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Algorand raised over $60 million in a token sale of its native Argos token on Coinlist.
Argos’ closing price settled at $2.40 per token, after starting the day below $.75, according to CoinCodex.
The Foundation previously said it will auction off 600 million Algos per year, meaning that this most recent auction of 25 million tokens only represents a portion of the forward float. Algorand also said it aims to release 10 billion Argos within its first five years of operation after launching the token in April of this year.
Current market cap and circulating volume are unavailable per CoinCodex. The token is not listed on CoinMarketCap. Some have suggested a market capitalization of $24 billion.
The recent equity grab was on top of the $66 million the company raised from venture capital firms Union Square Ventures and Pillar Venture Capital.
Algorand also announced that its node repository has been open-sourced and that it has entered into a partnership with Flipside Crypto to provide a free user engagement analytics suite.
Founded by MIT professor and Turing Award winner, Silvio Micali, Algorand is a blockchain platform focused on scaling and improving user consensus through proof-of-stake and Byzantine Agreements. It offers free educational services for blockchain and a suite of SDKs.
Algorand intends to launch its mainnet product this June.
Auction photo via Shutterstock
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THE BELLA HADID-APPROVED PLAYBOY AND SOULLAND COLLECTION IS BACK
Gen Z fashion icon Bella Hadid gave Danish brand Soulland not just one but two giant votes of confidence when she was seen re-wearing their corduroy pants feating 1969 Playboy cover model Shay Knuth in December.
The statement-making corduroy pants, which shortly sold out, are the product of an ongoing collaboration between the brand and storied magazine that started in Fall/Winter 2019. Consumers now have another chance to get their hands on them. Playboy.com recently restocked the viral Soulland Fawna pants, as well as five other iconic pieces from the collection.
The line includes three loose-fit Orson button-down shirts, showcasing sultry vintage covers of former Playboy Playmates Bonita Lou Rossi, Bo Bussmann and Darine Stern, the latter of whom was the magazine’s first African-American cover mahjong ways 2 model. Stern is also featured on the Soulland denim shirt made from 100 percent Tencel that includes a pop of bright blue at the collar and cuffs.
Rounding out the collection is the Soulland Terry jacket, a key outerwear piece printed with Knuth’s famous 1969 cover. The corduroy jacket has a zipper front and metal press buttons and cuffs.
Playboy’s expansion into apparel has intensified in recent years, debuting collaborations with heritage military outerwear brand Alpha Industries, contemporary retailer PacSun and more. In July, it inked a $333 million deal to acquire racy lingerie brand Honey Birdette. PLBY Group, Playboy’s parent company, said the deal will support its move to expand its leadership in the sexual wellness category.
The six-piece collection is now available on playboy.com and retails from $300-$400.

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The UK's First Chick-fil-A Loses Its Lease After Only 8 Days
Chick-fil-A's first location in the United Kingdom, which opened on Oct. 8, did not last long.
The Oracle shopping center in Reading, England, which inked a six-month pilot lease with the chicken sandwich chain, announced eight days into the lease that it isn't renewing it.
The decision came after calls for a boycott of the restaurant. LGBT organization Reading Pride spearheaded the effort, asserting that donations by the Chick-fil-A Foundation go to groups with a reputation of being hostile to LGBT rights, the BBC reports, such as the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
“At the Oracle, we offer an inclusive space where everyone is welcome,” a spokesperson for the Oracle said in a statement to Time.
“We have decided on this occasion that the right thing to do is to only allow Chick-fil-A to trade with us for the initial six month pilot period, and not to extend the lease any further.”
The Oracle is a 820K SF property anchored by department stores Debenhams and House of Fraser. It was developed by Hammerson and is owned 50/50 by that company and the Abu Dhahi Investment Authority.
Chick-fil-A said that it had only planned to stay six months anyway.
"We mutually agreed to a six-month lease with the Oracle Mall in Reading as part of a longer-term strategy for us as we look to expand our international presence,” the company said in a statement, as reported by The New York Times.
Chick-fil-A has been the focus of LGBT activism since 2012, when company Chairman and CEO Dan Cathy was quoted as saying that Chick-fil-A believed in the “biblical definition of the family unit.”
The company has more recently maintained that it is simply in the business of chicken and not interested in politics.
"Recent coverage about Chick-fil-A continues to drive an inaccurate narrative about our brand,” the company said in a statement to Bisnow earlier this year.
In a few cases, the chicken sandwich chain has been prevented from opening restaurants because of local protests or municipal opposition (which has also sparked litigation). Even so, the company is growing rapidly.
According to QSR, Chick-fil-A is the fifth-largest fast-food chain in the United States by sales, which now exceed $10B/year. The company is currently testing the waters overseas.
Chick-fil-A's first non-U.S. location opened in Toronto in September. The restaurant saw lines around the block for its opening, but also was met with hundreds of protesters, blogTO reports.


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Dropbox will finally be updating its Mac app to natively support Apple Silicon sometime in the first half of 2022, the company confirmed today. A previous forum thread saw Dropbox staffers claim that a native app would require “a bit more support before we share your suggestion with our team.”
The months-old thread was resurfaced in a post by developer Mitchell Hashimoto on Twitter (spotted by MacRumors), sparking complaints from Dropbox users who were disappointed by the impression that the company would only develop the app if enough customers asked for it. While Dropbox technically does work with Apple Silicon hardware thanks to Apple’s Rosetta 2 software translation layer, it’s not as power or memory efficient as it could be if it ran natively.
In response to the confusion, Dropbox’s CEO Drew Houston clarified that the service is “certainly supporting Apple Silicon” and that it’s been “working for a while on a native M1 build which we aim to release in H1 2022.” Houston also apologized for the support thread responses, which he called “not ideal.”
The support thread has also since been resolved with a similar update clarifying the current development of a native M1 app and apologizing for the confusion. “While we regularly ask for customer feedback and input on new products or features, this should not have been one of those instances.”


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Uber is introducing options meant to ease airport-pickup headaches.
Travelers who reserve rides in advance can now choose at two dozen U.S. airports to have the app keep track of flight information and automatically update reservations if a plane is early or delayed. Drivers will also wait up to an hour if passengers aren’t ready to go straight to their vehicle after landing.
The features come as Uber expands its advance-reservation options, which did not include rides from airports when its Uber Reserve system debuted last year. Travelers can use Uber Reserve to lock in a ride up to 30 days in advance, although it’s only available for the higher-priced Uber Black and Uber Black SUV services. The fare includes a reservation fee, which can vary by city, the company said.
Uber plans to roll out the option to more U.S. airports in the months ahead, but for now, it is available in cities including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Nashville, New York, Orlando, Seattle and D.C.
The updates come as the number of air travelers continues to recover from last year’s drop-off — and as ride-hailing app users have complained about high prices, long waits and difficulty finding rides at all. The Transportation Security Administration said 2.1 million people went through checkpoints on Sunday, compared to 900,000 at the same time in 2020.
Uber announced Wednesday that it hit a 2021 high in U.S. airport trips last month.
“Even as more people hit the road again, it’s also true that air travel can feel more stressful and uncertain than before,” the company’s announcement said. The airport-reservation features, it said, are aimed at “providing extra peace of mind so you can step off the plane and know your ride is waiting for you.”


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Some Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL users claim that the Words With Friends 2 app breaks the default 'Now Playing' song recognition feature. The new issue, as reported by users on Google Product Forums, silently disables the preloaded feature that was designed by the search giant to counter Shazam, which also offers a similar music recognition feature through its app.
First spotted by technology blog PiunikaWeb, a large number of Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL users have reported the issue on Google Product Forums. The affected users have found that after uninstalling the Words With Friends 2 app, they are able to enable their Pixel 2 models to recognise the song playing in the background. "I just discovered that the app Words With Friends causes now playing to stop working. Works perfectly all day unless I open the Words With Friends app," one of the users who discovered the issue after some initial postings on the product forums wrote.
It appears that the Words With Friends 2 app has some conflicts with the software-centric 'Now Playing' feature on the Pixel 2 family. The affected users are currently recommended to reboot their handsets after accessing the Words With Friends 2 app to use the song recognition feature. Uninstalling the conflicting app can also resolve the issue. However, Google is intrinsically working on a fix that would reach your Pixel device soon. "[T]hese reports have made us aware of this issue, and we're working on a fix. We really appreciate you coming here to share what you've found," a Google community manager writes in response to the discovery of the new flaw.
Last week, the Pixel 2 XL was in the headlines for some speaker distortion issues that were reported by its users on Google Product Forums. Several users even spotted earlier this month that the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are facing issues with bundled headphone adapters. Most interestingly, the arrival of Android 8.1 Oreo on the Pixel 2 XL few weeks back even slowed down its fingerprint sensor for some users.


