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Like many adult children, Kent Lewis had a frustrating time researching senior care options when his father suffered a minor stroke a couple years ago. What stood out most for Lewis, president and founder of Anvil Media in Portland, Oregon, were the multiple times he was asked to provide the same basic information when touring facilities.
“I didn’t feel like they were gathering data from my first contact with their communities,” Lewis told Senior Housing News. “They kept asking us to fill out forms and provide the same information.”
Lewis’ experiences have informed his research in bringing omnichannel marketing to senior care. Omnichannel marketing is a streamlined, consistent process of marketing to a customer base through multiple means. It takes the essential information about a community to potential customers and ensures the messaging is identical, regardless of whether it is on printed marketing materials, online, face-to-face, via text or email.
Omnichannel marketing has been embraced in retail and hospitality settings because it can be used to quantify a customer’s journey from first contact to sale and satisfaction. Lewis, as well as other senior living marketers and providers, believe omnichannel can and should be leveraged in senior living, as well.
Building on a multichannel foundation
At its foundation, omnichannel marketing is about the customer experience, personalization and how communities can assist and educate consumers with solutions to their wants/needs, GlynnDevins Chief Innovation Officer Janel Wait told SHN. GlynnDevins is a data-driven, technology-enabled marketing firm focused on senior living with offices in Kansas City, Missouri and Richmond, Virginia.
“Omnichannel is 100% about the customer,” Wait said.
Providers who embrace technology and data to uncover insights and behaviors can deliver a true omnichannel marketing solution enabling them to create personal relationships with prospects, leads and even residents with relevant messaging based on their individual journey.
In short, it is not only about the channel delivering the message, it is about the message itself.
“The biggest shortcoming with senior care is most are not doing multichannel marketing well, and very few are doing omnichannel well,” Lewis said. “You have a bunch of marketing messaging going out that is hopefully consistent across channels. With omnichannel, communities are connecting a customer’s various journeys through those channels, particularly on digital, that is seamless and personalized.”
According to the 2018 Simplicity Index from brand strategy firm Siegel+Gale, 55% of the 15,000 respondents surveyed are willing to pay more for simpler customer experiences and 64% are more likely to recommend a brand that delivers simple experience.
Companies that have mastered omnichannel marketing include Disney. The entertainment giant’s strategy starts with a customer’s first visit to its user-intuitive website and continues through its trip planner and associated apps, tailoring a trip to Disneyland or Walt Disney World to the user’s specifications, and keeping a vacation on track. Other companieswith exceptional omnichannel marketing strategies include Starbucks, Chipotle, REI and Walgreens.
Embracing an omnichannel strategy also allows a provider to identify the point person making the buying decision and focus on assisting the buyer — and in the case of senior living, that might involve multiple parties.
“Creating relationships has always been personal,” Wait said. “We have the ability to unify all the touchpoints a customer has with our brand and to leverage data to better communicate with residents, prospects and families.”
Heritage moves toward omnichannel
Embracing an omnichannel approach means providers must streamline messaging for the channels that are already in place, Heritage Communities Director of Sales and Marketing Lacy Jungman told SHN. Omaha, Nebraska-based Heritage operates 13 communities in Arizona, Nebraska and Iowa.
Heritage already has a strong multichannel approach. From an online perspective, Jungman uses Google My Business to enhance its online presence. A free service, Google My Business lets companies share information about operations including photos and updates, allows customers to leave reviews and book services directly from a business profile, and let providers connect directly with potential leads. Heritage employs search engine optimization (SEO) best practices such as keyword tracking to examine who is visiting their Google My Business profile, where they are logging on from, and the nature of their searches.
Heritage also works with video platform OneDay to create content that can be easily branded and pushed out via social media. And yet one of the company’s most high-profile marketing efforts last year was decidedly old-school. Jungman and Heritage President Nate Underwood co-wrote a book, In a Good Place, that is a fictionalized account of an adult daughter’s journey to placing her mother in senior living. Heritage has been distributing free copies via its communities, and sales and marketing team members can use it a tool for discussing the challenges and concerns that crop up for the adult children they work with
Heritage’s sales and marketing approach has been successful, earning the company plaudits like the recent “Best of the Best” award from Argentum. But Jungman recognizes the need to adapt omnichannel into its approach.
Heritage hired a consultant to help with its omnichannel and digital efforts to ensure consistency in message and branding. The company is also exploring using artificial intelligence which could be used to listen to calls, and decipher customer questions and responses, Jungman told SHN.
This could be leveraged to train sales teams better based on the responses and map consumer journey, allowing the team to tailor efforts directly to what is being asked, as well as highlight what is important in the sales journey.
Big-picture, it’s crucial for senior living providers to recognize whether they are doing multichannel marketing or have elevated to a true omnichannel approach.
“Omnichannel is multichannel, but multichannel is not omnichannel,” Lewis said.


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Cisco Systems'will go on sale at the end of July, and the company plans to launch an application ecosystem to help spur adoption.
The company unveiled today AppHQ, an application development platform that big companies can use to create and test applications for the Cius tablet. Companies will be able to create their own private app stores for employees who use the Cius. The platform also allows IT managers to control which applications can be used on the device.
Cisco plans to include some collaboration apps, including Cisco's WebEx, Quad, Jabber, and TelePresence products, in the AppHQ app store that can be used by any company. IT managers who are setting up a corporate app store within an app store will also get to leverage the more than 200,000 apps already in the Android Marketplace.
There are numerous tablets in the market already, but Cisco is trying a different approach from the others. Instead of going after the consumer, like Apple has done with the popular iPad, Cisco is targeting its enterprise customers. Cius uses the Google Android operating system, but it's strong security features make it a good fit for corporate users, the company says.
The device goes on sale July 31 and will cost about $750.

domain: news


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- New engine expected
- New X-Trail due here in 2021
- Big changes unlikely
The Nissan X-Trail is one of the world's best-selling SUVs, and the five-door, five-seat medium SUV battles for the lower spots of the podium behind the Toyota RAV4 in the heart and minds of Australian buyers.
Expect to see Nissan drop details of the updated X-Trail - known in overseas markets as the Rogue - in the next few days... but don't get too hot with the chequebook just yet.
When will the new Nissan X-Trail go on sale in Australia?
The X-Trail has been on sale here for nearly seven years, but Nissan’s bestseller will soldier on for at least another 18 months in Australia.
We spotted a patent drawing of the X-Trail a couple of months back, which flagged an updated take on the v-shaped front end, while narrower taillights will adorn the rear.
Will the new Nissan X-Trail have a new engine?
Though details are not confirmed, expect the next X-Trail to be built atop an updated version of the Nissan Renault Mitsubishi Alliance’s elderly CMF platform.
Recent announcements around the future of the alliance appear to hand responsibility for the next mid-sized SUV to come off a new platform to be developed by Nissan - but given that's slated for 2025, don't expect it to arrive down under until 2027 at best.
And don’t expect much in the way of funky new drivetrains or world-beating innovation for the X-Trail – after all, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
When it comes to mechanical specs, the 2.5-litre QR25DE four-cylinder petrol engine is likely to be used in the new X-Trail, despite it being old enough to go to high school.
It’ll likely gain direct fuel injection as a stopgap measure to meet tightening emissions regulations, and it’ll definitely use a CVT transmission.
The entry-level 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine/six-speed manual is a bet each way to return for 2021, but we reckon it’ll be retired.
Will the new Nissan X-Trail have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?
That's a solid yes. Spy shots of the X-Trail’s US equivalent, the Rogue, have revealed a digital dashboard and large central multimedia screen.
Will the next Nissan X-Trail have a diesel engine?
The picture isn’t looking rosy. Only a small number of diesel X-Trails are sold here, for example, and Nissan has already spoken of an all-electric production SUV based on last year’s Ariya concept, which will be built atop an all-new EV-specific platform.
EV platforms, even if it's shared amongst three brands, cost a lot of money so persisting with diesel when demand is falling is not logical.
As well, the new mission statement from HQ will draw a line under many projects, as Nissan tries to find ways to make about $5 billion in savings over the next year.
Are there any deals on the current Nissan X-Trail?
The current T32 X-Trail range, meanwhile, has been tickled up ever so slightly, with the ST-L, Ti and TL variants scoring rear parking sensors, and the whole ten-variant range jumping in cost by $150.
Nissan X-Trail N-TREK
This pops the entry-level manual ST up to $30,040 before on-road costs, while the top-spec diesel TL AWD diesel tops out at $48,490.


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Appeagle.com–If the message boards are any indication, eBay has a glitch that it needs to contend with. That is, if it hopes to satisfy the hoards of unhappy sellers who seem to be affected by said glitch. Says one eBay seller, posted on ECommerceBytes, reads, “This week I have had 2 customers angry and refusing to pay, claiming that my auction stated free shipping, but their invoices and PayPal statements add shipping charge.
“I have been selling for 10 years, 7 years professionally, and have NEVER offered free shipping on any item. And when I look at those same auctions I see a calculated shipping rate. If it was just one customer I would assume he was lying, but 2 in one week, sounds more like an eBay glitch.”
The same seller speculates that this problem may be why some sellers are getting bad stars on shipping. If the seller thinks they’re getting free shipping only to turn around and pay for shipping, they’re not going to be happy about it.


