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Prada is Looking Build Out a Group Again, Sources Say
In a Prada earnings call in March, in between touting e-commerce sales growth of more than 200 percent for the 2020 fiscal year and citing “stronger retention, average order value, etc.,” as it has eagerly welcomed a younger generation of luxury-happy consumers, Patrizio Bertelli shared a bit of information that may ultimately prove to be the most telling of all. Addressing the enduring array of mergers and acquisitions that has been underway as the pandemic separates the mightiest from the lesser-so and enables cash-flush luxury giants to further bolster their holdings, Prada’s co-CEO said that the Milan-based group is “not planning to sell” Prada or its smaller brands.
The potentially more compelling revelation, however, was that Prada may consider acquiring other brands, a statement that now appears to be more than a mere possibility.
Fast forward a few months and it seems that Prada is actively seeking out a deal that would enable it to build a bigger group under the watch of Mr. Bertelli, along with his wife and longtime Prada creative chief Miuccia, and their son Lorenzo Bertelli, 33. On the heels of stating in March that the family – which owns 80 percent of the Prada Group – was “open” to acquiring other brands, Bertelli is in talks with Mediobanca, Italy’s largest investment bank, about possible deals to take over an as-of-now unnamed brand, but likely one that Prada can acquire for cheap and relaunch under its ownership umbrella, according to a source for TFL.
A Second Try?
Should an acquisition come into fruition, it would not be the first time that Prada has tried to bolster its roster. In fact, in the late 1990s, Mr. Bertelli – who currently shares the CEO title with his wife, Miuccia – sought to take on the likes of LVMH and PPR, now known as Kering, by building Prada into a fully-fledged luxury group. In that vein, Bertelli set the fashion media ablaze when he amassed a 9.5 percent stake in fellow Italian fashion brand Gucci between 1997 and 1998, and then sold off all 5.6 million of his shares to LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault in January 1999.
A few months later, in March 1999, Mr. Bertelli acquired 51 percent of the Helmut Lang brand, and would take over the remaining 49 percent stake several years later. In furtherance of Bertelli’s conglomerate-building quest, Prada revealed in August 1999 that it would secure a controlling stake in Jil Sander. Shortly after that, the group struck a deal to buy out Church & Co. after previously amassing a stake in the English footwear company, and in October 1999, jointly acquired Fendi in a €1 billion deal with LVMH. And still yet, Bertelli also brokered deals that saw the Prada Group amass controlling stakes in Azzedine Alaïa and Car Shoe.
Ultimately, Bertelli, now 75, sold off almost everything, pushed “by [Prada’s] creditor banks” to rid itself of unprofitable brands, the Wall Street Journal reported in a 2006 article reflecting on the wind-down of the ambitious play that could have resulted in an Italian luxury goods powerhouse, one to rival the two French titans, LVMH and Kering.
Swearing off further attempts to build out a bona fide luxury goods conglomerate, Bertelli said in the wake of the sell-offs that Prada would focus on achieving growth from within, namely by expanding into new markets, and in 2006, it sought €100 million ($126.5 million at the time) in funding from Banca Intesa in exchange for a 5 percent stake in the group, a deal that valued Prada at €2 billion.
Skip forward again, this time to June 2011, and Prada made good on its long-rumored plans to go public, listing 20 percent of the company on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and raising $2.14 billion to “re-finance debt that was slated to mature and to finance its intended growth into Asia” and other market by way of upwards of 200 new store openings.
Strategy & Succession
More recently, things have been looking up for Prada, which has been actively aiming to boost margins and bolster its brand image by revamping its classic products and putting a stop to end-of-season markdowns, and looking to attract younger, digitally-connected consumers by way of a marketing overhaul and an emphasis on e-commerce following a few sluggish years beginning in 2013. And while Bertelli reaffirmed the company’s enduring focus on “internal growth” this spring, ongoing talks with bankers in Milan seem to suggest that he is undiscouraged by the group’s failed attempt to bolster its size by way of outside brands beginning in the late 90s, and in fact, may be looking to try his hand again.
The potential for M&A activity for the Prada Group – in with Mr. Bertelli, personally, maintains 35 percent of the family’s 80 percent stake, and Mrs. Prada controls a larger 65 percent along with her family – comes as succession speculation looms. Bertelli has stated that he intends for the reigns to eventually pass to his son Lorenzo, who joined the Prada Group board this spring and has served as the company’s head of marketing and CSR since 2018. To date, a timeline for such a move has not been identified. However, sources suggest that Lorenzo, an ambitious new member of the family firm, who is said to have his mother’s backing in ascending to the CEO role in the not-too-distant future, could take over the business in as few as two to three years.
If his father has anything to do with it, that business will be at least one brand mightier, putting Prada in a stronger position to achieve greater future growth and assuming this time is different than the last, maybe even enabling it to take a spot within the ranks of the industry’s most well-known groups.
UPDATED (November 18, 2021): Mr. Bertelli confirmed this week that he plans to put his son Lorenzo in charge of the Italian fashion company within the next three years, and also reiterated that Prada is not looking to sell. “I’ve always been interested in buying, never selling,” he stated, noting that the group could grow further by acquiring small Italian textile and manufacturing companies.


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Coors Light was nation's No. 2 seller in 2012
Colorado may be the Napa Valley of craft beer, but the most popular beer to come out of the state in 2012 was Coors Light — the No. 2 selling beer in America for the past year, according to a study released Monday.
The “Silver Bullet,” as it’s popularly known, accounted for $2.29 billion in sales in supermarkets, drug stores, mass-market stores, convenience stores, military commissaries, and select club and dollar retail chains, according to SymphonyIRI Group, a Chicago-based market research firm. Those sales were 7.9 percent of the $29.2 billion American beer market and was a 2.8 percent increase from 2011.
Coors Light, developed at the Coors Brewery in Golden, trailed only Bud Light, the flagship beer of St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch InBev. Sales of Bud Light reached $5.98 billion in 2012, which was 20.5 percent of the market.
Four other beers made by MillerCoors Brewing LLC made the list of the top 20 beers in America. Miller Lite was No. 4 ($1.93 billion in sales), Miller High Life No. 11 ($520.8 million), Keystone Light No. 12 ($513.7 million) and Icehouse No. 20 ($233.3 million).
Three imported beers made the list — Corona Extra at No. 6, Heineken at No. 10 and Modelo Especial at No. 14 — but the other 17 beers on it all came from large breweries with production plants based in America.
Craft breweries — the locally owned, smaller-production breweries that dot the Colorado landscape — didn’t produce a beer on the list.
Ed Sealover covers government, health care, tourism, airlines and hospitality for the Denver Business Journal and writes for the "Capitol Business" blog. Phone: 303-803-9229.
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Pinterest is expanding its advertising solutions into Latin America, for the first time, with the launch of Pinterest Ads in Brazil.
Brazil is turning out to be an important growth market for Pinterest, with 46 million people in the country using its platform for inspiration and product discovery. Apart from this, user demographics in the country stand out as well.
Almost half of women, 45% of Gen Z’ers, and 60% of moms in Brazil currently use the platform. This presents a real opportunity for businesses of all sizes to reach these audiences and drive shopping inspiration and actual sales.
To help marketers reach audiences in Brazil, Pinterest is now expanding its advertising solutions to the country with a full toolkit of targeting, shopping ads, interactive measurement dashboards, and other tools.
The launch of Pinterest Ads in Brazil is the first expansion of its ads product into Latin America. More countries in the region will be coming soon.
“Brazil is one of Pinterest’s largest markets outside of the US,” explained Jon Kaplan, Global Head of Sales at Pinterest. “Our scale, paired with the unique mindset of people on Pinterest, makes our audience incredibly valuable to marketers. We’re thrilled to bring this opportunity to advertisers in Brazil and look forward to expanding across more countries in Latin America.”
Brazil is an important market for Pinterest for numerous reasons.
This is because shopping is different on Pinterest, as “people come for an experience, not a transaction.” According to Pinterest’s own data, 66% of people say inspiration is critical in helping them decide what to buy, and this makes it a key shopping driver.
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Grace Church’s semi-annual Rummage Sale will take place on Thursday, Oct. 3 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., in the Church’s Parish Hall (rear building of 19 Kings Highway East). As with the spring, we will be spotlighting the “best of the best” items in our Boutique Room!
The Church’s famous hot dog and baked bean meal will be offered from 11 a.m., as well as delectable baked goods and drinks so arrive hungry. Donations will be accepted on Sunday, Sept. 29 beginning at 11 a.m. in the Church’s Parish Hall.
For more information, call the Church office at (856) 429-0007.