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When Big Sur hotel founder Jeff Davis bought a condo near the oceanfront resort for $2.5 million, he didn’t know what he was getting himself into.
Davis wanted to transform the place into a “modern-day theme park,” and he also wanted to expand the hotel’s business by bringing back the theme park experience.
But his plan never quite got off the ground, as the resort’s revenue has struggled over the years, and as more people move to the city.
“I wanted to do something bigger,” Davis said, “and I didn’t think I’d be able to do that.”
Davis, now 51, has turned his passion for theme parks into a business that helps keep the resort afloat.
The hotel, which has two other hotels on the island, is the second largest in California.
Its business model is similar to other theme parks: It charges guests an admission fee that is based on their age, location, and the size of their room.
If the room gets full, the owner pays an extra fee for the occupancy.
The resort’s other hotels are owned by other companies, like the Disney Parks and Resorts division of Walt Disney Co. In a rare move, Davis has partnered with an island hotel, Big Sur Resort, to create a new business model.
The new venture is called the Big Sur Theme Park.
And the business model, which Davis calls a “worldwide expansion of the theme parks,” is a game-changer for the resort.
While the theme theme park will have a smaller footprint than its previous incarnation, it will still have a core of nearly 20,000 guests who can enjoy attractions, live entertainment, and a wide range of activities.
The theme park business model also is being piloted in other parts of the world, including Japan and Singapore.
Davis’ plan is similar in that it involves building and expanding a new facility that will open in 2020, but it’s much smaller than its predecessors.
In order to help the business succeed, Davis will continue to pay a $250,000 annual lease on the property, and he will use the money to build a new theme park at the new hotel.
He will also pay $200,000 in hotel taxes, and in order to bring in more guests, he will lease out the existing hotel for five years, starting in 2022.
The cost to operate the new facility is still being negotiated, but Davis says he hopes the company can break even within a year.
“The theme park is a very big business,” Davis says.
“And if we can get people to come, we’re all set.”
The theme parks business model has been around for decades.
But Davis says it was never as popular as it is now.
“When I was a kid, my dad would come over to the beach and we’d take a cruise,” Davis recalled.
“It was the most popular thing in the world to do.”
The resort is a “giant step” toward becoming a bigger and better business, he said.
The Big Sur Business Model Big Sur has been growing its business in a way that has not been seen in the resort industry before.
“We’ve got a very small workforce, we have a very competitive business model,” Davis noted.
The plan to expand into the theme hotels was developed over a three-year period.
The first phase of the expansion started with about 6,000 rooms booked in 2019, and Davis expects the business will continue growing at a rate of about 20,500 rooms per year.
During the second phase, the hotel will expand to 20,900 rooms, which will be available to hotel guests starting in 2021.
Davis plans to add two more hotels and five other properties in the future, and said that he hopes to double the size and capacity of the resort in 2026.
In addition to creating new revenue streams for the hotel, Davis plans on adding more activities for the guests.
“A lot of people will come to Big Sur for the amusement parks,” Davis explained.
“They’re going to want to take advantage of the amenities that we have.
We’re going see what’s available.”
For instance, he plans to expand a ride at the hotel to be used for the beach, and will open a restaurant inside the hotel.
The company will also be opening a restaurant at the beach for guests to enjoy the surf and enjoy the sea.
“For us, we are trying to keep this hotel open as long as possible, because that’s where the growth is,” Davis added.
He said he plans on expanding to a third hotel and adding another restaurant.
“People love to go to the ocean,” he said, adding that he expects guests to continue to come to the resort for its entertainment and activities.
“What people really want to do is go on a beach and have fun.”
Big Sur is the largest theme park in the United States, with about 12,000 attractions, attractions, and other attractions.
According to a 2016 report by the National


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June 2, 2015
A comprehensive study finds organic agriculture is more profitable for farmers than conventional agriculture.
In spite of lower yields, the global study shows that the profit margins for organic agriculture were significantly greater than for conventional agriculture. The results show that there’s room for organic agriculture to expand and, with its environmental benefits, to contribute a larger share in feeding the world sustainably. Organic agriculture currently accounts for only one percent of agriculture globally.
The study, published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was authored by Washington State University scientists David Crowder and John Reganold.
To be sustainable, organic agriculture must be profitable. That motivated Crowder and Reganold to analyze dozens of studies comparing the financial performance of organic and conventional farming.
"The reason we wanted to look at the economics,” said Crowder, an entomologist who studies organic systems, “is that more than anything, that is what really drives the expansion and contraction of organic farming - whether or not farmers can make money. It was kind of surprising that no one had looked at this in a broad sense.”
Organic price premiums give farmers an incentive to adopt more sustainable farming practices. The authors suggest that government policies could further boost adoption of organic farming practices and ease the transition for conventional farmers.
Room to grow
The actual premiums paid to organic farmers ranged from 29 to 32 percent above conventional prices. Even with organic crop yields as much as 18 percent lower than conventional, the break-even point for organic agriculture was 5 to 7 percent.
“That was a big surprise to me,” said Reganold, a soil scientist and organic agriculture specialist. “It means that organic agriculture has room to grow; there’s room for premiums to go down over time. But what we’ve found is that the premiums have held pretty steady over the 40 years represented in the study.”
Out of 129 initial studies, 44 met Crowder and Reganold’s criteria for inclusion in the meta-analysis of costs, gross returns, benefit/cost ratios and net present values – a measure that accounts for inflation. The analysis represented 55 crops in 14 countries on five continents. The published article provides the criteria used to select the studies as well as a list of studies that were rejected.
“This is the first large-scale synthesis of economic sustainability of organic farming compared to conventional that we know of,” Crowder said. The authors consulted with three agricultural economists to confirm their findings.
To be sure, past performance is not an indicator of future outcomes - particularly if there is a major shift to organic production, which could result in lower prices due to increased supply. The study did not attempt to forecast future scenarios.
Unique to the analysis was inclusion of yield and economic data for crops grown as part of a rotational system, in addition to data for single crops. The study included profit data for multiple crops grown over several seasons, a more accurate reflection of how farmers profit from agriculture.
None of the comparison studies accounted for the environmental costs and benefits of farming. Environmental costs tend to be lower and benefits higher in organic agriculture. But for consumers who believe that organic farming is more environmentally friendly, organic premiums may serve as a stand-in for the monetary value of such costs and benefits.
Incentive to change
Organic premiums offer a strong incentive for farmers to transition from conventional to organic farming.
“Most growers that we work with, and probably in the United States in particular, do a little bit of organic and lot of conventional,” Crowder said. “If they make a little bit of money on that organic acreage, they might convert more of their farm.”
But farmers converting to organic are in a vulnerable position. The transition period for organic certification exposes farmers to financial risk when their yields drop but they are not yet receiving premiums.
“The challenge facing policymakers,” the authors write, “is to develop government policies that support conventional farmers converting to organic and other sustainable systems, especially during the transition period, often the first three years.”
As long as environmental degradation, population growth and climate change remain challenges, farming practices that are profitable to farmers while offering additional benefits of sustainability are needed, they said.
Citation: Crowder, D. and J. Reganold. 2015. Financial competitiveness of organic agriculture on a global scale. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. June 1, 2015, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1423674112.
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Microsoft has agreed to acquire 6Wunderkinder GmbH, a Berlin-based startup behind the Wunderlist to-do list app, for between $100-200 million (91-182 million euros), the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.
The online classified service Craigslist has cost US newspapers at least $5 billion in revenue since 2000, researchers say.
Amazon is buying the videogame platform Twitch for $1 billion, bringing it access to millions of people who watch games being played on the site, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.
Online retail colossus Amazon.com plans to open its first brick-and-mortar store in New York ahead of the year-end holiday season, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
You've heard of the iPhone and iPad. How about the iCar?
Apple aims to have an electric car on the road some time in the year 2019, according to a report on Monday in the Wall Street Journal.
Is a Microsoft Surface tablet priced at $499 good enough to entice you away from that Apple iPad you might be considering?
Oil giant Chevron was struck by the Stuxnet virus, a sophisticated cyber attack that tore through Iran's nuclear facilities and is believed to have been launched by the United States and Israel.
Muthu Alagappan arrived at Stanford University with his heart set on attending medical school, and he still hopes to become a doctor someday.
Apple gave consumers their first hands-on look at its smartwatch Friday pushing into wearable tech just as rival Samsung rolled out its new flagship smartphones.


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The theme so far this week at the three-day Electronic Entertainment Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center has been video-gaming, with Sony claiming the keynote address slot. Here are nine announcements from the conference so far:
New “Doom” on the Way
Bethesda got E3 under way by showing off the latest installments of first-person shooter “Doom” and post-apocalyptic role-playing saga “Fallout 4.” The latter game will be available in November, with the new “Doom” set for spring 2016. Bethesda also unveiled the strategy card game “The Elder Scrolls: Legends,” a follow up to “Dishonored,” as well as the online role-playing game “The Elder Scrolls Online.”
Microsoft Hits the Mine
Early in the convention, Microsoft left attendees impressed with the demo of “Minecraft,” the world-building game it bought last year. The game will work with Redmond’s HoloLens augmented-reality technology, which uses holographic goggles and lets players manipulate the game by moving the head as well as with the hands and voice.
Return of Lara Croft
Square Enix announced “Lara Croft Go,” a new mobile title in a similar style as turn-based strategy game “Hitman Go.” According to the company, the new “Tomb Raider” adventure will be marked by top-grade visuals.
“The Last Guardian” Is Here
The Sony Playstation game, which concludes the trilogy of “Ico” and “Shadow of the Colossus,” has been rumored at E3 for years. Sony dropped a bombshell by announcing it with a sophisticated gameplay demo. The release date? Sometime next year.
New “Street Fighter”
Also from Sony, “Street Fighter V” continues the classic fighting game series, which has recently consisted only of expansions to “Street Fighter IV.” The new game should be arriving by next March, and an open preorder beta is coming exclusively to PlayStation 4 in July.
Ubisoft Checks In
Ubisoft surprised show-goers with the return of Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon series in the form of “Wildlands.” Also, the next iteration of “Assassin’s Creed” takes place in Industrial Revolution-era London, and is said to be especially bloody.
EA Coming with “Mass Effect”
Electronic Arts’ press conference heralded “Mass Effect: Andromeda,” along with “Need For Speed,” “Unravel,” and “Star Wars: Battlefront,” in which players can engage in 40 epic multiplayer battles.
Nintendo’s “Star Fox Zero” Coming
Nintendo started with a world premiere gameplay video for “Star Fox Zero” that will be released on Wii U in time for the holidays. Also from Nintendo, “Skylanders Superchargers” will feature Turbo Charge Donkey Kong and Hammer Slam Bowser. The company also demonstrated “The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes,” a new 3DS game set in the Zelda universe.
Whither Motion Control?
Five years after its introduction, Microsoft’s Kinect motion control device wasn’t even mentioned at Microsoft’s Xbox show. Nor did Sony talk about its PlayStation Move device. Taking their place is virtual reality, with both Microsoft and Sony promising gamers immersion in 3D worlds by way of wraparound headsets. Microsoft is using Oculus Rift with its Xbox One and PCs, while Sony has its own Project Morpheus.
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Blockchain Tech Opportunites Abound for Aotearoa
A new report commissioned by New Zealand’s innovation agency, Callaghan Innovation, suggests the country is fertile ground for blockchain tech.
The crown entity has published an opportunity report on blockchain and distributed ledger technology (DLT) that picks out blockchain-based digital identities as a way for the country to demonstrate expertise in the sector.
Callaghan Innovation’s specific role is to help make the country’s businesses more forward-thinking. The agency networks with government partners, research institutes, and other stakeholders, with the goal of increasing business investment in research, development, and, of course, emerging technologies.
With technology New Zealand’s third-largest export sector, the report, titled Distributed Ledgers and Blockchains Opportunities for Aotearoa New Zealand, focuses on what blockchain could offer the country’s economy. To produce the report, lead author Joshua Vial interviewed over 50 blockchain entrepreneurs, investors, government officials, academics, and international experts.
The opportunities presented in the report include high-paying technology jobs, high-value exports, the facility to attract high-growth companies and talent, an increase in access to growth capital, and the knock-on effect of being a catalyst for other sectors. The report also points to “significant” avenues of innovation for banking and financial services, the media industry, and public services, as well as the benefits for international economies, particularly developing ones.
The opportunities noted, however, lead to a number of considerations for New Zealand, for both the private and public sectors.
These include the need to “unblock access” to banking services for blockchain companies and to promote New Zealand as being blockchain friendly. There is a need to develop a cross-agency blockchain working group, a research centre for “decentralised computing”, and a blockchain financial crime prevention forum. Furthermore, the report recommends that the Financial Markets Authority create clearer guidelines for companies to launch security tokens, stating:
“New Zealand is well positioned to strike a balance between consumer protection and ease of doing business. If New Zealand were to become the go-to jurisdiction for launching quality security tokens, we could see a rapid influx of capital and talent to the country.”
Original article by Melanie Kramer, ETHNews.com, December 14, 2018.


