text:
MARKETS CLOSE: London shares post gains in busy session for earnings; pound at $1.30 and oil nudges $50
In the world of central banking, the Federal Reserve is expected to leave policy unchanged this week but could signal a further rate hike at its next meeting in September despite signs of a slowdown in the US as well as softer inflation.
Brent crude is at $49.89 a barrel after the conclusion of yesterday’s OPEC and non-OPEC producers’ meeting, at which leaders Saudi Arabia and Russia promised harsher penalties for non-compliance with production cuts.
FTSE 100 has ticked 30 points higher this morning, surging back across the 7,400 mark
The FTSE 100 closed up 57.09 points at 7434.82, thanks to a rebound in oil and metals prices which propped up major commodity stocks.
Antofagasta was up 66p at 951p, Anglo American was ahead 67p at 1,171.5p and Glencore was 118p higher at 330.65p, on the back of higher copper and iron ore prices.
Meanwhile, Brent crude prices rose 2.7 per cent to $49.97 a barrel, pushing up shares in UK oil giants including BP which rose 6.7p to 446.45p and Royal Dutch Shell's "B" shares which climbed 28.5p to 2,093.5p.
Investors were celebrating news that Saudi Arabia, one of the world's biggest oil producers, was renewing commitments to slash output in hopes of tackling the global crude glut.
Across Europe, the French Cac and German Dax rose 0.65 per cent and 0.45 per cent, respectively.
Currency market moves were relatively subdued, with sterling trading just 0.1 per cent higher against the US dollar at $1.303. Versus the euro, the pound was flat at €1.118.
Virgin Money plunged 26.9p to 279.6p after the bank sounded a note of caution on the UK housing market, saying it may have to navigate "areas of weakness" in the near term.
Jimmy Choo soared 33.25p to 228.25p following news that the luxury shoe brand is to be acquired by US fashion brand Michael Kors in an £896 million deal.
Domino's Pizza Group fell 15.5p to 263.7p after the company revealed marked decline in like-for-like half-year sales, which grew only 2.4 per cent compared with 13 per cent a year earlier. Domino's said this came amid a 'softer consumer environment and a slowdown in the overall delivery market'.
Shares in Provident Financial tumbled 134p to 2,163p after it revealed that pre-tax profits dropped by 22.6 per cent o £115.3million in the six months to the end of June, after suffering disruption while shifting its home credit business to a new model.
Fuller Smith & Turner shares jumped 60p to 1,093p, having reported that summer weather helped boost sales across the business over the last four months.
The biggest risers on the FTSE 100 were Antofagasta up 66p at 951p, Anglo American up 67p at 1,171.5p, Glencore up 18p to 330.65p, and Rio Tinto up 151p to 3,475p.
The biggest fallers on the FTSE 100 were Provident Financial down 134p to 2,163p, British American Tobacco down 130p to 5,283p, Morrison Supermarkets down 5.4p to 241.2p, and WPP down 32p at 1,561p.
Joshua Mahony, market analyst at IG, said: 'US markets are leading the way this afternoon, with the S&P 500 hitting a new record high amid yet another batch of earnings outperformance from the likes of McDonald’s and Caterpillar.
'It is becoming a running theme of this earnings season that we are seeing figures substantially beat market estimates. Whether that is associated with the impact of a weak dollar or simply a low bar being set by analysts remains to be seen.
'This morning’s FTSE rally seems to have hit the buffers somewhat, with the index slowing its ascent into the close. Interestingly we have seen the FTSE and pound move in tandem today, with morning gains giving way to consolidation.
'Despite Donald Trump’s tweet promising the development of a massive US-UK post-Brexit trade deal, both the pound and FTSE seem to have topped off at that very moment.'
David Madden, market analyst at CMC Markets, said: 'The FTSE 100 lagged behind the eurozone equity markets yesterday, but today the London market has bounced back more, and has outperformed its Continental counterparts. Bargain hunting, along with a steady pound helped the British market.
'The bullish move in copper and iron ore prices has driven up the share prices of Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, Glencore, and Anglo American.
'BP and Royal Dutch Shell are in positive territory as the energy market is stronger as Saudi Arabia stated it would cut its oil exports in August.
'The commodity stocks are very sensitive to the underlying metals and energies, and the FTSE 100 has a disproportionally large amount of natural resource companies when compared with other European indices.'
Greece sold debt to private investors for the first time in three years, a significant step toward gaining financial independence and exiting its third international bailout next year.
The deal comes a month after euro zone finance ministers signed off on a new loan and sketched out measures to chip away at Greece's debt mountain after the current bailout finishes in August 2018.
Athens says the sale of a new five-year bond is a test run to ensure Greece can rely on market funding next year. A tender of old bonds run alongside the sale will help lower its repayments in the years following its bailout exit.
The deal did not attract as much demand as the country's brief foray into markets in 2014, but Athens looked to have paid less to borrow the same amount.
'The return of Greece to the capital markets was and is the goal of the ongoing adjustment program. We therefore welcome the fact that Greece has the chance to return to the market on a step-by-step basis,' a spokeswoman for the finance ministry in Germany, Europe's biggest economy, said.
Athens lost market access shortly after it sold bonds in 2014 because its newly-elected leftist government quarrelled with creditors over debt relief.
Some investors may have been put off by that experience, analysts said, especially as there are still lingering concerns around Greece's debt mountain which stands at 180 per cent of economic output.
'Given Greece's fundamentals, the problem with this bond sale is that it fuels speculation about investor willingness to lend to an almost insolvent country,' said ABN AMRO senior fixed income analyst Kim Liu.
'Regardless of the success of the deal, debt-to-GDP levels of Greece will still be at high levels.'
But Europe's economics commissioner, Pierre Moscovici, said he was confident Greece was 'turning a page' from its economic crisis.
The bond sale is also emblematic of the recovery of the euro zone as a whole, coming some five years after European Central Bank President Mario Draghi brought the bloc back from the brink of splintering with a pledge to do 'whatever it takes'.
Analysts said some investors may be put off Greek government bonds because they have the lowest credit rating in the euro zone and are not being eligible for purchase by the European Central Bank under its quantitative easing scheme.
Hard to know why, other than being on summer tour in the US and of course being the greatest team the world has ever seen.
There have also been viscous rumours in recent weeks that Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg could be preparing a £1billion takeover bid for the club.
Still, Spurs haven't brought much luck to the Nasdaq which is the only US equity market down this session.
Follow Daniel Levy, chairman at Tottenham Hotspur and Ledley King, Tottenham amabassador, talking on Facebook live here.
The FTSE 100 maintained its rebound, regaining almost all of Monday’s losses with a 90 point rise.
The commodity sector was the main driver of the FTSE’s comeback, with brent Crude and copper - up 1.9 per cent and 2.9 per cent respectively - leading the oil and mining stocks higher.
But the UK index will face a tougher test tomorrow. It will have to deal with a potential perky pound, in light of the dollar’s pre-Fed jitters, and another busy morning for corporate earnings - one that includes updates from Antofagasta, GlaxoSmithKline and ITV.
Google parent Alphabet reported a quarterly profit of $3.5billion last night, in a sharp decline from a year ago, with a massive fine by the European Commission biting into earnings.
The technology giant reported that revenue grew to $26billion in the recently ended quarter, and that profit would have tallied nearly $6.3billion if it weren't for a $2.74billion antitrust fine levied on search engine Google by the European Commission.
The earnings for the quarter fell 28 per cent from the same period last year.
The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 6 points to 2,476. The Dow Jones added 117 points to 21,626 and the Nasdaq composite gave up 10 points to 6,400.
The Federal Reserve's policymaking committee begins a two-day meeting, following its decision last month to raise short-term interest rates for the third time since December.
The central bank also announced plans to start gradually paring its bond holdings later this year, a move that could cause rates to rise.
Most investors expect the Fed to hold rates steady at this week's meeting and possibly raise them one more time this year.
E-commerce giant Amazon could soon be entering the multi-billion dollar US pharmacy market.
There is speculation that such a move could see the online retailer selling prescription medicines direct to consumers.
CNBC reported in May that Amazon was hiring a team of staff to prepare to move into the sector.
The report suggests the company could take as much as $50billion in prescription sales.
Now it has reportedly hired top health technology executive Missy Krasner.
Her new official title is currently unknown, but there are rumours she may be appointed to work for its cloud division, Amazon Web Services.
The subsidiary's clients include major health names like Bristol-Myers Squibb and healthcare software company Orion Health, according to the business news website.
Amazon has also been selling medical supplies online in the States for some time.
1996 - Founded by couture shoe designer Jimmy Choo and Vogue accessories editor Tamara Mellon
2001 - J Choo leaves company and sells his 50 per cent share in the Jimmy Choo company to Equinox Luxury Holdings
2004 - Lion Capital acquires a majority shareholding
2007 - TowerBrook Capital Partners purchases company for £225million
2011 - Sale to Labelux (parent company, JAB Holding Company) for £525.5million
2014 - IPO announced
April 2017 - puts itself up for sale
July 2017 - Sale to Michael Kors for £896million, shares rocket by 17 per cent.
According to Investec the UK economy looks set to have recorded only a marginal strengthening in the pace of GDP growth in quarter two.
One question is over the extent and duration of the squeeze on consumer spending, given inflation continues to outstrip pay growth which could continue to weigh on the growth pace.
On monetary policy, some of the heat has come out of recent rate hike momentum with enough key players on the MPC seemingly not ready to vote for a tightening.
Political uncertainty has remained a key theme, with talk of an autumn leadership challenge to PM Theresa May resurfacing.
Yesterday Tanzania issued a notice demanding $190billion in unpaid taxes, penalties and interest from Acacia Mining, the gold mining company.
Acacia Mining does not believe it owes the money.
'Acacia refutes each set of findings and re-iterates that it has fully declared all revenues,' the company said.
Acacia is caught up in sweeping changes to Tanzania's mining industry spearheaded by President John Magufuli who believes the country is not getting its fair share of profits from the sector.
Acacia shares are down 8 per cent, or 15.6p, at 168.9p.
Following two rounds of audits of Acacia, government-appointed committees found the company had understated how much gold it was shipping and that it was operating illegally in the east African country.
Britain's biggest pizza delivery firm, reported much lower like-for-like sales growth in the first half of the year.
Shares in Domino's were down nearly 7 per cent in morning trading as investors digested the news.
In a bid to boost sales, the company announced that customers will be able to order a Domino's pizza via Amazon's voice-controlled Echo device.
The owner of The Guardian is charging ahead with a major efficiency drive after slashing more than 300 jobs in a 'painful though necessary' move last year.
Guardian Media Group - which owns the Guardian newspaper, The Observer, and the international Guardian Weekly - said it was pushing forward its three-year turnaround plan meant to boost revenue and lower the Guardian's cost base by 20 per cent.
The company said costs before exceptional items had already dropped £19million over the past financial year, falling from £278million to £259million in the 12 months to April 2, after cutting around 300 full-time staff.
'These moves, painful though necessary, enabled the group to reduce losses,' the group said in its full-year earnings release.
The company celebrated a 2 per cent rise in group revenues to £214.5million, helped by a 15 per cent jump in digital revenues to £94.1million, while losses were reduced by 35 per cent to £44.7million compared to £68.7million a year earlier.
The Guardian is now 'on track' to break even by the 2018/2019 financial year, helping GMG 'become financially sustainable.'
Pushing ahead with its cost cutting plan - which was launched at the start of 2016 - GMG last month revealed it would be downsizing the Guardian and its sister Sunday paper The Observer from their mid-size Berliner format to a tabloid from early 2018, resulting in the closure of its printing sites in Manchester and east London.
The printing will instead be outsourced to presses run by Trinity Mirror, owner of the Mirror, Sunday Mirror and People tabloid.
It is not clear whether further job cuts are slated for the next financial year.
Interim profits from the lender were strong but the bank's outlook statement warned of a lower than previously anticipated net interest margin, due to its decision to accelerate drawings from the term funding scheme.
Virgin generated total income of £327.2 million in the six months to 30 June, which was up 13 per cent on the same period last year and 10 per cent on the second half of last year.
Full story here.
There has been strong increases in the prices of mining stocks which has boosted the FTSE 100 after yesterday's sharp drop.
With the copper price hitting its highest level since February, Anglo American, BHP Billiton and Glencore all moved higher.
Elsewhere, Informa is the best performing blue-chip with a better than expected set of results with the stock rising just shy of 7 per cent.
Whilst the majority of stocks are joining in the move higher there remains some pockets of weakness with retailers and airlines continuing to find it tough going.
Marks and Spencer and Morrisons are notable fallers, whilst easyJet has slipped below yesterday’s low and is down by a little under 1 per cent.
Provident Financial has seen profits drop by more than a fifth after suffering disruption while shifting its home credit business to a new model.
Pre-tax profits dropped by 22.6 per cent to £115.3million in the six months to the end of June, with the firm booking a £40million hit as agent effectiveness dipped during the transition.
The subprime lender, which offers loans and finance to people with bad credit scores, saw annualised returns on assets slip to 12.8 per cent for the period, down from 14.2 per cent in 2016.
But the group enjoyed a brighter performance from its short-term loans division Satsuma, with credit card issuer Vanquis Bank and car finance provider Moneybarn also notching up 'record volumes of new business'.
Chief executive Peter Crook said the firm had seen no change in customer behaviour over credit performance or demand.
He said: 'Whilst I remain disappointed by the higher than expected operational disruption to trading in the home credit business, the new business model was deployed as planned during the first week in July.
'I am confident in the strategic rationale for the change and the business is working hard to improve customer service and collections performance ahead of the seasonally busy fourth quarter.'
Shares are down 2 per cent.
Missguided plans to sell sportswear labels on its site as it seeks to tap into the lucrative athleisure market.
The fast-fashion firm, which sells trendy clothing to teens and 20-somethings, has reportedly approached several leading brands including Adidas, Kappa and Ellesse.
It is not known whether they will be stocked in its two stores in Westfield Stratford City, London and Bluewater in Kent, or its various concessions.
Puma has recently accused the brand of copying a range of shoes it designed with singer Rihanna.
Missguided was founded by 34-year old Nitin Passi in 2009 with a £50,000 loan from his father.
Bank of England executive director of financial stability Alex Brazier has warned on the sharp rise in personal loans.
In a speech to the University of Liverpool's Institute for Risk and Uncertainty yesterday, Brazier, who is also a member of the BoE's Financial Policy Committee, highlighted recent developments in household debt, the dangers it poses to the wider economy and three 'lines of defence' put in place by regulators to guard against those dangers.
High levels of mortgage debt can make downturns deeper by causing consumers aggressively to cut back spending to service their mortgages, he argued, while high levels of consumer debt - like credit card debt and personal loans - can make banks more vulnerable to downturns as borrowers are much more likely to default.
Domino's Pizza has inked an agreement with Amazon Echo that will enable voice ordering for customers as it looks to boost slowing sales growth.
The delivery chain will launch what it called an 'industry first' with voice ordering through Amazon's Echo device as of today, as well as introducing GPS tracking for its pizzas.
Chief executive David Wild said: 'Domino's Pizza continues to lead the pizza market, with innovations such as the popular Lotta-Chocca pizza and our launch today of Amazon Echo voice ordering.
'Following a successful trial, we'll be rolling out GPS, which will enable customers to track their delivery and help franchisees with labour management.'
Shares in Domino's were down nearly 7 per cent after the firm posted some under cooked results.
Wayne Brown, analyst at Liberum, said: 'The half-year results are relatively as we had expected, with a declining like-for-like sales profile impacting underlying margins.
'Order count growth has lagged store opening growth and mature like-for-like sales has fallen behind a rise in average ticket growth, suggesting that volumes in mature stores are running at around minus 3 per cent.'
Luxury shoe brand Jimmy Choo is to be acquired by US fashion brand Michael Kors in an £896million deal.
London-listed Jimmy Choo put itself up for sale as part of a strategic review in April and Michael Kors said it is 'the ideal partner' for the firm.
The group said in a statement that it will support the growth of Jimmy Choo through 'retail store openings and further development of its online presence', adding that the shoe firm will operate under its existing management team, including chief executive Pierre Denis.
Under the terms of the deal, Jimmy Choo shareholders will receive 230p in cash for each share, a premium of 36.5 per cent on the firm's share price of 168.5p on April 21.
John Idol, chairman and chief executive of Michael Kors, said: 'We believe that Jimmy Choo is poised for meaningful growth in the future and we are committed to supporting the strong brand equity that Jimmy Choo has built over the last 20 years.'
In March, Jimmy Choo cheered record revenues and profits thanks to a boost from the Brexit-hit pound and strong sales across Asia.
The designer firm saw annual revenues climb 15 per cent to £364million in the year to the end of December, while earnings lifted 16 per cent to £59million over the period.
Jimmy Choo counts Jennifer Lopez, the Duchess of Cambridge and Beyonce among its fans.
The back end of the week brings one of the busiest corporate calendars of the year, with nearly a quarter of the FTSE reporting.
Drinks firm Fever-Tree has upgraded its profits forecast after revenues fizzed up in the first half of the year.
The firm said sales rose 77 per cent to £71.9million in the six months to June 30, while pre-tax profit jumped from £11.8million to £24million in the period.
Profits at Virgin Money jumped in the first half of the year, but the bank sounded a note of caution on the UK housing market.
The lender said pre-tax profits rose 32 per cent to £123.8million in the six months to June 30 with gross mortgage lending coming in at £4.3billion, taking its share of the market to 3.5 per cent.
The UK's biggest pizza delivery firm, Domino's Pizza Group, said half-year pretax profit rose 9 per cent as orders made online increased.
Provident Financial has seen first-half pretax profits dive by 22.6 per cent amid disruption caused by a cut in the number of debt collection agents at its home credit division.
Fuller, Smith and Turner said it had 'made a very good start to the year', with like for like sales in it managed pubs and hotels rising by 6.6 per cent during the period.
Business media group Informa said pre-tax profits rose to £148.8million from £98.9million as first-half revenue increased 41.3 per cent on strong trading in its global exhibitions division.
Alongside a fairly muted open from the pound, this has allowed the FTSE 100 to surge back across 7400.
Most watched Money videos
- Citroen unveil the My Ami Cargo, a dinky electric van
- New £2m electric Nevera: The fastest accelerating car in the world
- Rare 1960 crashed Jaguar sells at auction for £90,000
- Audi showcases electric A6 e-tron concept with 'cinematic' headlights
- Take a look at £3.3 million Bugatti Chiron Super Sport hypercar
- Ineos Grenadier 4X4 is tested for sturdiness on the toughest roads
- Will investors see a Roaring Twenties on the stock market?
- The all-new 7-seater SUV Kia Sorento with a panoramic sunroof
- Are unloved bank shares primed to bounce back?
- Highway England catch dangerous drivers using unmarked supercabs
- Europe's most powerful EV charging hub to be installed in Oxford
- Mercedes' new all-electric EQB is a seven-seater compact SUV
Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.


