text:
New Delhi: Technology giant Google India has announced a new feature in its Search app that will let users order lunch, dinner as well as book a table at their favourite restaurant, directly from the results page.
“From today, when people search for a nearby restaurants on their phone, they’ll see an option to place an order in the search results,” Google revealed in a blogpost on Tuesday.
“One just needs to tap that and choose the favourite delivery service like Zomato or Swiggy,” the post added. Google will automatically take users to their website to complete the order.
In addition, the new feature will also help users plan their dine out by booking a table at their favourite restaurant ahead of time. Google Search will direct users to partner sites to make their reservation.
Using the Google Search and the Google app, available on platforms like android or iOS phone or tablet, users can now order food via Zomato and Swiggy.
Users can also make restaurant reservations with Dineout and Bytplus, the blogpost revealed, adding, that the company will be adding more partners as well as evolve the look and feel over time.


text:
Recently, Google and Apple announced that they were partnering up to create a contact tracing system that will work on both Android and iOS. This system will be alerting people once they have had contact with a person who has contacted COVID-19.
This collaboration between the two largest smartphone manufacturers will help the health officials to effectively track the spread of COVID-19 while not violating the privacy of the user.
The two companies said this in a joint press statement, which stated that they are working a two-step approach that will help health organizations track the spread of COVID-19. The system will essentially track interactions between a phone user once he is diagnosed with coronavirus, and everyone they had interacted with will be notified as long he/she has consented to be involved.
To help public health officials slow the spread of #COVID19, Google & @Apple are working on a contact tracing approach designed with strong controls and protections for user privacy. @tim_cook and I are committed to working together on these efforts.https://t.co/T0j88YBcFu— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) April 10, 2020
According to a statement, “Both companies will release APIs that enable interoperability between iOS and Android using apps from public health authorities. These official apps will be available for users to download via their respective app stores.” The second step will be to “enable a broader Bluetooth-based contact tracing platform.”
The system will work if two people have contact with each other, and their phone exchange certain identifier keys. If a person gets diagnosed with COVID-19, then with their consent, their phones will broadcast an anonymous message that will inform every user that has the key stored over the last 14 days.
The idea behind the system is to inform the people who might have been exposed, thus prompting them to self-quarantine and possibly get tested. They will, however, try to maintain the user’s privacy and consent as much as possible.
The identifier keys don’t require any app to operate, and they would exchange after about 15 minutes. Identifiers from other devices will be processed within the device, Apple stated in its white paper. Both companies emphasized that the user will have to consent for the tracking system to work.
It is quite exciting seeing these two large smartphone companies work together. They stated on a press release that, “All of us at Apple and Google believe there has never been a more important moment to work together to solve one of the world’s most pressing problems.”
The APIs will be rolled out in May 2020, and a broader contact tracing system is expected to be rolled out in the coming months.
A new mobile application called TraceTogether was launched on Mar 20 to support ongoing contact tracing efforts amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Singapore. The app developed by GovTech uses Bluetooth to do contact tracing. The app operates by exchanging short-distance Bluetooth signals between smartphones to detect other users of the app who are in close proximity. Current MOH (Ministry of Health) guidelines define close proximity as two meters apart, or up to five meters, for 30 minutes.

domain: news


text:
The Government's response to the Commerce Commission's report on the grocery sector market study is welcomed by the New Zealand Food & Grocery Council. They are particularly pleased with the announcement of a mandatory Code of Conduct, which has been the Council's goal since 2010.
“It’s a major task unravelling the harm caused by New Zealand’s duopoly market structure, but announcements today make the direction clear.” Said Katherine Rich, Chief Executive of The New Zealand Food & Grocery Council.
“New Zealand is the only country in the world whose market has distilled down to a duopoly, and the suite of changes announced today will make a difference by nurturing new buds of competition.
"Independent retailers will never be competitive as long as they have to line up at the supermarket with everyone else. As we have said regularly, the wholesale market for groceries is broken, and competitive access to a full range of products is important to support healthy competition.
"Minister Clark’s work deserves high praise. We suspect many might not appreciate the full picture of his work to change the grocery industry’s entire commercial framework. And he has made it clear today there is more to do.
Rich praised a few areas of Minister Clark's work in particular: Strengthening of Section 36 of the Commerce Act regarding the use of market power, changing the Fair Trading Act to prohibit unconscionable conduct and unfair trade practices for small businesses, and the introduction of a mandatory Code of Conduct that will make supplier/retail relationships more transparent.


text:
Release Date: 16 July 2008
Release ID: 828
Securing a new container terminal project at the Ukrainian Port of Illichivsk, APM Terminals will expand its presence in the fast growing Black Sea Region.
APM Terminals announces the start of a new container terminal development at the Black Sea Ukrainian Port of Illichivsk.
Located 12 miles from Odessa on the western shore, Illichivsk is a major maritime center for the Ukraine, the largest and fastest growing container market on the Black Sea.
States Klaus Rud Sejling, APM Terminals’ Vice President of Business Development, “We are delighted to work on a terminal
project with our local Ukrainian partners and expect to have the final plans firmed up lter this year with a tentative
completion date of 2011.”
© The Adora Group Limited 2019 - Publishers of Freightnet


text:
Fair trade regulator Competition Commission has approved the proposed merger of Ashok Leyland's three group firms into another group entity Ashley Services.
Germany is promoting its various destinations and providing Indian youths a broad spectrum of leisure activities.
Congress has overhauled its UP unit, replacing all eight zonal chiefs, including ministers RPN Singh and Jitin Prasada, with local youth leaders.
ET spoke to seven young entrepreneurs for their views on how the finance minister fared in addressing their concerns
Investigation found that while Google executive Matt Brittin said Google doesn't make sales to UK customers, some of its staff think it does.
The youth is willing and savvy market segment for MFs, but the financial advisory is poorly aligned to meet these needs.
Only senior members of the ad fraternity are invited for the conclave while the NextGen—young creatives and executives are nowhere to be seen.
ET brings you a glimpse of some of the young faces in chief economic adviser Raghuram Rajan's team that worked on his first Survey.


text:
The economic slump may not be conducive to a frivolous party season, but that shouldn't entirely stop us from enjoying the finer side of life during the festive period.
For example, Waitrose currently has a half-price offer on Duval-Leroy Premier Cru champagne and Scottish mild oak smoked salmon. That works out at about £15, a bargain for such refined Christmas-morning fare. Get in quick, though; the offer ends on Tuesday.
Dedicated followers of female fashion can update their wardrobe on a shoestring, as New Look is offering 20 per cent reductions to customers with discount vouchers. Go to tinyurl.com/5usk5j, print off the Friends and Family coupon and take it to any one of its 600-plus UK stores before 20 December.
If, like me, you see discounts everywhere when you set foot in a supermarket, you'll be pleased to hear that Asda has created a special pre-Christmas offers section on its website. Covering everything from deals on soft drinks to children's toys, asda.com makes it easy to choose exactly what you want in the comfort of your own home.
Media sources suggest Marks & Spencer will be having another 20 per cent sale this Thursday. I've spoken to M&S, and I can report that nothing has been confirmed yet. While there is still a chance the sale will go ahead as reported, I'd suggest double-checking prices before you splash your cash.
Feeling hungry? Pop along to your nearest Walkabout bar for some tucker, register to receive the Australian pub chain's email newsletter service and you'll get sent a printable "Free Burger" voucher that can be used once a day for the next seven days.Reuse content


text:
Vietnam’s military-run telco among Asia’s most influential companies: ACES Awards
Vietnamese telecoms giant Viettel took home the Asia’s Most Influential Companies title at the 2020 ACES Awards.
The ACES Awards, or the Asia Corporate Excellence & Sustainability Awards, honors sustainable and pioneering businesses in Asia for their influence on people and international relationships.
Businesses that can meet the standards of growth, manpower, creativity, brand influence in Asia, and commitment to sustainability goals are selected to participate in each of the ACES categories.
Military-run Viettel, Vietnam’s largest telecommunications company, won this year’s ACES award for Asia’s Most Influential Companies, the only company in Vietnam to be given the prestigious title.
Viettel, owned and operated by the Ministry of National Defense, is known for its pioneering use of digital technology to create a more tech-savvy society thanks to several of its digital transformation schemes, including a focus on developing e-government management, smart cities, and digital transformations in the health, education, and transport sectors.
The Vietnamese telco also contributes to the development of four other Southeast Asian countries — Cambodia, Laos, Timor-Leste, and Myanmar — in terms of providing a range of telecommunications, information, and technology initiatives.
Viettel’s data revenue in its overseas markets reached US$500 million in the second quarter of 2020, 106.2 percent of its target for the period.
E-wallet turnover reached a total of $6 million, equivalent to 127 percent of its goal. The number of e-subscribers using Viettel-owned e-wallet services hit 154 percent of its target.
ViettelPay, an electronic payment ecosystem operated by Viettel, has been gaining a foothold amongst consumers in the country. The platform now boasts over 300 partners across 15 different service sectors.
With over VND50 trillion ($2.15 billion) generated from 40 million transactions last year, Viettel now plans to move into the digital payment arena by offering mobile money.
Known as a pioneer in network security, the military-run group serves as a key provider of security information products and services to government, ministries, sectors, and many large enterprises.
In terms of brand value, Viettel was formerly ranked first in Southeast Asia, 102th in Asia, and 355th in the world by Brand Finance, the world’s largest brand valuation consultancy.
- China holds simultaneous military drills in four seas, again
- Joint Statement of APEC Finance Ministers on economic control and recovery by Covid-19
- US criticizes China for breaking promise in the East Sea
- Indonesia learns from Vietnam’s successful handling of COVID-19 second wave
- Noi Bai Airport busy as domestic travel resumed


text:
Ralph Lauren Opens Crypto Payments in Miami, Joins Other Fashion Brands in Web3
Ralph Lauren, the 56-year-old luxury fashion house, is set to give its brand a new-age Web3 twist. The company’s new Miami Design District store — located in Miami, Florida — has begun accepting payments in cryptocurrencies. This is the first Ralph Lauren store to initiate crypto payments. It does not come as quite the surprise that the brand chose Miami to experiment with crypto, given that the beach town is popularly crypto friendly.
Ralph Lauren has partnered with Bitpay, the crypto payment facilitator, to process crypto purchases.
As of now, the fashion brand has listed Bitcoin, Ether, and Polygon as acceptable cryptocurrencies.
For crypto payers looking for refunds, Ralph Lauren will be returning the amount in the cryptocurrency that was originally used.
Not just crypto, but the New York City-headquartered brand is also exploring NFT rewards for customers.
In partnership with Poolsuite, Ralph Lauren has co-designed around 3,000 NFTs that would unlock party favours at a private waterfront estate in Miami, where a three-day launch event is scheduled for later this month, Vogue Business reported.
Research reports have recently shown that Web3 elements like NFTs, crypto, and the metaverse can bring a twist to the advertising industry all together.
Combining Web3 elements to their day-to-day operations is being looked as a way for these old, established brands to connect with the new-age digital customers.
In May 2022, Gucci started accepting crypto payments in US stores. The Italian luxury brand also now exploring ventures in the metaverse.
Hermès, the 1837-founded French luxury design house, along with Balenciaga and Swiss luxury watchmaker Tag Heuer has started experimenting with crypto payments alongside Nike, Hipster’s Paradise, Aeropostale, H&M, Calvin Klein, American Eagle, Philipp Plein, and Etsy.
The global fashion industry recently came together to close the displays of their spring collections for 2023 in the Metaverse Fashion Week. Adidas, Tommy Hilfiger, Vogue Digital, Aldo, and Coach were among high-end brands that participated in the metaverse fashion event.
Smartphone companies have launched many compelling devices over the first quarter of 2023. What are some of the best phones launched in 2023 you can buy today? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.
Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.


