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Holden by the numbers
General Motor’s recent decision to cull the Holden brand has undoubtedly closed a historic chapter in Australia’s automotive history.
With thousands of jobs at stake and millions of dollars’ worth of investment likely wasted, there’s plenty of concern to go around for organisations involved in Holden’s supply chain.
While industry and government battle with GM on how best to compensate dealerships, there are likely thousands of businesses and organisations across Australia wondering what it means for the value of Holden’s in their fleets.
Holden has seen a dramatic fall in the last decade, falling from sales of over 130,000 in 2010 to only 43,000 in 2019 – a reduction of 68%.
Despite this, there’s still a lot of Holden’s being driven around Australia’s roads.
Over the course of the past 10 years there’s been close to 1 million Holden’s that have entered the used vehicle market, with a sizeable portion of them still sitting on used car dealer lots or in business fleets across the country.
For the owners and operators of these cars its essential to understand the underlying value of these assets today and tomorrow to gauge a clear picture of the business’s financial position.
Importance of Valuations
While models like the Commodore and Colorado reigned supreme for many years in Holden’s line-up there are a diverse assortment of other models now on Aussie roads in much fewer numbers.
Determining a fair market value for these vehicles can be a taxing exercise, even for tenured dealers in the industry.
For fleet businesses and large organisations who may have less expertise in vehicle valuations this may involve spending enormous amounts of time searching through listings and prices to determine a fair market value.
Another source of frustration is identifying the exact car itself, which for fleets of thousands can be a time consuming and expensive exercise.
To alleviate organisations of this burden Datium Insights has developed a revolutionary valuations tool that can provide accurate market values instantaneously for thousands of cars at a time.
Datium InstantVal was born out of the idea of valuing assets quickly and remotely without sacrificing accuracy.
It utilises state of the art machine learning technology which harnesses millions of data points to establish the most accurate used car valuations available in the market.
Coupled with this sophisticated machine learning technology is the exclusive data that feeds it.
Utilizing Pickles Auctions’ historical sales records, Datium InstantVal canvases over 1 million historical used car prices across auction and dealer environments to determine the most accurate market value for any car.
All the data that feeds Datium InstantVal are actual prices that cars have sold for, not advertised prices.
All you need is a rego or VIN and you can retrieve the most accurate valuation on your car within seconds. Using its API you can cycle through your portfolio in minutes as opposed to spending days fiddling in spreadsheets.
We’ve tested it against thousands of historical sales prices, as have our growing customer base.
Over the past 90 days our customers have valued over 4,000 Holden’s across Australia.
If you’re a business with a fleet of Holden’s or a dealership looking to get a better hold of your used Holden stock, then try Datium InstantVal on a free 2-week trial to see its accuracy in motion.


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Omar Johnson discusses curiosity, creativity and why Beats thrives on the world’s big stages.
A year since Coca-Cola launched Coke Life the brand has built up a loyal group of core buyers but questions remain over whether sales have been high enough for Coca-Cola and what impact the ‘one brand’ marketing strategy introduced earlier this year has had.
Marketers will need to think beyond just visual and audio advertising to get the attention of consumers, according to experts.
At the end of every week, we look at the key stories, offering our view on what they mean for you and the industry. From the rise of Liquid Death in a cluttered category to the level of marketing team restructures, it’s been a busy week. Here is my take.
P&G is aiming to build its brands and the categories in which they operate through meaningful innovation, CEO Jon Moeller says.
The professionalisation of marketing has brought many benefits – but that innate ability to spin a yarn to capture the attention of the board has been left in the past.
Following a ‘surprise’ two-year high last month, consumer confidence has fallen.

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DAILY MAVERICK WEBINAR
Champing at the bitcoin: How cryptocurrencies are disrupting the future of finance
Cryptocurrencies are breaking new ground and quickly being legitimised as mainstream assets. This is just one of a slew of developments disrupting the fintech world. Experts say innovation in fintech has been accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
If recent developments are anything to go by, financial markets are experiencing an unprecedented disruption in the era of Covid-19.
From the GameStop and WallStreetBets saga to Elon Musk’s announcement that Tesla bought $1.5-billion worth of bitcoin – and would start accepting it as a form of payment – the underdogs of the financial world are giving traditional markets a run for their money.
Business Maverick editor Tim Cohen sat down with Dominique Collett, the senior investment executive at RMI Holdings leading their fintech strategy, and Arthur Goldstuck, founder of World Wide Worx to discuss what we can look forward to in the future of finance.
According to Collett, bitcoin, for years considered an “underground movement”, broke into the mainstream about six years ago when the financial industry caught wind of the power of cryptocurrency and blockchain.
“This technology that bitcoin is based on can be used for anything: we can put share certificates on it, we can put property certificates on it, we can change the world with blockchain technology.”
With more momentum behind bitcoin – which some consider a “bubble” – Collett says the cryptocurrency is now considered an asset class.
While investing in bitcoin is somewhat easy, using it to pay for things is still a bit of an obstacle. Bitcoin payments are notoriously slow and expensive.
“Effectively it’s not as fast as some other payment gateways… The technology hasn’t been built with the level of scale that’s required to settle transactions, which has given rise to alternative ones like Ripple and Ethereum, with the argument being that Ethereum and Ripple have much stronger technology underlying it to do instant settlements,” said Collett.
In a step towards legitimising cryptocurrencies, Mastercard announced on 10 February that it would begin supporting select cryptocurrencies on its payment network.
Goldstuck said experts predict that cryptocurrency will only form part of the mainstream banking environment at the end of the decade.
Collett said crypto was challenging traditional monetary systems in emerging markets (developing countries) where citizens were struggling with “trust and volatility” in their governments and markets.
“Bitcoin posed an alternative to that”.
But cryptocurrency is still poorly regulated. Reserve banks don’t have controls in place regarding taking funds offshore or at what point one should pay tax for cryptocurrency.
“The challenge with all of these things is that fintech is running ahead of regulation,” she said.
Beyond bitcoin, Goldstuck said the pandemic has accelerated overall innovation in the fintech space, “from contactless payments, mobile money, QR codes, to remittance services (and) startups popping up like Namaqualand daisies after the rain”.
For example, on Tuesday MTN announced a partnership with Mastercard where customers with a Mastercard virtual payment solution linked to MTN’s mobile money (MoMo) service, can make payments to online merchants globally.
“You’re getting a sense that due to the pandemic the world of fintech is probably a decade advanced over what it would have been had there not been this massive momentum and propulsion from the demands of the pandemic,” said Goldstuck.
He said the biggest mistake regulators could make is trying to hold back technology development, which is akin to trying to “hold back the ocean”. Simultaneously regulators have a responsibility to ensure existing stores of currency remain stable.
Collett cautioned that investing in cryptocurrency is high-risk and volatile, and advised against “putting your life savings” in bitcoin. It’s better to balance your share portfolio.
“People need to understand what they’re investing in and they need to manage their portfolio according to their risk profile. There’s a place for good old-fashioned, solid companies in your share portfolio and there’s a place for volatile assets like crypto.” BM
"Information pertaining to Covid-19, vaccines, how to control the spread of the virus and potential treatments is ever-changing. Under the South African Disaster Management Act Regulation 11(5)(c) it is prohibited to publish information through any medium with the intention to deceive people on government measures to address COVID-19. We are therefore disabling the comment section on this article in order to protect both the commenting member and ourselves from potential liability. Should you have additional information that you think we should know, please email [email protected]"


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They may deliver your internet package purchase the same day, but they still want to ditch Saturday delivery.
Teaming up with major retailers, the post office will begin the expedited service in San Francisco on Dec. 12 at a price similar to its competitors. If things run smoothly, the program will quickly expand next year to other big cities such as Boston, Chicago and New York. It follows similar efforts by eBay, Amazon.com, and most recently Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which charges a $10 flat rate for same-day delivery.
The delivery program, called Metro Post, seeks to build on the post office’s double-digit growth in package volume to help offset steady declines in first-class and standard mail. Operating as a limited experiment for the next year, it is projected to generate between $10 million and $50 million in new revenue from deliveries in San Francisco alone, according to postal regulatory filings, or up to $500 million, if expanded to 10 cities.
The filings do not reveal the mail agency’s anticipated expenses to implement same-day service, which can only work profitably if retailers have enough merchandise in stores and warehouses to be quickly delivered to nearby residences in a dense urban area. The projected $500 million in potential revenue, even if fully realized, would represent just fraction of the record $15.9 billion annual loss that the Postal Service reported last week.
But while startups in the late 1990s such as Kozmo.com notably failed after promising instant delivery, the Postal Service’s vast network serving every U.S. home could put it in a good position to be viable over the long term. The retail market has been rapidly shifting to Internet shopping, especially among younger adults, and more people are moving from suburb to city, where driving to a store can be less convenient.
Postal officials, in interviews with The Associated Press, cast the new offering as “exciting” and potentially “revolutionary.” Analysts are apt to agree at least in part, if kinks can be worked out.
Retailers are still trying to figure out internet shopping and what the customer will respond to. Shipping — its cost and convenience — would appear to be an area ripe for exploitation if the USPS can anticipate consumer desires and be ready to respond if a market really develops.
Same day delivery sounds pretty cool but can the Postal Service really be competitive with such heavy labor costs? They say they can and more power to them if they can compete in this emerging market.
But the new service won’t nearly be enough to offset the $16 billion deficit due to the fall off of first class mail delivery in recent years. For that, the Postal Service needs a congressional bailout. And that means cutbacks in rural delivery, Saturday delivery, and finding savings in labor costs.