text:
Apple has revealed a new robot which can disassemble nine different iPhone models to recover valuable materials within the devices.
The company called the robot “Daisy” and says that traditional recyclers cannot perform the intricate functions that Daisy can.
The robot looks to be a follow-up to a similar machine the company revealed a couple of years ago – called “Liam”.
Liam could also recover the valuable materials inside Apple devices – some of which it could disassemble in a staggering 11 seconds.
Apple has unveiled Daisy ahead of Earth Day, an annual event marked around the world on April 22, started in 1970 by the UN, to raise awareness of global environmental issues.
Additionally, Apple says that for every device received at Apple stores and apple.com through the Apple GiveBack program from now through April 30, the company will make a donation to the non-profit Conservation International.
Apple says both Apple GiveBack and Daisy support the company’s commitment to create a healthier planet through innovation — and help the company move a step closer to its goal of making its products using only recycled or renewable materials.
Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives, says: “At Apple, we’re constantly working toward smart solutions to address climate change and conserve our planet’s precious resources.
“In recognition of Earth Day, we are making it as simple as possible for our customers to recycle devices and do something good for the planet through Apple GiveBack.
“We’re also thrilled to introduce Daisy to the world, as she represents what’s possible when innovation and conservation meet.”
Apple says its newest disassembly robot, Daisy, is the most efficient way to reclaim more of the valuable materials stored in iPhone.
Created through years of research and development, Daisy incorporates “revolutionary technology” based on Apple’s learnings from Liam, its first disassembly robot launched in 2016.
Daisy is made from some of Liam’s parts and is capable of disassembling nine versions of iPhone and sorting their high-quality components for recycling.
Daisy can take apart up to 200 iPhone devices per hour, removing and sorting components, so that Apple can recover materials that traditional recyclers can’t — and at a higher quality.
Technically, it is quite an achievement to build a robot that can take apart a smartphone and extract the valuable materials from inside it in less than 20 seconds.
What other applications such a machine could have is worth speculating about, but for now, that’s amazing enough.