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South Coast Metro- U.S. Business Funding
“South Coast Metro- U.S. Business Funding, anticipates a continuous company growth this year due to over $12.2M of record breaking sales for the last twelve months and is moving into an 8,000 sq. ft., state of the art facility along with tripling their current personnel while looking to increase that number exponentially. The significant increase in transactions may provide justification to proclaimed statistics of small business lending on the rise in Orange County according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.
As a member of the National Equipment Finance Association and with over nine years in business, U.S. Business Funding services equipment leasing and financing for small to midsize companies of all industries across the nation.
U.S Business Funding identifies the importance of maintaining synergies with finance partners and enabling more opportunities with effective programs offered to today’s business owner. In addition to the upsurge of certain prospering sectors, which is driving businesses in need for additional capital and equipment upgrades to keep up with demands. U.S. Business Funding takes pride in building relationships with customers to ensure accurate customization for each transaction.
Small yet aggressive, U.S. Business Funding continues to overcome competitive challenges and remains optimistic for the coming year.”


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It looks like Tesla is about to start customer deliveries of the all-new Model Y Standard Range with a structural battery pack and 4680 cells. The automaker has started emailing Model Y reservation holders that live near Giga Texas to give them the option to change their order to the new configuration for faster delivery.
According to a copy of the email titled “Accelerate Your Model Y Deliver” sent to Ganesh (@mmsganesh), who lives in Austin and has a 7-seater Long Range variant on order, Tesla says he can switch to their “latest configuration and take delivery within weeks”. The email says that delivery will be “one of the first vehicles built at Gigafactory Texas” and the offer is “currently only available in the area.”
The email instructs him to go to his Tesla account to check for inventory, where he was able to find three 2022 Model Y All-Wheel Drive vehicles. Although they don’t specify that they are the Standard Range model, the 279 mile (449km) range is the giveaway.
The listings also confirms the base price of $59,990 for the vehicle that we first reported last month, and conveniently shows how much more he will be paying compared to his existing order.
It also looks like these orders will receive a 1-year Premium Connectivity Trial, instead of the 30-day trial that is now standard on new vehicles.
Unfortunately the email doesn’t state when deliveries will begin, except to say that if they take Tesla up on the offer, delivery will be “within weeks.”
Tesla officially announced the new variant at the Cyber Rodeo at Giga Texas last month, and handed over at least 20 of the new vehicles to employees. A leaked internal memo later revealed the pricing, but did not say when it would be officially announced.
Now a little over one month later it looks like the first customer deliveries are set to begin.
If you have received the same email, let us know in the comments below.


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A few weeks ago, here on GSMDome we showed you how the development process of the first LeTV smartphone is going on. As you found out, LeTV is a Chinese company known for its video-content platform and its Smart TV business, and now they want to bring something on the smartphone market too.
Today, a new couple of live pictures with the phone in case that looks like a combination between an iPhone 6 and a HTC One, arrived on the web accompanied by several information too. According to some Chinese sources, LeTV will launch three different versions of this phone with screen sizes ranging from 5.5 to 6.3 inches, and they will be named S1, MX1 and X1.
Also, once launched, these devices will have different price tags: $160 for the LeTV S1, $320 for the LeTV MX1 and $480 for the 6.3 inch model called LeTV X1. Is expected that these devices with edge-to-edge panels to be announced next month on March 23.


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Konami has announced that production of the TurboGrafx-16 Mini has come to a standstill because of the coronavirus outbreak in China. Because of the severity of the outbreak in the country, manufacturing has been hit hard, with many production centers just beginning to return to a semblance of normal.
Though suspension was relatively shortlived, the impact has already taken a toll in certain sectors, including portions of the gaming industry. In a release shared on the mini’s official webpage, Konami said:
We thank you for your continual support towards our products and services.
Regarding the PC Engine Core Grafx mini console and its peripheral accessories, the manufacturing and shipping facilities in China have encountered an unavoidable suspension due to the current Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. As a result, the delivery of all PC Engine Core Grafx mini products, which was originally scheduled for March 19th, 2020, will be delayed until further notice.
We deeply apologize to our customers for the significant inconvenience, and we humbly ask for your understanding and patience while we keep our close attention on the situation. We are investing all of our efforts to deliver the PC Engine Core Grafx mini as soon as possible, and will provide further details on the deliver timing once confirmed.
The company did not provide a revised release date or window for the classic system. The TurboGrafx-16 mini was originally slated to ship starting March 19.
Some 57 games from across the TurboGrafx-16 and PC Engine catalog will be available for the mini system when it finally launches. Titles include Alien Crush, Ys I&II, Splatterhouse, and Lords of Thunder, as well as Gradius, Super Darius, and Akumajō Dracula X Chi no Rondo.
The console was originally announced in June 2019, with more news and a larger lineup announced in August. It is another in a long line of classic mini consoles, which include the NES mini, the SNES mini, and the Genesis mini.
At this stage, gaming events have been the most influenced by the virus, with the organizers of many yearly events reconsidering their 2020 plans. Minecraft Festival recently postponed its annual gathering, and the Game Developers Conference was ultimately canceled. Earlier, the Taipei Game Show was also canceled.
Currently, the ESA plans to hold E3 2020.
Stay tuned to GameSkinny for more on the TurboGrafx-16 mini console, as well as the impact of the cornoavirus on the gaming industry.


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WASHINGTON (AP) — Two animal welfare groups and dozens of lawmakers are urging the Obama administration to improve humane treatment of poultry at slaughterhouses, citing statistics that show hundreds of thousands of chickens being accidentally […]
On the Easter Sunday edition of Unfinished Business with Betsy and Renee from 4-5 p.m., the topic is all about the business of Chicken and Eggs and the California heritage of two family-owned companies that produce these natural products in our state.
It has perplexed humanity from as early as the Ancient Greeks. So which came first, the chicken or the egg? We think you’ll enjoy watching the latest crack at this curious conundrum.
ALMA CENTER, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin couple says fire clucks, not fire trucks, helped them escape a blaze at their home. The couple was sleeping when their pet chicken woke them at about 6:15 a.m. Thursday.
For 32 years, the experts who staff the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line have been there for holiday cooks who have questions about how to prepare and cook their turkeys.


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Cult Couture back again
Cult Couture is returning for the 12th time.
The fashion competition is a chance for young designers to have their work seen by some of the key figures in New Zealand’s fashion world.
This year’s judges include designer Adrian Hailwood and Doris de Pont from the New Zealand Fashion Museum.
Entries are open until July 26.
The event is on November 2 at the Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau.
The competition is part of the Southside Arts Festival that includes more than 40 dance, music and arts events.


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Hewlett-Packard (HP) Singapore has inked a two year deal with social influence marketing agency Goodstuph.
The agency will now be HP Singaporeâ€™s social media agency on record and is working on creating two campaigns for the Singapore and Malaysia market. Currently, the agency is working on a project called the HP Social Menu for HP Singapore.
As part of the project, HP Printing Systems looked to creating a change with digital native millennials, who find a printer the least relevant tech gadget in their lives. As such, the agency was tasked to make printing fun again by pushing them further than what they are already doing on social media. Millennials were challenged to take the most creative flatlay with their HP printouts.
The results for the campaign running from 27 February to13 March saw a total number 542 submissions on Instagram and total organic engagement of 16,992.
Marketing understands that Goodstuph has previously worked with HP Singapore for approximately two years in 2012 and 2013 on campaigns such as HP Z1 Workstation.
Regionally, HP works with Edelman. Marketing has also reached out to Goodstuph for more details.