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H&M Opening on Miami Beach
Post on April 17, 2015 by The Victoria Law Group 0 Comments
Aventura Mall is making up for years of being treated like a red-headed step-child to Bal Harbor Shops. H&M is going to open a new store on Lincoln Road in Miami Beach in November. Then, Aventura will get it’s own store following soon thereafter. Hey, why have one H&M store when you can have two. What recession?
Presented by Miami Business Attorney


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While engineers and designers feverishly worked overtime on the advancement of a four-passenger cars they code-named the F-car, the Chevy public relations, marketing and advertising group prepared the world for the intro of a car they called the Panther.
All through the summer season of 1965 virtually every element of the vehicle’s design and development, from preliminary design sketches to clay models, was photographed and thoroughly documented. Chevy used the possessions to create a 30 -minute movie The Camaro for sale in Lake Villa IL , which was later on shown on TELEVISION and in movie theaters. They likewise introduced females’s clothing called the Camaro Collection and even a Camaro roadway race online game.
Chevy Camaros For Sale
In November, Chevy sales executives and innovative people previewed prototype designs at the GM Tech Center. Campbell-Ewald, Chevy’s age-old ad agency, right away started work on brochures, direct mail and sales promotion products, along with print, outside and TV/radio advertising. In April 1966, at the New york city Auto Show Interview, Chevrolet sales executives admitted no name had actually been chosen for the brand-new car, however did reveal that prices of 1967 Chevy Camaro for sale in Lake Villa IL model will remain in the Corvair-Chevy II variety.
Throughout early 1966 Chevy agonized over a name for its Mustang-killer. GM’s upper management fidgeted about the aggressive undertones of the Panther name. A comparable bout of cold feet would later on cause the Pontiac variation, code named the Banshee, to be renamed Firebird. Over its short lifetime, the F-car had actually been called by numerous names consisting of Wildcat, Chaparral, Commander and Nova. It’s also reported that Chevy considered utilizing the letters “GM” in the name, and created G-Mini, which developed into GeMini and lastly Gemini. Nevertheless, GM’s upper management banned the idea, fearing the automobile might be a failure.
Automotive legend has it that somebody at Chevrolet finally proposed the name Camaro and upper management rapidly agreed. Although the name has no genuine meaning, GM scientists apparently found the word in a French dictionary as a slang term for “pal” or “companion.” It’s reported that Ford Motor Company scientists also discovered other meanings, including “a shrimp-like creature” and an arcane term for “loose bowels.”
Since a number or pre-launch materials had actually currently been launched utilizing the Panther name, Chevy’s the majority of pushing obstacle was to now relabel their new Mustang killer, the Camaro. Camaros are found in Lake Villa IL by looking for classic car dealers.
Finally, on June 28, 1966, General Motors held a live interview in Detroit’s Statler-Hilton Hotel. It was the first time in history that 14 cities were linked in real time for an interview by means of telephone lines. Elliot M. “Pete” Estes, who changed “Bunkie” Knudsen as Chevrolet General Manager in July 1965, began the news conference by declaring all individuals were now charter members of the Society for the Elimination of Panthers from the Automotive World (SEPAW.) Estes with confidence announced that Camaro was picked as the name for Chevy’s brand-new four-passenger cars to honor the tradition of beginning Chevy design names with the letter C such as the Corvette, Corvair, Chevelle, and Chevy II.


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NEW YORK – The UK's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) recently published a set of guidelines for in vitro diagnostics manufacturers in the event that the UK leaves the European Union without a deal.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reiterated that the UK will exit the EU by the end of the month with or without a deal. If the UK does leave the EU on Oct. 31 without a deal, MHRA will take on the responsibilities for regulating medical devices and IVDs currently overseen by the EU.
"Government guidance has been issued to prepare for a no-deal EU exit, as supported by legislative change where required, should that be the outcome of negotiations between the UK and EU," an MHRA spokesperson said this week.
As detailed in the Sept. 18 document, IVDs and medical devices are currently regulated in the UK under the EU's In Vitro Diagnostics Directive (IVDD) and the Medical Device Directive (MDD). Compliance with the IVDD allows manufacturers to sell their products for clinical use in the UK under a CE-IVD mark. Additionally, the EU is transitioning to new regulations governing medical devices and IVDs, set to come into force by 2020 and 2022, respectively.
MHRA has so far regulated medical devices and IVDs under the EU system. But should the UK leave the EU without a deal covering the regulation of IVDs and medical devices, there will be some changes, according to the agency.
For example, IVD manufacturers will have to register their tests with MHRA from the day the UK leaves the EU. If the manufacturer is based outside the UK, the company will have to have its products registered with the help of a domestic representative, known as a "UK responsible person." Only a UK firm or a responsible person will legally be able to place a test on the market. A person may be an individual or a company, the guidance states.
According to MHRA, manufacturers will have a grace period of several months to a year, depending on the class of the devices, to have their products registered. The fee to register a product is £100 ($123).
MHRA will continue to define IVDs and medical devices according to the European IVDD and MDD, and will transition to the definitions in the new EU regulations in coming years. Likewise, the agency said that it will continue to allow devices to be placed on the UK market that conform with EU regulations following Brexit.
The role of notified bodies
The new guidance also covers the role of notified bodies, the organizations certified by the EU to clear products for clinical use. Currently, several organizations have been certifified to clear medical devices under the MDR, yet so far no NB has been certified to clear IVDs, though several expect to be certified in the next few months.
In the event of a no-deal Brexit, UK-based NBs will no longer be recognized by the EU, according to the guidance, meaning they will no longer be able to certify tests that meet the criteria laid out in European regulations. MHRA recommends that companies wishing to place IVDs or medical devices on the UK market have their tests cleared in an EU member state, after which they will be able to sell their tests in both the UK and the EU.
UK-based NBs will continue to operate in the UK, though, and MHRA said it will continue to recognize the certificates of validity they issued prior to Brexit. Products cleared by the UK NBs while the country was an EU member state will therefore still be recognized by the MHRA after.
In addition to publishing the guidance, an MHRA spokesperson said the agency has reached out to medical device and IVD manufacturers to prepare them for Brexit. These updates have included conferences, webinars, focused industry meetings, and one-to-one meetings with stakeholders, she said.
MHRA officials in the past have said that they intend to transition to the new European regulatory guidelines regardless of Brexit. The regulations have already been enacted in domestic UK law.
"Our role in regulating medical devices and in vitro diagnostic devices does not change," said John Wilkinson, director of devices at MHRA, in a 2017 interview. "Our preparations to implement proposed new regulations for medical devices and IVDs continue."
The British In Vitro Diagnostics Association, which represents IVD manufacturers and distributors in the UK, this week commended the agency for its efforts, given the continued uncertainty around Brexit, including for the release of the new guidance.
"MHRA are being very pragmatic in the face of Brexit," said Doris-Ann Williams, president of BIVDA. "We are hopeful that future regulations for IVDs will mirror the EU regulation." According to BIVDA, roughly 8,500 people are currently employed in the British IVD sector.


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Japan beef deal gets mixed reviews
Beef agreement gets mixed reviews
Cattle raisers say deal with Japan a good step but criticize parts of it
Texas cattle raisers welcomed the news of an agreement with Japan that could lead to the end of the ban on American beef imports but complained about the deal's terms and the time it is taking to restore exports.
Japan agreed Tuesday to accept U.S. beef imports, provided the animals are no more than 20 months old and meat plants across the U.S. pass inspections by a Japanese team. The inspections, to begin next month, are to ensure there is no danger of mad cow disease, known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE.
Bill Hyman, executive director of the Independent Cattlemen's Association of Texas and a rancher in Gonzales, said he didn't like the idea of Japanese inspectors passing judgment on American processors — a job normally left to the Agriculture Department.
"I don't consider it an infringement on our sovereignty. I consider it a slap at our procedures," Hyman said. "It's not a question at all that we're safe. It's known around the world we're the safest and have the healthiest products. It's about time people admitted to that."
He said Japan has had far more cases of BSE than the U.S., particularly in light of the smaller number of cattle there.
In January, Japan banned the import of American beef after a veal shipment was found to include bones from the animal's backbone. That violated Japanese rules designed to ensure that no parts of an animal's nervous system, in this case spinal cord tissues, might get into Japan.
Mad Cow disease has been linked to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a deadly illness in humans.
Not too excitedMatt Brockman , executive vice president of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association , said workers in his industry are careful not to get too excited about the agreement, which could open an important export market for the U.S. cattle industry.
"We want to be elated, but we're still guarded because this is a real scenario where the devil can be in the details," Brockman said. "Since December of 2003, when our first case of BSE was announced, it's been a long bumpy road and one of frustration, and it's now gotten to a point where the issue of regaining access to those markets has become critical from a financial perspective."
Japan banned American beef in 2003 after the first case of BSE was diagnosed in the United States, then lifted the ban in December 2005 to allow meat from animals 20 months old or younger be imported to Japan, only to reinstate the ban the following month.
This matters in Texas because the cattle business represented nearly half of the state's farm revenue in 2004, according to Agriculture Department statistics.
On Capitol Hill, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, agreed Japan's new stance was a positive step, but expressed frustration that the process to reopen beef trade was so drawn out.
"We've been through this drill before, and it's premature to jump for joy over this step," Grassley, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said in a prepared statement. "I'm glad Japan will begin inspections, but I'll continue to press the Japanese until they actually open their market based on science."
Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns, meanwhile, cautioned the cattle industry against expecting an immediate opening.
"I don't want this to be regarded as something bigger than it is," Johanns told reporters in Washington. "It's a step along the way, certainly a helpful step, but we still don't have beef there."
Age restriction questionedThe American Meat Institute in Washington praised the agreement between the two countries, but disagreed with Japan's restriction on the age of animals that can be imported.
"It's important to recognize that even when trade eventually resumes, the vast majority of the U.S. beef supply will remain ineligible for export to Japan due to the age limitation on cattle. U.S. beef of all ages is safe," the institute's president, J. Patrick Boyle, said in a news release.
Hyman said as long as Japan wasn't importing beef from the U.S., America was losing ground in that market to competitors from Australia, New Zealand and South America, which have stepped up beef sales to Japan in recent years.
"We must gain the support and confidence of the Japanese consumer and deliver a message that our beef is of the highest quality and the safest beef product produced in the world," he said.