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Facebook now offers its cloud gaming service on iOS, but this is not a native app you'll find in the App Store. Bypassing Apple's rules that prevent third-party developers from steering users away from the App Store ecosystem, the social network is offering games to iPhone and iPad users via a Progressive Web App (PWA).
"We've come to the same conclusion as others: web apps are the only option for streaming cloud games on iOS at the moment," Facebook's vice president of gaming, Vivek Sharma, said in a statement published by The Verge. "As many have pointed out, Apple's policy to 'allow' cloud games on the App Store doesn't allow for much at all."
In September, Apple gave the green light to game streaming providers, but with one big caveat: They can't house all the games available for streaming under a single app. Instead, they'll need to submit and then publish each game as their own individual title on the iOS App Store first.
According to Sharma, that approach "defeats the purpose of cloud gaming." (And gives Apple Arcade a leg up.)
Facebook's PWA solution instead lets users add the web platform to their home screen like a native app, providing instant access to what is essentially a website. Simply navigate to fb.gg/play in the iOS browser, tap the "Share" icon in the bottom center, and choose "Add to Home Screen" for easy access.
While the web app is available globally on Safari, cloud games are playable only in the US and parts of Canada and Mexico, according to the Facebook Gaming team. Anyone outside those areas can still play HTML5 titles in the web app. Additional limitations include default disabled sound, lack of push notifications, and less-intensive graphics.
Since Facebook launched its beta cloud gaming platform in October, it's attracted more than 1.5 million players each month, and is now available to more than 98% of consumers in the continental US. On Android, users can navigate to the gaming section of Facebook's app.
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New Survey: As COVID-19 pandemic continues, declining sales is the biggest challenge facing Michigan’s small businesses
September 28, 2020
Nearly 80% of businesses report lost sales as a top concern with almost 1 in 5 expecting sales volumes cut by more than half
A new survey done last week by the Small Business Association of Michigan makes one thing perfectly clear: as the COVID-19 pandemic wears on, small businesses continue to suffer. For 79 percent of small businesses, lost sales volume is the biggest concern, with 73 percent of those surveyed anticipating a reduction in sales in the coming months. Nearly one in five small businesses are anticipating significant sales losses, with 17 percent indicating they expect sales to be down by more than half because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“At this point, we’re well into our sixth month of a global pandemic that has disrupted nearly every facet of daily life—it’s no surprise that’s weighing heavily on small businesses throughout the state,” said SBAM President Brian Calley. “However, the silver lining here is that despite these challenges, our small business community continues to demonstrate its resilience and adaptability. Businesses are absolutely prepared to protect the safety and health of both their customers and employees.”
That bears out in the survey results, with 84 percent of small business owners indicating they have a COVID-preparedness and response plan in place.
The survey, conducted between September 15 and 24 of nearly 700 Michigan small businesses, also indicated that 1 in 10 businesses are not confident that they will survive the pandemic. Additionally, 72 percent of those surveyed received Paycheck Protection Program loans, with 19 percent indicating that they may have to reduce staffing without further funding.
“The fact of the matter is that small business owners are at risk of shuttering their doors before this is all over,” said SBAM CEO Rob Fowler. “That is not that surprising when you consider the challenges these businesses are working to overcome. This is why the federal government needs to give serious consideration to approving additional PPP funding for our hardest hit businesses—their struggles are dire and so are the consequences.”


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Apple just pulled ahead in its race to “The Oasis.”
In 2022, I wrote about how the big players in the tech industry are attempting to be the first to reach the building of a virtual reality world where people can work, play, interact, go to school, hold meetings, and live with each other seamlessly. At this time, the concept is called “The Oasis,” based on a book called “Ready Player One” (now also a movie by Steven Spielberg) written by Ernest Cline.
The concept of “The Oasis” is so seductive that Mark Zuckerberg has been racing to its creation, even going so far as to rename his company to “Meta” and put a lot of time and effort into developing VR technology and interactivity with the “Oculus” and the “Metaverse.” Something very similar happened in the book for the company that developed The Oasis. It’s even rumored that Zuck hands out the book to the employees who work on the Metaverse.
Why race to The Oasis?
Because whoever controls it effectively controls the world.
Whoever creates the dominant VR realm will become a central business hub for corporations worldwide. Billions of people will don their headsets and haptics to go to work, hang out with friends, go on adventures, watch professional sports, movies, or shows, tour museums, go to class, play video games, and more. As Cline wrote in his novel, so huge will this virtual world be that it will even have its political system.
It will change the way we live, work, and socialize, and the company that gets there first will become so powerful and wealthy that it’s hard to fathom it.
The only thing holding these companies back right now is just that the tech necessary for this kind of thing hasn’t been perfected yet…but it’s getting closer all the time.
Apple, for instance, just proved that it has made some real progress, at least in terms of the visual aspect of it with its new Apple Vision Pro.
Last week, Apple released its commercial for the product attempting to show off what it can do, but it frankly fell short of getting the message across despite the show-and-tell looking like something straight out of a sci-fi movie of the near future. However, one of the Apple Vision Pro’s users uploaded their demo of the product and you can see just how impressive this tech is.
ok this demo is better than apple’s actual ads for vision pro 🤯 pic.twitter.com/DE9IGdGCcG
— kitze 🚀 (@thekitze) February 4, 2024
Even this demo doesn’t fully display what the visor can do, but outside its capability, the important thing to note is the image’s stability and visual memory as he moves around his house. He can effectively create screens of information and moving images out of thin air and they stay exactly where he left them. This is a big deal.
Ben Kew wrote on the Apple Vision Pro and how it’s doomed to failure. He’s not necessarily wrong. The Apple Vision Pro isn’t going to succeed in capturing the attention of the general public and become a commonly adopted piece of technology…for now.
The tech is still a baby, but it’s still in its infancy. It might be more accurate to say that it’s leaving it. It’s now learning to crawl. It’s still clumsy and riddled with imperfections but the drive to perfect this technology is strong in these companies. They want The Oasis and they want it badly.
Apple’s work on augmented reality goggles is just one step in creating something larger and they, or other companies, are not just going to stop sinking billions and billions of dollars into its development. Apple, Meta, and even Google will continue to push this tech at blinding speeds in their attempt to get to The Oasis.
A lot of technological developments are still further down the line. Robots like the kind Elon Musk is trying to build are still a ways out and advanced AI technology, while closer than you think, still has a lot of work to do before it can look like the sci-fi beings you’ve seen in movies and books.
But The Oasis, or at least an equivalent of it, is closer than probably all of them. Tech companies are desperate to be the king of the AR/VR hill because of all the technologies it will be the most pervasive and profitable once it gets to a point where the public will readily adopt and consume it.
According to Builtin.com, market analysts predict the VR and AR markets to reach $454 billion by 2030 alongside 23 million VR-related jobs. Microsoft, Samsung, Unity, and a smattering of other lesser-known companies are all dedicating money and time to the creation of this technology alongside Apple and Meta. Even Pixar is developing tech for virtual reality filmmaking.
The virtual world is coming and it’s coming fast. Right now it’s clunky, causes a few issues that can’t go overlooked, and is wildly overpriced, but so is a lot of tech before it becomes the norm.
Get ready, Player One.


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NEW YORK -- My overall impression of this year’s New York International Auto Show was that, compared to years past, it was just a solid exhibition with the usual assortment of exotic high-end models and concept cars, along with more gasoline-fueled models getting the alternative fuel treatment.
It’s evident that automakers are trying to make cars with better fuel mileage and electric cars with longer ranges. Whether there’s demand or not, more models are coming out in hybrid or fully-electric versions.
At this year's show, the most interesting new model on the alternative fuel front was Toyota's fuel cell cars, which are powered by fuel cells that generate electricity from hydrogen. These cars emit only water vapor. Toyota plans to bring to market a fuel cell sedan next year.
Chevrolet was showing its 2014 Volt plug-in electric vehicle that travels approximately 50 miles after its first charge (on level terrain at temperate temperatures). The Volt and the Ford Fusion plug-in electric vehicle still sport pricy tags ($36,390 for the Volt, $41,000 for the Fusion), although both are eligible for federal credits of about $7,500.
For my money, though, I’d go with the 2015 Chevy Cruze Diesel, an alternative fuel vehicle that gets 48 miles per gallon and costs only roughly $24,000.
Other interesting sightings:
- Toyota's Rav4 Electric SUV, starting at nearly $50,000.
The ultra-compact Tandem two-seater concept vehicle from Toyota.
- Hottest sports car: There were so many to choose from, but I liked the 2015 Corvette Z06, the Porshe 911 Turbo S and the new 50th anniversary Ford Mustang.
The 2014 New York International Auto Show runs until April 27 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.