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AP Photo/Debra Reid
AP Photo/Debra Reid
Burning Man didn't exactly get off to a great start!
The annual festival in Nevada's Black Rock Desert was delayed—twice!—due to heavy rain. But roads leading to the area opened at 6 a.m. Tuesday morning, allowing "Burners" to kick off their...communal self-expression through a celebration of art?
It's difficult to describe Burning Man because, as the organization's website states, "trying to explain what Burning Man is to someone who has never been to the event is a bit like trying to explain what a particular color looks like to someone who is blind."
Essentially, though, since 1986, bobos and free spirits (likely the type who list "free spirit" in their Twitter bio) have convened the week before Labor Day for the participatory experience of creating art and a counterculture all its own. As the site promises, you definitely "won't be the weirdest kid in the classroom" here.
Purchasing a ticket to the festival costs anywhere between $380 and $650, and once you're there, nothing except coffee and ice is supposed to be for sale. The experience used to cater towards low-key hippies, if you will—the kind of people fine sleeping in tents and using Porta-a-Potties.
In recent years,though,"baby billionaires" and Silicon Valley tech entrepreneurs have made the migration to Nevada, too, and according to the New York Times, some say they're "ruining it for everyone else" with their "secret game of I-can-spend-more-money-than-you-can."
AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill
A non-tech camp can cost about $300 a person, but according an insider, a venture capitalist camp was about $25,000 a person—collectively costing these posh partygoers over $2 million for their accommodations.
Some of the wealthy attendees "are spending thousands of dollars to get their own luxury restroom trailers, just like those used on movie sets," according to the Times. (Curious on this: Does the share-everything mentality extend to these commodes, and if so, for No. 1 only or No. 2, too?)
In any case, Burning Man isn't just the time you spend in the desert. According to its website, it's "a thriving year-round culture" that exists via "a tapestry, an ever-widening network of actions and relationships extending far beyond the place called Black Rock City."
How trendily transcendental!
Keith Carlsen/Getty Images


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Shoppers Drug Mart says a computer outage affecting all of its 1,300-plus locations is preventing customers paying with their debit cards and using their loyalty points program.
The national pharmacy retail chain, owned by Loblaw Companies, says it started experiencing "intermittent" technical difficulties at all of its stores Monday night.
It says it can still accept cash and credit card payments of up to $300 and that all Shoppers Optimum points from transactions will be added to customers' accounts after the outage is resolved.
The company says it will provide an update later today.
The outage has prompted customers to voice their complaints on Twitter.
Some say they haven't been able to refill their drug prescriptions and others say Shoppers needs to do a better job of communicating with its customers.
The company has been apologizing to customers on Twitter, saying: "Our IT team is working diligently to rectify the problem."
Loblaw operates a network of more than 1,307 stores across the country under the Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix brand.


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Leading Hong Kong filmmakers will showcase their latest cinematic projects at Marche du Film, the world’s largest film market, which opens today and continues through 22 May in France. Marche du Film is part of the concurrent 68th Festival de Cannes (Cannes Film Festival).
This year, the Hong Kong Pavilion includes four Hong Kong exhibitors organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), namely, All Rights Entertainment Ltd, China 3D Digital Distribution Company Limited, Edko Films Ltd and Fortune Star Media Ltd. At Marche du Film, another 10 Hong Kong companies will showcase their latest productions and seek business and partnership opportunities at individual stands or offices.
Spotlight Hong Kong
“The Hong Kong Pavilion will once again promote Hong Kong’s vibrant and creative film industry to international markets,” said HKTDC Service Promotion Director Jenny Koo, who added that the pavilion will take advantage of growing interest in Asian cinema at Cannes.
The Big Screen
A number of Hong Kong companies will take advantage of the event to screen their latest offerings between 14 May and 18 May. They include Helios, Little Big Master, SPL 2 – A Time For Consequences and The Taking of Tiger Mountain.
Part of the Hong Kong Pavilion is set up in the format of a business centre, located at the International Village area of Marche du Film. It offers registered participants from Hong Kong free business facilities and a venue for their business meetings and media interviews.
A “Dim Sum Hour” session will be held at the business centre, starting at around noon on 15 May, offering additional networking opportunities for invited film industry professionals.
The Hong Kong Pavilion is an excellent opportunity for local industry players to follow up on business leads generated at the HKTDC Hong Kong International Film and TV Market (FILMART) held in March. FILMART is Asia’s largest film market, which this year set new attendance records, with over 780 exhibitors from 34 countries and regions taking part. The event attracted over 7,100 visitors from 50-plus countries and regions.
Through the pavilion at Cannes, the HKTDC is promoting Hong Kong’s film industry and also next year’s FILMART to be held on 14-17 March 2016 in Hong Kong.


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Members of the public who visit Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam’s (BIBD) booth at the 24th Consumer Fair at the International Convention Centre can look forward to winning attractive prizes and promotions throughout the event as the bank launched its Visa Credit Card promotion yesterday.
The launching of BIBD’s brand new Visa Credit Card promotion was officiated by Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah following the opening ceremony yesterday.
Under the campaign, every new BIBD Visa Credit Card application is entitled a chance to enter a lucky draw and additional entries for the lucky draw will be given for every BND50 spent using a BIBD Visa Credit Card.
During this promotion from January 15 until March 31 this year, it will see one lucky winner walk away with air miles equivalent to 80 return flights to Kuala Lumpur or 19 return trips to Melbourne.
Subject to approval, customers who apply for a credit card throughout the fair will be able to receive their brand new credit cards on the same day.
Members of the public who visit the booth, meanwhile, can enjoy free giveaways simply by finding out more about the BIBD NEXGEN Mobile App and learn more about Ar-Rahnu products and services while BIBD’s team of personal bankers will assist in re-organising finances to get a higher take-home pay.
Visitors to the 24th Consumer Fair will also get a taste for BIBD’s latest digital payment solutions via the NEXGEN Wallet, while supporting local vendors with a variety of cashless payment methods during the fair.
BIBD, as part of efforts to encourage customers to go cashless, will be offering instant prize dips for customers who show a screenshot of their QuickPay payments to BIBD staff at the booth.


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Chrysler U.S. Sales Rise 13%; GM, Ford Deliveries Drop
General Motors Co. (GM) and Ford Motor Co. (F) posted surprising U.S. sales declines, slowing industrywide growth in July, as Japanese automakers continued their recovery and Chrysler Group LLC extended its run of monthly gains.
GM deliveries fell 6.4 percent and Ford light-vehicle sales slipped 3.8 percent, according to statements yesterday. Chrysler, controlled by Italian automaker Fiat SpA (F), increased deliveries by 13 percent. Honda (7267) Motor Co., Toyota (7203) Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. (7201) exceeded analysts’ estimated gains.
U.S. light-vehicle deliveries rose 8.9 percent in July to 1.15 million, according to researcher Autodata Corp. The gain compared with the 1.17 million average estimate of 11 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. The industry bolstered the U.S. economy with first-half sales up 15 percent, setting a pace for more than 14 million annual sales and the best year since 2007.
“I’d characterize the market as reasonably healthy,” John Casesa, senior managing director at Guggenheim Partners LLC, said in a Bloomberg Radio interview. “That could change if the U.S. economy goes south.”
Chrysler, on the rebound since emerging from bankruptcy three years ago, has benefited from newer models such as the Chrysler 200 sedan, Jeep Grand Cherokee sport-utility vehicle and Fiat 500 small car. Sales increased to 126,089, the Auburn Hills, Michigan-based company said in a statement. The 13 percent rise compares with a 14 percent gain that was the average estimate of 10 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.
GM and Ford missed 11 analysts’ average estimates for gains of 2.1 percent and 0.8 percent, respectively. Deliveries to fleet buyers, which include government agencies and rental-car companies, plunged 41 percent for GM and 16 percent for Ford from a year earlier, the companies said.
“GM and Ford both cut down on fleet sales, which we had anticipated,” Rebecca Lindland, an industry analyst for IHS Automotive, said yesterday in a Bloomberg Radio interview. “We sort of factored all those in and still saw some disappointing results from both companies.”
Honda, based in Tokyo, led major automakers with a 45 percent rise in July deliveries, followed by gains of 26 percent for Toyota and 16 percent for Nissan. The automakers beat eight analysts’ average estimates for increases of 41 percent by Honda, 25 percent by Toyota and 15 percent by Yokohama, Japan-based Nissan.
Honda and Toyota lost sales in the year-earlier period after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in their home country disrupted shipments of vehicles and parts into the second half of last year.
South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Co. (005380) and Kia Motors Corp. (000270) combined to sell 4.8 percent more vehicles in July than a year earlier, beating six analysts’ average estimate for a 0.9 percent increase. The Seoul-based automakers combined to increase deliveries by 14 percent this year through June, according to Autodata.
Light-vehicle sales in the U.S. climbed 14 percent to 8.43 million through July, Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey-based Autodata said in an e-mailed statement. The seasonally adjusted annualized rate was 14.1 million, matching the average estimate of 16 industry analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.
Autodata revised sales rates for earlier this year to reflect restated seasonal factors released yesterday by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The adjustments reduced the volatility of the monthly results.
The industry is on pace for a third-straight year of at least 10 percent gains, the first such streak since 1973. Chrysler’s 30 percent first-half increase led full-line automakers.
“We all thought Chrysler’s objectives were impossible, but man, they’re doing it,” said Sid Deboer, chairman of Lithia Motors Inc. (LAD), the No. 9 new-vehicle retailer in the U.S. Chrysler accounts for almost one-third of the dealer group’s sales. “It’s just been a boon to us. It’s been a real run.”
The sales results further illustrate Chrysler’s recovery since it emerged from bankruptcy in June 2009 after a rescue by the U.S. government. The company’s results have buoyed Turin, Italy-based Fiat, which is struggling with the fifth-straight year of decline in the European car market.
Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne plans to build on the company’s passenger-car sales gains with the Dodge Dart compact car, which began arriving at dealerships in the second quarter. Chrysler sold 772 Darts in July. Deliveries of the Chrysler 200 and 300 sedans each rose by more than 40 percent.
“We don’t see a slowdown in the second half of the year” in U.S. industry sales, Chrysler Chief Financial Officer Richard Palmer said on a July 31 conference call.
Chrysler is counting on new models in the second half such as the Dart and revamped Ram 1500 pickup to maintain its momentum in the U.S. The company ran a national promotion in July for all vehicles in its lineup that lets buyers defer monthly payments for the first 90 days after purchase.
GM estimated a sales rate of 13.8 million to 14 million for July, it said in an e-mailed statement. Chrysler estimated a 14 million sales rate for July in its statement. The company’s projection includes medium- and heavy-duty trucks, Ralph Kisiel, a spokesman, said in an e-mail. Excluding such vehicles usually lowers the rate by at least 200,000 units.
GM fell 0.3 percent to $19.66 yesterday in New York, while Ford slipped 2.2 percent to $9.04.
GM introduced an offer on July 10 for no-haggle pricing on 2012 Chevrolet cars and trucks plus a money-back guarantee on all new Chevys to clear out end-of-model-year vehicles. That may help move 2012 model year Silverado pickups off dealer lots.
The automaker said it entered July with more than five months’ supply of full-size pickups as the Detroit-based company stockpiled trucks to carry it through 29 weeks of downtime at its four North American plants. The factories are being renovated and retooled to make newly designed models next year. GM said yesterday that it carried 136 selling days’ supply of full-size pickups at the end of July.
GM’s Silverado deliveries fell 13 percent in July to 28,972, the company said. Sales of the GMC Sierra pickup dropped 12 percent to 11,105.
Deliveries of Ford’s F-Series pickups rose 0.4 percent to 49,314, according to the Dearborn, Michigan-based company’s statement. Sales of the Fiesta subcompact fell 23 percent to 4,059 and the Escape SUV dropped 12 percent to 21,572.
“We like the pent-up demand piece that we’re seeing with pickup trucks,” Erich Merkle, Ford’s U.S. sales analyst, said yesterday on a conference call. “We’re moving into what we would call pickup truck season as we move into the second half of the year.”
Slower growth in U.S. pickup sales in the first half helped Toyota pass GM in global deliveries. The Toyota City, Japan-based carmaker’s worldwide sales rose 34 percent in the first six months of the year to 4.97 million, leading GM by 300,000 and Volkswagen AG (VOW) by 520,000 deliveries. GM global sales rose 2.9 percent to 4.67 million during the first half while Volkswagen’s increased 8.9 percent to 4.45 million.
Volkswagen, which set a target of more than 500,000 vehicle sales in the U.S. this year, increased combined deliveries of its VW and Audi brands by 28 percent in July. The gain exceeded four analysts’ average estimate of 23 percent.
“We’re seeing the momentum continuing despite a pretty competitive environment and this gradual economic recovery we’re seeing across the country,” Jonathan Browning, CEO of Volkswagen’s U.S. sales unit, said yesterday on a conference call.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jamie Butters at email@example.com


