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Apple’s wireless charging pad a AirPower competence finally be on a approach to stores, following rumours that a behind device is now in production.
Hong Kong formed ChargerLAB cites sources that explain dual manufacturers in China – Luxshare Precision and Pegatron – have begun mass prolongation of a charger.
“Breaking: AirPower is finally coming. We only schooled from convincing source in supply sequence that a make Luxshare Precision has already started producing Apple AirPower wireless charging pad. Luxshare Precision is also a builder of Apple AirPods and USB-C cables,” it tweeted.
It also cited another source who claims Pegatron will start mass prolongation of a AirPower on Jan 21.
The AirPower is a pad that can wirelessly assign mixed Apple inclination that are placed on it, including a iPhone 8 and newer, Apple Watch Series 3 and newer, and AirPods that are stored in a special wireless charging case.
The AirPower was previewed behind in Sep 2017, with Apple indicating it would be expelled in 2018.
However, after a duration of overpower on a theme Apple private many mentions of a AirPower from a website, with references singular to user guides for a iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR, and in Apple pursuit listings and obvious applications.
iPhone programmer Steve Troughton-Smith claims that a check was due to Apple operative on technical issues like overheating and division problems.
MacRumors speculates that a behind recover of a AirPower had expected pushed behind a recover of a wireless charging box for AirPods, that is listed as “currently unavailable” on Apple’s website.
QUALCOMM, Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM) is in a center of some disorderly lawsuit associated to a chip pricing. According to one Wall Street analyst, Qualcomm’s authorised group and a government should ensue with a two-pronged plan that is good for investors and for profits.
Morgan Stanley researcher James Faucette has reiterated an Equal-weight rating and $55 cost aim for Qualcomm.
Confusion over a disproportion between Qualcomm’s customary essential patents/IP and a non-essential patents/IP has impacted media coverage over a ongoing FTC lawsuit and maybe even a FTC’s authorised arguments themselves.
The FTC has pronounced it would like to force Qualcomm to permit essential IP according to beliefs of fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory licensing, though Faucette pronounced Qualcomm has already demonstrated a eagerness to do so in China and with Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL). In that respect, Faucette pronounced a FTC’s final are both treacherous and potentially troubling, and he pronounced a Qualcomm invulnerability group should make certain to clearly compute between essential and non-essential patents as partial of a two-pronged strategy.
“As a FTC hearing and other cases pierce into vicious phases, we consider that a association contingency make a some-more constrained box for a value of a non-essential IP, and because progressing control over a use and pricing is both authorised and appropriate,” Faucette wrote in a note.
Faucette pronounced if Qualcomm can settle a disproportion between essential and non-essential IP in non-licensed phones in ongoing obvious cases in China, Germany, a U.S. and elsewhere, there could be poignant upside to Morgan Stanley’s $55 aim for a stock. If a association fails in doing so, he pronounced a batch could have downside to $40.
Qualcomm’s batch traded during $54.72 Thursday afternoon.
Morgan Stanley’s Key CES Takeaways For Semi Companies
China OKs Qualcomm-NXP Merger, But Companies Have Moved On
As Apple falls on news of diseased iPhone sales in China, there is still one some-more shoe that could dump in a nation that would pull consumers there even serve away: The probable extradition from Canada of Meng Wanzhou, CFO of a country’s largest consumer hardware manufacturer, Huawei.
The Justice Department has not nonetheless filed minute paperwork to ask Meng, who is now out on bail in Vancouver, be extradited to a U.S. to mount hearing on allegations of rascal over Iran sanctions. The DOJ has until a finish of Jan to record a paperwork underneath Canada’s extradition agreement with a U.S.
Several media outlets have flush anecdotal reports of consumers in China already rejecting Apple products since of a dispute. But in an disdainful talk with CNBC on Wednesday, Apple CEO Tim Cook downplayed concerns that disastrous sentiments about American products competence be personification a purpose in a weaker-than-expected sales in China.
“There are reports, arrange of occasionally reports, about somebody articulate about not shopping a products since we’re American, maybe a tiny bit on amicable media, maybe a man station in front of a store or something,” Cook said. “My personal clarity is that this is small. Keep in mind that China’s not monolithic. Just like America’s not monolithic. You have people with opposite views and opposite ideas. And so do we consider anybody inaugurated not to buy since of that? I’m certain some people did. But my clarity is a most incomparable emanate is a negligence of a economy and afterwards this — a trade tragedy that’s serve pressured.”
But Apple could be nutritious longer-term repute and code repairs among Chinese consumers who might increasingly be comparing a products with a big-picture authorised actions undertaken by a U.S. government.
Apple’s biggest Chinese rival
That’s since Apple isn’t only another American association that sells products to China. It’s Huawei’s biggest American opposition in a mainland.
And while Apple’s suppliers are positively feeling a break in their batch cost from Apple’s muted business in China, — with large batch drops Thursday from Qorvo, Skyworks Solutions and Corning on Thursday — makers of other consumer goods, such as Nike, are saying postulated recognition in a country.
Huawei’s products have competed fiercely with a iPhone in China for years. At a same time, a U.S. supervision has prolonged indicted Huawei and a aspirant ZTE of colluding with a Chinese supervision to take partial in anti-competitive practices.
Those have enclosed sanctions violations like those purported in a Meng affair, as good as egghead skill burglary and even spying. And while a Chinese supervision is not looking to anathema iPhone products, according to Cook, a U.S. has put several restrictions in place on Chinese hardware.
Chinese businesses, however, have denied these claims. Further, they’ve pronounced that a U.S. authorised and comprehension communities are inequitable in preference of American businesses. ZTE pronounced Wednesday pronounced it had brought on former Sen. Joe Lieberman as a lobbyist to lead efforts in contrast apparatus over inhabitant confidence concerns. In late December, Reuters reported a U.S. supervision is also mulling wider-scale bans of Huawei and ZTE products in a United States.
Tensions over a issues uncover no signs of abating, and a U.S. State Department expelled a new China transport warning Thursday, highlighting a country’s augmenting use of “exit bans” that demarcate U.S. adults from withdrawal a nation over issues like purported investigations or debts.
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Our stream collect as a best iPad for many people is a 9.7in indication expelled in 2018: it’s a fast, unstable inscription with (first-gen) Apple Pencil support and an affordable cost tag. We’re therefore penetrating to know when a follow-up device will be released, and what it will demeanour like.
In this essay we turn adult all a leaks and conjecture about a iPad 9.7in’s 2019 update, covering a recover date, price, pattern changes, tech specs and new features.
If you’re meddlesome in a stream generation, we might like to review a roundup of a best iPad deals.
When will Apple recover a new iPad 9.7in? This spring, we pattern – substantially late Mar 2019.
The prior dual models in a array have both been announced in March. The iPad 9.7in (2017) was launched on 24 Mar 2017, and a iPad 9.7in (2018) launched on 27 Mar 2018.
Apple frequently binds a full-blown press eventuality in a open – it did so in 2015, 2016 and 2018 – yet if there is usually a utterly minor, iterative ascent to be announced (without a accompaniment of a new iPhone SE, for example) this could be slipped out in a press release, as happened in 2017.
An choice speculation binds that we’ll have to wait until a second half of 2019 for a new iPad. This is according to a Chinese news related below, that predicts a earthy redesign with smaller bezels and a 10in screen. But until we hear corroborating justification for this, we’ll still pattern a open update.
The iPad 9.7in’s interest is heavily formed on a refreshingly essential pricing. Starting during usually £319/$329, it’s within many people’s budgets, and cheaper even than a most comparison and reduction absolute iPad mini 4 (although that device does come with some-more storage as a bottom offering). Here’s a full cost list:
iPad 9.7in (2018, 32GB, Wi-Fi): £319/$329
iPad 9.7in (2018, 128GB, Wi-Fi): £409/$429
iPad 9.7in (2018, 32GB, cellular): £449/$459
iPad 9.7in (2018, 128GB, cellular): £539/$559
So we positively don’t pattern a reward cost tag, and Apple would, we imagine, adore to strike a same starting cost as in 2018. But it’s some-more expected to grasp this in a US than in a UK, where Brexit-related domestic doubt and banking fluctuation might see cost rises opposite a board.