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Applications for Plymouth One Fund available
PLYMOUTH – Applications for Plymouth One Fund grants of $500 to $5,000 are now available for qualifying small businesses that need help due to the pandemic closures.
A little more than a month has passed since Amy Naples and Kosta Haveles created the Plymouth One Fund – a grant program to help struggling small businesses keep or find their financial footing during and after the closures.
As executive director of the Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce, Naples joined forces with Haveles, who founded Masks4Meds, which delivered thousands of masks to medical staff in the early days of the crisis.
Many small businesses have been nearly wiped out by the weeks of closures, as loss of revenue from customers has sent ledger books into the red. Indeed, some small business owners in town say they’ve taken such a hit, they’re not sure they’ll be reopening.
The Plymouth One Fund is offering grants to qualifying businesses to help them through the crisis. These unrestricted grants will support rent, employee salaries and operating costs.
The Plymouth One Fund will be releasing funds in multiple rounds as funds become available.
The Chamber’s website includes step by step instructions on who qualifies and how to apply. Visit plymouthchamber.com/plymouth-1-fund.
To qualify for the Plymouth One Fund, businesses must be located in Plymouth with no more than 20 full-time year-round employees. The business must also be up to date on local, state and federal taxes and assessments and must be financially impacted by the pandemic. According to the policy, preference will be given to community-minded, brick and mortar businesses. And grant money must be used for operational expenses like rent, payroll, inventory and utilities. Grant money may not be used for capital expenses or payment of taxes or assessments.
So far, generous donors have raised $66,113 for the cause. Naples and Haveles are hoping to reach the $250,000 mark as soon as possible so the fund can help as many businesses as possible..
To donate, visit plymouthchamber.com/plymouth-1-fund. Donations are tax-deductible.


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OWASSO – Owasso should enjoy an economic growth spurt similar to the double-digit annual leaps scored a decade ago, according to economist Mark Snead.
“The outlook here has really strengthened for three consecutive years,” the president of the Oklahoma City research firm RegionTrack told an audience of more than 100 executives gathered Friday at the Bailey Medical Center for the city’s 2014 Owasso Economic Summit.
As estimates of population growth continue to rise, Snead said Owasso would enjoy robust growth that would extend into 2015, when the 1,500-plus-job Macy’s Fulfillment Center opens.
“We’re moving back to near the pre-recession pace,” he said, of retail sales, population and residential building permit growth. “We’re not moving back to the 1996 pace or the 2002 pace, but you’re moving back to the 2007, 2008 pace, which was really rapid.”
This city of 32,000 people charted consistent double-digit gains through much of the 1990s and early 2000s until the 2008 recession trickled into Oklahoma. That boom era stimulated construction of more than 5 million square feet of retail space, two hospitals, four hotels and multiple schools, although little manufacturing.
That marked one of the few non-growth sectors Snead could finger in his positive appraisal of Owasso’s next two years.
“I would suggest you recruit (a manufacturer) if you can,” he said.
One possible drain on Owasso’s fortunes could come from Tulsa, which is eyeing its own economic resurgence. Since 80 percent or more of Owasso residents work outside the community, Snead said, Tulsa’s improving economy could siphon off potential workers needed to fill a growing number of service jobs.
Snead projected that Owasso would top the 800 jobs it created last year, almost doubling 2013’s 4.4-percent growth rate. He estimated that about 80 percent of those 2014 jobs would rise in the service sector, demonstrating the maturing of this bedroom community’s economy.
“The labor market, I would argue, is not only fully recovered, but is probably approaching its long-term growth rate, which is very positive,” he said.
That should spur surging sales and use-tax results. With much of its Class A shopping center space filled, he said retail sales should rise 8.5 percent this year, matching trends seen from 2007 to 2009.
But Snead cautioned the audience that his estimate could be low.
“I just cannot predict a double-digit retail sales number,” he said. “But it will surprise me if you don’t post one.”
With Macy’s opening next year, he projected that Owasso would enjoy 3.7-percent population growth this year, while its unemployment rate moves toward 4 percent.
That could make 2015 a breakout year for Owasso’s housing sector, fueled by low double-digit job growth.
“It’s very good looking, very attractive,” he said. “Makes you nervous, doesn’t it, when you know your success is predestined?”o


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MassRoots Inc (OTCMKTS:MSRT) Releases Product and Strain Reviews
MassRoots Inc (OTCMKTS:MSRT) has released strain and product reviews within its Android and iOS apps. Through community-led reviews, the company intends to connect clients with the best products to cure their ailments.
Isaac Dietrich, the CEO, said that there are presently tens of thousands of products and strains in the controlled cannabis market, making it tough for people to find the best ones to cure their ailments, such as nausea or back-pain. Through community-led reviews, they are enabling passionate customer base to easily offer this information and then showcase it in a meaningful way for people to make cannabis buying decisions.
MassRoots is reachable in every state with a recreational or medicinal cannabis law. A couple of days ago, 9 states voted on initiatives to legalize the sale and production of cannabis, potentially expanding the legalized cannabis market from to over $23 billion by 2020 from nearly $7 billion in 2016. MassRoots anticipates the continued inclusion of new features to its platform along with expansion of the controlled cannabis market could considerably accelerate its user growth and prospective revenues.
Earlier in the first week of November, MassRoots reported that last month, it generated $250,000 for cannabis legalization movements and non-profits across the nation. Over 30% of the U.S. population resides in a state with a cannabis measure on the ballot in coming period and they are mobilizing entire community to assist these initiatives pass. If any blend of these measures become law, they project it could significantly improve company’s user growth and revenue.
In public, most marijuana firms talk a big game on supporting cannabis legalization but never contribute to make it progress. At the same time, MassRoots and its CEO have quietly taken considerable action to help put numerous key measures over the finish line.
This week has marked the start of the end for marijuana ban. MassRoots is making its place in the history with its immense support for legalization. Before voting, the company organized a Get-Out-The-Vote drive to bring cannabis supporters to the polls.© Copyright 2016 OTC News Magazine. All rights reserved.


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Facebook Vice President David Marcus is the face of the company's Libra digital currency, but the original driving force was a 26-year-old female corporate-development...Technologyread more
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Albany, NY, July 06, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IoNT is a network of nanoscale devices, sensors, and machines integrated into everyday physical objects that are connected to the Internet for effective data communication. It improves operational efficiency by increasing the pace of communication over the existing infrastructure and enhances business productivity in any industrial setup. IoNT focuses on improving the process capabilities by expanding the data storage and computing capacity at the basic sensor level.
The IoNT is embedded with nanotechnology allowing integration of nanoscale devices with the existing communication infrastructure and the Internet. It creates smart communication environments, such as smart homes, smart shopping, smart transportation, and smart healthcare. The IoNT can efficiently monitor and manage many interconnected nanoscale devices.
Technavios analysts forecast the Global Internet of Nano Things (IoNT) Market to grow at a CAGR of 24.25% during the period 2016-2020.
Covered in this report
The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global internet of nano things (IoNT) market for 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, we consider revenue generated from the sales of nanocomponents and devices, such as antennas and transceivers, cameras, memory cards, phones, processors, and sensors.
The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:
Technavio's report, Global Internet of Nano Things (IoNT) Market 2016-2020, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.
Download Sample Copy of this Report at http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/741818
Other prominent vendors
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PARIS, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Aluminium products makers Constellium NV and UACJ Corp will form a joint venture in the United States to supply the auto industry in response to growing demand for light-weight materials, the companies said on Thursday.
Car manufacturers are turning to aluminium to raise fuel efficiency in line with new regulations, and some analysts expect a fivefold increase this year in the auto aluminium sheet market in the United States.
Dutch-based Constellium and Japan’s UACJ plan to invest about $150 million to develop a production facility for aluminium sheet for car bodies, with an initial capacity target of 100,000 tonnes, they said in a joint statement.
The partners aim to launch production in the first half of 2016, a Constellium spokesman told Reuters, adding they would probably develop a new site rather than add a line at an existing plant.
Constellium will take a 51 percent stake in the venture alongside UACJ’s U.S. subsidiary Tri-Arrows Aluminium Inc., with the agreement to be finalised in the first half of this year.
The move comes after Constellium chief executive Pierre Vareille said this month the group would announce in the first quarter plans to expand in the U.S. auto sector.
Constellium, whose roots lie in former French aluminium group Pechiney, also announced last week it would invest 200 million euros in the next three years to raise its capacity for car body sheet in Europe.