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January 1, 2016 |
It's a custom among some Philadelphians to spend New Year's Day covered in sequins, walking along Broad Street, drinking beer and dancing. Others adhere to an alternative tradition, best practiced in private, involving abundant groaning and clutching of the head and the toilet tank. That is, of course, the New Year's hangover. How best to treat this annual affliction is a matter of some debate. So we turned to the pros - local chefs, who tend to put in late hours and, perhaps, partake in the occasional, end-of-the-night-shift drink.
December 24, 2015
DEAR ABBY: My 7-year-old daughter, "Rosie," recently came home in tears because a classmate, "Emily," told her I was a liar and she was an idiot for believing my lies. Then Rosie asked me if I had been the one putting money under her pillow and presents under the tree all along. Ultimately, I told her that, yes, I had. But I stressed how important it was that she not ruin other kids' belief in the tooth fairy, etc. The cat is out of the bag for my child, but do you think I should mention this to Emily's mother?
December 14, 2015 |
Since America's response to its grotesque gun violence is more guns, it's hardly surprising that in the face of a campus binge-drinking epidemic, more colleges have decided to sell alcohol at sporting events. Having already ceded authority over their athletic programs to boosters, shoe companies, and TV networks, university presidents have more recently been busy surrendering to powerful brewers. "One of the main issues confronting universities is alcohol abuse," West Virginia University president Gordon Gee said earlier this year.
November 19, 2015
CANDIED YAMS. Sausage stuffing, dripping with mom's homemade gravy. Good ol' sweet-potato pie. These Thanksgiving favorites taste sinfully delicious, no doubt. And I am the last person to tell you to deprive yourself. But you've worked hard for that physique, and you don't want to blow your waistline on a big meal, right? Here are some strategies to get you through Thanksgiving Day without feeling like a stuffed turkey. 1. Don't starve yourself before the big meal.
October 26, 2015
Charlie Mooney had his white notebook binder with him, complete with a revenue analysis chart. Mooney is not a high-flying CEO, or a bean counter from Wall Street. He is director of retail operations at the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, which runs the 604 Fine Wine and Good Spirits stores in the state. State stores have long been despised for limited selection, high prices, and poor service. But Mooney uses such terms as "rebranding" and "consumer-friendly" in describing the state's effort since 2010 to revamp the stores to boost sales and fend off privatization, which continues to be a goal of the GOP-run legislature.
October 6, 2015 |
For vintage Pennsylvania liquor law lunacy, 2015 has been a very good year. Whether the Malvern attorney and oenophile Arthur Goldman amassed his vast wine collection for fun, profit, or both, his now-infamous illicit cellar was a direct consequence of the Prohibition-era laws that compel citizens to settle for the State Stores' stunted selection - or else. Now the bureaucracy born of those laws is leading as inexorably as ever to another absurd result: the pointless destruction of more than a thousand bottles of fine wine.
September 24, 2015 |
THOMAS EWING was stabbed 11 times - seven in the chest. His alleged assailant, Angelo "Angel" Maldonado, 40, who was a regular at Owen's Cafe, a neighborhood bar in Mayfair, was held for trial yesterday by Municipal Judge Patrick Dugan on charges including first-degree murder and possession of an instrument of crime. At Maldonado's preliminary hearing, Ewing's best friend and a police detective testified. The evidence so far suggests that Maldonado, of Claridge Street near Luzerne in Juniata Park, may have stabbed Ewing, 21, of Northeast Philly, because he thought Ewing and others had robbed the bar. Whether that was the real motivation behind the chasing and stabbing of Ewing that night may not be known until Maldonado's trial.
July 31, 2015 |
It's the food you've shunned that has the greatest potential to surprise. Take this summer when I made, on a whim, Dorie Greenspan's citrus berry terrine for a family gathering. Despite the fancy name, it was a straight-up gelatin mold, flavored simply with orange juice, though the jewellike flashes of segmented fruit in every slice made it look fancy and complicated. If I'd told my guests in advance what I would be serving, they might have scoffed, flashing back to pretzel and mandarin-orange studded rings of yesteryear, but their reaction to this fresh-tasting dessert was pure delight.
July 16, 2015 |
SO NOW we're told Donovan McNabb's blood-alcohol level was twice the legal limit when he was arrested in Gilbert, Ariz., last month. This means the former Bird could become a jailbird. McNabb was involved in a non-injury collision with another vehicle on June 28. Yesterday, police said his blood-alcohol level was 0.17. The legal limit is .08. It was the second DUI arrest in Arizona for McNabb, who spent a day in jail in April 2014 for a misdemeanor DUI offense near Phoenix in December 2013.
July 2, 2015 |
The powder looks harmless enough. But when added to water, the packet of Palcohol creates an adult beverage with the same alcohol content of a standard mixed drink. It can also be snorted, creating a choking hazard, or abused, by adding too much powder or mixing it with drugs for a dangerous high, state lawmakers said. Legislation that would prohibit the sale, delivery, or purchase of powdered alcohol is awaiting Gov. Christie's signature following overwhelming approval Monday by the Senate and Thursday by the Assembly.


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According to a recent report by Sky News (26th Nov) Canburg, which owns the Smallbone of Devizes, Mark Wilkinson Furniture, and Brookmans brands, has filed a notice of intention to appoint Grant Thornton as administrator.
This news places a dark cloud over the future of three of the UK’s leading luxury interiors brands; renowned for hand-crafting a sophisticated range of bespoke fine furniture. Hundreds of skilled jobs are thought to be at risk.
The news represents a blow to the £2.5 billion Business Growth Fund (BGF), the vehicle set up by Britain's biggest high street lenders in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. The BGF invested £8 million in Canburg in 2014 in return for a 20% stake.
If the furniture-maker does collapse, it would be one of the most prominent corporate failures to have been backed by the BGF since it was set up.
Sky’s sources said that Canburg had been struggling for some time, and had been exploring a potential sale in recent months. The parent company recently parted company with Leo Caplan, its chief executive, and appointed Ian Gray as its executive chairman.
Real Stone & Tile’s Showroom Manager, Mark Strong, has taken part in a campaign to shave off his hair for...Continue Reading
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With one new iPhone SE launch out of the way, all eyes are on Apple's next iPhone 14 models, but they may have a lot more in common with the iPhone 13 than previously expected.
Reputable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo states the standard models, including the iPhone 14 and rumored iPhone 14 Max, will keep the A15 Bionic found on its predecessor, while the Pro models will be equipped with a new A16 chip. However, that doesn't mean the standard models won't get boost in processing power.
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Spotted by MacRumors, Kuo's tweet states that all four models will come with 6GB of RAM, with the iPhone 14 models having LPDDR 4X memory while the iPhone 14 Pro models will have LPDDR 5 memory. The iPhone 13 Pro models are already outfitted with 6GB of RAM, but the standard models will see a more significant upgrade, seeing as the the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini have 4GB of RAM.
Only two Pro models would upgrade to the A16 processor, while the 14 & 14 Max will remain the A15. All four new models will likely come with 6GB RAM, with the difference being LPDDR 5 (14 Pro & 14 Pro Max) vs. LPDDR 4X (14 & 14 Max). https://t.co/tHcszIz6gXMarch 13, 2022
The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models are expected to be 1.5 times faster and 30% more power-efficient compared to the standard models, thanks to the LPDDR 5 memory. While sticking with the A15 Bionic may sound disheartening, this processor is the most powerful smartphone chip on the market and is expected to be for years to come.
The A16 chip will likely come to iPhone models launched in the following year, but iPhone 14 Pro model customers will be the first to see its power.
This isn't the first we've heard about an upgrade in RAM on all models, either. A user on Korean blog Naver suggested the iPhone 14 Pro will feature 8GB of RAM, which supply chain analyst Jeff Pu of Haitong International Securities also indicated. However, he walked back that claim later based on potential cost concerns.
The iPhone 14 is expected to arrive in four different models, including a 6.1-inch iPhone 14, a 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Max, 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro and the 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max. They are expected to arrive in the second half of 2022, possibly sometime in September if Apple sticks with the same launch dates from last year.
While we wait for the inevitable launch of some form of iPhone 14 models (including an expected pill-shaped notch), find out why the iPad Air with M1 is pointless and how much of an upgrade the iPhone SE (2022) is.