text:
Seeking to catch up with Tesla and others, Hyundai leaps into the electric car industry.
In an interview with Reuters, an executive from Hyundai has revealed that the Korean car manufacturer is planning to create a new platform for electric vehicles. While the platform is not expected to be completed in the immediate future, the company will be dipping their toes in the water quite soon. Hyundai Motor and affiliate Kia Motors Corp are planning to roll out small, electric sports utility vehicles (SUVs) based on existing designs as early as next year, according to Hyundai-Kia’s green car operations leader Lee Ki-sang.
The new platform is noteworthy in Hyundai’s case, since they have long resisted the switch to battery-powered electric cars in favor of fuel-cell technology. The rise of electric vehicles, and increased pressure from investors might be a reason for this. The industry in general is desperate to adapt new environmentally friendly solutions as emission regulations in Europe, United States and China force manufacturers to turn away from fossil fuels, despite undercut oil prices. “The electric-vehicle platform will require high up-front investments but we are doing this to prepare for the future,” said Lee.
Hyundai, like so many others, are following in Tesla’s footsteps by offering battery packs to be installed in the floor of their new cars to increase capacity and maximize floor space. There’s been no mention of cost yet, but the company has hinted that it will release a new luxury electric vehicle under its Genesis label in 2021. “The separate platform may incur losses initially, but Hyundai will be left behind the market if they don’t offer long-distance models, like 300 km, 500 km and 600 km,” said Ko Tae-bong, an analyst at Hi Investment & Securities.
Lee says electric vehicles will likely account for some 10% of the global automotive sales in 2025, as opposed to around 1% today, and believes China will be leading the charge. Fuel cell technology, by comparison, which was also being worked on by Kia before the announcement, wouldn’t really be able to take off before at least 2025.


text:
BOSTON (CBS) – Did you notice how much it costs to fill your fridge these days? Some grocery customers experience sticker shock. “The cost of making meat, deli and prepared things are now more expensive,” said Melanie Kinsley of Franklin.
“You did not ascend. They almost doubled in size, ”said Nick Rando, who owns the Ziti Trattoria in Natick. He compared what he paid back in January to today’s prices. “Red meat for steak tips and steak was $ 7.35 a pound. Last week it was $ 13.20 a pound. ”
CONTINUE READING: Surveillance video shows a man pointing a gun at the Springfield police
It’s not just meat. According to the National Bureau of Labor Statistics, cereal and baked goods are up 5%. Fruits and vegetables rose by 1%, dairy products by 0.6%.
For companies that buy in bulk, this can add up to harm. “Yes, you can see it at the checkout, but if you buy £ 300 a week and everything, it starts to hurt,” Rando said. He has to raise the prices on his menu so as not to work at a loss.
CONTINUE READING: Summer in Massachusetts has officially started: children and adults alike want to have fun
“We’ve seen prices we’ve never seen before,” said Jim Tselikis, who runs a national chain of lobster carts with his sister cousins Maine Lobster. “We’re seeing this sustained surge in demand in the lobster system right now,” said Annie Tselikis.
Industry experts blame not only demand, but also a labor shortage and higher transport costs that drive the price of almost all food up. “Just a sign of the times, you know prices go up, gasoline goes up, grocery prices go up,” said Cathy Ross, a customer at the Framingham grocery store.
MORE NEWS: Fourth stimulus check: will there be another aid payment?
Experts say they don’t know how long food inflation will last, but as long as it does, we can expect restaurants to pass it on to customers.


text:
Multimedia Marketing Specialist
A unique client inquiry evolved into a personal relationship that transcended business. This blog post highlighted an up and coming company who exhibited their product at a national conference in Denver, Colorado using the services of Trade Show Emporium.
Ginger Lead, a local Colorado company that produces dog rehabilitation harnesses, wanted a press release in conjunction with Trade Show Emporium. The press release highlighted their product and recent trade show exhibit.
This was my first piece published on a major forum (local newspaper). April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (S.A.A.M.), and I did a timely feature piece in partnership with the Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault to make light of issues not commonly spoken about.


text:
- Subscribe NowLimited Time Offer
Tikiz Shaved Ice & Snow Shakes to open location on Maui
Tikiz Shaved Ice & Snow Shakes will open its first Hawaii location at Maui’s Queen Kaahumanu Center in February, the state’s largest Neighbor Island mall said Tuesday.
Florida-based Tikiz Shaved Ice & Ice Cream will open its free-standing kiosk in the center’s food court and will serve shave ice and feature “Snow Shakes,” which is a blended beverage made from shave ice ingredients.
“Queen Kaahumanu Center is an ideal location for us to introduce Tikiz to Maui,” Tikiz Corporate President Vince Rosano said in a statement. “We are committed to providing a unique, fun experience to each and every one of our customers.”
Rosano also noted that company is available for local fundraisers, and gives back 20 percent of the proceeds from those events to “help with the fundraising efforts.”
Tikiz’s opening comes on the heels of action sports brand retailer Vans’ announcement earlier this month that it will open at the Kahului center in late summer.
The Macy’s and Sears-anchored Queen Kaahumanu Center, which opened in 1972, has about 110 tenants and comprises of 570,935-square-feet. according to PBN research.
Duane Shimogawa covers energy, real estate and economic development for Pacific Business News.
- Most popular
- Hawaii’s Island Air cutting workforce by 20%, cuts operations
- First look at Hilton Garden Inn Waikiki
- General Growth slices Ala Moana Center redevelopment costs in half
- Shokudo owners to open Bread + Butter restaurant next week in Honolulu
- Hawaiian Airlines launches new website
- Hawaii-born Marcus Mariota drafted by NFL's Tennessee Titans
- Former Safeway insider 'not surprised' grocer could be eying IPO
- Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg looked into buying Hawaii's Molokai Ranch
- Pacific Links Hawaii plans $200M hotel project with luxury units
- Obama selects Chicago for presidential library, not Hawaii
Kaiser Permanente Hawaii
Diagnostic Laboratory Services
Board of Advisors of The Salvation Army - Hawaiian & Pacific Islands Division
Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties
Central Pacific Bank
Interim County Auditor County of Kaua'i | Lihue, HI
Audience Development Account Executive Pacific Business News | Honolulu, HI
PROPERTY MANAGER ASSISTANT Bhatt Properties | San Antonio, TX
PURCHASING ASSISTANT WALSH PURCHASING INC | Hollywood, FL
Retail Store Manager H&R Block Corporate | Honolulu, HI


text:
Google Glass already connects wirelessly to your smartphone, but until today it couldn’t officially pull in notifications as they arrived on your handset. Now Google is finally adding notification support for the wearable device, though for the moment it’s limited to those who use it with Android devices.
Notification Sync for Glass works a lot like Android Wear, suggesting Google may have simply ported over the same code it used for its smartwatch software. That could explain why the new feature won’t support your iPhone, though there is at least one unsanctioned workaround for getting iOS notifications onto Google Glass. For Android fans it’s as simple as downloading the update when it arrives this week and then enabling notifications.
In the meantime, the way Google is implementing notifications raises a lot of questions. Is the company bridging the gap between Google Glass and Android Wear? In the future, will both types of wearable device run similar software? And if so, what does that mean for iOS support? There’s no clear answer to any of our questions for now, though hopefully Google’s plans will become clearer with future updates.


text:
NBC - In this day and age, your eyes can be your passport, your fingerprint, can be your ticket to a baseball game, and you can even use your face to unlock an iPhone.
More companies are embracing biometric identification, but it's raising privacy and security concerns.
"We should be worried about whether or not this stuff is going to adversely affect our lives," says CNET's Ian Sheer.
The Senate is questioning Apple about who has access to face ID information.
In a statement Apple said "Face ID data never leaves the device, is encrypted and protected."
Experts say it's a better option than passwords, mainly because we are so terrible at making them.
"We are really bad at it we don't use good passwords not good about changing our passwords very often and so we just can't be trusted with it let's be honest" Sherr says.
Read more: http://nbcnews.to/2hnTDp3


text:
Connect with top gaming leaders in Los Angeles at GamesBeat Summit 2023 this May 22-23. Register here.
Earlier today, Electronic Arts chief executive officer Andrew Wilson had a phone call with Walt Disney consumer products and interactive media chairman Jimmy Pitaro about Star Wars: Battlefront II, according to new sources familiar with the situation. A few hours after that call, players are finding out that they can no longer make in-game purchases with real money. EA has confirmed that it is taking that feature down to address fan concerns just as the game is about to launch worldwide tomorrow. All of this comes after multiple days of outrage from fans who are upset that EA and developer DICE have implemented an online multiplayer system that gives an advantage to people who pay money.
“We hear you loud and clear, so we’re turning off all in-game purchases,” DICE general manager Oskar Gabrielson. “We will now spend more time listening, adjusting, balancing, and tuning. This means that the option to purchase crystals in the game is now offline, and all progression will be earned through gameplay. The ability to purchase crystals in-game will become available at a later date, only after we’ve made changes to the game. We’ll share more details as we work through this.”
So microtransactions will return. This isn’t a surprise, because a game the size of Star Wars: Battlefront II (with an expensive license attached to it) needs every revenue stream possible. But when it reemerges, EA is promising something players will find more palatable.
The main takeaway from the EA statement is what I've always been saying.
MTX and Loot Boxes aren't going away. They're already accepted.
All that's happening is EA tweaking the system to make it 'fun and addictive' instead of 'intrusive and predatory'.
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) November 17, 2017
GamesBeat Summit 2023
Join the GamesBeat community in Los Angeles this May 22-23. You’ll hear from the brightest minds within the gaming industry to share their updates on the latest developments.
“Our goal has always been to create the best possible game for all of you – devoted Star Wars fans and game players alike,” said Gabrielson. “But as we approach the worldwide launch, it’s clear that many of you feel there are still challenges in the design. We’ve heard the concerns about potentially giving players unfair advantages. And we’ve heard that this is overshadowing an otherwise great game. This was never our intention. Sorry we didn’t get this right.”
Edit: This story originally referred to sources that said Disney CEO Bob Iger spoke with Andrew Wilson. While the call between Disney and EA took place, Iger was not actually on it. I apologize for the error, and I will do better next time.
GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it. Discover our Briefings.