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Malware Attack Popular Amongst the Hackers, Even though it Dips in Q2 in 2018
A new research by Positive Technologies have found out through the data that malware attacks are found to be the top-most method of attack, despite of the fact that malware attacks in Q2 were reported to be less common as compared to the first quarter of 2018.
Positive Technologies, in its report Q2 2018 Cybersecurity Threatscape, have found that the total number of cyber incidents that are unique have increased by 47% from last year's second quarter. Malware attacks, however, show a decrease in the second quarter from 63% in the first quarter to 49%. Besides, there has been a tremendous popularity and growth graph for other attacks, like compromise of credentials more than doubled in between Q1 (7% out of all the methods of attacking) and Q2 (19%). Also, exploitation of web vulnerability increased from 12% in Q1 to 18% in Q2.
The report further found that the unique cyber incidents were largely carried out on companies, on their clients and on cryptocurrency exchanges. In the month of May and June this year, the hackers targeted cryptocurrencies, which affected Bitcoin, Verge, Monacoin, Gold, ZenCash, Litecoin Cash and other currencies as well. The number of attacks on cryptocurrencies in Q2 has been recorded to be double the attacks in Q1 this year. The hackers stole over $100 million from the cryptocurrency platforms during Q2. Most of the times, the attackers compromised the online platforms as well as e-commerce websites to steal personal information, account credentials, credit card information, and so on.
Positive Technologies wrote that "we took a look at which information attracted hackers the most in Q2 2018. At the top of the list are personal data (30%) and account credentials (22%), such as for online banking. Credit and debit card information (15%) was obtained most often by using spyware or via compromised websites".
The targeted attacks in the Q2 of 2018 against the companies and organizations were 54% of all attacks; however, only a few attacks, i.e. only 15% of those were targeted against the government. Infrastructure was target of 44% of all attacks in the second quarter, whereas the attack on the web resources grew from 23% in Quarter 2 of 2017 to 32% in the year 2018.
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Microsoft Launches Bing Chatbot on iOS, Android, and Skype
Microsoft today announced the launch of AI-powered Bing and Microsoft Edge for mobile, alongside Bing integration for Skype.
This comes two weeks after Microsoft unveiled the Bing preview experience at an in-person event in Seattle, Washington. Since then, Microsoft says it has granted more than one million users access to “the new Bing,” as the company calls its ChatGPT-powered chatbot.
“Available on iOS and Android today, the Bing mobile app offers a fresh look and experience,” said Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President & Consumer Chief Marketing Officer.
“Tapping the Bing icon at the bottom will invoke a chat session, where you can engage in all the same ways you can from the desktop. Ask simple or complex questions and receive answers and citations. Choose how you want your answers displayed – bullet points, text or simplified responses. Explore the Bing chat experience to refine your query or compose an email, poem or list.”
With the launch of the Bing mobile app, Microsoft is also adding support for voice recognition on both mobile and desktop. In addition, users who have access to the Bing preview experience will be able to access the chatbot in the Microsoft Edge mobile app.
Furthermore, Microsoft is also bringing AI-powered Bing to Skype. The more than 36 million people who use Skype every day will now be able to add Bing to their group conversations and have the chatbot “answer questions and provide information for the entire group.” Bing will also serve as a personalized AI assistant for everyone in the conversation.
AI-powered Bing for Skype is available worldwide for users who are already on the preview experience starting today. Microsoft said that it also hopes to bring the new Bing to other communications apps, including Teams, in the future.
The tech giant cautioned that there is a known issue with these new mobile experiences that causes connectivity issues in low-bandwidth situations, and the company is working on a fix.
If you don’t have access to the new Bing and aren’t even on the waitlist yet, you can click here to sign up for the Bing preview.


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European car buyers will have 214 electric and plug-in hybrid models to choose from as carmakers race to capitalise on demand
European car buyers will soon have a wealth of different electric models to choose from, with the number EVs offered by automakers set to triple within the next three years thanks to a €145bn investment...
Company promises to prioritise digital marketing, carbon offset any print-based messaging, and end all door drop marketing
Study by UK100 and British Lung Foundation prompts calls for action to reduce transport and industrial emissions in cities
Call for Evidence will consider how the food industry must change to support growth and preserve the environment
German industrial engineering and steel making conglomerate has promised to cut direct emissions by 30 per cent by 2030, as it aims for net zero by 2050


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Digital music and jukebox giant TouchTunes, whose in-venue entertainment platform serves 65,000 bars and restaurants in North America, said this week that it has formed an exclusive sales partnership with Harbortouch, a point-of-sale system and merchant services provider which has served over 300,000 businesses across North America and currently processes over $12 billion in payments annually.
Harbortouch offers an unparalleled ‘free’ POS program to restaurants, bars, and retail stores that provides a full-featured POS system with no up-front costs. Through this partner program, TouchTunes operators can now offer Harbortouch POS systems to their existing and prospective customers – when a lead results in the installation of a new POS system, the operator is rewarded with a sales bonus and monthly residual payments.
TouchTunes operators will receive a free Playdium jukebox for each successful lead. Harbortouch said enrollment is easy, and it will manage all of the details and execution of the sales process, installation and support.
Harbortouch CEO Jared Isaacman told us “This partnership between Harbortouch and TouchTunes is a perfect marriage between two best-in-class technology providers that both serve a common customer – bars, restaurants and other local businesses. We are very excited to extend Harbortouch’s innovative POS solution to TouchTunes operators and venues,”
TouchTunes is the largest in-venue interactive music and entertainment platform, featured in more than 65,000 bars and restaurants across North America and 75,000 globally. TouchTunes’ platform provides location-based digital solutions that encourage social interactions through shared experiences. Music is the core of TouchTunes’ experience, with millions of songs played daily across the network and a mobile app that lets users find nearby jukebox locations, create playlists, and control the music in-venue directly from their phone. The mobile app is available on iTunes and Google Play, and has been downloaded seven million times. TouchTunes’ award-winning products and services also include an integrated photo booth, the first fully-licensed commercial karaoke system, and an interactive TV messaging and engagement solution. TouchTunes Media is a highly scalable digital out-of-home activation platform that provides targeted advertising and promotional opportunities for consumer brands. TouchTunes is headquartered in New York City, with offices in Chicago, Montreal, London and Vancouver.


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CanFirst and Colonnade BridgePort buy industrial land in Ottawa • RENX • Real Estate News Exchange
Ottawa’s growth as a mid-to-high bay industrial market will continue, with the acquisition by CanFirst Capital Management and Colonnade BridgePort of a 50-acre site in the southwest of the city. They plan to build up to 900,000 square feet of new space on the land starting in 2024.
Although Colonnade BridgePort is a local developer and commercial real estate company, the project marks a return to market for Toronto’s CanFirst. Executive Vice President Mark Braun told RENX that CanFirst is looking to reinvest in the region’s growing industrial base.
“Honestly, it’s not for lack of trying,” Braun said. “We’ve been looking for opportunities for a few years, industrial opportunities, and we just haven’t been able to take them for a variety of reasons, mainly because we weren’t the highest bidder.
“We have been actively trying to re-enter the Ottawa market for some time.
The industrial project brings CanFirst back to the market with a different strategy from its previous investments in the region.
This site was acquired on behalf of its CanFirst Industrial Development Fund, a recently launched investment vehicle that targets industrial development sites.
“Obviously this is land development, we are developing new products where we have previously invested in Ottawa as types of revenue-generating or value-added opportunities.
The 50-acre property and development plan
The partners paid approximately $44 million for the property, on Strandherd Drive and Citygate, near a new 2.9 million square foot Amazon fulfillment center and the freeway. 416 in the Barrhaven area.
Colonnade Bridgeport will be the development partner and bring local knowledge to leasing and then property management.
“They’re a great partner,” Braun said, “very knowledgeable and very well known in the Ottawa market. So it gives us a lot of comfort and confidence to move forward with this project to have a partner like that with us.
Braun said about 43 to 44 acres would be developable, and the partners are working on zoning and site plan requirements to begin construction in 2024.
It had been listed by Colliers. The acquisition was finalized on September 22.
“We’re aiming to develop 850,000 to 900,000 square feet in two to four buildings,” Braun said. “Specifications are still a bit evolving.
“Depending on the type of tenants we see, it could be more logistics, types of fulfillment uses, so larger format buildings with exterior trailer storage.
“But I also think there will be an allowance in the project for some mid-sized rentals, say in the 50,000 to 100,000 square foot size range, so those would be more rentals that are traditional in the market for ‘Ottawa, non-small tenants requiring roughly the same level of shipping and logistics.
Buildings will also likely have clear heights of 40 feet.
Ottawa’s growing industrial sector
After many languid years, the city’s industrial market has picked up steam in the past three or four years. Vacancy in the 46 million square foot market (according to Colliers data) has been steadily declining, Amazon has opened two huge warehouses comprising approximately 3.9 million square feet of total space, and other new tenants distribution and warehousing have arrived.
Local businesses are also growing, as the city’s population has officially passed one million people and continues to grow. Braun sees the demand for new spaces continuing and noted that any competing projects currently underway will be delivered well before that space goes live in about three years.
“The size of the industrial market in Ottawa relative to the population is quite small. Depending on who you ask, there are 35 to 45 million industrial feet for every million people in the city.
“While Ottawa is not a manufacturing type economy, there is always a demand for industrial space and we see continued demand, primarily to meet current logistics and e-commerce needs. The product that is in place, for the most part, is an older product and not built to the latest standards.
Future demand for industrial space
He expects demand to come from various sectors.
“I see continued growth in e-commerce. Amazon has obviously taken a huge position, but there are a lot of other retailers nationally and how they look to meet the demands of other big markets like Ottawa, there’s still a lot of potential space that they need for service,” Braun noted. “
But also existing tenants in the Ottawa market looking to expand, or if not expanding, looking to move to better and more efficient spaces to improve their operations. So we think there’s a lot of demand there as well.
The city is also one of Canada’s hottest high-tech hubs, a sector that has seen significant expansion in recent years.
That premise was backed up this week with the announcement that international telecommunications giant Nokia will invest $340 million in a major expansion of its Canadian headquarters in Ottawa’s western Kanata district. It will expand all facets of its operations in Ottawa, from offices to research and development, as well as planning the commercial and residential components of the 26-acre campus.
“What also underpins everything, what we love about Ottawa, is that there’s a technology element to this market,” Braun said. “There are technology-related users, warehousing uses or maybe, if it’s not direct warehousing, there could be certain types of manufacturing or other types of light industrial uses related to technology users.
“Our main objective is to build new, quality industrial warehouses that meet existing and, we believe, future demand in the market.”