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This newsletter is dedicated to the proposition that, for businesses, design matters.
In nearly every issue, we’ve tried to show how the perspective of people trained as designers—whether from classical, commercial, or computational backgrounds—can change businesses for the better. Designers, we have argued, bring unique skills and ways of thinking that can help managers without design training understand customers and tailor products and services for them.
The COVID-19 pandemic has offered designers a chance to prove their worth. We’ve written in this space about the many ways designers are helping to create protective gear, reconfigure workplaces, and make it easier to work, shop, and study from home. But designers also are helping companies think through fundamental, long-term changes in the way they use data and technology to deliver value to customers.
In management jargon, those big changes are often described as “digital transformation.” The term is messy, overused and means different things to different people. But in its most basic sense, “digital transformation” implies the integration of digital technology into all aspects of an organization’s operations. Digital transformation generally involves reliance on things like automation, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and data analytics. It also entails the changes in corporate strategy, structure and culture necessary to make those technologies work.
Before the virus, many companies were experimenting with digital transformation. Since the pandemic, it has become an urgent corporate priority. Indeed, for many companies, going digital has been the only way to stay in business. We’ve seen explosive growth in online shopping and food delivery, telemedicine, remote education, online entertainment, and more. At the virtual Fortune Global Forum earlier this month, a panel of digitally savvy CEOs told Fortune CEO Alan Murray the crisis has helped convince even skeptical CEOs that they need to embrace new technologies as quickly as consumers.
“The value of digital channels, products and operations is immediately obvious to companies everywhere right now,” declares Sandy Shen, a senior analyst at Gartner. “This is a wake-up call for organizations that have placed too much focus on daily operational needs at the expense of investing in digital business and long-term resilience. Businesses that can shift technology capacity and investments to digital platforms will mitigate the impact of the outbreak and keep their companies running smoothly now, and over the long term.”
A forthcoming report by the Economist Intelligence Unit argues: “The public health crisis has motivated organizations to accelerate plans for technology deployment, governments to waive regulatory requirements, and consumers to accept new products and services.”
International Data Corporation, in a May 2020 report, forecast that global spending on digital transformation technologies and services would grow 10.4% in 2020, to $1.3 trillion. That’s down from 17.9% growth in 2019, but “remains one of the few bright spots in a year characterized by dramatic reductions in overall technology spending,” IDC analysts said.
But as Paris-based designer Patrick Avril argues in this excellent post on Medium, digital transformations that invest heavily in technology and engineering but lose sight of people risk going horribly wrong.
We’ll be talking a lot about how designers can contribute to digital transformations in the coming weeks. Here are three events you can attend virtually to take part in that conversation:
- On Friday, November 20, I’ll be participating in a virtual event presented by the Business Design Initiative at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management to talk about why organizations need design and how it enables innovation. This year’s theme: “Decoding Design for Innovation.” I’ll join in discussions with Angèle Beausoleil, Academic Director of the Business Design Initiative at Rotman, and two renowned design stars, John S. Couch and Bruce Mau. You can register for that program HERE.
- On Tuesday, December 1, 5:00 PM Hong Kong / 9:00 AM London / 10:00 AM Central European Time, I’ll lead a virtual Fortune event entitled “Fast Forward: How the Pandemic is Shifting Digital Transformation into High Gear.” Panelists will include: Paul Scanlan, chief technology officer at Huawei Technologies’ carrier business group; Michael Frank, manager for public policy at the Economist Intelligence Unit; and two other senior European executives. You can sign up to participate in that conversation HERE.
- Then a week later, On Tuesday, December 8, 11:00AM Eastern Time, I’ll join with Fortune deputy editor Brian O’Keefe and senior editor Ellen McGirt for “Resilience by Design: Driving Business Transformation,” a 90-minute virtual conversation presented in partnership with Salesforce and IBM. We’ll hear from PepsiCo’s chief design officer Mauro Porcini and global chief commercial officer Ram Krishnan about how design drives business value. We’ll also talk with Deanna Van Buren, co-founder and executive director of Designing Justice + Designing Spaces, about design’s role in building communities. We’ll tell you more about how you can sign up for that event next week.
More design news below!
— [email protected]


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User data has been theft from the IRCTC website and that has been in news for quite some time.
But an IRCTC authority denied recent news reports that its website was hacked, and said that a high placed technical committee has been formed to enquire details of the issue.
As per news sources Maharashtra cyber cell had already informed IRCTC about a potential data theft of its user registration details.
“There has been no hacking as such; we’ve checked our data for the last one month and beyond that. As for the report as far as data theft is concerned, a committee has been formed and they are enquiring into the matter,” said IRCTC PRO Sandip Dutta,
in response to a news report which said that personal data of one crore (10 million) IRCTC users is likely to have been stolen.
This could be the biggest Cyber Theft in India’s history, IRCTC has a total user-base of 39 million , sells 500K tickets every month, with nearly 50 million daily visits.
IRCTC is currently in complete damage control mode, replying every twit which is related to IRCTC data theft.


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Love has finished the latest phase of the multi million pound redevelopment of the Guinness Storehouse.
The Manchester agency was first appointed to the brief in 2013, following a 5-way pitch.
This new stage is the Brewing Floor, which has been designed to replicate the experiential nature of the Advertising Floor, which it completed in 2015.
“Guinness is one of the world’s truly iconic brands – and the Guinness Storehouse is one of Europe’s most popular tourist attractions. Getting to understand how unique the Guinness brewing process truly is – and being able to create a memorable and immersive experience to bring it to life – was a real privilege,” said Dave Palmer, ECD and founder of Love.
Palmer explained that the intention was to design an experience that would work for both beer aficionados and novices.
“We wanted to create a rich visitor experience, which acted to remind the world why Guinness is so iconic. We didn’t want to display generic brewing steps – we wanted to highlight the unique selling points – the champion Guinness yeast, the unique roasting process, the rich heritage, as well as the amazing people involved and their brewing expertise,” he continued.


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What would you do if the ground opens up and swallow your car? That's right – nothing. That's exactly what happened in what seems to be a parking lot in front of a shopping mall in China.
Caught by the country's state CCTV (embedded on top), a massive sinkhole opened up and devoured at least 21 cars. The disaster happened on the evening of August 19, 2020, Wednesday.
According to reports, 15 vehicles were recovered – most likely wrecked – from the site with zero casualties. Authorities in the country are still investigating the cause of the accident, but the current weather in the area could be the culprit.
The shopping mall is situated near the Yangtze River in Sichuan province. The province is experiencing torrential rainfalls, prompting the authorities to raise its emergency response to a maximum level.
Sinkholes have become a common occurrence in the past few years. This year alone, we've seen a number of sinkholes happening all over the world, damaging vehicles and causing injuries to their unsuspecting victims.
And these sinkholes aren't choosy about their victims. We've even seen one devour a Rolls-Royce back in 2017 in the middle of a busy highway in China.
Speaking of China, a quick Google search for 'sinkhole China' would yield several results of this incident in the People's Republic – a handful of which happening this year. One of the biggest of which was the sinkhole that swallowed an entire bus in China, taking along a number of pedestrians with it. Around 16 people were injured and 6 were deceased because of this incident.
It's still unclear what causes sinkholes from happening but one thing's for sure, they're a nightmare to anyone, especially when happening at places least expected.


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Microsoft Ventures has launched a new fund for investment in AI companies focussed on inclusive growth and positive impact on the society.
Talking about the announcement, Nagraj Kashyap, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Ventures, in a blogpost said, “We’ll make investments in startups that are responsibly harnessing the promise of AI to empower people and businesses. Companies in this fund will help people and machines work together to increase access to education, teach new skills and create jobs, enhance the capabilities of existing workforces, and improve the treatment of diseases, to name just a few examples.”
With this move, Microsoft Ventures has also announced the expansion of its original mandate of supporting cloud companies that help enterprises to navigate the path of digital transformation.
This new fund will make investments of similar size to previous Microsoft Ventures investments, and will only include businesses with a promise for strong financial returns (as opposed to non-profits or NGOs).
The firm also disclosed the investments it has made in companies in the US and Israel:
- i3 Equity Partners – An investment vehicle dedicated to early-stage investments in Israeli IoT startups.
- Zipwhip – A SaaS provider that enables businesses to send and receive text messages on existing landline, VoIP and toll-free phone numbers.
- Paxata – A platform provider that enables business analysts with an enterprise-grade, self-service data preparation system.
- xAd – A location intelligence software company that helps marketers unlock opportunities in the 90%of retail transactions that are still completed offline.
- Dynamic Signal – A communications platform company that increases productivity and employee engagement with timely, relevant content across multiple channels and devices.
- Tact – A sales experience platform that transforms a salesperson’s connected device into an AI-powered smart assistant.