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All of us working in social media and digital have noticed the huge increase in social video and it seems the advertising budgets have shifted towards video more than anything else. The increasing amount of short video clips, TV programmes and films people watch on mobiles helped UK internet advertising grow at its fastest rate for nine years, crossing the £10 billion threshold for the first time.
The amount UK companies spent on internet advertising rose 17.3pc¹ year-on-year to £10.3bn in 2016, according to the Internet Advertising Bureau UK / PwC Digital Adspend report. Mobile video ads were the fastest-growing format, doubling in size (103pc) to £693 million. Consequently, they alone accounted for 29pc of the total growth in online ad budgets. Yes you read that correctly 29% – that means that video is almost a third of all online advertising spend and who is surprised?
I was advising a client yesterday to use targeted video advertising as video views can cost as little as 1p per view. However, marketers need to be careful chasing the video views dream because Facebook counts a video view as anything more than 3 secs. If you are smart you can adjust the settings to more than 10 secs but still it’s nowhere near a YouTube view which is 30 secs.
Alongside video and mobile, social media advertising continues to grow at a pace, with budgets rising a whopping 38% to £1.73bn. People’s tendency today to use their mobiles for social media means that 79p in every £1 spent on social media ads goes on mobile, while just 21p goes on computer or tablet ads.
The rise in mobile video ad budgets reflects online YouGov data² showing that in the last six months, 54pc of British smartphone users watched video clips on their phone, with two-in-five of these saying they do more of this than a year ago. I certainly watch more video today than I did six months ago, my agency has produced about 50 videos in the last six months because clients want social video – they want smart entertaining clips that people watch.
A significant number have also watched TV programmes (17pc) and films (11pc) on their smartphones – I think most of this could be attributed to Kodi or BBC iPlayer. This behaviour is much more prevalent among 18-24 year olds, with 75pc watching short clips, 44pc watching TV and 33pc watching films on mobiles. Six-in-10 people who watched short clips, TV or film on their phone did so whilst ‘out and about.’
UKOM, the official body that measures online behaviour, shows that nearly half (48pc) of adult’s internet time is now spent on smartphones³, compared to 38pc on desktops/laptops and 14pc on tablets. So the new generation are fitter, drink and smoke less than us but they are addicted to their smartphones even more than we are.
These shocking statistics have seen mobile ad budgets increase 51% to £3.87bn and as such mobile now accounts for 38p in every £1 spent on internet ads. I would argue it should probably be higher than that already as the data that I am reading ever day for my clients usually shows between 60-80% of traffic coming from mobile.
“People are increasingly using their smartphones to watch more clips, programmes and films,” said the IAB UK’s Chief Marketing Officer, James Chandler. “Consequently, as companies have to follow what the industry calls “eyeballs” to get their ads in front of people, they have to allocate more budget to mobile and online video as that’s where people are spending more time.”


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Contrary to what some people may believe, social media and sales are not incompatible, though it is understandable why the myth persists. The effects of social media on sales figures can be hard to see because the effect is indirect. Additionally, a lot of the conversation is often more focused on using social media to build brand awareness than to increase sales. But in truth, there are a lot of studies that show that social media content can be used to drive sales both online and in the store. This post will highlight some of the research that shows the direct benefit social media can have on sales.
Recently, a study from Vision Critical tackled the problem by interviewing 6,000 people to measure their social media participation and their purchasing habits. The study showed that about “40% of social media users have purchased an item after sharing or “favoriting” it on these sites”. It also showed that social media drives online purchasing and in-store purchasing as well at about equal rates.
“One of the more surprising findings in this whole research for me,” the study’s co-author Alexandra Samuel, Vice-President of Social Media at Vision Critical, said in an interview, “was to see how significant that in-store purchasing is. This is one of those really not intuitive findings.”
According to the Vision Critical study, nearly 38 percent of users on Facebook who share an item on the network purchase the item later. The same is true for about 30 percent of of Pinterest users and 22 percent of the users of Twitter.
The researchers have stated that the data also shows why social media marketing should be sued as a part of a broader marketing campaign. In the interview with Forbes, Samuel said, “The smartest media companies are seeing social not as a competing medium, but as an ‘extending’ medium. They help their viewers engage with advertisers and are figuring out how they can help them make that journey from social to purchase.”
A study of 7,000 participants from Bizrate Insights had similar findings for social media as a whole; it confirms that people who are sharing on social media were more likely to be inspired by social media to buy the item. It also showed that people came to social media networks specifically to associate with brands and retailers they identify with. When asked why they used a particular social network, nearly 43 percent of Pinterest users and 24 percent of Facebook users say the use the network specifically to engage with brands.
Another key finding of the Bizrate Insights report relates to how social media. About 55 percent of Pinterest users have engaged with brands on the social network, compared to the 48 percent of Facebook users who report doing so. The data also showed how customers engage differs for Pinterest and Facebook users. Pinterest users are more likely to be “Creators”, which as was discussed in a previous post, means adding and sharing content that is related to the brand.Facebook users, on the other hand, are more often “Participators”. Facebook users interacting through promotional activities developed by retailers and brands, like contests.
Speaking specifically to how social media affects what people buy, the study found that “69 percent of online consumers who visit Pinterest have found an item they have purchased or will purchase, compared to only 40 percent of online consumers who visit Facebook”.
In the end, people who are quick to say that social media can’t improve sales are actually admitting that they are having trouble with the platform and have given up hope prematurely. It’s sometimes easier to blame new technology than try to figure out how to make it work for for a company. But ignoring customers on social media can be the equivalent of sending them to the competition. Whether or not individual businesses succeed on social media, the numbers indicates that there is real potential for business owners who are up to the challenge. Social media can truly increase sales. Hopefully this post has addressed the issue enough that people can stop asking if social media works and start focusing on how they can make it work for them.


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A recent report on MSN Money confirms the new that Microsoft is going to kill the Internet Explorer brand very soon. It was confirmed by an announcement made by Chris Capossela, Microsoft’s head of marketing, at the Microsoft Convergence conference that took place on Monday in Atlanta. Chris Capossela mentioned in the announcement that the new key browser for Windows codenamed as “Project Spartan”, which was revealed in January this year, will not have any association with the Internet Explorer brand.
New brand to replace Internet Explorer?
It seems that Microsoft has decided to give Internet Explorer a break and introduce a new name and brand in its place. The new browser will be introduced in Windows 10, the new version of Windows operating system. In reference to this new activity, Capossela mentioned during the Microsoft Convergence conference that took place on Monday,
“We’re now researching what the new brand, or the new name, for our browser should be in Windows 10. We’ll continue to have Internet Explorer, but we’ll also have a new browser called Project Spartan, which is codenamed Project Spartan. We have to name the thing.”
So, it’s pretty much clear that though Internet Explorer will still be present on the new Windows 10 due to the compatibility purposes; it will be given lesser priority as compared to the new browser. That means Internet Explorer will take a back seat in Windows 10!
The report on MSN Money further mentions about the new development,
“Microsoft has been working for years to salvage the Internet Explorer brand, which languished in the public eye thanks to releases like Internet Explorer 6, widely regarded as one of the worst tech products of all time. Releases over the last few years have fixed the product, but Microsoft has been unable to fix the browser’s reputation, despite a solid ad campaign.”


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Premier Doug Ford has scuttled a controversial proposal that would have reduced the number of holidays for retail workers to help businesses cope with COVID-19 fallout.
The Star reported Thursday that Queen’s Park was considering a plan to change the Retail Business Holidays Act to reduce the number of mandatory statutory holidays for retailers to three from nine, in order to offset the pandemic’s impact.
But Ford insisted Friday that it was not in the cards for the Progressive Conservative government.
“No, we aren’t doing that,” the premier said firmly.
“I think people should spend time with their families. There’s nine stat holidays and, as much as the malls would be packed and everything, I just think people need to take a break nine times a year,” he said.
“So it’s not happening.”
Three senior Tory officials, speaking on background in order to discuss internal deliberations, insist it was a suggestion from a municipality to Government and Consumer Services Minister Lisa Thompson.
“This was a proposal from a stakeholder and that’s all it was, a proposal,” one official said.
“It never got to cabinet and has not been discussed at any high level,” the insider said.
Another top Tory stressed “this is not something we are moving forward with.”
A third person with knowledge of the issue noted there is already an exemption in the provincial law for municipalities to pass bylaws exempting themselves from the act.
Indeed, the city of Toronto is already exempt from the act and has its own regulations dealing with retail openings on holidays.
Jerry Dias — the president of Unifor, Canada’s largest private sector union, which also represents workers at the Toronto Star — said Thompson’s officials told labour leaders about the plan during a “technical briefing” on Wednesday.
“We are pleased that the Ford government has changed its mind on this issue,” Dias said Friday.
“Retail workers have been a vital part of getting our communities through the pandemic, and have been working incredibly hard to keep food on our tables,” he said.
“Coming just days after their pay was cut by major grocers, the possibility that they would lose their statutory holidays just added insult to injury.”
Dias spoke with Ford and Labour Minister Monte McNaughton on Friday morning, and they confirmed Ontario would not go ahead with the proposal to eliminate all statutory holidays for retail workers except Christmas, Good Friday and Canada Day.
But that did not prevent the opposition parties from pouncing on an apparent trial balloon that went over like a lead zeppelin.
“Doug Ford never does the right thing until he gets caught. He seems to always hope you won’t find out about his backroom deals until it’s too late,” said NDP MPP Taras Natyshak (Essex).
In a statement, the Liberals said “after getting caught red-handed and backing down on his reckless plan to rip statutory holidays away from essential workers, Doug Ford has flip-flopped — once again.”
Also Friday, the premier expressed his support for continuing the temporary COVID-19 measure that allows restaurants and bars, which are struggling during the pandemic, to continue to sell beer, wine and spirits to go.
Ford insisted that allowing that practice to continue would not be “walking away” from his signature 2018 campaign promise to allow beer sales in convenience stores.
“I have higher priorities than the beer and wine in the corner stores right now,” the premier said.
But he emphasized that “I don’t think it’s a bad idea” to permit off-licence sales at bars and restaurants after the emergency allowance expires next January.
A Campaign Research poll for the Star earlier this month found 73 per cent support bars and restaurants selling booze to go, with 16 per cent opposed and 12 per cent unsure.


