people move toward taxi apps.
The Chamber proposed that the taxi rank on Main Street should be for three spaces only to replace those at Market Centre.
They said given there is an existing taxi rank outside The Kitchen, allocating a further six spaces is unnecessary. They argued that the current car parking spaces equate to 100 shoppers/business users per day and to lose this would be damaging to businesses.
A survey of occupancy rates at the existing taxi ranks at Ulster Bank, the Brewery Bar, Market Centre and The Kitchen, was undertaken by the Council over a six week period across 48 inspections.
The survey showed that the highest number of occupied taxi bays across all taxi ranks surveyed was seven and this occurred on only one occasion.
The report found for 96 per cent of inspections, five or less taxis occupied bays across all of the ranks at any one time.
From the evidence gathered from the survey the Council proposed that there is a need for at most six taxi bays within the area between Market Square and St Oliver Plunkett Road.
They said this capacity can be supplied by the existing rank outside The Kitchen (three bays) together with the reallocation of three on street parking spaces on Main Street to taxi rank as opposed to the six initially proposed.
At Monday’s meeting of Donegal County Council members were asked to approve the Market Square works however this decision was deferred following a proposal by Cllr Ciaran Brogan.
Cllr Brogan made the proposal in light of the concerns of the business people and taxi drivers and the high number of submissions received.
He said the Council needs to look more closely at what is being proposed and suggested having a workshop to discuss it.
Taxis are an essential service and while there is a long term plan for a transport hub for the town he said in the short term they need to address the lack of taxi ranks around the town, he said.
“It is a huge investment for the town, Market Square has been talked about for a long time and it is important we get it right,” he said.
The proposal to defer was seconded by Cllr Gerry McMonagle. A workshop with members of the Letterkenny Milford Municipal District will take place to discuss it further.


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It’s February, and that means Valentine’s Day-related spam. Lots of it! There are already loads of adverts offering expensive alcohol and chocolates, jewellery and leather goods, romantic trips for two etc.
Other goods that are traditionally advertised in spam, such as fake designer watches and Viagra, have also exploited the Valentine’s Day theme to grab the attention of email recipients. The spammers appear convinced that there’s no better time than 14th February to increase your libido or buy cheap replicas of designer watches:
So far, this year’s Valentine’s Day spam has been mostly harmless, but we would like to warn our readers once again that the first half of February usually sees a surge in malicious links appearing in emails that appear to be for virtual greeting cards. So, be careful if you receive an e-card – make sure it has come from a genuine source before clicking any links.
Kaspersky Lab will be following developments closely in the run-up to Valentine’s Day.

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Accor to operate 82-key villa resort in Saudi Arabia’s AlUla
Ashar Resort will be flagged as a Banyan Tree property
Saudi Arabia’s ambitious AlUla project has strengthened its hospitality portfolio with the announcement that hotel group Accor will operate an expanded Ashar Resort under its Banyan Tree brand.
Inked between Accor and the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), the deal will see the Ashar Resort expand by 47 units, bringing the number of villas to 82. Additionally, a luxury spa will be added and several F&B venues.
Commenting on the agreement, the CEO of the Royal Commission for AlUla, Amr AlMadani, said: “This new partnership demonstrates how AlUla’s unique appeal as a cultural, heritage and nature destination fits with Accor’s Banyan Tree brand, which is synonymous with authentically unique experiences.
"We’re working with the world’s best developers and hotel operators to deliver projects that complement our cultural oasis, as well as benefiting our local community.
“The partnership agreement with Accor is part of a major series of capital projects and multiple investments made by RCU into fifteen plans in AlUla, many of which will be announced in the coming months. This is a clear sign of our confidence in the future strength of the hospitality sector in Saudi Arabia."
The partnership was made just in time for the destination’s opening in October 2020. Over several years the destination will gradually increase its number of keys, reaching 9,400 by 2035. Currently, visitors can choose from five accommodation providers.
Starting from October, visitors will be able to access four key heritage sites including Hegra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008; Dadan, one of the most developed 1st millennium BCE cities of the Arabian Peninsula; Jabal Ikmah, often referred to as the ‘Lihyanite library’; and Old Town, the ancient walled city of AlUla.
Sebastien Bazin, chairman and CEO of Accor said: “In line with our commitment to grow Accor’s unique portfolio in Saudi Arabia, and as one of the first global hospitality groups to set foot in the Kingdom, we are extremely proud to take part in the development of the historic county of AlUla, thus celebrating the Kingdom’s vast heritage and culture.
"We are very excited to be working on bringing our partner brand Banyan Tree's unique sanctuary offering to the Ashar Resort.”
By 2035, RCU expects to host two million visitors annually, generating 38,000 new jobs.


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Early in 2017 we compiled our predictions for the upcoming year. These were a mix of economic and industry predictions. How accurate were these predictions? As it turns out, we were mostly on the mark in our predictions, at least in terms of direction if not always in magnitude. Here is a review of our 2017 predictions and an assessment of the accuracy of each.
Declining overdraft income makes lower income households challenging to serve profitably. Andrew Vahrenkamp, Senior Research Analyst at Raddon, gives some ideas on how to serve these consumers effectively and efficiently.
In December, Raddon held its quarterly seminars for participants in the Performance Analytics program. This program provides financial institutions with comprehensive analytics and peer benchmarks that measure performance across all areas of the organization and helps guide strategic initiatives. The workshops facilitate a review of the latest research findings and offer a platform for discussing how financial institutions can respond to the challenges they face today.
Recent changes to the US tax code will affect homeowners with mortgage and home equity products in a number of ways. In this Raddon Report, we look at what has changed, who will be affected, the impact of the change on homeowners, and what institutions can do to market their mortgage and equity products in this new environment.
2017 proved to be a good year for the U.S. from an economic perspective and for the financial industry as well, with new record highs achieved in the stock market, much stronger GDP growth - especially in the second and third quarters, and continued improvement in real estate sales and values. The industry showed continued improvement in earnings and also continued strong loan growth.
Every marketing textbook will tell you how important a strong brand is for generating market share, but measuring that brand can be a tricky proposition. A financial institution has long been able to understand its levels of awareness and favorability in its local market, but was a particular level good? Bad? Indifferent? Relative to their peers, how strong should their brand be?
Anticipated loan demand is finally increasing after steadily falling since the financial crisis of 2007/2008. Raddon’s 2017 national research indicates 28% of consumers anticipate opening a loan in the next 12 months. This demand for loans has increased significantly from a low of 19% in 2015 and just 21% last year. Home equities are among the products showing increasing demand. The increase in demand is being fueled by rising home prices (up by one-third since 2009) and lower inventories of houses on the market.
For the last decade, marketers have been obsessed with trying to reach the elusive millennial consumer. The quest is not unwarranted, as the Millennial generation continues to make its presence felt on the financial services sector with each passing year. But with the leading edge of Millennials now in their late thirties, this group is no longer the new kid on the block.
Raddon held its first-ever national research conference in Chicago November 6-8. The three day event was attended by over 250 C-level and marketing professionals from banks and credit unions across the United States, and the content featured Raddon’s own proprietary national consumer and small business research as well as several very informative keynote speakers and panelists.
Earlier this year, the Fed implemented two rate increases and appears poised for another increase at the end of this year. With rising rates and improved loan to deposit ratios that have more institutions looking for funds, it’s fair to say that deposits are squarely back on the radar. At Raddon, we’ve been talking with our clients about the implications of the changing environment and how to prepare for the coming challenges. The first and most obvious takeaway is that:
At Raddon, we often state that age and income are the best predictors for how a household will consume financial services. Where someone is in their life determines whether they are a young borrower or an older saver, better than their generation does. After all, Baby Boomers might be depositors looking for retirement now, but forty years ago, they were the ne’er-do-well young borrowers discoing on Saturday Night Fever.
Raddon conducts a group research study three times a year for approximately 160 financial service organizations that range in assets from $250M to $5B. At the beginning of each year, the survey is updated to include our standard key metrics as well as new and trending topics. The first wave of nearly 30,000 responses has been processed and some interesting findings have emerged.
The banking industry has seen its share of challenges over the past decade. Those challenges continue to be significant; especially as it relates to generating revenue. One area in particular is in growing non-interest income, thanks to challenges from the regulatory environment, changing consumer behaviors, and technology. As an industry, we need to optimize our overdraft and interchange income, as well as find new non-interest income opportunities. One opportunity lies within wealth management, or Investment Services.
Many financial institutions are starting to think about future growth in their strategic planning. As they consider growth opportunities, five big questions have come to the fore. We’ll look at each in turn, but to get all the insights, you’ll have to come to our inaugural Raddon Research Conference this November!
The ubiquity of Internet-capable mobile devices and the evolution of this technology in the banking realm present new challenges and opportunities for financial institutions. As financial institutions continue to make significant investment in mobile banking technology, the industry’s primary imperatives are twofold: Growth and retention.


