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MWC 2024 is scheduled for February 26-29. However, most smartphones will likely go official ahead of that. Gone are the days when Mobile World Congress used to be the destination of hot new phone releases.
Around 12 brands are expected to announce new phones. Only a couple of them fall under the premium category. While the rest of them are either mid-rangers or budget models.
Almost all of these handsets will be unveiled for global markets. The companies that will debut new smartphones are Xiaomi, Huawei, Oppo, Vivo, Realme, iQOO, Nothing, HMD, Honor, Tecno, Infinix, and Itel.
Let’s check out these devices one by one.
Upcoming Smartphones in February 2024
1. Xiaomi 14 Ultra
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is tipped to launch by the end of February at either MWC or earlier. Unlike its predecessors, it is expected to see a wider global release.
The device is said to arrive with a quad 50MP camera system. The primary camera will be a Sony LYT-900 with variable aperture. It will be paired with an ultrawide unit, a telephoto shooter, and a periscope telephoto snapper.
The phone will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip and draw energy from a 5,180mah battery. It will support 90W wired and 50W wireless charging standards.
It is anticipated to carry a higher price tag due to a rise in BOM (Bill of Materials).
2. Huawei Pocket S2
The Huawei Pocket S2 is rumored to launch on February 27. It could get announced at MWC.
The device is said to be powered by an underclocked version of the HiSilicon Kirin 9000s chip. Unfortunately, that’s all the information we have on this handset.
The Pocket S2 will succeed the original Pocket S from late 2022, which was introduced as the company’s most affordable foldable smartphone at the time.
3. Oppo F25 and Reno 11F
The Oppo F25 is tipped to launch in India in February. The device will also go by Oppo Reno 11F in Southeast Asia.
The phone is expected to arrive with a 6.7-inch FHD+ 120Hz OLED display with an in-screen fingerprint sensor and a MediaTek Dimensity 7050 chip. It will draw energy from a 5,000mAh battery and support 67W wired charging.
The handset will sport a 64MP (wide) + 8MP (ultrawide) + 2MP (macro) triple camera setup and a 32MP selfie camera. It will be IP65-rated for splash resistance.
4. Vivo V30 Series, V40 SE, and V40 Lite
The Vivo V30 series is officially set to launch in February. The lineup is expected to include two devices, namely Vivo V30 and Vivo V30 Pro. They are anticipated to be accompanied by Vivo V40 SE (aka Vivo V40 Lite).
The Vivo V30 is said to be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chip. It will flaunt a curved OLED display and support 80W wired charging.
On the other hand, the Vivo V40 SE will succeed the Vivo V30 Lite. Its specs are not known, just like those of Vivo V30 Pro.
5. Realme 12 Series
The Realme 12 series will debut in China in February. Apart from Realme 12 Pro and Realme 12 Pro Plus, the region will also get the vanilla Realme 12 and Realme 12 Plus.
The Pro models will be the same as the ones sold in international markets. You can learn about them here.
As for Realme 12 Plus, it will feature a similar design as the Pros but will arrive with downgraded specs. It is expected to come with an unnamed 2.6GHz chip, a 50MP (wide) + 8MP (ultrawide) + 2MP (macro) triple camera setup, a 16MP selfie camera, and a 5,000mAh battery.
Unfortunately, we have no info on the vanilla Realme 12.
6. iQOO Neo 9 Pro
iQOO Neo 9 Pro
The iQOO Neo 9 Pro is scheduled to launch in India on February 22. The pre-bookings for the phone start from February 8.
The handset will succeed the iQOO Neo 7 Pro. It will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC and draw energy from a 5,160mAh battery with support for 120W wired charging.
The device will sport a 6.78-inch OLED display with a 1.5K resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate. It will come with a 50MP Sony IMX920 primary sensor, an 8MP ultrawide unit, and a 16MP selfie camera.
It is expected to cost around ₹30,000.
7. Honor X9b
Honor X9b is set to launch in India on February 15. Since the handset is official in several markets, everything about it is already known.
The phone arrives with a 6.78-inch FHD+ 120Hz curved display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chip, a 108MP primary camera, and a 16MP selfie camera. It is backed by a 5,800mAh battery and supports 35W wired charging.
The product is expected to compete with the Redmi Note 13 series and Realme 12 Pro lineup in the region.
8. Nothing Phone 2a
The Nothing Phone 2a is anticipated to go official at MWC. It will be the brand’s first budget smartphone.
The handset is tipped to come with a 6.7-inch FHD+ OLED display and a MediaTek Dimensity 7200 SoC. It will feature a circular camera module headed by a 50MP primary sensor surrounded by Glyph LED lights.
The product will support 45W wired charging and is expected to cost under €400.
9. HMD Smartphone
Recently, HMD (Human Mobile Devices) confirmed to introduce its self-branded phones. At least one of them is expected to go official at MWC.
This device is tipped to sport a 108MP primary camera. Nothing else is known about this product.
10. Tecno Pova 6 Series
The Tecno Pova 6 series is confirmed to go official at MWC. The handsets will support Dolby Atmos.
The Pova 6 Pro is expected to be powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 6080 chip. It will sport an FHD+ display and boot Android 14.
Unfortunately, that’s all the information we have on the lineup.
11. Infinix Note 40 Series
The Infinix Note 40 series is anticipated to go official at MWC. The lineup is expected to include vanilla and pro models.
Interestingly, both of them will be powered by the same chipset — MediaTek Helio G99. They will sport a centered punch-hole FHD+ display on the front and a triple camera system on the rear.
The pro variant will support 70W wired charging while the standard variant will be limited to 40W. However, both of them will support 5W wireless charging.
12. Itel Power Series
Itel is tipped to launch three Power series smartphones in India in February.
The first one is said to ship with Android Go Edition. The second model will support fast charging. Finally, the third handset will arrive with an exclusive India-first memory feature.


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With the news that Ritz-Carlton will build three 298-passenger cruise ships, the luxury market has a slightly different look when it comes to market shares for 2023, according to available data in the 2017-2018 Cruise Industry News Annual Report combined with projections for The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection.
With eight ocean-going ships, Viking Ocean Cruises will have the biggest piece of the luxury market, with an estimated 27.4 percent of capacity.
Crystal Cruises, which will have a pair of large newbuilds by 2023 in combination with expedition vessels, according to previous press statements, will have 15.8 percent of the market, followed by Regent (11.7 percent), Silversea (11.1 percent) and Seabourn (10.1 percent).
Ritz-Carlton will have 4.2 percent of luxury market capacity by 2023, according to estimates.
Projections are based on known ship orders and historical deployment trends.

domain: news


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Singapore-based B2B robo-advisor Bambu has completed its latest funding round.
The undisclosed investment was led by Franklin Templeton Investments, Wavemaker Partners and FinTech investor Robby Hilkowitz
Founded in 2016, the company offers robo-advisor software for financial and non-financial businesses. The platform automates financial planning, saving and investing for consumers through its mobile and desktop app.
This funding round will be used to support the growth of its sales and business development capabilities to meet increasing global robo-advisor solutions demands. The capital will also be used to boost the company’s R&D in Singapore.
Bambu founder and CEO Ned Phillips said, “Bambu is now a growth stage company in the rapidly changing world of digital wealth, and to gain support from leading industry players brings great momentum towards our goal of becoming the market leader in this space.”
Copyright © 2017 FinTech Global


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“RTB is moving from a disruptive technology that at first was thought of as a remnant strategy, and it is becoming more mainstream,” said Victor Milligan, CMO for mobile advertising platform Nexage.
Karsten Weide, program vice president for Digital Media and Entertainment for IDC, notes that there is still a ways to go with mobile RTB compared to desktop: “In the mobile world, I am hearing from providers there are like three bids, which is just enough to make it work. But it is just a matter of time before it goes to mobile.”
Milligan said that the strength of demand for RTB on mobile, along with the acceptance of higher prices, is an important part of the future of mobile advertising. Nexage also reported that CPMs increased 44% between Q2 and Q3 on the Nexage exchange.
“One of the big headlines for the third quarter was the growth in strength in RTB,” said Wes Biggs, CTO and co-founder of Adfonic, a buying platform for mobile. “We knew that it was a growing ecosystem, but by the end of the quarter we were getting close to 50% of our inventory coming from RTB.”
Adfonic officially reported that RTB ads made up 34% of all the impressions from its network in the third quarter, an increase from 21% in the second quarter and 8% in Q1 2012. On MoPub’s RTB exchange for mobile ads, more RTB impressions were won than ever before, with winning auctions up 162% since Q2 2012 (download report).
In other mobile ad data, tablets saw 11% of all mobile ad impressions during Q3 2012, according to Adfonic, while 89% of impressions came from mobile phones. Millennial Media reported that data slightly differently, showing that 75% of impressions on its network came from smartphones, 5% from feature phones, and 20% from non-phone connected devices.
When it comes to manufacturers’ share of impressions, Apple was the leader, followed by Samsung, according to both Adfonic and Millennial Media. Adfonic reported Apple saw 37% of all impressions, while Samsung came in at 24%, and Millennial reported that Apple had 31.5% of impressions, compared to Samsung’s 24.4%.
But looking at the operating systems, Android saw the largest share of impressions, 45%, followed closely by iOS with 37%, according to Adfonic. On Millennial’s platform, Android had 52% of impressions, while iOS had 34%.
Looking forward, we can expect continued growth in mobile advertising. As Weide described it, “2015 will be the year that, for the first time, there will be more users accessing the internet through a mobile device rather than a computer, so advertisers will continue to follow the eyeballs.”