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With little fuss, but much entrepreneurial zeal, Greg Patten, the man behind a largely unknown family company he built from scratch is showing how business can thrive in the South Australian economy.
Greg was a nominee and finalist for the Central Region in the 2014 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, announced last week in Adelaide.
Hardly a household name, Greg’s quiet style has nevertheless seen his Mogas fuel brand achieve “major player” status in the highly competitive fuel supply industry, while simultaneously developing innovative, leading-edge technologies to manage and expand their business operations across a surprising, diverse field.
While almost the reluctant businessman – Greg started his career in agricultural research and engineering and went on to obtain post-graduate qualifications in these fields – the successes of his company are becoming clearly apparent following the EY Awards this year.
Since being established in a $100 investment partnership with wife Carol, 35 years ago, the privately-owned family company now has diversified commercial interests ranging from international management consulting and publishing through to petrol retailing and storage, software development and primary production.
The Mogas brand was founded in 1995 when a commercial arrangement with a major oil company was undertaken to allow for increased wholesale distribution of fuel in SA.
Today the Mogas Group enjoys a substantial and growing share of the wholesale fuel supply market in SA, with depots throughout the state serving the mining, marine, primary production and earth-moving industries. Mogas also covers large sections of outback Northern Territory and WA with further expansion plans into other interstate markets well advanced. Last year Mogas purchased a fuel company on Kangaroo Island and on 1st August it opens a new office and warehouse in Mount Gambier.
A key milestone in the company’s history was marked earlier this year when the retail fuel division opened its 100th Mogas branded service station outlet – at Semaphore. The company this month decided to rebuild its fully owned Truro site as a new retail facility to service both the local community and highway trade, to be completed mid 2015.
Greg, a self-confessed researcher-turned-businessman who is Chairman of the Mogas Group, says 2014 is a year of major milestones for their company.
“The steady expansion of the Mogas network over the past few years means that people are seeing more and more of our brand in the country and the city,” Mr Patten said.
“When the Mogas name is recognised alongside the likes of the oil majors, it is most gratifying. We take great pride in the fact that we could find the opportunities and manage the growth from our base here in SA.”
“A real difference with our business is the personal contact with clients out in the field, delivering direct with our own fleet of tankers to minimise lead times and handling costs, which is something our clients want and respect,” Mr Patten said.
Independent discount fuel system builds big savings for motorists
Another important business development area for the Mogas Group has been its EasyFuel discounting system. Running with cutting-edge, in-house developed smart-card technology, EasyFuel operates to provide motorists with compounding petrol discounts by shopping at a range of completely independent shops and businesses around the State. According to Mr Patten, EasyFuel is good for the community and good for open competition.
“Our EasyFuel system is a wonderful way for local, independent businesses and service stations to compete with the giant supermarket chains,” Mr Patten said. “Stores get to reward their loyal customers and shoppers get better choice and, of course, cheaper petrol.”
“Due to recent massive demand for our Easyfuel system from independent merchants and shoppers alike, we are going national from 1st August. We have also opened up Easyfuel to other independently branded service stations, to provide shoppers with greater flexibility when redeeming their accumulated fuel discounts,” Mr Patten said.
The business potential of the EasyFuel technology is evidenced by the international trademark approvals that have just been granted in a number of overseas’ markets, including the US, all countries in the EU, Singapore and China.
Company Websites: www.mogasregional.com.au
For any further information on this release, please contact:
Greg Patten, Mogas Group; 0418 831 997; email@example.com
For media enquiries all hours:
Mike O’Reilly, 0414 882 505, firstname.lastname@example.org (call for hi-res photos)
Alan Rosewarne, ARMC; 0417 809 362; email@example.com
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After what was sure to be a popular year to be a die-cast collector, Lionel Racing, the official die-cast of NASCAR, released their annual list of the best-selling models on Wednesday.
The list was revealed by Karleen and Alex of Lionel Racing in a video posted to Twitter on Wednesday.
It's time to reveal the top-10 best selling Lionel Racing die-cast of 2021!
We have tallied up the sales numbers from all channels, including https://t.co/3XdQnWq95g, wholesalers, dealers, teams, and more to compile the top 10. Did your favorite die-cast of 2021 make the list? pic.twitter.com/nDFWZ8mkG5
— Lionel Racing (@Lionel_Racing) December 15, 2021
Seven spots in the top 10 list feature a Hendrick Motorsports Camaro, more specifically a Larson or Elliott model. However, the honor of number one is reserved for the No. 4 Mustang of Kevin Harvick, and his Grave Digger Mustang.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s one-off start at Richmond in his United for America Camaro scored the fifth spot, giving Chevrolet another dominant year on the sales charts with eight spots on the list.
Only one Toyota model made it onto the list, being Bubba Wallace’s Talladega Win die-cast.
The full list can be seen below.
Best Selling Die-cast of 2021 from Lionel Racing
1.) Kevin Harvick Grave Digger Mustang
2.) Kyle Larson HendrickCars.com Champion
3.) Chase Elliott NAPA Camaro
4.) Kyle Larson HendrickCars.com Phoenix Win
5.) Dale Earnhardt Jr. United For America Camaro
6.) Chase Elliott Hooters “Night Owl” Camaro
7.) Chase Elliott Llumar COTA Win
8.) Kyle Larson HendrickCars.com Las Vegas Win
9.) Chase Elliott Hooters Throwback
10.) Bubba Wallace Talladega Win


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In this article, we will be taking a look at the 15 fastest growing cities in the world economically. If you want to skip our detailed analysis of emerging economies you can move directly to the 5 Fastest Growing Cities in the World Economically.
According to a report by the International Monetary Fund, the global growth rate is expected to fall to 3% in 2023 and 2024 from an expected 3.5% in 2022. The report suggests that rising inflation rates have contributed to the current state of the global economy. As per the current data, the global headline inflation rate is expected to fall from 6.8% in 2023 to 5.2% in 2024. Moreover, world trade growth is expected to decline from 5.2% in 2022 to 2.0% in 2023.
However, the future of the global economy is not as bleak as it may seem right now. The report suggests that 2024 may be slightly better for the world. The world trade rate is expected to rise to 3.7% in 2024. Emerging economies are expected to experience significant growth by the end of 2023 and 2024, at 4.0% and 4.1%, respectively. Particularly, emerging economies in Asia are expected to experience the highest growth globally and global growth is on track to rise to 5.3% in 2023 and 5.0% in 2024.
BRICS May Drive Future Economic Growth
Brazil, Russia, India, and China first grouped to form BRIC in 2006. In 2011, South Africa joined the group, which led the cluster to be renamed to the BRICS. These economies were grouped as expectations of high economic growth dominated the prospects for each country. You can take a look at some countries that are expected to experience significant economic growth.
On January 1 2024, BRICS is set to welcome new members formally. These include Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates. On August 23, Forbes reported how the new arrangement between the BRICS countries could be a political move to attain energy dominance. As per the report, the arrangement immensely benefits China. Saudi Arabia, a major oil supplier to China, will benefit the country by the Riyadh-Teheran détente. The new treaty between Iran and Saudia Arabia promises trade and friendship between the two countries. Iran is a major trade partner with China, and will allow the country to reap trading benefits from both Saudia Arabia and itself. The new arrangement will result in half of the BRICS’ cohort specializing in hydrocarbons while the other specializes in fuels.
On August 28, Forbes added some insights on the growing role of BRICS globally. The report suggests that the importance of BRICS will immensely grow after the new countries formally join the group. According to the report, such will lead the block to bag a 36% share of the global GDP while also accounting for half of the world’s population. The step would prevent the need for countries to depend on the United States as a world economic leader holding transactional dominance. Recently, the Russian President, Putin, stressed the need for a local currency for trade between the countries. The suggestion for a local currency is still under discussion.
These economies are attractive economic zones for more than one reason. These countries are home to a large youth population, have invested heavily in technology and education, and are expected to experience significant economic growth in the coming years. Check out some of the largest economies in the world.
Why are Large Corporations Interested in Emerging Economies?
Large corporations operating on a global scale play a huge role in developing countries. Continuous investment in emerging countries by multinationals creates jobs and boosts economic development. India is a popular attraction for such companies; the large youth population and wide customer base are primary reasons for companies to set up there. Such companies include Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL), Nestlé S.A. (OTC:NSRGY), and PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP).
On August 9, CNBC reported that What’s Up Wellness raised INR 14.40 crore for its latest seed funding round from Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL). Companies like Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) see the potential in rising startups and, therefore, often engage in partnering with them to gain access to the market and contribute to the development and growth of the area.
Similarly, other multinationals continue to engage in expansion plans in these cities. On July 31, CNBC reported that Nestlé S.A.’s (OTC:NSRGY) Nestlé India has set aside INR 4,200 crore till 2025 to cater to the company’s expansion plans in the country. The funding will allow the company to open its 10th factory in Odisha. Nestlé S.A. (OTC:NSRGY) has launched over 100 new products in India over the past seven years and has no intention to back down. Suresh Narayanan, chairman and managing director, stated:
“Over Rs 6,000 crore investments are coming around. In this, about a third will be invested in prepared dishes and cooking aids segment, about a third will be in chocolates and confectionaries and rest will be in nutrition and coffee,”
The news above indicates that companies like Nestlé S.A. (OTC:NSRGY) are keen to benefit from a large population, rising incomes, and living standards.
On September 6, CNBC reported that PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) is set to invest almost $93 million to develop a factory in Assam, India. This new factory will boost urban development in the city, creating over 450 jobs. The new plant will also develop a more substantial livelihood for almost 5,000 local farmers in the area.
The intersection of efforts by the state along with major corporations is essential to drive economic growth. Companies invest in emerging economies because these nations have significantly grown in technology and infrastructure development in the past and will continue to grow in the future. With that, let’s look at the 15 fastest-growing cities in the world economically.
We acquired city-wise population growth rates from the United Nations Urbanization Prospects for our methodology. The growth rate represents the city-wise forecasted population growth from 2018 to 2030. We then tabulated the average annual growth rate of the population for every city. Moving further, we acquired the country-wise GDP per capita growth rates from 2021 to 2022 from the World Bank. We then multiplied the city-wise forecast average annual population growth rate with the corresponding country’s GDP per capita growth rate between 2021 and 2022 to find the compound growth rate of each city.
15 Fastest Growing Cities in the World Economically
15. Delhi, India
Compound Growth Rate: 17.65%
Delhi is among the fastest growing cities in the world economically. The capital is one of the most developed cities in India. The city is forecasted to have a population of almost 39 million by 2030.
Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL), Nestlé S.A. (OTC:NSRGY), and PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) are some of the prominent multinational companies that heavily invest in growing cities.
14. Indore, India
Compound Growth Rate: 18.75%
Indore is the 14th fastest growing city in the world in economic terms. The city is known to have a large industrial area, boasting strong trading ties in several industries. The city is forecasted to have a population of almost 3.9 million by 2030.
13. Thành Phố Hồ Chí Minh (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam
Compound Growth Rate: 19.86%
Based on our methodology, Thành Phố Hồ Chí Minh is ranked among the fastest growing cities in the world economically. The city is the most populous city in Vietnam and is a hub for technology, education, finance, and media.
12. Dhaka, Bangladesh
Compound Growth Rate: 19.88%
Dhaka is among the fastest growing cities in the world economically. The capital of Bangladesh is leading economic growth in the country. The megacity is home to a lot of employment opportunities making it an attractive destination for the rural population to migrate there. The city is forecasted to hit a population of almost 28 million by 2030.
11. Bangalore, India
Compound Growth Rate: 20.21%
Bangalore is one of the biggest engineering and research hubs in India. The city is expected to experience rapid economic growth in the next few years. Additionally, the city is expected to hit a population of almost 16 million by 2030.
10. Kochi (Cochin), India
Compound Growth Rate: 20.38%
Based on our methodology, Kochi (Cochin) is ranked among the fastest growing cities in the world economically. The city is one of the most populous cities in India and is a hub for business and trade.
9. Thiruvananthapuram, India
Compound Growth Rate: 22.52%
Thiruvananthapuram is one of the fastest growing cities in the world, economically. The city is a major information technology hub in Kerala and accounts for a large number of software exports in the region. The city is forecasted to have a population of almost 3.5 million by 2030.
8. Surat, India
Compound Growth Rate: 23.15%
Surat is the 8th fastest growing city in economic terms. The city is known to have a large diamond manufacturing industry, boasting strong ties with trade. The city is forecasted to have a population of almost 9.7 million by 2030.
7. Thrissur, India
Compound Growth Rate: 25.19%
Based on our methodology, Thrissur is ranked among the fastest growing cities in the world economically. The city is one of the most populous cities in India and is a hub for jewelry and gold production.
6. Hà Noi, Vietnam
Compound Growth Rate: 26.99%
Hà Noi is the 6th fastest growing city in the world, economically. The city is famous for being the art capital of Vietnam. The city is forecasted to have a population of almost 6.4 million by 2030.
Multinational companies bring the world closer together, and systematically push developing economies to upgrade and transition to strong development by a series of investments. Some of these companies include Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL), Nestlé S.A. (OTC:NSRGY), and PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP).
Click to continue reading and see the 5 Fastest Growing Cities in the World Economically.
- 50 Largest Economies in the World in 2023
- 20 Countries With Highest Rate of Economic Growth in 5 Years
- 25 Most Liked Countries In The World In 2023
Disclosure: None. 15 Fastest Growing Cities in the World Economically is originally published on Insider Monkey.