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Amazon Web Services (AWS) is one of the largest cloud computing platforms in the world; it lends its vast server farms to Pinterest, Yelp and Flipboard, not to mention hundreds of Silicon Valley startups. According to Greenpeace's report "Clicking Clean" [PDF], released Wednesday, AWS also has one of the largest, dirtiest carbon footprints anywhere in the Internet's infrastructure.
The environmental report praises Facebook, Google, Apple, Yahoo and Box for the enormous strides they've made in powering their server farms with energy from renewable sources such as wind, solar and hydroelectric power. (Facebook, Apple and Google were on the naughty list just three years ago.) But it doesn't hesitate to call out the bad boys in the class, most notably AWS — and, to a lesser extent, Twitter.
The report's authors blast "Internet companies who have refused to pay even lip service to sustainability, and are simply buying dirty energy straight from the grid. These companies, most notably Amazon Web Services, are choosing how to power their infrastructure based solely on lowest electricity prices, without consideration to the impact their growing footprints have on human health or the environment."
One chart from the report explains what the pressure group means by that:
In a statement to Mashable, Amazon took issue with what it called the report's "false assumptions" and "inaccurate data." The company said that two of its data centers use 100% carbon-free power. "We like offering customers the choice of being able to run carbon-free," a spokesperson said. "Running IT infrastructure on the AWS Cloud is inherently more energy efficient than traditional computing."
But Greenpeace claimed Amazon was being, well, a little cloudy about the whole issue. "We have no interest in getting Amazon's data wrong, which is why we asked them to share their own data," said David Pomerantz, who edited the report. "Unlike other companies, Amazon declined to do that, so we have used the best public sources we can find" from governments and local utilities.
"While Amazon is currently using hydropower in Oregon, which is carbon-free, it is growing so fast there that its utility partner has been trying to avoid meeting a state law that requires it to produce more wind and solar energy," Pomerantz added. "If Amazon were acting responsibly, it would partner with its utility to bring more wind and solar to its energy grid, not less" — just as Apple and Facebook have done in partnership with Duke Energy in North Carolina.
Clearly, Greenpeace is pushing hard on a strategy of effusive praising and righteous shaming in the tech world. Pomerantz concluded that "having one hydro-powered data center out of an otherwise vastly dirty energy footprint, based mostly in Virginia on a coal, gas and nuclear powered grid, is a far cry from the ambitious 100% renewable energy goal that peers like Apple, Facebook and Google are pursuing."
Your move, Amazon.


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Citroën has certainly not been one of the car brands to watch in recent years. The French brand has some interesting classics, but when it comes to the model line-up in recent years, we do not remember the last time we turned our heads because of a Citroën. Well, that could change. This week they present the Numero 9 Concept. The sedan and SUV cross-over came out beautiful – it is sporty and slick and of course features the latest in technology that there is.
Here below is a video that the brand produced for the concept.
Further images follow after the jump.


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CBD Launches New High End Website
CBD Meetings and Event Planners has launched a swanky new event planning website and has a new brand makeover to commemorate the 10th Anniversary. The website includes a client portal, event planning portfolio, catering gallery and event planning pricing.
Our stylish new website speaks to our brand and our clients.
The newly launched website will “go live” on January 17, 2015. The new design of the website makes Washington DC’S #1 Corporate Planning firm clients feel welcome. The website was built to deliver customers a seamless experience in planning events, meetings, conferences and social events in Washington DC and the metropolitan area.
Headquartered in Washington, CBD manages events globally for the international community. Clients are able to access CBD products and services worldwide in just a matter of clicks.
Since CBD was first launched in 1999, the website has been consistent with the needs of the CBD target clients. From improving the reading experience to adding video, multimedia and interactivity, our designers consistently break new ground in how we present the event, conference and meeting planning process


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Wipro agreed to acquire Capco for $1.45 billion, in its biggest purchase to spur growth that’s been lagging behind local rivals.
Resident Evil 3 remake is coming in April next year. Check out the first official trailer.
Japanese studio Capcom’s title has sold more than 8 million copies globally. The series, where players hunt the titular beasts, has been popular in Japan ...


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Technology is making the insurance industry more efficient despite headwinds from the traditional environment, according to Swiss Re.
With manifold use cases and specific requirements for blockchains, businesses will have to choose the right variety rather than deploy a single ‘interoperable’ blockchain.
Not too long ago, the vision of a digital insurance company was one that extended services and offerings over web-based channels that offered 24/7 customer service to augment and add some intelligence to existing product sets.
Insurance is not insulated from the rise of new technologies improving the connectivity between business and customer — and customers with each other. Strategy Meets Action partners Karen Furtado and Mark Breading take a look at the future of insurance in their latest report, “The Top 10 Ways Emerging Tech Will Transform Insurance.”
Investments in blockchain-related start-ups across industries have grown to more than $800 million , according to McKinsey – and the insurance industry is taking note. In the consultancy’s “Blockchain in insurance – opportunity or threat?” study released this week, McKinsey takes a look at several blockchain use cases, and identifies some of the companies leading the way in bringing this technology to insurance.


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In a bid to push 3D Internet technology into the mainstream, 35 developers including Netscape Communications, Microsoft, and Silicon Graphics today formed the Virtual Reality Modeling Language Consortium.
VRML has become the de facto standard for creating 3D environments on the Internet. Like HTML, VRML is designed to allow clients, servers, and development tools from different vendors to work with each other.
But unlike HTML, which is guarded by a the World Wide Web Consortium, VRML has never been managed by an official standards organization and was instead controlled by a loose-knit band of companies known as the VRML Architecture Group.
According to members of the VRML Consortium, the VRML Architecture Group will be replaced to create a formal process for adding innovations to the VRML standard.
"The VAG was not a formal body," said Deepak Kamlani, a spokesman for the VRML Consortium. "The feeling in the community was that we needed to formalize [the standards process]."
Kamlani said that new group will also focus its efforts on evangelizing VRML to developers to make the technology more prevalent on the Internet. "We're at the point where we can move into the mainstream," he said. "It's less of a technology concept."
Other companies endorsing the consortium today include 3DLabs, Apple Computer, Axial Systems, Black Sun Interactive, Construct Internet Design, dForm, First Virtual Holdings, IBM, Integrated Data Systems, Intel, Intervista Software, Kinetix, Mitsubishi Electric Research Labs, Oracle, ParaGraph International, S3, Sense8, Sony, Superscape, Template Graphics Software, and Visible Decisions
The VRML Consortium has elected an interim president, Rikk Carey, to lead the group and will elect a board of directors in January.
Carey said today that the consortium is working with the International Standards Organization to make VRML 2.0, the latest version of the technology, an official international standard.
Today, one of the members of the VRML Consortium, Black Sun Interactive, also outlined its product plans for the coming year. In the first quarter of 1997, the company will release CyberHub 2.0, a server that allows sites to set up online VRML-based communities. The new version of the server will include support for multiparty voice conversations, advertising and billing systems, and member access and participation rules.
In the third quarter of 1997, the company will release CyberHub 3.0, which will feature interconnected community conventions, advanced community definitions, and property ownership.


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LG, Panasonic, Samsung and more have found themselves in hot water over cathode ray tube price fixing for TVs and monitors.
Yes, cathode ray tubes. The wheels of justice may turn slowly, but they keep on turning, apparently. The European Commission (EC) has levelled a record €1.47 billion (AU$1.8 billion) fine at LG, Philips, Panasonic and Samsung for "acting as cartels" when it came to the pricing and manufacturing of the said tubes. Toshiba and Technicolor were also named, and fined smaller amounts.
According to the EC, the companies spent nearly two decades with "fixed prices, shared markets, allocated customers between themselves and restricted their output", all to the detriment of consumers.
Another company, Chunghwa, was also named, but it was let off without a fine, due to the fact that it was the whistleblower that alerted the EC to the cartel.
In a statement to the press, EC vice president in charge of competition policy Joaquín Almunia said:
These cartels for cathode ray tubes are "textbook cartels": they feature all the worst kinds of anticompetitive behaviour that are strictly forbidden to companies doing business in Europe. Cathode ray tubes were a very important component in the making of television and computer screens. They accounted for 50 to 70 per cent of the price of a screen. This gives an indication of the serious harm this illegal behaviour has caused both to television and computer screen producers in the EEA, and ultimately the harm it caused to the European consumers over the years.


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New Delhi: The Transport Ministry should ensure surge pricing by cab aggregators like Uber and Ola is capped at 25 per cent, RSS-affiliate Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) said on Tuesday, cautioning that if not done, states might form their own rules under the Motor Vehicles Act, 2019, and set a lower limit.
The SJM’s suggestion assumes significance as several states, including those where the BJP is in power, have decided to draft their own penalty structure under the act, different from that suggested by the ministry.
The act came into effect from September 1 and hefty fines have been imposed for various traffic violations.
In a letter to Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, SJM co-convener Ashwani Mahajan said as per reports, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) is considering allowing surge pricing to the extent of three times of the normal fare.
He also cited a survey conducted among taxi users and said a specific amount should be credited to a customer’s account in case an app-based cab company or its driver cancels a ride.
Underlining that taxi aggregator rules under the Motor Vehicle Act, 2019, should be made keeping “public interest” in mind, Mahajan said, “People want surge pricing to be capped at not higher than 25 per cent.”
“If that is not done, it would be an unpopular move and we may risk states coming up with their own rules and setting lower limits of surge pricing for taxi aggregators,” Mahajan said.
Taxi aggregators Uber and Ola, which started operating in India to provide lower cost and convenient services, have now started profiteering under the ambit of surge pricing, he said
The SJM also demanded that in case of ride cancellation by a taxi-app company or the driver, Rs 100 or an amount equivalent to 20 per cent of the fare should be credited to the customer’s account as a penalty.
Mahajan said at present, app-based cab operators levy a penalty when a customer cancels a ride but the same doesn’t work the other way around.
The basic customer service and app features must be standardised to facilitate speaking with customer service centres in case of an emergency or need, the SJM co-convenor said.