text:
Uniqlo continues India expansion with fifth retail store
Japanese apparel brand Uniqlo brand is continuing with its India expansion plan amid Covid-19 disruptions, opening its fifth retail store in the country, as part of its one-year anniversary celebrations.
The brand had recently opened its fourth offline store and started e-commerce operations as well in the country. The new store at DLF Mall of India is spread over 17,500 square feet of retail space, over two floors.
“We are delighted to open our fifth store in one of the largest malls in India. We’ve had customers from Noida visiting our other stores to experience our high-quality and functional apparel. Now, we are thrilled to make Lifewear accessible in their neighborhood,” in a statement said Tomohiko Sei, CEO at Uniqlo India.
Pushpa Bector, executive director of DLF Retail, added: “We are once again proud to partner with Uniqlo as they bring thoughtful, timeless apparel to the people of Delhi NCR. The brand has made a mark in the Indian retail landscape within a year of its launch and has been among the best performing retail brands at our properties.”
Uniqlo entered the Indian market with its first store in the country at the Ambience Mall Vasant Kunj in New Delhi last October. The brand is a subsidiary of Japan-based apparel retailer, Fast Retailing, and has its presence in 25 markets across the world.
Copyright © 2023 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.


text:
Colorado, United States — Starting in late 2008, the solar market shifted from supply-constricted to demand-driven within a few quarters due to the plunging price of crystalline silicon cells and modules spurred by falling polysilicon cost, constrained availability of credit, Spain’s dramatic demand decline, and the growth of thin film supply and market share. According to a new white paper from Pike Research, while solar demand will experience strong growth this year, these events have had a strong influence on which companies will lead the industry in 2010 and beyond and which will face low profit margins and possible consolidation.
“The solar market is now faced with a gross oversupply of modules,” said Dave Cavanaugh, a senior analyst at Pike. “The industry is currently supplied by more than 190 cell and module manufacturers, making consolidation of weaker competitors an inevitable outcome.”
Cavanaugh said that in the meantime, overcapacity and intense competition will create downward pressure for module average selling prices (ASPs), which will accelerate grid parity for the cost of solar-produced power to the 2013 timeframe in many markets.
A few of Pike Research’s other key forecasts and findings about the new solar market include the following that worldwide solar demand, driven by lower costs and greater availability of credit, will increase to 10.1 gigawatts (GW) in 2010, a year-over-year increase of almost 43%.
The report also finds that solar market demand will exceed 19 GW by 2013, a 25% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2010. Growth is expected to be driven by demand from the United States, Italy, and China, in addition to steady demand from Germany and demand growth in a number of smaller countries.
Pike said that excess module supply could easily reach 8.3 GW in 2010, even accounting for reasonable utilization rates and moderate capacity growth.
Pike Research’s paper, “The New Solar Market”, examines the new competitive differentiators that will determine success for solar companies following the market upheaval of the past two years. The report analyzes the market dynamics and implications for key companies associated with module oversupply and a large number of competitors, and provides insights on the importance of cost per watt, module efficiency, supply chain integration, and other key factors.


text:
As UK and European negotiators are meeting today for another round of Brexit trade talks, all stakeholders hope the two sides will reach a deal by October 31. That would be a realistic deadline for it to be ratified by the end of the year, when Britain's withdrawal from the European single market comes into effect. For companies that do cross-Channel business, the looming deadline and current lack of clarity is leaving them in the dark.
As reported on euronews.com¸ the Brexit transition ends in just a few months. For importers and exporters in the European Union and the UK, the outbreak of COVID-19 has derailed negotiations and thrown a spanner in the works.
Theneweuropean.co.uk has stated that an EU official has urged Boris Johnson to take the ‘unique and highly attractive’ offer it has made to the UK which it says has never been offered to any country before.
David McAllister, the chair of the European Parliament’s UK Coordination Group, told German newspaper Börsen-Zeitung the EU had made “a unique and highly attractive offer to the UK that has never been made to a third country: quota-free and duty-free access for goods to the single market”.
But he said in the interest of “fair competition” that the UK must accept the level playing field to progress in negotiations.


text:
The UK’s first self-serve compensation app, airFair, is celebrating winning £1 million in flight delay compensation in its first year.
With almost 4,000 app downloads since launching in October 2016, paired with increased traffic to airfair.com, more consumers are taking steps to claim back money for delayed flights.
As the likelihood of flight delays is on the rise, and airlines are rejecting a higher number of direct claims due to large volumes, airFair has seen its claims from delayed passengers soar to 20,000.
Will Smith, head of airFair, said: “We are the only UK-based company in our industry offering consumers a self-serving app which we see as the ultimate travel companion in today’s modern world of busy airports and flight delays.
“We are there to help immediately when passengers find themselves in the unfortunate circumstances of a flight delay. It’s a huge milestone to have surpassed £1 million in compensation, yet there are still so many people out there not claiming what’s rightfully theirs when they are delayed.
“We are nearing the launch of version two of the app before the end of the year which will have some exciting enhancements.”


text:
San Francisco With a circuit simulator that combines both Spice and "fast Spice" capabilities, Magma Design Automation entered the analog/mixed-signal simulation market here at last week's Design Automation Conference. The company's FineSim Pro offering is the first to result from Magma's November 2005 acquisition of ACAD Corp.
Magma quietly acquired ACAD, provider of the FineSim circuit simulation tool, after paying $450,000 in cash and assuming a $3.9 million liability, said Suk Lee, general manager of Magma's custom design business unit. The entire ACAD development team of 16 then joined Magma, said Andy Huang, former ACAD president and CEO, now vice president of business development at Magma's custom design business unit.
When it introduced FineSim in 2004, ACAD claimed to offer more accuracy than other fast Spice simulators on the market. FineSim came to be used primarily by flash memory designers, Huang said, because of its analog accuracy and its IR drop and electromigration analysis capabilities.
Magma thought the technology behind FineSim could be a good addition to its own technology portfolio, Lee said. "As Magma continues to increase its capabilities in the digital marketplace, we need to start servicing requirements of people who are in adjacent spaces, such as the Big A, Big D mixed-signal marketplace," he said. With FineSim Pro, Lee continued, Magma will address large mixed-signal chips with significant analog and digital content.
What Magma has added since the ACAD acquisition is a "trimode" engine. That means the simulator can run in one of three modes analog, full Spice and turbo Spice allowing designers to pick the best combination of accuracy and speed for any given block. Lee said that three modes can run at the same time.
In Spice mode, the simulator has full Spice accuracy, Lee said. He also said that algorithmic improvements allow FineSim Pro to run three to five times faster than other Spice simulators. Further, it can be parallelized over multiple CPUs with a near-linear speedup, he said.
According to Lee, Magma has run simulations on 16 CPUs and experienced speedups of nearly 16 times over a single CPU. That's in addition to the aforementioned single-CPU speed increase of three to five times, he said.
"Customers could replace their existing Spice engines with FineSim Pro, but that's not the market we're going after," Lee said. "We're going after the big mixed-signal full-chip marketplace." Today, customers can't simulate in a regular Spice engine, or simulate with more accuracy than existing fast Spice engines, he said.
The analog mode, he said, is comparable to the original FineSim, and is aimed at circuits with hundreds of thousands of transistors. It's much more accurate than existing fast Spice simulators, he said. The turbo or fast Spice mode is claimed to run faster than fast Spice simulators without sacrificing accuracy. But metrics are hard to quantify, he said, because accuracy is design-dependent.
FineSim Pro takes the same models and Spice netlists as other Spice simulators. Output is ASCII or binary, and the FineWave utility provides a waveform display. The simulator also works with third-party waveform tools.
While Magma is integrating ACAD technology "under the hood" in some of its IC implementation products, FineSim Pro is a standalone tool, Lee said. It will ship in August. Lee said pricing will be "comparable" to other fast Spice simulators, but declined to provide more details.
See related chart


text:
Tesla is getting close to finally launching the new Model 3 Performance/Ludicrous as the company hosted a media event for the new electric sedan on Monday.
Tesla launched the new Model 3 last October, first from Giga Shanghai, and then brought the updated design to North America earlier this year. The only thing missing from both launches was the Performance variant, with only the Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD) and Long Range (LR) variants being built at Giga Shanghai and Fremont.
Despite it not being in production, Tesla has been actively testing the new Model 3 Performance, with numerous camouflaged vehicles being spotted on public roads in the US over the last few months. It looked like we were getting close to an official launch in late February or early March when the new Model 3 Performance, or possibly Model 3 Ludicrous, was spotted fully uncovered in Spain for a promotional photo and video shoot.
We are now into April and still without an official announcement, but it looks like we won’t have to wait much longer. On Monday Tesla held an event in Malibu, California, for select media to learn more about the new Model 3 Performance and get the opportunity for time behind the wheel.
Some photos of the event were shared online, showing at least six Model 3 Performance cars under covers, and another set up inside a building, also under a cover, presumably for a presentation for attendees to get an overview of the changes and updates from Tesla.
Model 3 Ludicrous. pic.twitter.com/Uti6HFdqs4— Chris Zheng (@ChrisZheng001) April 1, 2024
Those cars were later driven around Malibu, with several of them being spotted by Tesla enthusiast Zack (@BLKMDL3).
Spotted some interesting Model 3s around Malibu today…— Zack (@BLKMDL3) April 2, 2024
Didn’t get any closer since I didn’t want to invade their space and wanted to respect their privacy even though it was in public.
Let’s just say this new product looks awesome, excited to hear more! pic.twitter.com/y3DxlG4by5
Given that the event was held on April 1 (and no, it wasn’t an April Fool’s joke), Tesla’s media embargo will likely be in place for a week or two. This puts a potential release date in mid-April, allowing those in attendance time to create their content and have it ready for a release on the same day Tesla announces the new Model 3 Performance.