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"Coming off the heels of the console price drop last week, Microsoft Xbox 360 sales have surged, with retailers reporting over 100% sales lift for all Xbox 360 models compared to the previous weekend," reads the Microsoft release received by Kotaku.
"Additionally, retailers are reporting that between Friday, Sept. 5 and Sunday, Sept. 7, some Xbox 360 models were selling at six times the rate they were the weekend prior," the company continued.
Taking effect last Friday, September 5, the price cut saw the following $50-80 price drops across the three Xbox 360 models:
- Xbox 360 Arcade (No Hard Drive): $199, down from $279
- Xbox 360 Pro (60GB HDD): $299, down from $350
- Xbox 360 Elite (120GB HDD): $399, down from $449


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As part of a new partnership with BASF Personal Care, BEAUTYSTREAMS is delighted to lend its expert industry insider perspective to contribute to BASF Personal Care’s, D’lite. Available in the concept collection section of the D’lite site, BEAUTYSTREAMS exclusive trend reports can be accessed by all registered members. One of BEAUTYSTREAMS’ exclusive reports for D’lite focuses on the Socio-Virtual Shift and how new technologies will change the consumer landscape, and many industries, in years to come.
As the metaverse emerges, it is impacting a myriad of areas of society. From shopping to commerce, from how one communicates, to philanthropy, and political collaboration; from health and wellness; this new dimension of reality is having far-reaching effects.
BUILDING THE METAVERSE SOCIETY
As each new function or application of the Metaverse emerges, society has to grapple with what implications this may have for the future, with many aspects of the metaverse a double-edged sword.
The Financial Times reported in March 2023 that according to Goldman Sachs research, “’generative’ AI systems such as ChatGPT, which can create content that is indistinguishable from human output, could spark a productivity boom that would eventually raise annual global gross domestic product by 7% over a 10-year period.” However, the report noted that “if the technology lived up to its promise, it would also bring ‘significant disruption’ to the labor market, exposing the equivalent of 300 million full-time workers across big economies to automation.”
With the Metaverse era looking set to emerge, we examine the influence of the socio-virtual shift and how its changes are being adopted and managed by brands and institutions now, and what that is set to mean for the future.
TECHNOLOGIES EMPOWER RETAIL EXPERIENCES
In an age of uncertainty, brands are looking to create unique, innovative, and unexpected experiences in order to achieve true differentiation. Part of this evolution will be seen in amplified customer service and augmented experiences. Emotional connection between the brand and the consumer is incredibly valuable and research indicates that cultivating and sim
Augmented experiences will also be key to the future of retail. AR mini-games and AI and AR touch-free, hyper-realistic, virtual try-on experiences have proven successful in increasing consumer engagement and conversion rates. Indeed, e-commerce platform Shopify reported in 2022 that “merchants who add 3D content to their stores see a 94% conversion lift, on average.”
The continued evolution of gesture technologies, haptics, artificial intelligence, holographic, and virtual technologies, combined with in-store augmented displays and micro-robotic manufacturing, is also set to allow shoppers to customize their products and experiences and shop on their terms in rich, connected, and more meaningful ways. The store of the future will be a premium space that spotlights education, training, community engagement – and, most importantly, opportunities for novelty and fun.
By 2027, it’s likely that consumers will select key brands to act as lifestyle partners, who will become an integral part of their everyday lives, including how they spend. Brands that focus on creating a sense of consumer ownership and autonomy via commerce are set to succeed in evolving their connection with consumers.
We expect commerce in the metaverse to focus on three core areas, all of which are already happening today. Virtual to virtual is the ability to purchase virtual items from a virtual space. This has been happening for years in video games – the ability to buy items such as skins, avatars, and powerups. Virtual to physical is the possibility of purchasing physical goods from a virtual environment. The fast-food industry has leaned into this transaction to enable physical meal deliveries via virtual-world games and experiences. NFTs have also become a new form of loyalty card as consumers expect branded NFTs to unlock loyalty perks, exclusive experiences, or a physical product. Physical to virtual, meanwhile, is the ability to purchase or receive virtual goods based on purchasing a physical product. This is frequently seen in the children’s toy space where the purchase of a physical toy can offer redeemable codes for virtual skins and toys for virtual-world avatar babies.
Consumers place much value on virtual goods. In fact, in a survey conducted by Razorfish, an interactive agency that’s part of Publicis Group, of early web3 adopters aged between 16 and 64 years old, 71% believe virtual goods “are equal to or more valuable than physical goods. They see them as a ‘luxury’ item.” To build on this positive sentiment, brands creating virtual goods should ensure they are truly creating value and that they are enhancing the consumer experience.
How can brands create Metaverse experiences with purpose, a crucial element in how younger consumers in particular view brands? To create a sense of mindfulness for those visiting the Metaverse, brands are creating experiences in the virtual world to help consumers prioritize their health, their mindfulness and their sense of community. While certain brands are guiding users to outdoor locations that are conducive to meditation, other brands are creating solutions that allow consumers to be rewarded for prioritizing their health, with their movements earning them both points and real money.
While prioritizing mental and physical health is something brands are introducing into the virtual world, organizations are harnessing the Metaverse for political good and collaborative communities, creating spaces to exchange ideas and addressing collective issues.
Are interactions with avatars set to become more realistic and human-like? In a December 2022 Wired article, David Baszucki, Roblox’s ceo, argued that “self-expression in immersive digital spaces won’t just be about your virtual hairdo, but conveying your genuine feelings,” with “2023 [set to] be a breakout year for people bringing their fully realized selves into the digital space.”
Baszucki cites the brand’s emerging technology that captures “real-time facial expressions from a user’s camera and [translates] it onto their avatar.” He says, “because this innovation will include the broad range of facial expressions and nonverbal cues we are so used to in everyday life, it will allow human co-experience in shared immersive spaces to be so much richer.”
Virtual identities can be a way for brands to create a deeper emotional connection with consumers. Such technology enables brands to have human-like interactions in the metaverse, and to offer empathetic support and curated customer care through the shopping, learning, or event-based experiences.
While today’s avatars may be lacking the true authenticity and naturality of human-to-human interactions, it’s clear that technology is evolving to indicate that in the future, avatars won’t feel so different from humans.
For more information about the Socio-Virtual Shift, please write us at: email@example.com
© BEAUTYSTREAMS 2023. All Rights Reserved.