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“Currently on iCloud.com beta Apple maps are now being used for Find My iPhone,” Reschke writes. “While Apple still uses Google Maps on its website for retail store locations, it is not a stretch to see how Apple could soon replace Google Maps with Apple web-based maps instead. We can also think back to WWDC14 while Apple was showing off the enhanced Spotlight for OS X Yosemite, it was also replacing any web searches from Google’s search engine with Bing’s.”
“It is clear with every new move, Apple is setting a new direction — away from Google,” Reschke writes. “Apple is going right to the heart of Google’s main revenue stream — search and maps. It are these two apps that fund most of the other enterprises Google ‘gives away’ for free — including the development of the rival mobile platform Android.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Inexorably, the door closes, shutting out Google from the world’s most desirable customers. Apple harvests the wheat. Wallow in the chaff, Google.
Google will rue the day they decided to get greedy by working against Apple instead of with them.
Google made a crucial mistake: They gave away Android to “partners” who pushed and continue to push the product into the hands of the exact opposite type of user that Google needs for Android to truly thrive. Hence, Android is a backwater of second-rate, or worse, app versions that are only downloaded when free or ad-supported – but the Android user is notoriously cheap, so the ads don’t sell for much because they don’t work very well. You’d have guessed that Google would have understood this, but you’d have guessed wrong. Google built a platform that depends heavily on advertising support, but sold it to the very type of customer who’s the least likely to patronize ads.
iOS users are the ones who buy apps, so developers focus on iOS users. iOS users buy products, so accessory makers focus on iOS users. iOS users have money and the proven will to spend it, so vehicle makers focus on iOS users. Etcetera. Android can have the “Hee Haw” demographic. Apple doesn’t want it or need it; it’s far more trouble than it’s worth.
And, as we wrote back in September 2012:
Have fun tracking and trying to sell ads bound for your cheapskate “Buy One Get X Free” Fragmandroid pigeons. This is all Google’s loss: iOS users are the ones with money to spend and the will to spend it; you’ll have no access to hundreds of millions of the world’s cream-of-the-crop consumers…
That’s right, the world’s best, most well-heeled mobile consumers do not use Google Maps.
Meanwhile, Apple’s Maps will relentlessly continue to improve…
Let Google’s rueing continue unabated.
Apple drops Google for Bing as iOS, OS X default Spotlight search engine – June 4, 2014
Apple Maps puts the hurt on Google Maps – November 11, 2013
Apple Maps makes killer comeback as Google Maps loses access to world’s most desirable mobile customers – November 12, 2013


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The Galaxy A8s will be Samsung’s first phone with a gorgeous Infinity-O display. That’s the kind of screen that occupies almost the entire front of the phone except for tiny bezels and a camera hole near the top. Samsung already teased the new design, and then introduced the Infinity-O screens at its SDC18 event earlier this month. Since then, we learned that other smartphone makers should have similar designs in stores soon, including Huawei and Lenovo. A new series of leaks further reinforces the idea that the Galaxy A8s will have an Infinity-O screen, but also they also deliver some bad news for Samsung fans, the kind of news they’ve been dreading ever since the iPhone 7 came out.
Samsung a few months ago said that it would no longer use flagship devices like the Galaxy S and Note series as its sole avenues for introducing smartphone innovations. Instead, mid-range phones will come out with new features that will then make it into flagship devices. That’s precisely the case for Samsung’s triple and quadruple-lens cameras, which will be available on Galaxy A phones long before the Galaxy S10 rolls out.
Similarly, the Galaxy A8s will have an Infinity-O screen before the Galaxy S10 gets it. Now, thanks to FCC documentation for the handset that GalaxyClub discovered, we have an idea of how that camera hole will affect Samsung’s One UI.
The image above reveals that the camera hole of the Galaxy A8s will be placed near the top left corner of the phone, pushing all the status bar notifications to the right. Like I said before, camera hole designs will look a lot better than notch designs on phones that don’t have Face ID support. By reducing top and bottom bezels and using Infinity-O screens, Samsung will be able to further extend the Infinity display without increasing the overall size of the phone.
But to make phones with edge-to-edge displays, Samsung may have to abandon the headphone jack, and that’s the kind of design move Samsung fans have been dreading for years. Samsung famously mocked Apple’s iPhone 7 and subsequent iPhones for not having a headphone jack. But one of the reasons to remove the port is to make room for additional components inside the phone and extend the screen all the way to the bottom without increasing the thickness of the device or decreasing battery life. Just recently, OnePlus explained that it removed the headphone jack on the OnePlus 6T because it placed a fingerprint sensor under the screen, a component that takes up additional space. By removing the jack, OnePlus was able to also put a bigger battery inside the handset.
A well-known leaker from China dropped this tidbit on Twitter about the Galaxy A8s:
Galaxy A8s Maybe cancel the 3.5mm jack.
— 萌萌的电教 (@MMDDJ_) November 29, 2018
I’d venture to say that if a mid-range phone like the Galaxy A8s loses the 3.5mm jack, then so will several Galaxy S10 versions, if not all of them. That’s because, again, the Galaxy A8s will be used to introduce features that will make it into the next Samsung flagships, Galaxy S10 included.
Let’s also not forget that Galaxy S10 phones will have multi-lens cameras on the front and back, as well as an in-display fingerprint sensor. These components will take up plenty of room inside the phone, space that could impact battery size. One way to make more room is to remove the headphone jack.
Previous reports did say that Samsung is toying with the idea of removing the headphone jack from future flagships, but those stories suggested the Galaxy Note 10 might be the first Samsung handset to lose a 3.5mm audio port. Whatever the case, it’s unlikely that the headphone jack can survive for much longer on Samsung phones.


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02/13/07 Global Day of Action against Chinese Fur Industry
Animal Friends joins demos in front of the Chinese embassies around the world and announces the Global Day of Action against Chinese Fur Industry
- 24 cats or 15 dogs for just one fur coat, over 2 million dogs and cats annualy killed for fur
On February 13, 2007, compassionate citizens from over 30 cities worldwide will gather in front of the Chinese embassies to protest the extreme brutality of the Chinese fur industry.
On this international day of action Animal Friends organization, as a member of Anti-Fur Coalition, seeks to call attention to the barbarity of the Chinese fur industry; to ask consumers to reject cruelty in the name of fashion by refusing to buy any fur or fur-trimmed items, and to boycott the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
The demo, which will be organized as part of the "For Croatia without Fur" campaign, is scheduled to run on Tuesday, February 13, at 12 noon at the Chinese Embassy located at Mlinovi 132 in Zagreb.
China is the world's largest exporter of fur, producing some of the cheapest fur on the market, which is commonly sold as fur-trim on coats, gloves, purses, toys and trinkets. It is estimated that China kills more than 17 million animals a year for their fur. Raccoon dogs, foxes, minks, rabbits and even domestic dogs and cats are among the animals slaughtered for their fur, and they end up in stores all over the world, Europe and Croatia. There is not a single law that protects these animals.
Animals who are raised for their fur live in miserable conditions, confined to filthy, cramped wire cages. Disease, injury, and severe psychological distress are the norm on fur farms. Yet it is the way fur-bearing animals in China are killed that redefines the meaning of cruelty and makes China's fur industry the most barbaric in the world. Undercover investigations by Swiss Animal Protection/EAST International revealed the gruesome routine at Chinese fur markets, where workers club and beat animals, stomping on their heads and slamming them to the ground before cutting and then tearing their skin and fur from their bodies. Once skinned, the animals are tossed onto a heap of carcasses. However, these recently skinned animals continue to breathe. The animals look directly into the camera, blinking their eyes and whimpering for between five to ten minutes after their fur has been torn from their bodies. The findings of this investigation tuned out to be widespread and ongoing. There are still no laws in China that make these practices illegal.
On the demo activists will be holding posters with shocking photographs and the video footage which will be available on DVDs.
China also continues to routinely mislabel fur items exported abroad. Despite a U.S. ban on the sale of dog and cat fur, a recent investigation by the Humane Society of the United States found raccoon dog fur items being sold at several large chains including Burlington Coat Factory, Macy's and JC Penney. These items had been mislabeled as faux fur or raccoon fur. Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Greece, and Australia have already banned the import and sale of dog and cat fur, whilst the European Union is planning to legalize this ban as well.
Animal Friends calls for the ban on import and sale of dog and cat fur in Croatia. After the ban on fur farming and the ban on import of seals skin and seal products, this would be another step towards building an ethically conscious Croatia without fur.
For more information about the Chinese fur industry and a complete and up-to-date list of worldwide demonstrations, please visit at www.antifurcoalition.org.