text:
MAY 10, 2022
5 min Read
African Tech Weekly Recap: March 28 to April 1, 2022
Welcome to our weekly recap where we share the most important news of the week in the African Tech Ecosystem 🌍
To get access to our Daily investor updates check us out 👇
🇪🇬 Egypt’s Khazna raises $38m Series A round
- Egypt-based fintech Khazna has raised a Series A round of $38 million in equity and debt, with the equity investment led by Quona Capital while the debt financing was provided by Lendable.
- Launched in 2020 by Omar Saleh, Ahmed Wagueeh, Fatimah El Shenawy, and Omar Salah, Khazna aims to serve underbanked Egyptians who have little access to formal financial services, including general-purpose credit, buy now pay later (BNPL), and bill payment.
- Khazna has raised a total of $47 million since the company’s inception. The new round will allow it to ramp up its efforts to replace informal cash-driven alternatives across Egypt.
Digital banks have enormous potential in Egypt, a country where 2 of every 3 individuals are partly or totally excluded from formal financial services but 50% of its 100 million people actively use smartphones. In addition to high mobile and internet penetration, the North African country boasts a young and tech-savvy population with 61% below 30. Startups like Khazna have thus moved to capture this opportunity with neo banking platforms, contributing to the general booming fintech sector in Egypt.
🇳🇬 CredPal raises $15m to scale BNPL across Africa
- CredPal, one of the earliest pioneers of buy now, pay later (BNPL) in Nigeria, has closed a bridge round of $15 million in equity and debt to expand its consumer credit offerings across Africa.
- Per a statement shared by the company, the investment will support its expansion into other African markets, mainly Kenya, Egypt, Ghana, and Cameroon.
- The startup claims to have over 85,000 active customers and more than 4,000 active merchants.
The BNPL movement is waxing strong across the continent. Lipa Later is one of the early companies in the space in Kenya and there is M-Kopa in Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria. CDCare, PayQart, and Carbon also play in Nigeria. And in South Africa, there are PayJustNow and Payflex. The adoption of BNPL in Nigeria as a payment option both online and at the point of sale is expected to record a CAGR of 20% from 2021 to 2028.
🇪🇬 Egypt’s fantasy football platform Eksab raises $3m
- Egypt-based daily fantasy football platform, Eksab, has secured a $3 million Seed funding round, led by 4DX Ventures with participation from a number of local and international angel investors, bringing the total funding the platform has raised to date to $3.7 million.
- Launched in 2018 by Aly Mahmoud, Eksab allows players to choose free or premium competitions, make predictions and choose line-ups, with winners climbing the leaderboard and winning cash and prizes.
- Eksab will deploy the capital to scale its user base across the MENA region and Africa, invest in product development, talent acquisition for engineering, product, and execute partnerships with several global football clubs.
Eksab is the first and currently only licensed fantasy football platform in Egypt. The company plans to acquire licenses to operate in three additional MENA countries by mid-2022, in a bid to capture the lion’s share of the multi-billion dollar football ecosystem in the region, serving more than 500 million football fans across the Middle East and Africa.
🇰🇪 Kenyan social commerce platform Tushop raises $3m
- Tushop, a Kenyan social-commerce platform that enables communities in Nairobi to buy groceries more cheaply with free delivery, has secured $3 million in pre-seed funding round, led by 4DX Ventures.
- Founded in 2021 by Cathy Chepkemboi, Tushop’s mission is to make access to groceries more affordable and more convenient for Kenyans and eventually all Africans.
- The funds will be deployed to grow Tushop’s team, invest in tech to make its platform as easy to use as possible, and to further expand across Nairobi before rolling the service out to other cities in Kenya.
While the idea of community group buying is still nascent, the market has enormous potential. Africans spend $260 billion yearly on food and in Kenya, an average of 46% of individual income is spent on food. Tushop’s model saves consumers up to 60% on groceries compared to buying in supermarkets and other retail outlets while providing the added convenience of free delivery.
🇨🇲 Cameroonian e-health startup Waspito raises $2.7m
- Cameroonian e-health startup Waspito has raised a $2.7 million seed funding round to grow its user base in its home market and expand to Ivory Coast.
- Founded in 2020, Waspito connects users with medical doctors via instant video consultations from their smartphones. It also provides mobile laboratory services, with a lab technician collecting samples from a user’s home and results received digitally.
- To date, Waspito has served over 15,000 patients, and it plans to expand to 10 countries in the next four years.
Source: Disrupt Africa
Healthcare-focused African startups are increasingly attracting venture capital investment as the continent’s e-health sector booms. As of 2020, there were 180 companies active in Africa’s e-health space, while investment peaked in the first half of 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, 55 African e-health startups secured funding from investors. As the African population continues to grow and the need for a nimble approach to healthcare delivery grows, there are strong indications startup numbers and investment levels will continue to soar.
🚀 Q1 2022 has been the most funded quarter ever
According to Briter Bridges “ The first three months of 2022 witnessed almost $1.8 billion that was attracted by tech-enabled African companies, more than the amount raised in the same period in 2019, 2020 and 2021 combined”
If you enjoyed it, please share and get early access to daba’s platform. See you next week 👋


text:
The MRE Lite RTD has been coming soon from Redcon1 for quite some time, getting its first mention here at Stack3d well over a year ago in August of last year. The two-time Brand Of The Year winner did plan on releasing the product in the first month of 2020; however, it was pushed back and has continued to be delayed throughout the year.
The good news is, it now looks like Redcon1 finally has the launch of its long-awaited MRE Lite RTD locked and loaded, and this does appear to be more reliable than any of its previous plans. The brand has said the on-the-go protein shake is being manufactured this weekend, with its arrival planned for some time within the next few weeks.
The MRE Lite RTD won’t be here in time for Black Friday, so you won’t be able to grab it with whatever unmissable sale Redcon1 is running, although we imagine there will be some discount when it does drop. As far as we know, all of the original information for the product is still the same, which you can check out in this post here, from last year.


text:
Consumers anxious over tight insurance deadlines and lingering computer problems during the holidays will get extra time to pay their premiums under President Barack Obama’s health care law, insurers announced Wednesday.
The board of the industry’s biggest trade group – America’s Health Insurance Plans – said consumers who select a plan by Dec. 23 will now have until Jan. 10 to pay their first month’s premium. That’s 10 extra days beyond a New Year’s Eve deadline set by the government.
The voluntary move comes as insurers and the government try to head off anticipated problems around the first of the year, when new coverage options for the uninsured take effect under Obama’s law, and when several million people whose existing policies were canceled must switch to new plans.
Expect even bigger political trouble for the president if consumers who made a good-faith effort to get covered through the government’s balky website show up at the pharmacy and can’t get prescriptions filled, or if they turn up in the emergency room and there’s no record that they are enrolled. The stakes would be higher this time because someone’s health could be jeopardized.
The administration applauded the industry decision. It will “ultimately make it easier for consumers to enroll” through the new online insurance markets, said Health and Human Services spokeswoman Joanne Peters. The federal HealthCare.gov website is now working reasonably well, but insurers still report accuracy problems with enrollment information the government is sending about their new customers.
Karen Ignagni, CEO of the industry group, said the decision was taken “to give consumers greater peace of mind about their health care coverage.” AHIP represents about 95 percent of the industry, including the major national carriers and nearly all the BlueCross BlueShield plans.
There may be a few insurers who do not follow the group’s lead, so consumers are advised to check with their carrier. Consumers must pay their first month’s premium on time for coverage to take effect.
The move burnishes the industry’s image and has no real downside, said Dan Mendelson, CEO of Avalare Health, a market analysis firm. “It’s useful for the consumer and not a problem for the plans,” he said.
Insurers will still get paid for January. “They can book the revenue, and they don’t need to worry about the cash flow,” Mendelson said.
But the announcement does more than grant extra time. It also reduces the risk that consumers switching plans could suffer an interruption in coverage because of the technology woes encountered by the federal sign-up system, and some state-run websites.
That’s particularly important for at least 4 million people whose existing individual plans were canceled because they did not meet standards under Obama’s law. Disruptions in coverage for those consumers could have major political consequences for Obama and beleaguered HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
Back in 2009, Obama had promised that people who liked their insurance would be able to keep it under his health overhaul plan. But that guarantee was shredded by the wave of cancellation notices, which crested right around the same time that HealthCare.gov was refusing to function for millions of potential customers. Obama’s poll ratings took a nosedive.
Under the industry announcement, consumers still must select a plan by Dec. 23 – next Monday.
But instead of having to pay their first month’s premium by New Year’s Eve, they now have until Jan. 10. That would let them have coverage retroactive to Jan. 1. Patients who get a pharmacy or medical bill during that period can later submit it to the insurance company for payment.
Insurers have complained that a significant number of the enrollments they have gotten from HealthCare.gov have problems that could prevent a consumer from getting covered on Jan. 1. That includes missing or incomplete information, duplicative entries and garble. The administration says its technical experts are aggressively tackling the problems, and that errors have been cut dramatically. But insurers say useless or corrupted files are still getting through. Government and industry are working together to clean up the records.
Without the extra time granted Wednesday, a consumer who paid in early January would have had to wait until Feb. 1 for coverage.


