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Tubular Labs, which specializes in measuring the impact of social video, said it has added web viewing and search to its Tubular Consumer Insights product, compares exposure to shopping behavior at Amazon and Walmart.
“Consumer Insights significantly eliminated guesswork for brands around the impact of branded social video and partnerships. Adding web viewing and search to those capabilities makes for much more informed decision-making,” said Greg Coleman, CEO, Tubular Labs. “Understanding behavior at this granular of a level, across the funnel, allows brands to approach social video in a targeted fashion aimed at converting viewers into buyers.”
Tubular looks at social video viewership on platforms including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Twitch using opt-in data panels. The additional scope gives marketers access to data and insights to identify what’s working–and what isn’t in order to drive sales, the company said.
“As brands and publishers potentially tighten budgets this year, they’re all looking for ways to maximize how they approach content and advertising, and tying those initiatives directly to sales goes a long way,” said Jon Baron, CRO, Tubular. “By removing the mystery around how consumers progress from content to purchasing, we’re enabling the proper integration of social video into all aspects of marketing and advertising activities across companies large and small.” ■
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Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.

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Q: On Fast Money’s trader radar we look at the stock that was lighting up screens across Wall Street. As the maker of the Wonder Bra and L’eggs, this company has outfitted celebrities such as Kevin Bacon and Michael Jordan. (Of course they wore boxers and briefs!) Today the Sara Lee spin-off reported first quarter earnings tripled due to cost-cutting efforts. Who is it?
A: On the trader radar tonight we’re watching Hanesbrands! Shares of this underwear company were among the most actively-traded on the NYSE today.


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Mike Seely stands amid a row of steaming tanks as he waits for the next truckload to arrive from the field.
It's mid-day in August. Sweat forms on his forehead and a gray baseball cap is the only thing keeping the sun from beating down on his face.
Today, Seely is hosting Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici and a few staffers from her Oregon and Washington, D.C., offices at his mint farm in Clatskanie. Tomorrow, he'll have film crews at the farm recording scenes for an upcoming Discovery Channel show.
They comment on the drive in to the farm — a long gravel road with few signs or road markers.
"Ignore GPS," Seely tells visitors before they make the trip out.
Seely juggles the hissing tanks, checking gauges and jotting down notes in a spiral notebook while explaining how he and a handful of farm workers bring in truckloads of spearmint and peppermint, then steam and refine it into oil.
Over the past decade, the Seely Mint brand has grown from high-quality oil and specialty sweets found primarily in the Pacific Northwest, to coveted peppermint patties, candy canes, and chocolate mint meltaways exported within major grocery chains throughout the U.S. and Canada.
This year also marked the first that Seely Mint products were exported to China.
Seely Mint garnered attention a few years ago when the products were listed on Oprah's Favorite Things, right around the same time the brand struck a deal with Whole Foods.
"We are now in all Whole Foods stores," Seely says. Seely mint products are also now on the shelves of New Seasons markets, Market Fresh in St. Helens, Alberta Co-op and — soon — Kroger stores, including Fred Meyer.
Demand for increased product distribution has kept Seely, 59, and his employees busy. Sometimes too busy.
Today is no different. The Seely Mint farm staff are playing catch-up after a spate of summer rain a few days prior that was just enough to shut down operations for a day.
He's had trouble finding enough people to work the farm and production operations.
"It's a problem that every business I talk to has," he says. "It's a lot of work. It's physical work."
Luckily, Seely Mint was recently awarded a $250,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to help the company ramp up hiring in preparation for the newest product launch — mint tea.
Bonamici, who helped secure the grant, visited the mint farm Tuesday, Aug. 14, to meet with Seely and make the announcement to regional press.
"I was honored to write that support letter to the USDA," Bonamici said of her efforts to help Seely Mint secure the grant. "There's a lot of demand for real, high-quality products."
Seely is a third-generation mint farmer. Both his father and grandfather harvested mint.
"My dad farmed before he went to the University of Washington and studied engineering," Seely notes. "And then World War II called and he never went back to college. He started raising mint right after the war."
Seely followed in his father's footsteps, studying electrical engineering before returning his focus to farming. Today, his wife, Candy, and son, Warren, both play key roles on the
Despite a heavy shift in the mint industry, not much has changed at the rural Oregon farm.
Seely remains staunchly anti-GMO and insists his farm is one of the last bastions of "real" mint oil. He laments the introduction of synthetic flavorings, menthol crystals and overseas ingredients in everything from chewing gum to toothpaste, amounting to a flavor profile he calls the equivalent of "Vicks VapoRub."
Several times during the farm visit he broke off conversation to take care of operations.
"OK!" he yells to a dump truck driver, signaling the driver to pull out, with another truck arriving in the slot a minute later.
Across the lot, in a small portable building, the farm owner guides visitors to a back room where three women hover over conveyor belts and mixing machines, carving away at large blocks of solid fondant.
The temperature outside is creeping into the 90s, but inside the heavily chilled portable, sheets of uncoated patties cool on racks, waiting to be doused in chocolate. The scent of peppermint is thick in the air.
Seely may be an expert at sugar confections, but he doesn't sugarcoat farm life for the congresswoman. He lets on about some of the setbacks he's had, such as repeated non-payment from a distributor he uses, new Canadian import tariffs and health insurance — he doesn't have any.
Still, the uncontrollable variables, hard labor and increased pressure on the agriculture industry aren't enough to make him shut down the machines just yet.
"If you told me 15 years ago that I'd be selling chocolates and tea and oil across the world, I would've said, 'You know, I think you're smoking something'," Seely says, laughing. "Now I look back and it's kinda really cool."
A while back, at an industry trade show, Seely was browsing vendor booths with his wife. After making small talk with a woman from a Canadian company, she asked who he was.
"I started to say, we make these dark chocolate mint patties," Seely recalls. "Her eyes got big and she screamed and hugged me and said, 'I love those things!' She'd been buying them at the British Columbia Whole Foods. We get why we're doing what we're doing. It makes it fun."


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In his remarks made at Stanford University during the award of the third Science Award for Electrochemistry to Dr. Vanessa Wood, Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen noted again the challenges of energy density, cost, reliability and lifespan for batteries enabling longer range electric mobility.
In that context, he said that he sees “great potential” in solid-state batteries, which possibly could boost EV range to as much as 700 km (435 miles), representing a volumetric energy density of about 1,000 Wh/l. Current Li-ion batteries, with about 260 Wh/l are enabling a range of some 190 km (118 miles), he said. He then added that, with a higher nickel content, more will be feasible, although falling well short of the potential of solid-state systems. However, even “Increasing the specific energy of lithium-ion cells to as much as 380 Wh/l will reduce driving range drawbacks.”
Volkswagen Group engineers are currently working on electrifying up to 40 different models, ranging from all battery-electric drives to plug-in hybrids and even fuel cell systems, he said. (The company has also announced the biggest initiative for e-mobility in China’s automotive history.) For the medium term, the Group strongly believes that the plug-in hybrids will be the leading alternative.
Martin Winterkorn: “Lowering the price of battery cells to 100 euros [US$124] per kilowatt hour would significantly increase the market potential of electric vehicles. And if we also improve reliability and battery lifespan, customer acceptance will grow fast. Ladies and gentlemen, we are reaching out to the world of science to make all this happen. Of course, these are complex challenges and progress is not attained overnight. It takes knowledge, it takes precision and it takes lots of persistence. Electrochemistry is a field of the greatest importance—internationally and across industries. A field where we can and must achieve progress. High-performance energy storage is key to big challenges of our times—namely climate protection and a sustainable mobility.To really succeed with electric vehicles we need batteries with a higher range, less weight and lower cost. This is crucial for a broad acceptance among customers world-wide. It is crucial for economies of scale in purchasing and production. And—as a consequence—it will be crucial to slashing CO2-emissions and meeting tough regulations globally.So, for Europe’s largest carmaker, battery technology is ranking high on our agenda. By the way, that starts at the top: So in my office the “Basics of Electrochemistry” is a book with a permanent place on the desk. However, it needs more than books.“
All-solid-state batteries. In a paper presented at the Society of Engineering Science 51st Annual Technical Meeting held at Purdue University last month, Giovanna Bucci, Craig Carter and Yet-Ming Chiang, all of MIT, noted that all-solid-state rechargeable lithium-ion batteries have attracted much interest because they have features particularly favorable for large-scale application—i.e., for automotive applications.
Replacing the organic liquid electrolyte with a nonflammable and more reliable inorganic solid electrolyte (SE) simplifies the battery design while improving safety and durability of the system. This also allows the use of large-capacity electrode materials, for instance, sulfur positive electrode paired with a lithium metal negative electrode, which are difficult to employ in conventional liquid electrolyte batteries.
The all-solid-state battery also offers improved packaging efficiency, as the cell design can allow in-series stacking and bi-polar structures. High energy densities can be achieved by reducing the dead space between single cells.
Toyota is pursuing the development of all-solid-state batteries, and has already developed prototype cells with an energy density of 400 Wh/L. These, the Toyota researchers noted (again, assuming development challenges are overcome), could be commercialized by FY 2020 and see subsequent substantial improvement by FY 2025.