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Tesla CEO Elon Musk has criticized Apple, saying the iPhone maker uses more cobalt in its batteries than Tesla.
After reporting a record $1.14 billion in net income in the second quarter (Q2) of 2021, Musk said that the electric car-maker does not use cobalt in its vehicles.
“Tesla uses no Cobalt and almost none in the nickel-based chemistries. On a weighted average basis, we might use 2% Cobalt compared to say Apple’s 100% Cobalt,” he said during the earnings call on Monday.
“There is somehow a misconception that Tesla uses a lot of Cobalt, but we actually don’t. Apple uses I think almost 100% Cobalt in their batteries in cellphones and laptops,” he added.
Apple is reportedly developing an electric self-driving car under Titan’s project code.
“Some cobalt mined in places like the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been linked to human rights abuses such as child labor,” reports CNBC.
In 2019, Apple, in addition to Tesla and other major technology companies, was named as defendant in a human rights lawsuit, according to The Guardian.
Musk said that he needs the supercharger network to grow globally.
“For the supercharger to be useful to other car companies, we need to grow the network faster than we’re growing vehicle output, which is not easy. We’re growing vehicle output at a hell of a rate. So Superchargers need to grow faster than vehicle output,” he said.
On Cybertruck, he said that ramping up its production “will be difficult because it’s such new architecture”.
“It’s going to be a great product, our best product ever. But there’s a lot of fundamentally new design ideas in the Cybertruck. Nobody’s ever really made a car like this before. A vehicle like this before,” Musk told the analysts.


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Samsung's third new pair of wireless earbuds in the past year is also its cheapest.
At its Galaxy Unpacked event on Wednesday, the company officially took the wraps off the Galaxy Buds 2.
Following in the footsteps of the $170 Galaxy Buds Live and the $200 Galaxy Buds Pro, the $150 Galaxy Buds 2 will make a marginally smaller dent in your bank account when they launch on August 27.
For that price, you can expect a new, vaguely egg-shaped look and active noise cancelation (ANC). For perspective, that means Samsung is selling wireless earbuds with ANC for $10 cheaper than Apple's ANC-less AirPods, and a whopping $100 less than the AirPods Pro.
The Galaxy Buds 2 are also 15 percent smaller and 20 percent lighter than the Galaxy Buds Plus, which should hopefully make them more comfortable for long listening sessions. Three on-board microphones will assist in voice calls, with machine learning features to filter out background audio.
Last but not least, the Galaxy Buds 2 will come in four colors: graphite, olive, white, and lavender.
These Buds 2 may not be as fashionable as the Buds Live or as fully featured as the Buds Pro, but that $150 price point is tough to argue with. Hopefully things like sound quality and battery life are good enough to justify the purchase when they launch at the end of August.


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Cadbury fans have been left devastated after discovering the brand's "best chocolate bar EVER made" is being axed.
The chocolate maker has scrapped its Peanut Caramel Crisp Bar and Cadbury shoppers have hit out at the decision, saying "that sucks" as the bar is discontinued.
A spokesperson for Cadbury said: "Peanut Caramel Crisp Bars have been discontinued. However, we still have lots of other chocolatey treats to try."
In reply to the news, one shopper wrote: "Aw no! That sucks, it's our favourite," BirminghamLive reports.
The bar was launched back in April 2017 and at the time, Cadbury's Katrina Davison said: "The UK is going nuts for nuts.
"We have once again made sure our fans can enjoy their favourite chocolate with a new taste and texture experience they will love. The Big Taste range is all about generous layers and textures. Cadbury Dairy Milk Big Taste Peanut Caramel Crisp is the perfect example of why they’re so great to share."
"Cadbury's Peanut Caramel Crisp is the best chocolate bar they have created in years," fumed a second. "Kind of like Dairy Milk meets Reese's Peanut Butter Cups."
Pledge said in a gushing online review: "This stuff should be illegal! It’s simply delicious but addictive. My new favourite bar but trouble is I can’t control myself and end up scoffing the whole massive bar!"
Honest said: "Amazing chocolate. Has soft, chewy, creamy and crunchy textures on the inside - tastes like a proper premium product. The peanut butter textures are nice and sweet, but not overly so. The chocolate is standard Dairy Milk and obviously, no complaints there. Goes hand in hand with peanut butter!"
Richi asked: "This tastes … weird. Has Cadbury's new owner finally changed the formulation of the chocolate? I know it mucked about with Creme Eggs, but not the bars. Until now?"
YorkshireLive has launched a WhatsApp community and anyone who joins will get the latest breaking news and top stories sent direct to their phone. To join click here .


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Nubia, a subsidiary of ZTE, is expected to announce a new VR headset this year that will connect to the Red Magic Metaverse.
According to Nubia’s Weibo account, Red Magic 7 Phone A new router and gaming monitor will be introduced. nubia plans to launch products with the VR Ecosystem and launch the new Red Devils Metaverse in 2022.
2022 could be the year that tech giants take new steps toward the metaverse. Nubia, a well-known gaming brand, may also be working to create a VR environment.
About Nubia’s own VR headset and other products such as routers, No information has been released about gaming monitors yet. Nubia’s other flagship gaming phone, the Red Magic 7, is set to launch in February. The Red Magic 7 is equipped with Shoulder Trigger sensors to play games similar to previous gaming phones.
Like the 2022 flagship phone, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset will be used, and the display is expected to support up to 165Hz refresh rate. 12GB RAM / 4380mAh battery and 65W Fast Charing are also available.


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Odisha is going to be a leader in the sports tourism sector in India. There is no better state than Odisha to promote sports tourism.
Bhubaneswar: Sports is one of the fastest growing sectors in tourism. More and more tourists are interested in sports activities during their visits whether sports are the main purpose of the trip or not. Tourism and sports are intertwined and we have seen this happening in Odisha since 2017 when the state hosted the Asian Athletics Championships.
Major sporting events, such as the Hockey World Cup, football tournaments and others have become powerful tourist attractions in their own right. These hosts are making a very positive contribution to the tourism image of the destination and its economy.
Souvagya Mohapatra, a hotelier, said that things are going well for Odisha and if this continues, our tourism sector can greatly benefit from international sporting events. We may need some good overseas branding and publicity, road shows to showcase the tourism potential of Odisha before these tournaments.
Odisha is going to be a leader in the sports tourism sector in India. There is no better state than Odisha to promote sports tourism. Tourist places are very accessible here and Odisha has proved its mettle in successfully organizing large scale sporting events. It is a perfect combination to promote sports tourism. We will need to develop the tourism and sports infrastructure of some of the cities in the south. Like Berhampur, one in the west – Sambalpur or Rourkela and one in the north – Balasore.
Talking to Omcom News about the potential of this segment in Odisha, veteran hotelier and director, The Crown, Bhubaneswar, Debasish Patnaik said that the state has in the recent past hosted world-class events and sponsored Indian hockey teams. Has created a huge visibility for Odisha.
According to Patnaik today Odisha is well positioned to host big events with several star properties in the city. The number of hotels has increased, we have ITC, Vivanta and other brands coming up in Bhubaneswar. By early 2025, we will have at least 1,500 star rooms in the city, he said. “We need to market our products like ‘eco-retreats’ to promote sports tourism.
Sports Tourism in Odisha: Future Promise, Potential Growth
Story first published: Monday, January 23, 2023, 17:44 [IST]


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The merchandise exports for April rose to $30.21 billion from $10.17 billion a year earlier, registering a record growth in figures. Attributing the rise to the sharp growth in exports of gems and jewelry, engineering goods, and petroleum products, the data released by the trade ministry said the merchandise export recorded an increase of 197.03% as compared to April 2020 and an increase of 16.03% over USD 26.04 billion in April 2019.
India’s merchandise imports in April 2021 rose to $45.45 billion with an increase of 165.99% over USD 17.09 billion in April 2020 and an increase of 7.22% over USD 42.39 billion in April 2019.
“India is thus a net importer in April 2021 with a trade deficit of USD 15.24 billion, which increased by 120.34% over trade deficit of USD 6.92 billion in April 2020 and declined by 6.81% over trade deficit of USD 16.35 billion in April 2019, ” the statement from the ministry read.
The value of non-petroleum exports, in the same month, was USD 26.85 billion, registering a positive growth of 200.62% over USD 8.93 billion in April 2020 and positive growth of 19.44% over USD 22.48 billion in April 2019.
In April 2021, the value of non-petroleum and non-gems and jewelry exports also registered a positive growth and stood at USD 23.51 billion, an increase of 164.28% over USD 8.90 billion in April 2020 and a positive growth of 19.89% over USD 19.61 billion in April 2019.
In April 2021, oil imports were USD 10.8 billion, a positive growth of 132.26% compared to USD 4.65 billion in April 2020, and negative growth of 6.62 compared to USD 11.56 billion in April 2019.
Non-oil imports in April 2021 were estimated at USD 34.65 billion, showing an increase of 178.6% compared to USD 12.44 billion in April 2020 and an increase of 12.42% compared to USD 30.82 billion in April 2019.
Non-oil, non-GJ (gold, silver &Precious metals) imports were USD 26.05 billion in April 2021, recording a positive growth of 111.3%, as compared to non-oil and non-GJ imports of USD 12.33 billion in April 2020 and positive growth of 6.48% over USD 24.46 billion in April 2019.
The major export commodities which have recorded positive growth in April as compared to the corresponding year include gems and jewelry, jute, carpet, handicrafts, leather, electronic goods, oil meals, cashew, engineering, petroleum products, marine products, spices, vegetable and fruit, and chemicals
“The impressive growth reiterates our assessment that order booking position of our exporters is extremely good and with gradual improvement of the situation in the country, will push exports growth further,” said Sharad Kumar Saraf, President, Federation of Indian Export Organiations (FIEO), adding that the growth in labour-intensive sectors like gems & jewelry, handicrafts and carpets augur well for the job scenario, which is most relevant in the current context.
Major commodities of imports showing positive growth in April 2021 over the corresponding month of last year are Gold, Pearls, precious & Semi-precious stones, Sulphur & Unroasted Iron Pyrites, Electronic goods, Non-ferrous metals, Transport equipment, Artificial resins, plastic materials, etc, Petroleum, Crude & products, Machinery, electrical & non-electrical (113.73%), Textile yarn Fabric, made-up articles, Chemical material & products, Iron & Steel, Organic & Inorganic Chemicals, Fruits & vegetables, Coal, Coke & Briquettes, etc, Medical. & Pharmaceutical products, Cotton Raw & Waste and Fertilisers, Crude & manufactured.
Major commodity groups of imports showing negative growth in April 2021 over the corresponding month of last year are Silver, Newsprint, and Pulses.