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A stock split is one of the best ways to attract more investors and Tesla is paving the path for the same. It will be seeking the approval of shareholders before taking the step of increasing the number of counts. Several companies in recent years have practiced splitting of stocks to take the market advantage.
A vote is on the card at the annual shareholders' meet and it is believed the stock split may take place soon. The board of directors needs to approve before Tesla offers multiple shares against each unit to the shareholders.
Splitting makes the shares cheaper and appeals tomoreinvestors even though it does not result in any change in the underlying fundamentals.
A study reveals the stock split moves are historically bullish for the companies and the average returns after about a year have been 25 percent versus just 9 percent for the overall market.
With the announcement of a stock split, the shares of Tesla jumped 8 percent and added more than $100 billion to its market value.
Amazon announced a stock split earlier this year and since then has surged about 20 percent. The split will come into effect in June this year.
Tesla became a constituent of the S&P 500 last December and is now considered a heavy-weight stock on the index. It accounts for more than 2 percent of it and gained 300 percent since the first announcement was made about the split in August 2020.
Some companies from the S&P 500 index believed to be following the footstep of Tesla include Chipotle Mexican Grill and Booking Holdings.
Meanwhile, Tesla is emphasizing the expansion of its factories and to enhance production volume due to high demands for its electric vehicles from across the world. The supply chain issue has been one of the biggest problems for the company in the past two years. It is simultaneously working on reducing the issue.


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In an interview with Paper City, Love characterized the establishment as “an incredibly intimate dining space, featuring white tablecloths and providing seating for 40 in the main dining area, along with a bar accommodating six patrons.”
He explained that Caterina’s strives to offer a dining experience that patrons will savor. Love stated, “At Caterina’s, guests will indulge in a multi-course meal. It’s a leisurely, or what I like to call analog dining experience, where the entire ambiance encourages you to take your time. Throughout the meal, there will be delightful surprises,” the owner revealed.
That’s why the restaurant kindly requests that diners stow their phones away while enjoying Caterina’s unique experience. In an interview with a local Texas news outlet, Love expressed, “We kindly ask our guests to place their phones in a designated bag.” Love went on to explain, “We’ve already had that happen. Some people may forget and have their phone in their pocket. We provide them with a bag, and they willingly place their phone inside. It’s not a significant issue.”
Love mentioned that if you can’t bear to part with your phone, you might want to consider dining elsewhere. “If you absolutely can’t do without your phone for two hours, then this may not be the ideal place for you,” the owner asserted. “I mean, people go to the movies without using their phones,” he added.
Amidst the chaos of the outside world, the proprietor of multiple restaurants shared that this novel approach to dining is not offered by every establishment. “We wanted to create something truly exceptional,” the chef and owner conveyed


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Jacobs introduces ‘Help Wanted Act’ to address labor shortages
Press Release, Congressman Chris Jacobs
ORCHARD PARK – Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27) introduced the Help Wanted Act on Wednesday evening to help address the growing labor shortages reported in Western New York and around the nation.
“The jobs report released Friday shows what we warned would happen – the President’s policies have disincentivized work and made it more lucrative for individuals to stay home and collect enhanced unemployment benefits than seek employment,” Jacobs said. “Now we are seeing the effects. Businesses cannot find employees to keep up with growing demand, restaurants are having to turn customers away when they need them most, and commodity prices are skyrocketing as organizations cannot find labor to support their supply chains. This legislation addresses the root causes of this labor shortage to get Americans back to work and support our economic recovery.”
The legislation would accomplish three main goals. It would require every state to reinstate the “work-search” requirement for unemployment benefits. This requires unemployment recipients to show proof of a job search to receive benefits. During the pandemic, this condition was waived by many states. In addition, the legislation strikes a provision from the CARES Act allowing individuals to collect unemployment if they voluntarily left their job. Finally, the legislation would prohibit the use of generic concerns about Covid-19 as a reason for turning down offers of employment.
“With more than a year of complying with Covid protocols, vaccines available to all adults, and infection rates dropping significantly, it is time for us to fully reopen and get back to work,” Jacobs said.
The jobs report released Friday showed the economy only added 266,000 jobs, falling short of the almost one million projected to be added. In addition, the Buffalo News reported local restaurants and retailers are struggling to find employees, and as a result are being forced to limit service, turn away customers, and suffer financially.
The Help Wanted Act introduced by Rep. Jacobs and cosponsored by Rep. Dusty Johnson (SD-AL) and Rep. Tracey Mann (KS-01).
“There are nearly 8 million job openings and 14 million Americans out of work. If the American economy is going to make a full comeback, we have to get folks back to work – Congressman Jacobs Help Wanted Act accomplishes that goal,” Rep. Johnson said.
“I have continually advocated for reopening our economy and getting people back to work,” said Rep. Mann. “At a time when small businesses and other employers are searching for workers, the federal government’s interference to normal order is not the right path. It’s time to take off the masks, reopen our businesses and schools, and get back on track.”


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The Houston, Texas-based third-party logistics provider moved into a new 34,000-square-foot warehouse and office complex adjacent to the London Heathrow Airport in an effort to enhance its UK market presence.
SEKO Logistics named Michael Christensen president of SaaS and CPO of International Supply Chain Solutions to lead a new business unit focusing on the third-party logistics provider’s service-as-a-software technology solutions.
Reported cargo thefts in the state of Rio de Janeiro for the second quarter surged 34 percent year-over-year to 2,151 reported incidents as the nation’s economy continues to shed jobs.
Registration takes less than 1 minute.
The voyage data recorder from the U.S.-flag cargo ship that sank Oct. 1, 2015 near the Bahamas was in good condition and revealed bridge audio, weather data and navigational data.
Southern California's so called "Blue Cut Fire" has disrupted BNSF and Union Pacific rail traffic, including intermodal traffic moving to and from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, but some train lines and highways are reopening.
The South Korean shipping and logistics firm will invest 480 million Chinese yuan renminbi for a 50 percent share of Shenzen Speedex Commercial Service, a subsidiary of Chinese electronics manufacturer TCL, according to an announcement from TCL.


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“A new patent application from Apple describes iPhone games that would use the device’s many sensors and capabilities — including motion detection, GPS and camera — to offer a new way to play and compete with friends in a real-life 3D space,” Neil Hughes reports for AppleInsider.
“The application revealed this week, entitled ‘Interactive Gaming with Co-Located, Networked Direction and Location Aware Devices,’ describes a gaming system on an iPhone that would create an augmented reality by using the device’s camera and sensing the device’s location and orientation,” Hughes reports. “This same ‘reality’ would be shared by other, nearby iPhone gamers, and positioning data of each iPhone would be shared wirelessly over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or a cellular signal.”
Hughes reports, “By sharing the exact position and orientation of another user’s iPhone, this system would allow the gamer to actually see and track a player on the screen.”
Much more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “James W.” for the heads up.]


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When Charlie-Anne heard she had been selected for the three-minute dash for toys at the Toys “R” Us store at Willowbrook Shopping Centre in Langley, the nine-year-old Vancouver girl wasn’t quite sure what to make of it at first.
“This is every kid’s dream, Char,” mom Cherie Ehlert told her.
“Over the last couple of weeks that’s all we’ve been talking about. She’s super excited.”
In three minutes, Charlie-Anne and her parents filled nine shopping carts full of toys at the Langley Toys “R”Us store.
Charlie-Anne, who was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1 when she was six months old, is one of several Canadian children with serious illnesses to participate in the annual toy dash that is a joint venture of Toys “R” Us and the Starlight Canada Foundation.
Marina Mahseredjian, the mother of last year’s dash winner, Talia Mahseredjian, was taking photos for the foundation Tuesday morning.
She said her daughter, who was battling brain cancer, is currently in remission.
Talia’s favourite toy from her dash last year remains the pink stuffed unicorn she was given by the store staff.
“She sleeps with it every night,” Marina said.
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The trendy gadgets have a much lower-wattage than ovens, so generally consume less electricity when it comes to preparing meals.
Martin got talking about cooking equipment during an episode of his podcast, and used the example of another lower-wattage appliance – the microwave – to caution that they’re not always cheaper for larger dishes.
‘A microwave gives you consistent heat whereas an oven is warming up to full temperature and then topping it up so it isn’t running at full power the whole time,’ the Money Saving Expert said.
‘But if you’re doing a jacket potato for 10 minutes it’s going to be far cheaper [in the microwave] than doing a single jacket potato in an oven and keeping it on for an hour and a half.
‘However, if you were doing a full roast dinner and you were cooking many of them, that is where it’s probably cheaper than putting five or six jacket potatoes in a microwave.’
The finance guru’s advice follows separate research carried out by Which?, a UK consumer research group, revealing the cheapest ways of cooking popular meals.
The study found for the majority of foods that were tested, air fryers were generally the cheapest and quickest option.
Emily Seymour, energy editor at Which?, said: ‘There has been a surge of interest in air fryers and smaller cooking appliances in recent months, and our research shows that the hype could be justified in some cases, as we’ve found these products cost less to cook certain foods than conventional ovens.’
But she went on to agree with Mr Lewis’ guidance on larger meals, saying: ‘The cost savings will soon be lost if you have to cook more than one batch though, so it’s still better to use your oven if you’re cooking large quantities.’
Share your views in the comments below


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" Morrisons has updated the signage in many of our stores and removed the reference to "boys" and "girls" toys. We are aware that the old signage remains in some stores and are working to address this.
"Our new signage retains colour coding based on our experience that this helps customers to navigate the aisle and quickly find the toys they are looking for. We are listening carefully to the views of all of our customers and the Let Toys be Toys campaign.
More top news
St Clare's Hospice in Jarrow is to close for three weeks due to a difficulty in recruiting specialist doctors.
Paul Steward, a former sunbed user who survived skin cancer, is calling for sunbeds to be banned in the UK.
A County Durham man has launched The Harmony Initiative programme, which is aimed at educating people about Islam to fight extremism.