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LOS ANGELES, April 5 (Reuters) – FedEx Corp (FDX.N) said on Wednesday it will consolidate its separate delivery businesses into a single entity, in a move to cut costs and better compete with United Parcel Service (UPS.N) and Amazon (AMZN.O).
The decision to integrate FedEx Ground, its outsourced package delivery arm, with FedEx Express’ overnight air delivery business was announced nearly a year after activist investor DE Shaw pushed for the change and won two additional board seats. .
The deflating e-commerce delivery bubble and the specter of a possible recession over the past year have intensified pressure on CEO Raj Subramaniam to streamline operations.
“We think now is the right time to reorganize the way we work together,” Subramaniam told a company meeting in New York City.
“We will be more efficient, more agile and better positioned to execute on our mission of helping customers compete and win with the world’s smartest logistics network.”
The combined business is expected to handle all deliveries from June 2024 as part of the Memphis-based group’s broader plan to cut $4 billion in ongoing costs by the end of its 2025 fiscal year.
John Smith will become President and CEO of US and Canadian Ground Operations at FedEx Express and will assume leadership of Surface Operations across the FedEx Express, FedEx Ground and FedEx Freight businesses effective April 16.
FedEx Freight will continue to provide freight forwarding services as an independent company under the Federal Express Corp banner, the company added.
Shares of FedEx, which also announced a 10% dividend increase on Wednesday, were trading down about 1% at $228.69.
The new structure would end roughly two decades of separate delivery operations and create an entity similar to cost-conscious rival UPS, which has outperformed FedEx despite having a more expensive union workforce.
The company is testing the new bundled service in Minneapolis, executives said. FedEx Express already handles FedEx Ground pickups and deliveries in Alaska and Hawaii, where air service dominates.
Recent changes at the company have fueled concern among ground contractors concerned about their continued role with the company. Subramaniam said FedEx will use a “hybrid” employee-contractor model for deliveries. The CEO added that the company will remain non-union.
Executives said FedEx has been “watching” this project for the past two years, but analysts noted the company’s “standstill” deal with activist DE Shaw was set to expire at the end of May. That agreement put on hold activities to influence the control or governance of the company.
Regardless of the reason at the moment, the company now has about a year to make a massive turnaround.
Satish Jindel, who helped found the company that eventually became FedEx Ground, attended Wednesday’s meeting and now runs consultancy ShipMatrix. He told Reuters it was an achievable target that should boost earnings and shares.
Critics pointed out that FedEx executives had a years-long struggle with their integration of TNT in Europe and let overhead costs swamp their labor cost advantage over UPS.
“There’s no way this isn’t fraught with risk,” said Dean Maciuba, managing partner at Crossroads Parcel Consulting and a former FedEx sales executive. But, he said, “if they get it right, they can evolve as a lower-cost service provider than UPS.”
Reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles and Abhijith Ganapavaram and Kannaki Deka in Bengaluru; Edited by Krishna Chandra Eluri, David Goodman, Paul Simao, and Bill Berkrot
Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.


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People are starting to cotton on that Rainbow Beach is the place to holiday – our Easter, ANZAC and May Day long weekends were also busy.
Rainbow Beach is to host the IRB Ocean Roar May 27-28. Council have negotiated Round 3 of the Inflatable Rescue Boat (local clubbies pictured training for rescues). The high-octane event will be well worth a look!
We’ve still Mother’s Day on May 14 (see some tips below), the Gympie Show holiday on May 19 and school holidays are back again from June 23.


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More than 2500 hourly production workers will receive an increase in pay. While new pay rates will vary among positions and facilities, the new base pay rate for many of our entry-level production workers will be up to $10 per hour. After one year of employment, every production worker’s earnings will exceed $10 per hour. OK Foods also implemented a pay structure that increases with years of service.
In addition to the raise, OK Foods will continue to provide a competitive benefits package to all employees. “We offer a great health plan. Employees can make selections to best fit their family’s healthcare needs; it’s not one-size-fits-all,” said Terry. “OK Foods also provides access to free health clinics for most of our employees and their families. The quality of care they receive through our health plan is a true value.”
“There has never been a more exciting time to be a part of the OK Foods family,” said Terry. “This pay raise is a testament to the efforts of our incredible employees who work hard every day to provide quality chicken products that nourish the world.”


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No new BMW V12 to be developed
According to a media report, BMW will not develop a new V12 engine.
The report suggests that the company does not see a need to develop a new V12 engine. At present, only the M760i gets a V12 engine in the company’s line-up. Rolls Royce has also developed its own twin-turbo V12 engine and is not expected to use BMW’s V12 engine.
Larger displacement V12 engines are not as efficient as smaller engines and with tightening emissions norms, carmakers are downsizing the engines and adopting technologies like turbocharging and electrification to extract the same power from a smaller engine.
The 850 CSi is considered as one of the most iconic BMW V12-powered cars and it came with a 6-speed manual gearbox.
Last year, Mercedes-AMG started phasing out V12 engines.
Source: Read Full Article


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Pakistan’s high quality and value added textile products are being showcased at a three-day 40th edition of Texworld show being held from 6th to 9th of this month in Paris.
In all, 26 renowned Pakistani companies are participating in the exhibition and displaying variety of high end fabrics, sundries, accessories and sophisticated cotton wears including knit embroidery lace and trims suited to the taste and preferences of European children, men and women, a message received here Monday from Paris said.
The Ambassador of Pakistan to France Moin ul Haque who visited Pakistani pavilion met with the Pakistan exhibitors and appreciated their participation in this premier European Textile exhibition.
He said the Pakistani textile products were known internationally for their high quality and innovative designs.
He said participation in the texworld textile would not only help in introducing Pakistan prowess in the textile fashion industry but would provide much need boost to the Pakistan’s textile exports to the lucrative European market.
The Texworld held every year at the advent of spring in Europe is a popular trade fair exclusively for professionals from the textile and fashion industry. It is a valuable and efficient gateway to the European market for international textile manufacturers.


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America’s third largest carrier, Sprint, has announced that it will formally shut down its WiMax services from November 6, 2015. Current crop of Sprint handsets based on WiMax networks will run on the carrier’s 3G HSPA networks beyond November 2015. The carrier has even informed MVNOs to educate customers regarding the change and entertain a possible switch to 4G LTE networks. FreedomPop, which is one of Sprint’s MVNOs is already offering an LTE device swap program where customers can trade in their old WiMax phone in return for an LTE offering.
Reports over the weekend suggested that the carrier would terminate its WiMax services in late 2015, and now we’ve got confirmation coming straight from the horse’s mouth. It was only a matter of time before WiMax received the boot as Sprint has been pushing its 4G LTE networks forward in a bid to compete with the likes of Verizon, AT&T as well as T-Mobile.
Do you use a WiMax device on Sprint? What do you make of this news?
Sprint has announced that it will shut down its WiMAX services in the U.S. by 2015. This will also include all the towers that it currently owns in the region. Sprint’s MVNOs relying on WiMAX networks won’t be able to access the networks once Sprint turns off its entire network. This will mean that over 6,000 towers will no longer be used by the carrier, which will directly impact a lot of users.
To make up for this, the carrier is looking to expand LTE services across the country with its tri-band Sprint Spark service which offers substantially faster speeds compared to conventional 4G LTE.
WiMAX never really caught on once 4G LTE networks made the entry into the U.S. cellular industry, so this move from Sprint surprises no one. Even in terms of LTE coverage, the carrier is far behind the likes of AT&T and VerizonWireless, so the carrier has some catching up to do.
There’s still time for WiMAX to reach its last days though as Sprint plans to bring this plan to fruition by the end of 2015.
As originally tipped here, to the world, by Thedroidguy last summer, Sprint has shifted their 4G WiMax network to their prepaid brands, Virgin Mobile and Boost Mobile.
Virgin Mobile USA will introduce 4G speeds to their prepaid customers on May 31st with the introduction of the HTC Evo V 4G.
The new HTC Evo V 4G features include:
Mobile hotspot capability – Connect up to five Wi-Fi devices
5MP camera with video and 3D HD imaging, and 1.3MP front-facing camera
4.3-inch qHD touchscreen
1730mAh battery (up to six hours of talk time)
1GB RAM/4GB ROM
External micro SD memory card slot up to 32GB (8GB card included)
HDMI and Bluetooth-capable
Virgin Mobile USA customers will enjoy 4G speeds at an unbelievable pre-paid price point starting at just $35. They will also be able to harness the power of the HTC Evo V 4G’s mobile hotspot for just $15 per month making the total combination $50. That’s with Sprint’s traditional, and exclusive “unlimited” 4G speeds.
Last year while attending CE Week NY, a smaller version of CES in New York City we spent a lot of time with one of our really good Sprint contacts. We were talking about 4G/LTE which was just a rumor for Sprint at the time, and the impact that it would have on WiMax along with prepaid carriers Virgin and Boost Mobile, both Sprint brands.
If you haven’t heard the HTC Evo 3D is heading over to Virgin Mobile while the HTC Evo Design 4G is heading over to Boost. Both phones are WiMax capable and nothing in any of the stories about these moves suggest that they will only be 3G.
The first piece of the WiMax puzzle is firmly in place. Just today Sprint released the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the LG Viper, both phones will run on Sprint’s 4G/LTE network which as we found out in this story, will be available in June.
When we brought you the story about the HTC Evo Design 4G (days before Engadget by the way) we did say that it would be at the end of the quarter that the HTC phone would hit the Boost Mobile network. If Sprint does in fact hand down the WiMax network to Boost and Virgin, it would most likely be at that time.
If you’re on Boost Mobile or Virgin Mobile you may want to stay put just a couple more months and see how it all plays out. TechnoBuffalo broke this story but, we had it 9 months before.
Sprint CEO was the featured guest on a Mobile Live video interview published yesterday. Hesse was defending Sprint’s strategy on betting so much on the iPhone. Sprint’s guy next door CEO Hesse has come under fire recently by reportedly committing to the purchase of 30 million iPhones.
When asked to comment in his Mobile World Live interview Hesse said that the iPhone is paying off. Four out of every ten iPhone’s sold on the Sprint network are to new customers. Hesse says that the iPhone coupled with unlimited data is a “marriage made in heaven”.
Research company NPD published research on Tuesday in regards to the latest smartphone sales.
According to the latest research, smartphones with 4G connectivity rose to 35% of smartphones sold in Q4 of 2011. This is a huge increase from the 6% in ths same quarter of 2010 when Sprint was the only carrier with 4G.
Until the release of Apple’s iPhone 4s, Android was the only operating system on any 4G network. AT&T considers their version of the iPhone 4s “4G” because it operates on AT&T’s HSPA+ network. AT&T is now in the middle of a nationwide 4G/LTE network.
Back in 2008 as Clearwire was emerging as the new 4G platform, Google invested over half a billion dollars in the Craig McCaw backed start up for 6.5% of the company.
As we’ve seen over the last four years, things at Clearwire didn’t go according to plan. They constantly shuffled executives and couldn’t hit their mark for service roll out. WiMax was also quickly proven to not be as fast, nor efficient as the upcoming 4G/LTE (Long Term Evolution).
Earlier this year Sprint laid out their Network Vision plan to take Sprint’s Now Network into the future. Sprint was the first carrier to roll out something called “4G” with their WiMax service, a joint venture with ClearWire for which the own more than fifty percent.
While WiMax is fast, it appears that as analysts predicted, 4G/LTE has become the standard for 4G. Verizon Wireless has the the biggest 4G/LTE footprint so far, dwarfing AT&T’s LTE rollout which is still under 20 markets.
Sprint shocked many this fall when they announced that they were going to start rolling out 4G Advanced LTE. Originally a deal was announced with LightSquared, a Northern Virginia based start up that is having problems with the FCC and their network interfering with GPS satellites. In the 11th hour it became clear that Sprint would reinvest with Clearwire and partner with them for 4G/LTE. Clearwire has reportedly tested the LTE Advanced and received theoretic download speeds of 100 mbps.
Sprint has made a bold move by announcing that effective November 1, 2011 they are eliminating unlimited 4G data for hotspots, usb sticks and other mobile broadband devices. However they want to make sure that everyone knows right now they aren’t changing anything with unlimited data for smartphones.
The latest device to join the HTC Evo line up at Sprint has been announced. The HTC Evo Design 4G is sleek new Android device, that brings a world phone to the Sprint/HTC Evo line.
The HTC Evo Design 4G features a 1.2ghz processor with a large 4″ qHD touchscreen display. In the camera department we’re looking at a 5 mega pixel rear facing camera and a 1.3 mega pixel front facing camera for video chatting on the go over wifi, 3G or Sprint’s WiMax 4G. The Design 4G also features a sim card slot for global capabilities making it a true “World Phone” the first of it’s kind in the HTC Evo line up.
Samsung and Sprint announced the Samsung Conquer last week. The Conquer is bringing Android to Sprint’s 4G network at just $99 for new customers at Sprint stores. However if you rather spend your device from WalMart you could save all of that $99.
Sprintfeed discovered that Walmart is pre-ordering the new Samsung Conquer for Sprint’s 4G network for free to new customers and $80 on an upgrade. The Samsung Conquer is comparable to the Samsung Exhibit 4G that is available on T-Mobile. The Samsung Conquer 4G features a 1ghz processor, a rear and front facing camera, 3.5″ touchscreen with Android 2.3 Gingerbread.
The Samsung Conquer 4G is also the latest device to feature Sprint’s Sprint ID service. Sprint ID groups themes, wallpapers, apps and widgets into everyday themes revolving around things like MTV, HSN, Business and more.
Clearwire has announced a new device in it’s portfolio of internet devices. The new Clear Spot 4G allows “unlimited” access to Clearwire’s Wimax network in 70 markets across the country. The Clear Spot 4G has the ability to connect up to 8 Wi-Fi enabled devices to Clearwire’s network.
This new hotspot for Clearwire brings improved battery life and enhanced mobile performance. Clearwire was the first US wireless internet provider to bring a wireless hotspot to market in 2009 with the original Clear Spot. Clearwire was founded by cellular industry pioneer Craig McCaw as the first commercially available WiMax provider. Sprint owns nearly half of Clearwire at this point. Sprint uses the same WiMax network for their 4G enabled devices.
Mobile Crunch reported Wednesday that Sprint’s pre-paid brand, Virgin Mobile, was readjusting their rate plans. As mobile aficionado Jordan Crook reported, Virgin Mobile has added $10 to their $300 minute plan, $5.00 to the 1200 minute plan and knocked $5 off their unlimited plan.
Right now Virgin Mobile tops out with 3G and has no current 4G service. The only competitor in the prepaid space offering any kind of 4G is MetroPCS which has built out their own 4G/LTE network. Cricket Wireless is reportedly testing 4G in some areas as well.
Android Central regularly acquires pictures of Sprint employee incentive flyers. These flyers (seen above) more often times than not, leak a device that hasn’t been officially announced for sale. In June we attended a Sprint event in NY where we saw both the Motorola Triumph for Sprint’s prepaid Virgin Mobile brand and the Photon 4G headed to Sprint. Both were said to arrive this summer.