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Audi expects EVs to be as profitable as combustion vehicles by 2024
Audi CEO Markus Duesmann assumes that electric cars will be just as profitable as petrol cars in two to three years. That is why he is already setting much stricter profitability targets.
The return on sales should rise from 5.5 per cent to more than 11 per cent in 2025, reports German publication Der Spiegel, citing people familiar with the matter. This is to be made possible by the purchase premium and increased customer interest. Duesmann is quoted as saying: “In two to three years, our battery-electric cars will be just as profitable as combustion engines.”
Nevertheless, according to the report, the Audi CEO will have to pursue a “though-but strategy”: Electric car shares should continue to rise, and in a few years Audi should only offer electric drives. The “but” remains, however, that Duesmann should not scare away “combustion engine fans”. After all, they need to continue to contribute to sales and profits for a few more years.
It had already become apparent that Duesmann would be taking a sharper electric course. In March, he announced in an interview that he would not develop any new combustion engines from scratch – only already existing engines would be developed. This also has consequences for other brands of the VW Group, some of which buy engines from Audi.
In June, Audi had given details of its accelerated electric course: According to this, production of the last new combustion engine model will start in 2025, and from 2026 onwards every new Audi model will only be offered in pure electric form. The last combustion models introduced in 2025 should then be phased out by 2033 – and Audi would be a purely electric brand in twelve years. However, Audi is keeping a loophole open for the Chinese market: The company expects demand there to continue beyond 2033, which is why it could offer vehicles with combustion engines from local production.
It was also announced that the brand intends to sell its electric cars in an agency model from 2023. In this case, the customer enters into a contract directly with Audi, and the local dealer only acts as an intermediary/agent. Details of this are not yet known, however, as new contracts will have to be negotiated between Audi and the dealers. A conclusion is not expected before 2022.
spiegel.de (in German)


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Yugarabo CEO visits Japan
A special dialogue between Daniel Alegre, CEO of Yuga Labs, a leading company in the NFT (non-fungible token) industry, and Kazunatsu Itagaki, assistant manager of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s Web 3.0 Policy Promotion Office has been decided.
At the global Web3 conference “WebX” to be held at the Tokyo International Forum on July 25 (Tuesday) and 26 (Wednesday), we plan to discuss the future of the Web3 area and the state of regulation.
The time of presentation will be from 10:30 to 10:50 on July 25 (Tuesday) on WebX Day1. It will be held at the “International Stage” on the 7th floor of Building B.
This time, Mr. Alegre and Mr. Itagaki will discuss the balance between regulation and innovation of Web3/blockchain technology and crypto-assets, including NFTs and tokens.
Yugarabo is a company that has cultivated know-how as a pioneer in the industry that has driven the NFT boom in 2021. Japan, which is strong in the IP (intellectual property rights) business, is highly interested both in Japan and overseas in what kind of knowledge it will share.
connection: JR Kyushu releases NFT service “JR Kyushu NFT” adopted by Aster Network
In June 2010, the Japanese government made a cabinet decision to incorporate the development of the environment for Web3 into its growth strategy, and declared its policy to proceed with consideration of the development of the environment to promote the use of NFTs and DAOs (Distributed Autonomous Organizations).
connection: Why did the Japanese government start promoting “Web3 policy”?Summary of important points and related news
In addition, in June this year, the National Tax Agency issued a legal interpretation notice stating that virtual currencies issued by companies will not be subject to market valuation if they meet certain conditions, putting the focus on improving the environment for fostering domestic startups.
Although there are various issues such as the tax system revision of crypto assets (virtual currency), it is said that it has made great progress toward improving the environment for emerging industries, which have been pointed out as being heavily taxed.
connection: National Tax Agency officially announces partial revision of virtual currency corporate tax rules
Alegre was appointed CEO of Yugalabo in April 2023.
Regarding his previous job, since April 2020, as President and COO of Activision Blizzard, a major US game company, he oversaw the release of popular games such as “Call of Duty,” “World of Warcraft,” “Diablo,” “Overwatch,” and “Candy Crush.” Prior to Activision Blizzard, he was Google’s global retail payments executive.
Yugarabo is a Web3 company that aims to shape the future through stories, experiences and communities. In addition to NFT production such as BAYC, he is currently working on a metaverse game called “Otherside”.
On the other hand, in July 2022, the “Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry”, which is responsible for comprehensive economic policies including industrial promotion, job creation, and support for regional economies, established the “Web 3.0 Policy Promotion Office” in the Minister’s Secretariat. In cooperation with related ministries and agencies such as the Digital Agency, we have established a system to consider business environment issues related to Web 3.0 based on blockchain.
According to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s website, the Web 3.0 Policy Promotion Office mainly collects information from business operators, investors, legal professionals, engineers, etc. regarding overseas business environment and domestic business environment issues, and cooperates with relevant ministries and agencies to improve the business environment related to Web 3.0.
Mr. Itagaki, an assistant director, joined the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in 2017 after working in healthcare industry policy, social innovation-related policy, Singapore VC, etc.


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Everything you need to know about what’s new at the orchard and how to pick apples locally.
After 45 years, founders Lowell and Phillis Schaper passed down the legacy they built at Minnetonka Orchard to new owners Ester and Frank Weigel. “They have visions of keeping all the traditions and history alive at the orchard but also bringing new life to it,” says manager Crystal Madsen.
Changes have been wide-ranging, from new food options to events and activities.
Food: Snack Shacks
Madsen notes that the orchard is adding three new food huts to its lower level, which will offer an expanded menu that includes snacks from nachos and pretzels with cheese to popcorn and sweets. “Our caramel apple stand will be moving down there, and we’ll also have another grill stand down there too to help alleviate some of the grill lines from our upper level,” Madsen says.
Activities: All Aboard!
A new pint-sized train ride will be running for the orchard’s half-pint guests. The orchard also expanded its animal barn into a petting zoo, welcoming chicks, mini goats, rabbits and pigs to its stables. Classic orchard staples like hayrides, haystack climbing and scavenger hunts will continue alongside the new attractions, but Madsen notes that’s not the only change for 2022.
This year, all orchard attractions will be included in the price of admission. “We heard you,” Madsen says. “We heard everybody, and we truly take those comments to heart. We’re trying to improve and make this the best possible experience and adventure for families.” Some activities will be unlimited, while others require tickets given during admission.
Drinks: Locally-Made Libations
Along with the new half-pint activities, full pints will also make an appearance at the orchard this season for 21+ guests. Since taking over Minnetonka Orchard, the Weigels have been working to bring two other ventures to life: Easton Hard Cider and Everly Farms Winery.
“The wine and hard cider that we have produced at Everly Farms Winery is ready,” Madsen says. “We have a winemaker, Sean Reeves, and he’s been hard at work. We just bottled our wine and canned some cider this week.” Madsen says the locally-made wine and hard cider will be available at two different wine huts on the orchard. Later this season, Minnetonka Orchard will open its tasting room.
Events: Back by Popular Demand
Christmas at the Farm is making a comeback this year, Madsen says. “We offer activities, such as holiday hayrides down to Santa’s barn with time with Santa and photos,” she says. “And we do sell live Christmas trees and have different classes and stations available, such as reindeer food and gingerbread house making.” Along with the holiday-centric events, Minnetonka Orchard also has seasonal wreath-making charcuterie and wine and cheese pairing classes.
Apple Picking: You Pick
Minnetonka Orchard has 10 different varieties of apple trees, which were planted in stages. “The whole orchard isn’t ready to pick at once,” Madsen says. This year, to alleviate some of the confusion, the orchard has added QR codes to the row signs. “People can scan that row and get a little bit of knowledge of what kind of apple this is, what it’s best used for–whether eating or baking. [We also] offer a couple different recipes,” Madsen says.
Apple Picking 101
It might seem straight forward, but we asked Crystal Madsen some of the basic apple picking questions, so you don’t have to.
When is apple picking season?
“There’s no real technical date. It’s all up to Mother Nature. We had a very cool spring this year, so we’re about a couple weeks behind a standard year. We anticipate our You Pick to be available at the end of August this year. We’ll be able to reevaluate in another week or two, but as of now, we’re planning for the end of August.”
Crystal notes that Minnetonka Orchard keeps its social media updated with which varieties of apples are being picked to give visitors a heads-up.
When are apples ready to pick?
“Apples, it’s kind of a preference on taste just like any other fruit or vegetable. When we give the go-ahead to pick [a certain row of] apples, they are for the most part ripe and ready to be picked. A nice, bright red, semi-firm apple is great to be picked, but also some people might like them at various stages of ripeness.”
How do you pick apples?
“The key to picking apples is to be very gentle. They’re very sensitive to the picking around them, so when you pick one, it’s not uncommon for three or four to fall. We just suggest that you pick very lightly and gently rather than yank. Do somewhat of a twist, back towards the branch.”
Can you pick apples if they’re already on the ground?
“You’re not going to want to pick anything that’s been on the ground rotting, obviously. But a lot of the time when we get those large numbers of people coming in picking, it’s very common for surrounding apples to fall at the same time. It’s perfectly alright to pick those up and use those as well.”
When does apple picking season end?
“It does depend 100 percent on Mother Nature; what kind of crop she’s given us for the year and also the length of the crop. Last year, we dealt with a very early end season–and not just at our orchard but all orchards in the area–because of the drought we experienced last season. Things are looking really good this year, and we’re a little behind schedule because of the cooler spring, so I would anticipate it going into October. But a lot of it also depends on the crowds and people that we have coming through.”
What should people wear when apple picking?
“I love that question. As far as clothing-wise, it’s all about comfort. But one suggestion that I have that I think would benefit a lot of people is to skip any scented perfumes or lotions that day. As with any orchard, [there are] bees. They’re just a natural part of the orchard. However, they are a little more attracted to scents like that, so we tell our employees, as well as our guests, to try to avoid any scented lotions or perfumes for that day. That will help a lot.”
Minnetonka Orchard will be open for the 2022 season on September 3.