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By Crystal Ferraro, Site Editor
In 2004, phishing was a relatively simple attack to execute -- and foil. These days, phishing attacks are not only on the rise, but they have become more sophisticated and tougher to stop.
According to MessageLabs' 2005 Annual Security Report, phishing accounted for an average of one in every 304 e-mails last year, up from one in every 943 e-mails in 2004. Security experts point to attackers' use of botnets for the rise in phishing attacks.
When phishing began, attackers used a couple of e-mail servers or relays to send spam embedded with a link to a single spoofed Web site. A member of the Web community needed only to call up the attacker's ISP and have the e-mail or Web servers shut down.
Today, phishers are using distributed computing to carry out their attacks. Botnets consisting of hundreds -- even thousands -- of machines generate the spam. And spoofed Web sites are hosted by distributed virtual Web servers across the botnet itself.
"This makes it more difficult to shut down their phishing infrastructure," said Ed Skoudis, co-founder of security consultancy Intel Guardians and author of Malware: Fighting Malicious Code. "Blacklisting all those mail relay points is impossible."
Skoudis said the use of botnets has led to yet another trend in phishing attacks: A single bot herder controls the differentiation and specialization of botnets. Some bots are focused on e-mail distribution, some are Web servers, and others launder the bot herder's location. This strategy helps attackers stay nimble, enabling them to constantly change location and tactics. "The bots help them do that because they can be coming from all kinds of places all over the world," Skoudis said.
New tactics, same goal
One constant is phishing's objective: identity theft.
"The trend in phishing is a more sophisticated means to specifically perform identity theft," according to Russell Dean Vines, president and founder of consultancy The RDV Group and co-author of Phishing: Cutting the Identity Theft Line. While phishers are growing more sophisticated on the infrastructure front, they've also become savvy businesspeople.
Attackers have developed "really solid business plans," Skoudis said, turning stolen credit card numbers into cash. He said ID theft is funding other criminal activities. For example, methamphetamine addicts are using it to support their addictions.
To make matters worse, phishers are using new social engineering techniques to hook users. Many have resorted to "spear phishing," sending e-mails that appear legitimate to a specific company's employees or customers in an effort to gain access to that business' systems. In most cases, they'll even spoof the sender information to make it seem as if an executive at the organization has generated the e-mail.
Of course, phishing wouldn't be a problem if users didn't submit their personally identifiable information to spoofed Web sites. Or would it? Here, too, phishing has evolved.
Users need only click on the URL in a phish e-mail to have a keystroke logger installed on their machine. Attackers get any information the user enters into the Web site, as well as all the keystrokes following the phishing attack, Skoudis said.
And, it doesn't stop there.
"[Attackers are] getting better at making the keystroke loggers difficult to find," Skoudis said. Some are embedded with rootkits, or they attack antivirus and antispyware tools. Some spyware and other malcode purposely try to foil their own analysis to buy time. For example, Skoudis said some malcode can detect VMware, which is used by researchers to study malcode. If it detects it's in a virtual machine, the malcode will infer that it's on an analyst's machine and shut down its malicious behavior.
"The longer an attack can be perpetrated, the more money can be made. The profit motive is really kicking into high gear," Skoudis said. "It's a good time for the bad guys these days."


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MINNEAPOLIS—A former defendant testified Monday that a Duluth head shop owner would tell his employees how to sell synthetic drugs.
Jamie Anderson’s testimony came during the federal trial of Last Place on Earth owner Jim Carlson, the Duluth News Tribune ( http://bit.ly/16CQC64) reported. Carlson, his girlfriend and his son are charged with illegally selling banned synthetic drugs.
Anderson, 25, who worked at the head shop for three years, told jurors that Carlson would give his employees instructions on how to sell the products that he called “spice” or “incense.” They would not tell anyone that it was for smoking and would not sell to anyone who said they intended to use it for illegal purposes, Anderson said.
Still, employees knew that customers were smoking the products, he said.
“I told (Carlson) we were having customers say they were getting high off of smoking it,” Anderson said. “He seemed pretty happy about it.”
Anderson said even he was open about smoking the products and once allowed a local television station to film him smoking outside the store.
During cross-examination from defense attorneys, Anderson said he was open about smoking the products because he believed it was legal.
“(Carlson) would stop selling products that would become illegal,” he said.
Anderson pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor conspiracy count in April as part of a plea deal and agreed to testify against the other defendants, the newspaper reported. Anderson has not yet been sentenced, but faces up to one year in jail.
Expert witnesses likely will take the stand Wednesday to testify about the chemical compounds contained in the products.
Information from: Duluth News Tribune, http://www.duluthnewstribune.com


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THIS is the face that is set to launch a quarter of a million cartons of goat's milk throughout the UK.
It belongs to Maureen Arnfield, 64, who has an intolerance to cow's milk and who, after constant years of pain, was advised to switch by her GP.
It made an amazing difference to her life and Maureen, of Whalley Road, Clayton-le-Moors, contacted the owners of St Helen's Farm goat's milk products to tell them.
Maureen had digestion problems for many years and then suffered food poisoning which left her debilitated.
She also suffered from asthma, but since switching to goat's milk all her symptoms have greatly improved.
St Helen's Farm asked her to be part of its national campaign to promote the benefits of goat's milk by having her story printed on the cartons.
She was chosen from over 2,000 case studies to represent St Helen's Farm in its Thank Goodness for Goats campaign, which is now in its third year.
Marketing manager Mike Hind said: "We receive calls every day from people reporting the health benefits they have discovered from switching their diet to goat's milk products.
"Putting Maureen's story on the milk cartons has given us the opportunity to raise awareness and help even more people with food intolerance problems."


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Exporters have filed various writ petitions in Gujarat High Court, Punjab High Court, Bombay High Court and Madras High Court. Some of the courts have decided to hear the exporters’ plea and in some cases the notices’ have been put on hold.
Tax experts say that this could be a temporary relief for several exporters.
DRI had started issuing notices to exporters for wrongfully availing GST exemptions in cases where exports preceded imports.
“The objective of providing the working capital benefits to the Indian exporters gets defeated by the rule which goes beyond the statute. Applicability of interest would result in a great setback to the Indian exporters and the need for judicial intervention is must”, responded Abhishek A Rastogi, partner at Khaitan & Co.
The exporters were asked to pay IGST first as the foreign trade policy has been amended and several notifications were issued in the last few months. The IGST rate in these cases is 18% on the average, while for some products it is 12% and 5% for very few. Industry trackers say that under the earlier tax regime and foreign trade policy (FTP), there was no duty if imported raw materials were used for exports, even when exports preceded imports.
The current GST framework has laid down certain conditions for exporters to avail certain benefits. A revenue department notification said raw materials cannot be imported after export of the final product. The government introduced an amendment in the GST framework that led to DRI chasing down the exporters.
The amendment spoke mainly of a “pre-import condition” that every exporter needs to follow to avail duty exemptions on imports. “In cases where exports preceded imports, availment of exemption does not seem legal and proper. This office has initiated an inquiry in wrongful availment of exemption,” a notice read.
“After DRI notices, the matter has been raised afresh in several courts that have issued notices or granted stay on proceedings. The retrospective amendment is also a subject matter of challenge”, added Rastogi who is arguing several petitions for the exporters.
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As the UK is ‘past the peak’ and beginning to transition into the ‘new normal’, many of us are reflecting on the lessons learned during this ‘unprecedented’ experience – and its not just the over-used phrases we’ve all learned during lockdown. For a huge majority of people, spending more time online and on social media has been a lifeline for keeping up with the ever-changing news landscape, hearing from family and friends, and ultimately keeping entertained. This impact of more ‘screentime’ has been a key focus for lessons learned by marketers. Below are three key things lockdown has taught us:
Talk, talk, talk
Engaging with your audience has been a key part of social media marketing for a long time now. During lockdown, this engagement has become more important than ever. The surge in popularity of ‘going live’ on platforms such as Instagram and LinkedIn is one demonstration of how customers expect real-time engagement with brands. Without having the option to ‘pop in’ to a store, customers want the reassurance that if they have a question, they will receive an answer. Similarly, without a physical presence and in order to be heard online, customers are more likely to remember a brand they have engaged with online.
One excellent example of this has been Wagamama’s who responded to customers missing their food by hosting ‘cook alongs’ and cooking tips/recipes across their social platforms.
With the societal situation changing almost by the minute, there is so much confusion and frustration around at the moment. At the same time, there also naturally a lot of fear and distrust which could have a huge impact on businesses even after re-opening. From large brands, to small businesses like hairdressers, being transparent with customer communication is of upmost importance to achieve reassurance.
Recent research emphasises this, with clarity about health and safety measures [a brand has] taken during lockdown second on consumers’ list of priorities, closely followed by keeping them informed with timely, relevant communications, which was cited by 58%.
Some say it’s dragged, some say its zoomed by, but one thing for sure is that social media has seen seemingly more trends than ever during the weeks and months of lockdown. TikTok has been a huge catalyst for this, with the platform being a source of entertainment for many. Looking back, we’ve seen cooking trends, dance trends, fashion trends and even ‘removing worms from strawberries’ trends. While these particular topics may not be relevant for your brand, this has emphasised how quickly trends come and go in the age of social media. If you’re going to jump on a meme to engage your audience, do it quickly to come across as ‘relevant’.
This week’s top social stories:
TikTok and Instagram collide with viral ‘Vogue’ challenge. Read more:
Twitter is aiming to limit people sharing articles they haven’t read. Read more:
Teenage TikTok use equals YouTube. Read more:
WhatsApp is improving dark mode. Read more:
Google Meet unleashes new features. Read more:
Burger King rewards people for staying home
If you’re in Brazil and you’re staying at home, you could be treated with a free burger from Burger King thanks to their new campaign using geo-location data on their app.
An American girl goes viral for making ‘English tea’
If there’s one thing us Brits are passionate about, its our tea. So when a girl from the U.S posted a ‘how to’ video of making tea where she warms the water in the microwave and adds milk before the tea bag, U.K social media went mad.
The cycling industry is on a mission to make bike-use a lasting habit with its latest campaign that brings together 50 bike brands. As well as watching an inspirational video, users are encouraged to pledge their commitment to cycling via a dedicated web page.
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New details about the iPhone 12 models, which are expected to be announced by Apple in October, continue to emerge. Now, new claims have emerged about the iPhone 12 Pro Max screen details. The new claims are in line with the features that emerged during the iOS 14 beta process.
iPhone 12 Pro Max will be 120Hz between screen details
First of all, with iOS 14 beta 5 , a remarkable feature appeared in the iPhone 11 Pro model. Limit Frame Rate, ie limiting the screen refresh rate, has been interpreted as Apple is preparing to increase the screen refresh rate in new iPhone 12 models.
Now , new statements were made on Twitter by Jon Prosser, who came to the fore with important leaks about Apple . According to the claims by Jon Prosser, among the iPhone 12 Pro Max display features , there will be the ProMotion feature. Previously, new information about ProMotion , Apple’s feature that will offer a high screen refresh rate, has emerged. However, it was stated that it would not catch up with the iPhone 12 models.
As a matter of fact, it was previously said by Jon Prosser that the ProMotion feature will not be on the iPhone 12. Now , it is on the agenda that the 120Hz refresh rate will be among the features of the iPhone 12 Pro Max .
It seems that Apple , like Samsung , is preparing a way of using the limitation of the screen refresh rate to the preference of users. As a matter of fact, the settings option in the new iOS version also reveals such a result. For now, it is not clear whether it will be used only on all iPhone models or only on the Pro Max model. New information will continue to emerge on this subject until October 2020.