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In Anticipation of Threads 2019
In a few weeks, the Madison Masonic Center will be hosting one of SoHE’s most beloved events Threads: Fashion Show. Threads is a yearly fashion show that showcases Textile and Fashion Design students’ various projects from the school year. Dubbing Helen Louise Allen as the ‘Point of Muse’ for students, students and faculty are celebrating Allen’s legacy as an educator and textile collector by dedicating the show to her. Since this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection, it is only fitting to honor her legacy which has served as inspiration for many student projects throughout the years.


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Over the past couple of years, customer experience has rapidly evolved as a major competitive differentiator. It is one of the top priorities now for the line of business. A Forbes report highlighted that companies that lead in customer experience outperform laggards by nearly 80% and 84% of companies that work to improve their customer experience report an increase in their revenue.
A good customer experience entails a lot of things going right. Things like inventory being available, orders being dispatched and reaching hubs at the right time, seamless last-mile execution, and finally, delivery executives handing over parcels at the exact time the customer was expecting it. It’s no cakewalk ensuring that all these checkboxes are ticked, but thanks to technological innovations it’s becoming easier by the day. But as technology evolves, so does customer demands and expectations. Driven by the need for instant gratification, customers today want to know what happens to an order once it’s placed. They want to know when will it be shipped, when was it dispatched, who is bringing it, on what day will it reach, and finally what’s the exact ETA of the delivery. Another complex part of customer expectation is that it’s not constant. It is changing, always. There is no one formula to ensure that a customer stays loyal.
Just when eCommerce brands and home delivery aggregators were feeling complacent about informing customers where their orders are, in came the demand for real-time tracking, then ETA accuracy and now there is a growing need to ensure flexibility. Delivery flexibility is rapidly becoming a key component of a great delivery experience.
Savvy businesses are leveraging advanced last-mile delivery platforms to ensure flexibility of delivery operations with regards to customers. Such a platform ensures that customers can change delivery location and time based on their convenience, that too on the fly. This change in information is quickly captured by the platform and immediately workflows are updated. The delivery stakeholders are intimated about the change through real-time notifications.
According to a survey, when asked what delivery standards the industry should be striving to achieve in the future, 70% of consumers surveyed want more flexible options. But unfortunately, only 4% of retailers allow customers to make changes to their delivery requirements at any time after they have placed an order. The survey also highlighted that nearly a fifth of retailers offer customers absolutely no flexibility to their delivery requirements after an order has been placed. That’s sad and dangerous too as shifting loyalty is not a big task for customers and rightly so, everyone wants their brands to think about them, about their convenience.
A major barrier to providing delivery flexibility can be attributed to legacy infrastructure and traditional means of managing delivery operations. These systems and processes lack interoperability. It becomes extremely difficult if not impossible to make legacy systems work in tandem. A last-mile delivery platform seamlessly connects disparate systems like WMS, OMS, TMS, 3PL tools, and makes them highly responsive and interoperable. In other words, such a platform has inbuilt connectors that ensure seamless integration between logistics architecture. Such a connected IT-ecosystem empowers delivery stakeholders to instantly make changes in workflows, gain end-to-end visibility of ground-level operations, make decisions faster, boost customer visibility, predict delays better, and more.
Now, with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing norms in place, the rules of delivery have changed further. Ensuring customer safety is a big part of providing a good delivery experience. Again, a last-mile delivery platform is of immense help here. It ensures highly efficient ‘contactless deliveries.’ It allows delivery executives to deliver food, grocery, medicines, and other essentials without getting into any kind of physical contact. It empowers home delivery providers to regularly execute temperature checks and share this critical information with customers. This boosts delivery transparency and hence customer loyalty.
FarEye is empowering global brands to introduce processes and strategies that guarantee highly flexible delivery models. It’s also helping businesses make deliveries safe during these difficult times. To know more signup for a quick demo here.


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The following story was originally posted on ShroutResearch.com.
UPDATE 1 – 8:25pm
Just before the closing bell on Wednesday, Intel released a statement responding to the security issues brought up in this story. While acknowledging that these new security concerns do exist, the company went out of its way to insinuate that AMD, Arm Holdings, and others were at risk. Intel also states that performance impact on patched machines “should not be significant and will be mitigated over time.”
Intel’s statement is at least mostly accurate though the released report from the Google Project Zero group responsible for finding the security vulnerability goes into much more detail. The security issue concerns a feature called “speculative execution” in which a computer tries to predict work that will be needed beforehand to speed up processing tasks. The paper details three variants of this particular vulnerability, the first of which applies to Intel, AMD, Arm, any nearly every other modern processor architecture. This variant is easily patched and should have near-zero effect on performance.
The second variant is deeply architecture specific, meaning attackers would need a unique code for each different Intel or AMD processor. This example should be exceedingly rare in the wild, and AMD goes as far as to call it a “near-zero” risk for systems.
The third is where things are more complex and where the claim that AMD processors are not susceptible is confirmed. This one is the source of the leaks and information that filtered out and was the target of the information for the story below. In its statement, AMD makes clear that due to architectural design differences on its products, past and modern processors from its family are not at risk.
The final outlook from this story looks very similar to how it did early on Wednesday though with a couple of added wrinkles. The security report released by Project Zero indicates that most modern hardware is at risk though to different degrees based on the design of the chips themselves. Intel is not alone in this instance, but it does have additional vulnerabilities that other processor designs do not incur. To insinuate otherwise in its public statement is incorrect.
As for performance impact, most of the initial testing and speculation is likely exaggerating how it will change the landscape, if at all. Neither Intel nor AMD see a “doomsday” scenario of regressing computing performance because of this security patch.
At the end of 2017, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich said his company would be going through changes in the New Year, becoming more aggressive, and taking the fight to its competitors in new and existing markets. It seems that BK will have his first opportunity to prove out this new corporate strategy with a looming security issue that affects nearly 10 years of processors.
A recently revealed hardware bug in Intel processors is coming to light as operating system vendors like Microsoft and the Linux community scramble to update platforms to avoid potential security concerns. This bug has been rumored for some time, with updates to core Linux software packages indicating that a severe vulnerability was being fixed, but with comments redacted when published. Security flaws are often kept secret to avoid being exploited by attackers until software patches are available to correct them.
This hardware-level vulnerability allows user-mode applications, those run by general consumers or businesses, to potentially gain access to kernel-level memory space, an area that is handled by the operating system exclusively and can contain sensitive information like passwords, biometrics, and more. An attacker could use this flaw to potentially access other user-mode application data, compromising entire systems with bypass around integrated operating system firewalls.
At a time when Intel is being pressured from many different angles and markets, this vulnerability and hardware bug comes at an incredibly inopportune time. AMD spent its 2017 releasing competitive products in the consumer space with Ryzen and the enterprise space with EPYC. The enterprise markets in particular are at risk for Intel. The EPYC processors already offered performance and pricing advantages and now AMD can showcase security as none of its processor are affected by the same vulnerability that Intel is saddled with. Though the enterprise space works in cycles, and AMD won’t see an immediate uptick in sales, I would be surprised if this did not push more cloud providers and large scale server deployments to look at the AMD offerings.
At this point, only the Linux community has publicly discussed the fixes taking place, with initial patches going out earlier this week. Much of the enterprise and cloud ecosystem runs on Linux-based platforms and securing these systems against attack is a crucial step. Microsoft has yet to comment publicly on what its software updates will look like, when they will be delivered, and what impact they have might on consumer systems.
While hardware and software vulnerabilities are common in today’s connected world, there are two key points that make this situation more significant. First, this is a hardware bug, meaning that it cannot be fixed or addressed completely without Intel making changes to its hardware design, a process that can take months or years to complete. As far as we can tell, this bug will affect ALL Intel processors released in the last decade or more, including enterprise Xeon processors and consumer Core and Pentium offerings. And as Intel has been the dominate market leader in both the enterprise and consumer spaces, there are potentially hundreds of millions of affected systems in the field.
The second differentiating point for this issue is that the software fix could impact the performance of systems. Initial numbers have been claiming as much as a 30% reduction in performance, but those results are likely worst case scenarios. Some early testing of the updated Linux platforms indicate performance could decrease from 6-20% depending on the application. Other testing of consumer workloads including gaming show almost no performance impact. Linux founder and active developer Linus Torvalds claims performance impact would range from nothing to “double-digit slowdowns.”
Even though the true nature of this vulnerability is still tied behind non-disclosure agreements, it is unlikely that there will be a double-digit performance reduction on servers at a mass scale when these updates are pushed out. Intel is aware of this vulnerability and has been for some time, and financially it would need to plan for any kind of product replacement or reimbursement campaign it might undertake with partners and customers.