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If there’s one thing the start-up world is full of, its buzzwords. In an industry where speed of disruption and change are the only two constants, many tech trends are here today and sadly, gone tomorrow.
So the industry and even the wider community can be forgiven for thinking that Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) could be (pardon the pun) illusions or more short-lived buzzwords. But are they?
The early birds
Many angel and other early stage investors don’t think so. I don’t think. Along with two other women, I invested in Sydney-based VR company Humense almost a year ago when the technology was just gaining momentum. This was just around the time funding into this sector started taking off. A report shows that $1.7 billion was invested into AR and VR in the 12 months to March 2016 – with almost $1.2 billion invested in the first quarter of 2016 alone.
If you compare these numbers against the nearly $4 billion that investors have put into the market since 2010, it shows the scale of growth of the technology and mainstream potential for it. The biggest investment recipient with almost $800 million was Magic Leap, a company working on contact lenses with virtual reality functionalities.
Angel and venture capitalists are not alone in acknowledging this growing phenomenon. Top of the investment ladder are companies such as Google (which invested in Magic Leap), Facebook, Intel, and Alibaba. According to Wired, Facebook (which acquired Oculus Rift last year) has over 400 people working on VR and most recently announced it is investing $250 million more into developing VR content. Other companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, etc., have also dedicated staff to research AR and VR. What we are seeing now is just the tip of the iceberg.
Why AR/VR, why now?
While the concept of VR isn’t recent, lowered cost of handset and hardware production has made it more accessible to start-ups to experiment with. Added to this is another very important reason AR and VR are taking off – we, as human beings are looking for more unique and immersive experiences in everything we do.
From how we play games to how we shop and work, our experiences are getting more personalised and simulated. In an age where society is constantly looking for ‘more’, AR/VR deliver it. These technologies are using the age-old concept of storytelling to bring the world around people to life. People can now not just touch and see digital experiences; they can get entrenched and engage more deeply with it.
The Wired article puts it aptly stating that:
VR does two important things: One, it generates an intense and convincing sense of what is generally called presence. Virtual landscapes, virtual objects, and virtual characters seem to be there—a perception that is not so much a visual illusion as a gut feeling. That’s magical. But the second thing it does is more important. The technology forces you to be present—in a way flatscreens do not—so that you gain authentic experiences, as authentic as in real life. People remember VR experiences not as a memory of something they saw but as something that happened to them. Experience is the new currency in VR.
You need not look beyond the PokemonGo craze to get a sense of how experiences are merging our real and virtual worlds.
While mainstream application of AR and VR will still take a while, the technologies are slowly demonstrating potential beyond their gaming heritage. From shaping shopping experiences to how we watch movies, the future is filled with possibilities. But the technology will only be as good as the content and experiences it delivers.
To maintain the investment momentum, AR and VR have to focus on making the technology relevant to a wider group of people and focus on making money off it. Given the nascence state of the industry and the lack of defined financial models, it will not win over all investors – especially mainline VC firms such as Series B onwards. Only sound revenue models and mainstream adoption / application will help win over later stage investors.
Regardless of when AR or VR become mainstream, there’s no denying that the size and valuation of the market is increasing steadily. Just recently, Humense announced that it received funding from Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba’s investment arm. Beyond the dungeons and dragons, the land of virtual is getting more real every single day.
About the author
Forming Circles Global, a unique angel investment and mentoring organisation that predominantly invests in female-led technology start-ups. Renata Cooper primarily invests in women founded/led technology start-ups and her portfolio includes US-based CloudPeeps and StorReduce, Australia-based iVvy, Our Little Foxes, Workible, Good360 and Handkrafted. See also: Entrepreneur creating the ripple effect.Renata Cooper is the founder and CEO of


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To new beginnings
Kwikee Food Mart closes along with 2017; Mamma Celeste’s and Hibachi Grill Buffet poised to open.
I don’t think I’m alone in saying “Good riddance to 2017!” Sure, there were some good things that happened last year. But overall it felt like kind of a dud. A story I heard a few weeks before the ball drop sealed the deal. I’ll share some of it here.
Mike Jaradah has been in the convenience business in Chico for 30 years. He started out as a clerk at Likker Locker—the little shop next to the also gone but not forgotten Last Call Lounge that moved up the hill when New Earth Market moved into the shopping center. Then, after years of saving, he bought Spike’s Bottle Shop, which is now run by his son, Kevin. I stopped by to see him at the Kwikee Food Mart on The Esplanade north of town a few weeks ago. He bought that business 15 years ago and was in the process of selling it, he says, when his lease came up and he was told he had to get out.
The bustling gas station and convenience store is bustling no more. Patrons who used to drive all the way from Redding and Red Bluff for Mary’s tamales and fried chicken might as well stay home. While most of the employees were absorbed by Spike’s, Jaradah said the lack of a kitchen there means Mary—who preferred not to give her last name—is out of a job. She’s been there for 17 years, since before Jaradah bought the place.
He’s not sure what prompted the eviction, Jaradah told me, but the reason he was given was that the owner—a fellow native of Syria who lives in Southern California—had been told that Jaradah had trashed the place. It didn’t look trashed to me, but I’m no building inspector. As Kevin told me, his father had hoped to sell the business—for $350,000—to finance his retirement. He also lost about $50,000 in inventory, though some of it was returned and others of it transported to Spike’s.
So, I think it’s safe to say the Jaradahs are hopeful for a better year in 2018.
A few things to look forward to Looking back at 2017 got me wondering about what the year ahead will bring. Here are a few things I’m looking forward to—I’d love to hear your thoughts, too. Shoot me an email at firstname.lastname@example.org.
• Mamma Celeste’s big return. My favorite Chico pizza joint is gearing up for a reopening in 2018 on the Skyway in Paradise. Renamed Mamma Celeste’s Gastropub & Pizzeria, word has it that it’s applied for a full liquor license, meaning cool cocktails to go along with that unbeatable cornmeal-dusted cracker crust.
• Hibachi Grill Buffet. I’m not really much of a buffet person—I tend to prefer to eat smaller meals throughout the day rather than one really big one—but I am intrigued by the new sign that’s gone up where Hometown Buffet used to be. Anything has to be better than Hometown.
Closing time A few weeks ago, I wrote about Herreid Music planning to move—not to close—in the near future. Turns out I was given bad info and the store is indeed planning to close. A post on Facebook the day after Christmas confirmed its last day will be Jan. 6, but that the Redding store will remain open.


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Kelly Muldoon, 33
Vice president, General Motors and John Deere customer business units, Faurecia
Big break: Grew a customer’s account with four new vehicle programs, leading to promotion to the GM business
When Kelly Muldoon was working toward a linguistics degree at the University of Michigan, she took an internship at Mopar. Just a summer job, she thought.
But that summer job, working with dealers to secure parts as Chrysler went through bankruptcy, diverted her career plans.
“It was something that I had never experienced before … launching into something where you really feel like you’re making an impact,” she said.
Muldoon worked for supplier Venchurs Inc. for seven years before landing at Faurecia, where she’s now vice president of the company’s General Motors and John Deere business units. She’s in charge of securing new business, launching programs and managing existing business. She works with Faurecia’s purchasing, engineering, manufacturing and finance teams, along with her customers.
“It really is kind of like your own small business and P&L that you’re looking at every day to understand how you’re performing,” she said. “Every day is something different and new. It doesn’t get stagnant. There’s always new challenges and new opportunities.”
The opportunity to work in France drew Muldoon to Faurecia. She spent a year working on the company’s comfort and wellness marketing solutions team at Faurecia’s global headquarters, near Paris, from June 2018 through December 2019.
“Being immersed in a new country and in a new culture ... adds depth to character. It’s hard to define on a resume, but it’s definitely something that shows up in the way that you work,” she said.
“I really believe that that was a turning point in landing this next role.”
When she returned to Faurecia’s Auburn Hills, Mich., location, Muldoon began working on Faurecia’s account with an automaker she declined to identify. She was promoted to vice president of the account in 2020. Muldoon launched four new vehicle programs before she was promoted to the GM account in May.
Much of Muldoon’s success — no matter the customer — has stemmed from her focus on building relationships and understanding customers’ needs, she said. “At the heart of every interaction, they’re still people. That’s the common thread,” Muldoon said. “No matter where I show up or how I’m doing business, it’s all about the relationships.”
— Hannah Lutz


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The new Kidicraft releases feature a whole host of Marvel superheroes and villains with the range set to grow even further in 2022.
A brand new range of Marvel 500 piece Prime 3D jigsaw puzzles has been launched by Kidicraft with the promise of more designs to come next year.
There is a vast amount of Marvel characters and images available, with something to suit every Marvel fan. These include Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk, Thor, Wolverine, Ant-Man, the Wasp, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Captain Marvel, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, the Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, She-Hulk, the Vision, the Falcon, the Winter Soldier, Ghost Rider, Blade, Daredevil, Ms. Marvel, Miles Morales, the Punisher and Deadpool.
Kidicraft will be continually releasing extensions to the range during 2022 including twin box sets and 300 piece jigsaw puzzles.
Roy Greenwood, director, Kidicraft, said: “The release of the Marvel 3D puzzles marks very exciting times for Kidicraft.” He added: “We have recently moved into a larger warehouse facility with capacity to meet demand on ranges such as this. We have also bolstered the Kidicraft sales team to ensure that we continue to provide an exceptional level of customer service to our customers. I am looking forward to a positive 2022 and the future product development which is yet to be released.”
Kidicraft’s new offices and warehouse are close to the M65 and 10 times the size of the company’s former premises.
The company also recently appointed two new sales coordinators, Emma Lund and Damian Meer, who bring a wealth of experience with them and will bolster the sales team in the run up to Christmas and beyond.
Kidicraft is offering retailers exclusive images across the new Marvel range (MOQs apply) and is asking anyone interested to get in touch.
Anyone wanting a copy of the new product presentation or who would like to preview the products can call 01282 505988 or email email@example.com