text:
360-degree cameras are becoming much more popular now that VR has taken off and thanks to the recent release of Samsung’s newest 360-degree camera, the first-gen models have dropped quite a bit in price. The original Samsung Gear 360 camera launched early last year only to be replaced this year by an upgraded version of the camera that supports 4K recording and live-streaming.
Here’s a quick video Joe took exploring the inside of his bird feeder with the original camera.
Amazon has knocked the price of the camera down to just $89 for now, though the price seems to be fluctuating some. Earlier reports suggest it went as low as $78 for some people, but it’s back to hovering in the $89 range. The price of the camera has been steadily dropping over the last few months. Back in February, we posted a deal of $125, so this is still quite a discount from that price.


text:
A New Perspective
West Mecklenburg High School, Charlotte, NC- Ashliyah
Coordinator Maggie Baker’s Cooking Club has had a significant positive impact on many students at West Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. Specifically with one student Ashliyah Allen, changing her perspective on healthy food. Ashliyah and her fellow classmates not only learn how to adapt recipes to include healthier ingredients but learn the value in trying new foods and how fun it can be.
“I’ve learned that even if you go by the exact recipe, sometimes you have to adjust the amount for each ingredient based on personal preference of taste and flavor. I had to do this when I made my own homemade salsa for my mom. Cooking club has helped me learn how to cook and eat healthier in so many ways! My favorite recipe so far was the Gluten-Free Apple Crisp.” said Ashliyah Allen.
Ms. Sharon Sease, the Occupational Education Teacher at West Mecklenburg High School, supervises the HealthCorps Cooking Club along with Coordinator Maggie Baker. “I love to cook myself and learn new recipes so it’s nice to have the opportunity to educate our students on healthy eating and how to incorporate more healthy snacks and meal recipes into their daily lives.” said Sharon. Sharon says she knows the cooking club is making a strong positive influence on students because they come to class every Tuesday excited to get started.
Sharon also says that Ashliyah and several other students have been telling her regularly that they’ve gone home and made their own homemade creations with their parents. “I’m so incredibly proud of them! I look forward to each week and always get excited to cook a new recipe with each and every one of them!” said Sharon.
Want to try Ashliyah’s favorite recipe for Gluten-Free Apple Crisp? Click here!


text:
Intel on Tuesday showed off a netbook with a dual-core Atom processor as it talked up efforts to crank up the performance of the low-cost laptops.
A service that allows Google's search engine to be used anonymously is running again after a code change briefly knocked it down.
SAP is nearing a deal to buy mobile and database vendor Sybase for roughly US$6 billion, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing two individuals with knowledge of the company's plans.
Microsoft has launched the newest versions of its Microsoft Office and Microsoft SharePoint software packages.
PC maker Dell is looking into Advanced Micro Devices' Fusion processors for use in future laptops and desktops as it tries to make PCs smaller and more power-efficient, a company executive said.
Advanced Micro Devices on Wednesday announced new mobile processors as it tries to bridge the power and performance gap with Intel, while trying to lower laptop prices.
The Rudd Government's Budget has seen further funds allocated to help build the National Broadband Network (NBN, including $16 million for a two-year advertising campaign about the project.
Panasonic will be will begin touring its VIERA plasma 3D TVs around the country, beginning this week.
Epicor is joining the on-demand ERP (enterprise resource planning) fray with a new application aimed at small manufacturing companies as well as competing vendors such as NetSuite and SAP's Business ByDesign.
Nokia has decided to streamline its structure in a bid to accelerate the development of new phones and services, the phone maker said on Tuesday.
Semiconductor Manufacturing International (SMIC) reported its 12th straight losing quarter on Tuesday, despite a dramatic rebound in the global chip industry.
Start-up Infineta Systems is coming out of stealth mode just in time to reveal that it is working on one of the knotty problems raised this week at the EMC World conference – how to connect data centers efficiently for backup, replication and cloud s...
Mozilla CEO John Lilly will leave the nonprofit company as soon as it can find a replacement, ending his more than two years at the helm of the maker of Firefox.
Wireless LAN vendor Meru Networks reported Tuesday its initial first-quarter results as a publicly traded company. It posted strong revenue growth, but not enough to overcome a net loss.
Visa Inc. last week sent a fraud alert to banks and payment processors warning them to look out for a "large batch settlement fraud scheme" involving a merchant account in East Europe.
Whether it’s consumer or enterprise security there is one bottom line: there is no point in cutting corners when it comes to security.
Most Popular Reviews
- 1 Review: TCL C1 series 4K TV
- 2 Sony 75-inch UHD TV (X9400C) review: Sony and Android are a winning duo
- 3 LG 55EG960T OLED UHD TV
- 4 Panasonic Viera UHD TV review: good hardware, fragmented software
- 5 Microsoft Lumia 640 review: Honouring Nokia's legacy
Join the Good Gear Guide newsletter!
Best Deals on Good Gear Guide
Latest News Articles
- Report: Microsoft could debut Xbox One game streaming stick and 'Xbox TV' at E3
- This sticker can wirelessly charge your smartphone or tablet
- Microsoft breaks own design rules in dupe-the-user Windows 10 upgrade tactic
- Samsung isn't giving up on Android Wear, it's just not making any new Android Wear watches
- Google quietly kills its Nexus Player as Chromecast overshadows Android TV
GGG Evaluation Team
First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
- CCApplication DevelopersQLD
- CCLMS Administrator and e- Learning Development Project OfficerSA
- CC12 months + 2x12 months | $80/hr | NV1 Project Manager | Large govt departmentACT
- CCContract Computer Operator (UNIX/Windows-based) 1610524/CCO/vmtAsia
- CCSystems Engineer - NV2ACT
- CCDigital Business Analyst (iOS & Android / Web Projects)NSW
- CCData Migration Quality Manager- SAP ECCNSW
- FTSenior Developer (Full stack)SA
- CCDevOps EngineerNSW
- CCTechnology Lead / Senior Developer - Java (Urgent)NSW
- CCSenior Process AnalystVIC
- CCTester Analyst - learn on the job!ACT
- CCAccess Control Administration / Help desk OperatorACT
- CCSecurity Consultant - Telecommunications and NetworksSA
- FTAgile CoachNSW
- CCPHP / Magento E-Commerce DeveloperNSW
- CCBig Data DeveloperWA
- CCDevOps Software Configuration ManagerACT
- CCSenior Oracle Functional ConsultantSA
- CCDigital Content ProducerVIC
- CCBusiness AnalystNSW
- CCNetwork Access Specialist - Telecommunications (Apply now)!!NSW
- CCProject SpecialistVIC
- CCBusiness Intelligence (BI) AnalystQLD
- CCNV1 Consultant | Groundbreaking Defence decision support applicationACT


text:
WePay, a startup that’s meant to help take the pain out of managing payments for groups like fraternities and soccer teams, has landed a big new hire: Rasmus Lerdorf, the man who originally created the programming language PHP. Lerdorf, who left Yahoo last November, will be leading development of WePay’s API. The API will begin rolling out to a small number of developers this summer (you can ask to take part by emailing email@example.com ).
WePay’s platform is built to facilitate payments in group situations, where you often have to collect money from multiple people (as opposed to systems like PayPal where 1-to-1 transactions are more common). Founder Bill Clerico says that so far the service has gotten a lot of traction with fraternities, and is also catching on with roommates who regularly have to share bills. Since launching a month ago, Clerico says that the volume of transactions has been growing 50% each week.
WePay also recently launched a ticketing feature, which Clerico says is less formal than sites like Eventbrite. He says that the feature could be used by fraternities to sell tickets to their parties, or for clubs to sell tickets to special events.
WePay has a strong roster of investors, including Y Combinator, Max Levchin, Dave McClure, Paul Buchheit, Ron Conway, Mark Goines, Andrew McCollum, Joe Campanelli, and Angus Davis.


text:
As the security industry gets ready to descend upon Las Vegas next week for ISC West, the Security Industry Association's New Product Showcase judges will be gearing up to evaluate the latest in security technology.
This year, a panel of 17 judges will critique 81 solutions from over 70 manufacturers to determine which one will be named the best new product for 2010. Click here to view a full list of this year's entrants.
New this year to the NPS program will be a booth (11074) setup by SIA itself on the show floor where attendees can view the products that are up for awards. The awards ceremony will also take place at the booth at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, March 24.
"We actually got feedback last year from participants in the program, as well as attendees that told us it was difficult to hear," said SIA Spokeswoman Patricia Sherwood. "We really wanted to give the NPS program a home and by having it in a display area on the show floor, (we thought) that kind of gave it the importance that it deserves."
The SIA has also changed the name of the top award this year from "best in show" to "best new product." Last year, top honors in this category went to Pivot3 and its serverless computing storage solution. To be considered for best new product, the SIA NPS says a product must demonstrate "the most impressive technological advances as demonstrated by increased functionality, improved ease of use and/or cost reduction."
Among some of the other award categories include Judges' Choice, which is product or solution judges feel deserves recognition for its unique approach; access control; biometrics and identity solutions; commercial and monitoring solutions; convergence solutions; false alarm solutions; fire/life safety; integrated software, products and systems; intrusion detection and preventative solutions; IP devices, products and software; OEM; public safety solutions; residential and monitoring solutions; security solutions services; tools and hardware; video analytics; video device; video storage and distribution; and, wireless. Click here to view a PDF of the full list of award categories and their judging criteria.
The NPS planning committee also worked on refining some its product categories and their judging criteria to make them clearer for entrants, according to NPS Chairman Jennifer Martin
"One of the things that's exciting... is we revised the product categories and I think it really helped us attract a great new mix of products," she said. "I was really pleased because some of the newest technologies are some our largest categories this year."
Martin, who was chosen this year to succeed longtime NPS Chairman Sandra Jones, says that each year seems to bring about great innovation throughout the security industry.
"Every year we have a lot of very exciting products that come into the show and this year is no different. The event itself, we've been doing this for over 30 years... and I think every year it has gotten better," she added. "The caliber of products, the caliber of companies that participate has led us to a lot of good products out there on the market."