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CEA has announced that it will be running a new two-day conference for manufacturers and retailers called Business Solutions Series 2000, designed to take on the subjects of product returns and using the Internet to increase profits.
The conference, which will run May 17-18 at the Hyatt Regency in Los Angeles, will provide information on how companies are using training, technology and customer service to reduce returns.
In addition, attendees will hear about e-commerce and supply-chain management on the Internet. Companies are using web technology to enhance their productivity, manage their inventory and increase sales. Beyond getting a look at the competition, CEA said, attendees can meet with the companies that can help them streamline their business.
Below is a list of some key subjects and speakers scheduled so far:
-Combating Returns Through Partnerships — Tim Clark, Thomson, and Ira Miller, Sharp.
-Lowering Returns through Innovative Training Techniques — Anne Marie Mueller, Creative Channel Services.
-IT Solutions — Peter Junger, SiRAS.com.
-Call Center Solution — Mike Trotter, Purdue University; Jesse Williams, Panasonic; Ron Hartle, Samsung; and Gary Drook, AFFINA.
-Innovative Internet Perspectives –Cindy Frei, How2TV.com, and Tom Hommrich, ReturnCentral.
And the keynote address — Jerry Storch, Target.
To register visit or call CEA at (703) 907-7600.


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Lucky Goat Coffee opens Midtown cafe
Fans of Lucky Goat Coffee now have a second option for sipping cold brews and exotic blends.
Lucky Goat, a local favorite, had a soft launch Wednesday at its new Midtown location, 1307 N. Monroe St. near Joe Mama's Pizza, Liberty Bar and Fuma Cigars.
The expansion wasn't necessarily part of the business plan, said owner Ben Pautsch. But its coffee shop and production site on Capital Circle Southeast grew too busy. And his customers yearned for a more convenient spot.
"We needed to expand into other parts of town to satisfy the customers who wanted bags of coffee,” he said. "We opened the café for the fun it."
The Capital Circle location stays put. The Midtown location will be a cafe only site, serving Lucky's signature menu and sweet pastries made in local shops. It's a tad bit smaller than the Capital Circle site, but the interior design and equipment are similar. About a dozen employees will serve the Midtown location compared to two dozen at the Capital Circle site.
In addition, Pautsch said the Midtown location will use a Wilbur Curtis Seraphim by-the-cup machine and a high-tech espresso machine (Victoria Ardunio Black Eagle Gravimetric), which has a built-in scale for measuring shots. Pautsch said Lucky Goat is the first and only specialty coffee roaster in the state to use this type of advanced brewing equipment.
Contact TaMaryn Waters at email@example.com or follow @TaMarynWaters on Twitter.


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Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis meticulously curated the memory of her husband after he was assassinated, reimagining President John F. Kennedy as a fallen King Arthur in a modern-day Camelot.
Now some historians wonder if Laurene Powell Jobs is also trying to frame the legacy of her late husband, Steve Jobs, a complicated and transformational figure who was shadowed by his flaws as a father and belligerence as a boss.
Last month, Ms. Powell Jobs introduced the Steve Jobs Archive. It aspires to reinvent the personal archive much as Mr. Jobs, in his years running Apple, remade music with the iPod and communication with the iPhone.
Rather than offering up a repository of personal correspondence, notes and items for public research and inquiry, as other influential figures have done, Ms. Powell Jobs, who did not respond to requests for comments, said at a conference last month that the Steve Jobs Archive would be devoted to “ideas.” Those ideas are primarily Mr. Jobs’s philosophies about life and work.
The result, for now, is more of a tribute website than an archive. More than a dozen archivists and scholars who spoke to The New York Times questioned even calling it an archive. It has worried historians who fear it may inspire other wealthy and influential figures to curate the historical record about them just as ordinary people curate their lives on Instagram.
“One of the things that excites me about archives is the warts and all,” said Courtney Chartier, an archivist at Columbia University who has worked on Martin Luther King Jr.’s archive and the papers of Tony Kushner, the playwright. “People are complicated, and that’s something we shouldn’t shy away from.”
The Steve Jobs Archive deviates from the repositories of other famous business leaders who largely left their material to corporate or library archives. About half of Harvard Business School’s 25 greatest business leaders of the 20th century left behind personal archives that are open to the public in libraries or museums, including Henry Ford, Thomas Edison and Asa Candler, who built Coca-Cola.
Other iconic business founders such as Walt Disney, Sam Walton and Ray Kroc entrusted their papers to the companies they built, allowing those collections to become the cornerstone of corporate archives.
Much of that corporate archive material is closed to the public, but some companies, such as the Walt Disney Company, make personal correspondence, notes, speeches and other items available to authors for research.
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“We don’t censor,” said Becky Cline, director of the Walt Disney archives. “We just vet.”
The new Jobs archive debuted with a minimalist website containing eight pieces of video, audio and writing that express what the archive calls Mr. Jobs’s “driving motivations in his own words.” The items, three-quarters of which were already public, can be accessed by clicking through maxims made famous by Mr. Jobs, including “make something wonderful and put it out there” and “pursue different paths.”
The next steps for the archive are shrouded in the kind of mystery associated with the way Mr. Jobs ran Apple. About all that’s been publicly disclosed is that Ms. Powell Jobs hired a documentary filmmaker to gather hundreds of oral histories about Mr. Jobs from former colleagues. Where that material will be stored and who will have access to it has not been revealed.
In an interview, Leslie Berlin, the archive’s director, declined to say whether the collection would be open to researchers or include any contentious material about Mr. Jobs. The author Walter Isaacson, who did about 40 interviews with Mr. Jobs before writing a best-selling book about him, said in an email that he didn’t know much about the archive and declined to comment further.
Ms. Powell Jobs has been the driving force behind the project. She married Mr. Jobs in 1991, two years after meeting him as a graduate student at Stanford. Since his death, she has used her estimated $16 billion fortune to fund the Emerson Collective, a philanthropic and commercial operation that owns The Atlantic magazine and funds an organization trying to reduce gun violence in Chicago.
During his life, Mr. Jobs admired and encouraged historians to preserve the history of his Silicon Valley predecessors such as Robert Noyce, who co-founded the chip maker Intel. But he put little value on his own history, and Apple has seldom commemorated product anniversaries, saying it focuses on the future, not the past.
When Mr. Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, a dozen years after he was forced out, one of the first things he did was offer Stanford University the company’s corporate archives, said Henry Lowood, the curator of Stanford libraries’ History of Science & Technology Collections. Stanford had a signed document from Apple’s legal department within 24 hours, allowing it to transport some 800 boxes from the company’s campus to the university.
Stanford spent years cataloging items such as photos of a barefoot Mr. Jobs at work, advertising campaigns and an Apple II computer. That material can be reviewed by students and researchers interested in learning more about the company.
Silicon Valley leaders have a tradition of leaving their material with Stanford, which has collections of letters, slides and notes from William Hewlett, who founded Hewlett-Packard, and Andy Grove, the former chief executive of Intel.
Mr. Lowood said that he uses the Silicon Valley archives to teach students about the value of discovery. “Unlike a book, which is the gospel and all true, a mix of materials in a box introduces uncertainty,” he said.
After Mr. Jobs’s death in 2011, Mr. Isaacson, the author, published a biography of Mr. Jobs. Some at Apple complained that the book, a best seller, misrepresented Mr. Jobs and commercialized his death.
Mr. Isaacson declined to comment about those complaints.
Four years later, the book became the basis for a film. The 2015 movie, written by Aaron Sorkin and starring Michael Fassbender, focused on Mr. Jobs being ousted from Apple and denying paternity of his eldest daughter.
Ms. Powell Jobs lobbied to stop the film, according to emails made public after a hack of Sony Pictures, which held rights to the film. She and others who were close to Mr. Jobs thought any movie based on the book would be inaccurate.
“I was outraged, and he was my friend,” said Mike Slade, a marketing executive who worked as an adviser to Mr. Jobs from 1998 to 2004. “I can’t imagine how outraged Laurene was.”
In November 2015, a month after the movie’s release, Ms. Powell Jobs had representatives register the Steve Jobs Archive as a limited liability company in Delaware and California. She later hired the documentary filmmaker, Davis Guggenheim, to gather oral histories about Mr. Jobs from former colleagues and friends. She also hired Ms. Berlin, who was Stanford’s project historian for its Apple archives, to be the Jobs Archive’s executive director.
Mr. Guggenheim gathered material about Mr. Jobs while also working on a Netflix documentary about Bill Gates, “Inside Bill’s Brain.” Mr. Slade, who worked for both Mr. Jobs and Mr. Gates, said he sat for an interview about one executive, stopped to change shirts and returned to discuss the other one.
Ms. Berlin assisted Ms. Powell Jobs in gathering material. They collected items such as audio of interviews done by reporters and early company records, including a 1976 document that Mr. Jobs and Steve Wozniak, Apple’s co-founder, called their declaration of independence. It outlined what the company would stand for, said Regis McKenna, who unearthed the document in his personal collection gathered during his decades as a pioneer of Silicon Valley marketing and adviser to Mr. Jobs.
Ms. Powell Jobs also assembled a group of advisers to inform what the archive would be, including Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive; Jony Ive, Apple’s former chief design officer; and Bob Iger, the former chief executive of Walt Disney and a former Apple board member.
Mr. Cook, Mr. Ive and Mr. Iger declined to comment.
Apple, which has its own corporate archive and archivist, is a contributor to the Jobs effort, said Ms. Berlin, who declined to say how she works with the company to gain access to material left by Mr. Jobs.
The archive’s resulting website opens with an email that Mr. Jobs sent himself at Apple. It reads like a journal entry, outlining all the things that he depends on others to provide, from the food he eats to the music he enjoys.
“I love and admire my species, living and dead, and am totally dependent on them for my life and well being,” he wrote.
The email is followed by a previously undisclosed audio clip from a 1984 interview that Mr. Jobs did with Michael Moritz, the journalist turned venture capitalist at Sequoia. During it, Mr. Jobs says that refinement comes from mistakes, a platitude that captures how Apple used trial and error to develop devices.
“It was just lying in the drawer gathering dust,” Mr. Moritz said of the recording.
It’s clear to those who have contributed material that the archive is about safeguarding Mr. Jobs’s legacy. It’s a goal that many of them support.
“There’s so much distortion about who Steve was,” Mr. McKenna said. “There needed to be something more factual.”