domain: news


text:
Well, it’s time to eat my words.
The Summit Park Mall Sears, the one that I repeatedly lauded as the one to never close, is closing.
That’s right, the Summit Park Sears is slated to close.
With the Summit Park Bon-Ton closing with the rest of them, there are now zero remaining businesses in the Summit Park Mall.
Meanwhile, it seems that the stalled sportsplex project is now indefinitely off the table. Unconfirmed rumors (which I hate posting, but will anyway because somebody needs to say it) suggest that the underground electrical line behind the mall is too costly to move, and has crippled the project.
The brewery is still in a weird limbo. Equipment is apparently ordered, but there has been no construction on the site.
It seems as if the grand dreams of reviving the Summit Park Mall are, at least for now, staying dreams.


text:
E3 2017: First teaser for Beyond Good and Evil 2 shown by Ubisoft
Published by Jack Taylor June 13, 2017 10:35 UTC
After months and years of speculation, Ubisoft has revealed the first ever trailer for Beyond Good and Evil 2, which is officially in development.
Closing out Ubisoft's E3 presentation for 2017, the world premiere trailer of Beyond Good and Evil 2 - despite being only a CGI introduction - was met with acclaim and excitement as an emotional Michel Ancel took to the stage for formally confirm the project.
As a prequel to the first Beyond Good and Evil - which was released on Nintendo GameCube among other platforms - Beyond Good and Evil 2 takes place before the birth of BG&E protagonist Jade, and is set in a solar system called System 3.
Ubisoft has announced that a Space Monkey Program is being launched to enable fans and players become involved in the game's development, which is still in its earliest stages.
No platforms or launch window have been announced for the game.
Source: BGE2 website


text:
The unemployment rate remained at 3.7% in November as the US economy added 155,000 jobs, according to the Labor Department. Job growth in health care, transportation, warehousing and manufacturing has remained strong while the retail sector's job growth was less than expected ahead of the holiday season.
Each company's virtual assistant should be tailored toward customer needs and objectives as a valuable extension of its brand, writes Jane Price. Companies must understand their customers' preferred communications platform and use virtual assistants to provide "near-instantaneous customer experiences" there, Price writes.
Preventing holiday-season returns is all about ensuring that customers buy merchandise that's right for them in the first place, writes Daniel Kline. Draw on your expertise to make recommendations to customers who aren't sure what they want, even if that means reducing the value of a sale, he writes.
Steve Weber seized an opportunity to capitalize on his small-business and manufacturing experience by purchasing Michigan-based Performance Die Cutting and Finishing. Weber plans to spend time developing a sales force and helping the company expand into new industries.
A panel of experts from the Young Entrepreneur Council explains the obstacles you'll need to overcome in the early stages of a business. Common challenges include the need to take on new roles, establish credibility and hire the right people, they say.
Inspire Brands has wrapped up its acquisition of Sonic in a deal worth $2.3 billion, expanding Inspire's portfolio to include more than 8,300 restaurants. "We look forward to helping further drive innovation and long-term growth at Sonic and across our growing family of brands," said Inspire Brands CEO Paul Brown.
The new BurgerFi location in Kissimmee, Fla., will have self-service facial recognition kiosks. The kiosks will allow customers to pull up prior orders by allowing the machine to scan their faces.
Home care spending grew at a rate of 4.3% in 2017 while overall health care spending only increased by 3.9%, according to data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Medicare and Medicaid accounted for 76% of total home health spending, the data show.
Neighborly, which has awarded a total of more than $54,500 through its Women in the Trades Scholarship, recently announced its recipients for the spring semester. "Through this scholarship over the years, I have loved watching past recipients grow to be expert leaders in their respective fields," said Neighborly's Dina Dwyer-Owens, CFE.
New York City's scheduling law has led to monetary fines, lack of flexibility and other burdens for restaurant companies, said IFA's Jeff Hanscom, who discussed the association's decision to join other groups in suing over the rule. The primary factor in the litigation is that "New York state law preempts New York City from having acted in this space," he said.


text:
A part of the entire circulating supply of the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency Ethereum (ETH) is now held by centralized digital currency exchanges. Cryptocurrency analytics company CryptoRank Platform’s new shared on-chain data shows that an amount of 26.81 million in Ethereum is now held on cryptocurrency exchanges. On the other hand, the amount of Bitcoin (BTC) available on the Ethereum blockchain network has increased over recent times.
23.7 percent of ETH’s total supply held on exchanges
With 26.81 million in accounts, centralized cryptocurrency exchanges now hold approximately 23.7 percent of the total circulating supply of Ethereum. At the press time, the circulating supply of the second-ranked digital currency is standing at around 113,209,111 ETH.
The San Francisco-based cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase holds a major part of this amount. As per the on-chain data, an amount of 8.52 million ETH is held by the Coinbase exchange. The Hong-Kong based digital currency exchange Bitfinex holds 5.27 million Ethereum tokens. Only 2.95 million ETH is held by the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by market cap Binance. While on the other hand, Huobi and Kraken cryptocurrency exchanges have 3.26 million ETH and 2.43 million ETH in their wallets, respectively.
Over $2 billion worth of BTC present on Ethereum
The total number of Bitcoin (BTC) present on the Ethereum blockchain has risen high. As per the new data shared by Dune Analytics, more than $2 billion worth of Bitcoin (BTC) is now available on the world’s second-largest blockchain network. This means Ethereum holds a total of 150,049 Bitcoin (BTC) on its blockchain.
This figure is equal to 4.32 percent of the entire market capitalization of Ethereum. Back in the mid of September, there were only 80,000 Bitcoins held on the Ethereum blockchain. However, Bitcoins present on this blockchain are in the tokenized form of the leading digital currency. Some of the famous Bitcoin-backed tokens are Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) and renBTC (rBTC). They represent Bitcoin synthetically on the ETH blockchain. Out of the total amount of BTC held on Ethereum, Wrapped Bitcoin counts for 80 percent.


text:
The Oppo A16K came out in November of last year. The company is getting ready to release the Oppo A17K. The device has already been seen on the IMDA, TKDN, and BIS websites, and now the A17full K’s list of features has also been seen online. Follow For More Updates: newsyorbits on the official website or Google news
Mukul Sharma, a well-known tipster, has told everyone what the Oppo A17K looks like, how much it costs, and what colors it comes in. Sharma says that the price of the device in India will be around Rs 10,000. The source says the device will be available in two colors: gold and black.
When it comes to specs, the Oppo A17K will have a 6.56-inch screen with HD+ resolution and a waterdrop notch. 8.29mm is how thick it will be. For know more
The A17K will have a MediaTek Helio G35 chipset, 3GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage under the hood. Up to 4GB of virtual RAM will be able to be added to the device.
The device will have an 8MP main camera and a 5MP camera on the back for taking pictures. On the software side, the device will run on ColorOS 12, which is based on Android 12.
The device will also come with a 5,000mAh battery that can be charged quickly with 10W. The most interesting thing the source said about the device is that it will already have Dirac 3.0 on it.
For those who don’t know, Dirac is basically an app that calibrates earphones and headphones to make them sound better. Even though Oppo hasn’t said anything yet, the source says that the device will come out sometime in October.
Read More Related
- Tecno POP 6 Pro launched in India with 5000MAH Battery life, 6.56-inch display & Android 12
- Noise Buds VS204 TWS launched in India with 50 hours of playback, Price, and Specs
- EVGA is leaving the GPU market and breaking up its relationship with NVIDIA.
- Wings Phantom 210 neckband earphones launched in India with LED lights, 40 hours of playtime
- Lenovo Legion 5 Pro gaming laptop is now available on Walmart for $1,299. AMD Ryzen 7, Nvidia RTX 3070,


text:
Don't-Miss Software Stories
Whether in text or a table, learn how to repair those bizarre sorting results that just don’t make sense.
The company has been on a bug-killing mission with the latest version of the language.
The Core Infrastructure Initiative will have a list ready within a few months
This young company just took in a fresh $12 million in new funding.
France aims at net companies with draft law ... Internet of Things threatens privacy ... Apple Watch to ship in April... and more
Featuring Hadoop support, the rapid-deployment service targets enterprise users with streaming and unstructured data
Like the recent IBM-Apple deal, this union could bring benefits to both companies as they target enterprise mobile users.
Coinbase to open regulated Bitcoin exchange ... Malaysia Airlines hacked ... Wikileaks says Google passed data to U.S. ... and more news
Ford drives into the Valley ... Oracle promises cheaper hardware ... Samsung-Blackberry deal still in play ... and more
Big day for Windows 10 ... Ellison's on stage for data center unveiling ... Net neutrality gets more presidential firepower ... and more
State of the Union address will be heavy on tech ... Will IBM's earnings disappoint, again? ... Twitter picks up ZipDial's call ... and more
Microsoft is all about Windows 10 this week ... the NSA was lurking in NK networks ... Alibaba starts with partners in US ... and more
E-filing federal tax returns is free for people whose needs are simple. Get all the details here--and easy access to a variety of free tax software from top providers.