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Imagine if one day ordinary washing machines started sending reminders when people forgot to dry their clothes, or if homeowners could find out how much money they lost powering devices that continue to use energy when they're supposed to be off. Neurio is a new technology that monitors how much power homes are using, and figures out the cost of running individual appliances using smart algorithms that look for patterns and potential problems.
Energy Aware Technology, the company launching this one-of-a-kind, revolutionary product, is a Cinderella story - a small, Vancouver-based company that started as a university project with a great idea that took the technology and clean energy industry by storm. Backers from around the world funded Neurio for $120,000 in just two weeks, exceeding its 30 day, $95,000 goal. Expected to retail for $229, the Neurio sensor is available for a limited time on Kickstarter today for $129 until November 15, 2014.
"Think of the wires in your home as a nervous system without a brain to collect information. Neuro is that missing piece and it is very simple to use," says Janice Cheam, President and CEO of Energy Aware and recent finalist for the Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards - to be announced November 2013.
Beta users have saved up to 44% off their energy bills by identifying what they should turn off or unplug. Users internationally are calling it, "too good to be true!"
"What makes Neurio exciting is that it offers something for everyone," says Dr. Ali Kashani, VP Software for Energy Aware, "whether you're simply looking to learn more about the cost to run your appliances, or you want to make your home smarter and more connected, Neurio can help. It makes your ordinary appliances smart, and your home more efficient." Neurio has an open platform so it can power new apps and integrate with other systems designed to automate the home.
Neurio Home Intelligence has launched on Kickstarter. By pledging to support the campaign, backers will be the first to receive one. Finally there is a way to monitor your homes electrical usage without dishing a fortune out.


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Field service workers use a variety of different mobile devices to help them perform their tasks while away from the office.
CEO Jerker Hellström, CEO of rugged computer maker Handheld, anticipates three important trends in mobile computing for 2015,according to Wireless Forum.
With machine-to-machine (M2M) and the Internet of Things (IoT) applications dominating current talk in the field service market, an area that you can’t forget is wireless connectivity, the necessary part of the solution that allows the data and communications to travel back and forth.
With an expected 26 billion connected devices to be in use around the world by 2020, field automation is the next big area of growth for M2M (machine to machine) and IoT (Internet of Things) solutions, especially in the coming six months to a year.
News includes how third-party logistics will see major growth by 2016, must-have tools for contractor fleet management, and a few ways to manage solar assets in a growing market.
In an effort to save time when lives are on the line, Mercedes-Benz Canada started using QR codes on it vehicles to supply rescue teams with important vehicle structural information. According to an Autosphere article, the information includes the location of vehicle components like the airbags, battery, and fuel tank. The data can greatly speed rescue procedures used during lifesaving procedures in an automobile accident.
This week’s news includes the Equipment Leasing & Financing Foundations Monthly Confidence Index for November, coverage on how the use of mobile apps is affecting the travel industry, and how planning an exit strategy is an important part of a field service business plan.
Whether mobile devices are used by employees in the field or on premise, keeping the devices working properly represents a big investment for a company.
This week’s news includes an article on the cloud’s impact on the growth of field management solutions, the threat of information overload from an increasingly connected fleet, and Apple’s efforts to make inroads into the business IT market.
December has always been one of my favorite times of the year. I’ve found it to be a very hectic month in some ways and a quiet one in others.


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Good morning on this cloudy, rainy Thursday. Yesterday was beautiful except for the strong winds. We felt like we should have lead weights to keep us on the ground. The parking area and street were obstacle courses with the wind driven, wheeled garbage totes rolling down the pavement. But the temperature hit mid 60s. The national news last night said that 2012 has seen the warmest winter in a century. Two-thirds of the country was either above or much above normal for the season. Makes you wonder what the summer will be like.
I just saw an ad from a bank (I have already forgotten which one) that amused me. It showed a woman looking at merchandise on-line and every time she puts something in her 'basket' the tally shows how much her choice 'saves' her. At the end she has 'saved' $280. Then there is a knock on the door and on top of the package propped up on the door frame asks 'do you want a better way to save?' Under the line on the computer showing how much she 'saved' is another flashing line showing she spent $580. She cancels the purchase and closes her computer. Perfect. I don't know how many adds I have seen on TV that tough buying X, Y, or Z and 'saving' megabucks or fantastic percentages of the price. I always look at it and remark that I will save 100% because I won't be buying at all.
The mainstream media has finally found the 'pink slime' issue I have mentioned a couple of time in previous posts. Recently, McDonald's and other fast food chains agreed to eliminate it which means they were using it until the issue became too hot for them. Now the issue has shifted to grocery chains. ABC news conducted a study and found 'pink slime' in 70% of the ground beef on their shelves. They don't have to label it as an ingredient because an under secretary in the FDA over ruled the agency scientists saying 'it's pink so it's meat.' She left the FDA soon after was appointed to the board of directors for the company making the crap. When we first heard about the 'additive' we made a simple decision: our ground beef comes from our local meat market which grinds their own or we grind it ourselves.
I keep hearing various talking heads saying that the economy has turned around but I see far too many stories that make me wonder what they are smoking. Stories like this one from Kentucky where the state budget may eliminate any cost of living increases for state and local government retirees. Or this and this from California where school districts are laying off significant numbers of teachers to try to close their budget gaps while the State contributes to the uncertainty because it is depending on passing tax increases. Or this from Maryland where the governor has proposed a 'doomsday' budget with drastic cuts to close a $1.1billion deficit unless the legislature acts to raise revenue. I could go on but I think you get the point. But then the good news on this morning's report: consumers are going deeper in debt to buy new stuff.
Lynn Parramore, posting on Yves Smith's Naked Capitalism, thinks somewhat like I do: there is a good bit of crowing from those who got bailed out and their fiscal position has eased but at the expense of almost everyone else.
Well, Apple has announced the 'New iPad' which will be on sale soon (I forget when exactly). The tech reporters talked about it last night. Besides all of the new features they were also considering what the decision to continue making and selling the iPad2 at a greatly reduced price would have on the Nook, Kindle and other e-readers. The reporter said something that reflects my own experience: some users want devices that have a single dedicated function. I have had my Nook for about a year and I am not at all tempted to go over to the iPad. I can read my books, magazines, newspapers on the device. I can look up what I want on-line because it has web access. I can even take a break and play a couple of rounds of a game. And I am an Apple user from a long way back (like Apple II days.) We are the same way about our phones as I have indicated on several blogs over the years. The drive to make these devices all inclusive and multifunctional drives us nuts.
Herschelian at Jasmine Tea and Jaozi posted this item on a subject about which I have been reading the occasional article from time to time: the drastic gender imbalance in a number of countries. Boiled down the problem is too many boys and not enough girls. And it is widespread across Asia and north Africa, and parts of eastern Europe as well. As indicated the problem isn't simply rooted in China's one child policy (which, according to some stories I have read, the government has modified significantly) because no other country has any similar policy in place. Modern medical technology has opened another Pandora's Box.