And if a some-more radical redesign discussed subsequent comes to pass, that’s expected to pull adult a cost still further.
There’s one large doubt here: will Apple move a full-screen pattern opposite from a Pro line? The shrunk bezels, private Home button, Face ID and bigger screen-to-body ratio of a 11in and 12.9in Pros from 2018 wowed a reviewers and a open alike, and would certainly be a strike on a 9.7in chassis.
One report, that came out of China in late December, thinks it will – to some extent. The news predicts that a bezels will get smaller (although not to a same border as a iPad Pros) and a shade hence increasing to 10in within a framework of roughly a same size.
It adds that a new iPad mini will come out in 2019 and reinstate a 9.7in indication as a bill option; a mid-size indication will be labelled aloft and have a some-more modernized pattern and spec.
However, a guess is that Apple won’t do this yet. Partly this is given some people adore a aged pattern (particularly a Home button; it isn’t totally transparent if this will be separated in a above design) and a association will substantially wish to keep catering to those buyers. But some-more importantly we consider it’s given a Pros need to stay special.
The initial Pro indication in 2015 had Apple Pencil harmony to set it detached from a rest of a line-up, and Apple didn’t give that adult to a non-Pro device until 2018 – that’s 3 years of exclusivity. We’d be really astounded if it let a non-Pro inscription get a all-screen pattern after usually 6 months.
This means we pattern a pattern to stay mostly a same – maybe a winding underside will be transposed by a squared-off edges of a 2018 Pros, yet other than that we don’t see most changing. Which will defect some, yet remember that a iPad 9.7in is all about charity good-quality inscription computing during an affordable price, not charity a really latest developments.
(Maybe Apple will see fit to embody a laminated screen, though. We wish so, given that cheap-feeling, somewhat stretchable arrangement was a categorical disastrous cited in a reviews of a 2017 and 2018 models.)
Specs new features
There are a integrate of apparent parameters when deliberating a specs of a subsequent iPad. It needs to uncover adequate improvements on a 2017 and 2018 specs to convince people to buy or upgrade, yet it can’t get too tighten to a spec of a (much some-more expensive) iPad Pros or it will cannibalise a higher-margin sales.
Within those boundaries, where will Apple representation a new iPad in terms of specs and features? Let’s try some of a possibilities.
This is an apparent place to start. The association finally authorised a Apple Pencil to play with a non-Pro iPad final year, and afterwards roughly 6 months after it announced a second-gen Pencil that was, again, Pro-only. Will a 2019 iPad 9.7in work with a strange Pencil, a new Pencil, both or neither?
Probably usually a aged one, same as a 2018 model. It’s critical for Apple to keep some things disdainful to a Pro line-up, and a shining new Pencil (which attaches magnetically and charges wirelessly, given a prototype trustworthy precariously and charged stupidly) is a large reason to compensate extra.
The 2018 iPad Pro models haven’t got twin-lens cameras like a newer iPhones, yet they can still do Portrait Mode for selfies interjection to program alone. This underline is also offering on a iPhone XR, and might be amply mainstream in Apple’s eyes to concede it to be enclosed on a subsequent iPad 9.7in.
Some tech specs can be guessed good in advance.
Following on from a 2018 model’s A10 processor chip, a 2019 indication is expected to get an A11, that would offer a speed strike yet melancholy a A12X-equipped Pros.
The arrangement is doubtful to get a aloft resolution: a 2018 iPad and iPad Pros comparison have 264ppi pixel density. Expect, once again, 9.7in during 2048 × 1536.
Apple may feel means to embody a ProMotion tech that selectively adjusts shade modernise rate adult to 120Hz depending on what you’re doing, in sequence to safety battery life. As a name suggests, this is a Pro feature, yet it was initial rolled out in summer 2017 and a association might feel prepared to open this adult to a mainstream.
And what about ports? We’d be really astounded indeed if Apple transposed a Lightning pier with USB-C, as it did on a 2018 Pro models, given that was finished privately to support for artists and artistic professionals who are a iPad Pro’s aim market. But, sadly, a headphone jack might punch a dust.
I severely doubt that a Pixel Watch is a probability since it is not needed. Unlike Android, that is open source, Wear OS is sealed and matching to all watches. So a Pixel Watch would have 0 differentiating cause from all other Wear OS watches. Google would not have magically entrance to a improved processor or any other record that they would wish to keep for themselves and not share with their partners. From whatever a Wear OS watch can do, a usually thing that is singular to find between Wear OS partners is mobile connectivity, though we don’t consider that Google would recover their possess watch only to tell off their partners because they don’t offer some-more 4G watches.
Other than that a Pixel Watch could be only an uglier chronicle of a Fossil Q Explorist 4 or a Skagen Falster 2.
Following Apple’s rider to a Q1 2019 gain expectations, Tim Cook will reason an all-hands assembly with employees tomorrow. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, a assembly will concentration on today’s news with employees given a event to ask questions.
Sylvania HomeKit Light Strip
Earlier today, Tim Cook published a minute destined towards Apple investors in that he summarized a struggles that faced Apple during Q1 2019, that is a company’s routinely grievous holiday quarter.
As partial of that letter, Cook suggested that Apple is slicing a income superintendence for Q1 2019 from between $89 billion and $93 billion to $84 billion. Cook cited factors such as struggles in China as Apple’s worse-than-expected performance.
Cook also sent a minute to employees, repeating a pivotal points of a financier minute and mouth-watering employees to join him during a Town Hall, Infinite Loop campus for a all-hands meeting.
We’ll have some-more sum – if accessible – of a all-hands assembly tomorrow. In a meantime, check adult on all of today’s AAPL news below.
Apple to announce holiday gain formula on Jan 29, after slicing income guidance
Breaking down Tim Cook’s minute to investors: Trump trade war, random battery program, more
Apple being investigated by financier rights law organisation for ‘potential bonds fraud’ associated to China
Tim Cook says $29 iPhone battery module partly to censure for diseased Q1 iPhone sales [Video]
AAPL issues singular rider to gain guidance, obscure expectations due to ‘fewer iPhone upgrades’ China struggles
Subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for some-more Apple news:
Barzal available an support and logged 16:03 of ice time during Friday’s 2-0 win over a Capitals.
Barzal has been boiling with 9 goals and 17 points in his final 14 games. Still only 21 years old, a 16th altogether collect from a 2015 NHL Entry Draft is already one of a tip playmakers in a diversion and should be relied on for copiousness of descent prolongation in a years to come; he is looking some-more and some-more like a authorization centerman.
VIENNA (Reuters) – Apple and Amazon are among 8 tech firms named in a censure filed in Austria by non-profit classification noyb, that cited their disaster to approve with a European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
The movement by noyb, chaired by information remoteness romantic Max Schrems, also named Netflix , Spotify and YouTube , after it tested them by requesting private information a companies reason about a user.
“No use entirely complied,” noyb pronounced in a statement.
The GDPR, implemented in May, gives users a right to entrance their information and information about a sources and recipients of a data. Social networks contingency recover Europeans’ agree each time they wish to use their information in new ways, including for targeted advertising.
The GDPR foresees fines of adult to 4 percent of tellurian revenues for companies that mangle a rules.
In response to a complaint, Amazon pronounced it has introduced a new “Privacy Help” page that shows business how they can conduct their information opposite a platforms.
“We approve with any ask from a information theme to yield entrance to a personal information that Amazon is processing,” Amazon pronounced on Friday.
A mouthpiece for Spotify said: “We are committed to complying with all applicable inhabitant and general laws and regulations, including GDPR, with that we trust we are entirely compliant.”
Noyb pronounced it filed a complaints with a Austrian management on interest of 10 users. The Austrian watchdog would have to work with a counterparts during a streaming services’ categorical establishments.
“Many services set adult programmed systems to respond to entrance requests, though they mostly don’t even remotely yield a information that each user has a right to,” Schrems said. “This leads to constructional violations of users’ rights, as these systems are built to secrete a applicable information.”
Schrems is a maestro remoteness supporter who took his initial authorised movement opposite Facebook as a tyro in 2011.
(Reporting by Kirsti Knolle; additional stating by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Edmund Blair/Jan Harvey/Alexander Smith)