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Microblogging? Social media? Twitter? Typing with your thumbs? Not a clue, huh? No wonder. That stuff wasn’t designed for us. Social networking services tend create user clusters around 25 years old. Drop-off gets pretty steep at 35 and beyond. That’s conventional wisdom.
But Forrester Research finds that more than 60 percent of baby boomers are avid consumers of social media like blogs, forums, podcasts and online videos. If you are reading this, you’re on the run from antiquity. Click.
Breaking news: last summer, the Google search engines dutifully logged on the one trillionth Web page address. One trillion! But that big number may be only a fraction of what’s actually on the Web. We won’t know until their engineers decode the way to locate all the hidden data in financial information, shopping catalogues, flight schedules, medical research … you get the idea. The spiders can’t yet penetrate the millions of databases that clot the “Deep Web.” But it’s coming.
My biggest complaint about the e-world? The hatchet job on the language. Dammit, "friend" is not a verb. Not with the lights on.
How many blogs exist? About 130 million. I don't know why. But I do know that blogs are good way for geezers to keep their heads in the game. You should give it a go.


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Dozens of famous faces, including Bruce Willis, Drake and Paris Hilton, have invested in MoonPay, buying into the crypto payments platform's promise of helping celebs reap the benefits of Web3.
More than 60 high-profile investors have invested a total of $87 million as part of MoonPay's previously announced $555 million Series A round, which values the company at $3.4 billion.
MoonPay provides firms in the crypto space KYC, payment processing, liquidity and delivery, fraud prevention, regulatory licenses, ecosystem identity verification, and custom checkout flows.
It has also become a major player in the NFT sector, where marketplaces such as OpenSea trust it to provide users a simple, fast and safe way to buy and sell any digital asset. Earlier this year, the firm released a plug-and-play service for buying and selling NFTs with a credit card.
The NFT angle has attracted celebrity users: MoonPay investors including Gwyneth Paltrow, Snoop Dogg and Post Malone have tapped the company's concierge service to buy Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs.
Says MoonPay CEO Ivan Soto-Wright about the famous investors: "We're on the cusp of a creative crypto renaissance, and our strategic investors are helping to lead that movement. We're honored to work with them to help onboard the world to Web3."


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Tata Motors announced that the Tiago hatchback has registered highest-ever sales of 9277 units in August 2018. In this new milestone, the top-end trim, XZ is the highest-selling variant. According to the current market trends, the petrol variant contributed 80 percent of the overall sales for Tiago last month.
Since its launch in April 2016, Tata Motors have sold 1.7 lakh units of the hatchback and the car is still registering a strong growth despite being in its third year of production. Company has also expanded its Tiago range by launching the Tiago NRG, which is a cross hatch, in order keep the product more interesting among the Indian buyers. The Tiago NRG is priced at Rs 5.49 lakhs for the petrol version and Rs 6.31 lakhs for the diesel version (ex showroom, Delhi).
Mechanically, the Tiago hatchback is offered in both the fuel guise. The petrol variant gets a 1.2-litre Revotron, triple cylinder engine that produces 84bhp of max power with 114Nm of torque. On the other hand, the diesel version draws its power from a 1.05-litre three-cylinder Revotorq unit that develops 69bhp of power with 140Nm of top torque. The transmission duties are carried out with a 5-speed manual gearbox as standard, while AMT variant is also on offer with the petrol trim.
The Tiago is the first product to be introduced under the IMPACT Design language and more than 50 per cent of the buyers are under the age of 35 years, high popularity amongst the young generation.


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By incorporating hard drives, cell phones will become more competitive with devices such as digital music players, and they will continue to threaten the PDA market. Wireless-service providers will likely enter the music distribution business, streaming music to phones with hard drives. Motorola has already announced an iTunes phone that will use the same interface as the Apple iPod.
Removable flash memory cards and megapixel cameras will move toward becoming standard on phones, and many phones will likely have 3MP cameras by the end of the year. Expect these and other cell-phone cameras to deliver higher-quality images in the near future, thanks to DO Labs' DxO technology. Debuting last year in the form of software for standalone digital cameras, this technology offsets known optical flaws in lenses, such as distortion and chromatic aberration, delivering crisper images. The next step for DxO: becoming hardwired onto the microprocessors that power cell-phone cameras, sometime around midyear.
Integrated GPS and integrated wireless networking features will also likely show up in many phones by the end of the year. TV could become standard on many phones in 2005, but it will probably not go beyond a niche application. A September study conducted by Lyra Research of 1,361 cell-phone users found that more than half of them are not at all or not very interested in TV on a cell phone. There were "strongly negative survey comments," reports Steve Hoffenberg, Lyra's director of electronic-media research. "Concerns ranged from increasingly inconsiderate cell-phone behavior to questions about the merit of cell-phonedelivered television programming."


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Just a day after the Senate Agriculture Committee voted 14-6 to advance a bill from Sen. Pat Roberts (R., Kan.) on how to address labeling foods that may contain genetically modified (GM) ingredients, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D., Ore.) introduced another bill to add to the discussion.
Merkley’s bill would provide consumers with clear access to information about GM ingredients in foods while ensuring that food producers are not burdened by a confusing patchwork of state regulations.
Although Roberts’ bill was approved out of committee with support from three Democrats, he’ll need more than that for the bill to pass the full Senate. With Sens. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) and Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) on the campaign trail, he’ll need more Democrats to reach the 60-vote threshold to avoid a filibuster.
Merkley’s bill would require manufacturers to disclose the presence of GM ingredients on the Nutrition Facts Panel in one of four ways: (1) using a parenthesis following the relevant ingredient, (2) identifying GM ingredients with an asterisk and providing an explanation at the bottom of the ingredients list, (3) applying a catch-all statement at the end of the ingredient list stating that the product was “produced with genetic engineering” or (4) using a symbol developed by the Food & Drug Administration in consultation with food manufacturers. None of these options would require disclosures or “warning” statements on the front panel intending to disparage GM ingredients.
This legislative proposal represents a uniform federal GM labeling standard with sufficient flexibility to suit manufacturing operations of various sizes and markets while also giving national manufacturers that are in compliance with the federal standard safe harbor from the potential patchwork of state laws, according to a statement from Merkley’s office.
“Rather than blocking consumers’ access to information they want, the U.S. Senate should move forward with a solution that works for businesses and consumers alike. There is a way to give consumers the information they are asking for without placing unfair or conflicting requirements on food producers. This legislation provides the commonsense pathway forward,” Merkley said.
The bill is co-sponsored by Sens. Patrick Leahy (D., Vt.), Jon Tester (D., Mont.) and Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.). Leahy has been opposed to Roberts’ bill, saying it “undermines the public’s right to know” and “tramples states’ rights.”
During discussion of the markup in the Senate Agriculture Committee on Tuesday, Leahy said the sky is not falling and there is still time to find a solution that works.
He added, “When you rush and panic to block consumers from getting access to this information, even to a tiny state like Vermont, it is saying, ‘Gee, producers must have something to hide.’”


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A range of new technologies are being used at an Italian olive farm in a bid to cut CO2 emissions and also save money on energy. From electric farm vehicles to sun-reflecting paint, BBC reports on the many sustainable techniques adopted by a famous olive oil company and vinyard.
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The USDA says consumers don’t need to know if food has been modified using CRISPR.
Why now: A 2016 law gave the agricultural agency the job of deciding how to label foods that contain GMOs (genetically modified organisms), so that consumers know about them.
The document: On May 3, the agency released a 106-page National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard. The public has two months to comment on the proposal.
The small print: Foods containing GMOs will be henceforth be labelled “BE,” “bioengineered,” or even “may be bioengineered.” Because, really, who can tell anymore? More than 90 percent of US corn and soybeans is genetically modified already, mostly to resist herbicide sprays and insects.
Good vibes: The agency proposed a variety of smiley-face labels companies can use (they can also employ a QR code instead). The standards pre-empt a Vermont law that had food makers labeling their products “produced with genetic engineering.”
Gene-editing exemption: The labeling rules don’t apply if genetic engineers use CRISPR to alter plant DNA in ways that mimic “conventional breeding” or can be “found in nature.” According to the US government, that doesn’t qualify as bioengineering.
The first babies conceived with a sperm-injecting robot have been born
Meet the startups trying to engineer a desktop fertility machine.
Doctors have performed brain surgery on a fetus in one of the first operations of its kind
A baby girl who developed a life-threatening brain condition was successfully treated before she was born—and is now a healthy seven-week-old.
A brain implant changed her life. Then it was removed against her will.
Her case highlights why we need to enshrine neuro rights in law.
The FDA just approved rub-on gene therapy that helps “butterfly” children
Biotech companies are getting creative with how they deliver DNA fixes into people's bodies.
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GUANAJUATO, Mexico—Automotive sealing manufacturer Standard Profil S.A. has opened its 10th plant worldwide, representing a $36 million investment.
The facility, located in Guanajuato, will produce sealing for automotive original equipment manufacturers in the North American region.
Werner Gehring, vice president operations west, said in an email that the facility is Standard Profil's first in Mexico and will produce the full range of body sealing systems—its primary product line—for the Audi and Volkswagen brands. The firm also will look to negotiate with other North America-based customers for new business opportunities.
Gehring said the facility currently employs 130 but projects to reach 700 in the next two years.
“We always aim to be closer to our customers, and that's why we are here, very close to the automotive global original equipment manufacturers,” CEO Turhan Semizer said in a statement. “We want to continue our success in North America as well. We believe in our new plant and colleagues in Mexico who will bring us to the goals we set for our common future.”
Standard Profil said the plant is equipped with its best technologies and was built from ground zero in nine months. Gehring said the facility will utilize state-of-the-art finishing equipment and an EPDM extrusion line. It also will be equipped with an in-house tool shop, a fully equipped lab for a variety of testing and controls, and this year the firm will begin research and development activities.