text:
The wholesale and retail price of soybean oil, sunflower oil, vanaspati oil, and refined palmolein oil have decreased in a week. The downward trend of edible oil prices is a sign that the consumer can expect relief in their expense on FMCG products.
The MRP of Fortune sunflower oil 1-litre pack has decreased price 210 from 220, the MRP of Fortune soybean oil 1 litre and the Kachi Ghani 1 litre pack has decreased to 195 from 205. The decline in the rates of edible oil is being seen because of the government measure of import duty reduction on edible oils.
However, Sudhanshu Pandey, Secretary of the Department of Food and Public Distribution said that it has been possible due to constant monitoring by the department, frequently engagement with all stakeholders and many government interventions. He also added that “All major edible oil brands have cut prices by 10-15 rupees.”
In the latest attempt to cool down retail inflation and to provide relief to consumers, the government has issued notification for allocation of Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) for import of duty-free and AIDC cess-free 20-litre metrics tons of crude Soybean Oil and 20-litre metrics tons of Crude Sunflower Oil for the financial year 2022-2023.
Therefore, the government had to limit the stock of edible oils and oilseeds for a period up to 31 December 2022 and to ensure the government order, a Central team from the Department of Food and Public Distribution were conducted inspections of the stocks of edible oils & oilseeds held by Retailers, Wholesalers, Big Chain Retailers and Processors in major oilseed producing/consuming States to prevent hoarding and profiteering.
The government’s decision to reduce the excise duty levied on petrol and diesel has also helped in cooling down the prices of edible oil.
Therefore, the central government had also cut the basic duty on Crude Palm Oil, Crude Soyabean Oil and Crude Sunflower Oil from 2.5 percent to zero. The AIDC cess had also been cut to 5 percent, The basic duty on Refined Soyabean oil and Refined Sunflower Oil has been slashed from 32.5 percent to 17.5 percent and the basic duty on Refined Palm Oils has also been reduced from 17.5 percent to 12.5 percent.


text:
Jimmy Buffett’s ‘Margaritaville’ Is a State of Mind, and an Empire
His newest showstopper, a 17-story hotel near Miami, has three pools, a full-service spa and eight restaurants, including a seriously upscale steakhouse. That electric blue sculpture in the lobby? You’d swear it was by Jeff Koons.
Over near Orlando, work has started on his $800 million family resort, which will include a 12-acre water park and 1,200 homes priced at up to $1 million apiece. His company, which had $1.5 billion in sales last year, is introducing a line of jewelry. He has one of America’s fastest-growing craft beers. A team — led by a former Google executive — is working to transform his digital media business.
The man is Jimmy Buffett. And it’s time to toss whatever you thought you knew about his lazy, hazy Margaritaville out the window.
Forget the ville. This is a Margarita World. “People are always shocked when they find out how big we’ve gotten,” Mr. Buffett said recently over lunch, grinning and splashing Tabasco on a modified Cobb salad. “We just kept quietly doing our thing. Not saying much. And now — bam! — here we are.”
Margaritaville, with its themed restaurants (erupting volcanoes, boat-shaped booths), started as a tropical cousin to T.G.I. Friday’s. Through trial and error, Mr. Buffett and a partner, John Cohlan, have since expanded Margaritaville Holdings to include four booming divisions: lodging, alcohol, licensing and media. Now, as they pursue growth for the first time overseas, where Mr. Buffett has a much softer fan base, they are trying to recast Margaritaville as a broad, aspirational brand — the Ralph Lauren of leisurely escape, if you will.
“The stroke of genius was making Margaritaville a feeling, not a place,” said Mindy Grossman, the chief executive of the home-shopping behemoths HSN and Frontgate, where 400-plus Margaritaville items include a $799 hammock and $159 penny loafers. “If you don’t take the name so literally, growth could be endless.”
“O.K., not endless,” Ms. Grossman said. “I wouldn’t suggest doing fake fur coats. But almost.”
Mr. Buffett, patron saint of the untroubled, has long been known for his business acumen. In some ways, with his approach to concert merchandise and tour sponsorship in the 1980s, he created the model of musician-as-entrepreneur that managers for artists like Madonna and Dave Matthews have pursued more recently. Other singers have parlayed their personas into business empires — Dolly Parton, for instance, with her Dollywood theme park, Dixie Stampede dinner theaters, Dolly slot machines and “Coat of Many Colors” merchandise — but none are as singularly sprawling as Mr. Buffett’s Margaritaville.
“He understands his brand, which has a substantial reach,” Warren E. Buffett, a friend (but not a relative), said by phone. “One of the secrets to his success is that he never really loses any fans.”
Still, a thriving brand needs to steadily recruit new devotees, and that may be Margaritaville’s biggest challenge. While Mr. Buffett’s fan base includes young people — drunkenly singing along to “Margaritaville” in a college bar is practically an American rite of passage — his core followers are baby boomers. How does Margaritaville make itself more relevant to people in their 30s? What fuels sales of those licensed products once Mr. Buffett, 69, has warbled his last warble?
It’s a subject that Mr. Cohlan, who is Margaritaville’s chief executive, was not especially keen to discuss. Asked about how the company thinks about a future without its public face, Mr. Cohlan said, “Jimmy Buffett is an American treasure,” and changed the subject.
A more robust media presence beyond Mr. Buffett seems to be one answer. Last year, Mr. Cohlan expanded the company’s digital media efforts, which already included a SiriusXM satellite radio channel. He hired Laura Lee from the Google ranks, where she was a senior executive at YouTube, and charged her with building a digital content studio, improving Margaritaville’s social media presence and introducing mobile games. (One casual game coming in July will have users searching for their lost shaker of salt.)
The goal is a fully formed ecosystem. Last year, an estimated 15 million people ate at one of Mr. Buffett’s 67 restaurants or stayed at one of his seven hotels and time-share resorts. The company also wants the masses to buy Margaritaville food at their local grocery store (items like iced tea, frozen shrimp and tortilla chips are already on shelves), watch Margaritaville-produced videos on their phones (“The Best Beach Bars of the Caribbean” is one idea in development) and maybe even sleep on Margaritaville bedsheets (in various designs, including “Strawberry Daiquiri” coral, starting at $19.98).
Ms. Lee’s efforts could also lead to more traditional TV programming. A model is Vice Media, which began as a hard-partying video company and went on to sprout an HBO series and Viceland, a Disney-backed cable channel. Not by coincidence, Margaritaville in 2014 sold a minority stake to the Raine Group, a merchant bank known for its investment in Vice and ties to the William Morris Endeavor talent agency. “The international opportunity for the Margaritaville ecosystem is really exciting,” said Joe Ravitch, Raine’s co-founder.
Mr. Buffett and Mr. Cohlan are co-owners of the rest of Margaritaville.
In success, could Margaritaville be a candidate for a public offering? “The brand isn’t yet for everybody,” said the political polling expert Douglas E. Schoen, who has conducted extensive consumer research for Margaritaville. “It’s not for me, and it’s not for most journalists. But it’s much, much bigger than I initially thought.”
Mr. Schoen added, “It has the potential to be a major global brand.”
Read more @


text:
Samsung Galaxy Core Prime’s Verizon Wireless variant is has already began receiving the highly-anticipated Android 5.1.1 Lollipop OS update.Users of the 4.4-inch handset will be happy to see their Galaxy Core Prime move from an Android 4.4 KitKat to Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. The Verizon Galaxy Core Prime model was first released as an exclusive carrier around February this year. On its launch, Samsung made known their plans to update the budget smartphone Android Lollipop and true to their word, the software update has been made available.Samsung Galaxy Core Prime’s latest OS update meant to enhance the device’s performance is said to be build number LMY48B.G360VVRU3BOH3. Verizon is rolling the software update as an over-the-air and it is recommended the download and installation be done over a stable Wi-Fi connection with the phone being at least 50% charged.Verizon becomes the latest carrier variant of the Galaxy Core Prime models, to taste the Android Lollipop even though theirs was just the 5.0.2 version.The Android 5.1.1 update will feature several additions and improvements. The major enhancement it will bring to the Galaxy Core Prime will be a fix for the Stagefright bug, which allows Android-running devices to be controlled by hackers. For those who are unaware, this usually involves an attacker sending an MMS to an Android user, which once opened gives the hacker full access to the Android device.The Android 5.1.1 Lollipop will also include new animations and designs, lockscreen calibrations with added shortcuts to the Phone and camera and added security patches.Users of Samsung Galaxy Core Prime should head to their Settings >>About device >> Software update then select Check for updates to confirm if their phone is ready for the Android 5.1.1 Lollipop OS update.
What's my model number?
There are several ways to locate your model number:
- Option 1
- On your device, go to Settings, then "About device" and scroll down to "Model number"
- Option 2
- Often times you can view the model number inside the device, by removing the battery
- Option 3
- Using Samsung's model/serial number location tool


text:
Bojan Gajic Promoted to CEO and Ryan Iyengar Promoted to President
Helium 10, the leading all-in-one software and analytics solution for e-commerce sellers, announces the promotion of Bojan Gajic to Chief Executive Officer and Ryan Iyengar to President.
This announcement follows a rapid growth period for Helium 10 in which under Gajic and Iyengar’s leadership, the company grew its employee headcount by more than 100 and surpassed serving more than one million users worldwide. The promotions also come at the heels of several product launches, including Helium 10’s proprietary Amazon Advertising tool, Adtomic, as well as the expansion into Walmart.com’s marketplace, allowing Amazon merchants to sell on Walmart.com.
“Bojan and Ryan’s strategic leadership has proven invaluable in guiding Helium 10. People are at the center of what we do, and their leadership will be invaluable in this next phase of Helium 10’s growth,” said Sandeep Kella, CEO of Assembly, the parent company of Helium 10.
Together, Gajic and Iyengar are focused on advancing the mission of Helium 10 to deliver data-driven tools and community resources to empower e-commerce sellers in a landscape where not all merchants have the education or capital necessary to make strategic business decisions alone. Gajic and Iyengar’s shared vision is to democratize online data insights, increase awareness among sellers to show them that the right solutions and community exist, and help sellers maximize the value they are investing in their businesses.
As CEO, Gajic will play an instrumental role in advancing strategic initiatives to support company growth, including exploration and implementation of new strategic partnerships, expansion to additional marketplaces, and growing the Helium 10 team. Previously, Gajic held leadership roles serving as Helium 10’s COO and CTO, where he spearheaded the company’s core technical infrastructure and platform innovation through early-stage growth.
Iyengar has been promoted to President. He previously served as Helium 10’s Chief Revenue Officer, leading initiatives to drive business growth, build out a world-class marketing organization, and spearheaded expansion by launching new tools for Amazon and Walmart.com sellers. In his new role, Iyengar will lead Helium 10 through the next phase of growth including geographic expansion and attracting best-in-class talent to join the Helium 10 team.