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Shapermint is on the hunt for a mama who embodies the brand’s “core values of body positivity and inclusivity”
With Mother’s Day right around the corner, one online retailer is hoping to celebrate a very special mama by promoting her to “Chief Mom Officer.” Starting today, April 27, Shapermint, an online intimates marketplace, is on the hunt for its first-ever Chief Mom Officer, a paid remote, part-time job opportunity for a U.S.-based mom who “who embodies Shapermint’s core values of body positivity and inclusivity, and will aid in product innovation, market research, content creation, brand ambassador teams, and more.”
The company’s Chief Brand Officer, Siobhán Lonergan, announced the new role in a post on LinkedIn, sharing that the company hopes to “celebrate the amazing women in our lives this Mother’s Day.” Reflecting on the essential role moms everywhere have played in keeping their households running during the unprecedented past year, Lonergan added, “We know how hard the past year has been for women and mothers in the workforce who took on the roles of teacher, chef, coach, IT support, and much more throughout the pandemic.”
Per the job listing, the company is searching for a “one-of-a-kind self-starter” to all U.S.-based moms or mother figures who are looking “to put their mark on the narratives surrounding body confidence, positivity, and the future of the shapewear industry. The chosen candidate will be responsible for creating content for our platforms, supporting content development, providing insights for our product and innovation team, coaching brand ambassadors, and promoting brand initiatives.”
Offering a fully remote, flexible schedule with a minimum 6-month commitment, the listing notes that interested candidates “should be goal-oriented moms who have experience tackling the pressures of body confidence first-hand, empowering themselves and the Shapermoms in their lives to live to the fullest and celebrate their curves… all on their own terms.”
Candidates should also have active social media presence on at least two platforms and an interest in engaging with the brand’s established communities on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok; comfort with content creation, marketing, and copywriting; excellent communication skills; comfort with on-camera work; objective industry insights and knowledge; and — perhaps most importantly of all — no issue with wearing leggings all day.
The lucky chosen MOMager will receive benefits including a competitive salary and product perks. In a press release, Lonergan noted that she hopes the chosen candidate “will work to shape a brighter workplace and more inclusive future.”
If this sounds like your dream job, you can apply here, with applications accepted through May 11.
This article was originally published on


text: Amazon is kicking off its third annual Prime Day by slashing the cost of an Amazon Echo, cutting 50 percent off the price tag, and selling the Echo for only $89.99. Google is competing by cutting $64 from the price tag for a Google Home and Chromecast bundle, selling the two for $99.99. So, if you\u2019ve been wanting to get a smart assistant for your home or get a jump-start on Christmas shopping, now is a good time for it.However, owning an always-listening smart device cuts both ways; it could be used to save a life and the data from the device also could be used by police for investigations.Smart home device calls the policeA smart device is being credited for potentially saving a life when it misheard a command and called the cops.Eduardo Barros, his girlfriend and her daughter were house-sitting near Albuquerque, New Mexico, on July 2. KRQE reported that after his girlfriend got a text message, Barros accused her of cheating on him. He allegedly hit and kicked her and then got a gun and threatened to kill her. He asked her, \u201cDid you call the sheriffs?\u201dShe hadn\u2019t, but a smart home device had. The\u00a0always-on microphones in the device, which was hooked up to a surround sound system, heard what\u00a0Barros said and took it as the command \u201ccall the sheriffs.\u201d It did.Although Google Home was widely reported to be the smart device that called the cops, ABC News took out any reference to Google Home, adding, \u201cAn earlier version named a smart home device that was not the type found in the home and credited by police with calling 911.\u201dIt\u2019s unclear what the big secret is, what smart home device called the cops, but it led to police, a SWAT team and a crisis negotiation team showing up at the house. Police were able to take the girlfriend and the daughter out of the house. It reportedly took several hours before the cops were able to take Barros into custody.Court records show Barros was charged with 14 counts: 12 counts of aggravated battery against a household member (deadly weapon), one count of possession of a firearm and one count of false imprisonment.\u201cThe unexpected use of this new technology to contact emergency services has possibly helped save a life,\u201d Bernalillo County Sheriff Department spokesperson Felicia Romero told ABC. \u201cThis amazing technology definitely helped save a mother and her child from a very violent situation.\u201dPrivacy concerns with IoT devices\u00a0This isn\u2019t the first time police have turned to data provided by IoT devices. Police in Arkansas previously used data from an Amazon Echo for a murder investigation and data from a connected water meter in another murder investigation. Police in Ohio used data from a pacemaker to charge a man with arson and insurance fraud.Many people already enjoy the hands-free convenience of giving voice commands to smart assistants. Amazon, for example, offers special Prime Day shopping deals exclusively for Alexa users who take advantage of voice shopping.It\u2019s too soon to know what will happen, but Amazon offers an opt-in \u201cDrop In\u201d feature for its devices. For example, Amazon\u2019s new Echo Show, which comes with a touchscreen and camera, allows an Echo Show user to \u201cdrop in\u201d on another. If the person receiving the \u201cdrop in\u201d doesn\u2019t decline the call within 10 seconds of hearing the \u201cdrop in\u201d chime, the person making the call can see and hear into your home via your Echo Show. It\u2019s a feature that has raised many security and privacy questions, but if it follows the line of other smart devices, police will eventually turn to that data during investigations.


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Generic Drugmakers Conspired to Inflate Prices Up to 1,000%, State Prosecutors Say
Leading drug companies including Teva, Pfizer, Novartis and Mylan conspired to artificially inflate the prices of generic drugs by as much as 1,000 percent, according to a far-reaching lawsuit filed on Friday by 44 states.
The industrywide scheme affected the prices of more than 100 generic drugs, according to the complaint, including lamivudine-zidovudine, which treats H.I.V.; budesonide, an asthma medication; fenofibrate, which treats high cholesterol; amphetamine-dextroamphetamine for A.D.H.D.; oral antibiotics; blood thinners; cancer drugs; contraceptives; and antidepressants.
“We all know that prescription drugs can be expensive,” Gurbir S. Grewal, the New Jersey attorney general, said in a statement. “Now we know that high drug prices have been driven in part by an illegal conspiracy among generic drug companies to inflate their prices.”
In court documents, the state prosecutors lay out a brazen price-fixing scheme involving more than a dozen generic drug companies and just as many executives responsible for sales, marketing and pricing. The complaint alleges that the conspirators knew their efforts to thwart competition were illegal and that they therefore avoided written records by coordinating instead at industry meals, parties, golf outings and other networking events.
The bulk of the collusive activity occurred from July 2013 to January 2015, according to the complaint, when Teva raised prices on nearly 400 formulations of 112 generic drugs. A key element of the scheme, the complaint alleges, was an agreement among competitors to cooperate on pricing so each company could maintain a “fair share” of the generic drug markets. At the same time, the companies colluded to raise prices on as many drugs as possible, according to the complaint.
Though the complaint paints Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, which is based in Pennsylvania, as a leader in the conspiracy, it describes the conduct as “pervasive and industrywide.”
“Rather than enter a particular generic drug market by competing on price in order to gain market share,” the complaint states, “competitors in the generic drug industry would systematically and routinely communicate with one another directly, divvy up customers to create an artificial equilibrium in the market, and then maintain anticompetitively high prices.”
Teva denied the allegations. “Teva continues to review the issue internally and has not engaged in any conduct that would lead to civil or criminal liability,” the company said in a statement.
The Israeli drugmaker Teva Pharmaceutical Industries is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of generic medicines. The company faced criticism in February 2018 for charging $18,375 for a bottle of 100 pills for a rare medical condition known as Wilson disease. Mylan has also generated outrage for raising the price for a two-injection EpiPen set to over $600 from $100. The latest lawsuit comes as drug companies are already facing widespread scrutiny from lawmakers over drug prices.
The lawsuit was filed in the Federal District Court in Connecticut, where the multistate investigation began. On Saturday, William Tong, the Connecticut attorney general, said on Twitter that the organized effort to maximize profits was “a highly illegal violation of antitrust laws.”
The new lawsuit is a more expansive version of a similar suit filed by the previous Connecticut attorney general in December 2016 in the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Pfizer denied any wrongdoing in a statement on Saturday. The company said that Greenstone, a Pfizer subsidiary that produces generic drugs, “has been a reliable and trusted supplier of affordable generic medicines for decades and intends to vigorously defend against these claims.”
State prosecutors say the conspiracy has negatively affected the national economy while damaging state health plans and federal health care programs like Medicare and Medicaid.
In his statement, Mr. Grewal described the pharmaceutical industry in New Jersey, where much of the illegal conduct is alleged to have occurred, as “the envy of the world.”
“But no New Jersey company will get a free pass when it violates the law and harms our residents.”
Source: Read Full Article


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The Our Carolina Foothills campaign will host the inaugural Taste of Our Carolina Foothills wine and food festival on Sunday, Sept. 28, at Overmountain Vineyards in Tryon. The event is a fundraiser for the Our Carolina Foothills public relations campaign to create awareness about and promote tourism in Landrum, Tryon, Saluda and Columbus.
Visitors will be able to sample food from almost two dozen local restaurants, food trucks, bakeries, cheese makers and chocolatiers, then wash it all down with products from the area’s wineries, distilleries and craft breweries. Flat Rock’s Naked Apple Hard Cider will have samples of their products, and coffee will be available from Little River Roasting Co. of Spartanburg, S.C.
The Carolina Foothills region is currently experiencing a growth spurt partially due to the recent opening of the Tryon International Equestrian Resort, a 1,400-acre luxury resort and equestrian center.
According to Taste of Our Carolina Foothills event organizer Suzanne Strickland, a group of the local vineyard owners have applied to the National Association of American Wineries for the area to be considered as a designated wine-producing region.