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It´s that time of year again where startups from all over India have the chance to share the stage with the global tech industry. The chance to showcase entrepreneurial talent, accelerate business and connect with investors, executives, and the media. I am, of course, talking about Slush 2017.
Slush Global Impact Accelerator (GIA) has collaborated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, along with multiple global partners, to create a program to support impact startups from around the world. The event takes place in Helsinki, Finland and runs over the course of 2 days, during which startups can reach out to a global audience. Whether that’s finding investors, media exposure or mingling with founders the opportunities are endless. Slush is designed to gather the next generation of world-conquering entrepreneurs who are set to solve the world’s most complex challenges. This year’s theme is sustainability.
Last year saw 2,336 startups gathered to take their company to the next level, including 3 Indian startups, Cupid Care, Connecting Dreams and Cygni Energy who won the local Slush Pitching Competition in Hyderabad 2016. Candidates in the field of sustainable innovation will have their chance to pitch their startup at this year´s #SlushIndia programme, taking place at the SAP Labs Bangalore facility on October 5th.
This exhibition will be supported by Indian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (IVCA), and judged by an impressive panel of India’s most successful founders and CEOs, including last year’s winner, Sriram Varmar, Founder of Cupid Care.
After attending Slush 2016 Varmar has been reaching out to India’s next generation of leaders, “[The] International visibility that Slush offers is beyond what an early stage startup can think of! The Slush community is something truly awe-inspiring.” Cupid Care, a startup breaking the taboo around sexual health in India by creating easier and anonymous access to support online, was met with huge success in Helsinki last year. It was featured in the top pick of health and wellbeing at Slush 2016, allowing it to rocket up the startup scene and rake in investors.
Next month India’s new set of startups will have the possibility to follow in the footsteps of Cupid Care and join the podium of global entrepreneurs.
With the exceptional pace that the startup ecosystem in India has grown in this year alone, #SlushIndia looks set to be a promising day.


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- This just in May 5
This morning, Target released a statement announcing that its CEO, Gregg Steinhafel, is leaving the company. The news comes five months after hackers stole 40 million credit card numbers from the store.
In the statement, Steinhafel said he is "personally responsible" for the data breach. Target's chief financial officer, John Mulligan, will serve as interim president and CEO following Steinhafel's exit.
"We are grateful to him for his tireless leadership and will always consider him a member of the Target family," the company's board of directors said.
Last month, Target acknowledged that company officials were alerted to the data breach but chose to ignore the suspicious activity.- -
THE WEEK'S AUDIOPHILE PODCASTS: LISTEN SMARTER
- America created the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria? Meet the ISIS 'truthers'
- How American businessmen are ruining American business — and the U.S. economy
- Russia's giant spy ship was a high-tech disaster waiting to happen
- The Obama era is over. The presidency continues.
- What would a U.S.-Russia war look like?
- On ISIS, neocons and liberal hawks have a 'boy who cried wolf' problem
- Fall movie guide: All the films you should see in September
- How Harry Houdini escaped death
- The 10 best networking tips for people who hate networking
- 10 things you need to know today: September 2, 2014
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text: escalated Tuesday and caused a maelstrom of speculation for other local-oriented companies, boosting stock prices for public local firms Friday and coinciding with eBay's ( EBAY) buy of Milo.com and Amazon's ( AMZN) investment in Groupon rival LivingSocial. For giants like Google, the appeal of Groupon and its rivals is their knowledge of locals' buying and searching habits -- valuable data as big, global firms move into smaller markets with targeted search and advertising. Groupon, which offers customers a daily discount from local businesses, could be mulling an IPO, reported Chicago Breaking Business. Like Google, Groupon completed a series of its own acquisitions this week, buying three daily deal sites overseas and a technology company in California. --Written by Maggie Overfelt in New York. >To follow the writer on Twitter, go to http://twitter.com/maggieoverfelt. >To submit a news tip, send an email to: email@example.com.


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In their backstory, shown in this season’s first episode, the brothers admit they own and run a food truck and that their family owns a popular Italian restaurant in Sydney.
‘My dad has a restaurant and we have a food truck,’ Josh tells New Idea.
‘We do basic food, but when we were on the show it was time to take the cooking up a notch.’
Somehow, their extensive experience in the restaurant and food industry has been largely overlooked, and their family restaurant and food truck have hardly been discussed since.
A quick search on the official MKR Facebook page, however, reveals it’s a different story.
Fans of the show took to the site to share their outrage over the decision to allow the pair into the competition.
One user claimed Josh and Nic ‘shouldn’t be on the show’, while another said: ‘It’s wrong.’
‘If they have a food van, this makes them cooks and on a professional level. They should not be on this show full stop,’ a furious fan wrote.
Josh and Nic are quick to clarify their experience in the food industry, making it clear while they are involved in the family restaurant and own a food truck, they don’t actually cook for the businesses.
‘We just run it... [we’re] not cooking all the time,’ Josh says.
Read the full story in this week's issue of New Idea, on sale now.


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Ethiopia has earned 526 million USD from coffee export during the first four months of Ethiopian current fiscal year, according to Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority.
The Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority held consultations today with coffee experts of several countries including Colombia and Spain.
During the occasion, Director General of the Authority briefed the participants about the four month performance of coffee production and marketing activities of the country.
According to him, the nation has earned 526 million USD from coffee export during the first four months of the fiscal year.
The export performance registered during the stated period has shown an increase of 126 million USD compared to the previous fiscal year same period, he added.
Noting Ethiopia has planned to export 810,000 tons of coffee to the international market to obtain 2 billion USD during the current fiscal year, the Director General stated the performance so far registered is encouraging.
It is to be recalled that Ethiopia had obtained a record-hit 1.4 billion USD from coffee export during the previous Ethiopian fiscal year that was concluded on the 7th of July, 2022.
The nation earned 1.4 billion USD by exporting 300,000 tons of coffee to the international market.
It was indicated during the occasion that Germany is the largest buyer of Ethiopian coffee, followed by United States and Saudi Arabia.
Source: Ethiopia News Agency


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In the latest edition of our series on marketplaces that reportedly engage in the trade of counterfeit goods, we head to the Southeast Asian nation of Cambodia.
China’s State Administration for Market Regulation has released new provisions on the regulation of trademark applications, expanding on how bad-faith filings will be defined and tackled.
Take two minutes to nominate the world's best in-house professionals and teams – and be in with a chance to win a free place at an upcoming WTR event.
In our latest round-up, we look at the US and Singapore IP regimes being recognised in a new index, the most visible brand logo online, Netflix being accused of trademark dilution by Mossack Fonesca, and much more.
WIPO has published World Intellectual Property Indicators 2019, charting the growth of global IP filing for 2018. WTR presents key takeaways from the trademark data.
In our latest round-up, we look at Saks partnering with Authentic Brands to acquire Barneys, the Consortium for Common Food Names being granted observer status at WIPO, the UKIPO publishing advice on IP rights after Brexit, and much more.
Flutter Entertainment’s acquisition of The Stars Group would show that, despite uncertainty, major players in the gambling industry see the newly liberated US as a high-growth market.
Brand Finance has released its annual Nation Brand report, which sees notable movement from developing countries – highlighting the economic shift powered by innovation in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America.
We speak with IP and PR experts on what brand owners must learn from the NBA's ongoing crisis in China, with one claiming that this is “the biggest trademark story of the year”.
Brand and IP associations have used the comment period for the next USTR Notorious Markets List to call for the inclusion of WeChat. It comes at a time of heightened tension between the US government and Chinese tech companies.
Have your say as part of the nomination process for the WTR Industry Awards 2020 and next edition of WTR 300: The World’s Leading Corporate Trademark Professionals.
In our latest round-up, we look at Huawei filing a lawsuit against a rival Chinese mobile maker, POW! Entertainment hitting back over Stan Lee lawsuit, Alt Legal acquiring MarkTend, and much more.
Amendments to China’s Trademark Law are due to take effect on 1 November 2019. The changes should aid the authorities in their bid to crack down on malicious filings and trademark hoarding.
World Trademark Review takes a deep dive into the top Asia-Pacific trademark offices and how they are modernising their systems to better protect applicants and streamline procedures. While this has positively affected filing levels, economic performance and domestic businesses will be key going forward.
The Autumn 2019 edition of WTR, revealing the top filers at key registries across Asia, and the eighth edition of Pharmaceutical Trademarks: A Global Guide are now published.