text:
Following the release of Nintendo’s 2016 earnings report and touting the success of Super Mario Run, the Japanese gaming giant has revealed that it has solidified plans to release two to three mobile games per year.
So far in terms of the mobile platform, Nintendo has released Miitomo, a social network app, Super Mario Run, a mobile take on the Mario franchise, and Fire Emblem Heroes, a free-to-play mobile title for Android and iOS that’s set to launch on February 2nd. The company also recently delayed the mobile version of an entry in its Animal Crossing franchise to the next fiscal year.
Nintendo has yet to officially announce any other mobile titles, but if it plans to stick to the goal of releasing three mobile games a year, two more games should launch on mobile device before the end of 2017.
The Switch, the company’s next video game console, is also set to launch on March 3rd.


text:
Monday, October 3, 2011
Starbuck's Stimulus Package
Starbucks has teamed up with Opportunity Finance Network and announced their "Jobs for USA" program. The program will kick off on November 1. All Starbucks locations will collect $5 donations to distribute through the OFN to 180 financial institutions. Those 180 financial institutions supply loans from"charter schools to grocery stores nationwide." In the 27 years of existence the Network has collected over $23 billion and created over 300,000 jobs CEO Howard Schultz has stated that "This is about using Starbuck's scale for good." Starbucks Corp. hopes to have a $5 donation for every person who cannot afford to donate $5.


text:
Chipotle announced on Wednesday that it is spicing up the 2021 NBA Finals by hiding up to $1 million USD (or more, depending on whether the Bucks and the Suns face off further than Game 4) of free burritos in its television advertisements.
During Tuesday night’s Game 1, the fast-casual Mexican grill hid a unique keyword at the end of its ad that unlocked 10,000 free burritos — a complete surprise to basketball fans who were given no heads up to Chipotle’s cryptic offering.
“Did you all see that?” the brand tweeted alongside a basketball emoji, following the commercial’s debut.
Did you all see that? ?
— Chipotle (@ChipotleTweets) July 7, 2021
As the series continues, Chipotle will continue to offer varying prizes during each game that will be hidden in the end card of its commercial.
Now that the secret is out, Chipotle expects codes to expire fast — so in order to redeem a free meal, fans must have their phones ready to text the keyword to 888-222 as quick as possible.
“The final games of the basketball season are arguably some of the most entertaining moments of the year,” Chris Brandt, Chipotle’s Chief Marketing Officer, said in a statement. “Along with the high-profile player matchups, off-court storylines, and fan interactions, our hidden code giveaway creates another ‘game within the game’ and elevates the viewing experience for our fans during breaks in the action.”
Elsewhere in basketball, Kevin Durant has responded to Steve Kerr’s issue with his Twitter usage.


text:
Governor Chris Christie blamed the New Jersey legislature for a law that bars Tesla Motors Inc. from selling its cars directly to consumers.
New Jersey’s eight-member Motor Vehicle Commission, which consists of members of Christie’s cabinet and other gubernatorial appointees, voted unanimously March 11 to block Tesla from direct sales.
Christie, a Republican, said he’s not pushing Tesla out. “The state legislature did” with its law that prohibits the business model Tesla was using, the governor said at a town-hall meeting in South River today.
“Tesla was operating outside the law,” he said. “I have no problem with Tesla selling directly to customers except it’s against the law in New Jersey.”
Tesla should deal with the legislature, the governor said.


text: Bernd Marienfeldt and Jim Herbeck discovered the vulnerability, that can access your iPhone data, even when your phone is in a locked and un-jailbroken state. PIN codes to protect users from accessing your phone won’t stop the vulnerability. Vulnerability can even work on an iPhone 3GS running firmware 3.1.3. This vulnerability can’t be spread like iPhone iRickRoll’d worm, which changed users backgrounds on their jailbroken iPhones, running SSH and who haven’t changed their default password. This new vulnerability appears ony when the phone is tethered to a computer running Ubuntu Lucid Lynx, so any person wanting your data will need to get a hold of your iPhone first.


text:
(Buena Park, CA) – Thousands of Ford enthusiasts gathered to attend the 26th annual Fabulous Fords Forever show held Sunday at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park. The event had a huge turn out with well over one thousand cars and trucks on display from all over the western United States and even folks from Canada made it down.
The event itself was sponsored by Ford Motor Company and Ford Car Clubs, Western Region. Some of the featured Mustang booths included SMS Supercars with Steve Saleen in attendance, Roush Performance and Saleen.
It was a great show and I want to thank the many hardworking people that put on such a great event year after year!


text:
During a special “Direct to Switch” event streamed online, Developer/Publisher tinyBuild let loose information on its planned Switch releases.
The indie company, well known for its presence at industry and fan events, has announced that it will be porting several of its most popular games over to Nintendo’s newest console.
The Final Station, set in a future where the only travel is by train, arrives in February (this month) with its noir 2D adventure. It’s $14.99 MSRP will also include the Final Traitor DLC.
Arriving in March for $14.99 is Clustertruck, the first person truck-hopping action game that aims to keep us on the roofs of vehicles as long as possible.
Punch Club is a brawling/fighting game where training is a big part of the experience. For $14.99, players will get the game and its Dark Fist DLC in May.
The company’s murderous Party Hard, in which players need to stop hard partying in any way possible, arrives in the Summer for $14.99.
Streets of Rogue is an overhead sneaking, killing, action game across procedurally generated levels that will arrive later this year for $14.99.
Finally, the company’s hit game Hello Neighbor is making its way to the console this year and bringing its bizarre sense of horror and comedy (and privacy invasion) both digitally and at retail for $39.99.
With the Switch becoming the de facto home for indie titles in the modern era, it’s certainly a welcome site to see one of the bigger indie publishers supporting it now.


text:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on April 26 authorized four NJOY products through the premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) pathway. The FDA issued marketing granted orders to NJOY for its Ace closed e-cigarette device and three accompanying tobacco-flavored e-liquid pods—NJOY Ace Pod Classic Tobacco 2.4 percent, NJOY Ace Pod Classic Tobacco 5 percent and NJOY Ace Pod Rich Tobacco 5 percent.
The decision is significant because, unlike previous marketing orders—the FDA earlier authorized varieties of BAT’s Vuse Solo brand and Japan Tobacco International’s Logic e-cigarette—this one covers a product with a decent market share. While Vuse overall is a bestseller, the variety that received marketing approval in October 2021 is based on outdated technology and used by only a few people.
According to Nielsen and analyst reports, which measure financial data typically from convenience stores (and not vape shops), NJOY is the third-largest vape manufacturer in the United States, holding a little more than 3 percent of the market.
The most recent authorization is also the first for a brand not owned by a major tobacco firm.
“Looking at the situation with rose-colored glasses, an independent pioneer like NJOY getting two nicotine vaping products through the convoluted FDA authorization process is something to celebrate,” Greg Conley, the president of the American Vaping Association, told Filter. “Unlike the only two other companies with authorizations, NJOY could not subsidize their applications with cigarette sales, so they were at a disadvantage from the start.”
While authorizing NJOY Ace tobacco-flavored pods, the FDA rejected other Ace e-cigarette products. Applications for two menthol-flavored Ace e-liquid pods remain under FDA review.
No flavored product has yet received FDA authorization, even though tobacco harm reduction advocates insist flavors are necessary to lure smokers away from combustible cigarettes. “The FDA’s current policy of denying all flavors and deferring action on menthol applications is evidence of just how broken the agency is,” Conley told Filter. “The FDA still has not accepted that millions of adult vapers will not be switching to tobacco flavors anytime in the future.”
Under the PMTA pathway, the applicant must demonstrate to the FDA that marketing of the new tobacco product would be appropriate for the protection of the public health, the FDA explained in a statement. According to the agency, the authorized NJOY products were found to meet this standard because chemical testing was sufficient to determine that overall harmful and potentially harmful constituent (HPHC) levels in the aerosol of these products is lower than in combusted cigarette smoke.
“Further, data provided by the applicant demonstrated that participants who had used only the authorized NJOY Ace products had lower levels of exposure to HPHCs compared to the dual users of the new products and combusted cigarettes,” the FDA wrote. “Therefore, these products have the potential to benefit adult smokers who switch completely or significantly reduce their cigarette consumption.”