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This week, the Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative, or CFSI, an initiative on conflict minerals of the tech industry association the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition, or EICC, announced that, for the first time, there are now audited conflict-free smelters or refiners for the four identified conflict minerals: tin, tungsten, tantalum, and gold. As the leading industry initiative on conflict minerals, this is an important development in the movement to develop a clean minerals trade worldwide. Smelters are the key choke point in the global supply chain for minerals. The basic concept is that as more smelters get audited in a stringent manner, there will be fewer and fewer places that smugglers can sell conflict minerals. So eventually they will be forced to give up, and the incentives will have shifted to transparent, clean minerals trade.
“This is a major milestone in the global effort to support an end to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. For over five years, over 120 companies have worked together to identify and validate, via a rigorous audit, conflict-free smelters and refiners of tantalum, tin, tungsten and gold,” said Michael Rohwer, Program Director of the Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative.
Currently, there are 24 Tantalum smelters, 9 Tin smelters, 1 Tungsten smelter, and 32 Complaint Gold smelters; a total of 66 smelters. According to Sasha Lezhnev, Enough Project Senior Congo Policy Analyst, “having conflict-free smelters now available for all four conflict minerals is a tremendous achievement that we've all been waiting for for years. It means that electronics, aerospace and other companies can make informed choices in their supplier decisions based on conflict-free sources, and it is critical that more and more companies begin doing so.”
The Enough Project and other members of the advocacy community and tech industry, from Global Witness to Motorola Solutions to HP to the Responsible Sourcing Network, have been working since 2008 to advance the efforts of initiatives such as CFSI. Earlier this month, tech giant Intel announced that its entire 2014 line of microprocessors would be free from conflict minerals, making them the first in the rare mineral-heavy industry to completely phase out their use in one of their products.
Emily Brandon contributed to this post.
Photo: Gold from a miner in Congo (Sasha Lezhnev/Enough Project)


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HONG KONG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 5, 2022-- Since the launch of counterfeiting action by ELFBAR in June 2021, it has cracked down on more than 120 counterfeit production and sales targets, including factories, warehouses, logistics, and foreign trade companies, seizure of more than 2 million finished counterfeit ELFBAR products, millions of packaging boxes, anti-counterfeit codes, semi-finished vaping pipes and other accessories. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221203005031/en/ ELFBAR Intelligent Production Factory (Photo: Business Wire)
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) - A Fairbanks man is in custody at the Fairbanks Correctional Center after an investigation by Alaska State Troopers (AST) revealed a counterfeit operation going on in the Fairbanks area. According to AST, troopers received a tip about counterfeit currency being used around the community on November...
Salina Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a couple of people who were caught on camera passing counterfeit money. The case is the latest Salina Crime Stoppers crime of the week. Police say on Tuesday, November 29th, officers took two reports of subjects passing counterfeit bills...
Los Angeles, California – Ten Van Nuys Middle School students were evaluated Thursday morning after possibly overdosing on cannabis. The students were ages 12 to 15, experienced mild to moderate symptoms, and seven of them were taken to a local hospital, reports KTLA and KABC. Authorities say the students were lethargic and had a glazed-over look. All of the hospitalized students were released from the hospital by Thursday evening, reports Fox6.
NEW YORK - New York City Deputy Sheriff Jose Marzan geared up and joined a convoy to 86th Street in Bay Ridge Brooklyn. He’s part of a new Joint Task Force that includes the Office of Cannabis Management, the NYPD and DCWP - the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.
Some of the headlines that caught our eye in the past week:. –The NYPD cracked down of counterfeit operators in Chinatown this past week, seizing $10 million in knockoffs. State Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Nou was sharply critical of the bust, saying, “Hassling 17 street vendors who are just trying to pay their rent is not a serious approach to addressing intellectual property theft.” [Daily News]
Following an investigation by IRS Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), a Philadelphia jeweler has been convicted of selling counterfeit Rolex watches, among other crimes.
A Roberts County deputy and a Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Tribal Officer have made the largest fentanyl seizure in South Dakota history, according to a Facebook post by the Roberts County Sheriff's Office (RCSO).
West Virginia has been at the center of the country’s opioid epidemic for years, but robust community responses have been built to tackle the issue head on. The Monongalia County Quick Response Team was launched in 2019 as a collaboration among public health, first responders, and other health care and private partners. The main purpose of the QRT is to identify individuals who have overdosed, ideally within 24 to 72 hours, and follow up with them and connect them to treatment resources, or whatever they might need.
Officers reportedly found 660 pounds (300 kilograms) of fentanyl pills packed inside coconuts in a truck in Mexico on Thursday, Dec. 1. About 660 pounds (300 kilograms) of fentanyl pills packed into coconuts were found inside a truck traveling on a highway in the northern border state of Sonora on Thursday, Dec. 1. The road runs along the Gulf of California, also known as the Sea of Cortez, and eventually leads to the border town of Sonoyta, across the border from Lukeville, Arizona, New York Post reported.
Christmas is an exciting time of the year, especially for children, in anticipation of the toys they will receive from Santa, friends, and family. Yet if not properly selected, toys chosen may cause injury, even death. A report released by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) titled ”Toy-Related-Deaths-and-Injuries-Calendar-Year-2021” states an estimated 206,400 toy-related emergency department-treated injuries and two toy-related deaths occurred in 2021 among children 14 years of age and younger. The largest number of injuries were associated with non-motorized scooters among children of all ages; children 14 years of age or younger.
Shopping online: Protecting yourself this holiday season. As we approach the holiday season, cybercriminals are looking for ways to attack online shoppers. Although cybercriminals do not wait for the holiday season to start causing havoc, they also relentlessly target all of us throughout the year. However, making your payments online...
NEW YORK (WABC) — Emergency rooms are filling up quickly, and health officials are seeing adults with both flu and COVID along with young pediatric patients with RSV. The annual winter flu season usually doesn’t start until December or January, but this year started early and was complicated by the spread of other viruses and COVID is still ongoing.
On Tuesday, a group of women discussed self-esteem at the Foundation House Ministries branch office in Ooltewah. The Cleveland, Tennessee-based Christian nonprofit that strives to stabilize the lives of pregnant women and new mothers during crises expanded onto the property in the spring. Now the group envisions further expansion and plans to build more homes on its 10-acre property outside of Cleveland.
Florida Attorney General Warns of Sharp Increase in Counterfeit Pills Containing Lethal Doses of Fentanyl
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Attorney General Ashley Moody is warning about a sharp increase in the number of counterfeit pills that contain a deadly amount of fentanyl. A recent investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration found that six out of ten fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills contained a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl—up 50% from a similar investigation last year.
Judge rules against objection in alleged counterfeit shipment case. A HIGH COURT judge has dismissed an objection by two businessmen to a decision by the Comptroller of the Customs and Excise Division to give international sportswear manufacturer Nike time to pursue a lawsuit over counterfeit goods. Businessmen Yunping Lin and...
This article will discuss what you should do when appealing your Amazon Seller Suspension. This article will also give you tips about Amazon account management and ensuring that your appeal is successful so that you can get back on the platform as soon as possible. Don’t panic. But, you...
The old saying goes, “buyer beware.” It’s advice everyone shopping for Christmas gifts on the internet should take to heart. I bought shoes from a Facebook ad that advertised as a name brand. When delivered the shoes were too small and not well-made. With no return address and Chinese characters on the invoice, one did not have to be a detective to realize this footwear was a Chinese knockoff. An email to the website that sold it bounced back.
You’re not alone if you’ve ever had problems accessing your PayPal account (Verified Paypal Account for Sale). As one of the world’s most popular online payment services, it’s not surprising that so many people want to use PayPal. However, sometimes these accounts are locked for different reasons and there is nothing that can be done about it. Here are some things that you need to know about what happens if your PayPal account gets locked:
So much of Amazon has just became a Chinese mall with fake / copycat / counterfeit products. Even the Amazon basics is a white labeling of Chinese products. When I try to order genuine products, lot of time it ends up as fake product. In the next 5-8 years, Amazon...