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The Department of Agriculture (DA) issued Friday the new suggested retail prices (SRP) of basic agricultural commodities in Metro Manila’s wet markets.
The SRP, however, does not cover those being sold in supermarkets.
The new prices were necessary “as changing cost structures in the supply chain require updating to allow retailers to realize a reasonable profit, while ensuring that consumers are protected from profiteering,” according to the Agriculture department.
DA Administrative Circular (AC) No. 17, signed by Agriculture Secretary William Dar on November 26, 2020, set the new SRP and would remain in effect for two months or until a new AC on the same matter is issued.
The new set of SRP applies to seven categories, namely rice, livestock and poultry, fish, lowland and highland vegetables, fruits, spices, and other basic items.
Their new SRP per kilogram are the following:
- Local: special, P50; premium, P45; and well-milled, P40
- Imported: special, P52; premium, P45; and well-milled, P36
Livestock & poultry
- Beef rump, P380; brisket, P300
- Pork pigue/kasim, P260; liempo, P290
- Whole chicken, P140
- Chicken egg (medium), P6.50/piece
- Milkfish (bangus), P160
- Tilapia, P120
- Roundscad (galunggong) imported, P140
- Alumahan, P250
New SRP for agri products in NCR wet markets set – DA
- Ampalaya, P120
- Sitaw, P100
- Pechay (native), P80
- Squash, P30
- Eggplant, P100
- Tomato, P100
- Cabbage (Scorpio), P70
- Carrots, P80
- Habitchuelas (Baguio beans), P130
- White potato, P70
- Pechay (Baguio), P80
- Chayote, P40
- Calamansi, P50
- Banana: lakatan, P90; latundan, P70
- Papaya, P60
- Mango (carabao), P150
- Red onion local, P160; imported, P120
- White onion (imported), P100
- Garlic, P90
- Ginger, P160
Other basic items
- Sugar: refined, P50; ashed, P45; brown, P45
- Cooking oil (palm) 350 ml, P25; and 1 liter, P50.
“Those who fail to comply with the SRPs could be fined between P5,000 and P2 million and face imprisonment between five and 15 years,” the DA said.
Consumers are encouraged to report to the DA SRP violators at (02) 8920-0925 and email@example.com “so that appropriate corrective measures could be taken.”


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Not even delivery drivers are safe from the robot revolution, and Postmates‘ latest revelation is living proof.
Its name is “Serve,” can fit up to 50 pounds of food, and will be able to travel up to 30 miles on a single charge.
“We realized we are in a unique position to create an autonomous delivery vehicle with socially aware navigation that understands how to navigate cities while meeting specific customer needs,” Bastian Lehmann, Postmates co-founder and CEO, said. “We took a design-first approach with Serve that walks alongside people and fits into our communities.”
If the concept of a delivery bot doesn’t give you the heebie jeebies, maybe the fact that Postmates developed a “language for rovers and humans to understand each other’s intentions,” will give you some goosebumps.
Serve is so refined, that it has sensors that tell it when to change direction, when to communicate, and how to make its way through sidewalks.
Over the next 12 months, the delivery bot of the future will be tested in the Los Angeles area, as Postmates continues to look for additional cities to work with.
In that time, Angelenos can order their Salt & Straw, Shake Shack, or anything else on Postmates, while a cute little robot drops it off.
Hopefully it doesn’t turn all Terminator on me when I “forget” my wallet and don’t tip.


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The global smart parking systems market is expected to grow at a 21.5 percent CAGR from 2021 to 2028, with a market value of USD 4.42 billion in 2020. The COVID-19 epidemic has resulted in varying degrees of lockdowns in a number of countries around the world. As a result, cities are seeing a significant decrease in traffic jams. Parking systems have seen a 90% drop in demand in the United States since March 2020, according to SpotHero Inc., a developer of smart parking solutions in the United States. For the time being, this reduction is projected to have a detrimental effect on the market in the country and around the world.
Integration of automated solutions and improvements in wireless and digital payment technologies are expected to fuel market expansion. It is possible to develop effective systems using a variety of technologies, including M2M (machine to machine) communication, improved sensors, smart parking meters, and mobile applications for slot reservations and online payments. Mobile and online applications can use these technologies to determine whether a parking space is empty or occupied. Market growth is likely to be fueled by advancements in these technologies.
Toxic air and noise pollution can hinder economic activity in urban areas around the world due to vehicle overpopulation caused by poor traffic management. With the use of real-time data collection and the ability to determine parking lot availability, smart parking systems can assist in resolving these issues while also saving motorists money and time. As a result of these systems, drivers do not have to drive around city blocks looking for parking spaces, which reduces the amount of carbon dioxide in the air.
Leading Industry Players in The Smart Parking System Market: Amano McGann Inc., Cisco Systems Inc., Kapsch, Nedap N.V, Parkmobile LLC, Parkmobile LLC, Skidata AG, Smart Parking Ltd., Swarco AG, SWARCO AG, Urbiotica, Xerox Corp.
Resources on Hardware
In 2020, the smart meter category accounted for more than 40% of the total revenue. Parking metres have become increasingly popular as a result of the growing demand for on-street parking in cities all over the world. Smart metres count and record the number of parked vehicles, as well as the number of available parking spaces. Parking on the street for long periods of time is common. A growing number of people are relying on smart parking meters to pay for on-street parking spaces.
Viewpoint on the Software Industry
In 2020, parking guidance systems accounted for more than 75 percent of the market’s revenue. Because these systems assist drivers by proactively delivering information about vacant spaces, parking guidelines, the number of available spots, and the period of their availability, they have gained popularity in the market. By monitoring the state of various ultrasonic sensors and electronic signals, these systems provide a user-friendly graphical interface for drivers.
Information in the service
In 2020, engineering services held a commanding revenue share of more than 60%. The rising use of autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles, particularly in developed economies, can be credited to the expansion of this market category. To accommodate these vehicles, robotic engineering facilities in parking lots and garages are required. Smart parking technologies are expected to be widely adopted in autonomous vehicle production areas like Canada and Germany in the near future.
Information from the applications
In 2020, the commercial segment accounted for over 40% of the smart parking systems market’s revenue. Smart parking systems are becoming increasingly popular in a variety of public places, including shopping malls, sports facilities, office buildings, and theaters. The commercial parking market is expected to benefit from smart parking systems because of their increased adaptability, ease of use, and ability to accept mobile payments.


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Dropbox will roll out its password manager to Free users in April
A limited version of the company's password manager which is currently available to Plus and Professional account holders will come to free users next month, Dropbox stated in a blog post.
In July last year, Dropbox added a few features to its document and file uploading service such as the ability to scan images as a document (like the now-banned CamScanner app) and the ability to send files to other users like WeTransfer. The company had also introduced a password manager service for users who paid for the Plus and Professional plans, which it now plans to open up to all users.
A “limited” version of Dropbox Passwords, the company's password management service will be available to all users in April, the company announced on its blog. This means the company is rolling out its password service to users who are on the very limited free tier which comes with 2GB of storage but can be expanded via referrals.
Also read: How to switch from LastPass to Bitwarden password manager
However, as with all free services on the web, there are some limitations to this service and they're related to sharing and syncing of passwords on the service. For starters, you won't be able to store more than 50 passwords at a time, a limitation that doesn't exist for Dropbox Plus and Professional users.
Similarly, Dropbox Passwords does allow users to sync their passwords between the mobiles and computers, but the free version will be limited to three devices. Unlike LastPass's new ‘mobile or computer' restriction, however, you can choose to use a mix of mobile and computer devices. This is also marginally better than services like Roboform Free that keep you limited to one device with no sync.
Read more: Bitwarden password manager adds support for secure file and text sharing
Lastly, the company also says it will roll out the ability to securely share your passwords with other users, but that feature will come “soon”. If you want to test out the limited version of Dropbox Passwords without a Plus or Professional account, you can sign up for the company's official waitlist and you will be notified when you can start using the service.
Follow HT Tech for the latest tech news and reviews , also keep up with us on Twitter, Facebook, Google News, and Instagram. For our latest videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel.


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The European Union (EU) on Thursday said that Alphabet-owned Google has agreed to provide more transparent and accurate information to customers in order to meet EU regulations. The move comes two days after the Search-giant committed to make changes to its policies in deference to India's competition regulations, the Competition Commission of India (CCI).
To be sure, the EU rules in question do not deal with antitrust matters. Instead, they are meant to block gatekeepers like Google from blocking access to information for consumers, and provide accurate and detailed information.
“Even today, almost three years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, we see an increasing number of consumers turn to the internet to book their holidays, make purchases, or consult a review,” said EU Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders. “EU consumers are entitled to clear, complete information so that they can make informed choices. The commitments made by Google are a step forward in this direction. We call on Google to comply fully with the Geo-blocking Regulation, ensuring that consumers can enjoy the same rights and access the same content, wherever they are in the EU.”
The EU said that Google will make adjustments to services like the Google Store, Google Play, Google Hotels and Google Flights to make them compliant with the bloc’s laws.
The geo-blocking rules were passed by the EU back in 2018. They seek to bar any e-commerce service provider from preventing an EU consumer’s access to services based on their geographic location. Firms like Google use recommendation engines, which show users results based on their location, among other things. Under the EU rules, this could be construed as prevention of access.
Further, the statement said that in the near future, Google Flights and Google Hotels will make it easier to understand when reference prices are used for discounts promoted on the site, as well as distinguish between services given by Google and situations when it works as an intermediary for other organizations. Also, similar housing services like Booking.com and Expedia, Google will publish a clarification that Google Hotels does not validate its reviews.
In addition, the firm will make it easier for customers to understand details of their orders, such as the cost of shipping, right of withdrawal, and the availability of repair or replacement services. Businesses' names, addresses, and contact details, along with other relevant information, will be made available. It will also let customers use payment methods from any EU nation.
The Search-giant has been facing pushback from various market regulators around the world. Europe’s Digital Markets Act, which was adopted in October last year, is also expected to force firms like Google, Apple and Meta to change some of their policies.
Earlier this week, the Supreme Court of India, refused Google’s plea to stay an order by the CCI, which required the firm to change policies in the Android operating system. The CCI asked Google to make changes to key agreements with device makers, including the Mobile Application Distribution Agreement (MADA) and Anti-Fragmentation Agreement, both of which limit access for Google’s competitors, according to the CCI’s orders.
On January 25, Google said that it would start allowing third-party payment services on Google Play, in compliance with one of the CCI’s orders. It also said it will unbundle its own apps from Android, which is part of the MADA agreement.
“We call on Google to comply fully with the Geo-blocking Regulation, ensuring that consumers can enjoy the same rights and access the same content, wherever they are in the EU,” EU’s Reynders said.
Like India, the company hasn’t yet announced when the changes will come into effect in the EU.