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Doodlage launches collaborative ceramics line, holds eco clean-up operation
Sustainable menswear and womenswear brand Doodlage has collaborated with Srinia Ceramics to launch a handcrafted collection and has collaborated with Allied Blenders & Distillers to upcycle bags.
Doodlage, which is know for its upcycled garments and natural, quirky aesthetic, has launched its first collaborative ceramics collection with pottery brand Srinia Ceramics, the brand announced on Facebook. The minimalist, rustic line features plates, incense holders, and cups with a colour scheme of ivory, rust, and grey and retails from Doodlage’s e-commerce store. The line is part of the brand’s move towards offering a more comprehensive sustainable lifestyle offering.
As part of its recent joint initiative with Allied Blenders & Distillers, Doodlage diverted 2,500 kilograms of textile waste from landfill sites, the brand announced on Facebook. The brand upcycled the textile waste to produce 1 lakh bags to function as handcrafted packaging for bottles of Sterling reserve B10 limited edition collection.
The project also saved 25 million litres of water and generated 33,000 man hours of fair work for the brand’s team of artisans. The upcycled packaging not only adds an extra level of design to the Allied Blenders & Distillers bottles, it also contributes to reducing textile waste, a significant source of environmental pollution, especially in India.
Copyright © 2023 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.


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The biggest update of Trove lately is the Megalithic. According to the official site, players who use consoles will have the chance to get 270 collectables, pick up new styles dropping from enemies, travel new dungeons and show off new gragons.
Megalithic is a massive update that set to be released on June 27th. It brings the Chaos Core Crafter which is helpful when you craft all of 15 Trove classes, new mounts, wings, and brand-new costumes. If you beat the baddies of Adventure Worlds, Stashes can be available to unlock more epic styles.


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Taco Bell has gone through a number of menu changes in the past few months and I feel like it all started when they took Nacho Fries off the menu again, but we have a Christmas miracle on our hands because Taco Bell is bringing them back!
Starting on December 24th (Christmas Eve), you'll be able to get everyone's favorite fries with a side of nacho cheese for a limited time for either $1.39 or in a $5 box with a Beefy 5-Layer Burrito, a Crunchy Taco, and a medium fountain drink.
They've been dubbed Taco Bell’s most successful menu item and have sold more than 347 million servings to date, which you would think make them put it on the menu full-time.
No matter what, we all have something to look forward to when closing out 2020!
Photo Credit: Getty Images


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Lily’s Sweets debuts its new no sugar added dark chocolate and milk chocolate peanut butter cups at Sweets and Snacks Expo this week in Chicago.
The announcement comes following continued growth for the brand, including doubling the size of the business in 2018. Lily’s Sweets is up 186 percent in MULO and 84 percent in the natural channel. The new peanut butter cups will hit shelves nationally this summer, including at Whole Foods Market and Sprouts stores, and with additional stores being added throughout the remainder of 2019.
Boulder, Colorado-based Lily’s Sweets new peanut butter cups (MSRP $5.99/3.2-oz. pouch) are made with non-GMO ingredients so that they fulfill the same expectation as every product from the brand: sweets with no added sugar.
Botanically-sweetened with stevia, the new peanut butter cups have less than 1g of sugar and only 130 calories per two cup (30g) serving. As with all Lily’s Sweets products, the new peanut butter cups are fair trade certified by Fairtrade America, certified gluten-free and carry the GFCO seal. They also fit into the requirements of a ketogenic or other low-glycemic diet. The peanut butter cups come in a pouch with six, individually-wrapped cups.
“Sometimes the best ideas come from your fans. After seeing fanatics of our baking chocolate time and again create peanut butter cups at home, we figured why not create our own to satisfy that need,” said Cynthia Tice, founder of Lily’s Sweets. “It’s so fun to see our innovation move into different categories while still delivering no-sugar added options so good you won’t even miss the sugar.”
Lily’s Sweets has experienced exciting growth in the last year, including expansion to more than 10,000 stores and outpacing repeat purchase at 50 percent in a highly-impulsive category.
“Our team is thrilled to build upon Cynthia’s work as a trailblazer in the natural products industry to bring more people sweets they can enjoy daily,” said Lily’s Sweets CEO Jane Miller. “We are on track to experience sustained growth in 2019, maintaining our position as a leader in the no added sugar movement.”
The Sweets and Snacks Expo is May 21-23.


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Sega Confirms: Aliens Colonial Marines for Wii U has Been Cancelled
Bad news or good news? You decide as Sega has confirmed that the Wii U version of Aliens: Colonial Marines has been cancelled.
No more confusion or doubts, the game is dead on Wii U.
Speaking to Kotaku, a Sega representative has said that “We are constantly looking at all areas of our business and in this case have made the decision to not continue development of the Wii U version,”
However its not all bad news with the Sega rep saying “Rest assured that we have some fantastic developments for Wii U in the pipeline which we will announce at a later date.”
The writing has been on the wall for the longest time but since Sega hasn’t officially commented on the games release until now, we all knew what was going to happen.
Was anyone still holding out for this version of the game, or are better off without it?


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Google has been running banner ads on a number of web sites that promote its recently launched Google Search app for Windows 8 and are targeting Windows 8 users.
Latest Windows 10 news, including the new Server preview
The Office 2016 Public Preview download is now available
Hands on with Windows 10 build 10108
Hands on with HoloLens, round 2


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La-Mulana on WiiWare: it's not a myth, it's a real thing. Despite believing the game would be out months — if not years — ago, we're still waiting on the adventure game here, even with its recent appearance in Japan. What's the hold up? It seems the game has fallen foul of the ratings boards here in the West, according to the most recent developer blog.
The game has been passed by the ESRB, PEGI and OFLC, but apparently the German ratings board USK hasn't been in contact with the developer for months, and it's this that's causing the delay. As Nigoro is shooting for a global release as close to simultaneous as possible, that means North America, Australia and the rest of Europe must wait until USK gets its act together and rates the game.


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Avocado Green, makers of organic and eco-luxury sleep products, has refocused a large part of its cut and sew department in its American factory to the production of reusable face masks in light of the COVID-19 mask shortage.
Dallas interior designer Jean Liu is using her Michigan-based outdoor furniture manufacturing plant to assist those on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic by making thousands of surgical masks available to hospitals for free.
In compliance with the City of Atlanta Executive Order for residents to shelter in place and non-essential businesses to temporarily close, International Market Centers (IMC) has temporarily closed AmericasMart Atlanta, the Atlanta Convention Center at AmericasMart, and the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center (ADAC) as of 5 p.m., March 24, 2020.
The International Textile Alliance (ITA) has moved the dates of its upcoming Spring Showtime Market to June 12-16, in response to the COVID-19 situation. The new dates coincide with the recently revised dates for the Spring High Point Market set for June 12-14, and gives attendees the opportunity to attend both major events in one trip.
Custom upholstered furniture manufacturer Norwalk Furniture is responding to the needs of its clients, partners and affiliates through a combination of initiatives in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak and the postponement of the High Point Market. The programs include plans to creatively support its customers in new ways, including a variety of virtual initiatives to launch its new product introductions this spring.
Dallas Market Center has announced that Dallas County issued a “shelter –in-place” order for residents of Dallas County, which also includes an order for non-essential businesses to cease operations through April 3, 2020. The announcement directly impacts Dallas Market Center.
Flexsteel Inds., Inc. (NASDAQ: FLXS) has announced the appointment of Derek P. Schmidt as chief financial officer and chief operating officer, effective April 6, 2020.