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NEW YORK Revlon experienced strong results for the second quarter of this year, according to a statement released Thursday.
The New York-based beauty products manufacturer had a net sales increase of 7.8 percent, to $376.4 million, compared to $349.2 million in the second quarter last year. Net sales in the United States grew by 6 percent, to $216.4 million, compared to $204.2 million in 2007. Meanwhile, operating and net income were $59.4 million and $19.9 million, respectively.
U.S. growth came mostly from new product launches for 2008, particularly in color cosmetics. These include the Almay brand TLC Foundation and Smart Shade Blush and Bronzer, which the company launched earlier this year and late in 2007, respectively, as well as Revlon brand Custom Creations foundation and ColorStay Mineral foundation, both launched early this year. The company also attributed growth to initial releases of new products for the second half of 2008.
“We believe we’ve got a competitive level of brand support behind all these new product launches,” President and chief executive officer David Kennedy said in a conference call with investors Thursday.

domain: news


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NEW YORK: US retailers are preparing for an austere holiday season as the nation's consumers register a fall in economic confidence for the third month running, suggesting says the Conference Board, a "less than stellar ending to this year".
The Board's index for October moved down to 95.6 from a downwardly revised 99.5 in September and 105.6 in August. The latest figure is significantly worse than the 99 expected by analysts.
Consumers have become increasingly discomfited by the subprime mortgage crisis, the subsequent credit squeeze and fall in house prices, plus a general downturn in business conditions.
The research group's index for current economic conditions also fell to 118.8 in October from a downwardly revised 121.2 in September, while expectations for the next six months slipped to 80.1 in October, from 85 the previous month.
Comments Conference Board director of consumer research Lynn Franco: "Further weakening in business conditions has, yet again, tempered consumers' assessment of current-day conditions and may very well be a prelude to lackluster job growth in the months ahead."
The number of survey respondents calling current economic conditions "good" decreased to 23.4% in October from 25.7% in September, but, strangely, those saying conditions were "bad" also fell, to 16.3% from 17.8%.
The outlook for the labor market was also less than sparkling. The number of consumers anticipating fewer jobs in six months increased to 20.1% from 18.7% in September, while the percentage of consumers expecting more jobs in the months ahead was virtually unchanged at 13.5%.
Declares Yale economist Robert Shiller: "There is really no positive news in today's report. At both the national and metro area levels, the fall in home prices is showing no real signs of a slowdown or turnaround."
The continuing slide in house prices is fuelling recession fears. In response, the Federal Reserve has cut interest rates again in an effort steady the slump and boost consumer spending.
Data sourced from Wall Street Journal Online; additional content by WARC staff


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Newcastle, Maine – EXACT Dispensing Systems announced today that Sam Feng will be joining the company as the new Regional Sales Engineer – South China.
Sam has over 10 years of sales and technical experience in dispensing solutions, adhesive and chemical industries. His previous work experience includes Huangpu Letian Industrial Co., Ltd, Graco China, Guangzhou and Guangdong SK Special Plastic Co., Ltd.
Sam’s new responsibilities and focus will include expanding both Sales and Market Development efforts in South China. “I am pleased have Sam join the team. His expansive and knowledgeable understanding of our industry will be vital as we continue to grow and expand our reach,” stated Douglas Jaeger, General Manager.
Sam will begin his new role at EXACT on May 1st, 2016.


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Chris Saridakis, a Chief Digital Officer from Gannett Company Inc., discusses the social and technical challenges involved when newspapers changes its content onto digital platforms in the Communators program telecasted on MAy 2nd 2008. He explains the future of traditional platforms like newspapers onto the digital medium. He says use of the paper wont end necessarily and would still be an important medium even when are being less consumed. Advertisers want to reach their consumers in any medium and consumers are ready for the transition since most of the consumers are finding informations online.
Newspaper transfer content onto digital platforms


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It seems that some people don’t want Jeff Bezos around anymore, as a satiricial online petition has spread calling for the richest man on Earth to no longer return to our planet.
The call comes after news that the Amazon head will go to space with his brother Mark and one mysery bidder on July 20. The trip will be by way of the New Shepherd spacecraft from Bezos’ rocket company, Blue Origin.
The trio will go 62 miles above the Earth's surface for a quick “flight” above the Kármán Line, an invisible boundary between Earth's atmosphere and space. The flight will also occur 15 days after Bezos officially retires from his 27-year role as the CEO of Amazon.
Meanwhile, the change.org petition aptly named “Petition To Not Allow Jeff Bezos Re-Entry To Earth” calls for the billionaire to be banned from Earth once he leaves its surface.
“Jeff Bezos is actually Lex Luthor, disguised as the supposed owner of a super successful online retail store,” the petition led by one Jose Ortiz ironically reads, “however, he's actually an evil overlord hellbent on global domination.”
As of writing, the petition has garnered over 9,529 signatures, a few hundred shy of its goal of 10,000.
Once any change.org petition reaches its goal, the demand will be brought to a decision-maker or "a person or group with the power and authority to affect the issue at hand." Since the petition is purely for online entertainment, Bezos will still return to Earth safe and sound— whether 10,000 people like it or not.
Banner photo from MANDEL NGAN / AFP


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Now so many upcoming smartphone companies will provide fingerprint scanner on display feature so Samsung also prepares for this feature for an upcoming Samsung Galaxy S10 smartphone. Chines company VIVO already announced of this feature is in next flagship smartphone.
Now The company is planning to plant the new feature in its 10th addition of S series device Galaxy S10 which is speculated to launch in the start of 2019.
The South Korean tech giant tried to install the FOD (Fingerprint on display) in its Galaxy S8 device but due to technical difficulties, failed to compose a successful product.
Meanwhile, Chinese companies already applied FOD technology to their smartphones, mocking Samsung technologies as a failure in new innovation but Samsung has something else in its sleeves.
The ultrasonic FOD, which is being developed by Samsung Electronics, Qualcomm, and Apple, is a method to capture the minute features of the skin surface using ultrasound. Although the parts cost is rather high and the yield is difficult to secure, it is the most stable technology in terms of accuracy and durability.
Unlike Chinese companies, Samsung Electronics intends to develop FOD technology by itself because it is likely that the technology will be utilized not only in smartphones but also in various fields such as home appliances, IOT, and automobiles in the future.
Now all smartphones company use this feature in their upcoming device. so wait and see this feature is common in next year.


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ROGER Dow, President of the US Travel Association, is stepping down from his role after 17 years, but vows that he will remain in the travel industry in an as-yet-unannounced role related to tourism’s workforce challenges.
Dow, whose tenure has seen hugely successful lobbying on a range of issues including the creation and development of Brand USA, America’s national inbound tourism marketing organisation, became the organisation’s chief in 2005.
Repeated tributes during this week’s IPW in Orlando have highlighted his huge contribution, which also saw a special ‘Save Brand USA’ act passed by US Congress during the pandemic, which resulted in US$250 million in additional extraordinary funding to help keep the US on the radar of global travellers.
Dow (pictured) has also been credited with the expansion of the annual IPW trade show, which is estimated to generate as much as US$5.5 billion in additional economic activity – about 10% of which flows to the host city each time the event is held.
The US Travel Association has grown into a powerhouse of influence in Washington DC, tackling industry-wide issues at the highest levels of government including the current impasse on inbound testing and also the deeply flawed US visa application process (TD yesterday).


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A lot more cooperation is needed for national, individually addressed TV ads to grow, even though there’s big demand for it. That was clear from a panel at the Advanced Advertising Summit, where it was said the addressable-ad spend was perhaps $4 billion to $5 billion a year and unlikely to hit $10 billion anytime soon. The 60 million potential addressable homes isn’t likely to be fully saturated at 90 million anytime soon, either.
“We’re just tapping into the surface of it even though we’ve been at it a while,” Tony Yi, executive VP of business development at Cadent, told B+C business editor Jon Lafayette at the summit panel. Yi said “people tend to overcomplicate addressable, especially linear [network] addressable.”
Muhammad Eldereiny, VP/group director, national video/audio investment strategy at RPA, the ad buyer on the panel, said he would steer 100% of advertisers to addressable ads, because they’re effective, but it’s too complicated to get into enough homes to keep clients happy.
“Right now it’s super fragmented” to run addressable campaigns onto different distributors that don’t have the same technology, Eldereiny said. “It takes a long time.” RPA clients are definitely interested, though. “They like it, they just don’t know how to get there and we don’t know how to help them get there. Yet.”
Kent Tseng, VP of product management — advanced advertising at TelevisaUnivision, said being complicated makes going addressable a harder sell than if it was simple to do. “No one wants to be dealing with, ‘oh, this is very hard operationally and creating just a lot of time and operational headaches for us to execute against it.’ The easier we can make it, the better for everybody.”
The panelists were positive overall that addressable ads will reach their potential over time. Or at least growing half its current size in a couple of years if things go right, Yi said.
Bruce Anderson, the CEO and global chief technology officer at Invidi, said there was hope for enough demand by advertisers to push for common solutions among different platforms. Invidi works with DirecTV, Dish Network and Verizon Communications but not with Comcast or Charter Communications, for example. Smart TV makers, and soon enough Roku, have their own platforms, fragmenting things further.
With the caveat that it’s been wrongly predicted in the past, Anderson said, “I really do think we are at the precipice of actually making this be an easily transacted part of the total business model of advertising on TV. I’m looking forward to actually seeing this happen.”
Distributors are the key to making a nationwide buy possible, and those distributors are reluctant to share the data that advertisers need without being sure it’s secure, said Jason Manningham, the co-founder and CEO of Blockgraph, a company aiming at that data protection and backed by Comcast, Charter and Paramount (a big addressable backer). “I think data is the next battleground,” he said.
When it works, addressable ads are not only sent to the right people, they are shown often enough to build recall but not so often they become annoying, said Matthew van Houten, senior VP, product, ad ops systems & services and business development at DirecTV Advertising.
He read some numbers from an addressable campaign DirecTV did in the last quarter for a pharma company trying to reach asthmatic viewers. The addressable ads generated a 27% lift in new-patient signups and a 66% lift in refill rates versus a control group, he said. Addressable campaigns have the highest renewal rate of any at DirecTV, he said.
“When it works it's a beautiful thing,” van Houten said. “More collaboration, that's what we need. We’re going to keep plugging away at that.” He added: “Let’s get to 90 million, let’s do it.” ■
Kent has been a journalist, writer and editor at Multichannel News since 1994 and with Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He is a good point of contact for anything editorial at the publications and for Nexttv.com. Before joining Multichannel News he had been a newspaper reporter with publications including The Washington Times, The Poughkeepsie (N.Y.) Journal and North County News.
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from the chaaaaaarge dept.
According to Tesla's shareholder deck for Q4, which was released on Wednesday, not only was the company profitable, but it exceeded analyst estimates for revenue by over a billion dollars. Not bad when you're over a billion bucks ahead of the game, right?
[...] In the production department, things were similarly rosy. The company reported that it increased overall production of all its vehicles combined by 70% versus Q4 of 2020. Of course, that's not super surprising given what 2020 was like. Interestingly, Model S and Model X production was down 19% year over year, while the Model 3 and Model Y were up by 79%, which shows the brand's continued commitment to its more affordable models.
[...] Tesla also continued to expand its Supercharger network to a total of 3,476 stations with 31,498 plugs. That's a bump of 36% in stations over 2020, which is pretty respectable, especially considering supply chain issues and their effect on everything construction-related.
There's no doubt that Ford is embracing electrification. It was first to market with an electric pickup truck for the US market, and a darn good one at that. It has a solid midsize electric crossover that's becoming more and more common on the road, even if it does still upset the occasional Mustangophile. And there's an electric Transit van for the trades. But its electric vehicle division will lose $3 billion this year as it continues to build new factories and buy raw materials.
The news came in a peek into Ford's financials released this morning. As we reported last year, Ford has split its passenger vehicle operations into two divisions. Electric vehicles fall under Ford Model e, with internal combustion engine-powered Fords (including hybrids and plug-in hybrids) falling under Ford Blue. The move was in large part to placate investors and analysts, no doubt starry-eyed during a time when any EV-related stock was booming.
Tesla Exceeded Revenue Estimates in Q4 2021 by More than $1 Billion (20220127)
Tesla Burns More Cash, Fails to Meet Production Targets (20171102)
Ford Investing $4.5 Billion to Bring Electrification to 40% of Its Vehicles by 2020 (20151214)