text:
Bitcoin opened with losses on Monday, January 17, getting into the third week of 2022. With a dip of 0.57 p.c, every token of Bitcoin is buying and selling at $46,214 (roughly Rs. 34.2 lakh) on Indian trade CoinSwitch Kuber. On worldwide exchanges as effectively, Bitcoin has suffered equally marginal worth loss. The world’s oldest cryptocurrency is buying and selling at round $42,500 (roughly Rs. 31.6 lakh) on world exchanges corresponding to CoinMarketCap and Binance. Together with Bitcoin’s failure to realize, Ether has additionally registered losses.
Ether is buying and selling at $3,532 (roughly Rs. 2.62 lakh) per token. In line with Devices 360’s crypto price chart, Ether incurred a lack of 1.40 p.c and dropped in worth from its beforehand closing worth of $3,582 (roughly Rs. 2.65 lakh).
The market momentum has slowed down once more in the present day after it had seemingly picked tempo earlier final week following US’ inflation mountain climbing to a 39-year excessive of seven p.c. On January 13, Bitcoin was buying and selling at $43,598 (roughly Rs. 32.2 lakh) on worldwide exchanges.
As per business insiders, the rising recognition of altcoins amongst buyers may pose a problem to Bitcoin’s supremacy.
As Bitcoin’s prominence begins to waver, BitPay noticed a 27 p.c drop in retailers processing Bitcoin funds in 2021, and an increase in transactions in stablecoins, Ether and Dogecoin,” the analysis group of CoinDCX instructed Devices 360. “With altcoins gaining floor amongst retail buyers, we might even see different digital belongings difficult Bitcoin’s pole place and place as a protected haven asset in 2022.”
In the meantime, a bunch of cryptocurrencies did handle to register positive aspects regardless of the mega ones being hit by losses.
Whereas Musk has opened funds for Tesla merchandise in DOGE, Cuban just lately referred to as Ether the closest crypto asset now we have to the prevailing fiat currencies.
The maturing crypto sector can also be set to see lesser criminals making an attempt to misuse cryptocurrencies within the close to future, a report by analysis agency Chainalysis mentioned.
The examine claims that the prison utilization of cryptocurrencies will drop world wide, as extra governments study to make the most of the uncensored transparency that the blockchain know-how provides.
Cryptocurrency is an unregulated digital forex, not a authorized tender and topic to market dangers. The data supplied within the article isn’t supposed to be and doesn’t represent monetary recommendation, buying and selling recommendation or every other recommendation or advice of any type supplied or endorsed by NDTV. NDTV shall not be liable for any loss arising from any funding based mostly on any perceived advice, forecast or every other info contained within the article.
Catch the most recent from the Client Electronics Present on Devices 360, at our CES 2022 hub.


text:
Ingen Technologies signs distribution agreement for oxygen flow
meters in Saudi Arabia
Ingen Technologies, Inc. has signed a three-year
exclusive distribution agreement with Batterjee Medical
Services to distribute its Oxyview and OxyAlert respiratory
assist products within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The first 500 Oxyview units were delivered on October 30, 2008, and
another 50,000 units are expected in December 2008. Mr. Scott Sand,
Chief Executive, said, “The annualized sales estimates from this
Agreement could represent as much as $7 to $12 million in new sales and
represents a major push into the respiratory market estimated at $4
Batterjee Medical Services is a part of the AM Batterjee Group of
companies, based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The company is affiliated with
the family-owned chain of hospitals throughout the Middle East, a
private medical University, and services and products throughout Saudi
Arabia and the GCC. There are 386 Hospitals in Saudi Arabia serving a
population of more than 23 million people.
There is a well financed social healthcare environment in the
country. All Saudi Arabians receive healthcare insurance. With a total
combined population of more than 80 million people in the gulf region,
hundreds of hospitals and a need to modernize the medical product
inventory, the AM Batterjee Group has committed to selling Oxyview and
OxyAlert into a very modernized healthcare delivery system.
Chronic respiratory diseases represent a public health challenge in
both industrialized and developing countries. According to recent
studies performed in Saudi Arabia, COPD was found to be the second
leading cause of hospitalizations (17.2%) among patients with
respiratory disorders. Men are twice affected as women and the age group
mostly involved is 46-65 years.
“Ingen Technologies is now starting to gain some momentum with its
respiratory product line. We are very close to finalizing several other
export possibilities in Asia, Australia, Europe and South America. We
will make these announcements when the contracts are final,” stated
Thomas Neavitt, CFO.
Bookmark this page


text:
Zomato’s $52 million (Rs330 crore) purchase of US-based restaurant search guide Urbanspoon has set the tongues wagging.
The deal is one of the largest-ever foreign acquisitions by any Indian start-up, and catapults the Gurgaon-based restaurant discovery service into the global big leagues.
Zomato will now compete directly in the mature American, Canadian and Australian restaurant review markets—and take on prominent players like Yelp, Foursquare, OpenTable, Seamless, and even Google Maps (where a restaurant search result also gives ratings and reviews) in the already crowded food discovery space.
That’s a far cry from Zomato’s previous strategy, where it sought to enter underdeveloped markets and dominate the online restaurant search segment quickly. “These are not easy markets to crack. It will take investments and time,” Zomato co-founder Pankaj Chaddah told Quartz.
Here is what the company is willing to say about its plans so far:
One brand, big traffic
First, Zomato will not let go of its brand name. Seattle-based Urbanspoon, which was previously acquired by the American internet giant InterActiveCorp in 2009, will be completely integrated with Zomato’s platform over the next three months. All Urbanspoon users will be transfered to Zomato’s website and application, and the final entity in all three markets will be called Zomato.
“We have to make a long-term versus short-term decision,” Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal told Mashable. “In the longer term, it should all be one brand.” Zomato told Quartz the deal wouldn’t lead to any layoffs, either among its 1,000 employees or Urbanspoon’s 50 staff.
Urbanspoon covers restaurants in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia. With its latest acquisition, Zomato will gain access to Urbanspoon’s extensive library of restaurants and triple its database to over one million establishments. That, Zomato claims, will more than double its traffic from 35 million visits per month currently to over 80 million.
Both of these together should help bolster Zomato’s revenues, which depend on hyper-local advertising. Revenues will soon also include a cashless payment system, which is due to be launched in Dubai next month. Cashless mobile payments will allow users to pay their restaurant bills through the app and, for each transaction, Zomato will get a share of the bill from the restaurant.
Still, Yelp has a staggering 139 million unique monthly visitors—four times Zomato’s existing traffic.
Here, too, Zomato claims it has a strategy.
What does Zomato have that Yelp doesn’t?
Both Yelp and Zomato are go-to destinations for online restaurant reviews, locations and cuisine preferences. On the surface, the difference between the two may not seem significant. But the Indian start-up believes it has an edge over the American company because of its “curated content”—a complete library of menus, lists of restaurants and photos of food and restaurant interiors and exteriors that is carefully collected and posted by Zomato employees.
While Yelp has plenty of photos of users’ food, and, of course, user reviews, other information is hit or miss depending on what has been submitted.
“Yelp is user-generated content…it’s user reviews. For Zomato, it is both user reviews and content curated by Zomato,” Chaddah said. “That content is much more powerful. That’s something customers don’t have access to.”
The Indian start-up also is so focused, Chaddah claims, that in areas that it covers, there will never be “a new restaurant that exists—and that is not on Zomato.”
This is how it works: Zomato follows a “feet-on-the street” approach, where it has a team going around a city to collect data firsthand from cafes, restaurants and bars, without relying on a secondary source. Data collectors then share the information with the data processing teams, who run quality checks. Finally, a content team uploads the data and ensures that the information is relevant, fresh and presentable. All information is updated every three months.
However, Yelp carefully monitors its content, too. In 2012, the online reviews website launched a sting operation to catch businesses manipulating reviews. The defaulters were slapped with “a badge of shame” that served as a warning for consumers. Yelp also uses automated software to recommend reviews, and maintains what it calls the elite squad: a community of trusted, named, reviewers.
Zomato also edits out fake reviews. It uses algorithms to identify the frequency and objectivity of a review and spot fabricated posts, along with manually moderating reviews.
The other major difference between the two is Yelp has online reviews and photos on everything—from dentists to salons to restaurants. Zomato, on the other hand, is focused solely on food and restaurants, so it can throw all its resources into one spot.
No more shopping
With the Urbanspoon acquisition, Zomato, now valued at around $660 million, has made another decision: After six purchases in six months, it’s going to stop buying up more companies. For now.
“We pretty much had to spend all our last round of funding ($60 million) on this, and it’s sort of a big deal for us,” Goyal said.
But it’s still on the hunt for more cash. In fact, Zomato is looking to raise $100 million in a fresh round of funding, although not for acquisitions. “We will be spending the next few quarters focusing on breaking even, marketing and generating revenues,” Chaddah told Quartz.
At the moment, Zomato is profitable only in India and the UAE. But within the next three months, it is looking to break even in South Africa, New Zealand, Indonesia and Portugal. And in its bigger international markets, it will take much longer.
Time for Zomato to ignore the wagging tongues, and instead grit its teeth and get down to business.