text:
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- A significant number of customers appear to be buying Apple Inc.'s popular iPhone with the intention of "unlocking" the device to use on a range of wireless networks.
Several Wall Street analysts raised questions Monday about the number of devices that have been modified to work with other wireless networks and what impact those modifications could have on Apple's
The questions stem from the companies' earnings reports last week. Apple claimed it had sold 3.7 million by the end of 2007, while AT&T said it had signed up nearly 2 million iPhone subscribers by year-end.
Those numbers leave approximately 1.7 million devices missing in action. Some of these were sold in Europe, though analysts believe that number falls somewhere between 300,000 and 400,000. And some of the devices may have been sold but not yet activated for telecommunications.
But analysts believe more than 1 million devices may have been sold and unlocked, accounting for as much as one-quarter of the company's total iPhone sales to date -- a number one analyst called "astounding."
The issue of unlocked iPhone units becomes more interesting because it brings up issues such as customer loyalty to a wireless carrier and how much impact would be felt at Apple in the coming years.
“'We're new in the business.'”
Toni Sacconaghi of Bernstein Research said in a report Monday that unlocking could help Apple reach its goal of selling 10 million units this year. However, he added that unlocked phones hurt the performance of the company's iPhone business, since they generate no recurring carrier payments.
For every 1 million iPhone units unlocked, Apple forgoes $300 million to $400 million in future revenue and profit, Sacconaghi wrote in his report.
Unlocking an iPhone isn't easy. The device comes with just two buttons, one to turn it on and another on the iPhone face that activates the device's screen. To unlock the iPhone, a user needs to break the device open, being careful to avoid inflicting permanent damage, and make changes to both the hardware inside the casing and the software to override the links to AT&T's network.
Keith Bachman of BMO Capital Markets said in a report Monday that he was "concerned" about the high number of iPhone devices that have been unlocked. He believes that number to be about 20%, he said, or approximately 750,000 of all the iPhone units sold through December. Bachman had earlier estimated that Apple would take in about $34 a quarter in average revenue per customer [ARPU] based on all of the phones being locked into the AT&T network.
"We believe that Apple will be able to lower the amount of unlocked phones by increasing the availability of phones to many more geographies, and by lowering the price differences between markets," he wrote.
With only an estimated 80% of iPhone sales generating that future revenue from customers, Bachman lowered his 2008 estimates for Apple to $4.90 a share on $31.54 billion in sales from a previous forecast of $4.97 a share on revenue of $31.7 billion. Bachman also cut his fiscal 2009 estimates to earnings of $6.28 a share on $37.47 billion in sales from $6.34 a share on revenue of $37.8 billion.
Not all Apple observers are taking the rate of unlocked iPhone units as a bad sign. Mike Abramsky of RBC Capital Markets, who predicted that 25% to 30% of the devices sold to date have gone unlocked, said that unlocked phones, "though a headache for carriers, are financially positive for Apple, and in our view bode well for global iPhone demand, and for Apple exceeding its 10 million, 18-month target," Abramsky wrote in a report Monday.
An Apple spokeswoman refused to comment on the issue of unlocked phones. However, Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook discussed the matter briefly on a conference call last week about Apple's earnings.
Cook said the company believes the number of Apple phones that were bought with the intention of being unlocked "was significant in the quarter, but we're unsure how to reliably estimate the number."
Cook also referred to Apple's relative lack of seasoning in the mobile-phone market, saying, "We're new in the business. We're unsure of when all the recipients will activate."


text:
Chalk this round up to Microsoft. Yesterday, an appeals court ruled that Microsoft didn’t have to pay $1.5 billion for patent infringement after all.
Companies in the News: Microsoft, Wayport, Suresite, Cellpoint Mobile, Aperto Networks
Nokia is making a bigger play for the mobile worker with upgraded software allowing companies with Microsoft Exchange to easily use Nokia handsets for e-mail.
Telecom equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent has asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to reinstate the $1.52 billion patent verdict against Microsoft.
Mobile enterprise users will soon have smartphone access to Microsoft’s customer relationship management (CRM) software.
Companies in today’s briefs include: Motorola, Nectar Accessories, Accenture, Otterbox, Tektronix Communications, Aktino, Mark/Space, Microsoft, Apple, Ericsson, HP, AT&T, Teledex
Microsoft today said it will acquire mobile backup specialist MobiComp for an undisclosed amount.
In a letter to its mobile development partners, Andy Lees, senior vice president of Microsoft’s Mobile Communications Business touted the software giant’s success in the mobile realm.
Motorola announced plans to set up its first WiMAX interoperability testing center in Taiwan.
Microsoft has launched a new version of its Windows Embedded operating system that is used in thin-client laptops, kiosks, point of service devices
Microsoft and Yahoo! returning to merger talks, reports are now saying that the talks focus on Microsoft buying Yahoo!’s search business.
It has been two weeks since Microsoft withdrew its $47.5 billion offer to buy Yahoo! after not being able to reach an amicable deal.
Microsoft and Research In Motion (RIM) announced an agreement to integrate Microsoft Windows Live services into the BlackBerry platform.
Over the weekend, Microsoft withdrew its bid to acquire Yahoo!
Companies in today’s briefs include: Microsoft, Mobile Commerce, AAC Acoustic Technologies, Nokia, Motorola, Sagem Communication, QuickLogic, Bitwave Semiconductor
In more BlackBerry news, Microsoft subsidiary Tellme has launched an application for smartphones that lets users speak a query into their handsets
Microsoft completed its acquisition of Danger, the company announced today.
Microsoft has announced imminent plans to introduce its Silverlight runtime to the estimated 150 million devices running Nokia’s S60 on Symbian OS
Yahoo!’s latest gamble to block Microsoft’s takeover by setting up a business relationship with Google has legal experts shaking their heads.
Andy Lees knew the ubiquity of mobile phones but when he took over recently as the senior vice president in charge
Companies in today’s briefs include: HTC, Best Buy, AOL, Research In Motion, Microsoft, Zumobi, NextWave Wireless, WiChorus
In more from AT&T, the carrier announced plans to install Microsoft’s giant touch-screen computers, called Surface, inside its retail outlets “giving customers the ability to explore their mobile worlds using touch and device-recognition technology.”
According to reports, Microsoft and Yahoo! officials met this weekend to discuss the possible merger; this is the first official meeting for the companies since Yahoo! rejected the software giant’s $44.6 billion takeover bid.
Anti-virus vendor McAfee issued a warning on the company’s blog that a new Windows Mobile trojan has been detected in China.


text:
Connect with top gaming leaders in Los Angeles at GamesBeat Summit 2023 this May 22-23. Register here.
If you’re blind, the world of PDFs and laser printers doesn’t do much for you. There are software programs and special printers that transcribe text into Braille, but they’ve traditionally been expensive.
Now, though, a Silicon Valley startup led by a 13-year-old founder has come up with a technology for quickly transcoding uploaded text into Braille at no cost.
Shubham Banerjee, the teen founder of Braigo Labs, will unveil his new system during an address in Sao Paulo, Brazil today. The technology involves uploading a standard-text document from a computer into the memory of the Intel Edison chip that’s the brains of the Braigo Braille printer.
In a video showing the technology in action, Banerjee demonstrated that it’s possible to transcode 160 pages of text into Braille in about 30 seconds. Banerjee told VentureBeat that transcoding software like this has traditionally cost hundreds of dollars, but Braigo Labs has built it in, at no additional cost, to its printer.
The printer itself was also designed to radically change the economics of printing Braille. Braigo charges less than $500 for the hardware. In the past, Braille printers have sold for more than $2,000. Intel Capital thought enough of Braigo’s technology that it invested in the startup, despite the young age of its founder, last fall.
Braigo plans to start selling its printer later this year. The new on-chip transcoding technology will come standard.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact. Discover our Briefings.


text:
FORD F-SERIES CELEBRATES 25TH YEAR IN A ROW AS AMERICA’S BEST-SELLING TRUCK WITH RECORD SALES OF 911,597
Ford Motor Company’s December 2001 U.S. Sales Rise 2.0 %
Compared With Year Ago
DEARBORN, MI, January 3, 2002 – For the
25th year in a row, the Ford F-Series is the best-selling truck in
America. U.S. customers purchased or leased 911,597 Ford F-Series
trucks in 2001, establishing a new industry truck sales record. The
F-Series also is the best-selling vehicle in America having more
than doubled the sales of the best selling passenger car. F-Series
has been the best -selling vehicle in America for 20 years in a
“This is an unprecedented milestone in the automotive
industry – maybe any industry,” said Jim O’Connor, President, Ford
Division. “F-Series is the foundation of the Ford franchise.
Celebrating its silver anniversary of truck sales leadership is a
testament to our Built Ford Tough truck heritage.”
U.S. customers purchased or leased 281,158 cars and trucks from
Ford, Mercury, Lincoln, Jaguar, Volvo, and Land Rover dealers in
December 2001, up 2.0 percent compared with a year ago. Car sales
were down 19.7 percent, while truck sales were up 14.9 percent.
For the full year, the company’s 2001 sales totaled 3,971,364,
down 5.5 percent compared with 2000, which was the highest sales
year in the company’s 99-year history. Full year car sales declined
11.4 percent and truck sales declined 1.6 percent.
December Sales Highlights
Ford dealers reported December
sales of 233,938, up 3.4 percent compared with a year ago. Car
sales were down 22.1 percent, while truck sales were up 13.7
percent. The truck sales increase was led by F-Series’ record
December sales of 84,278 and higher sales of Ford’s No Boundaries
sport utility vehicles (Escape, Explorer, Expedition, and
Excursion). December sales of Ford’s industry-leading lineup of
SUVs totaled 59,608, up 10.6 percent compared with a year ago.
Lower Ford sales to fleet customers in December adversely affected
the year-to-year car and truck sales comparisons.
Mercury dealers reported December sales of 26,719, down 21 percent
compared with a year ago. Car sales were down 31.8 percent, while
truck sales increased 20.9 percent. Sales of the all-new Mercury
Mountaineer almost doubled compared with last year’s launch-affected
results. Retail and fleet sales declined at Lincoln Mercury.
Jaguar and Land Rover dealers reported their highest sales for
any month in history. Jaguar dealers delivered 5,546 cars in
December, up 31.0 percent compared with a year ago. The all-new,
all-wheel drive Jaguar X-TYPE sedan paced the record-setting
results. Land Rover dealers delivered 4,034 sport utility vehicles
in December, up 51.2 percent. In its first full month on sale, the
all-new Land Rover Freelander accounted for almost 30% of Land
Rover’s total sales.
Volvo dealers reported December sales
of 10,921, up 24.4 percent compared with a year ago. The increase
reflected higher sales of the S60 sedan (which now offers an
all-wheel drive model) and the V70 XC sport wagon.
Year 2001 Sales Highlights
Ford dealers reported new car and
truck sales of 3.3 million in 2001, making Ford the best-selling
brand of cars and trucks in America for the 15th year in a row. It
was the eighth year in a row that Ford dealers delivered at least
3.2 million car and trucks to U.S. customers. Sales highlights for
Ford products included:
- F-Series – Set all-time industry
truck sales record of 911,597 breaking the previous record (876,716)
set by F-Series last year.
- Ford’s No Boundaries sport utility
vehicles were the best-selling brand of SUVs in America for the
fifth year in a row and set an industry sales record 792,860.
- Explorer – America’s best-selling sport utility vehicle for the
11th year in a row with sales of 415,921.
- Escape – America’s
best-selling small sport utility vehicle in its first full year with
sales of 164,184.
- The Ford Ranger compact pickup, the Ford
Mustang small specialty car, and the Ford Econoline full-size van
also were the best-selling products in their segments.
- The Ford
Taurus and the Ford Focus were among the top selling passenger cars
Two of the brands (Jaguar and Volvo) in the
Premier Automotive Group set all-time sales records in 2001. Jaguar
sales totaled 44,532 breaking the previous record (43,728) set in
2000. Volvo sales totaled 125,710 breaking the previous record
(123,178) set last year. It was the third straight year of record
U.S. sales for Jaguar and Volvo. Land Rover posted its second
highest U.S. sales ever. Lincoln full year sales were 158,934,
down 17.7 percent from a year ago. In the next 12 months, Lincoln
will introduce four new products including three this summer.