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The Galaxy S III has been on sale for a while now, since the end of May in fact, and since then it has shifted a lot of units. A hell of a lot – it hit the 10 million mark last month, faster than even Samsung had anticipated.
Thus far, it has been available in two colours, white or pebble blue, but now we seem to have confirmation that a black version of the S III will be out soon enough.
This is according to Know Your Mobile, who spotted a listing for the black version of the device on retailer MobileFun.co.uk’s site. The 16GB black S III is priced up at £500 sim-free, and stock is listed as expected in four to six weeks.
That means the black S III could be out to coincide with the rumoured launch of the next iPhone, next month – which sounds about right in timing terms, if Samsung wanted to persuade a few more folks to purchase its latest flagship phone rather than Apple’s.
Currently, iPhone sales have slowed down ahead of the anticipated release of the iPhone 5.
There’s nothing different about this S III, though, just its colour. The smartphone still comes with a 1.4GHz quad-core Exynos 4 processor along with a large 4.8 inch 720p display, plus an 8 megapixel camera, and a 1.9 megapixel front-facing camera.
Not forgetting S Voice, Samsung’s answer to Apple’s Siri. Though doubtless Siri will see refinements with iOS 6 and the next-gen iPhone.


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A few months ago, I was at the 2015 Game Developers Conference (GDC), when a booth outside the main hall caught my eye. A company called 3DPlusMe had a station set up where they were scanning the faces of attendees with a 3D camera array and then printing them on to custom 3D-printed vinyl action figures. Show More Summary
The call for submissions in Mandarin and English to present talks for 2015 Game Developers Conference China closes this Friday, May 22nd....
Game Developers Conference officials are very excited to announce the launch of an official GDC YouTube channel where you can watch clips of game industry experts sharing knowledge with their peers....
PC gaming will finally take center stage during this year?s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), with a special press conference set to take place on June 16 geared toward the latest tech, games and developer news.Click To Continue Reading
Forget Call of Duty, Metal Gear Solid and the rest of 2015's blockbuster video games. The best graphics out there debuted during the Microsoft Build Developer Conference this week, and they come from a tech demo produced by Final Fantasy...Show More Summary
Microsoft is partnering with game engine developers Unity in order to make HoloLens compatible with apps and games which use the cross-platform engine. The partnership was announced yesterday during its Build Developer Conference. Universal apps for Windows 10 systems will also be available on Xbox One later this year, suggesting possible HoloLens functionality with the […]
Microsoft's Build developer conference is taking place this week, and one of the company's key messages for mobile developers seems to be: Please bring your games and apps to the Windows Store....
We must be able to create better complex software systems. That’s that message from Mary Poppendieck in a wonderful far ranging talk she gave at the Craft Conference: New New Software Development Game: Containers, Micro Services. The driving insight is complexity grows nonlinearly with size. Show More Summary
Tomorrow's Reboot Develop conference in Croatia will likely feature some major news from Panache Digital Games.
Game 2 of a seven-game playoff series is often the boiling point, as both teams have already had a game to get acquainted and develop a hatred each other. That certainly seems to be the case in the Western Conference first-round series between the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames, as the two Canadian clubs engaged in a […]
The Dissidia Final Fantasy which was announced for Japanese Arcades in February, was developed by Team Ninja, Square Enix has announced. The announcement was made during the Closed Conference 2015 event in Japan. The game is being developed using PlayStation 4 technology, according to Sony Computer Entertainment president Atsushi Morita. A PS4 port of the […]
The call for submissions in Mandarin and English to present talks is now open for the 2015 Game Developers Conference China through May 22nd....
Level-5, the game developer behind adored Nintendo 3DS gaming franchises Professor Layton and Fantasy Life, has made the rough transition to mobile devices. At a press conference in Japan, the Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino explained that Layton 7, the next … Read more ›
The NCAA will reportedly change its rules on conference championship games, allowing some changes in two of the big conferences. The ACC and Big 12 have developed legislation that would change NCAA rules on how football conference champions can be decided, Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports is reporting. Show More Summary
The Game Developers Conference is a tremendous resource for creators. I wish I could attend every year, and not just as an excuse to hang out with Steven. GDC is insightful, energizing and, this is key, not physically and mentally stressful...Show More Summary
Independent game developer Ninja Theory has revealed that they are also working on a PC version of the upcoming third-person action game "Hellblade." The announcement comes so many months after the PlayStation Gamescomm Press Conference when they announced that "Hellblade" was in development exclusively for the PS4.
This is cool: The Game Developers Conference has made a whole bunch of talks from this year’s GDC available to watch for free online. There’s some great stuff in there, from classic game postmortems to modern developers talking candidly about how they made their games. Read more...
By Ben Frenkel, Google Play Games team A few weeks ago at the Game Developers Conference (GDC), we announced Play Games Player Analytics, a new set of free reports to help you manage your games business and understand in-game player behavior. Show More Summary
A portrait of Chinese President Xi Jinping. (Abode of Chaos (CC BY 2.0)) During a late-March conference concerned with developing a strategic response to China’s continued rise to global economic power, western foreign policy and...Show More Summary
Game makers, take note: The call for submissions to present lectures and panel sessions at the 2015 Game Developers Conference Europe closes Monday, March 30....


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This innovative battery maker could be crucial to the future of electric vehicles. But it has to commercialize a product first.
September 6, 2022
Do you enjoy taking risks as an investor? Are you able to shrug off gut-wrenching volatility in exchange for the potential of landing a 10-bagger? Do you like to get in early, especially publicly-traded companies who aren’t yet even reporting any revenue?
If so, QuantumScape (Nasdaq: QS) might be the stock for you. The intrigue of the solid-state, lithium metal battery maker has captured the attention of investors since its SPAC IPO at $10/share in November 2020. The company took the stock market by storm, rising 120% on its first day of trading and then becoming a 13-bagger within its very first month as a publicly-traded company.
While that ascent to stock market grace was indeed impressive, shares have now given back all of their gains. QuantumScape’s stock today has completely reverted back to the same $10/share price of where it first hit the market in late 2020.
There’s a roller coaster ride of a story within these past two years. QuantumScape is still a pre-revenue business who’s designing solid-state batteries that could find their way into future electric vehicle models. To be clear and upfront, it generates absolutely no sales today, and it doesn’t expect any commercial revenue to hit the books until at least 2026.
Yet the company is also addressing an important market problem that needs to be solved. The vast majority of electric vehicles today, including those sold by Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA) and others, use lithium-ion batteries as their power source. Lithium-ion chemistry works decently well, but it still has several limitations which might be holding back EV adoption. One of these is its limited energy density, meaning the batteries can only hold so much charge and many would-be consumers are having range anxiety about running out of juice (or finding a nearby supercharging station) before they finish their daily travel routine. Another limitation is the charge time, which can still take an hour or more to fully recharge the battery. And one last key factor are the safety concerns. Lithium ion batteries are notorious for building the formation of dendrites, which causes them to short out and sometimes even catch fire due to degradation within their electrolyte materials.
QuantumScape says it’s time to flip the script of the lithium ion status quote and attempt an entirely new approach. Its lithium metal batteries have significantly higher energy density and also use a solid electrolyte. That means they can travel for a longer range (400 miles+), can charge in less time (reportedly 80% charge in 15 minutes), and don’t have the same safety concerns as their predecessors.
The company still has a long way to go, as it attempts to scale up its prototypes into commercial volumes. It is already working with seven auto OEMs — including its equity partner Volkswagen (OTC: VWAGY) — to develop pilot programs that will lead to higher volumes over time. If it can reliably mass produce its batteries that meet auto OEM specifications in commercial quantities, QuantumScape just might become the most important company of the entire electric vehicle industry.
There’s an entire laundry list of risks inherent with QuantumScape as an investment. First and foremost is that scaling prototypes up to commercial volumes is really hard, and that this pre-revenue company that doesn’t even have a commercial product yet.
But for the purposes of this 7investing article, I’d like to focus on the bull case. I’d like to speculate on what QuantumScape’s potential valuation could be if it were to succeed.
The company has my full attention right now because I honestly believe it would have significant upside if even a handful of its current programs were make it to the finish line by the end of the decade.
Let’s walk through this step by step. And let’s start with quantifying what the electric vehicle market could be worth.
There are several different forecasts that quantify the future adoption of EVs:
Firstly, if QuantumScape does indeed have its solid state battery commercially-available by 2026, let’s assume conservatively that it captures 25% of only the American market by the year 2030. That would mean 1 million batteries sold into EVs by 2030. Check.
Secondly, let’s think about how much they could realistically price their batteries for. According to VisualCapitalist, the average lithium ion battery cost $101 per kilowatt-hour last year. This was the cost of the battery to the auto OEMs, while the total replacement cost for end users was actually around double this.
Source: Visual Capitalist
Tesla’s Model 3 vehicle has a battery of around 60 kW-hr, though it’s upgradeable to 82 kw-hr. That equates roughly to a battery cost of $6,000 to $8,200 per vehicle, using today’s technology.
So let’s make another conservative assumption, which is that QuantumScape will be able to sell its solid state batteries for at least $10,000 by the year 2030. That’s a 25% premium to the high end of what lithium ion batteries are selling into cars for today.
$10,000 per battery, multiplied by 1 million batteries per year, equates to $10 billion of annual QuantumScape revenue by the year 2030.
And finally, we should assess what multiple the market will award QuantumScape for its efforts. Today, Tesla owns the end-relationship with auto consumers and Tesla’s stock is selling in the public markets at a valuation multiple of 14x sales. Let’s assume that because QuantumScape’s relationship is with the auto OEMs (not the final consumers; like Tesla’s is), that QuantumScape gets a multiple of only half of that. So let’s assume a P/S multiple of 7x for the battery supplier.
A P/S multiple of 7x, multiplied by $10 billion of annual sales, equates to a market capitalization of $70 billion by the year 2030.
It’s perfectly fine to buy a small initial stake in QuantumScape today while the risks are extreme and the valuation is miniscule. We’re only in the year 2022, yet QuantumScape’s market capitalization today is still less than $5 billion. If it were to succeed in developing a commercial-ready battery and achieve even modest success, the stock could have 14-bagger potential.
These are the types of bets I like to place as an investor. There’s no need to back the truck up all at once; we’ll get plenty of updates on the company’s progress during this coming decade. Good news and progress with its progress could warrant adding funds to an existing investment.
Yet the upside is clearly there. QuantumScape has a great leadership team, including the former CEO of Infinera (Nasdaq: INFN) and the former CTO of Tesla. And it has a huge market that is eager to adopt its new batteries.
QuantumScape is quite intriguing and I think it might deserve a place on your watchlist.
Disclosure: Simon Erickson owns shares of Tesla Motors and also of his 7investing Top Stock for September. If you’re a risk tolerant investor, you might also want to see our actual 7investing recommendations for September. Of our team’s seven official picks, five of them are classified as either “small cap” or “micro cap”. We weren’t afraid to go fishing in ponds with risky companies this month, and several of them may also have future multi-bagger potential. To get immediate access to all 7investing recommendations, click here to start your membership today.
Want even more of our coverage on clean energy? 7investing advisor Luke Hallard breaks down the House’s recent Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), especially what it will mean for addressing climate change.
Already a 7investing member? Log in here.