text:
WASHINGTON (AP) - Unemployment rates rose in 44 U.S. states in July, the most states to show a monthly increase in more than three years and a reflection of weak hiring nationwide.
NEW YORK (AP) - Facebook's stock fell to $19 for the first time on Friday, losing half its market value since the company's initial public offering in May.
CUPERTINO (AP) - Apple's stock hit a new high Friday after a four-month swoon, as investors looked ahead to the release of a new iPhone and possibly a smaller iPad.
NEW YORK (AP) - Encouraging earnings from Cisco and hopeful signs in a housing report lifted the stock market Thursday. The gains nudged the Standard & Poor's 500 index near the four-year high it reached earlier this year.
SAN FRANCISCO AP) - Gap Inc. reported a 29 percent increase in second-quarter net income, evidence the fashion retailer's moves to liven up its clothing with brightly colored trendy looks are winning over shoppers.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Groupon's stock hit another low, days after the online deals company issued a lackluster quarterly report.
MENLO PARK (AP) - Facebook's stock plunged to a new low Thursday as some of the social networking leader's early backers got their first chance to sell their shares since the company's initial public offering went awry.
RICHMOND (AP) - Nine people have sued Chevron Corp. over a California refinery fire that sent thousands to hospitals with respiratory issues and contributed to higher gasoline prices on the West Coast.
NEW YORK (AP) - With another six Olympic medals around his neck, swimmer Michael Phelps is once again touting the breakfast of champions.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Target Corp. raised its full-year profit projection Wednesday after the cheap-chic discounter reported better-than-expected second-quarter revenue that showed healthy spending in food, beauty, fashion and other items.
WASHINGTON (AP) - A voting member of the Federal Reserve's policy committee is cautioning that the Fed's power to fix the U.S. economy is limited now.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The recession that ended three years ago this summer has been followed by the feeblest economic recovery since the Great Depression.
SAN JOSE (AP) - Cisco Systems Inc., the world's largest maker of computer networking equipment, is seeing its ambitions cramped by the global economic turmoil, but results for its latest quarter were strong enough that it announced an increase to its dividend.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - William Shatner's Priceline Negotiator isn't a goner, after all. He just went surfing.
MENLO PARK (AP) - Facebook's early investors and a handful of directors will become eligible on Thursday to sell stock they own in the social networking company. It marks the beginning of a time-honored process for public companies, one that will give many Facebook employees the same right to sell their shares this fall.
NEW YORK (AP) - Oil prices plunged on Wednesday, ending a four-day rally, after the U.S. government reported that crude inventories surged last week.
NEW YORK (AP) - Shares of Kohl's rose Wednesday after the department store operator said it was pleased with its fourth quarter sales and said its base business improved.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Technology's big-spending trio of Google, Facebook, and Amazon.com appear to be tightening their belts - at least a notch - in a concession to cost-conscious investors and a strong dollar that's taking a big bite out of their revenue.
CUPERTINO (AP) - Apple is planning another large bond sale at a time when investors are paying near record premiums for high-quality bonds.
NEW YORK (AP) - An estimated 114.4 million people watched New England's thrilling win over Seattle, making it the fifth time in six years that a Super Bowl game has set a record for the most-watched event in U.S. television history.
PALO ALTO (AP) - Hewlett-Packard boss Meg Whitman has graduated from the dollar-a-year club, as the struggling company prepares to split up.
CUPERTINO (AP) - Apple CEO Tim Cook says consumer demand for new iPhones has been "staggering" and "hard to comprehend." That helped the company report record-smashing earnings for its latest quarter and sent the stock climbing more than 7 percent on Wednesday.
MENLO PARK (AP) - For the seventh quarter in a row Facebook beat profit and revenue forecasts, continuing to win more mobile advertising revenue as most users shift to using the site on smartphones and other portable devices.
LAS VEGAS (AP) - A 24-hour White Castle location on the Las Vegas Strip that opened to long lines of the burger chain's fans had to close for more than two hours to restock after its grand opening.
MENLO PARK (AP) - No storm selfies, hookups, status updates. With Facebook and Instagram down for nearly an hour overnight, what were legions of users to do?
CUPERTINO (AP) - Apple had another blowout quarter thanks to its new plus-sized iPhones, which helped the company smash sales records for the holiday season.
SUNNYVALE (AP) - Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is spinning off the company's $39 billion stake in China's Alibaba Group Holding in a move that wards off a potential shareholder rebellion.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - They were supposed to be saviors of downtown, drawing people by offering parking as plentiful as at any suburban shopping mall.


text:
Telecom Efficient, a national master agent and IT consulting firm, today announced it has rebranded as TekEfficient, Incorporated. The new brand reflects the company’s rapidly evolving provider portfolio of cloud computing, software, hardware, backup and disaster recovery, IT services and support, and data center services. TekEfficient will continue to offer telecommunications services such as network, Internet and voice.
With the rebranding, TekEfficient is launching new business technology bundles that are immediately available to customers and partners.
TekEfficient bundles reduce the time IT executives spend on technology by combining common elements into one easy-to-manage package. Customers place bundle orders based on the number of employees and capacity needs. TekEfficient does the rest. Bundles may also be customized with additional capacity and other add-ons.
“We started in telecom, but our mission has always been to make the lives of IT executives easier,” said Patrick Etheridge, founder and president of TekEfficient. “Today, we are a full-service technology company with more than 1,000 different portfolio services and a partner program with 100-plus master agents, VARs, and IT services providers.”
CenturyLink named Telecom Efficient its top hosting and top cloud sales partner of 2014. TekEfficient’s award-winning success selling these strategic, new technologies underscores its decision to rebrand.
“It’s been exciting to watch Telecom Efficient’s rapid growth and evolution into providing a deeper and more strategic suite of solutions,” said Blake Wetzel, vice president of the CenturyLink Channel Alliance. “Telecom Efficient’s evolution into the new brand TekEfficient demonstrates its commitment to leading customers into the future with new technologies like cloud infrastructure and software-as-a-service to improve business efficiencies.”
For more information, please visit www.tekefficient.com.
TekEfficient is a national master agent that offers well-rounded IT consulting and procurement services to direct customers and a rewarding partner program to technology sales organizations. 500+ customers and partners use one TekEfficient agreement to access 1000+ software, cloud, datacenter, telecom and Internet services. Small-to-mid-sized (SMB) businesses save time and money with TekEfficient bundles that combine commonly used technologies into one easy solution. Discerning companies of all sizes and industries choose TekEfficient for our flexible and efficient processes, humble and friendly personnel, neutral and insider provider relationships, and diverse technology portfolio.
TekEfficient Media Contact
Mark Jobson, ActivPosition CMO


text:
Blockchain is sizzling amid escalating media hype about its vast potential applications in finance, supply-chain management, healthcare, and even the music business. Now, a trio of former Google executives have launched a new blockchain community whose goal is to develop and promote blockchain initiatives.
The xGoogler Blockchain Alliance (GBA) is comprised of blockchain project managers, investors, and advisors, including Andy Tian, Hitters Xu, and Daniel Wang, according to a press statement . The trio has impressive backgrounds in the space.
Andy Tian is the founder of Gifto, an Ethereum-based gifting platform that boasts more than 20 million users. Hitters Xu is the founder of Nebulas, a next-generation public blockchain. And Daniel Wang is the founder of Loopring, a decentralized token exchange protocol.
The tech triad, who oversee a number of prominent blockchain projects in China, believe their experience at Google — the undisputed search-engine monopoly — can bolster mass awareness of the technology underpinning cryptocurrencies.
“Google has always been in the forefront of new technologies worldwide, from Android to AI,” Tian said. “As Googlers, we can bring our unique experiences to expand blockchain’s influence, to everyone, everywhere.”
The xGoogler Blockchain Alliance is already active in San Francisco, Beijing, and Shanghai, and expansion plans are in the works.
News of this latest initiative came shortly after Samsung revealed it may soon adopt a blockchain ledger system to track global shipments. The move is expected to reduce Samsung’s shipping costs by a whopping 20 percent.
Samsung isn’t the only corporate juggernaut to join the blockchain revolution. Ripple just invested $25 million of its XRP cryptocurrency into Blockchain Capital Parallel IV, a fund that will invest in blockchain initiatives.
Similarly, the Rockefeller family (estimated net worth: $1 trillion) said it will make long-term investments in blockchain startups through its venture-capital arm, Venrock.
The influx of Establishment Money into the budding cryptocurrency ecosystem sent an unmistakable signal that major players in finance believe blockchain and bitcoin are here to stay.
In a tangential trend, students at elite business schools are turning down traditional jobs on Wall Street and in finance to join blockchain startups and cryptocurrency companies.
Blockchain is the second-fastest growing industry in today’s labor market, with 14 job openings for every one blockchain developer, according to TechCrunch.
“We’ve got a lot of people who came from traditional finance backgrounds that are forgoing the chance to go back into that world to get involved in blockchain,” Robbie Mitchnick, an MBA student at Stanford Business School, told CNBC .
Edith Shi, a Harvard Business School student who’s the president of its Blockchain, Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Club, has witnessed a massive spike in interest in the nascent space. “We’ve seen a huge increase in interest in blockchain and bitcoin here at Harvard Business School,” said Shi. “Normally we get around 30 people signing up for information about the club. This year, we had nearly 800.”
As CCN.com previously reported, top business schools are responding to this soaring interest by expanding their course offerings to include more classes on bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, and blockchain.
“We take our task to educate leaders who will make a difference in the world,” said Mitch Weiss, a professor at Harvard Business School. “And I think it is safe to say that blockchain leadership is going to be a big part of that.”
Featured image from Shutterstock.


text:
Consolidation has finally begun in India’s booming online taxi-hailing industry—and Uber’s competition in its second-largest market (in terms of cities covered) just got bigger.
Online taxi app Ola announced on March 2 that it has acquired TaxiForSure, India’s second-largest cab aggregator, for $200 million (Rs12.4 billion) in cash and stock. TaxiForSure, however, will continue to operate as a separate entity.
The deal comes after months of speculation—and is the first of its kind in an industry mired in regulatory and safety issues. Since last month, there have been rumours that Uber, the San Francisco-based taxi service app, may buy Mumbai-based Meru in a bid to boost its Indian market share. But nothing has come of it.
Instead, cornered by regulatory trouble after one its drivers allegedly raped a woman in New Delhi last year, Uber now has a much bigger competitor to deal with.
In a November 2014 report (pdf), SoftBank—which poured $210 million into Ola alongside other investors last year—mapped out the market share of India’s top organised taxi companies. This is how the market looked just a few months ago:
Ola currently operates across 67 cities, and consumers have access to over 100,000 vehicles via the app. With its new acquisition, Ola’s nationwide presence will strengthen via TaxiForSure’s network of 15,000 drivers across 47 cities. Uber, on the other hand, operates in less than a dozen cities in India.
And while Uber, now one of the world’s most valuable startups, has enough cash to make some acquisitions of its own, the homegrown market leader has big backers. These include global venture capital funds including Tiger Global, Sequoia Capital, and Accel Partners.
The Indian taxi market is worth around Rs50,000 crore ($8 billion)—and only 5% of it is organised. That means there’s plenty of scope to grow, and potential for at least a few more mergers and takeovers.