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When Snapchat first hit the scene back in 2011 it was an instantaneous hit with younger audiences because it offered something that was almost impossible to find on the internet — transience.
In the 11 years since, Snapchat has evolved to more closely resemble its social media counterparts (which in turn have adopted many Snapchat-style functionalities). And while the platform’s signature ephemerality has remained, it is becoming increasingly clear that Snapchat’s more enduring contribution to the evolution of online connection will very likely be in the realm of augmented reality.
On average, Snapchat sees more than 6 billion AR Lens plays every day, and parent company Snap, Inc. is making significant investments in the space with the launch of an AR Lab in 2021 to help brands develop AR experiences and the acquisition of AR commerce company Vertebrae earlier this year, among other moves.
Snap’s first forays into AR were decidedly playful, with lenses that let users try on various animal features or make silly face distortions, but as the tech has evolved so has Snapchat’s use of it. Now, AR is playing a central role in the platform’s commerce ambitions at the same time that the tech is becoming more ubiquitous and useful.
“Augmented reality has entered the mainstream and become a powerful tool for connectedness among people and brands,” said Sharon Silverstein, Head of U.S. Verticals at Snap in an interview with Retail TouchPoints. “AR’s ubiquity can be attributed to the fact that the vast majority of people have a cell phone in their pocket and are social media users. With this, brands have leveraged AR to give consumers a new way to connect with content, a new lens by which to see the world and ultimately, a new form of commerce.”
New research from Snap and Ipsos predicts that by 2025, nearly 75% of the global population and almost all people who use social/communication apps will be frequent AR users. The study — which surveyed nearly 25,000 smartphone users ages 13 to 44 as well as 1,000 senior decision makers from brands and agencies — offers powerful insights into the future potential of AR and a peek into how Snap hopes to get an edge in social commerce:
- Consumers are increasingly using AR for more than just fun as they seek to make their digital experiences more meaningful and efficient;
- Shopping is the No. 1 use case for AR with both consumers and brands seeing a range of benefits in the form of accuracy, loyalty and inclusivity; and
- AR will play a central role in Snap’s plans to create new, more meaningful shopping experiences for consumers.
Evolving From Fun to Function
The Snap study found that while 90% of U.S. brands think AR is primarily for fun, only 57% of U.S. consumers think of it this way, highlighting a growing divide in how brands are using AR and what consumers would like from the technology.
“For businesses and consumers both, AR has evolved,” explained Silverstein. “Our report found that while AR is leveraged for fun and entertainment use cases, there is a growing interest from consumers to shift future usage for utility, which can also contribute to meaningful ROI for businesses. As we continue to explore new AR applications, we hope to expand our AR capabilities to various partners across industries to create more personal, immersive and interactive experiences.”
Among the many ways consumers said they would be interested in using AR are:
- Post-purchase experiences (95%);
- Learning (84%);
- Accessing maps to help with navigation (83%);
- Exploring the world around them (80%);
- During entertainment such as at concerts or live sporting events (79%);
- To participate in wellness or fitness activities (78%);
- Instructions for how to achieve a task or fix something (75%); and
- At events and conferences (73%).
The disconnect between brand and consumers is striking across the board, but most notably in the education category where 84% of consumers said they’d be interested in AR tools for learning, but only 27% of brands saying they were interested in providing those kinds of experiences. These disconnects, according to Snap, offer untapped opportunity for brands to become earlier adopters of new consumer experiences.
Leveraging AR as a Commerce Enabler
By far the most common functional use for AR is for shopping — six in 10 consumers now identify shopping as their primary reason for using AR, calling out the technology’s utility in making online shopping easier and faster.
“Retail is omnichannel, and AR is emerging as a new branch of ecommerce,” said Silverstein. “When buying products online, shoppers want to make purchases that they’ll be happy with, and AR allows them to try on products as if they were in the store’s fitting room. Experiencing retail AR in a digital setting like Snapchat also gives users the ability to discover, try on and share products with friends to solicit feedback like they would in an in-person setting.”
Brands are also seeing the benefits, with 87% saying AR improves brand engagement and helps them appeal to younger audiences. Not to mention that AR try-on has been proven to increase conversion and reduce returns. The Snap study found that interacting with products that have an AR experience leads to a 94% higher conversion rate, and 81% of shoppers said they are more confident in their purchases after using AR. For example, Zenni Optical saw a 42% higher return on ad spend (ROAS) on promotions that featured Snap’s true-to-size eyewear Lens technology, said Silverstein.
Brands are also turning to AR to enhance their inclusivity initiatives both by making experiences and tools available to larger audiences online, and by helping clients find exactly the right size or shade. JCPenney, for example, has deployed a suite of new AR tools for this specific purpose in its new online beauty experience.
What it All Means for Snap
In the world of social media, Snapchat is small but significant. The platform boasts 600 million monthly active users (MAUs) globally — certainly nothing to sneeze at but still nowhere near Facebook’s 2.9 billion, Instagram’s 2 billion or TikTok’s 1 billion MAUs.
Those three competitors in particular are also leading the charge in social commerce. To compete with these Goliaths, Snapchat will need a David-esque edge and at this point it should be pretty clear what the company thinks that will be: “Over the past few years, AR Lenses on Snapchat have evolved from being just for entertainment and self-expression to having true utility for both consumers and businesses to engage with commerce in a new way,” said Silverstein. “Snapchatters are no longer just coming to the app to select funny Lenses on their photos to friends. They’re coming for more utilitarian uses such as product try-ons.”
Since January of last year, 250 million+ Snapchatters engaged with AR shopping Lenses more than 5 billion times, according to Silverstein. Brands are getting in on the action with more than just try-on tools; they are launching AR-enabled virtual pop-up stores, shoppable guides and more.
And Snap isn’t relegating its AR tech to its own platform. As Silverstein pointed out, the company’s developments in augmented reality are also increasingly being used by brands off Snapchat as well: “For example, we have global brands such as Puma leveraging features like Camera Kit for AR Shopping, a software development kit that allows businesses to bring our AR try-on technology into their own apps, which enables shoppers to digitally try-on Puma sneakers,” she said.
One place Snap isn’t focused at the moment though is the metaverse: “At Snap, we’re all about enhancing the existing world around us, not escaping it,” said Silverstein. “We believe that most people enjoy spending time together in the real world, and our strategy is to overlay computing onto the world and create useful experiences through AR. That’s why we talk specifically in terms of the value we provide our community with the products and solutions they’re familiar with and can leverage today.”


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Today's stakeholders, such as consumers, and buyers, expect companies to go beyond compliance and define how they're solving important global concerns ranging from climate change to modern slavery. Minimising your impact is no longer sufficient. You must demonstrate how you contribute to a brighter future for people and the environment.
On November 30th, Bord Bia hosted a virtual webinar in partnership with Havas, attended by marketing and communications professionals from across sectors and all size of companies from our Irish food, drink and horticulture membership base.
Mike Barry, Sustainability Advisor & Change Agent kicked off the webinar by providing the context on the need for change within our food industry and the importance of sustainability marketing, giving insights into the three enablers that will set companies up to succeed in this world where we need to cut carbon by 90% while increasing communication with retail partners and consumer. Genus’s Spiro Comitis shared their Sustainability Compass which helps marketers define a road map. Bord Bia’s Danny Trench Bowles explained what customers and consumers value according to the latest Bord Bia global sustainability research. Chris Upton CEO of Havas and Adam Taylor, Head of Strategy of Havas Media covered the who, how and where to communicate, followed by the Do’s and Don’t of sustainability communications by colleague Fiona Bain, Senior Strategist.
Sustainability Expert & Change Advisor Mike Barry on the need for change within our food industry and the importance of sustainability marketing.
Danny Trench Bowles from Bord Bia takes marketers through the Global Sustainability Insights influencing both customers and consumers across 13 markets.
Spiro Comitis,. Co-Lead at Havas Genus gives us an overview of the Sustainability Transformation Compass that helps companies understand where they are in their sustainability ambition journey and how best to communicate this.
In this 35-minute film, Chris Upton, CEO of Havas Genus, gives top tips on how, where and to whom to communicate sustainability messaging.
Fiona Bain, Senior Strategist, with Havas provides some examples of Do's and Don'ts when it comes to sustainability communications
Spiro Comitis, Co-Lead for Havas Genus gives a summary of the COP27 implications for sustainability communications.


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Fueled by high consumer confidence and a robust job market, U.S. retail sales in the holiday period rose at their best pace since 2011, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse, which tracks both online and in-store spending.
Sales, excluding automobiles, rose 4.9% from Nov. 1 through Christmas Eve, compared with a 3.7% gain in the same period last year, according to the Mastercard Inc. unit, which tracks all forms of payment. E-commerce continued to drive the gains, rising 18.1%.
"It started with a bang in the week leading up to Black Friday," said Sarah Quinlan, a senior vice president of marketing insights at Mastercard. She added that retailers benefited this year from Christmas Day falling on a Monday, giving shoppers a full weekend to scoop up last-minute purchases. Dec. 23 ranked next to Black Friday in terms of spending, according to Mastercard.
"Overall, this year was a big win for retail," Ms. Quinlan said.
That newfound buoyancy is a relief to retailers -- from department-store giants like Macy's to mall favorites like Gap -- that struggled through a difficult year of store closures, declining foot traffic and bankruptcies by chains including the Sports Authority, Toys 'R' Us and Payless Shoes.
Investors, who have abandoned many retail stocks even as the broader stock market surged, have started to return. Shares of Macy's and Gap, for example, have jumped 24% and 18%, respectively, in the past month, compared with a 3% gain in the S&P 500. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has rallied 40% on the year and, like online nemesis Amazon.com Inc., is trading near all-time highs.
Unlike in past years, when spending was driven by high-income shoppers, this holiday season a broader swath of the population opened their wallets, encouraged by rising wages and low unemployment, analysts and economists said.
"Fewer people are living paycheck to paycheck," said Chris Christopher, executive director of economic-research firm IHS Markit. "There is a lot more spending from the lower- and middle-income groups, while the upper-income groups are splurging."
Consumer credit-card debt reached its highest level since the end of 2008, jumping 11% from a year earlier to $757 billion in the third quarter of 2017, according to Experian PLC, a credit-reporting agency. This time around, the surging debt levels are due to economic confidence, said Alan Ikemura, a senior product manager with Experian's analytics unit.
Consumer confidence rose to a 17-year-high in November, while unemployment fell to a 17-year low in October. Personal consumption expenditures, a measure of household spending on everything from airfares to washing machines, increased 4.5% in November from a year earlier, an escalation from year-over-year gains of 4% during the summer.
In a cautionary sign, however, credit-card delinquency rates jumped 16% in the third quarter, indicating consumers may be spending above their means and could slow their purchasing next year.
For now, consumer balance sheets are in good shape, according to Jack Kleinhenz, the National Retail Federation's chief economist. "The stock market has been rising, and the wealth effect has kicked in," he continued. "People are saving less because they feel they have some job security."
Marie Fernandez, a 52-year-old nurse practitioner, said she is using a work bonus to renovate her pool and add more landscaping to her Miami home. She also splurged on items for herself this year, including handbags, shoes, clothes and perfume.
"Things are better," Ms. Fernandez said. "The economy is picking up."
Sales of electronics and appliances grew 7.5%, the strongest increase of the past decade, according to Mastercard. Home furnishings and home improvement grew 5.1%. And jewelry sales grew 5.9%, driven by last minute purchases.
Pockets of weakness remain, a reminder of the challenges facing traditional retailers as they grapple with consumers' shift to e-commerce. Online shopping typically accounts for roughly 10% of U.S. spending, but IHS Markit expects it will account for nearly one-fifth of holiday sales this year -- and much of those sales go to Amazon.
Not all consumers are feeling flush.
Ashley Wilkins, who lives in Brooklyn, says she hasn't felt much economic relief. "Money's just as tight this year as it was last year," said the 24-year-old stay-at-home mom as she browsed racks of apparel with her husband at Macy's flagship store in Manhattan on the Friday before Christmas.
Apparel retailers have been among the hardest hit by the changes in consumer shopping behavior. Overall, apparel sales rose 2.7%, but women's apparel didn't contribute to the gain, according to Mastercard.
A silver lining for department stores and other apparel retailers is that they entered this season with less inventory than they did last year, reducing the need for them to slash prices more than planned.
Macy's Chief Executive Jeff Gennette said on Black Friday that the retailer didn't expect to offer discounts beyond those it had planned in advance. "We don't have a lot of extra inventory like we did last year," he said.
This year there was less discounting of computers, electronics and toys and games, according to Market Track LLC, which analyzed 50,000 printed promotions that ran between Nov. 1 and Dec. 16 and compared them with similar ads a year ago. Apparel promotions were slightly deeper. Overall, the average level of discounting was unchanged from a year ago at 39%.
A challenge traditional retailers face is that consumers are spending more on travel, entertainment and food. One of the strongest categories of purchases in November was airline tickets, Ms. Quinlan said. "A lot of people are gifting experiences, not necessarily goods," she said.
Jillie Clark splurged on a trip to New York City for herself over the Christmas holiday from her home in Lexington, Va., after her antiques business picked up a bit. While in town, she dined out and planned to get tickets to the musical "Elf."
The final tally for individual retailers won't be known until they begin reporting results early next year. And one of the biggest shopping weeks of the season is still to come.
During the week between Christmas and New Year's, consumers are expected to spend $69 billion, or about 11% of the season's total, according to the consulting firm Customer Growth Partners, as they flock to stores to return unwanted presents and redeem gift cards.
Retailers will be ready, dangling even more deals as well as new spring merchandise. By the first week in January, J.C. Penney will refresh its entire store with new goods, including spring items such as sunglasses and flip-flops. Kohl's, meanwhile, is offering 15% off most purchases that week.
"The week after Christmas is really big," said Kohl's chief marketing officer, Greg Revelle.
Write to Suzanne Kapner at Suzanne.Kapner@wsj.com