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NFL is the most famous football event in the US, and even in the world. As the high profile sport in
All eyes are on the NFL Hall of Fame Game 2018 and people are waiting anxiously for the big moment.
Every diehard NFL fan thinks that every game their favorite team plays should be one of the top
For NFL lovers, the start of regular season football games is something that is looked forward to as


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NEW YORK--At Microsoft's second annual "open house" press conference in New York, CEO Steve Ballmer introduced three Windows Phone 7 smartphones that will be launching exclusively with AT&T in the U.S. for the holiday season. All three phones will cost $199.99.
The HTC Surround, LG Quantum, and Samsung Focus each have a capacitive touch screen, a 5-megapixel camera, and a 1GHz Snapdragon processor. The HTC Surround has a 3.8-inch touch screen, and 16 GB internal memory. It can claim the distinction of being the first smartphone that builds in Dolby Mobile surround sound speakers--they slide up. It has a kickstand for horizontal media viewing.
The LG Quantum is geared more toward business professionals, with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and Office Mobile on board. However, there's also room for play with support for Play To app that can wirelessly stream videos, music, and photos to any DLNA-enabled TV or other device.
The Samsung Focus boasts being the slimmest Windows Phone for AT&T at 9.9 mm thick. Like the phones in the Galaxy S series, it features a Super AMOLED screen.
You can buy the Samsung Focus from AT&T retails stores and from the Web site starting November 8. AT&T and Microsoft were less specific about the release times for the HTC Surround and the LG Quantum, but they did mention it will be "available in time for the holidays."
"We think it's important to have consistent delight, but to have a set of choices that are wonderfully their own," CEO Ballmer said during the keynote.
In addition to these three GSM phones, Microsoft is also launching a total of nine Windows Phone 7 handsets with over 60 mobile operators offering the phones in over 30 countries.
Stay tuned. There's much more to come...


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In a survey of UK children's habits during their summer vacation time, toy manufacturer Galt found many parents are concerned that their children spend too much time gaming.
The survey took in over 2,000 respondents and found that kids average around eight and half hours of video games every week.
The gaming time is part of the 12 solid days, on average, that kids spend in front of a screen of some kind over their summer holidays.
One sixth of parents say that their children are in constant possession of a games console, and "64% of parents would like their children to play traditional non electronic games rather than contemporary video games".
Additionally, 12.5% of kids have an iPad and on average, each has £581 worth of electronics in their bedroom.
Gosh it certainly sounds like a fair bit of gaming and telly watching is going on, although I'm no judge of what's too much. But what's this? Six in ten parents "regularly put their children in front of the TV as there is nothing else to do".
Welp. Hit this link for an infographic of results.


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Fuji jumps on smartphone printing bandwagon with new SP1 smartphone toy printer
Fujifilm has jumped on the smartphone printing bandwagon with the announcement of a new printer designed for smartphone printing. And by that I mean printing pictures from your smartphone to this Fuji printer. Not printing actual smartphones on this Fuji printer. With 3D printing out there, we have to be careful how we word things :)
The printer's name rivals some of the smartphone names of old, it is looong, it is the "instax SHARE Smartphone Printer SP-1". It is more of a toy printer, the maximum image size supported is 640x480. Using Fuji's app, one can send pictures wirelessly from their smartphone to this printer.
With billions of people now having smartphones, this is not a bad gamble for Fuji. They only need a very tiny percentage of all these people to bite (don't bite the film) for this to be successful.
UPDATE: Per the Fuji USA press release this will come out in May 2014 with a starting price of $200. Fashion accessory price?


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Apple unveiled today a new entry-level 10.2-inch iPad that will replace the 9.7-inch model.
The new iPad is available to order today for $329 and will be in stores on Sept. 30. Apple says that education customers can get the device for $299.
The tablet will come in silver, space gray and gold finishes in 32GB and 128GB configurations. A cellular version costs $459. Apple sells a detachable Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil stylus separately for $159 and $99, respectively.
Apple iPad (10.2-inch, 7th Gen) Specs
|Row 0 - Cell 0||iPad (10.2-inch)|
|Display||10.2-inch, 2160 x 1620-pixel (500 nits)|
|Cameras||8-megapixel, f/2.4 (rear) 1.2-megapixel (front)|
|Battery life||Up to 10 hours (surfing over Wi-Fi)|
|Size||9.8 x 6.8 x 0.3 inches|
The biggest changes to the 7th Gen model are its larger display (from 9.7 to 10.2 inches), iPadOS operating system, and the first detachable Smart Keyboard accessory available on an entry-level iPad. The new iPad weighs about 1 pound and is the first made from 100% recyclable aluminum (similar to the MacBook Air).
The 10.2-inch iPad will run iPadOS, Apple's new tablet operating system, and be powered by an A10 Fusion chip. The display is a 10.2-inch, 2160 x 1620-pixel Retina panel and a maximum brightness of 500 nits. Apple rates the new iPad's battery life at up to 10 hours of browsing over Wi-Fi.
Like the 2018 model, the new iPad has an 8-megapixel, f/2.4 aperture rear-facing camera and a 1.2-megapixel selfie cam.
“The new iPad packs even more value into our most popular and affordable iPad model featuring a bigger 10.2-inch Retina display, support for Apple Pencil and for the first time, the full-size Smart Keyboard,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of product marketing. “The new iPad was built to run iPadOS, which introduces powerful new ways to multitask, manage and mark up documents, use Apple Pencil and view more information at a glance on a redesigned Home screen."
Recent rumors and reports suggest Apple will update several iPad models --- including the iPad mini and iPad Pro --- by the end of this year. If that doesn't happen during today's keynote, then expect the company to hold another hardware event in October where it could launch new tablets alongside the rumored 16-inch MacBook Pro.
We're at Apple's big iPhone event today and will provide full coverage of every announcement on Laptop Mag and our sister site Tom's Guide, so be sure to check back in with us.


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Tanzania Portland Cement Public Limited Company (TPCPLC) continued to deliver strong operating results for the nine months ending September 2022 as compared to the same period 2021 attributed to continued demand of cement products within Tanzania and outside Tanzania.
According to the company’s unaudited results released by the company’s Board Chairman Hakan Gurdal, both the sales volume and revenue increased compared to the same period 2021.
Revenue increased by 9% compared to the same period last year.
The high availability and efficiency of the plant and machinery contributed to the improved performance compared to the same period 2021’
“The Company continues to focus on delivering excellent customer service, selling of high quality products and maintaining strong customer relationships to enable TPCPLC to demonstrate its strength as the leading player in the industry,” Gurdal said.
Gurdal added that the cement demand in Tanzania and in the East-African region has been growing steadily in recent years.
“TPCPLC is well placed to meet this growing demand and will continue to work to maintain its leadership. The Board would like to thank all its stakeholders for their support. We have every confidence that TPCPLC will continue to deliver value for the shareholders and community in the future,” he said.


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The all-new 2017 Ford Super Duty, which was unveiled yesterday, is the toughest, smartest, and most capable Super Duty ever, the company says. The lineup includes five models – XL, XLT, Lariat, King Ranch, and Platinum.
Shedding 350 lbs thanks to the use of lighter materials, the new Super Duty is built on an all-new, fully boxed frame comprised of more than 95% high-strength steel that proves up to 24 times stiffer than the previous frame. For the first time, the Super Duty body uses high-strength, military-grade, aluminum alloy, which is more dent- and ding-resistant than the outgoing steel body and not subject to red rust corrosion. Meanwhile, the Super Duty chassis cab features an all-new, high-strength steel frame with an open-C-channel design behind the cab to enable easy aftermarket body upfit and modification.
In terms of technology, as many as seven cameras will help customers see more angles and monitor conditions surrounding the truck, and provide better trailering than ever before. In particular, a 360-degree camera system uses four digital, high-definition cameras to give the driver a bird’s-eye view surrounding the Super Duty. A first-ever, factory-available trailer camera can be attached to a trailer to improve visibility when backing up. LED headlights and taillights increase visibility.
Furthermore, the 2017 Ford Super Duty is available with SYNC 3 featuring conversational voice recognition and a tablet-style 8” touch screen, a blind spot information system with trailer tow, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, and collision warning with brake support.
Finally, the new Ford Super Duty is powered by a standard 6.2L V8 gasoline engine equipped with the new TorqShift-G transmission or an optional 6.7L Power Stroke V8 turbo-diesel engine. In addition to these two units, the Super Duty chassis cab offers a 6.8L V10 gasoline engine.