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Top 4 News results
1.Is Walmart Open on Thanksgiving 2021? Here’s What We Know
If you're asking, “Is Walmart open on Thanksgiving this year?” then we have your answer: Better order that 65-inch television now just in case, because Walmart stores will be closed on ...
From : Glamour
2.Walmart Thanksgiving Hours 2021: Will Walmart Open Its Doors on Thanksgiving Day This Year?
In past years, Walmart stores have opened on Thanksgiving Day to give shoppers an early start on Black Friday.In 2020, however, the company made the decision to shut Walmart stores on Thanksgiving ...
From : Parade
3.Thanksgiving 2021: Which stores are open, which are closed on Thanksgiving?
With Thanksgiving coming up soon – it’s Nov. 25 – more retailers are announcing their plans for the holiday and the upcoming shopping season. More stores will be closed this Thanksgiving as ...
From : WPXI
4.Is Walmart Open on Christmas Day? Here's What to Know About the Store's Holiday Hours
Here’s what we know about when the big-box retailer will be open and closed ... representative, Walmart told Woman’s Day that its stores would be closed on both Thanksgiving and Christmas ...
From : Woman's Day
Wikipedia sayings about is walmart open on thanksgiving
1.The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Comic-Con International on July 20, 2013, also being released online on that day. Walmart released the first TV spot on their Facebook page on October 14, featuring
2.Timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections
food poisoning from a turkey she bought at Walmart. Within hours, there are numerous similar postings on Tumblr and Twitter making similar claims, Wikipedia


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Chilean produce suppliers say the economic downturn will not scare off business, but they expect more value-conscious consumers and tough sells for specialty items.
“I think that, based on the current economy and the high level of unemployment, the consumer is going to be very discriminating in looking for good values,” said David Schiro, president of Jac Vandenberg Inc., Yonkers, N.Y.
Schiro added that consumers’ disposable income for food has decreased, and they are not going to spend their money on products that they do not perceive to be good buys. He said it will be up to growers to ship the best possible quality fruit to market to be successful.
Bruce Dowhan, general manager of Giumarra of Escondido, Escondido, Calif., said the economy has affected avocado sales, especially in the foodservice sector.
“It makes sense. The average American is not eating out as much as they used to,” he said. “There has been some impact, but it hasn’t been a tremendous impact.”
Dowhan said avocados have not seen as much of a dip as other commodities because as people scale back on eating out, they are making more meals using avocados in ways other than in guacamole.
Josh Leichter, director of the grape category in the Newark, Del., office of The Oppenheimer Group, Vancouver, British Columbia, said by extension retailers must also offer value to customers while still providing sustainable return to growers in Chile.
Chris Kragie, sales manager at Western Fresh Marketing, Madera, Calif., said the down economy has heavily depressed the price of kiwifruit, which is becoming a more mainstream item.
“Consumers are getting more bang for the buck,” he said. “Kiwis are high in fiber, higher in vitamin C. Now with kiwis at a price that is consumer friendly, consumers are buying a lot more than years past.”
Tom Tjerandsen, marketing manager for the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association, Sonoma, Calif., said the marketplace has room for South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Peru, New Zealand and Australia in addition to Chile as long as the promotional programs are put into place.
“We feel there is plenty of room for all of us,” he said. “We applaud the additional arrival of other Southern Hemisphere shippers as long as they put the promotional programs in place to help all of us increase consumption.”


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You've been psyching yourself up all day to get your sweat on after work. You hit the gym ready to kill it, but after seeing another woman swing a 25-pound kettlebell like it's no big deal, your self-esteem begins circling the drain. It's off-putting, sure, but you're not the only one who experiences this phenomenon. A new survey from Cosmopolitan Body UK found that twice as many women as men deal with "gymtimidation"—a newly coined word for that sudden workout confidence crash.
What gymtimidates women most? While 44 percent copped to fearing the weight room, 14 percent blamed glances by male gymgoers for their anxiety. Women were most afraid of appearing out of shape and looking clueless around weights and other gear (but interestingly, just 20 percent of men were afraid of looking clueless). And 97 percent of women were rattled by the idea of walking around naked in the locker room.
Giving in to gymtimidation means you're unlikely to reach your fitness goals—a sucky way to start the New Year. But you can overcome it by using your fear as a motivator, suggests Yvonne Thomas, Ph.D., a Los Angeles–based psychologist specializing in self-esteem.
More From Women's Health
Freaked out about using a TRX trainer for the first time? "Tell yourself that no one is born knowing it, but you're going to learn, and ask a gym staffer to give you a primer," Thomas says. Feeling flabby and unfit around so many tight, toned bodies? "Turn that embarrassment into your motivator to get in shape," she adds.
Popping in ear buds and working out to a playlist you love will also ease anxiety by blocking out the people and gear around you. "It'll make you feel less self-conscious and more in your own world," Thomas says.
Another tactic: read up on other people's gym fears and fails and steal their tips on surviving as a fitness newbie. Here's how not to feel awkward in a new fitness class and how to avoid common beginner yoga mistakes.


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FRESHFARM Markets Announces the Opening of Its 9th Market, by the White House
–800 Block of Vermont Avenue Designated for New Farmers’ Market–
WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — With interest in farmers’ markets at an all-time high, FRESHFARM Markets, a 501(C)3 organization, announced today the opening of a new producer-only farmers’ market in downtown Washington on the 800 block of Vermont Avenue, NW, between H and I Streets. The market will operate on Thursday afternoons from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM from September 17 through October 29. The new market will have 18 farmers and producers offering delicious, healthy food grown on small, local, sustainable farms in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed region.
Currently, food is at the center of many national discussions about health and the environment. FRESHFARM Markets saw this as a unique opportunity to create a market in downtown Washington close to where those policy discussions are taking place.
“This is a great day for American farmers,” said Ann Yonkers, co-director of FRESHFARM Markets. “This is the culmination of a long journey for FRESHFARM Markets, which has brought farmers into the center of Washington, DC, where policy is made. Today farmers are right where they should be, at the center of the debate about how America eats now and what choices we will make in the future for ourselves and our children.”
Bernadine Prince, also co-director of FRESHFARM Markets, adds, “I hope this farmers’ market will inspire cities and communities throughout our country and the world to transform public spaces into marketplaces filled with healthy, local foods from family farms. I also hope that this farmers market will be a model for making fresh food available to all people regardless of income.”
Through support provided by grants and private donations, FRESHFARM Market shoppers will be able to double the value of their Food Stamps, WIC and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Coupons at the new market. This literally translates into every dollar the shopper has now being worth two dollars, creating the opportunity for those who might not normally shop at farmers’ markets to have affordable access to local foods.
The new market will be a showcase for the best seasonal products that local farms in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia have to offer. Pasture-raised meats, artisan cheeses, milk, yogurt, fresh fruits and vegetables, breads, baked goods and fresh flowers will be available.
FRESHFARM Markets, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, was founded in 1997, starting with the opening of the market at Dupont Circle. Inspired by a vision of a more sustainable regional food system, the markets were created not only to connect urban residents with local farmers, but also to educate the public about food and farming issues, and to provide tangible economic opportunities for farmers. As of 2009, FREHSFARM Markets operates eight producer-only farmers’ markets in the Washington, DC metro area, with farmers from Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia and Delaware. More information is available at www.freshfarmmarkets.org.
SOURCE FRESHFARM Markets


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OAK Airport to host vendor fair for East Bay merchants on January 12
Participating vendors will have the potential to have their goods featured at OAK retail locations
Oakland, Calif. – January 6, 2023: On Thursday, January 12, Oakland International Airport will host its first OAK Vendor Fair. This event will allow participating local merchants and artisans the opportunity to showcase their goods with the potential to have their items sold at OAK Airport through its onsite retailers.
Oakland International Airport and the Port of Oakland seek to promote local East Bay vendors and products as it implements its new retail program at the airport this year. Like the airport’s new food and beverage program, the new retail program will help distinguish OAK from other airports by providing locally curated products in its storefronts.
“Passenger experience is an essential part of the value that we offer travelers choosing to Fly OAK, and we believe offering unique and locally influenced goods for sale at our airport enhances that value,” says Bryant L. Francis, Director of Aviation at the Port of Oakland. “We look forward to our retail partners engaging with local vendors during our OAK Vendor Fair next week, allowing OAK to continue highlighting all there is to love about the East Bay for the benefit of both local and visiting travelers.”
EDIT: Vendor registration is currently at capacity, and the registration form has now closed.