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By NIGIA GREENE
Google has new ideas for renovations for its California campus. It has a sci-fi feel to it and plans to implement a lot of new technology. The plan is to display how far the company has come. There are plans for light-weight block structures that can be moved around as the company continues to grow. New inventions such as self driving cars, solar powered drones and robots.
The company is taking a huge step into the future, literally. It’s almost like a playground for the company research projects. Google is well known for the inspiration it provides for its employees. It is always moving forward and it keeps the employees in tune with their work. Sort of like a way to encourage workers to stay on top of their game.
“Different segments within the buildings’ canopies will ‘form small villages’ where employees can work or relax,” a Google representative stated. There will be a new parking lot and under used areas will be turned in to “native ecosystems” such as wetlands or re-integrated oak trees.
If the plans are approved Google will increase its square footage by millions.


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(MENAFN- Newswire.com LLC) Hong Kong,
October 4, 2019(Newswire.com) -
The 16th annual National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) commences with a new message to Own IT. Secure IT. Protect IT. The campaign aims to refresh internet users about online safety and security at home, offices and beyond.
What is NCSAM?
Held annually since its inception in 2004, NCSAM is a collaborative effort by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA). The privacy-centric month intends to ensure every internet user is equipped with enough resources to stay secure online and far away from the eyes of cybercriminals.
PureVPN – While the entire year is about creating awareness and providing internet users with a cybersecurity solution, the month of October and NCSAM reach far greater levels in educating internet users regarding the online perils and why users need to secure themselves online.
Over the years, NCSAM Champions – industries and individuals who have dedicated their support for the month – assist in escalating NCSAM's core message of ensuring that the internet is safe for people of all ages.
What are NCSAM's Champions?
NCSAM's Champions program is an open-to-all, free and convenient way to start supporting the movement. Those who join the movement are known as Champions, and they receive a toolkit of user-friendly materials, such as guides which can help them spread the word about online safety and security in advance of and throughout the month.
"As we approach the 16th annual National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we remind connected technology users that safeguarding the internet is a responsibility we all share," said Kelvin Coleman, NCSA's executive director.
PureVPN is a proud member of the NCSAM's Champions and an active advocate for online privacy.
How PureVPN is Creating Awareness
PureVPN takes the online privacy and security of its users seriously. To take the message further, PureVPN has launched an extensive campaign to address online threats and emphasize on how security measures are necessary when going online.
For the past many years, PureVPN has beencollaborating with NCSAM and helping create awareness around online privacy and security. With this year's NCSAM, PureVPN hopes to spread the importance of online privacy a step further and remind users to adapt online privacy practices.
In line with PureVPN's vision of making the internet a secure place, the company has initiated aB1G12 campaign that empowers netizens to protect their friends and family by gifting 12 free accounts on every signup.
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.


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Leading agencies in the gaming and blockchain area have formed the Blockchain Game Alliance, a coalition to endorse blockchain development in the gaming industry. The Blockchain Game Alliance will create an open discussion board for stakeholders to “percentage know-how and collaborate on research that fosters new approaches to creating and playing games.” The Alliance was introduced at the inaugural Blockchain Game Summit, held from September 25-26, 2018, in Lyon, France. The Blockchain Game Alliance is made from influential corporations including Alto, Gimli, Fig, Ubisoft, Ultra, B2Expand, ConsenSys, EverdreamSoft, and Enjin.
Nicolas Gilot, co-CEO of Ultra, a PC game publishing platform built at the blockchain, advised Bitcoin Magazine the alliance will “democratize blockchain inside the gaming industry.” “We agree with that using helping every different, and via having a number of the brightest minds in the enterprise facilitate research and improvement, together we willa completely fledged and stepped forward user experience,” Gilot brought. The Alliance will also broaden great practices and common requirements that promote the alignment and uniformity of blockchain integration in the network.
“The Blockchain Game Alliance aims to leverage our blended abilties and understanding to provide a bridge between blockchain and gaming to boost up industry adoption,” Dan Biton, co-founding father of Gimli, cited in an assertion put out via the brand new alliance. Some exciting use instances for blockchain generation inside the gaming network consist of characters in more than one video game with interlinked environments. Using blockchains to song in-recreation objects also can assist boom the value of these gadgets by supplying new ways to use them in and out of the games.
Developers can also create uncommon objects and show their shortage — one of the reasons why trading card games like Spell of Genesis have become such success within the community. Special wallets can then shop this property for evidence of possession and facilitate item/asset trades between games. Distributed ledgers can also mitigate the fees customers and merchants must pay for in-recreation price gateways and subscription charges, as decentralized charge gateways and cryptocurrencies function less expensive than their credit score card organization opposite numbers.
The Mobile Game Trend
Recently, mobile gaming has been gaining an alternative large proportion in phrases of revenue. Gaming consoles/structures and online gaming giants have ruled the game industry for a long time. Still, with the widespread cell gaming insurgents, change is clearly coming, and change is welcome, particularly for avid gamers and lovers. Mobile games revenue forecast is anticipated to grow up to $45 billion by 2018. Asia has been the chief in the enterprise in 2013 and is anticipated to dominate the enterprise via 50% general revenue. Industry Analyst Vincent van Deelen said, “This is truly no longer the case.
We are also emphasizing that the latest consequences of character high-profile corporations along with Rovio, King, DeNA, and GREE aren’t always indicative of the country of the cell marketplace as a whole. It isn’t always in our interest to inflate market figures. However, the hard statistics have pressured us to adjust our estimates upward. We have maintained our 12 months-on-12 months growth rates toward 2017, in the end, main to a $40Bn+ market percentage.”
In this regard, mobile game gamers have effectively won a big percentage inside the marketplace like the maximum gaming console and online gaming corporations. Indeed, this is the right information for sport development agencies and their shareholders to position extra attention and emphasis in this growing fashion. Android video games also are expected to be predictably better within the coming years. Though it’s miles nonetheless a verified truth that iOS rakes in extra sales than Google Play, regardless of having big download for freemium version sort of games.
But from an international angle, Chinese app shops and android sports downloads and revenue far passed iOS remaining 2014. North America, Europe, other Asian international locations, and Japan and South Korea have also ventured into international fashion. Reports display that cellular games now account for almost forty% of’s total digital video games sales.
The top 7 corporations within the cellular gaming enterprise compete to release great games to dominate further and not get left at the back of within the scene. With increased competition, smaller businesses are also getting creative with the introduction of e-sports, multi-screen gaming, and HTML5 cellular gaming. The final trend is the growing popularity of downloading Android games for TV-based gaming. These are some of the most downloaded sports apps:
Computer Gaming Online Role-Playing
Computer gaming online function-playing is a laugh spin on the old favored role-playing games offered in comedian stores for years. Role-playing video games started in the 1970s with Dungeons and Dragons. They speedily grew to include genuinely any recreation or state of affairs one may want to believe, inclusive of video games that revolved around movement-adventure, science fiction, espionage, horror, sports, and a ton of other genres. In a way, that is constant with the expanding global of having been our enjoyment sports are going as computers become more and more ingrained in our society and lifestyle.
The Computer Version Of Role-Playing Games
Role-playing games eliminated the traditional motive effect method that board video games utilized and grew to become video games into improvisational exercising that proved interesting. People commenced using laptop gaming on the line to make bigger how function gambling games may be performed. In the laptop gaming online variant of function-gambling, players will write/type their ‘situations’ and publish them via electronic mail to the man or woman jogging the sport. The recreation master then weighs all the emails from the various gamers to decide how those situations playoff towards every other to further the game. Sounds a laugh, huh?