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Last year, the Limousine segment in Europe got a boost from the arrival of the all-new Mercedes-Benz S-Class, which pushed total segment sales up 29% when compared to 2013. This year, the S-Class is no longer brand new, which means its explosive growth rate has subdued a bit to 10%, while the segment as a whole has actually lost 6% of its volume in the first quarter.
As a result, the S-Class improves its share of the segment from 38,5% in Q1 of 2014 and 42,8% at the end of 2014 to a whopping 45%, meaning almost 1 in every 2 limousines sold in Europe was made by Mercedes-Benz.
The facelifted Audi A8 also improves its share of the segment thanks to sales up 3%, less than half of the S-Class, but almost double the sales of its nearest two competitors: the 7-series and Panamera. The BMW 7-series is down 15% as the all-new generation is due by the end of 2015, which will feature a lot of groundbreaking technology as expected from a car in this class. This should help the 7-series back on top of the segment in 2016, for the first time since 2012. [Read more…]


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Blog: Europe's crisis has not gone away
Dave Leggett | 4 January 2013
The crisis in Europe may have quietened down lately, but it is far from resolved. The big structural questions about the single currency and mutualising liabilities concerning government debt and the banking sector have not gone away. They seem to have been parked. Meanwhile, austerity budgets are now in place, consumers and businesses across the region under pressure. Uncertainties on when things will be noticeably better persist. It's a case of economic recession or growth so low, it may as well be recession.
Some of the full-year car sales data coming in now makes for grim reading. Italy's car market last year was just 1.4m units. It should be over 2m units in a normal year. How much lower could it go? 1.2m this year?
And even Germany - with its relatively strong economy and low unemployment - is seeing weakness in car demand. I liked the way Matthias Wissmann, VDA president, summed up the view from Germany: “The state debt crises in the eurozone have been dominating the headlines for over two years now,” Wissmann said. “This never-ending topic depresses the mood and generates a wait-and-see attitude. People who are confronted at breakfast day in, day out, with the question of whether this or that EU country can still pay its debts – and what the corresponding rescue measures might mean for German taxpayers – are not going to hive off to their local car dealer in the afternoon full of eager anticipation about buying a new car."
I have recently met a man with what you might describe as a bit of a job on his hands....
In the last two days, the Chinese yuan has lost around 3% of its value and that has made headlines. Is it really very significant?...
- COMMENT: Volvo's US sales surge as China reverses
- THE WEEK THAT WAS: Trouble in Tianjin
- China's economic turbulence worries auto industry
- COMMENT: TPP legacy as Obama's Grand Projet?
- Key trends in the automotive air-con market
- UPDATED IAA debuts list: Toyota Prius added
- BMW launches smartphone wireless charging
- Uber hires car hacking engineers
- Suzuki-VW dispute over
- BAIC Motor to acquire Daimler stake
- General Motors Company (GM) - Financial and Strategic SWOT Analysis Review
- Ford Motor Company (F) - Financial and Strategic SWOT Analysis Review
- Global light vehicle safety systems market- forecasts to 2030
- Global light vehicle engine technologies market- forecasts to 2030
- Volkswagen AG - Strategy and SWOT Report


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Just a few weeks after one Murray State alumni made an TV appearance on TLC, tonight on Spike TV, students, faculty and staff will be able to see another familiar Murray face grace their television screens.
Jess Brown, 2006 graduate, will be competing in Spike TV’s new original non-scripted competition series called “Framework.” Contestants on the show will put their artistry to the test through a series of challenges that will showcase their physical and creative limitations, as well as their knowledge of interior design.
Out of the 13 furniture designers, only one winner of will receive a prize of $100,000 and for their work to be sold by a major manufacturer at the end of the 10 week series.
The competition will be hosted by hip hop artist Common and will be joined by Nolen Niu and Brandon Gore, two renowned names in the furniture design world.
Brown, originally from Paducah, Ky., and a Heath High School graduate, works for Hasbro Inc. as a Product Development Project Manager in Licensing and runs her own furniture design/production business out of her studio in Pawtucket, R.I.
“Framework” will premiere on Spike TV tonight at 10 p.m. EST/9 p.m. CST.
Story by Breanna Sill, Features Editor


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Twisted Attractions have taken to the streets of Birmingham to promote ‘The Facility’ – the all new live action horror maze launching in Birmingham this May.
Actors from ‘The Facility’ live action horror maze have been drumming up interest in the eagerly anticipated launch next month with a number of special offers. Did you spot them?
Tickets are on sale now and ‘test subjects’ are advised to book as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
To book tickets, please visit the Twisted Attractions Website Here.


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With the economy in shambles and consumers struggling to make ends meet, more and more people are looking to get out of their costly auto lease. As a result, a new online trend is growing in popularity.
Web sites like LeaseTrader.com and swapalease.com offer a classified service that allows people to post a listing of their leased car online in hopes of finding someone who will take on the remainder of that lease.
Of course, the listings do come with a fee. LeaseTrader charges $79.95 to place the original listing and $249.95 after the lease is transferred, though they do offer an instant $100.00 rebate. Swapalease.com charges $49.95 for the original listing and a non-refundable $95.00 fee when the lease transfers.
A LeaseTrader spokesman told the Minnesota Star-Tribune that business is at an all-time high in 2009 after processing 45,000 transactions in 2008, up from 35,000 the year before and 20,000 in 2006.
Looking for more information? This edmunds.com article offers a pretty good summary of the whole process, including a list of things to remember when you are looking to enter a lease transfer.