text:
DISNEYWIRE features Disney news from other media sources.
Al Lutz of MiceAge.com, a Disney watchdog blog, wrote a column this week that includes information about possible dates for new ride openings, the Disney California Adventure expansion progression and an update on the Disneyland Hotel.
Here’s an excerpt about the hotel:
Beyond the parks at the Disneyland Hotel, that big makeover project is just nearing the halfway mark. … Plans are now being shuffled through the approval process for a fourth tower, dubbed the Tomorrowland Tower, to be built in an expansion of the Disneyland Hotel in the middle of this decade. Once the entire hotel makeover is complete and all 1,000 rooms are back on line by the summer of 2012, TDA (Disney administration) will be watching closely through early 2013 to see how the occupancy and spending patterns pan out at this refreshed property.
Watch a video about Disneyland Hotel room renovations:
Recent Disneyland Hotel news:
[rssfeedme cat=”ocresort” feedpath=”tag/disneyland-hotel/feed/” max=”10″]


text:
As US tech investors cool on food-delivery startups, European meals-on-wheels company Delivery Hero is poised to become Germany’s biggest tech IPO in three years.
Despite its name, the company does relatively little delivering. Instead, it offers apps and Web sites in more than 40 countries from Sweden to Singapore that let hungry consumers order meals from their favourite restaurants for home delivery. About 10 percent of orders get dispatched via the company’s own bike riders; the rest are delivered by the restaurants. Delivery Hero charges restaurants commissions that average 14 per cent.
The Berlin-based food delivery app company is due to start trading (DHER GR) Friday in an offering that could raise nearly €1 billion and deliver a badly needed win for Germany’s startup scene. It’s also a validation for Oliver Samwer, one of Europe’s top internet investors, whose startup incubator, Rocket Internet SE, owns 35 per cent of Delivery Hero.
In 2014, Rocket and one of its companies, Zalando—an online fashion portal—went public in the same week. That drew entrepreneurs and investors to Germany’s capital, and made it Europe’s top venture capital funding destination. But Rocket hasn’t taken another venture public since; its biggest outside backer has jumped ship; and Berlin slipped to fourth place last year in European VC funding. Friday’s listing is not only a test for Delivery Hero and Rocket, but for Germany’s startup scene.
“The question is what happens afterward,” said Thies Sander, a partner at Project A Ventures in Berlin. He said a share price increase of 12 percent or more could be meaningful. “There’s a huge opportunity for the region. Is it all real, what’s happening in Berlin? If the IPO is successful, then we can prove it’s not all hype and bubble.”
Since Rocket and Zalando started trading in 2014, three other German tech companies have gone public. Expedia Inc.’s Dusseldorf-based Trivago travel site and Munich’s Scout24 online classifieds attracted less money and interest than Delivery Hero, and online baby goods seller Windeln.de’s 2015 IPO tanked.
Delivery Hero’s Swedish Chief Executive Officer Niklas Oestberg, a sandy-haired, 37-year-old former management consultant, founded a forerunner company in Stockholm in 2008. He changed the name to Delivery Hero and moved it to Berlin three years later. Rocket invested in 2015, then at the end of last year sold its own Foodpanda delivery app to Oestberg’s company.
South African investor Naspers Ltd. invested €387 million this year, bringing Delivery Hero’s total amount raised to about €1.6 billion. Before the IPO, it’s now valued between €3.5 billion and €4 billion.
The business now operates out of an old East German “Rohrpost” building used in the cold war to whiz letters and telegrams around the city in tubes using compressed air. All over the world, the company has converted consumers to smartphone ordering from menus in the kitchen drawer.
In addition to Scandinavia, Germany and Eastern Europe, Delivery Hero has carved out positions in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. It’s also active in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Latin America. The company’s €142 million takeover of Talabat.com means it partners with Burger King, Pizza Hut and Subway in the Middle East. Since 2014, the company has spent about €1.4 billion on acquisitions, according to the IPO prospectus issued this month.
“Delivery Hero proves that Europe is a great place to start and build country-by-country marketplaces," said Pawel Chudzinski, co-founder and managing partner at Point Nine Capital, an early investor. “In Europe if you want to grow, you have to be international early on."
Oestberg said the IPO will be used to fund expansion and acquisitions after repaying €310 million in debt to investors. The listing comes as on-demand food companies in New York and San Francisco are hitting a rough patch. Sprig Inc. shut down this spring and Munchery Inc. had to recapitalize after burning through cash. New York-based Maple, which also cooked its own meals, shut down in May and sold to London startup Deliveroo.
Delivery Hero avoids the high cost of assembling custom meals by acting mostly as a broker for restaurants that already deliver. But it’s not without competitors: GrubHub Inc. has managed to master food delivery in the US, and Uber Technologies Inc.’s UberEats has been growing. Amazon.com Inc. delivers food from restaurants, and its mammoth bid for Whole Foods has also raised the stakes.
About a third of users who try Delivery Hero’s service end up ordering three times, a key number that indicates they’re unlikely to defect, according to a person familiar with the management team’s plans. About half of orders are repeats of a favorite meal.
The company’s strategy is to bulk up in markets where it’s strong to box out competitors and gain the power to raise commissions to restaurants, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the matter was private. About 10 percent of restaurants leave Delivery Hero’s platform each year, mostly by going out of business, yet only a “tiny” portion stray when there’s a price hike, according to the person.
The company also plans to consolidate share by using some of its countries in swap deals with other digital delivery services, a tool it’s used in the past to expand while de-emphasizing other markets. Getting to 80 percent or 90 percent share in a given country lets Delivery Hero lower marketing expenses while charging restaurants more, said the person.
It’s still an expensive business, and like all food delivery companies, Delivery Hero struggles with marketing costs. The company had a €47.7 million loss before interest and taxes in the first quarter of this year. In the first quarter of last year, it lost €63.5 million. The company spent €56 million signing up restaurants last year, up 65 percent from 2015.
“We struggle to see a path to profitability for the business without turning off the marketing tap,” Neil Campling, an analyst at Northern Trust in London, said in a June 22 note to clients. “That would likely lead to a significant reduction in order and revenue growth.”
CEO Oestberg isn’t taking his foot off the gas, though. “We want to grow as fast as we can and profitability comes with size," he said. “People are excited that this is a growth story, and it’s a European growth story.”
Delivery Hero plans to release the share price to investors on Wednesday, and it’s upped the range to €24.50 to €25.50 amid demand that exceeds the number of available shares.
A successful IPO would validate the European startup model, which turns in part on rapid expansion into countries with different languages and customs jammed in close proximity. “If Delivery Hero develops as promised, then that would be very helpful to further tech IPOs in Germany and across Europe,” said Lucas Boventer, a Warburg Research analyst.
Investors also say employees who hold stock could fan out to fund and start new companies. That’s already happening to an extent. Berlin meal kit company Marley Spoon founder and CEO Fabian Siegel is the former co-CEO at Delivery Hero. Doreen Huber, the CEO and founder of business caterer Lemoncat, used to be Delivery Hero’s chief operating officer. Executives at Book a Tiger, a Berlin online cleaning service, also came from Delivery Hero.
“2017 will be a good year for Europe,” Samwer said in Berlin last week. “It inspires young people who say, ‘I want to be the next Spotify, the next Delivery Hero, the next Mark Zuckerberg.’”