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Baking Life: Halloween goodies and costumes galore
Baking Life, a popular bakery ownership game by San Francisco-based ZipZapPlay, has released a number of special Halloween themed items to decorate your bakery, and even a few costumes to decorate yourself with! The game has launched decorations, a couple of recipes, a new gift, and some fun Halloween masks. No scary stuff here - all these items are fun and adorable just like the rest of Baking Life.
For those looking to send a Halloween gift to a friend, the Candy Pumpkins is a special baked good that can only be received from friends. You get to skip the pain of cooking the recipe and go right to the fun part - eating it. The store is full of decorations too, such as the Jack-o-Lantern, the Spooky Witch, and the Spooky Ghost (shown on the right). For recipes, you can make yourself a Graveyard Cake or Halloween Cookies.
Finally, the best part - the Halloween Masks. Baking Life has given players the chance to wear one of several cute masks including a Ghost Blanket, a Pumpkin Head, a PIrate or Ninja Mask, and a Frankenstein.
What do you think of the Halloween items in Baking Life?
Check out the rest of our Halloween 2010 coverage here!


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Matt is the former News Editor for The Next Web. You can follow him on Twitter, subscribe to his updates on Facebook and catch up with him Matt is the former News Editor for The Next Web. You can follow him on Twitter, subscribe to his updates on Facebook and catch up with him on Google+.
Verizon is looking to continue its 100% record with domain arbitration complaints, filing two cases with the World Intellectual Property Organization to claim back domains that are squatting using its company name, VZW brand and Apple’s iPhone trademark.
One case looks to claim the domain name verizoniphone4s.com, which the company doesn’t own but loads the official Verizon website within a frame.
The second covers nine domain names that were registered by an individual in Illinois, which include, among others:
When it comes to cybersquatters, Verizon has won fourteen straight cases by filing complaints under the uniform domain name dispute resolution policy (UDRP), but has been known to take to the courts to contest more high-profile cases.
In January, the US operator sued Parked.com, ICANN accredited registrar Directnic for squatting on more than 600 domain names that conflicted with its trademarks and branding. The lawsuit asks for $100,000 per domain in statutory damages, the transfer of all domain names to Verizon, the disgorgement of all amounts generated from the domains and other damages.
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The Detective Pikachu 3DS game is coming to the west next month, and we’ve got not only a new trailer, but a 3DS demo and theme as well.
With all the bizarre casting news for the 2019 film Detective Pikachu, it can be easy to forget that the game’s coming out on March 23rd! The new trailer (below) shows off more of the case-cracking gameplay, as Detective Pikachu gathers clues and solves puzzles.
At the end of said trailer, we get a reminder of the amiibo launching alongside Detective Pikachu, as well as a couple other new reveals. In North America, some retailers will be giving out codes for a new 3DS theme (you can take a look below, via Serebii) with the game, and everyone will be able to play a demo of Detective Pikachu at the start of March. Progress in the demo will transfer to the full game.
Detective Pikachu was released for 3DS in Japan back in 2016, and has Detective Pikachu teaming up with a human companion in order to solve Pokémon-related mysteries. The western release coincides with the inclusion of a second episode in the game, adding new content; also, it serves as a reminder of the upcoming film, which will be a mix of live-action and CGI and stars Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) as Detective Pikachu.


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The Intercruises Singapore team recently supported Genting Cruise Lines, during its 25th anniversary celebrations in the Port of Singapore.
The festivities took place aboard the Genting Dream and commemorated the maiden voyage of the Langkapuri Star Aquarius, that originally set sail from Singapore 25 years ago. Nearly 500 guests attended the event including government officials, travel agents and business partners. Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry and Education, Chee Hong Tat was also present as the event’s Guest of Honour.
In the last 12 months, Genting Dream has been the only ship on a year-round deployment in Singapore, and has since welcomed over 400,000 passengers onboard. With the majority of its guests flying into the city to board the ship, the port has enjoyed substantial economic benefits (now the busiest port in Asia in terms of international cruise passengers), not only for airlines and airports, but for hotels, shops and tourism, as many visitors tend to stay in the city for a couple of days pre- and post-cruise.
“It was a fantastic experience for the Intercuises Singapore team to be involved with such a big day in Genting history! We assisted in the ushering of VIP guests, state ministers and very high profile people, so it was all very exciting. The whole team did a fantastic job supporting the event, while also spreading that great, Intercruises energy that helped to make the day even more special!”- Sheikh Uthman Mustaffa, Operations Supervisor, Intercruises Singapore


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Stock MarketsAug 21, 2021 11: 05AM ET
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Workers are considered at the constructing dwelling of the Nord Circulation 2 gas pipeline, shut to the metropolis of Kingisepp, Leningrad dwelling, Russia, June 5, 2019. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov/File Photograph
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Moscow pledged retaliatory measures after a brand fresh jam of sanctions imposed by the US on a Russian ship and two firms interested by the Nord Circulation 2 gas pipeline, Russia’s foreign ministry talked about in a observation on Saturday.
The $11 billion mission, that would per chance perhaps double the gift Nord Circulation pipeline true by the Baltic Sea and allow Russia to circumvent Ukraine when piping gas to Europe, has been a focal point of tensions between Moscow and Washington.
Washington imposed the sanctions on Friday on a ship, its proprietor and a constructing firm, but opponents of the mission talked about the measures were insufficient to terminate it.
The United States and Britain additionally imposed sanctions on Friday on men they talked about were Russian intelligence operatives to blame for the poisoning one year previously of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
“We glance for such adversarial actions by the Biden administration as dictated by a lack of political will and an unwillingness to luxuriate in U.S.-Russian members of the family on a partnership foundation,” Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for Russia’s International Ministry, became quoted as pronouncing in the observation.
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In a film style ATM robbery, 20 people lost about Rs 4.5 lakhs in Thiruvananthapuram. The racket was busted after many people filed a complaint with the police, following messages they had received on their phone intimating them about transactions, which they had not carried out. Media reports state that most customers lost their money on Monday around 1pm.
Kerala police suspect three foreigners are allegedly involved in one of the biggest ATM frauds in Kerala, where 20 people lost about Rs 4.5 lakhs in Thiruvananthapuram. The money was reportedly withdrawn from ATMs in Mumbai and Delhi. An SIT team on Tuesday left for Mumbai to carry out further investigations.
The state’s Special Investigation Team has obtained CCTV video from the SBI ATM at Althara Junction near Vellayambalam, where all the fraudulent transactions were carried out. The video shows three people attaching an electronic device at the ATM counter, enabling the fraudsters to collect the PIN code and card details.
The device that was fixed above the ATM machine, had a micro camera and another device was placed in the card slot of the machine. According to the police, the micro camera might have helped in getting the ATM PINs.
The three suspects in the case
"We have started proper investigation. As per our understanding, they were here for the last 10 days. We assume they have not got any local support. Our request to the public is to change their pin numbers at the earliest. As of now we have found the device only from this particular ATM. Between June 30 and July 10, they have visited the ATM. We have also intimated CBI, Interpol and other national agencies regarding this," Inspector General Manoj K Abraham, who heads the SIT told TNM.
SBI has promised to refund customers whose money was stolen.
Media reports suggest that the fraudsters stole data using a skimming device.
This is one of the biggest ATM heists that the state has witnessed and the modus operandi followed is eerily similar to a 2009 Malayalam movie Robinhood starring Prithviraj.
So what is skimming?
Designed to look like a legitimate card slot, Chronicle Live states that the skimming device copies the magnetic strip details from your card. But the fraudsters still need your ATM PIN code. In this case, Kerala police found that a micro camera had been placed which helped them obtain the secret code. Once fraudsters have your card details, they make a clone of the card and proceed to empty your bank account.