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“If you have tasted the original and then get served something fake you will generally be able to tell the difference. But it can be hard to detect fake products for those customers that are not used to it,” said Gert Klötzke, professor in gastronomy at Stockholm University to newspaper Metro.
According to the paper, the agency’s project on misleading menus has revealed cheating in at least 30 percent of the 100 restaurants checked, with at least one product that didn’t correspond to the one on the menu.
“It’s a question of both intentional and unintentional cheating,” said inspector Aron Lindén of the Stockholm environmental administration to Metro.
According to the report, the restaurants did well when it came to organic produce as well as serving bona fide Swedish produced fillet of beef.
However, the report also showed that the air-dried Parma prosciutto promised on the menu in many cases turned out to be a cheaper German or Spanish air-dried ham.
The Parmesan cheese was in many cases revealed to be the cheaper kind of Italian hard cheese Grana Padano and the traditional feta cheese was more often than not from Danish cows rather than Greek sheep.
The restaurants could face hefty fines should they continue to offer customers products different from those on the menu. The environment administration plans to revisit the eateries and follow up on the misleading menus.
According to the paper, the agency also intends to check some 100 more restaurants in the Stockholm area before the project is concluded.


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Just when we think everyone has stacked every burger on top of every breakfast sandwich, or wrapped a waffle around every available form of meat, a whole new world of secret menu items is uncovered. [More]
“We at MAD were shocked and confused by this entire incident — mainly because we had no idea that Circuit City even sells magazines. Nonetheless, we accept their apology but hold out hope that their gesture of a $20 gift card is only an opening offer.”
After a thin-skinned Circuit City exec ordered stores carrying Mad Magazine to search and destroy all copies of a recent issue featuring a 4-page parody of “Sucker City,” someone with a brain stopped the madness. Here’s the surprisingly classy message we just got from corporate:
Circuit City headquarters has ordered their stores to “destroy all copies” of the latest issue of Mad Magazine, according to an anonymous tipster. The retailer apparently isn’t amused by the 4-page spoof of “Sucker City.” Inside, Mad’s 1-page preview and headquarters’ response.


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Rekall games is partnering up with ionomy. Ionomy is a blockchain company revolutionizing the gaming industry. Thanks to their platform PWR-GRD, they help game developers monetize their games and make gameplay even more fun and compelling. By connecting game accounts to the ionomy platform, players can earn ION tokens in different ways. One way is by ION powered tournaments, granting winners ION tokens, which have real money value.
RUMBLE ARENA ONLINE
It’s been our dream at Rekall Games for over a year to release a multiplayer update for Rumble Arena. Something we’ve been asked about so many times over the past year. Not by lack of trying, but due some major setbacks, technical wise, we were never able to get a good functioning version of multiplayer to work.
Over the past months we’ve researched and dived deep into multiplayer options, also by creating Blocky Bro (an prototype game) we’ve made a lot of progress in understanding and creating multiplayer games. After prototyping Rumble Arena Online again last month we came to the conclusion that we’re going to create the very first realtime fighting game on mobile after some amazing results with the Photon Bolt netcode.
Rumble Arena Online will integrate ION tournaments, explained above, creating a fun and exciting incentive for players to take part in online tournaments.
Next to this, ION tokens are the main in-game currency to buy IAP items. The game will only contains skins as IAP, no character will ever become an IAP. We’ve promised this from the start and 2 years later this is still the case.
The partnership will certainly be a start of a new era in gaming in general, where there is a default in-game currency that works cross-games, and where players will come across this new and exciting incentives for playing games by earning money.


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When life gives you lemons, children’s boutiques make lemonade. We were so inspired to see some of the creative solutions these businesses implemented to support and stay connected with their communities during temporary closures and social distancing due to COVID-19. We’d love to hear if your store is doing something innovative and inspiring!
Lauren and Diane Moran, The Merry Lion
The Merry Lion; Wakefield, MA: Diane and Lauren Moran
“Mimi and Mama” duo, Diane and Lauren Moran are co-owners of the Wakefield, Massachusetts children’s boutique, The Merry Lion. When the local schools started to close and they started to see empty shelves at the grocery store, they knew they wanted to give back. “We announced that we would start taking donations for our local food pantry on Sunday, March 8th. We decided to set up a drop-and-go box outside of our store. Our store front is very easy to access, and we thought it would be a great way for people to help out while also being mindful of social distancing,” explains Lauren Moran. She says that the response has been great, and that people are continuing to donate even while the store is temporarily closed.
And a temporary closure isn’t stopping the Morans. They’re using Instagram to stay connected with their community. “Right now, we only have a small portion of what’s in-store on our website. I am posting on our [Instagram] Stories, and customers are able to message me to place orders there. So far, we have been busy! Again, we love our community and they are trying to support us while they can.”
Moran says that their community is their source of inspiration and what’s keeping them going. “We have received so many uplifting messages! It’s amazing how people can pull together in a time of need. One of our customers even sent me Venmo for coffee money because she figured I could use a little pick-me-up. I’ve probably been brought to tears three times just today by our customers!”
Photo by B Kids
B Kids; Fort Worth, TX: Brittany Voxland and Jessica Breslin
Creative team brainstorming is what led to the launch of “Busy Bags,” B Kids’ inspired solution to handling the current state of business at their children’s boutique in Fort Worth, TX. Co-founders Brittany Voxland and Jessica Breslin launched fun-filled bags brimming with giftable items from their store in three price points: $50, $75 and $100. Voxland said that they received an instant response, seeing purchases from parents, grandparents, and neighbors giving special children in their lives a fun surprise delivered to their doors! Customers share the child’s gender and age, and the team at B Kids get to work filling bags with things like LED nightballs, colored pens, squishies, notebooks, paint by numbers, etc. Once the bag is complete, the team delivers it to the recipient’s home, as long as it’s within 10 miles of their store. Busy Bags are the perfect way for B Kids to sell their giftable inventory and keep kids entertained at the same time!
Photo by Magpies Nashville
Magpies Nashville; Nashville, TN: Maggie Tucker
One can only feel a sense of positivity and inspiration after talking with Maggie Tucker, the owner of Magpies Nashville.
“Nashville was hit with a tornado the week before the National Emergency,” she explains. “I can’t put into words the devastation, but the upside is that our community has never been more united. We’re reminded of the impact that small businesses have in this community and people are making a mindful effort to love small businesses.”
She tells us that after the tornado hit, the community banded together by delivering blankets to families without power and heat, as well as supporting local women’s shelters. And since the schools were shut down, and some children don’t have access to free breakfast and lunch, they partnered with local organizations to make food packs for kids. “We’re seeing this with every small business in Nashville. It’s this beautiful sense of community who love and support one another.”
And as for what’s happening at Magpies, Tucker seized the opportunity to revamp their e-commerce platform. “We had the e-commerce platform established, but it only had about 20 items,” she explains. “We stripped it down, did in-the-moment training with our team, and rebuilt everything, which included adding 300+ items and new shopping categories.” She says that being active on social media, communicating with customers, has also been important. “We’ve been utilizing the video feature to show collections through Stories and one-on-one appointments. All we can do is keep showing up, do the best we can, and know that when all of this is done, we’ll come out of it better.”