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Private spaceflight company SpaceX appears to be testing a Dogecoin payment option, according to a tweet posted by a community member responsible for graphic design at the recently restored Dogecoin Foundation.
The eagle-eyed user has found the name of the cryptocurrency in the source code of SpaceX's merch store.
However, Mishaboar, a prominent voice within the Dogecoin community, has noted that SpaceX uses Shopify as an e-commerce solution.
True! But do keep in mind that the code is there because SpaceX is using shopify, which has been allowing crypto payments for a long time.— Mishaboar (@mishaboar) February 16, 2022
So when you use them to host your shop, the CSS usually includes the #Dogecoin code. But this also means SpaceX can accept Doge easily. https://t.co/TszPQY6GTC
As reported by U.Today, the Canadian tech champion added cryptocurrency payments for merchants in May 2020. This could explain why Dogecoin showed up in the source code.
The recent revelation comes after Tesla CEO Elon Musk hinted that both SpaceX and Starlink, his satellite internet company, were working on accepting the meme cryptocurrency.
SpaceX was the first Elon Musk company to accept Dogecoin, but it was a one-off payment for a yet-to-be-launched lunar payload called "DOGE-1 Mission to the Moon."
While the aerospace manufacturer could easily accept Dogecoin payments with the help of Shopify, it remains to be seen whether it will have a custom implementation.
According to CoinMarketCap data, Dogecoin has a market cap of $19.5 billion, which makes it the 11th biggest cryptocurrency overall.
In July, he said that Musk said that he personally owned Bitcoin, Ethereum and, of course, his favorite meme coin on top of shares in Tesla and SpaceX.


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Expoalemania, the first cross-industry virtual trade fair between Germany and Latin America, took place from 14.07.2020 to 17.07.2020.
During the four days of the fair, approximately 220,000 visitors (according to IP) were registered, there were more than 59,000 queries and contacts and about 14,500 visitors at the virtual conferences. 310 companies from 20 countries participated as exhibitors, including conttigo consulting & services as a premium exhibitor.
„We specifically searched for and found business partners for two of our ongoing projects in the field of agriculture and Medtech. In addition, we have also been able to initiate institutional links with countries that were previously „unknown“ to us. Overall a good event,“ said the founder and Executive Director of conttigo Alejandro Palacios-Tovar.
For many participants, the virtual trade fair was a very good opportunity to get to know new suppliers and service providers and gain experience with such a new digital format despite the Corona pandemic.
The conttigo management participated at the closing conferences with two interesting topics: „Doing business with German companies – factors to be taken into account“ and „The state of Baden-Württemberg – economic and scientific potential for Latin America“. The conferences can be viewed at the following links:
Doing business with German companies – factors to be taken into account
The state of Baden-Württemberg – economic and scientific potential for Latin America
The fair was organized by the AHK Network Latin America in cooperation with the BGA, the DIHK and the Latin America Association.
conttigo consulting & services


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Did you know? Digital marketing goes far beyond traditional marketing ...
According to eMarketer and their latest study, digital advertising otherwise known as digital advertising has surpassed traditional advertising in 2020, in the United States. A trend that should also be noted in Switzerland. Already in 2017, online advertising in the world had surpassed traditional advertising more specifically that of TV in terms of advertising investments. In Switzerland, online advertising has never reached such a high level and such a strong growth in only 10 years. It’s time to take a look at this flourishing online advertising market.
It is until the year 2017 that a turning point is marked in the history of advertising. For the first time ever, advertisers spent more money in digital than in traditional advertising, especially in television. While in the previous year, in 2016 the advertising investments in digital and traditional were still very close, although they have clearly separated in 2017. Digital advertising attracted 41% of the market share with more than 209 billion Francs spent worldwide, compared to 35% market share for TV, or more than 178 billion Francs. The traditional media has been dethroned worldwide, but what about Switzerland?
Although Switzerland’s population is one of the most connected in Europe, digital ad spending is low compared to other European countries. But despite new consumer behaviors, digital ads will only represent one fifth of advertising budgets. This is low compared to most of the neighboring and European countries. For example, in Sweden, whose population is equally connected, the budgets for online advertising represent 45% of total budgets, says eMarketer. The firm explains this trend by the fact that traditional media, including print and television, still enjoy a large audience in Switzerland. Another likely reason, eMarketer says, could be related to advertisers’ hesitation towards digital media: “Concerns about online privacy, especially on social platforms, are widespread and, as a result, advertisers approach social media advertising with caution.”
The forecasts put forward by eMarketer noted a 19% increase in online advertising spending in 2019, for an amount of 129 billion dollars. On the contrary, those allocated to traditional media will amount to 109 billion, a decrease of 4%. In 2021, the share of spending on digital advertising should even reach 62% according to their estimates.
What lesson should we learn?
In Switzerland, digital advertising is well on its way to overtaking traditional advertising channels. And it is the GAFAM leaders, more precisely Google and Facebook, that will benefit the most from this dynamic. The eMarketer study also highlights the progression of Amazon Advertising among the global players, although Amazon is not available in Switzerland.


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A Southside auction company is on the grow again.
Richmond-based Motleys Asset Disposition Group recently acquired River City Auction & Realty for an undisclosed amount, the company announced last week.
It also purchased a 204,000-square-foot warehouse facility at 3310 Deepwater Terminal Road in south Richmond for $3.5 million, according to city real estate records.
Both acquisitions closed Nov. 1 and were separate purchases, said Mark Motley, president and CEO of Motleys.
Bringing River City Auction into the fold will add to Motleys’ real estate operations, Motley said. The deal includes keeping on River City Auction founder Ernie Rogers to oversee Motleys Real Estate Auctions, high-end home sales for Motleys Masterpiece, foreclosure services for Fortis Foreclosure Services and commercial real estate brokerage SVN | Motleys. Those arms all operate under the Motleys Asset Disposition Group umbrella.
“Ernie has over 20 years of auction real estate experience and is a state champion auctioneer,” Motley said. “It’s his experience and knowledge that we were looking for to take our business to the next level of growth.”
River City Auction will be dissolved into Motleys as a result of the deal.
Motley and Rogers have known each other for years.
River City Auction was not on the market for sale, Motley said, but the pair’s professional relationship led to discussions of a potential deal.
“I think we were both looking for a way to grow our business,” Motley said. “Ernie has connections across Virginia and North Carolina, and we’ve done business from down in Florida up to Pennsylvania … it was a good fit for both of us.”
After a few coffee sessions and lunches earlier this year, the two agreed to make it official this month.
Motleys’ purchase of River City Auction marks the second acquisition the firm has made since purchasing Cockrell Logistics Services in 2016.
That deal included a 330,000-square-foot building on 22 acres at 2700 Deepwater Terminal Road, along with the facility’s book of business. The warehouse stores freight items, such as large rolls of paper, medical supplies, packaging material and automotive parts.
Since taking over the logistics firm, now called Motley-Cockrell Logistic Services, Motley said it has outgrown the facility, prompting this month’s purchase of the warehouse at 3310 Deepwater Terminal Road.
Motley said the firm plans to use its newly acquired warehouse to expand its Motley-Cockrell division, given its location to freight rail and the Port of Richmond. It plans to invest $1 million to overhaul the building by year-end.
“We’re looking to bring it up to food guide standards, which will allow us to manufacture food products for companies seeking storage items,” Motley said of its newly acquired warehouse.
As part of the expansion, Motley plans to hire an additional five to seven people to oversee facility operations.
Once renovated, Motleys will have more than one-half million square feet of warehouse space in one of the most active industrial sectors of the region. That adds to the company’s 30,000-square-foot headquarters at 3600 Deepwater Terminal Road.
The firm also is growing its online auction business through its Motleys Industrial and Kitchen’s Crane Equipment division.
Next month, the company is hosting the largest heavy lift and transport online auction in its history, Motley said. The company was founded by Motley’s family in 1967.
Equipment in the auction includes more than 50 cranes and hoists, a 4,000-ton lift system, lift tower and girder systems, dual lane and modular trailers, and surplus steel, among other heavy-duty items.
They’ll be auctioned in categories running from Dec. 3-12.
The seller in the deal for 3310 Deepwater Terminal Road and its 18 acres was Alloy Properties LLC, which was represented by Matt Anderson, Harrison McVey and David Wilkins of Colliers International.