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REDMOND, Wash. – Aug 25, 2009 – The latest version of Microsoft Office can help update a resume, get a grip on a household budget or speed up work on a school paper. But times are tough. In search of a bargain, it’s tempting to run a quick search online and find a sealed copy of the standard Microsoft Office 2007 suite, which usually sells for $400 package, for $200. A couple more clicks and it’s in the mail.
Too good to be true? Most likely, yes. In fact, it’s so good, it’s probably either counterfeit or pirated.
Can you tell which version is counterfeit Microsoft Office? The genuine version is on the right.
When software comes with a price tag that is substantially lower than the manufacturer’s suggested retail price, it’s frequently non-genuine. Often, customers in search of bargain-basement prices — or even looking to shave just a few dollars off of the full retail price — unknowingly buy pirated software from vendors selling meticulously forged software packages.
According to a recent study conducted by the Business Software Alliance (BSA) and market research firm IDC, 41 percent of the software on PCs around the world in 2008 was either counterfeit or used without a license. While piracy remains a serious global problem, Microsoft has been continually working with governments, enforcement agencies and industry associations such as the BSA to protect customers from the risks of non-genuine software.
So starting today, in an effort to increase the reach of its anti-piracy initiatives, Microsoft has expanded its Office Genuine Advantage (OGA) notifications program into 13 additional countries and territories, taking the total to 41.
Says Debbie Walsh, director of emerging markets and license compliance in Microsoft’s Information Worker product group: “When customers are misled into buying non-genuine software, they forfeit access to technical support, upgrades, user manuals and bug fixes. Even worse, they are forced to deal with incomplete software code and increase the risk of exposing their PC to debilitating viruses that could destroy data and steal personal information. Through programs like Office Genuine Advantage, Microsoft is determined to protect customers from the pitfalls of non-genuine software.”
OGA Widens Its Reach
Microsoft’s Office Genuine Advantage program, a voluntary initiative that is part of the company’s Genuine Software Initiative (GSI), helps customers confirm that the copy of Microsoft Office installed on their computer is genuine. The newly served countries and territories that will benefit from the expansion of the program are Austria, Brazil, Finland, Greece, India, Ireland, Netherlands, Peru, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom and the United States.
Customers in 41 countries now have the option to install OGA notifications, available through Microsoft Update, and learn whether they are running genuine versions of Office. By validating their copies of Office, consumers can take advantage of all the accompanying capabilities, support and upgrades. If the copy is found to be non-genuine, users are directed to a customized Microsoft Web page to view validation results and learn about easy steps to secure their PC.
It is no longer possible to identify non-genuine software by the packaging alone. Engineering advances such as OGA notifications will help protect customers from becoming unwitting victims. The genuine version of Microsoft Office is on the right.
“The only way to protect consumers is by educating them about software piracy, enabling them to make discerning purchasing decisions, and then providing solutions when they are unwittingly defrauded,” says Walsh. “The OGA program not only helps customers to differentiate the value of genuine Office products, but more importantly, it bolsters their confidence while shopping for software. Only then can they can enjoy the full range of Office capabilities and anticipate continuous system improvements.”
To be sure, counterfeiting and piracy exact a huge cost on software makers such as Microsoft as well as other vendors of intellectual property. Earlier this year, a joint report by the BSA and IDC noted that the cash value of unlicensed software now has broken the $50 billion level — up from estimates of $34 billion in losses in 2006. The report noted that lowering global piracy by just one point a year would add $20 billion in revenues to the IT industry.
But non-genuine software also costs consumers in ways they may not understand. Microsoft’s GSI educates customers on the value of genuine products, engineers creative anti-counterfeiting technologies, and works with governments and law enforcement agencies to promote the benefits of supporting legitimate software economies within their country.
As software pirates become more sophisticated, customers can no longer rely on being able to visually identify counterfeit software through the packaging alone. It has become critical for software manufacturers to tighten the anti-piracy features in their products and integrate piracy detection capabilities into the customer’s experience of product activation and validation. Microsoft is making advances through its Office Genuine Advantage program to do just that.
“Piracy is an industry-wide problem and it’s certainly not a victimless crime,” says Cori Hartje, senior director of Microsoft’s Genuine Software Initiative. “When non-genuine software comes bundled with hardware or when it is painstakingly packaged to look like the real deal, customers become unsuspecting victims. There are many methods that can be used to defraud consumers, and as an industry leader, Microsoft is constantly engaging in cross-company efforts through programs like Office Genuine Advantage to protect our partners and customers.”
As part of the Genuine Software Initiative, Microsoft encourages customers to use validation tools such as OGA and visit resource sites such as http://www.microsoft.com/genuine to check if the software they are running is genuine.
Preventing Risky Business
Software piracy doesn’t solely put individual consumers at risk. In business environments, IDC research indicates that the cost for an organization to recover from a solitary incident of malicious software on a single workstation can surpass $1,000. According to IDC-BSA forecasts, decreasing the piracy rate by 10 percentage points over the next four years could add more than 2.4 million new jobs and contribute almost $70 billion in tax revenues to local economies.
One of the most rampant forms of software piracy involves the misuse of volume license keys. Counterfeiters use these stolen keys to create installable software that may be incomplete and could potentially contain spyware and malware. Responding to the escalating piracy of volume license keys, Microsoft is adding volume licensing activation features to Office 2010. This upcoming version of Microsoft Office will offer technology managers new tools built on the existing Software Protection Platform that not only will make software piracy harder, but also will better enable businesses to manage their IT assets.
The forthcoming version of Office will bring together new anti-piracy innovations, counterfeit detection and tamper-resistant features into a complete platform that provides better software protection to programs that leverage it. Microsoft already has a track record of incorporating the Software Protection Platform into earlier products such as Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008, and Hartje adds that they are looking to replicate the same success with Office 2010.
“While future consumer installations will closely resemble what we have today, additional advantages that customers can expect include the ability to issue product keys that upgrade the installed version to one that is incrementally feature-rich,” says Hartje. “The ultimate goal of our programs that stem the flood of piracy is not only to lessen the impact of these illegal activities, but also to ensure that our customers enjoy all the capabilities — as well as the peace of mind — that come with using genuine software.”


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Forget Nutella, folks: Now you can put spreadable Twix on your toast
THERE is a new god, and his name is spreadable Twix (and spreadable Bounty, and spreadable Maltesers).
ATTENTION chocolate-spread fans: there’s a new toast-topper on the block.
Taking spreads to a whole new level, Mars has just released spreadable Twix in the UK.
Yes, you heard right — those lucky Brits can put their Nutella aside and get ready to chow down on pure liquefied Twix-y tastiness.
The spread can be eaten on top of toast, biscuits or straight out of the jar with a spoon (if that’s the way you roll).
It’s described as a “smooth chocolatey spread, with a hint of caramel plus pieces of crunchy Twix biscuit”.
Mars has also released a Maltesers Teasers and a Bounty spread too.
According to Mars, the Twix spread works best as a topper for toast or crumpets.
The 200g jars are being sold for £2 ($3.78) at ASDA supermarkets in the UK.
Now we just need to campaign to get those delicious treats to Australia.


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The Sims 4 has been getting many extension packs recently, one better than the other at adding dept to the little Sims. Yesterday, Sims developer, Maxis declared that they will expand the gender customization features found in the create-a-sim mode, thus allowing players to use all of the clothing options for their Sims, regardless of their gender.
By that we mean that if a player wants their male character to year jewelry and high heels then it’s completely possible. The same goes for female Sims – it the player wants to dress them up with a male three piece suit, it can totally be done.
It took over a year to create this mode, because every piece of gender specific hairstyle, clothing and accessories had to be modified – and they total to about 700 items. Those items were a combination between content that existed in the game at the beginning and content that was added later via extension packs. Every extension pack had a theme and introduced a wider array of items.
Lead producer, Lyndsay Pearson says that this will give players the opportunity to create any story that they want for their Sims or live a virtual life however they see it fit. She also stated that the Sims devs are constantly conversing with the players who demand more and more everyday.
As a result, the developers have a long list of items that could be included in the game and the entire list was created based on player suggestions. Even the changing of the gender restricting character customization options came from the requests of several players. In order to make those changes, Pearson said that they first consulted with the GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) in order to make sure that those changes were respectful.
However, the Sims is not the only game out there that features gender fluid creation options; there is also Sunset Overdrive.


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Akorn, Inc. (AKN) Reports 2012 Fourth Quarter and Year-End Financial Results
2/26/2013 6:55:01 AM
Akorn, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKRX), a niche generic pharmaceutical company, today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2012.
Raj Rai, Chief Executive Officer commented, “We achieved record growth in revenues and profits in 2012 as a result of our strategic growth initiatives – acquisitions, revival of products impacted by hospital drug shortages and new product launches.
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The Original Hula-Hoop Girl, Now 94, Is Still At It (Vogue)
The original Hula-Hoop girl is sitting in a café wearing a leopard-lined jacket, gold-painted nails, and Revlon lipstick in a shade called Orange Flip. She is blonde, fit, and incredibly bubbly at 94 years old—exactly the vision you’d expect of the muse who inspired the biggest sensation to hit the U.S. toy business. (And not too unlike the model Karl Lagerfeld sent down a Spring runway a few seasons back clad in a one-piece mesh bathing suit, holding an oversize Hula-Hoop beach bag.) Except that until recently, no one even knew she existed.


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Internet search is a hot online marketing tool, but despite the recent buzz, search opportunities for retailers and other advertisers aren’t just about buying spots on Overture/Yahoo or Google. Search marketing services providers such as Frederick Marckini, CEO of iProspect.com Inc., are already seeing a coming trend within search: Content portal as search engine.
The idea is that consumers who initiate a search from a site organized around particular content are closer to a transaction than if they initiate a search from a more general search engine and that eventually, the payment structure for keywords will reflect this. “If you search for `seal` on the Thomas Register, chances are you are looking for some kind of a gasket. If you look for `seal` on National Geographics’ site, it’s the mammal. Google and Yahoo are hamstrung by the fact that anyone can search for anything on them; if you look for “seal” there, it could be either,” says Marckini.
Similarly, a search for books on Amazon is more indicative of intent than a search for books on Google, he adds. Searches on such “vertical portals” evidence more intent and can produce a much higher degree of relevancy than mass market search interfaces can, he says. The power of the vertical portal’s brand combined with restrictions on the type of documents that can be shown there can produce much more specific search results, he adds.
“You see search distributed across a variety of content portals that are in fact search engines. Yet these content portal managers have yet to recognize their site as a search interface. But paid search, as it migrates to these vertical search engines, will have differing prices based on how close the search interface is to buying behavior,” he says. As a result, he says, general search engines could start to form partnerships to provide site search on content portals in exchange for being able to serve ads there.