text:
Your industry news - first
High-tech toilet launches funding-round to save planet, save money and boost hygiene - one flush at a time
The UK designer, manufacturer and patent holder ofPropelair, said to be the world's lowest-water-flush toilet, is launching a funding round on the investment platform Seedrs.
Phoenix Product Development, which trades as Propelair, is targeting £850,000 in a convertible campaign ahead of an expected larger equity fundraising - to fulfil resurgent demand from UK and international customers and to advance the company's technology.
A leadership team recruited in 2019 grew the sales pipeline more than 20 times and redoubled this strategy during lockdown, when the UK Government became a shareholder in the business through its Future Fund. This Summer's easing of restrictions has led to a surge in commercial interest and raised expectations of a sales uplift in the UK and abroad.
The company intends to raise £5.5m by 2022 to support international sales growth and next-generation product development, and is presenting this opportunity to match existing investor credit loans up to £750,000. Propelair intends to boost its UK manufacturing capacity and introduce technical enhancements such as a more compact profile and IoT [optimisation].
Propelair combines just 1.5 litres of water with a high-speed jet of air to leave the pan super-clean in one flush. The closed lid improves hygiene by reducing airborne germs such as Covid-19 by 95%. The patented technology brings big savings in water, energy and cost to out-of-home venues, where toilets can be flushed hundreds of times daily.
As the system uses 84% less water than in most toilets, its 170 customers are saving 875 million litres a year - equal to 350 Olympic pools, while also benefiting from enhanced 'green' credentials and reduced queuing. Payback in busier sites can be achieved in months.
Propelair has built a substantial qualified sales pipeline in the UK, where 60% of orders now come from customers installing the Propelair system in multiple facilities in their estates. Interest is also being generated among potential customers in five key sectors - retail and leisure, commercial and public sector offices, conference centres, hospitals and universities, as well as off-grid, where the benefits of reduced waste removal can be even greater.
Internationally, Propelair is to lead several pilot programmes across the Gulf region and has set its water-saving tests in a shopping mall and at a premier local firm. It saw a very positive response at the 'Big 5' construction event in Dubai this month, with strong interest from potential distributors in all seven UAE emirates plus Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The stand had more than 300 visits and several follow-up meetings are being arranged.
In South Africa, despite delays in a number of contracts due to Covid-19 restrictions, the sales pipeline is expanding, spurred by a big need for water and energy efficiency plus hygiene.
"Everyone goes to the loo and as the world's lowest-water-flush toilet company, we're extremely well placed to deliver the water, energy and cost savings, and hygiene benefits, our customers demand,"says David Hollander, CEO of Propelair, previously managing director of Dyson UK.
"Even allowing for the disruption of the past two years, we've been surprised by the strong resurgence in demand.
"We have the potential to deliver our water-efficient technology to more customers, sooner, while keeping innovation at the forefront of all our work."
In a world where 2bn people lack drinking water and the UN expects a 40% shortfall in supply by 2030, Propelair's target market is huge - in the UK with 12m out-of-home toilets, and water-stressed regions such the Gulf and South Africa and later, Australia.
That said, Propelair focuses on greatest need - sites with 100-plus flushes a day, locations with social and environment targets, or those relating to hygiene and/or queue reduction.
Propelair's dedicated laboratory tests and refines the designs to ensure they conform to the latest product regulations and meet its high quality standards. Working with its supply chain partners, it ensures its products benefit from the latest technology and remain cost-effective.
23rd September 2021


text:
In the computer operating system game, you don’t have to dominate to succeed — just ask Apple. With that in mind, emerging open source-based netbook software platforms could have surprisingly bright futures as secondary OSes, including Google’s. Here are several reasons why they’ll bring changes.
The idea that you don’t have to use just one operating system on a single computer is, of course, hardly new. Many people use virtualization software to run multiple OSes concurrently. Manufacturers such as Dell have long offered pre-configured dual-boot systems, and specialize in virtualized systems for data centers. Many people also use lightweight Linux-based instant-on environments such as Splashtop as secondary platforms. For that matter, 20 years ago people ran DOS and Windows on single systems — working in both.
However, the vast majority of users are still of the mindset to use one OS on a single machine, and most machines ship that way. Partly because of long-standing pressure, and spending, from proprietary players as powerful as Microsoft, the computer industry vigorously steers the majority of users toward a single-OS model.
That’s going to change, though, and the destruction of Microsoft’s OS hegemony is not required. With emerging netbook-focused open source operating systems, industry players big and small are exploring strategic ways to advance widespread acceptance of complementary platforms on single machines. European startup Jolicloud is developing a netbook-focused operating system (built on Debian and Ubuntu Linux) that is specifically positioned as a value-added adjunct to another OS. This week, as the Linux-based Chrome OS grabbed so many headlines, Jolicloud quietly announced that it’s entering pre-beta testing with its Jolicloud OS.
“Our dream of turning any Windows netbook into an open Jolicloud machine becomes a reality,” wrote CEO Tariq Krim in the announcement blog post. “At Jolicloud, we believe people should be able to switch operating systems on their netbooks,” he added. “Like the adoption of Firefox made Web 2.0 possible, enabling users to switch OS will accelerate the growth and benefits of open cloud computing.”
Does Krim have a point? CNet and others have already been impressed with Jolicloud’s complementary, secondary OS in preview versions. In the screenshot below, you can see how Jolicloud organizes types of applications by genre:
Indeed, it will be interesting to watch as Jolicloud proceeds through beta testing with its version of a complementary OS. The company has a very heavy-hitting management team. Krim was the founder of Netvibes, one of Europe’s successful web startups. Niklas Zennström, co-founder of Atomico Ventures, Skype, Joost, Kazaa and JoltID, also holds a seat on the company’s board.
Hardware makers, as well, are thinking of strategic opportunities involving multiple mobile operating systems, and a notable trend is taking shape as PC makers rapidly warm up to Android. While PC makers such as Dell and Acer favor Android for their smartphones, Acer also sells an Aspire One netbook that runs both Android and Microsoft Windows. The company is pursuing that idea in spite of the fact that Google is positioning its upcoming Chrome OS as a platform for netbooks, while maintaining that Android is targeted at mobile phones.
“The unique dual-boot OS on the new Aspire One ensures users fast connections, the familiarity of Windows, and the added convenience of open source mobile platforms and applications,” said Sumit Agnihotry, vice president of product management for Acer America, when announcing the dual-boot system in October.
With these themes in mind, could Google’s upcoming Chrome OS (like Jolicloud, based on Ubuntu) also have a future as a secondary, mobile, Linux-based operating system? From what we’ve heard of its architecture so far, that doesn’t seem to be its goal, but I’m betting the idea is a strong backup plan for Google. I’m already questioning whether the extremely autocratic “all data in the cloud” model that Google is pursuing will alienate users. I question whether people trust the cloud to that extent, and I know I love many of my local software applications and utilities.
I also completely disagree with those who see Chrome OS as “a nuclear bomb” aimed at Microsoft. It’s exclusively focused on the netbook market, not desktops and servers. It’s more of an experiment than a nuclear bomb.
Let’s assume that the Chrome OS cloud-only model does alienate users. In that case, could Google reposition Chrome OS as a secondary, instant-on operating system that might ship alongside other operating systems, or simply be downloadable to use that way? Could it be the OS that you hop into for a crash-proof, cloud-based experience, just as many people hop in and out of the Chrome browser for its stability and other reasons?
As evidence of how achievable this would be, people are already easily running Chrome OS on Dell netbooks, and noticing how much faster than Windows it is at booting. People are also calling Chrome OS “lightning from a USB key” as they use it via USB alongside other operating systems without even having it locally installed. That’s been a popular way to use Linux-based operating systems alongside other ones for years, absent any virtualization, as the folks at PenDriveLinux will attest.
The Chrome OS experimenters are working with first-generation open source code, and individuals may well choose to deploy the OS alongside other operating systems in imaginative ways, regardless of Google’s marketing moves. It’s released into the wild for that kind of usage, where Google won’t control everything — part of the power of open source, which Google itself understands well.
Is being a secondary OS such a bad thing? Hey, you can do quite well playing for accompaniment — just ask The Pips. Accompaniment is an entirely possible future for Google’s project, one of several emerging open source-based mobile operating systems that don’t have to crush larger competition to succeed.


text:
Google has made it easier to find search results from Reddit and other forum sites. The search engine is adding a new module that will display discussions taking place on web forums for queries that might benefit from crowdsourcing answers.
The Discussions and Forums module will display relevant posts from sites like Reddit and Quora as well as more traditional search results. It’s unclear how Google determines the best search types for forum posts. The company said the new “forum” results will “appear when you search for things that might benefit from a variety of personal experiences found in online discussions”.
The feature is already available in the US for mobile search. Google didn’t specify when it would be more widely available, but said they would consider an update in the future.
Google is also adding a new feature to news-related searches that will make it easier to browse international headlines published in languages other than English. With this change, news-related searches will also show relevant local stories translated by Google.
The company cited the recent earthquake in Mexico as an example. With the update, search results will also show “News from Mexico,” which will highlight local media reports that were originally written in Spanish but translated into English. Of course, Google Chrome and other browsers are already capable of translating web pages. But Google said boosting stories from international media directly in search would help provide “new global perspectives” on important stories.
The feature, currently marked as beta, will initially be able to translate Spanish, French and German titles and stories into English, although the beta designation means Google may add more languages over time.
All products featured by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. We may receive an affiliate commission if you purchase through one of these links. All prices are correct at the time of publication.


text:
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 43% of U.S. citizens have received at least one COVID-19 shot and 29.5% have been fully vaccinated. These figures are still quite small, as livestock immunity to function 80-85% of the population needs two COVID-19 shots.
Thank you for your cooperation Uber and Walgreens, you can now book a vaccine time and get Uber, which takes you directly from the Uber smartphone app. The new feature was unveiled today a worldwide announcement from Uber.
From this day on, people should start to see something newVaccine“-An option in their Uber app where they can book a vaccine appointment in the area from a Walgreens pharmacy. You enter your zip code and select the time and you are ready to leave. When you book a booking, you can book a trip to take you there and also get notified so you don’t miss your appointment.
“We are committed to helping ensure that transportation is not a barrier to getting vaccinations. We know that making it easier for more people to get an appointment will get vaccinated.” said Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber. “Working with Walgreens, our goal is to make getting a shot as easy as booking a trip with Uber.”


text:
Articles tagged with: Newsletter
As roads are developing, so do our maps. Have your carNAVi as fresh as new, download and install the latest map update. New free maps covering major US cities and other travel destinations. Release of another S-family model in August 2012. The Philippine Government started Project NOAH, a very interesting and helpful tool.
The people at carNAVi are always trying to do their best either in developing new products or in doing service and support. We are offering map updates for Apple computers quite some time already and from now on we are enhancing the service for our Mac users. All additional maps are now available for Mac OS.
The first 2012 map update brings the latest road developments and changes in the country to your carNAVi. We’ve added more than 3000km of new roads, countless new Points of Interest and a new better readable map design in different zoom levels. In addition we’ve finished some new map skins ready to load into your carNAVi.
carNAVi S 400 is the most efficient professional navigation solution in the Philippines – ultra slim, with the latest GPS/Galileo Dual Core processor, large 4.3-inch high quality touch screen and multimedia functions. Get all this for a revolutionary price.
We developed a new GPS navigation device that will set a new benchmark in it’s class. The new ultra slim carNAVi PRO TV with a 5-inch flat panel touch screen and integrated analog TV. More features, more screen but same size and price. Read in this newsletter more news about new services and media reports.
Beginning of this year we reported about changes in traffic rules and after quite some time drivers can see that our officials really push through in controlling those rules. As promised carNAVi implemented a speed limit warning system that’s able to alert the driver far ahead about speedlimits, radar camera positions and dangerous road conditions like sharp curves and even bumpy railway crossings.