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Florida Based Teeth Whitening Giant Acquired by Oral Care R&D Firm Smash Labs, LLC
BOCA RATON, FL - September 10, 2020 – Smash Labs, LLC announced that it had acquired miBrite, an established oral care giant that manufactures products such as ilustra plus home teeth whitening, luminite tooth whitening pen, and nanowhite toothpaste. The purchase will allow oral care research development firm Smash Labs to launch its new oral care formulations under the miBrite Teeth Whitening brand.
"When you develop custom formulations for some of the largest companies in oral care, the company you develop the products for have the final say on the product's formulation," says Dr. Martin Giniger, Ph.D., DMD, Chief Scientist of Smash Labs, "miBrite allows us to launch some of our best ideas while having full control." "We have so many new paradigm-shifting, platform technologies which will truly enhance people's oral health while also making products that are very safe and made with the newest technology available," continues Dr. Giniger, "The best is yet to come!"
The details of the sale have been kept confidential.
ABOUT Smash Labs, LLC
Smash Labs, LLC is a multi-faceted oral care product innovation international firm based in Boca Raton, Florida, and Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Dr. Martin Giniger, Ph.D., DMD heads the company as Smash Lab's Chief Scientist and works together with Oral Care R&D formulator Matt Spaid. Smash Labs works closely with companies worldwide and helps them formulate the products of their dreams. For more information, visit www.smash-labs.com and www.mibrite.com
We're happy to announce our second collaboration with Touch of Modern. Our previous event was a huge success, and we're pleased to support them again.
In case you haven't heard of Touch of Modern, they are the experts in products of quality, beauty, and value. Based in San Francisco, they help people all over the United States & Canada find exclusive deals on sleek products.


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In the print edition of La Tercera, the communications Secretariat (SUBTEL) unveiled the market share of the telecommunication companies in Chile.
One of the data in which it emphasizes and quite striking is that WOM, belonging to the English group invest operator, does not reach the 2 million users that tend to promote and celebrate.
According to the information provided, WOM would have 1.559.426 subscribers to December 2016, that as of today, even with reports of portability, do not reach the advertised amount of customers, according to SUBTEL.
The participation of the company in Chile reached 6.7% of the market. While clear has a 25.5%, Movistar a 32.2% and Entel a 32.9%.
WOM has been contacted by this newspaper in search of their version of the cases and expand just exists response.


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Daily Meal Reviews the Cookie Shot
The Daily Meal covers Chef Dominique Ansel’s newest invention: the cookie shot. With customers waiting up to 3 hours prior to it coming out at 3pm daily, one customer said, “It’s a great time to be alive because of this cookie.”
“You know everyone in New York is about eating healthier, juicing, but when you want to curb that sweet tooth, you gotta come here,” said another customer. “It was well worth the wait.” For the full article, read here.


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Managing Director of Maldives Integrated Tourism Development Corporation (MITDC), Mohamed Raaidh has participated, as a speaker, in the international webinar organized by Island Innovation, under the theme “Islands Responses to COVID-19”,
In addition to Mohamed Raaidh, Honourable Vittus Qujaukitsoq, Minister of Finance and Mineral Resources of Government of Greenland, Co-Director Dr. Francesco Sindico, University of Strathclyde, Dr. Daniel Trigg, President of Lanzarote Business and Residents Association, Ms. Tahirah Banks, Thoughtful Digital Agency, were speakers at the webinar.
In his speech, Mohamed Raaidh shed light on how Covid-19 would affect the Maldivian tourism landscape and the things that need to be done to recover and resume tourism.
Referring to local pandemic statistics, he forecast international and local air travel to resume in July 2020, however for tourist arrivals to begin only in November 2020. Noting that August, September and October were off-peak dates even under normal circumstances, Raaidh revealed that industry experts predict an adequate number of tourism arrivals between November to February. Bookings are already being made in resorts and especially guesthouses for the duration, he added.
He, however, advised caution for the “new normal” that would follow the Covid-19 pandemic, while detailing some highlights.
In his regard, Raaidh stressed on the importance of disseminating information about the natural beauty of Maldives via Virtual Reality (VR), the importance of opting for VR technologies that would allow people to experience the natural beauty of Maldives in their living rooms, rather than at crowded travel exhibitions and fairs; improving the quality of healthcare available in Maldivian resorts to include at least a doctor and a nurse along with resources to administer primary care for ailments such as Covid-19, providing room isolation facilities in resorts to some extent.
In addition to that Raaidh stressed on the need to establish quality healthcare in at least one island in every region, and improving the quality of healthcare along with resources to administer primary care for ailments such as Covid-19 without having to medevac patients to Malé and the establishment of a mechanism for health screening; introducing health visa or health insurance for visitors, while local tourism expands nationwide.
In his speech, Raaidh emphasized the importance advertising the destination in line with the theme #loveyourlocal and prioritizing local businesses and local products in tourism. Referring to the slump that small scale businesses and freelancers are facing currently, Raaidh said that the pillars of sustainable development can be best achieved in a tourism model that sees development that incorporates local products and local businesses.


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GeneralMoters Company (NYSE:GM) released sales data for January 2015 and showed a strong start to the New Year. Over 200k vehicles left the dealerships with new owners as the company ripped sales with an 18% same period gain. The internal numbers were even more encouraging as high profit vehicles made even bigger gains. Retail sales were up a solid 14% and fleet or wholesale sales climbed 32% when compared to the same period last year.
Company officials credited a growing economy that instilled buying confidence in consumers. Businesses are also doing better and that resulted in the strong fleet sales growth.
Pickup truck sales followed up a strong December by showing a 42% gain when compared to January 2014. This was after showing a 43% growth in December 2014. Full size trucks gained 22%.
SUVs and crossovers added another 36%. All in all it was a feverish start to the New Year and gave the company a head start on projections.
An important metric with car manufacturers is the relationship of dealer incentives. GeneralMoters Company (NYSE:GM) actually reduced incentives as a percentage of average transaction prices bolstering bottom line products. It also showed zeal from buyers as they were inclined to still purchase ofRegardlessincentives.Commercial vehicles extended its win streak to 15 months and continued to be a solid and consistent revenue source.
GeneralMoters Company (NYSE:GM) is continuing to reaffirm its status as the global leader in automobile sales. It Chevrolet division grew sales at a good 20% clip, including 25% from its popular Silverado truck line. Cadillac was a winner too. The maker of the escalade, a poplar SUV grew by 3%
The stock has shown some volatility lately but is still following the orderly pattern of higher highs and higher lows. This is productive and shows resilience in the issue. The news of strong sales certainly helped the issue. The stock recently violated its 100 day moving average but bounced right back above it as is a healthy indication of orderly trading.


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Despite the growing availability of legal options, online piracy remains rampant. Every day pirate sites and services are used by millions of people worldwide.
This is a serious problem for major content producers, Hollywood included. At the same time, it’s also seen as a threat to the broader economy, which generates hundreds of billions of dollars from video entertainment.
The piracy landscape is still vast and complex, despite the fact that there are more legal options than ever before. A new report published by the cybersecurity firm Akamai and piracy tracking outfit MUSO attempts to put a number on it.
Both companies are known to have a fairly nuanced view of the piracy problem. They don’t only see it as a threat but also as a massive opportunity, as many pirates can potentially be converted into paying customers.
132 Billion Visits
The “State of the Internet” report that was released by Akamai this week shows that there is plenty of potential. According to their data, provided by MUSO, the number of global visits to pirate sites rose significantly over the past year.
During the first nine months of 2021, they recorded 132 billion visits to pirate sites. This includes websites that are commonly dedicated to TV-show, movie, music, software, and publishing-related copyright infringement. That includes The Pirate Bay, Fmovies, but also Sci-Hub.
132 billion is a 16% increase compared to the first nine months of the year before, which included the piracy peak of the coronavirus pandemic. At the same time, it’s also more than the number of visits for the whole of 2020.
TV Piracy Dominates
Looking at the various content categories, it’s clear that TV-related piracy is dominant. The report shows that there were over 67 billion TV piracy visits, which is roughly 50% of all pirate site traffic.
The publishing category is in second place with 30 billion visits (23%), followed by films with 14.5 billion (11%) and music with 10.8 billion (8%). Software piracy closes the ranks with a ‘measly’ 9 billion visits (7%).
These numbers are global and it is no surprise that there are quite a few regional differences. The United States remains the global piracy leader with over 13 billion visits, followed by Russia, India, China, and Brazil at a respectable distance.
The dominance of these countries can be in part be explained by their Internet populations, which are also among the largest in the world. That said, it’s surprising to see that 10% of all pirate site visits worldwide come from the US.
Akamai also shares some content-related data. Based on streaming and torrent data, they report that “Godzilla vs. Kong”, “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” and “Black Widow were the most pirated films.
In the TV category, “Loki”, “Wandavision” and “Rick and Morty” are the most pirated titles. These shows also appeared in our own ranking a few weeks ago.
Up or Down?
Piracy statistics can be quite confusing at times. We have published several reports which showed that piracy is declining. Just a few weeks ago an EU study, also based on MUSO data, showed that pirate site visits in Europe have roughly halved between 2017 and 2020.
This isn’t as conflicting as it may seem, as global piracy traffic also dropped previously, according to MUSO data. In 2018, for example, there were 190 billion visits for the entire year. And in 2017, MUSO first reported that there were 300 billion visits, a number that was later adjusted to 206 billion.
The new data suggest that pirate site visits are not as numerous as they once were. However, compared to 2020, they are certainly rising again.
“When examining piracy globally and across the film, TV, software, publishing, and music industries, the vast scale of piracy is clear. Perhaps more concerningly, in many areas, piracy is still a growing problem, with an overall 16% increase on the previous nine-month period,” James Mason, CTO of MUSO says.
Piracy: A Complex Puzzle
It’s worth noting that the numbers reported above only apply to regular pirate sites visits. This means that a large and growing part of the piracy ecosystem, including dedicated piracy boxes and illegal IPTV offerings, are not included.
The complexity is also apparent on the anti-piracy enforcement side. Steve Ragan, security researcher at Akamai and author of the report notes that there’s no silver bullet to address each type of piracy online. However, a combination of measures can certainly make a dent.
At the same time, Akamai also found that not all pirates refuse to pay. Many of them already have subscription services, but use unauthorized sites to complement their entertainment consumption.
“Many of the conversations that Akamai researchers observed online related to piracy show that while a given show or movie is being pirated, those looking for this content pay to access other streaming services.
“The reason — outside of criminal enterprise — that many are pirating the content that they do is lack of access and availability,” the report adds.
This means that, while it’s vital to crack down on the criminal side of piracy sites and services, there’s still some progress to be made at the supply aide as well. That is, if the subscription fatigue hasn’t kicked in yet.
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.