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Alrosa sales of rough and polished diamonds in Q1 2021 increased 28% year-on-year to $1.15 billion compared with $904.2 million in Q1 last year. The company recorded $1.126 billion of rough diamond sales (+28%) and $33 million of polished (+43%) in the quarter.
Evgeny Agureev, Deputy CEO of Alrosa, said, “Jewellery sales results at key markets, including USA and China, indicate a persistently high demand from end-consumers. Alrosa retains its commitment to a prudent sales strategy, aimed at keeping the industry balance through supplying real demand.”
Alrosa’s rough and polished sales in March 2021 rose 134% to $357 million versus a year ago, including proceeds from rough diamond sales of $345 million (+132%), and polished diamond sales of $12 million (+193%).
“March sales were in line with our expectations. As we see the market today, polished diamonds stocks in the global pipeline are at a comfortable level, while rough diamonds stocks are approaching low levels,” Agureev added.


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LLamasoft Growth Continues with Upcoming Recruiting Activities
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (April 8, 2015). LLamasoft, the global leader in supply chain design software, continues its exponential growth with today’s announcement of three upcoming events to draw the best talent in the supply chain industry.
On Thursday, April 9, LLamasoft will host Global Detroit, an organization that works with the immigrant population in southeast Michigan to generate jobs and stimulate the local economy, at LLamasoft headquarters. The event will focus on the April 1 deadline that closed the 2015-2016 application period for H1-B visas. LLamasoft is proud to hire the best and brightest minds in the STEM fields from all over the world to drive innovation in the supply chain design and logistics industry.
Also on April 9, LLamasoft will be speaking with prospective employees at the Ann Arbor SPARK A-2 Tech Connect Job Fair from 4-7 p.m. at the Kensington Court Hotel in Ann Arbor. The LLamasoft recruiting team will be on-site to answer questions and share information about the wealth of open opportunities.
LLamasoft will also be hosting a Recruiting Mixer from 4-7 p.m. Wednesday, April 15 at LLamasoft headquarters, at 201 South Main Street on the basement level. Attendees will have the opportunity to network and chat with members from all LLamasoft departments including customer support, supply chain consulting, development, finance, applied research, marketing, product management, sales and more.
LLamasoft has experienced significant growth in the past several years, including being named as the 139th fastest growing company in North America according to the Deloitte Fast 500 for 2014. With LLamasoft’s global presence and the opening of a new Atlanta office, LLamasoft is seeking to fill various roles in multiple locations. To learn more about career opportunities with LLamasoft visit LLamasoft Careers.Media Contact
734-418-3119 ext 1400


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Kink.com owner Peter Acworth
By Steven T. Jones
The San Francisco Chronicle today reports (way back on its Business page) on how the recession/depression and free Internet porn sites (which often steal content from paid sites) are hurting the porn industry, which will in turn hurt San Francisco's economy.
Among the revelations is that homegrown success story Kink.com last month laid off 13 employees and scuttled plans for some new sites after a major expansion at its San Francisco Armory headquarters just last year.
Just like the newspaper and music businesses, the porn industry will need to find ways to continue to monetize its content. Maybe the bankers aren't the only industry that could use a government fluffer these days.
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SEMA Members Report $52.68 Million in Export Sales
SEMA members that have taken advantage of a 2011 Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP) grant of $500,000 awarded to SEMA have reported $52.68 million in export sales. The funds provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce through this program have helped support projects aimed at increasing U.S. exports to key markets overseas.
The grant received by the association is passed along to members to defray the cost of participating in the SEMA Middle East, China or Russia Business Development Programs and to transport vehicles popularly accessorized globally but not sold in the United States. Members are provided access to these vehicles throughout the year to help create or adapt products to sell in countries outside the United States.
SEMA was recently awarded an additional MDCP grant of $300,000 to provide further assistance to members in selling to the Middle East, China and Russia.
For more information, contact Linda Spencer at email@example.com.


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Is Thailand ready for ‘The White Lotus effect’ and all it brings?
Films and TV shows are increasingly becoming travel inspiration. Photo: TND/Getty/HBO/Binge
Slumping in front of the TV after a stressful day’s work, it’s hard not to wish you were frolicking on a beach or exploring an exotic city like the actors on screen.
That’s about as far as many of us take it, but increasing numbers of travellers are making that dream a reality.
Although the term ‘set-jetting’ is relatively new, the trend of visiting filming locations of movies or TV shows is not.
David Beirman, adjunct fellow in tourism at the University of Technology Sydney, says the phenomenon dates back as far as the 1950s.
Films such as the Audrey Hepburn-led Roman Holiday (1953) drove up interest in Rome, while Sophia Loren’s Boy on a Dolphin (1957) inspired holidays on the Greek island of Hydra. Both continue to have an influence on tourism today.
‘‘Movies and tourism are like peas in a pod,’’ says Beirman. He experienced it firsthand surrounding the release of Mamma Mia in 2008, while working in his previous role at the Greece and Mediterranean Travel Centre.
‘‘The movie was an absolute smash hit, and the destinations featured in it – particularly the island of Skopelos, which most people had never heard of – became a really popular destination.
‘‘Our company at the time, and many of our competitors, were running Mamma Mia tours – and still do.’’
Accelerating the set-jetting trend
It may have begun as a niche source of inspiration, but set-jetting has clearly hit the mainstream.
Last year, American Express reported 64 per cent of travellers said they made travel plans or were inspired to visit a specific country or destination after it was featured on a TV show, news source or a film.
Finder travel expert Angus Kidman says the trend has been spurred on by the rise of streaming platforms.
‘‘Before, a show might be popular overseas, but you could wait six months for it to come out in Australia,’’ he says.
‘‘Suddenly, everyone in the world is seeing the same releases at the same time, and the interest starts immediately.’’
What makes the trend more visible today than it was back in the 1950s is the fact our holiday snaps are now shared with a global audience on social media.
Kidman calls it the ‘‘show-off element’’.
‘‘You know that if you go and say, ‘I stood in front of this thing from The White Lotus’, you can hashtag your image, and other people are going to notice.’’
Boasting about film or TV-inspired travel exploits online keeps the cycle going, promoting the destination and the production afresh.
The White Lotus effect
The first season of The White Lotus generated a 425 per cent year-on-year web traffic increase for the Hawaii filming location, Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea.
Likewise, season two resulted in a surge of interest in Sicily, particularly the small town of Taormina, with hotel rooms booked solid for months on end.
The White Lotus equals murder, mystery and fantastic views. Photo: HBO/Binge
All things considered, it’s unsurprising Thailand fought hard to be the setting for the third season of The White Lotus, along with other productions, by introducing a 30 per cent rebate, which could amount to millions of dollars in savings for production companies.
The efforts paid off. What’s more, The White Lotus 3 is set to explore a wider range of locations around Thailand than we’ve seen previously in the series.
The majority of the first two seasons were shot at Four Seasons properties in Hawaii and Sicily.
Although Bloomberg reports that season three will follow that pattern, filming at Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui, viewers will also be treated to episodes shot at Phuket’s Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas, and a yet-to-be-revealed Bangkok hotel.
The production is forecast to provide a boost to tourism in Thailand, which is still recovering from the pandemic, injecting millions into the economy, and creating job opportunities.
Longer term, the ‘White Lotus effect’ could be a game changer in terms of shining a global spotlight on Thailand’s diverse and breathtaking beauty.
Netflix series Wednesday was filmed at Cantacuzino Castle, Romania. Photo: Instagram/@steppingthroughfilm
For anyone keen to visit somewhere they have seen on screen, one of the biggest decisions, according to Kidman, is whether to go independently or as part of an organised tour.
Both options have pros and cons, but he said urban destinations were more likely to suit the solo traveller, while more remote locations could be best suited for tour groups.
‘‘The organised tour might get you into locations that you couldn’t get to otherwise; you might get access to that private resort or that castle or that thing that you wouldn’t be able to manage on your own,’’ Kidman says.
‘‘On the other hand, if they’re just taking you around a city … you can probably work that out yourself.’’


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Golf Mk VI
Golf Mk VI
Few cars have a history like that of the Volkswagen Golf, yet with global sales now topping 26 million, and in its sixth generation, the latest Golf continues to offer buyers a car which sets benchmarks in quality, style, safety and refinement. Styling of the sixth generation Golf represents...Click here to view full press kit
forty years young: volkswagen golf stands the test of time
Volkswagen is celebrating the 40th birthday of the most successful European car of all time: the Golf. More than 30 million vehicles of the best-seller have been sold and from the first to the seventh generation, the Golf has been a pioneer of technological progress.
new golf: 'all the car you'll ever need' says topgear magazine
The new Volkswagen Golf has claimed its first award ' the inaugural and prestigious accolade of 'All the car you'll ever need Car of the Year' in the TopGear Magazine Awards 2012 ' a month before it is even on sale in the UK.
volkswagen kicks off uk golf advertising with tv interactive first
Volkswagen is kicking off its launch advertising for the seventh-generation Golf with a media-first TV event during ITV's The X-Factor semi-final live show tomorrow, Saturday 1st December.