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Post written by
Sivan Iram, General Manager at Upload
Sivan Iram is general manager at Upload Inc., a VR/AR organization including a media publication, co-working space and educational programs.
On March 25th 2014, Facebook’s $2 billion acquisition of Oculus sparked life in the Virtual Reality industry.
Although Virtual Reality had many waves of technological innovations since the 1960’s, this single moment of refocusing of one of the largest technology companies in the world, was like a deep underwater tectonic shift, that created on the surface a huge tsunami of market interest, financial investments and startup growth.
Many claim that Facebook overpaid for Oculus, but I would claim that had the acquisition been much smaller, the Virtual Reality giant might not have been awakened.
Since its acquisition, however, not everything has been gravy for Oculus. A clear head-start advantage on both technology and brand has been completely eroded by HTC, who, in partnering with Valve, not only launched a VR consumer product at the same time as Oculus did, but also unlocked via the Steam platform a massive existing install base among gamers (arguably the earliest of adopters).
Oculus, on its part, has had to endure the slower, natural growth of their own content platform, the Oculus Store, partially aided by the distribution of the Samsung Gear VR device. However, since the Gear VR and the Oculus Rift can’t run the same applications, it seemed more like one retail store that had a huge wall between its two departments, making it impossible for customers to move between them, without going out through the street first.
A third, dominant entrant, made things even harder for Oculus to retain its leadership position. Sony, with the PSVR device, is generating much greater interest and sales in its early days, due to its ability to activate a massive 40M PS4 customer base.
A recently published 01Consulting report shows a mere 11% market share for Oculus, who many see as having the supposed “first to market” advantage.
On the PR front, things have been difficult too. First, Oculus faced shipping delay straight out of the gates. Then, it wasn’t able to ship the touch controllers we first saw in October ‘15 at the Oculus Connect 2 conference, until recently. Lastly, Oculus’ founder, Palmer Luckey, was heavily scrutinized recently by the tech community for funding a group promoting Donald Trump and trolling Hillary Clinton.
To make things worse, time is not in Facebook’s favor. According to the expert futurist Robert Scoble, Apple is planning a massive AR/VR device launch in 10 months. Google launched its DayDream devices and platform, Magic Leap is likely getting closer to launching the most anticipated product in the world, and Microsoft is also entering into the arena with the HoloLens and a VR headset.
Lastly, this morning (12/13) Oculus’ co-founder & CEO, Brendan Iribe, announced that he’d be stepping down as CEO, and would lead the newly formed PC VR Group. Although the reason he lists is missing “the deep, day-to-day involvement in building a brand new product on the leading edge of technology”, we could safely assume that Oculus loss of market leadership is the reason behind this move.
What’s next for Oculus then?
It's Not Too Late
It would be rash to discount Oculus’ ability to lead the VR market, due to several key reasons:
Continue reading on next page...
First and foremost, Oculus needs to make sure its supply chain issues are dealt with. It’s more than inventory management, making sure customers get their device fast — it’s the time takes for a product become commercially available.
I tried the touch controllers last summer, at Oculus Connect 2, and only very recently,, 14 months after, it’s finally available. Oculus recently announced “Santa Cruz”, a mid market HMD, competing with the Samsung Gear VR and the Google DayDream platform. Oculus need to make sure this is commercially available as soon as possible, so they don’t continue to lose market share.
When Facebook acquired Oculus, it had its DK1 (Developer Kit 1) system ready. Back then, no other large company had anything remotely close to what Oculus had. Fast forward 2 years to April of 2016, HTC launches its Vive device only 7 days after Oculus releases its first commercial Rift device, and HTC even has a superior device, with “Room Scale” support and unique controllers, while Oculus, at that point, was a “seating or standing” VR experience, and only supported the Xbox controller for movement, a far less immersive experience.
In Q4 of this year, at its annual conference, Oculus announced that they finally caught up and now support “Room Scale VR” with multiple cameras, which is when HTC announced it now has support for a wireless experience.
If Oculus wants to regain market leadership, it has to be ahead of the curve, rather than play catch-up. A terrific product road map can be found in one of Michael Abrash’s slides from OC3, depicting how the VR devices of year 2021 would look like. Sign me up.
Lastly, the enterprise landscape is completely green field. Only a handful of companies have gotten actual traction with enterprise verticals such as Real Estate (IrisVR, Matterport, Floored), Healthcare (Psious, DeepstreamVR, OssoVR, etc.), Education (NearPod, Solirax), but very few have seen real traction with larger companies.
Oculus’ competitors, Sony and HTC are slow to move into the enterprise space. Sony, with PSVR, is completely focused on consumer electronics, which is its strong suit. HTC launched “Vive BE” (Business Edition) which is identical to the consumer version, only with a 24/7 support, but still hasn’t made any moves in terms of enterprise software or partnerships.
There is a unique opportunity to capture enterprise customers, which have a higher ability to pay, and often have high switching costs (which makes it a defensible strategy), and use that to leverage expansion of consumer adoption. To understand the opportunity, we need to understand two of the main problems with consumer adoption:
The dynamic mentioned in the first point above, one rift for one person, and the need to bring a constant stream of content is very challenging. If we flip the dynamic on its head, and match a Rift with a single use case, and bring a constant stream of users to it, all of a sudden it makes sense, and even solved the issue mentioned in the second point.
For example, if Oculus partnered with a museum (science, technology, space, aviation, etc.) that has tens or hundreds of thousands of visitors a year, and developed a world class experience together, they would be able to create immediate value for an enterprise partner, and also provide a multitude of people the opportunity to see what VR is about, which might convince them to buy the device for themselves.
It is time for Oculus to use business partnerships as a leverage to getting their hardware and platform in front of mass audiences. The best place to start are B2C (Business to Consumer) companies, such as museums, car dealerships, theme parks, hotels, sports arenas, etc. More practical use cases that would help enterprise companies “move the needle” on their business metrics (revenue, engagement, data on customers, etc.) is how Oculus could shake off its off start, and get back into the driver’s seat.


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Here’s How You Grow the World’s Biggest Pumpkins
For some, pumpkin season conjures up visions of Halloween jack-o'-lanterns; for others, lattes are all they have on their minds. But for professional giant pumpkin growers, it’s competition season.
Last month, we saw Illinois’s Gene McMuller set a world record for North America’s largest pumpkin, winning the Cedarburg Wine & Harvest Festival in Wisconsin with a 2,145.5-pound orange gourd. He only held the record for a few weeks. On October 10, at the Southern New England Giant Pumpkin Growers Weigh Off, Ron Wallace reclaimed a title he’s held before with a pumpkin weighing in at 2,230 pounds—the second largest pumpkin ever measured in the world.
It’s no shame handing your title over to Wallace; he’s a legend among those who grow giant fruits and vegetables—a hobby that about 30,000 people enjoy, according to Andy Wolf, president of the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth. In some ways, Wallace deserves credit for the largest pumpkin ever grown too—that 2,323-pound mammoth grown in Switzerland was bred in part from one of his seeds.
So what does it take to grow a pumpkin the size of a small car—you know, besides a big backyard? Starting with the right seed is important, and Wallace’s seeds have sold for more than $1,000 in charity auctions. Wallace hand-pollinates as well to make sure bees don’t mess up all his hard work. From there, it’s just a lot of long hours tending to the crops, up to 40 hours per week, all year long. "For growers who are competitive, it's year-round. They're studying, they're researching, they're building greenhouses, they're looking at genetics," Wallace told the AP. "Most competitive giant pumpkin growers aren't taking summer vacations." Who needs to spend time at the ocean when you have a giant orange whale at home?
As far as rules are concerned, competitive pumpkin growing seems to have a lot in common with ’90s baseball. "You can do anything. You can tinker with professional plant hormones or whatever fertilizer you think's going to give you an advantage," Wolf said. "The only thing you can't do is somehow doctor the actual fruit." That’s important to note, because things like holes, cracks and rot can disqualify your gourd.
But then, of course, some things are out of your control—primarily weather. Pumpkins can grow up to 45 pounds a day, most of which is water weight, meaning rain is good for competitors. Wallace grew his record-breaking pumpkin in Rhode Island. I’m guessing they got a bit of rain this year.


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The change was aimed at reducing weight – 600 lbs (280 kg) per plane – and thus fuel. Reduced fuel consumption, of course, benefits the environment, but putting 80,000 leather coverings into the incinerator or landfill certainly does not.
Southwest partnered with recycler Looptworks in Portland, Oregon, the airline will turn a portion of its leather seats into tote bags, duffle bags and backpacks that the airline will buy back to use as gifts.
“The water conserved by making goods using old leather rather than new leather is enormous,” says Looptworks co-founder Scott Hamlin.
Looptworks, which has previously made iPad covers, is partnering with Apple on the tech giant’s new iPad sleeves. Looptworks backpacks upcycled from clothes sell for $50 and iPhone leather wallets for $55. As Hamlin explains, “in many cases, unfortunately, the cost of creating the upcycled material is higher than the value of the material itself. The best way of recovering the costs is by creating an upscale product.”
As part of its seat project, Southwest is partnering with SOS Children’s Villages in Kenya to teach orphaned children leather working using the discarded leather covers. The Dallas-based carrier is also partnering with Kenyan social enterprise Alive and Kicking to make footballs from the seat covers, and with local footwear company Masai Treats to make more than 2,000 pairs of shoes. In Malawi, the airline is helping to fund a school that will also teach its pupils leather working. “We wanted to find organisations that would help us do social good,” says Southwest’s senior manager of culture and communications, Marilee Mcinnis.
Source: The Guardian


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Updated: April 11, 2015 7:17:25 am
Saavn, one of India’s most popular music streaming services, has just got itself an update that gives it a social layer. Adding features very similar to social networks like Facebook and Twitter, Saavn Social will let users follow friends’ profiles, playlists, and what they are listening to. PLus, they will also be able to follow specific playlists created by artistes and celebrities.
Speaking to IndianExpress.com, Saavn’s Global Chief Operating Officer Mahesh Narayanan said this was the app’s “biggest feature launch” ever since they launched in 2006.
“The new update comes with a bunch of social features which make consumption of music more social,” he said, adding that the app already had a basic social functionalities like sharing. “We are making it even more social by letting users tag, follow or have conversations around music.”
Saavn will now have verified handles of artistes and celebrities who users will be able to follow. Narayanan said some big names are expected to open their handles on the app soon. “Talks are on,” he added.
The new features will be free and available to all users. Rishi Malhotra, Co-Founder and CEO of Saavn, said is a release that there have been a lot of social integrations in various music products, but no service has succeeded at enabling users to have a true, intuitive conversation around music. “We are known for developing the best products in the market and we always design around the user, not around the device. We have been using Saavn Social internally for a few months and it’s changed the way we listen to and discover music,” he added.
As of March 2015, Saavn has 13 million users who get access to a catalogue of over 2 million songs.
📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines


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Although bright or deep hues can certainly make a statement in any room, there’s no denying the power of neutrals. Besides adding a timeless appeal, choosing a neutral wall color makes it easier for you to change the look of a room by swapping accessories and other accents, a tactic […]
Post Tagged with: "2011 paint trends"
A new year — it’s a ripe time for trend forecasts as experts look to the coming months to predict what consumers want. And the paint industry is no exception. As posted by the Paint and Coatings Industry, the Paint Quality Institute has outlined three likely color directions for the […]


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Cydia rocketed onto everyone's radar last weekend after launching its app store for unauthorized iPhone applications on Friday. Although the company has long been a hub for unauthorized apps, Cydia creator Jay Freeman recently announced his intention to not only institute a centralized payment system but also to give app developers an equal (or increased) revenue split compared to Apple's offerings.
Currently, Cydia's payment methods are determined by the developer and the majority of the applications available are free. But if Freeman intends to pay developers more than Apple's 30 percent commission that could certainly change. The Cydia Store offers applications unavailable through Apple's App Store (which had 15,000 apps available in January) and will likely work hand-in-hand with Rock Your Phone -- a small company that is offering a way for non-jailbroken iPhones to still run unauthorized applications.
A third company is reportedly working on adult game applications and other adult content (which will be eagerly received, according to user comments). Other comments express concern not only over payment methods and the security of credit card information, but also over the security of the applications they install, potential iPhone Trojans emerging from adult content apps, and concerns that Apple will now crack down on jailbreaking once and for all.
Some users have been clamoring for unavailable apps, such as a Sirius satellite radio app (recently rejected by the App Store) and UStream's video app. It's still unclear what legal action Apple may take, but considering the projected revenue involved ($800 million is Apple's expected iPhone app revenue for this year), the company won't be standing idly by. Last month Apple filed its opposition to an EFF-proposed exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (the exemption would legalize jailbreaking).
This story, "Apple Peeved by Cydia's Rogue IPhone App Store" was originally published by InfoWorld.