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5 Game-Changing Benefits of 5G for Business
Posted on 12/19/2022 by Meredith Pond
5G technology is a game-changer not only for individual users but also for the American economy. Current data estimates from the American Consumer Institute expect 5G to generate up to $1.5 trillion in additional gross domestic product (GDP) by 2025, creating 4.6 million new jobs during that timeframe.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce expects small businesses to be among the biggest beneficiaries of 5G’s improved connectivity and data capabilities, enabling them to tap into cloud computing, more robust online presence, and better operational efficiency.
A survey conducted by Verizon found that 96% of small and medium-sized business owners believe 5G will have a positive impact on their operations. 67% said they expect it to help them grow.
As fifth-generation wireless continues to roll out, businesses of all sizes will see tremendous benefits from being early adopters. To stay competitive, small and medium-sized businesses should familiarize themselves with the incredible opportunities 5G presents.
If you haven’t yet taken the steps to incorporate next-generation tech into your operations, the time is now. Here’s a look at 5G and the top five reasons you should be excited to integrate this technology into your business.
What is 5G?
Before businesses can leverage 5G, they must first understand what it is and its potential. 5G is the fifth generation of wireless network technology and provides faster, more reliable connectivity compared to its predecessors. It’s designed to meet the increasing demands of our connected world, enabling a wide range of applications and services.
Because 5G uses higher frequencies, it can handle more data at faster speeds. It also supports a massive number of connected devices simultaneously, making it ideal for the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart devices. With 5G, users can enjoy seamless streaming, quicker uploads and downloads, and improved overall network performance.
1. Enhanced security
As people and devices become increasingly connected, networks demand advanced security protocols. This is where 5G’s advanced security features come into play.
5G introduces novel security mechanisms and improved encryption standards that offer stronger protection for data in transit. One of these features is network slicing, which essentially allows businesses to create separate ‘slices’ of a 5G network.
Each slice operates as an independent network, tailored to specific business needs. If one slice is compromised, the threat is contained within that slice and doesn’t affect the rest of the network. This compartmentalization significantly reduces the risk of widespread data breaches.
5G also enables enhanced encryption methods that are far more robust than previous generations. This superior encryption helps your business safeguard sensitive data, benefitting both you and your customers.
The advanced security capabilities of 5G don’t stop at better data protection. 5G’s low-latency nature enables near-real-time detection of threats, allowing for rapid response to potential attacks. It also paves the way for more advanced and effective deployment of AI and machine learning for threat detection and prevention.
2. Better customer experience
During the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses changed the way they serve customers. Research shows that consumers expect more from businesses today than they did prior to the pandemic. They expect seamless digital experiences with faster downloads and uploads, lower latency, and more reliable connections. And they expect it whether they’re interacting with large or small companies.
For that reason, it’s important to recognize that 5G is not just for enterprises. Your business can and should look to this new technology to deepen your connection with customers and make them happy.
Strong network connections improve the customer experience. In our shopping small survey, we found that connectivity is incredibly important to consumers. Over 40% of respondents believe strong cell signal is important to have while shopping.
In every industry, 5G allows greater personalization and communication as small businesses engage with customers. For example, your business can use more reliable, capable 5G to offer virtual consultations and interactive experiences that require high quality video and audio. You can even provide immersive and realistic virtual reality experiences that showcase your products and services in a more compelling way.
3. More intuitive supply chain
If your business relies on supply chains, the real-time connectivity of 5G can improve logistics. Due to enhanced bandwidth, data rates, and capacity, logistics and communication among suppliers, distributors, retailers, and customers can be more efficient and reliable.
5G-enabled devices like cameras and sensors can provide critical real-time insights about shipping status, delivery times, and inventory. This allows you to make better decisions and optimize operations, saving both time and money.
In-vehicle telematics require a consistent internet connection to collect accurate data. When these devices work as intended, businesses have everything they need to make data-driven decisions, cut costs, and boost profits.
As 5G becomes more widely adopted, small businesses like yours will be able to provide a faster, safer and more convenient purchasing experience for customers.
4. Better productivity
By leveraging the speed and capacity of 5G networks, your employees can achieve better collaboration and faster turnaround on tasks. The ability to see web pages loading in real time, access files, conduct video conferences, make sales calls, and communicate with ease all add up to productivity that can help your business compete.
Many businesses have discovered that their teams can operate efficiently from home. From our Return to Work survey, we know that working from home is going to remain a widespread option for many. Whether employees work fully remote or work from home a few days out of the week, workplace flexibility is going to continue. Faster, more stable 5G connections means that your office and remote employees can work flexibly and stay productive.
5. It future-proofs your business
Technology evolves at a daunting pace, but with the integration of 5G technology, you can prepare your businesses for future advancements and potential market disruptions. 5G acts as a foundation for the Internet of Things (IoT) and other emerging technologies, opening a plethora of possibilities that transform business operations.
Adopting 5G now is an investment in the future of your business, allowing you to stay ahead of technological trends and changes. Furthermore, 5G’s capacity to support so many devices at once paves the way for efficient and effective IoT deployments.
This adaptability can transform various business functions – from enhancing the tracking of goods in a supply chain, to smarter energy usage in offices, to leveraging more detailed customer data collection for improved service delivery.
5G is expected to be a standard wireless technology for a decade or more. Integrating and getting full access to it now will help you take full advantage of rapidly evolving technologies built around it.
Industries that will be impacted by 5G
Let’s explore some of the industries that stand to gain the most from the 5G revolution:
The retail industry is poised to witness some of the most significant changes with the integration of 5G. From enabling high-speed, real-time inventory management to providing seamless omnichannel customer experiences, 5G will transform the way retailers operate. It can also enhance augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) applications, helping to create immersive shopping experiences that can significantly boost customer engagement and sales.
5G will be a boon for the manufacturing sector. Its high-speed, reliable connectivity will significantly enhance machine-to-machine communication, leading to greater automation and efficiency. Real-time data sharing and analysis will improve predictive maintenance, expedite supply chain management and quality control, and lead to increased productivity and lower operational costs.
In the healthcare industry, 5G has the potential to revolutionize remote patient monitoring and telemedicine services, which have become increasingly important in recent years. High-speed, low-latency 5G networks can support real-time video consultations, robotic remote surgeries, and the instant transmission of large medical files, like MRIs, enhancing patient care and potentially saving lives.
Logistics and transportation
5G can significantly optimize operations for businesses in the logistics and transportation industry. With enhanced connectivity and real-time data transmission, businesses can better track goods, manage fleets, and streamline supply chains. Autonomous vehicles and drones, which rely on rapid data exchange, could also become more widespread, transforming delivery services and transportation.
In the hospitality industry, 5G can help deliver superior customer experiences. From enabling smart rooms that tailor their environment based on guest preferences to providing high-speed, reliable WiFi, 5G can boost customer satisfaction and loyalty. It can also streamline operations, from online booking systems to real-time availability management.
Even industries like agriculture stand to benefit from 5G. Small farms can leverage 5G connectivity to implement smart farming techniques, such as precision agriculture and automated irrigation systems. This can increase crop yields, reduce water usage, and create more sustainable farming practices.
The ability to collect more data, more quickly, and put it to work for your business and your customers is one of many benefits of 5G for businesses. From remote production management, and inventory monitoring to mobile payments and product delivery, reliable access to 5G-powered technology will help your small business operate more profitably.
Ultimately, digital transformation is essential to growth and weathering future market disruptions. 5G enables that transformation. By embracing 5G, your businesses can stay ahead of the curve and remain relevant in a constantly evolving landscape.
5G cell phone signal boosters for small businesses
As the world becomes even more reliant on wireless connectivity, weBoost for Business will continue to design products specifically for you. Our business-focused cell phone boosters enhance weak signal for every cellular-connected device on any carrier. With faster, more reliable access to 5G, you’ll be able to take advantage of all it has to offer.
5G isn’t merely a concept on the horizon; it’s a reality unfolding right now. This technology will fuel innovation, boost productivity, make industries smarter, and transform the way you do business. It’s time to enhance 5G connectivity in your small business. Explore the weBoost for Business suite of business solutions to find the one that’s right for you. We’re here to answer your questions and help you find the right fit.
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Researchers of the Vienna University of Technology (TU Vienna) have reached a new prototype which become the smallest 3d printer that is very precise and that make easy to use instead of the huge 3d printers that are available now.
With the recent release of the Trimensional app, people can now use their iPhones as inexpensive 3D scanners. Not only can users take three-dimensional images of objects, but they can use those images to create actual physical models … as long as they have access to a 3D printer. Currently, such printers tend to be large, expensive devices that are usually only found in places like universities or industrial design companies.
The new prototype 3D printer, which is no bigger than the size of a milk carton, can make objects with a great deal of precision thanks to the printer’s high resolution. This is attributed to the light emitting diodes (LEDs) used by the printer which are a twentieth of a millimeter thick.