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Dallas oil magnate and philanthropist Edwin L. Cox’s Impressionist art collection will be sold at Christie’s in November. The set of 25 works, including paintings by Vincent van Gogh and Gustave Caillebotte, is expected to fetch $ 200 million. The sale will mark the first time that many of these works have been seen in public since before World War II.
Cox died at the age of 99 in November. The Texas billionaire has served on the boards of museums such as the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC and the Dallas Museum of Art, as well as those of oil industry companies such as LTV Corp. and Halliburton. Cox, a longtime GOP donor, also known as a major benefactor of Southern Methodist University, where he subscribed to a business school bearing his name.
The oil tycoon began building his Impressionist collection around 50 years ago. âThe Cox collection will be remembered as a milestone in the art market,â said Adrien Meyer, global head of private sales and president of Impressionist and Modern art at Christie’s, in a statement. âMost of the images will be seen as a unique opportunity for any collector or museum.â
Among the flagship pieces of the collection, let’s mention Caillebotte Young man at his window (Young Man at His Window), 1887, view of a man dressed in black looking out of a window. It is expected to gross over $ 50 million, and if it hits its low estimate, it will set a new record for the artist. Caillebotte’s current highest auction price was set in 2019, when Montant path (Rising Road), 1881, a sunny outdoor scene of a man and woman walking side by side, sold at Christie’s in London for $ 22.2 million.
by Van Gogh Wooden huts among olive trees and cypress trees (Wooden Huts Among Olive Trees and Cypress Trees), 1889, a landscape painting of a cluster of olive trees, is estimated at $ 40 million. Another landscape, that of Paul CÃ©zanne L’Estaque with red roofs (Red Rooves of L’Estaque), 1883-1885, puts an estimate of 35 to 55 million dollars. Works by Claude Monet, Alfred Sisley and Ãdouard Vuillard are also expected to be offered at the auction, although details of these lots have not yet been revealed by Christie’s.
An additional decorative arts and furniture auction from the Cox Estate will be held online in December. A portion of the proceeds from each sale will be used for unspecified “educational purposes”, Christie’s said.
The flagship pieces of the collection will tour Taipei, Tokyo and Hong Kong, followed by showcases for them in Christie’s homes in London and New York.


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Barcelona-based startup Lodgify is launching its product today, which aims to be the “Shopify of vacation rentals” according to its co-founder Naveen Sharma. Like Shopify, Lodgify allows small business owners to easily set up an online commerce presence – but this time the target is people who are renting out their homes to vacationers and short-term renters.
Lodgify has some existing competition in the space, thanks to MyVR, a startup that raised $1.4 million in seed funding and came out of Y Combinator in March last year. According to Sharma, Lodgify has some key advantages over MyVR, however, including a better user interface, an instant booking function powered by Stripe and PayPal, website templates that feature responsive design and integration with vacation rental listing sites 9flats and Roomorama out of the gate, with HomeAway coming soon.
Forr the same reason that Hotel owners don’t exclusively list on Booking.com and abandon their own website, VR hosts don’t want to list exclusively on Airbnb,” Sharma explained in an interview. “VR owners can increase their income by having their own proprietary website and by additionally listing on multiple booking channels, such as Airbnb, Homeaway, 9flats, Roomorama, etc. The problem here is that it is very costly and time-consuming to build your own website and manage all these listings on multiple sites manually. That’s where Lodgify comes into play.”
The Lodgify platform allows VR proprietors to combine site building with listing on multiple rental services (including those mentioned above and 20 more channels on the roadmap for inclusion by end of year) at once, saving them time and money with a platform offered on a SaaS basis for plans starting at $9 per month, with no additional fees for making bookings or setup. And while MyVR is a competitor in that vision, Lodgify’s focus is primarily on the UK and Europe, and the built-in “book now” feature is a key competitive advantage.
Vacation rentals are a growing industry, rising faster than hotels and on track to become a hugely important player in the hospitality sector in the next half-decade or so. Sharma says this represents both opportunity and challenge for Lodgify, as it attempts to evolve with the changing demands of an evolving market.
“We’ll have to stay on our toes and closely monitor travel and booking habits,” he said. “We’ll need to constantly develop features and functions to meet the needs of future owners and travelers. Especially our focus on mobile devices and analytics will steadily increase to match demand.”
While MyVR is a noteworthy competitor, it sounds like the vacation rental space is progressing at such a clip that it can support more than a few players. We might see consolidation down the road, but for now, a major European opportunity exists that the bootstrapped Lodgify has plenty of breathing room to capitalize on.


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Agencies are continuing to grow throughout Q4 with new rounds of hires, promotions and team shifts. Dive in to see our favorites from this week.
AI Digital hired Sandeep Gill as its first chief financial officer. Gill will lead AI Digital’s financial planning and streamline processes to promote excellence and growth.
Big Sync Music
Christina Spoljaric Konig was hired as new client services director for North America at Big Sync Music. With more than 20 years of experience, Spoljaric Konig will support the company’s mission to become the go-to music partner for brands and agencies in North America.
Programmatic and data expert Crimtan made two new appointments to strengthen its leadership team. Daniel Edwards will serve group operations director and Mike Buttigieg as U.K. sales director.
D expósito & Partners
Andy Checo was hired as the director of public relations and social media at d expósito & Partners. With over 20 years of experience connecting brands to diverse audiences, Checo has developed programs for leading brands including AB InBev, Ancestry.com and Heineken.
Dentsu Creative U.K.
British creative directors Darren Urquhart and Tom Smith are returning to the U.K. to lead the American Express account at Dentsu Creative U.K. Coming from their previous roles at Ogilvy New York, the duo is best known for the Dove “Camera Shy” spot, which received over 100 million views and won multiple awards.
Scott Henderson joined Disqo as its new CFO. Coming from his previous role at Salesforce, Henderson will oversee all finance at the company, as well as revenue operations, sales enablement and business systems.
Hill Holiday Health
Stephanie Berman was hired as chief creative officer at Hill Holiday Health. Berman will lead creative across all clients, with the goal of advancing the agency’s creative reputation and mission and creating inspiring ideas that emotionally move people to take action.
McCann London appointed Jemima Monies as its chief operating officer. Coming from her previous role as chief marketing and operations officer at adam&eveDDB, Monies will oversee all operational business areas and serve on the agency’s leadership team.
Jamie Lieberman joined Mediavine as senior vice president and general counsel. Lieberman will lead Mediavine’s legal operations, which includes legal counseling and coaching on policies and procedures, intellectual property, contract negotiations and compliance.
Ready Set Rocket
Ready Set Rocket promoted Lauren Nutt Bello to its first CEO. Since joining the agency in 2012, Bello has led the agency’s record growth since the pandemic, quadrupling profits since 2020 with client wins like Conde Nast, Strava and iShares.
The Fifth made two new hires to its U.S. team, with the goal of continuing to drive company growth. Subin Kim joined as creative strategy director, and Shannon Reed as vice president of accounts and operations.
Unicorns & Unicorns
Unicorns & Unicorns signed director Derek Westerlund to its creative roster. Westerlund has directed commercial projects for brands like Samsung, HP, Under Armour and Nissan.
Thomas Flood was appointed managing director for U.S. and Canada at Worldcom OOH. Flood will focus on expanding business operations in other key markets like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto and Montreal.


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Amazon has rolled out six autonomous delivery robots for field testing in Snohomish County, Washington, earlier this week.
The device, named “Scout,” is Amazon’s latest attempt to solve the problem of “last-mile” logistics — typically an expensive and labor-intensive part of the shipping process. The cooler-sized robot rolls along sidewalks at a walking pace to deliver packages at people’s front doors.
“The devices will autonomously follow their delivery route but will initially be accompanied by an Amazon employee,” Amazon said in a statement. “We developed Amazon Scout at our research and development lab in Seattle, ensuring the devices can safely and efficiently navigate around pets, pedestrians and anything else in their path.”
Once the device reaches its destination, the top hatch opens, allowing customers to retrieve their packages. Of course, this means that the person placing the order must be there when Scout arrives.
More details about the device, including whether Amazon has plans to expand the service nationwide, have not been released.
Another company, Starship Technologies, introduced its own fleet of delivery robots the day before Amazon’s announcement. George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. The robots are delivering pizza, coffee, and groceries to students and faculty at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.
Moving up to four miles an hour, Starship’s robots can haul up to 20 pounds of food. Students can expect to receive their orders within 30 minutes, according to CBS News. An app allows customers to track their orders.
Like Amazon Scout’s customers, the George Mason students will have to meet the delivery device at the door.
Not all is running smoothly in the robot delivery industry, however.
Marble, a robot delivery startup in San Francisco, has been facing challenges with its service. Sharing space on sidewalks with pedestrians has been a problem, leading to city legislators banning the robots on most city sidewalks.
Renia Ehrenfeucht, a University of New Mexico professor and co-author of Sidewalks: Conflict and Negotiation over Public Space, said cities will have to adjust their street and sidewalk designs if robotic delivery devices catch on.
“If there really were hundreds of little robots,” Ehrenfeucht told The Guardian, “[sidewalks] would stop functioning as sidewalks and start functioning more as bike lanes. They would stop being spaces that are available for playing games or sitting down.”
Cyclists already have to navigate around electric scooters in “bike” lanes. Maybe delivery bots are next.
Image courtesy of Amazon.