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Images of Motorola Droid Bionic Smartphone for Verizon leaks; Running on Android 2.3.4
Motorola Droid Bionic has been on rumor mill for a while and earlier the smartphone was leaked. Early there was news that the smartphone was canceled and later came as Targa to replace the device. Now there have been another leak of the Smartphone and reveals the Smartphone.
According to new leak the Smartphone seems to have a dual-core processor, 4.5″ qHD display, and what looked to be a 13MP camera on the rear. The OS is almost confirmed, the device is running on the latest Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread and There will also be a new version of BLUR UI with a 3D features.
The leaks from earlier today show 4G is still on the back of the phone so that looks good. Anyway stay tuned for more details on the device it might be coming soon.


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- WHITE PAPERS
LYFE Kitchen Restaurant has named Stacy Soderstrom as director of franchise development. Soderstrom will lead the charge of recruiting franchisee candidates to expand the brand.
In late 2012, LYFE launched the application process for potential franchisees, seeking operators who embrace its mission of "making great-tasting, good-for-you food available to consumers throughout the country."
Prior to joining LYFE, Soderstrom served as the director of Franchise Development for Quiznos. Managing West Coast operations, she helped lead regional growth resulting in a 60-percent rise in store locations. She has more than 10 years of experience in facilitating company growth through franchises.
"To see what the company has already accomplished is awe-inspiring," Soderstrom said. "LYFE Kitchen has a strong vision and commitment already being executed in Palo Alto for the past year. As someone with a longstanding personal interest in staying active and living well, I'm passionate about the lifestyle this brand embodies."
Soderstrom graduated from Portland State University with a bachelor's of Science in Business with an emphasis in Advertising and Marketing.
Read more about franchising and growth.


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RCEP: OPPORTUNITY, FEARS IN REGIONAL TRADE DEAL
12, Oct 2019
Prelims level : Initiatives of Regional and U.N Organizations Mains level : GS-II: International - Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and agreements involving India
Why in News?
- Commerce Minister is in Bangkok for the eighth RCEP ministerial meeting. The meeting is expected to work out the unresolved issues in the negotiations on the mega trade deal.
- It is a trade deal that is currently under negotiation among 16 countries — the 10 member countries of ASEAN and the six countries with which the ASEAN bloc has FTA.
- Negotiations on the details of RCEP have been on since 2013, and all participating countries aim to finalise and sign the deal by November.
- The purpose of RCEP is to create an “integrated market” spanning all 16 countries, making it easier for products and services of each of these countries to be available across this region.ASEAN says the deal will provide “a framework aimed at lowering trade barriers and securing improved market access for goods and services for businesses in the region”.
- The negotiations are focussed on areas like trade in goods and services, investment, economic and technical cooperation, intellectual property, competition, dispute settlement, e-commerce, and small and medium enterprises.
Why is the RCEP important?
- It is billed as the “largest” regional trading agreement ever.
- These countries account for almost half of the world’s population, contribute over a quarter of world exports, and makeup around 30% of global GDP.
- Of the 25 chapters in the deal, 21 have been finalised.
- Chapters on investment, e-commerce, rules of origin, and trade remedies are yet to be settled.
How does India stand to gain?
- Sections of the Indian industry feel that being part of RCEP would allow the country to tap into a huge market if the domestic industry becomes competitive.
- Pharmaceuticals and cotton yarn are confident of gains, and the services industry too may have new opportunities.
- Several industries feel India needs to be mindful of the amount of access it gives to its market.
- There is fear that some domestic sectors may be hit by cheaper alternatives from other RCEP countries.
- Apprehensions have been expressed that cheaper Chinese products would “flood” India.
- Critics are also not confident that India would be able to take advantage of the deal, given its poor track record of extracting benefits from the FTAs with these countries.
- India’s trade gap with these countries may widen if it signs the RCEP deal.
- Industries like dairy and steel have demanded protection.
- The textile industry has already raised concerns about growing competition from neighbouring countries.
- The bigger players in steel are apprehensive of the potential impact on their businesses.
- Makers of finished goods have argued that limiting steel supply to domestic producers through higher import duties will put them at a disadvantage.


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99%IS showcased their SS17 collection at Seoul Fashion Week.
99%IS was officially launched in 2012 by designer Bajowoo. “There is that whole 1 percent of culture that most people don’t care about, but to me and my friends, is our 99 percent,” Bajowoo states about the name behind the brand.
99%IS took their Spring/Summer 17 show to Koreas capital this week for Seoul Fashion Week. Born in Seoul and based in Tokyo, Bajowoo announced the collections runway appearance and location only 24 hours before showtime.
The collection is titled “Against Great Truth” (A.G.T) which can be seen decorated on the severely rock/punk-influenced clothing. The collection sees head to toe looks in leathers, metals rips and studs with bizarre and intricate detailings such as can-top eyepatches and metal pieces attached to the sleeves which are to be used to put out cigarettes.
Take a look at the brand’s Instagram page for videos of the runway and further snippets of what they’re up to.
Check out the full 99%IS Spring/Summer 17 collection below.


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Apple to Supply 23,000 iBooks to a School System, Largest Education Sale Ever
Press release from the issuing company
CUPERTINO, California and HENRICO COUNTY, Virginia-May 1, 2001-Apple today announced an agreement with Henrico County Public Schools to supply 23,000 iBooks to the district. This initiative will give every middle and high school student and teacher access to their own laptop computer with plans to eventually provide every teacher and student throughout the district with an iBook.
"This is the mammoth-the single largest sale of portable computers in education ever," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "Apple is thrilled to partner with Henrico County Public Schools in their revolutionary initiative because when every student and teacher has access to wirelessly-networked mobile computing, learning reaches far beyond the classroom."
"Students, teachers, parents and the community will now have the best technology tools in the world at their fingertips every day," said Dr. Mark Edwards, superintendent of Henrico County Public Schools. "We chose Apple's iBook because our experience has shown that it costs significantly more to support other platforms. Apple's iBook is the best product available to meet our instructional needs."
According to leading market research firm International Data Corp. (IDC), Apple was the leading supplier of portable computers to the U.S. education market for calendar year 2000. In 2000, Apple captured an 18.2% share of the U.S. education portable market and had the largest annual growth in this segment of any vendor. From 1999 to 2000, the portable growth in the U.S. education market was 37%, more than twice that of desktops (15%). In 2001, IDC forecasts that the rate of portable growth in the U.S. education market will continue to significantly outpace the rate of growth for desktop computers.
WhatTheyThink is the global printing industry's leading independent media organization with both print and digital offerings, including WhatTheyThink.com, PrintingNews.com and WhatTheyThink magazine versioned with a Printing News and Wide-Format & Signage edition. Our mission is to provide cogent news and analysis about trends, technologies, operations, and events in all the markets that comprise today’s printing and sign industries including commercial, in-plant, mailing, finishing, sign, display, textile, industrial, finishing, labels, packaging, marketing technology, software and workflow.


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Analysts at Topic Reviews have published their Black Friday & Cyber Monday 2017 price predictions for popular Garmin fitness trackers and smartwatches.
Boston, MA (PRUnderground) October 12th, 2017
Topic Reviews, an online technology magazine, have published their Black Friday 2017 deal predictions for Garmin gear. Their latest price analysis forecasts that the best deals on Garmin smartwatches will be on the bestselling Fenix 3 and Vivoactive HR.
The team at Topic Reviews combine information on previous years’ Black Friday discounts with live price data on Garmin products. Using these two methods of tracking price changes they have made predictions about the best Garmin Black Friday & Cyber Monday deals for 2017.
Mike Williams, head pricing analyst, has the following advice on finding the best Black Friday & Cyber Monday deals:
When looking for the best Black Friday & Cyber Monday discounts it’s important to compare prices and not get caught up in the hype surrounding doorbuster deals. The best method for identifying a good deal is to keep an eye on price changes during fall and compare this year’s deals with those of previous years. Our live price trackers make this easier for shoppers.
What’s on the menu then? The team predict that the majority of price drops on Garmin gear will be on their range of fitness smartwatches and activity trackers. In 2016 we saw a 33% price drop on the fenix 3. This year Topic Reviews are predicting price drops closer to 50% on the fenix 3 and reductions in the range of 25% on the newly released fenix 5 models. Released in mid 2017, the fenix 5 series are premium multi-sport watches. Normally Black Friday discounts on newly released Garmin gear are rare, but analysts at Topic Reviews point to the release of the Apple Watch Series 3 as an indication of increased competition in the premium smartwatch market. As for Vivoactive smartwatches, forecasters predict that the Vivoactive HR will see the biggest Black Friday reduction with an expected sales price of $140.
As well as Garmin gear, Topic Reviews provide live price tracking on lots of the biggest sports and technology brands. One of Garmin’s biggest rivals in the smartwatch sector is Fitbit. Their range of activity trackers are targeted more towards everyday use. You can read about their Black Friday Fitbit price predictions on the Topic Reviews website.
We’ll have to wait until closer to November 24 to find out precisely what Garmin will offer this Black Friday. The Topic Reviews team will be busy monitoring price changes in the mean time.
About Topic Reviews
Our team of data scientists provide information and forecasts about the best online Black Friday deals for shoppers.