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MELBOURNE, Australia--Grain-handling-and-storage company GrainCorp Ltd. (GNC.AU) said a smaller crop and fall in exports from eastern Australia will drag earnings lower this financial year.
The company forecast profit before one-time items of between 45 million Australian dollars (US$35 million) and A$60 million in the year through September, a sharp fall from A$95 million the previous year.
Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization are expected to be between A$240 million and A$270 million, down from A$293 million in the 2014 financial year.
Mark Palmquist, the company's chief executive and managing director, said that while the company had achieved cost savings across its business, a smaller winter crop had contributed to an exportable surplus almost 2 million metric tons below average.
Recent rains in eastern Queensland state had improved the outlook for the summer sorghum crop, but Mr. Palmquist said grain exports from eastern Australia would be 2.5 million-3 million tons this year, versus 4.4 million tons last year, which in turn affects the company's fixed rail-freight costs.
Write to Robb M. Stewart at firstname.lastname@example.org
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While the party is far from over, the last few months have seen the booze industry hit some surprising obstacles.
Given that most boozy forecasts at the beginning of 2022 were filled with endless optimism, the news and statistics of the last few months of summer have been somewhat sobering. Spirits numbers flattened or dropped. Craft breweries seemed to have more closures than usual, and total beer volume sales and dollars were noticeably down. The promising direct-to-consumer, low-ABV booze brand Haus lost its funding. Direct-to-consumer wine sales “slowed noticeably.” And in the UK, trends show younger (potential) drinkers embracing a teetotal lifestyle, prompting Vice to suggest alcohol “has lost its cool.”
It’s possible that some of these negative patterns are fleeting and simply related to the economy — in a recent survey by Drizly, 31% of the drinks delivery service’s users said inflation had affected their alcohol purchasing patterns, though given that gas prices were the main cause of concern from these customers, those patterns may change as gas prices continue to dip.
Low-Proof Spirits Are on the RiseNot quite whiskey or vodka, some bottles skirt the 80-proof standard
Is all this bad news just a coincidence? Look elsewhere and the numbers — well, outside of hard seltzers — are staggering, particularly regarding tequila sales, the non-alcoholic beverage sector and the amounts of money large spirits brands were pouring into expansion (that’s $1.2 billion Buffalo Trace is spending).
Bacardi releases a Trends Report at the beginning of each year (along with trend forecasters The Future Lab) that predicts where the drinks industry is headed. Given that we’re two-thirds through 2022, I reached out to Bacardi’s Global Advocacy Director, Jacob Briars, to get some clarity on the current state of the booze industry. Not surprisingly, he’s bullish on the future, especially when it comes to tequila, non-alcoholic beverages and our return to bars.
InsideHook: We’re over halfway through the year. What’s been the biggest surprise in the booze industry so far?
Jacob Briars: It’s been wonderful to watch as people have gone back to bars and restaurants in full swing, with no signs of a slowdown from the initial momentum of the on-premise reopening. People are looking to make up for missed moments and they’re choosing more premium spirits and quality ingredients for their cocktail and food choices when they celebrate special occasions and indulge in these moments that matter. The data reflects this with a recent Nielsen CGA On-Premise Survey showing that 22% of consumers say they are now choosing a higher quality of drinks when they go out.
We’re also observing a seismic shift in the complexity of cocktails in consumers’ repertoire and evolving bar orders. Historically people have built up their cocktail knowledge over time, going from a beer to simple mixed drinks (with known brands like Bacardi and cola) to eventually graduating to drinks like Daiquiris and Old-Fashioneds. But we’re now seeing people make that jump much more quickly, moving into cocktails right away.
Home mixology and social media are both factors in the sudden interest we’re seeing in more complex cocktails, with today’s drinkers coming back into bars with really specific requests, ordering unusually challenging drinks with specific brands and even specific ratios. This is a level of knowledge we haven’t seen before and it’s very exciting to see newer drinkers choosing niche cocktails (like a Paper Plane) over simpler spirit and mixer drinks.
Obviously, there’s been a return to bars. So “on-premise” sales are on the rise…but do you see them recovering to pre-2020 levels?
According to the latest Nielsen CGA On-Premise survey, people have continued to frequent bars and restaurants through the summer, and 64% are excited to visit them in the future. From our observations, we’re seeing on-premise spending pretty much back to 2019 levels, depending on the states. There are some regional variations, but overall, we’re seeing on-premise sales volume make up over 20% of the business, which is where we were pre-2020. We’re also seeing cocktails take up a bigger slice of the pie in overall orders.
What’s a trend in bars or restaurants that we should be watching, as it relates to drinks?
The non-alcoholic and low-ABV cocktails (NoLo) category continues to grow, with more and more people becoming open to the full spectrum of 0-50% ABV cocktails. NoLo options are seeing more of a play in menus and drinking occasions, complemented by increased social acceptability for these cocktails. We’ve seen this reflected in the success of our NoLo portfolio of spirits at Bacardi, including the recently launched MARTINI Vibrante and Floreale. In many instances, we see consumers now choose alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails within the same occasion.
Another trend to watch is in the space of premium, aged sipping rum, where consumer interest is higher than ever. Tequila is another category where we’re seeing consumers invest in exclusive and rare spirits at amounts previously reserved for spirits like bourbon and Scotch. This category has been on fire for the last few years.
What early Covid booze industry trends are sticking? What isn’t sticking?
Even in a slow economy, premiumization in spirits continues to trend post the pandemic. Many are celebrating more extravagantly and are willing to pay top shelf.
People invested in their home bars and are still creating at-home occasions and serving cocktails in this setting. According to our 2022 Bacardi Cocktail Trends Report, 50% of consumers in the U.S. have a cocktail shaker, jigger and strainer in their homes.
Ready-to-drink cocktails (RTDs) gained popularity due to the format’s convenience, portability and safety aspect, making them a great drink choice in 2020. They have remained a staple as they provide a no-hassle, premium cocktail experience at home. Moreso, canned cocktails are now appearing in places other than home and backyard gatherings — at music festivals, nightclubs, and concert venues to coffee shops and golf resorts.
There has been some coverage that drinking patterns have flattened or even dropped a bit in the last quarter. Are statistics backing that up?
The latest on-premise consumer data by Nielsen CGA shows an increase in consumer visitations to bars and restaurants month over month through the summer, and 32% of consumers spending more than they did three months ago. Estimations on future visitation numbers also continue to show growth, with a third of consumers planning on visiting bars and restaurants to celebrate Labor Day and 67% stating they expect to visit hospitality venues as often or more often through the rest of the year. Even in cases where consumers are drinking less, we find growth in cocktail consumption continuing to trend higher, especially for vodka and tequila drinks.
Join America's Fastest Growing Spirits Newsletter THE SPILL. Unlock all the reviews, recipes and revelry — and get 15% off award-winning La Tierra de Acre Mezcal.


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After the Coronavirus outbreak worldwide, many global events get canceled. Google has also canceled its annual event Google I/O 2020 due to Coronavirus. Google I/O is an annual event of Google in which the company launches its new products and research. Starting of the month Google has tweeted about the cancelation of Google I/0 2020.
Google I/O 2020 is scheduled online after the cancellation of the offline event. Google writes on I/O 2020 event page “Out of concern for the health and safety of our developers, employees, and local communities — and in line with recent ‘shelter in place’ orders by the local Bay Area counties — we sadly will not be holding I/O in any capacity this year.“
“Right now, the most important thing all of us can do is focus our attention on helping people with the new challenges we all face. Please know that we remain committed to finding other ways to share platform updates with you through our developer blogs and community forums.“, Google states.
After cancellation of the Google I/O 2020 due to Coronavirus, Company has initiated the refunds of the tickets fare. Visitors will get directly eligible to purchase tickets for Google I/O 2021 who have book tickets for Google I/O 2020.
The Cloud event, Google Cloud Next 2020 gets online from 6th April to 8th April. Coronavirus outbreak not only led to cancelation of many events as Facebook F8 developer conference, MWC and more. Google has also made a Coronavirus Website live for enhanced information.


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Would you eat orange cauliflower? I’m not sure I would. It’s one of those visual hang-ups I have when it comes to vegetables. Cauliflower is supposed to be white. Carrots are supposed to be orange.
But researchers found a mutant head of orange cauliflower growing in a Canadian field 30 years ago, touching off a scientific probe that has produced some interesting findings for the odd color. Turns out the orange cauliflower has a hundred-fold more beta-carotene than plain white cauliflower. The orange pigment is a carotenoid and an important anti-oxidant that has been linked to lower rates of cancer and heart disease. The push is on to figure out how to get more of these compounds into the foods we eat every day.
Plant geneticists with the Agricultural Research Service hope the mutant cauliflower will offer up some clues. They have isolated one gene that they think is an important switch in regulating beta-carotene production in plants. If this proves to be true, they say, they may be able to genetically manipulate other plant species, like rice and wheat, into producing carotenoids. And everything from bread to pasta to breakfast cereals could start turning an odd shade of orange.