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You’ve got to admit that even though stricter measures have been put into place by the Singapore authorities since 7 Apr, we’re still enjoying a certain degree of freedom.
Just read our article on the differences between Singapore’s Circuit Breaker and Malaysia’s Movement Control Order:
But this freedom that we have might be gone soon.
Multi-Ministry Taskforce (MTF) Warns Of Even Stricter Measures
Minister Lawrence Wong is the face of Singapore’s battle against Covid-19.
In a press conference on 9 Apr, he warns Singaporeans about possible tighter measures during the circuit breaker.
“Over the coming days as we monitor movement, we may very well have to tighten up some more.”
Now, before you complain that it’s not fair, damnit.
Know that they didn’t anyhowly make up new rules on the spot, just like how our boss set the office rules.
They Observe Our Behaviour And The Results Before Thinking Up Something New
For example, stadiums were originally open for people to work out.
But after seeing how people disregarded rules and still turn up to exercise in groups, they are now closing the stadiums.
The MTF might even restrict movements further or close down small premises if they don’t see any improvement in the situation.
So far, shopping malls are doing really well when it comes to controlling the crowd and making sure everybody’s doing safe distancing.
But wet markets are a whole different story.
And now, the government’s stepping in with enhanced crowd management measures like controlled entry and exit points (just like shopping malls) and safe-distancing queues.
People who go to the wet markets often are also asked to cut down on their frequency and try to avoid peak hours from 7.30 to 10.30am.
The Key Factor
At the end of the day, all the MTF wants to see is a drop in local cases and unlinked cases.
Which makes sense, if you think about it.
This sort-of-a-lockdown has caused the Singapore economy to lose $10 billion (not inclusive of the over $50 billion stimulus packages).
There needs to be some sort of justification for the spending, right?
Here’s an analogy:
It’s just like you going to a fine-dining restaurant and paying over a hundred bucks per pax. You’ll be expecting delicious food and an incredible ambience, right?
Who cares if the chef or waiters are in a bad mood on that day. I need to get my money’s worth.
“A the end of the day, as we said, the key to the success of this circuit breaker is if everyone minimises movement and stays at home as much as possible.”
It’s a simple request, honestly, but based on my understanding of Singaporeans, we’re probably going to look at enhanced CB measures soon.
There will always be a small minority of people who spoils it for the rest of us, just like errant PMD riders.
There’s a reason why people always say Singaporeans don’t deserve nice things.
By the way, it’s also mentioned that this circuit breaker could extend if the situation doesn’t improve, similar to Malaysia.


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Main street West Virginia received some long-awaited good news last week when the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in South Dakota v. Wayfair that will allow states to apply their sales tax to internet purchases. For years online sellers have been able to avoid collecting state sales taxes if they had no physical presence in the state.
Online retail has grown dramatically in recent years. E-commerce represented 13 percent of all retail sales in 2017, accounting for $453 billion. Some of the larger online retailers, such as Amazon, collect sales tax, but not all do. It’s estimated that annually states lose out on about $33 billion in uncollected sales taxes.
West Virginia taxpayers are supposed to pay the sales tax on all items purchased online from out-of-state retailers when they file their state tax returns, but West Virginia Retailer’s Association President Bridget Lambert says that usually doesn’t happen.
“Unfortunately, many citizens do not remit the tax and the only time a citizen is forced to (pay) is during an audit where non-payment is identified,” Lambert said on TalkLine.
The Court’s decisions means West Virginia and other states can, if they choose, require retailers to collect sales tax from online purchases. Frequent Internet shoppers may groan because they’re losing a discount, but Lambert argues the loophole created an unfair edge for e-commerce over brick-and-mortar businesses.
“Online only retailers have a competitive advantage of six percent over West Virginia based main street merchants on every sale,” Lambert said. However, that may now change. “Retailers across the state with stores in local communities will have a level playing field in regard to the collection of sales tax.”
Notably, Governor Justice opposes collecting the sales tax on internet commerce, even though it would mean more money for state coffers. “When I took office and our state was struggling financially, at that desperate time, I might have considered supporting legislation to enforce West Virginia sales tax on out-of-state transactions,” Justice said in a news release. “However, now I do not support adding additional taxes on our people in this manner.”
Lambert hopes to change the Governor’s mind. “Our goal is for Governor Justice to understand this issue and join with the retail industry to secure the future of retailers that are located across our state from main street to the mall.”
Of course this is a two-way street since West Virginia companies that rely on sales across the country would have to collect sales taxes. That means trying to figure out the tax laws in thousands of state and local jurisdictions.
Justice Anthony Kennedy addressed that challenge in the majority opinion that South Dakota exempts online retailers with less than $100,000 in sales or fewer than 200 transactions annually. Additionally, South Dakota is one of the more than 20 states (including West Virginia) that has adopted the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement that “standardizes taxes to reduce administrative and compliance costs.”
One of the fundamental principles of taxation is fairness—is the tax collected in an impartial and equitable manner? The current system allowing e-commerce sales to go untaxed does not meet that standard and discriminates against brick-and-mortar businesses and citizens who frequent them.
The Court’s decision means states can once again put all commerce on a more level playing field on sales tax.


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A new agreement between Air North and Condor will expand travel options between Europe and the Yukon.
Premier Darrell Pasloski called the deal a “historic accord” at a press conference yesterday.
The deal was signed during a nine-day trade mission to Germany and the U.K.
The premier, Tourism Minister Mike Nixon and representatives from 14 Yukon tourism businesses and organizations participated in the trip.
As of 2014, people will be able to book flights from Europe to anywhere that Air North flies.
Instead of one weekly direct flight between Frankfurt, Germany, and Whitehorse, customers will also be able to access the Yukon through several one-stop flights via Calgary and Vancouver.
Schedules will be timed for convenient transfers, and luggage will be forwarded between the airlines.
Joe Sparling, president of Air North, said that the deal will be a boon not only for his business but for the entire territory.
“There’s little doubt that we’re facing both a softening economy and a continued competitive environment in both the tourism and the mining sectors,” he said. “All of us that participated in the trade mission know that we need new customers in order to grow or sustain our businesses, and that we can’t wait for new business to come to us. We have to go out and find new business.”
Sparling credited the Yukon government for bringing the parties to the table and encouraging the deal to happen.
Condor recently signed a deal with Westjet, and had “kind of lost interest in dealing with us because they were focusing on the big guy,” he said.
“Perhaps one of the most important contributions the government could make is to say that getting this deal put together was important to the Yukon.”
During the trade mission the government also signed 12 co-operative marketing agreements with Germany and U.K. tour operators who bring tourists to the Yukon.
Under those deals, the government has promised to contribute $209,500 towards $592,500 to be spent on marketing campaigns promoting the Yukon as a destination.
The campaigns will be designed and implemented by the tour operators, said Pierre Germain, a director with the Department of Tourism and Culture.
But the government meets with partners at least twice a year to evaluate the ongoing success of the campaigns, he said.
At the end of the year, the success of the marketing is judged on how many people saw the campaign and how many “bums in seats” it actually resulted in, said Germain.
The marketing campaign is expected to target more than three million potential tourists.
German-speaking Europe is Yukon’s largest overseas tourism market with 11,000 visitors annually. The U.K. sends about 3,300 visitors annually.
Combined, they brought an estimated $12 million in tourism spending to the Yukon last year.
Contact Jacqueline Ronson at


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A compact, wireless smartphone charging holder for vehicles, developed by Toyoda Gosei, is being used on the latest iteration of the Toyota Prius. The solution enables smartphones to be charged simply by placing them in the provided slot.
The holder’s support mechanism guides the smartphone to the optimum position for charging. Toyoda Gosei’s solution has been designed with a simplified charger structure that makes it 60% more compact than the previously released product.
Toyota awarded the solution the ‘CE Special Award’ at its Project Awards, for enabling greater freedom of placement in the vehicle.


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“Should there be tariffs on car and car parts, which we don’t want, we have started internally to prepare a list of re-balancing measures.”
Toyoda says negative effects on U.S. economy should be avoided.
Comments from Economy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi follow EU reiteration of truce-for-now view.
President has 90 days to decide on any action such as tariffs.
Expect to see Democrats wage total war on Trump while agencies press workplace regulatory reform.
The United States is embracing AI growth with wary eye on Chinese competition.
Tactics include new classifications and altering supply chain.
Record sales year tempered by slowdown in second half.
Earlier in the week, the electronics manufacturer said it was reconsidering its plans.
Final day of U.S.-China trade talks in Washington is today.


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Aol. Celebrates Its Independence with a New Image
Aol. celebrates its spin-off from Time Warner, and trading on the NYSE with a new brand identity.
To celebrate AOL's spin-off from Time Warner, the Internet pioneer is introducing a new brand identity. The new AOL logo is a “simple, confident logotype, revealed by ever-changing images. Its one consistent logo with countless ways to reveal”. The new identity will be fully revealed on December 10th, when AOL common stock begins trading on the NYSE.
In addition to the new brand identity, a few changes will accompany Aol's spin-off as an independent company. As reported by Fast Company, the name will change to Aol., losing it's well-known stance as an acronym synonymous with the Internet era of the 90s, and the short-form messages that often littered its e-mails (LOL, MFOE, ROFL, etc.).


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The Sunday Times Virgin Fast Track 100 supplement 2014
The eighteenth annual The Sunday Times Virgin Fast Track 100 league table supplement was published on 7 December 2014, with title sponsor Virgin.
Over the past three years companies increased sales on average 71% a year from a combined total of £749m to £3.8bn. They have created 13,500 new jobs and now employ 18,500 people.
The league table features familiar names such as fashio retailer Victoria Beckham, retailer Oak Furniture Land, and cycling clothing brand Rapha.
The No 1 company is Anesco, an energy efficiency consultancy. Its sales have rocketed 375% a year to £106.7m. See the press releases.
The 2015 The Sunday Times Virgin Fast Track 100 league table will be published on 6 December.