text:
Davie, FL (Nov. 20) – Team National, a member company of the Direct Selling Association, participated in the 19th Annual TODAY Show Holiday Toy and Gift Drive. The DSA presented the direct selling industry’s donation live in Rockefeller Plaza on Monday.
Team National, along with eighteen other direct selling companies, donated a combined total of more than $16.6 million in products and cash to the Toy Drive. In its nine years of participation, DSA member companies have donated more than $100 million in products, services and cash to the Toy Drive. Once again, Team National is proud to make a contribution for such a worthy cause. Their donation of $8,000 is just one way TN reaches out and pitches in, helping provide children with the holiday spirit of gift giving, putting smiles on their faces and simply letting them enjoy being a kid.
“We are thrilled to participate with the DSA in the TODAY show Toy and Gift drive,” said Angela Chrysler, Team National President and CEO. “Our mission of helping others extends beyond our independent sales field, to the lives they touch and the money we can share to help charitable organizations all over the US. Helping US communities in need is an important part of our mission and vision.”
“The TODAY Show Holiday Gift Drive is just one example each year of how direct selling serves as a force for good in our communities, across the country and throughout the world,” said Amy Robinson, DSA’s Chief Marketing Officer. “Every day, direct sellers help others achieve their goals through the products and opportunities they offer, but their involvement in charitable and philanthropic activities reinforces the positive impact direct selling has on millions of lives each year.”
The TODAY Show Toy Drive is a project of the Today Show Charitable Foundation, Inc., a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization. Donations are matched with the needs of more than 200 organizations with which the Today Show Charitable Foundation works. As part of this year’s Toy Drive, DSA member companies will send items to dozens of organizations in states from California to New York.
About Team National
Team National is a coast-to-coast, multi-million dollar direct selling company with a unique opportunity to both save and earn money. There are approximately 350,000 members and Independent Marketing Directors with hundreds of thousands of customers all around the US. Led by President and CEO Angela Chrysler, Team National provides businesses and families with value and savings in over 20 industries. In addition, the company offers an industry leading compensation program for those that choose to market memberships. Team National has also been named in the Direct Selling News as one of the Top 100 Global Direct Selling Companies. For more information, visit www.BigN.com or call 954.584.2151.
About the Direct Selling Association
The Direct Selling Association is the national trade association of the leading firms that manufacture and distribute goods and services sold directly to consumers. Among its more than 240 active and pending members are companies selling both via a party-plan method and in the traditional person-to-person style. In 2011, U.S. direct sales were more than $29.8 billion with nearly 16 million direct sellers nationwide. The vast majority are independent business people – micro-entrepreneurs – whose purpose is to sell the product/service of the company they voluntarily choose to represent. Approximately 90 percent of direct sellers operate their business part-time. For more information on direct selling, DSA and its Code of Ethics, please visit the DSA website at www.dsa.org.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Team National One of 19 Direct Selling Companies Whose Combined Donations Total $16.6 Million to the TODAY Show Toy and Gift Drive
Posted by Team National


text:
Jaffe talks about why the Novell-Microsoft deal is good for open source, and says many software customers need open source and Windows interoperability.
By ZDNet Staff
| November 3, 2006 -- 00:19 GMT (16:19 PST)
| Topic: Open Source
Digital Health and Wellness
How technology can save the NHS
Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is official: Here's what's new
Photos: BlackBerrys through the ages
The scariest tech of 2017, period, end of sentence
Mozilla: Firefox 70 brings you these new security indicators
Firefox 70, due soon, kicks out the EV SSL indicator and adds a red strikethrough for all HTTP sites, Mozilla reveals.
Unifying cloud storage and data warehouses: Delta Lake project hosted by the Linux Foundation
Hacking 20 high-profile dev accounts could compromise half of the npm ecosystem
Linux security hole: Much sudo about nothing
Yes, the sudo command has a security bug. But, in the real world, it's hard to see how it could be used against you.
Startup Heap details how it initially failed to switch from CoffeeScript to TypeScript programming language.
Maintaining the culture that customers seek is important for Red Hat under IBM
Customers come to Redhat because of its culture, ANZ MD Max McLaren has said.
Microsoft says it has come a long way since 'that' open source comment
The OpenStack Train keeps chugging on
SUSE may be leaving OpenStack, but the project has lots of customers and it's getting ready to release its 20th version: Train.
Mozilla to Firefox users: Here's how we're protecting you from code injection attacks


text:
Polish AI to verify test results in seconds. All online and without leaving home
„Labplus is developing technology that uses artificial intelligence to interpret laboratory test results. The startup has just raised over PLN 7 million in funding (PLN 4.75 million from the NCBR). Its platform integrates with companies such as Diagnostyka and uPacjenta”.
This article is in Polish. Read more: Polskie AI ma w kilka sekund zweryfikować wyniki badań. Wszystko online i bez wychodzenia z domu


text:
After giving the Essential Phone a $200 USD price drop in the U.S., Canadian carrier TELUS, Essential's exclusive partner in the country, has dropped the price by an epic $400 CAD. That brings the cost of the phone to $650 outright, or $0 with most 2-year plans.
The Essential Phone debuted in Canada for around $500 on contract, and $1050 outright, but Essential figured that it needed to incentivize users with more enticing pricing, especially for those who don't want to re-up on a 2-year plan.
Essential has also been releasing a steady stream of software updates to improve the camera quality, especially in low light, along with minor features like touch sensor shortcuts and security improvements. Others, like Techcrunch's Darrell Etherington, have seen massive gains in camera quality.
At $650, the Essential Phone is one of the best deals on a flagship in Canada, especially with its 128GB of storage. We'll be taking a second look at the phone in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for that.
The Essential Phone is a remarkable product released as a beta
Be an expert in 5 minutes
Get the latest news from Android Central, your trusted companion in the world of Android
Daniel Bader was a former Android Central Editor-in-Chief and Executive Editor for iMore and Windows Central.


text:
Stifel GMP analysts are impressed by the attractive valuation TerrAscend Corp. (CSE:TER, OTCQX:TRSSF) is paying for Peninsula Alternative Health, which operates a single medical cannabis store in Maryland, ahead of the state’s move to legalized the recreational use of cannabis on July 1, which they believe has the potential to double the size of the Maryland’s market in the first year.
In a note to clients, the analysts wrote that the $22.1 million purchase price, which is composed of $1.5 million cash at closing and an undisclosed distribution between assumed debt, sellers notes and shares, could result in an outsized accretion of 20%-25% despite it being a simple 1-store tuck-in, “demonstrating strong torque due to the company’s relatively smaller size”.
“In addition, with management’s ongoing intentions to add another 2 stores to reach its 4-store cap, there could be further upside ahead,” they wrote.
The analysts at Stifel noted TerrAscend management indicated that Peninsula generates 2023 run-rate revenues of $14 million and the acquisition is immediately accretive on an earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) and cash-flow basis.
As well, management thinks Peninsula could be one of its highest grossing stores in a recreational market given the limited competition.
Overall, the analysts are positive on TerrAscend due to the company’s focus on profitability, with management achieving record EBITDA margins in line with larger senior peers, in addition to the relative financial certainty afforded to the company through the resources of its chairman and executive chairman, which “provide a sustainable competitive advantage” in the current challenging cannabis business environment.
Stifel analysts have a target price of C$4.50 per share on TerrAscend stock, which implies more than 100% upside from its current share value of $2.17.


text:
Detailed Notes on tech newsThe vote presents the NSA the power to continue collecting data despatched on the internet by foreigners exterior the US.
Bitcoin convention stops accepting... Bitcoin Pregnant Ladies get price reduction by weeing on ad Quickly radio bursts secret 'near to staying solved' Setting up blocks of lifetime uncovered on meteorites YouTube cuts ties with vlogger around suicide online video US Congress targets Apple about apple iphone slowing
Smartphones, PCs and servers internationally have received computer software updates in modern times to plug safety gaps on computer chips that cyber security researchers have described as probably the most critical risk in years.
for Wikimedians without the need of specialized technical knowledge, who may perhaps usually not find out about technical variations which could have an effect on them;
Watch Photograph · Tech Business News @TechCompanyNews 20h New #startup resurfaceapp.com helps you automate your #social networking #marketing and advertising, conserving you time and aiding you develop your online audience pic.twitter.com/Sls4QfbLn9
A light-weight "sprinkling" of rain was plenty of to power the postponement of the passenger drone's maiden flight.
Large Tech Backlash fourteen hrs in the past Twitter responds to Job Veritas allegation that it may share Trump's direct messages Twitter pushed again with a Challenge Veritas video where amongst its engineers claims which the tech huge is “over content” check here that will help investigators probing connections involving ...
Buyers Hold forth on Volvo's announcement that it's going to ditch gas engines by 2019--who's Prepared for An electrical highway in just a calendar year and also a fifty percent? Jefferson Graham experiences on #TalkingTech.
China reprimanded three prime tech firms on Friday more than poor privateness protections, as tech companies facial area an ever-increasing backlash from customers and authorities around extreme info assortment methods.
This should url on the people on the initial wiki. A script to fix this brought about complications for Wikidata and German Wikipedia. Furthermore, it developed a large number of SUL accounts on wikis exactly where editors experienced by no means edited. [one]
Go In the military services's new drone swarm technology, how it can help ground troops and increases tactical abilities.
The Flipkart Apple Week has now commenced with the many gives Reside right now, in addition to a cashback provide for ICICI charge card consumers.
Use for items which are for most problems with the newsletter (new MediaWiki Edition, some meetings) and for Highly developed merchandise targeted at technical editors.
Any contribution is useful, even just adding a website link. Other contributors can assist produce or simplify an extended description later.