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Google is gunning for iMessage as the marketing huge desires Apple's service to fall under the umbrella of the 'core platform service.' To assist bring its strategy to fulfillment, the business has actually partnered with a number of European telecom business to press the European Commission to require Apple to make iMessage a cross-platform messaging service with other apps such as Google Messages and more.
A number of telecom business and Google have actually sent out a letter to the European Union specifying that iMessage fulfills the brand-new Digital Markets Act's conditions
A paywalled report from Financial Times that was found by Android Authority states that in addition to Google, Telefónica, Orange, Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom, and others have actually sent out a letter to the European Union that iMessage need to come under the Digital Markets Act totally as it satisfies the legislation's requirements. All the previously mentioned business mention that customers would significantly take advantage of iMessage ending up being cross-platform suitable with other messaging services.
The European Union thinks that given that iMessage is pre-installed on all iPhones and is specifically readily available to users who utilize these gadgets, the service indirectly adds to Apple's income because it requires purchasers to gravitate towards updating to among these iPhones. Due to these conditions, iMessage is currently under examination by the European Union, though Apple has actually had the ability to avoid its special service from being covered under the Digital Markets Act.
The California-based huge states that iMessage is not popular in Europe and does not meet the Digital Markets Act requirement of 45 million regular monthly active users to certify as a 'gatekeeper' service. Apple has actually likewise argued that iMessage needs to not come under the Digital Markets Act considering that it is entirely complimentary to utilize, and all iPhones can be practical without communicating with the app in any shape or kind.
The European Union has till February to choose the fate of iMessage and if it will end up being a part of the Digital Markets Act. Presuming the app pleases all conditions, Apple has till March 2024 to adhere to the brand-new guidelines, hence making the service interoperable with other messaging apps.
News Source: Financial Times


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Hubig’s Pies and Dixie Beer, together again at last?
No, I’m not talking about a sweet and sudsy flavor pairing. Instead, the two old New Orleans brands, Hubig’s and Dixie, have both been in the news lately, each on different parts of their own return. What unites them is an everyman appeal tied to place, particularly this one.
If you want something to confirm your status as a connoisseur or big spender, well, these were the opposite. But they were part of landscape of New Orleans flavors, daily reminders that our home has its own ways.
Dixie Beer hadn’t been made in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina, until now. Watching it come back has been a curious case of an old brand growing more youthful.
Once, before the craft brewing revival, Dixie was the last local beer standing, or maybe teetering. Back then, even its regular customers were prone to describe their loyalty like a penance. It wasn’t the best, but hey it was ours.
Now, the new Dixie wants to rekindle the beer of its heyday, not its last days. The familiar lager has been refitted to live its best life, and there’s a range of new craft brews under the Dixie name. Its new brewery in New Orleans East is a gleaming visitor attraction. It’s about taking something New Orleans knows and recasting it for the times.
On the other hand, for Hubig’s Pies, coming back exactly the way people remember is job one.
Hubig’s has been out of circulation for almost 8 years after a disastrous fire. Now, plans are rolling to finally build a new factory. The goal: get these hand pies back in your hot little hands by summertime.
It’s a new start for the old company which is promising that in flavor, style, look and feel the Hubig’s Pies that hit the shelves will match the ones that live in New Orleans memory.
And, who knows, someday soon perhaps we will wash down a Hubig’s pie with a Dixie beer. These days, that doesn’t sound like such an odd pairing after all.


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Richard Davies/Allica Bank
Number of SMEs switching banks using CASS hits 10-year low
SME-focused fintech Allica Bank has launched a new business current account to encourage small businesses to switch
Over the past 10 years, less than one per cent of SMEs have switched bank account, according to new research from Allica Bank.
The Current Account Switch Service (CASS), has been used four times less by small and medium businesses than it has by personal customers, with just 33,000 UK SMEs using the service.
This puts SME current account switching at its lowest level since the scheme began in 2013.
“I wasn’t surprised to see the stats which show that minimal numbers of SME banking customers have switched their current accounts in the last decade. After all, what motivation has there been for them to do so?” Allica Bank CEO Richard Davies said.
“This is exactly why Allica Bank exists — to offer an alternative to the big banks. SMEs only switch when there’s a strong benefit in doing so.”
In conjunction with a temporary RBS-funded ‘Incentivised Switching Scheme’, there was a brief uplift in bank switching from February 2019 to June 2021, but since then the number of SMEs switching accounts has dropped significantly.
This is in large part due to a lack of SME-specific services from most incumbents.
Specifically catering to SMEs, Allica became a member of CASS in December 2023 and is launching a new business current account, the ‘Business Rewards Account’, to give established businesses “compelling reasons” to switch their bank accounts.
“Our Business Rewards Account offers no account fees, cashback on all purchases, and a leading savings rate, so businesses can switch and save permanently,” Davies said.
“Our mission is to transform banking for established SMEs and we’re determined to drive change in the market — Britain’s SMEs deserve better.”
By contrast, the number of personal customers changing their bank account through CASS has steadily increased since 2020, and the proportion of personal customers switching is four times higher than SME switching rates.


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Producer prices in Sweden rose 4.9% year-on-year in April 2019, easing from a 6.3% surge in the previous month. This is the lowest producer inflation since April last year, as prices increased less for manufacturing (4.7% vs 6.5% in March) and mining & quarrying (18.8% vs 20.3%). In contrast, cost grew faster for electricity, gas, steam & air conditioning supply (6.0% vs 2.7%) and it rebounded for water supply (0.2% vs -0.8%). On a monthly basis, producer prices decreased 0.7%, after gaining 1.2% in the previous month. Import prices were unchanged from the prior month in April while export prices fell 0.7%. A further increase in crude oil prices contributed on the import market. This upward contribution was offset by lower prices on chemicals and chemical products, communication equipment and motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers. The main contributor to the downturn on the export market was lower prices for paper and paper products Producer Prices Change in Sweden averaged 1.88 percent from 1991 until 2019, reaching an all time high of 10.81 percent in May of 1995 and a record low of -5.29 percent in April of 2013.
Producer Prices Change in Sweden is expected to be 4.20 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. Looking forward, we estimate Producer Prices Change in Sweden to stand at 2.50 in 12 months time. In the long-term, the Sweden Producer Prices Change is projected to trend around 3.20 percent in 2020, according to our econometric models.


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Kiwi Property Secures New Zealand’s First JD Sports Store
Kiwi Property today announces an exciting new addition to Sylvia Park’s retail offering. UK-based retail giant JD Sports will open in mid-2021 with a compelling selection of sports lifestyle products and hundreds of exclusive styles, including several brands that are yet to be available on Kiwi shores.
Linda Trainer, GM Asset Management at Kiwi Property, says, “we’re thrilled to have secured New Zealand’s first JD Sports store, soon to be unveiled at Sylvia Park.”
“JD Sports is a big name in global sports fashion, offering new products to the market that Kiwi consumers will be eager to get their hands on. It’s exciting to have this first-in-market brand at Sylvia Park, catering to the growing demand for athleisure retail.”
JD Sports joins a range of existing brands in the shopping centre appealing to active, fashion-conscious Kiwis.
JD Sports Spokesperson comments, “we're extremely excited to open our first New Zealand store at Sylvia Park, Auckland. We've had regular feedback from New Zealanders over the past few years since we first expanded to Australia, asking for a store across the Tasman. Now we’re finally in a position to deliver the JD Sports brand along with our exclusive product assortments and undisputed multichannel retail experience, to our loyal and dedicated customers.”


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Babies “R” Us announced that it will continue its commitment to honor families of the U.S. armed forces through a collaboration with Operation Shower, an organization that hosts joyful baby showers for military wives as they experience the journey of pregnancy while their husbands are deployed. To kick off the second year of partnership, consisting of shower events and fundraising efforts, the Toys “R” Us Children’s Fund, a public charity affiliated with Toys “R” Us, Inc., has donated $100,000 to Operation Shower.
In the coming year, Babies “R” Us will once again leverage its dedicated microsite at Babiesrus.com/OperationShower as an online information and donation portal, where visitors can learn how to support this program and ensure that military moms-to-be receive basic essentials for their newborns. Since launching this digital destination last year, individuals, organizations, and businesses eager to support Operation Shower have donated items from the charity’s official Babies “R” Us Registry, which allows shoppers to purchase much-needed products for these expectant moms and have them sent directly to Operation Shower for use at events throughout the year. [Read more...]


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"We had had some talks with Apple earlier this year but it did not work out due to differences over terms," said the Samsung spokesman by telephone, adding they had dropped the joint investment talks "at a very early stage."
He declined to give the potential investment size or elaborate on reasons for the breakdown.
Samsung is the world's largest maker of NAND flash memory, used in hot-selling MP3 music players, digital cameras and high-end mobile phones.
Analysts said Apple had booked as much as 40 percent of the NAND output of Samsung for the second half of 2005 to support production of its flash memory-based iPods digital music players.
The Korea Economic Daily said that Apple was currently in talks with another memory chip maker for joint flash chip output in the United States.
Early this month, two executives at parent Samsung Group were found guilty of conspiring in a 1996 deal to help the children of the group's chairman buy a majority stake in an affiliate at below-market prices.
Samsung Group has lodged an appeal with a South Korean court over the ruling.


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Here is the confirmed date and time of Microsoft’s Xbox E3 2018 press conference.
It’s all change for Xbox at E3 2018, with a new venue for its traditional E3 press conference, plus a notable shift towards focusing on fans and influencers.
Instead of having an Xbox booth on Los Angeles Convention Center show floor – which will be replaced by a dedicated Mixer zone (joy) – the company is instead shifting its wares to the nearby Microsoft Theater.
According to a recent post on Xbox Wire, the theatre will host “various Xbox FanFest activities, hands-on gameplay and demos for all E3 attendees and more.”
Microsoft will hold its Xbox E3 Briefing on Sunday, June 10 at 1:00pm PST, with 1,000 free tickets up for grabs via an online raffle. The briefing will also be streamed on the official Xbox Mixer channel, as well as Twitch and YouTube.
Xbox E3 2018 Briefing
Sunday, June 10, 2018
- PT: 1pm
- ET: 4pm
- BST: 9pm
- CEST: 10pm
It’s an important year for the Xbox. Despite having the most super-duper console ever made, and a suite of excellent gamer friendly services, the Xbox One remains in the shadow of the PlayStation 4, and a resurgent Nintendo.
In a nutshell, the Xbox One needs some exclusive games to complete its offering. We can expect details of a new Halo or Gears of War, perhaps even both, but our hopes are pinned on the rumoured return of the Fable franchise, with Playground Games at the helm.
And our random ‘please make it happen’ prediction, is for the return of the best Xbox 360 game ever made, 1 vs. 100.
Update: 06/10/18 – Well, that didn’t happen, but there were plenty of other announcements. Here’s the full list.
Check out the full E3 2018 press conference schedule.