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Editor’s note: Among his many careers, Curt Madison has been a sailing instructor in Hawaii, a documentary filmmaker and boat builder in Alaska and university professor in Maine. He moved to Ecuador in 2014 and planted his first coffee trees at Finca Alaska Sur in La Papaya, Loja Province, in 2017.
By Curt Madison
Ecuadorian coffee selling for $97 a pound? Yes, that just happened at the auction completing the competition of La Taza de Excelencia Ecuador 2021, or Cup of Excellence Ecuador 2021.
The Cup of Excellence, is internationally known as the most important contest for coffee producers. It has been held in most of the world’s top coffee producing countries beginning 21 years ago in Brazil.
This is the first year the competition was held for producers in Ecuador and I was one of the competitors.
Ecuador is no stranger to coffee production. It has been grown here for more than 100 years with varying degrees of success. The climate is perfect, but disease and economics have forced many producers to change to other crops. Now, with the advent of third wave specialty coffees, tens of thousands of small producers are planting an acre or two and occasionally turning a profit.
The Cup of Excellence kicked off publicly in May of this year. Some 100 producers entered with their samples for judging in August. Forty-three of the 100 entries passed the first tasting stage and submitted 600 pounds of coffee to the contest warehouse in Quito. The 43 was reduced to 29 in a second round of cupping — the tasting technique used by coffee judges — then sorted into National Winners, International Winners, Top 10 and Presidential Circle after three more rounds of cupping.
The final cupping sent samples to judges in eight coffee research centers in Germany, Norway, South Korea, Japan, China, United States, Taiwan and Ecuador for final scoring. The top three coffees, all from Loja Province, scored over 90 points, considered the elite level internationally. For the record, I came in third with a score of 90.07. The first place winner was my La Papaya neighbor Abel Salinas — it was his coffee that sold for $97.10 a pound. Second place went to Loja grower Pablo Eguiguren.
Almost all specialty coffee grown in Ecuador historically has been exported, leaving little to be had locally. Part of the reason is the cost and part is the general taste preferences of local consumers. This year marks a significant shift and I believe we are at a turning point for coffee producers in Ecuador.
Farmer and exporter José Luis Eguiguren, Pablo Eguiguren’s cousin, puts it like this: “A couple years ago in a coffee auction the top-ranked Ecuadorian coffee would sell for $25 to $30 a pound. Last year it reached $70. This year it crossed $100. It is definitely increasing year after year and I believe this tendency will continue for the next years.”
Coffee sold at or near $100 a pound before it is even roasted will probably always be exported. Mine is going to Boston, London, and Australia this year. But that is only a small percentage of the coffee produced on any given farm in Ecuador. The bulk of the high quality coffee will now be available locally for less than $20 a pound.
For more information about the Taza de Excelencia competition and coffee production in Ecuador, check the following links:
Inaugural Ecuador Cup of Excellence Auction Results in Record-Breaking Price
Asociación de Cafes Especiales de Ecuador
May 18 Taza de Excelencia compeition
Sept 24 Taza de Excelencia competition
All videos on Facebook, July – November
One minute videos with the 29 fincas over 86 points


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Group’s R&D investment to focus on launching more hybrid models
Hyundai Motor Group has set a record-high budget with its 2012 investment in two major sectors ― facilities and research & development.
The automotive group said Thursday that its investment target for next year comes to 14.1 trillion won ($12.3 billion), up 15.6 percent from its 2011 investment.
Of the 14.1 trillion won investment, 5.1 trillion won will be used for the R&D sector and the remaining 9 trillion won will be allocated to facilities development, the group said in a statement.
Its investment in the R&D sector will mostly be focused on development of futuristic cars, such as eco-friendly hybrids and electric vehicles.
In particular, more than 80 percent will be invested at home under its business policy to boost the domestic demand.
In addition, Hyundai Motor Group plans to create about 7,500 jobs next year. It will hire 6,500 employees and select 1,000 internship workers among college students.
Chairman Chung Mong-koo
Hyundai spokespeople stress that development of eco-friendly cars will be the group’s core investment target.
Following the sales of the Sonata hybrid and the K5 hybrid in 2011, the group is aiming to launch a variety of hybrid models next year.
The group plans to carry out role-sharing between Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia Motors in developing eco-friendly cars.
Hyundai Motor will take on developing models of “plug-in hybrids,” which utilize rechargeable batteries, and hydrogen-powered “fuel cell vehicles.”
Kia Motors will mainly focus on “electric drive vehicles” which use electric motors or traction motors for propulsion.
While Hyundai and Kia have joined the growing market for hybrid electric vehicles later than rivals, the hybrid Sonata of Hyundai and K5 Kia come with significant improvements to existing hybrid automobiles to give them an edge in the market.
While Hyundai-Kia had introduced hybrid electric vehicles based on the compact cars Avante and Forte with liquefied natural gas-electric powertrain, the hybrid Sonata and K5 are their first gasoline-electric hybrids.
According to group spokesmen, the electric motor fitted in the two hybrid models is 18 percent smaller and 30 percent lighter than those used in hybrid electric vehicles from rival carmakers.
Under the chairman’s instruction, Hyundai Motor has the goal of overtaking Toyota Motor in sales of hybrid sedans in the U.S. The Sonata hybrid has ranked second following the Japanese carmaker’s Prius hybrid.
A noteworthy point is that the newcomer Sonata hybrid outpaced other hybrid models, such as Toyota’s Camry, Honda’s Insight, Honda’s CR-Z and Ford Motor’s Fusion, in sales growth.
By Kim Yon-se (email@example.com


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In a move to handle the overwhelming number of customer complaint phone calls, Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) is set to use a artificial intelligence-powered system in its helplines.
BESCOM, which supplies power to eight districts in Karnataka, receives over 9,000 complaints every day.
According to a national daily, BESCOM is reportedly collaborating with the Medical Intelligence and Language Engineering (or MILE) Lab at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) to create an AI-powered complaint response system. This technology can reportedly cater to 500 calls at a time, as compared to the human capacity of 60.
AG Ramakrishnan, the head of IISc’s MILE, told the newspaper, “We will have a technology where when someone calls in the machine will take over and the machine will recognise whatever the speaker says whether it is in Kannada or English. It will understand the complaint — whether it is with regard to a bill or power outage or concession for solar energy — and find an answer from the server. It will then synthesise the answer again to text and convert to speech. It will not only speed up the service but the public utility will be able to service thousands of customers parallelly. In the system what we have proposed there will be 250 customers talking and another 250 customers waiting.”
BESCOM and IISc have been working together since September 2019 on creating an artificial intelligence-powered voice bot to attend customer calls.
BESCOM in August had announced its intention to sign an MoU with the IISc and IIM-B to enable knowledge sharing and capacity building.
A BESCOM official said in September, “IISc has been working for many years on machine learning and natural language processing and we are using their expertise and knowledge to design a voice robot, which will be capable of answering some basic queries of the consumers in Kannada and English. The voice bot, which will be powered by AI, will have the capability to register complaints of consumers and direct them to the right departments for further queries… The induction of the voice bot into Bescom’s customer care system is expected to fasten the process of logging and redressal of complaints.”
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Prajakta is a Writer/Editor/Social Media diva. Lover of all that is 'quaint', her favourite things include dogs, Starbucks, butter popcorn, Jane Austen novels and neo-noir films. She has previously worked for HuffPost, CNN IBN, The Indian Express and Bose.


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With Black Friday just a little over a week away, ads for the major shopping day have started to hit the Web. Verizon Wireless' Black Friday ad was just the latest to leak.
The folks over at BlackFriday.com on Monday published Verizon's ad, showing free offers on the Motorola Razr HD and the Verizon Ellipsis 7-inch slate. Both offers require a two-year contract and are available only on Black Friday, November 29, according to the ad. Several of the deals shown in the ad will be available for the entire Black Friday weekend.
Motorola seems to be getting … Read more


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The most recent,innovative,creative games,videos,tutorials,tips,game-play,and recent news about all the hottest games of the year! Free Magazine updated every week and info on gaming industry news on PlayStation 3,PS Vita and PlayStation 4!
Who would have thought that Sony's PS4 console would be something to worry about. With Microsoft and the Xbox One having shot themselve...
Monday, September 22, 2014
PlayStation Now Comes To PS3
The PlayStation Now open beta is no longer exclusive to the PlayStation 4. Sony announced today that a trial period for the streaming service is available starting today on PlayStation 3 in the United States and Canada.
"We are still in the early days of PS Now, but it's been great to hear from users that have been pleased with the service's performance," Koller says. "We want to thank everyone who has tried out PS Now and encourage everyone to check it out."
Koller explains that Sony is always listening to feedback about PS Now on PS3 and PS4 in an effort to "refine the service." PS Now is also coming to PlayStation Vita and some Bravia TV sets, though it's unclear when the service will roll out for those platforms.