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Every day, deadly germs are shipped across the country and around the globe, right alongside the books, gourmet foods and birthday presents sent through FedEx and similar couriers.
Often their journeys can be circuitous, too.
Follow, for instance, a single vial of the potentially deadly flu virus causing a world health scare because it was included in test kits sent to more than 4,000 laboratories. It was grown in a Virginia lab, spent time in a Cincinnati freezer and passed through a small medical company on the Mexican border before it finally arrived at a Milwaukee lab.
Health experts, government officials and the couriers insist the transportation of these germs is tightly regulated, and that the samples are heavily packaged and labeled to ensure safety. A catastrophic outbreak has never occurred as a result of such shipments.
"The safety level of the transport of biological material is incredibly high," said Dr. Jared Schwartz, a microbiologist and officer with the College of American Pathologists, which is in charge of the flu testing program. "I have no concerns about the safety of the transport."
But accidents do occur -- and some scientists feel they've been too close for comfort.
Last month, a FedEx truck carrying five boxes of samples of anthrax, flu, tuberculosis, salmonella and E. coli collided with a car in Winnipeg. None of the dangerous germs escaped.
In 2003, a FedEx package containing West Nile virus exploded at the Port Columbus International Airport in Ohio. No one was injured, but 50 workers had to be evacuated.
"This has been a big concern for us," said Sujatha Byravan of the Council for Responsible Genetics, a Boston nonprofit fighting the U.S. expansion of high-containment labs that will be home to the world's deadliest germs.
At least 18 such "hot labs" are being planned or built in the United States in the coming years, and a growing number of scientists are being trained in the darker aspects of microbiology as part of a huge federal effort to combat bioterrorism.
"The more FedEx exchanges of biological material you have between labs, the more opportunities there are for accidents," Byravan said.
The thousands of deadly flu samples that labs were hastily destroying at the urging of global health officials originated at American Type Culture Collection, according to the college of pathologists. ATCC is a nonprofit laboratory in Manassas, Va., that ships many of the nation's flu viruses and other dangerous germs to labs everywhere.
ATCC was created in 1925 by a group of scientists who wanted a central location for the nation's supply of germs for laboratory use. The organization's biological library has grown to 100,000 different specimens. It ships 150,000 biological items annually, making revenues of $32 million, according to its latest publicly available tax return.
An ATCC spokeswoman declined comment for this story.
In the days since some concerned Canadian scientists alerted the World Health Organization that their test kit included a flu strain responsible for killing between 1 million and 4 million people in 1957, blame is being placed on Meridian Bioscience Inc. of Cincinnati for shipping thousands of vials of the dangerous bug around the world.
In 2001, the Food and Drug Administration warned Meridian that the monitoring and tracking of components of its test kits failed to meet federal requirements. The problems led to a recall of 30 products and employee layoffs.
As it turns out, most of the Cincinnati company's test kits with the 1957 bug were ultimately assembled and shipped via FedEx and DHL by Proficiency Testing Service, a tiny Meridian subcontractor in Brownsville, Texas.
The test kits are sent three times a year to labs needing to certify their competency at identifying flu viruses. These kits included five samples. This time, one vial in each kit contained the dangerous 1957 flu strain.
The Milwaukee Health Department got its test kit from Brownsville on Feb. 23, said Gerald Sedmak, the city's virology chief. He said each test kit costs the city about $600.
Sedmak said the public health threat was low because the flu strain arrived freeze-dried as a powder and doesn't become dangerous until water is added. What's more, Sedmak said the shipments are extensively packaged: Each vial is wrapped in a plastic bag containing absorbent material. The vials are enclosed in a hard plastic tubes, which are bubble-wrapped and packed in two heavy cardboard boxes.
FedEx said its employees are "rigorously trained" to handle dangerous biological material and federal laws and company policy mandate packages be clearly labeled and properly packaged.
"The packages are handled differently ... we have to protect our employees, too," said FedEx spokeswoman Lourdes Pena. Asked for more details, she conceded that dangerous biological material is shipped right alongside any other packages -- only more carefully.
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Chocolate prices up on heels of cocoa crisis
Valentine's Day candy expensive this year
It's Valentine's week and customers are rushing into candy stores to make last-minute purchases.
In the back of the shop, workers are scrambling to temper the chocolate, dip the strawberries and decorate gift bags.
But this year, there's a cocoa crisis that is making things expensive in the chocolate business.
"Everybody loves chocolate and we sell a lot of it here," said Mike Odom, the owner of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory in Ridgeland.
Odom and Nancy King, owner of Nandy's Candy in Jackson, both said that the price of chocolate ingredients has skyrocketed -- in some cases by 40 percent.
"It's affected our bottom line," Odom said. "We had to raise our prices just a little bit. We are not making the margins that we typically would make in the past."
Belhaven University economics professor Bill Penn said there could be a chocolate shortage.
"Many times there is a shortage. The question is, will it be temporary? Will it be a short-run shortage? How will the industry respond to it?" Penn said.
Penn said the demand is up with new, burgeoning markets in India and China.
"I do believe that more and more people around the world are learning about chocolate," Odom said. "People for the first time are tasting chocolate, so it means that they will be selling more chocolate and the prices may rise for a while."
Meanwhile, supply is down around the world after drought and diseases have blasted regions where cocoa beans are grown. It's a formula that will ultimately affect prices, or chocolate quality.
"A real shortage of cocoa bean, how are chocolate makers going to adjust to this? Are they going to use less cocoa in their chocolate?" Penn said.
The National Retail Federation estimates that more than 50 percent of people will buy candy and gifts for Valentine's Day. King said the cocoa shortage is forcing her to raise the price of Nandy's Candy's famous dipped strawberries. Prices are going up at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, too, by about 30 cents a pound.
"You can buy cheaper chocolate at some places, but it's not going to be the quality we use here," King said.
Even with the higher prices, Odom and King are still expecting lots of business for Valentine's Day.
"Friday the 13th is going to be a lot of fun here. There will be lines out the door," King said.


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Round-Up - CAGE 2014
The world's analysts descended on London this week for the Consumer Analyst Group of Europe conference. just-drinks and sister site just-food were the exclusive media partners for the three-day event. Here's a round-up of our exclusive coverage.
The Coca-Cola Co is looking to expand the footprint of its part-stevia sweetened Coca-Cola Life brand beyond its initial launch in Argentina.
The CFO of the Coca-Cola Co has admitted that 2013 presented a “bump in the road” for the company, but flagged that it is looking for more than volume growth going forward.
The head of Coca-Cola Içecek's parent company has expressed his desire to expand the soft drinks bottler's footprint, but has warned that such opportunities are limited.
Coca-Cola Enterprises is set to run the 'Share a Coke' marketing campaign in its European markets again this year, with more names and a stronger focus on online.
Coca-Cola HBC has said that it is considering acquisition opportunities as it looks to drive growth in the years ahead.
- How the can has a part to play in beer's future
- The Future of Cocktails - Consumer Trends
- Will Brexit make a winner out of Travel Retail?
- Coke Life - Coca-Cola's niche soda - Comment
- What do US wholesalers think of spirits trends?
- Diageo Australia's commercial head to step down
- Diageo reveals revival plan for former factory
- US hits AB InBev with US$6bn fine over India sales
- William Grant sees 2015 sales, profits lift
- Stoli Group CEO Rob Cullins to step down
- Global gin insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends
- The Next Seven Big Beverage Markets
- Global non-Scotch whiskies insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends
- Global rum insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends
- Global RTD insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends


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For U.S. cheese makers, it doesn’t get much bigger than this.
The winner of the biennial U.S. Champion Cheese Contest was announced Wednesday night and this year the top honors went to a “smooth, nutty” Gouda from Wisconsin, the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel reported.
Marieke Penterman, of Holland's Family Cheese in Thorp, triumphed after her Marieke Mature Gouda scored 98.31 out of a possible 100 points, edging out a Tarentaise semi-hard alpine cheese from Vermont and a Medium Cheddar from Illinois, the Associated Press reported.
The AP said more than 17,000 cheeses weighing over 30,000 pounds were entered into this year’s competition hosted by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association.
Wisconsin dairy cows cemented their reputation as fine milk producers, with the state winning 47 out of the 81 categories judged, wisn.com reported.


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US must concede final 20 per cent of demands to agree trade war deal with China, leading Chinese expert says
- Jin Canrong, an international relations professor at Renmin University of China in Beijing, says China had agreed to 80 per cent of a deal as far back as May
- ‘Between 60 and 70 per cent’ chance of Chinese President Xi Jinping and American counterpart Donald Trump agreeing a deal in November if US can lower demands
Chinese President Xi Jinping and US counterpart Donald Trump could reach a deal to end the ongoing trade war by their next scheduled meeting in November, but only if Washington is able to drop the final 20 per cent of American demands currently on the table which are impossible for Being to agree to, according to a leading Chinese expert.
China has already agreed to 80 per cent of demands for a trade deal, but the final portion of Washington’s demands are seen by Beijing as an infringement on its sovereignty, said Jin Canrong, an international relations professor at Renmin University of China in Beijing, on his social media account.
Jin believes the odds are “between 60 and 70 per cent” that China and the US can reach a trade deal by the time Xi and Trump are likely to meet at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Chile, but only if the US can lower or even drop certain demands.
“It’s not a 100 per cent thing, and it’s possible that the negotiations will collapse,” Jin warned. “The major reason is that China has already offered to make huge concessions.”
According to Jin, who did not reveal the source of his information but is known to be well-connected in Beijing, the final 20 per cent includes completely abandoning the “Made in China 2025” industrial policy programme, a plan to cut the share of the state in the overall economy from 38 per cent to 20 per cent, as well as an implementing an enforcement check mechanism that would allow the US to dig into the books of different levels of the Chinese government.
“The Politburo would never agree to these terms,” Jin said, referring to China’s supreme decision-making body. “It would be forfeiting sovereignty and humiliating the nation.”
“For the US, the choice is zero or 80 per cent [of what it wants],” Jin said. “The option of getting 100 per cent doesn’t exist … my conclusion is that the US has to give up the final 20 per cent [of its demands].”
China’s top trade envoys, led by Vice-Premier Liu He, are expected to fly to Washington early next month to start a new round of face-to-face trade talks with their US counterparts led by trade representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
Politico reported on Friday that China made a peace proposal in the most recent phone call with top US trade officials last week to buy a modest amount of US agricultural goods if Washington eased export restrictions on Chinese telecommunications equipment maker Huawei and postponed the tariff increase set for the beginning of next month.
If agreed by both sides, this could produce a “mini-deal” before the end of the year, both US and China experts speculated in a conference in Beijing on Friday, according to Caixin magazine.
Beijing and Washington have both kept the details of any negotiations shrouded in secrecy, but last week China’s Ministry of Commerce said that communications between lower-level trade officials would intensify this month to lay the groundwork for “substantive progress” in the October talks. The Office of the United States Trade Representative also said that deputy-level meetings will take place in mid-September to pave the way for “meaningful progress”.
On Friday, Larry Kudlow, the director of the White House National Economic Council, said that the trade war with China may take a long time to resolve.
“The stakes are so high. We have to get it right. And if that takes a decade, so be it,” he said.
White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, meanwhile, was quoted by Yahoo Finance as saying on Friday that the US would stick to its original demands.
“We had a deal. We had a 150 page plus agreement that was in these seven verticals that dealt with each of these issues plus enforcement. It was negotiated over 11 negotiating sessions and including commas and paragraphs. And that’s the basis for moving forward,” Navarro was quoted as saying, referring to the tentative trade deal text from early May. “But the Chinese walked away from that. And in many ways, this deal will be determined by what the Chinese want to do.”
The 12th round of face-to-face talks between China and the US took place in Shanghai at the end of July.
“A good international treaty should be like this: there will be complaints from both sides but both sides will feel it is acceptable,” Jin said. “If one side is extremely happy with a deal and is eager to share it with the press while the other side is depressed, this kind of deal would just be a piece of scrap paper because the unhappy side would renegade on it for sure.”


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Total pixel resolution of 1,920 x 1,080, as well as 440ppi pixel density.
HTC files a patent infringement suit against Apple for its LTE-capable iPhone 5, and Samsung may soon follow.
Got a bad case of the Mondays? Cheer yourself up with some hot deals, courtesy of our friends at LogicBuy.
We spent a full week canvassing the floor of this year's Computex show in Taipei, Taiwan. Along the way, we found eight products worthy of recognition. Those devices receive our Best of Computex 2012 award, which specifically honors innovation.
Golden Bridge Technologies (GBT), an intellectual property company focused on CDMA technologies, has launched a lawsuit claiming rights to an CDMA enhancement technology that is used in 3G and 4G networks.
Graphics Properties Holdings (GPH) has made a name for itself to monetize about 300 former SGI patents. LG, RIM and HTC hunted as well.