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King James has made history yet again.
Not only is LeBron James still breaking NBA records at his big age, but he’s also made sure he’s had that staying power off the court with brand deals. The 37-year-old has now been named the only NBA billionaire alongside Michael Jordan. However, he is the first to get that big of a bag while still playing in the league.
As that active player, his talent has earned him upwards of $400 due to his pretax salary during his storied 19-year career. Like Jordan, most of his net worth came from endorsement and growing businesses on the side.
Forbes has discovered that James is so ahead of the pack that the only athlete who made more than him from May 2021 to May 2022 is global soccer star Lionel Messi who raked in $130 million, compared to James’ $121.2 million.
The King has followed in Jordan’s footsteps in many ways, and acquiring that much wealth was something that’s been on his mind since he was a part of the big three in Miami.
“I want to maximize my business,” James told GQ in 2014. “And if I happen to get it, if I happen to be a billion-dollar athlete, ho. Hip hip, hooray! Oh, my god. I’m gonna be excited.”
Off the court, Forbes estimates that James’ business moves got him the rest of that billi, along with starring in “Space Jam: A New Legacy.” Behind the camera, he’s also got his SpringHill production company which he reportedly sold a minority stake in for $725 million. James also made a gang of cash when Beats by Dre was sold to Apple in 2014, selling his stake in Liverpool FC to become a part-owner of Fenway Sports Group and of course, the mansions he owns across the country in his hometown of Akron, Ohio and Los Angeles.
One of the most ballsy business moves he’s ever pulled is when he decided to end his partnership with McDonald’s and invest in the growing Blaze Pizza chain, which is now reportedly worth over $30 million.
LeBron James Officially Catches Up To Michael Jordan’s Billionaire Status was originally published on cassiuslife.com
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February 28, 2013
REVE Systems, the leading VoIP software solution provider will exhibit its new Hybrid Mobile Application the ‘iTel Mobile Hybrid Dialer’ at the IT EXPO East 2013, which will be held from 30th January to 1st February at Miami, USA. The announcement was made by REVE Systems’ Director – Global Marketing, Mr. Sanjit Chatterjee earlier this week.
Announcing the participation, Mr. Chatterjee said, “We are quite happy to participate in the IT Expo East 2013 as it will provide us a platform to showcase our products and solutions to MVNO’s and calling card service providers based in North and South America.
He further added, iTel Mobile Hybrid Dialer will not only provide automated calling card usage experience to the users but also enable them to make calls over IP.”
Through this mobile application, REVE Systems will provide a single platform to the service providers that want to offer VoIP calls as well as calling cards usage in an automated way. End users can now go not only pin-less but also numberless as they need not enter pin number or destination number, while using the calling card services.
REVE Systems is headquartered in Singapore and has development offices in Bangladesh and India and branches in UK and USA. The company is RED Herring’s 2012 Top 100 Global Winner and has also received many awards for its softswitch iTel Switch Plus, which includes 2012 NGN Leadership Award and 2011 Unified Communication Excellence Award. REVE Systems currently serves more than 1900 service providers across 70+ countries.
For any further information or media queries, kindly contact:
Director – Global Marketing


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In the spirit of such aromatic experiments as Smell-O-Vision and scratch and sniff comes a new technology that seeks to bring aroma to mobile communications.
The creators of the oPhone say their device will allow people to send and receive scented messages, just as they do texts or photographs today. Messages that tickle the nose, the inventors contend, are the next step in electronic communications.
“It will take time before people understand how to integrate this into mobile messaging,” said inventor and Harvard professor David Edwards, Vapor Communications’ co-founder and chief executive. “But you can be sure that one day, aroma will lend itself to mobile communications as easily as text communications do.”
Edwards and a former student, Rachel Field, are attempting to raise $150,000 to start production of the oPhone Duo through an Indiegogo campaign.
Technologies that seek to reproduce smell have been anything but a bed of roses.
Hollywood fleetingly experimented with Smell-O-Vision in the 1960s, with the appropriately titled “Scent of Mystery,” then reprised the idea in the early 1980s with Odorama, with John Waters’ black comedy “Polyester,” which employed scratch-and-sniff cards to recreate the smell of flatulence and model airplane glue. More recently, researchers at Tokyo University experimented with bringing the fifth sense to TVs.
At the height of dot-com bubble euphoria, DigiScent’s creators heralded the power of “scenography” to transform Web-based entertainment.
Google satirized technology’s failed attempts to follow the nose with an April Fool’s Day gag in which it jokingly announced the ability to search for smells using Google Nose, a fictional product that promised “to offer the sharpest olfactory experience available.”
Edwards thinks the oPhone is different.
Unlike the failed theatrical experiences, which drenched the audience in odor, Edwards said the oPhone delivers a small dose of aroma — just the waft of a scent needed to identify a particular smell.
The $199 device produces aromas — a freshly brewed cup of coffee, say, or spicy enchiladas — using a set of eight circular cartridges, or oChips, infused with primitive aromas (smoky, oniony, fishy, etc.) that can combine to produce more than 300,000 smells.
A companion iPhone app, the oSnap, allows anyone to send electronic aroma messages. The user takes a picture of an object, such as a chocolate chip cookie, tags the image with scent attributes — chocolaty, coco bean, walnut, brown sugar — then sends the message as an oNote to friends.
The recipient receives the message, sees the image of the cookie and uses the oPhone to vicariously experience the fresh-baked smell.
Edwards says the technology has applications among coffee lovers, who are interested in sharing the primary, secondary and tertiary notes in a particular cup of joe. Ditto for wine lovers or foodies seeking a more sensory-rich way to capture and share a particular culinary experience.
“Since we stared this campaign, there’s been enormous interest on the B2B side,” said Edwards, noting particular attention from makers of “food and beverages, coffee, fragrances and other kinds of verticals where the value of aroma is understood.”
So far, though, the oPhone has failed to generate the whiff of excitement in the crowd-funding community. It has raised just $46,527 — less than a third of its goal. The fundraising campaign ends on July 31.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.


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Continental To End Complimentary Short-Haul Coach Food
Even as its competitors slashed complimentary onboard dining services, Continental Airlines for years continued to promise "meals at mealtime." That, however, will end later this year when the airline joins its legacy peers in offering food for sale in economy class cabins on some routes in the United States, Canada and Latin America.
The carrier said it would maintain free inflight dining at mealtime in its first and business cabins as well as in coach on many international routes, intercontinental flights and domestic operations that exceed six hours. Continental noted that all its "significant U.S. competitors either do not offer food or have already implemented food sales for economy class travelers," and executive vice president and chief marketing officer Jim Compton in a statement today added, "Our traditional free-food model has served us well for many years, but we need to change to reflect today’s market and customer preferences."
The carrier said inflight dining menus and pricing are in development and would be announced prior to implementation in the fall. The carrier also said that it would continue to provide a free non-alcoholic beverage and a snack on all flights.


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From Bill Marler’s “Food Safety News” blog:
“Ready Pac Foods of Irwindale, CA is recalling 5,379 cases of bagged romaine salad products, including Caesar salad kits, because they may be contaminated with E. coli.
The romaine lettuce was packaged under the Ready Pac brand name and also under several chain-store brands, all with a “use-by” date of November 18, 2011, and sold in Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon, Texas and Washington.
The recall was initiated based on a single positive random sample result for E.coli O157:H7 reported to Ready Pac by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In the recall notice, Ready Pac said it is fully cooperating with the FDA on the recall. Continue reading →
The following words and pictures are from the rally’s Facebook page:
Warning sign from the Facebook page.
Join us at the Victoria BC Legislature Buildings next Wednesday November 23rd, 2011 at 11.30 am to stand for our right to choose food from local farmers. Folks will be gathering across Canada that day to rally for food freedom.
It is legal for Canadians to purchase unpasteurized milk across the border from Washington State, and to bring it back to Canada to drink. But it is illegal to purchase raw milk, or even receive it as a gift, from a local Canadian farmer. What is wrong with this picture? Continue reading →
From Sara Deris in The Strand:
Michael Schmidt, speaking at a rally in Vancouver earlier this year. PHOTO: FLICKR/Zero-X
“On 4 Nov. 2011, after a hunger strike lasting over a month, Michael Schmidt finally gained the right to meet with Premier Dalton McGuinty to discuss the possibility of allowing the sale of raw milk to informed consumers. Well, McGuinty’s chief of staff, anyway. McGuinty did decide to drop in on the meeting for a bit. Schmidt has now been invited to speak to the Liberal caucus concerning the sale of raw milk, but it has been made clear that the government will not change its position on the legislation concerning these sales. Continue reading →
From: Kim-Mia Rudiger-Prybylski
Sent: Sunday, November 13, 2011 12:01 AM
To: letters (Edm Journal)
Subject: The most subversive thing that people can do is grow a garden…
To whom it may concern,
If you print my attached letter, please do not edit out the solutions that I give people as you have in previous letters. I have a feeling that I will not see this letter in print because Monsanto likes to give out lawsuit so freely, and have been very good at silencing anyone who speaks out. I also know that you strive hard not to offend your advertisers. Continue reading →


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21st October 2020 –
A botched digitalisation programme has caused long customs clearance delays in India, exacerbating the country’s container shortage crisis.
The ‘faceless assessment’ initiative has been rolled out at ports across India since June, to implement contactless and paperless customs clearance.
However, according to the Mundra Custom Brokers’ Association (MCBA), clearance times have increased since the launch, with importers and exporters facing numerous “hidden costs”.
“Faceless assessment was [designed] to bring an end to illegal gratification, whereas the results are the opposite,” the MCBA said in a letter to the prime minister, yesterday.
“The [customs] officers have started harassing the trade by multiple means, including unnecessary queries and examination orders. Brokers are forced to appoint middlemen to look after their assessment work at other ports, resulting in additional costs indirectly passed onto importers.
“The importers are left with no choice but to fulfill the demands of the assessing officers just to save their business.”
Rakesh Pandit, CEO of Conbox Logistics, said importers were already suffering due to Covid restrictions and low demand in the domestic market.
“Due to the new system, customs clearance is taking a long time, especially from the Far East,” he told The Loadstar. “The government is trying to encourage domestic manufacturing and restrict the import of goods.”
Mr Pandit said the delays may be resolved in the coming weeks, but until then importers “need to bear additional expenses towards detention and demurrage, documentation, and ‘under the table’ expenses”.
Indeed, clearance delays have stretched from 15-20 days to 25-30 days, according to local media, adding to the woes for India’s import-export trades, alongside the container shortage and rising freight rates.
Furthermore, a protest by farmers in the Punjab region has, reportedly, held up 5,000 containers, after they blocked railway tracks serving the largest dry port in northern India. Sharad Kumar Saraf, president of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations, said the situation was “grim”, and hurting India’s reputation as a stable supplier.
Mohit Singla, chairman of the Trade Promotion Council of India, added: “Industry is getting huge orders from across the globe, but the unavailability of containers at ports is leading to delays beyond the tolerance threshold of the food and beverage, food processing, clothing, leather, pharma, medical equipment and chemical industries.”