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Summer's here and it's time to hit the beach! How you pack is going to determine how much waste you create so it's best when you choose to reuse. 'Pack In Pack Out' is a mantra seemingly lost in today's age and beach cleanups often collect lots of single-use/disposable and/or recyclable items left behind by beachgoers, especially in this peak season. That’s why Food & Water Watch and the Surfrider Foundation today launched an initiative to protect our shores and oceans from plastic pollution. Those participating will pledge to choose tap water in reusable containers over bottled water at this beach this summer.
“From destructive fishing practices to global warming, our planet’s oceans are in trouble, and turning them into giant trashcans for the bottled water industry’s waste is only exacerbating the problem,” said Food & Water Watch executive director Wenonah Hauter. “But consumers can help protect our oceans by not littering the shores, and one easy way to do that is to choose tap water over bottled, particularly when they’re hitting the beach. Click Here to pledge to 'Take Back The Tap' and Click Here to pledge to 'Rise Above Plastics'.
Worldwide, plastic is the most common type of marine litter, according to the Surfrider Foundation. An estimated 100,000 marine mammals and up to 1 million sea birds die every year after ingesting or becoming entangled in plastic marine litter. Plastics comprise up to 90 percent of floating marine debris. “From coast to coast, Local Surfrider Foundation chapters find discarded water bottles at virtually every beach cleanup they host. People can help solve the problem by utilizing reusable bottles,” added Bill Hickman, Rise Above Plastics Coordinator for the Surfrider Foundation.
About 77 percent of PET plastic water bottles are not recycled, with 4 billion pounds of plastic going to landfills, costing municipalities at least $98 million a year, according to research released today by Food & Water Watch. Take Back the Tap: Bottled Water Wastes Resources and Money also found that although Nestlé Water’s total bottled water sales fell by 31 percent between 2007 and 2012, bottled water still continues to pose significant environmental, economic and equity issues in the United States and worldwide. In that time, Nestlé Water’s sales increased by 73 percent in emerging markets. This is due in part to the fact that its latest marketing schemes target recent immigrants and low-income consumers.
But contrary to the industry’s advertising claims, bottled water is not necessarily a purer, safer or healthier alternative to tap water, and is actually subject to less stringent regulation. Federal law does not give the FDA the authority to oversee state regulation of bottled water, but requires that the EPA oversee state regulation of tap water. Unlike the FDA, the EPA regulates tap water under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
The FDA only requires testing for bottled water sold across state lines, which excludes the 60 to 70 percent of bottled water sold within a single state. For the 30 to 40 percent it does regulate, it only requires bottlers to test their source once a week for microbiological contaminants, once a year for chemical contaminants and once every four years for radiological contaminants.
Rather than funding the disposal of bottled water waste, Food & Water Watch recommends that the federal government invest in improving public water infrastructure. “While ditching bottled water will help clean up our oceans and save consumers money, our nation’s drinking water systems are still woefully underfunded. Congress should declare water a universal human right, and it should establish a Clean Water Trust Fund to provide steady, dedicated funding for community water systems so consumers can enjoy safe, clean affordable water from the ever-convenient tap,” concluded Hauter. Surfrider would also like to see more state legislatures to enact bottle recycling bills to help fight plastic bottle litter.


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Artificial intelligence is having a major impact on society and the economy, putting the efforts by legislators and regulators to introduce rules on how to govern this new technology in the spotlight. The publishing and news media sector has a strong interest in the development and deployment of AI technologies, as it offers opportunities to digital publishers to further innovate and make use of new tools, but it also raises questions on the fitness of the existing regulatory framework, including copyright.
Do not regulate hastily
As negotiations on the Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) are entering their final phase in Brussels, EIMP is concerned to see new provisions relating to copyright and AI are suddenly being tabled.
Our key message to regulators working on the AI Act, and to policymakers more broadly, is: do not regulate AI and copyright hastily. The AI Act is in essence a product safety regulation, and is therefore not the right legal instrument to capture all the critical aspects copyright law entails, which require careful consideration.
Follow the Commission’s Better Regulation guidelines
We understand and share the idea to consider reviewing and possibly updating copyright rules in light of the deployment of various AI applications, not least generative AI.
However, the complexities around the interaction between AI applications and existing copyright rules warrant a thorough and proper analysis prior to any kind of legislative proposal or review. This means following the Commission’s Better Regulation guidelines, including preparing an impact assessment, running a public consultation, and taking the time to ensure all stakeholders that could be affected by possible new rules are given a chance to be heard.
Suddenly including provisions relating to copyright in the ongoing AI Act negotiations goes against this principle, especially as there were no such provisions included in the original proposal by the Commission (in April 2021) or the negotiating positions of the Council of the EU or of the European Parliament.
We therefore call on policymakers to refrain from any hasty review of copyright rules within other legislative proposals, including in the AI Act.
Only a thoroughly assessed, targeted review of copyright rules in relation to new technologies, such as AI, can ensure that new rules provide all actors in the publishing and news media ecosystem the legal certainty and clarity necessary to operate and grow. Especially for SMEs and newer digital publishers, such as are EIMP members, this is of pivotal importance.
The European Independent Media Publishers association – EIMP, is a pan-European association consisting of national associations of media publishers and individual publishers that are active in the sector of media publishing in Europe. EIMP represents innovative, independent, local and regional outlets that rely on online channels to grow and reach audiences, and promotes media pluralism and an ecosystem that fosters growth for small, independent and innovative (digital-native) media publishers. EIMP was established in 2015 when the European Commission launched its copyright reform, in order to take part in the debate and ensure the new rules support our members. EIMP represents over 1000 media outlets across Europe. Contact: firstname.lastname@example.org


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$999.17 Million in Sales Expected for Terex Co. (TEX) This Quarter
Equities analysts forecast that Terex Co. (NYSE:TEX) will announce sales of $999.17 million for the current fiscal quarter, according to Zacks Investment Research. Nine analysts have issued estimates for Terex’s earnings, with the highest sales estimate coming in at $1.04 billion and the lowest estimate coming in at $990.50 million. Terex reported sales of $974.70 million during the same quarter last year, which indicates a positive year-over-year growth rate of 2.5%. The firm is scheduled to announce its next quarterly earnings report on Tuesday, February 20th.
According to Zacks, analysts expect that Terex will report full-year sales of $999.17 million for the current fiscal year, with estimates ranging from $4.29 billion to $4.34 billion. For the next financial year, analysts expect that the company will post sales of $4.58 billion per share, with estimates ranging from $4.50 billion to $4.69 billion. Zacks Investment Research’s sales averages are a mean average based on a survey of sell-side analysts that follow Terex.
Terex (NYSE:TEX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.14. Terex had a negative net margin of 2.62% and a positive return on equity of 7.01%. The firm had revenue of $1.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.19 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year.
Terex (NYSE TEX) traded up $0.47 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $48.51. 530,932 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,428,396. Terex has a 1-year low of $28.67 and a 1-year high of $48.86. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The firm has a market cap of $4,040.16, a price-to-earnings ratio of -56.41, a PEG ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 1.88.
Terex declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, September 6th that permits the company to repurchase $225.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the industrial products company to buy up to 6.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 9th were issued a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 8th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.66%. Terex’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -37.21%.
In related news, VP Eric I. Cohen sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.00, for a total value of $450,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 195,980 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,819,100. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Mark I. Clair sold 3,014 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.53, for a total value of $137,227.42. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have acquired a total of 1,111 shares of company stock valued at $50,693 in the last three months. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.
A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of TEX. Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in shares of Terex by 19.5% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 3,800 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $142,000 after buying an additional 619 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Terex by 450.2% in the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,446 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $200,000 after purchasing an additional 3,638 shares during the last quarter. Invictus RG lifted its stake in shares of Terex by 95.4% in the 3rd quarter. Invictus RG now owns 4,618 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $208,000 after purchasing an additional 2,255 shares during the last quarter. Clear Perspective Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Terex in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $198,000. Finally, CIBC World Markets Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Terex in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $210,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.86% of the company’s stock.
COPYRIGHT VIOLATION NOTICE: “$999.17 Million in Sales Expected for Terex Co. (TEX) This Quarter” was originally published by The Cerbat Gem and is owned by of The Cerbat Gem. If you are reading this article on another site, it was copied illegally and republished in violation of US and international copyright & trademark laws. The correct version of this article can be read at https://www.thecerbatgem.com/2017/12/25/999-17-million-in-sales-expected-for-terex-co-tex-this-quarter.html.
Terex Company Profile
Terex Corporation is a manufacturer of lifting and material processing products and services that deliver lifecycle solutions. The Company has three business segments: Aerial Work Platforms (AWP), Cranes and Materials Processing (MP). It delivers lifecycle solutions to a range of industries, including the construction, infrastructure, manufacturing, shipping, utility, quarrying and mining industries.
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Harley-Davidson’s 4Q17 earnings
US-based heavyweight motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson (HOG) released its 4Q17 earnings on January 30, 2018. In the quarter, the company saw adjusted EPS (earnings per share) of $0.47, ~74.1% higher than its adjusted EPS of $0.27 in 4Q16 and slightly better than Wall Street analysts’ 4Q17 estimate of $0.45.
The day of Harley-Davidson’s 4Q17 earnings release, its stock fell ~8% to close at $50.84. Up until January 30, Harley stock did not see any major changes, while the S&P 500 (SPY) (SPX-INDEX) rose 5.6%. In comparison, auto companies General Motors (GM), Ferrari (RACE), and Tesla (TSLA) rose 4.2%, 12.6%, and 11.1%, respectively.
Key negative factors
While Harley-Davidson’s adjusted earnings improved YoY (year-over-year), its adjusted EPS fell to $0.05 due to one-time tax and recall-related charges.
Despite the company’s 4Q17 revenue growing, a 9.6% YoY drop in global retail motorcycle sales added pessimism. Moreover, Harley’s management expects 2018 US sales to remain weak. The company now plans to focus on driving its international market sales up in 2018 to generate growth.
In 4Q17, HOG’s touring and street motorcycle shipments fell 1.3% and 5.3% YoY, respectively, while its cruiser motorcycle shipments rose 6.6% YoY. In the next article, we’ll look at what analysts are recommending for Harley-Davidson stock after its 4Q17 earnings release.