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It was no surprise that BlackBerry (Nasdaq: RIMM; Toronto: RIM) reported a loss for its first fiscal quarter of 2013. What did surprise analysts was RIM's announcement that its next product, the BlackBerry 10, will be delayed until next year.
RIM announced on Thursday revenue of $2.8 billion for the quarter, down from $4.2 billion the prior quarter and $4.9 billion in the comparable year-ago period. The company reported a net loss of $518 million for Q1 2013, compared with a net loss of $125 million the prior quarter and net income of $695 million in the year-ago period.
RIM also told analysts that BlackBerry 10, the product slated to reverse the company's fortunes, would be delayed due to software integration snags. In its earnings press release, RIM said:
Over the past several weeks, RIM’s software development teams have made major progress in the development of key features for the BlackBerry 10 platform; however, the integration of these features and the associated large volume of code into the platform has proven to be more time consuming than anticipated. As a result, the Company now expects to launch the first BlackBerry 10 smartphones in market in Q1 of calendar 2013.
According to Reuters and other media reports, analysts cut their price targets on RIM's stock and speculate that RIM could actually run out of cash:
At least 10 brokerages cut their price targets on the stock, some by as much as 50 percent, a day after the company reported worse-than expected quarterly results and said it would delay the launch of its next-generation device to early 2013 from late this year.
RIM shares were down 16 percent in pre-market trading on the Nasdaq.
"If RIM continues to be run as it is, we believe that the company will eventually fail," Nomura Equity Research said.
"We do not expect RIM to successfully drive a turnaround of its financials, even with the launch of BB10 next year," the brokerage said in a note to clients, adding that its model assumes that RIM disappears by 2020 in a gradual decline.
RIM also said it would be cutting 5,000 workers in an effort to save cash.
I think that might be true. Even with the BB App World, BB has not mustered the support it would have liked from its users. The apps and compatibility issues have been there for BB since a very long time. As a result, BB has developed into a product for a niche market, i.e. businessmen and working professionals.
Well I dont like BB becasue it is not that compatible for some reason to my reuirements. Its good for old fashioned bsiness people in my opinion but Apple is much more stronger in every aspect and IMO I feel its the best even when you compare it with the Samsung Galaxy 3
Jacob, thanks for your response. It might work out that way you mentioned but honestly I haven't seen it happen myself. Waiting to launch a product (that might not be able to compete with the others) at a time when the iPhone and SIII would have created a lot of hype doesn't seem workable to me.
We might have different opinions about this and only time will be able to tell which one is correct. Although, I hope that RIMS finds a way to get out of its troubles.
Syed, why can't be it in a reverse way also. They had already burned their hands by introducing different products at different stages. Nothing was fruitful, so they may wait for the right time to introduce a new product, through which they are expecting a good breath.
Jacob, I would have agreed with you if it were about a company that was doing good in the market. RIMS on the other hand is barely keeping up with the market. So I don't see what would they achieve by delaying and watching the competitors? Probably, by the time they react the competition would have already sliced up a huge chunk of their remaining market share.
I agree with the fact delays in launching announced products, in general, represent a bad situation; but if we think just a moment in terms of competitors, apart Apple, where RIM's competitors? Not to say I am a wizard, but maybe it is a good time for acquiring RIM at low price and for launching a new company, including a new brand...bad, sometimes, brings also good...
EBN Dialogue enables and encourages you to participate in live chats with notable leaders and luminaries. Not only editors and journalists, but the entire EBN community is able to comment and ask questions. Listed below are upcoming and archived chats.
Thailand Stages a Comeback Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Microsoft Surface: Potential Winners & Losers What are the implications for the electronics industry supply chain of Microsoft Corp.'s decision to launch its own tablet PC? Join industry veteran and EE Times' systems and OEM expert Rick Merritt on Tuesday, July 3, at 12:00 pm EDT for a Live Chat on this subject.
Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Peter Drucker famously said "Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window." Yet in the razor's-edge world of electronics—with a lean supply chain and just-in-time demands—the need to know the future is vital.
While no one really can accurately predict the future, we can take guidance from another Drucker saying which is the best way to predict the future is to create it.
You've heard the saying "the No. 1 supply chain risk is your people." That hasn't always been the case. But today's complex global supply chain requires a new type of multitalented employee. It's one who understands, finance, marketing, economics, is savvy with technology, graceful with relationships and can think analytically.
Where are these people? Are universities properly preparing the next generation supply chain professionals? How do train your existing workforce for these new, demanding positions?
Brian Fuller, editor-in-chief of EBN, will lead a 60-minute Avnet Velocity panel discussion that will ask and answer these and other questions swirling around today's supply-chain talent challenges.


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According to fresh reports, Heir Inc, the holding company, recently established by the Jordans, is creating a "consumer-facing community platform" that would allow athletes to connect with their fans. The idea was birthed by Jeffrey Jordan, marketing executive Daniel George, and Jeron Smith, a former chief executive officer and the co-founder of Unanimous Media owned by Stephen Curry.
According to information obtained from Heir's website, athletes would be able to use the platform to sell limited numbers of membership-based "seats" to their fans, who will be able to gain access to digital assets and first-person NFT drops, utilizing an exclusive token given by Heir, which is built on the Solana blockchain. Also, customers can buy one-time digital assets and join an athlete's "huddle" to have access to exclusive drops, amazing experiences, digital goods, and much more.
According to Jeffrey Jordan, the platform "reimagines the creator-fan experience, to empower athletes to engage with their fans."
Also Read: Breaking All-Time NBA Three-Point Record: Stephen Curry Drops Surprise NFT For Charity
The heir had a Web3 personalized community platform for athletes as its first product. At its initial launch, $10.6 million was realized in a round led by Thrive Capital, which marked the Heir's entrance into NFTs. Investors to the platform include Solana Ventures, the Solana blockchain's investment branch, Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit, EVP of the New York Knicks, senior basketball adviser William Wesley, and the Chicago guard Lonzo Balls.
Heir intends to realize revenue from customers who buy memberships within an athlete's "huddle," and the athletes would, in turn, gain an 80% share of the primary sales of NFTs, while Heir will retain 20% from such sales. The concept behind the Heir model is to keep the memberships at a minimum. Therefore, the number of seats within an athlete's "huddle" will be set at about 0.5% to 1% of their existing following across their social media platforms.
Check our guide of the most promising crypto


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Windows Phone Mango: a luxury smartphone brand?
At an event in New York City on Tuesday, Microsoft announced the first new version of Windows Phone, version 7.5 (also known as "Mango") will be released on new devices this fall, and it will be available as a free update to all Windows Phone 7 devices at that time as well.
Even though Windows Phone Mango includes "more than 500 new features", some of which were shown off today, a major factor contributing to Mango's importance is the scale of this release.
The addressable market for Mango, Microsoft said today, will be four times larger than it was for Windows Phone 7 when it launched one year prior. This means Microsoft has forged more carrier partnerships and more manufacturer partnerships that will help expand Windows Phone globally.
HTC, Samsung, and LG -the three companies which launched the original batch of Windows Phone 7 devices- will all be launching new phones running Mango, and they'll be available in "both 3G and 4G models." Also, the launch will include devices from new hardware partners Acer, Fujitsu, ZTE, and of course, Nokia, whose partnership with Microsoft was announced back in February.
So Mango will have support from Nokia and ZTE, two of the world's top four mobile phone manufacturers who have risen to the top of the industry with practically no products in the North American market.
When we spoke to ZTE at CES earlier this year, the company said it had big plans for expanded presence in the North American market as LTE networks grew, but this would be mostly through broadband modems.
In March, the company projected it would sell 12 million smartphones and tablets this year, and that the major target markets were the U.S., Europe, Latin America and China.
Nokia made a similar commitment to deliver high-end devices for the U.S. market six months before it announced its partnership with Microsoft.
Though neither company has made an announcement saying so, it would appear that their inroad into the U.S. luxury smartphone market is going to be Windows Phone Mango.


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DROID Charge owners are next in line to receive an upgrade for their phones, but this isn’t Ice Cream Sandwich. In fact, I wouldn’t count on Ice Cream Sandwich unless you’re using a custom ROM. No, this update bring the build to FP1 and the biggest change is the addition of the Verizon Remote Diagnostics app which will allow customer care representatives to better troubleshoot any problems you’re having with your device. We’ve got other bug fixes and minor app updates, but they’re not notable enough to list here. Just grab a peek at the image above. Oh, and try not to heckle whoever wrote the changelog up about using “Android Market” instead of “Google Play Store” on that second to last bullet point. [Verizon 1|2|3 via Android Police]
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Some Google Home Max users are reporting the device is killing their WiFi network. Google is currently investigating these reports.
more_vertOreo pulled for HTC 10
The update came with very little fanfare and was a nice surprise for HTC 10 owners. However, it seems there were some issues with the update.
New code commits from Google are referencing the next version of Android as “Android Pi.” This is only an internal code name and not the official dessert name that will be revealed later this year.
A new leak reveals the Moto G6 lineup which will include the Moto G6, Moto G6 Play, and Moto G6 Plus. These devices are likely to be unveiled at MWC 2018.
The Essential team has been doing bi-weekly AMA sessions on Reddit and have officially confirmed they’re still investigating touch latency issues.
OnePlus has halted credit card payments on its online store after reports of possible fraudulent charges showing up after buying a device from the company.
Open Beta 2 for the OnePlus 5T is rolling out now via an over-the-air update. It brings a boat load of new changes. To see the full list, check out the post.
The Google Store is taking 50% off Pixel Buds when you buy a Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL. That’s an $80 discount a great incentive to pick up a pair with a new Pixel 2.