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MANILA – Hawkers from around the world will gather in Manila in April for the World Street Food Congress, which will be held outside Singapore for the first time since it started in 2013.
This was announced on Saturday at a 15-hour food crawl which brought local and international media on a food trip to Pampanga, Binondo and the Bonifacio Global City, where the World Street Food Congress 2016 will be staged from April 20-24.
“You all may have heard that in 2015, CNN named the Philippines the second-best culinary destination in the world. It has a dynamic food heritage inherited from its native flavors and the many world culinary concepts. Filipinos have travelled wide and far and are very receptive of international flavors. It is very appropriate that they bring this world culture of flavors home for all the attendant opportunities it can promise,” the organizers said in a statement.
Singapore celebrity K.F. Seetoh, the founder of the popular food guide Makansutra, credited the vision of the Department of Tourism and the Ayala Malls for making the event happen.
“They were the ones who went to WSFC last year and said, ‘Let’s bring this to the Philippines.’ It’s been a year in the making and today, we are here and it’s finally happening,” he said at the press conference at the Diamond Hotel.
Some 24 top hawkers from Indonesia, China, India, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, South Africa and the US have confirmed their participation at the World Street Food Jamboree, which Seetoh described as an “international food party.”
“They are like the three-Michelin-star version of hawkers. It’s a huge feasting festival. There’s drinking, there’s music. You just go there and eat, get drunk and dance,” he said, adding that they expect 100,000 foodies to join the festivities.
Seetoh also promised that foodies can expect to try “street food dishes never before seen in the Philippines.”
Some of the participating international hawkers are Jin Ji Kway Chap, Alhambra Padang Satay Stall and Keng Eng Kee Seafood from Singapore; Banh Can 38 from Vietnam; Taliwang Bersaudara and Martabak Markobar from Indonesia; and Churros Locos from Portland, Oregon, which is known for its Churros Sundae.
The Jamboree is just one component of the WSFC 2016. The event also includes a two-day Dialogue with the theme “Comforting Flavors of Home” and will include presentations on the future of street food and panel discussions with street food hawkers who will share their experience and insights for those who are interested in the food business.
Among the speakers and presenters are “MasterChef Asia” winner Woo Wai Leong, Bourdain Market creator Stephen Wether, former director of Singapore’s Hawkers Department Richard Tan and Indonesian culinary ambassador William Wongso, who did a short cooking demonstration at Saturday’s press conference.
Seetoh also teased that plans to open an international hawker center in Manila will be announced at the event.
The last component of the event is the World Street Food Awards, which recognizes the best players and professionals in the field. Among the categories are Best Street Food City, Best Writer/Commentator/Blogger and the Best 20 Street Food Masters.
The WSFC 2016 is among the major events planned for the celebration of Philippine Food Month in April.
“Together with the other events Madrid Fusion Manila and Flavors of the Philippines, the WSFC is a key event to showcase the culinary heritage of the Philippines,” said Karem Miranda, officer in charge at the MICE Department of the Tourism Promotions Board.


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Calling it the “biggest wireless offer in U.S. history,” Sprint has introduced a promotion to woo competitors’ customers by offering 50% off the prices of their current wireless phone bills.
The new promotion, which will launch this week, enables most customers of AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile to lock into two-year contracts at half of what they currently pay (according to rate cards available from Sprint), and will also pay the customers’ early termination fees. Moreover, switchers will be given a 28-day trial period to test the company’s network and service, and cancel without penalty if they find it lacking.
“We want to do something to persuade people to give us a chance,” Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure said during a teleconference with reporters on Wednesday. “There’s a lot of skepticism about our network, and the only way to convince them [of its strength] is to give it a try.”
Claure differentiated the current promotion (which will run through Jan. 7) from last year’s “Cut Your Bill in Half” effort by noting the addition of T-Mobile (last year’s promo only applied to Verizon and AT&T) and its simplicity.
“The ‘Cut Your Rate Plan’ was good, but it was difficult because we had to evaluate thousands and thousands of bills,” Claure said. The new plan is so easy “even a 7-year-old kid could explain how it works,” he said.
Claure was referring to a video released by the company that features an animated child (known internally as “Fox”) explaining the plan. “I am not kidding guys. This is big,” the kid says. “No tricks. No gimmicks.” The company will employ a full mix of media to promote the offer throughout the holiday season.
“This is all we’re going to advertise,” Claure said. “We’re going to let everyone know and my job is to let every American customer of AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile know that the plans are available.”
Marketing for the new plan will contain familiar “Sprint World” elements, such as the company’s signature yellow and white colors, to be easily identifiable during the busy holiday season, says Kevin Crull, Sprint’s chief marketing officer.
“You should be able to tell within three seconds that it’s [our ad],” Crull tells Marketing Daily. “We hope we’ve created a graphical platform that is immediately identifiable as Sprint.”
The campaign will also include a heavy social presence, using outtakes from the upcoming television commercial, and short clips perhaps featuring the animated boy character, Crull says.
“You have to stir up social, and secondly — and perhaps more importantly, you have to listen to social and amplify [that],” Crull says. “Within minutes of [hearing] chatter we need to amplify in social, we will do that.”
Meanwhile, current Sprint customers will be eligible to receive a free tablet (and one year of service) if they sign a new two-year contract. The perk is designed to reward loyal customers during the holiday season, Claure said.
“It’s a giving time of year, and we hope to have a lot of happy customers,” he said.


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US ‘quietly’ pressing firms to buy Russian fertilizer – Bloomberg
US officials are “quietly” urging agricultural firms to boost Russian fertilizer imports amid growing shortages and a looming international food crisis, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing unnamed sources familiar with the discussions.
Companies fearful of US sanctions had apparently all but ceased purchases, despite loopholes built into the penalties.
The US and most EU countries have imposed tough trade restrictions on Moscow since its attack on Ukraine in late February, and are now facing a dilemma as shipping firms seek to avoid carrying Russian fertilizer. The penalties make exemptions for the product – of which Moscow is a key global exporter – but companies have nonetheless been reluctant to buy, helping to drive a 24% drop in Russian fertilizer sales this year.
The conflict in Ukraine has exacerbated food shortages around the globe, as both Russia and its neighbor account for a large portion of worldwide grain exports, and this has driven prices to record highs.
Though Washington has blamed Moscow for the crisis, accusing it of barring Ukrainian grain from world markets, the Kremlin says Western sanctions are largely responsible for the price spikes and shortages of staple goods. Russian officials have also criticized Kiev for its reluctance to remove naval mines from some of its ports, citing that as another factor behind the shortfall. Ukraine, however, insists the weapons are needed to defend against Russian attacks.
Russia has called on the US to offer additional assurances to firms looking to buy fertilizer, hoping to encourage companies wary of the sanctions. Talks on the matter are moving “slowly,” according to Bloomberg, but American officials have nonetheless approached some firms about the purchases.
The United States and Germany are also aiming to boost exports of Ukrainian produce by rail in the coming months, despite the logistical challenges caused by the conflict.
“We’re looking at a substantial shortfall,” James O’Brien, who leads the US State Department’s Office of Sanctions Coordination, told a virtual briefing earlier this month. He added that “we’re working together with our partners to get about half of what Ukraine exports out each month,” but the effort will take time.


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Well, AMD isn't the only one churning out graphics driver like there's no tomorrow. Hot on the heels of last week's 310.64 beta, Nvidia has posted an even newer set of drivers for GeForce owners. These freshly released 310.70 betas can be downloaded right here on GeForce.com.
According to the official release notes, the only improvements in store are optimizations for Far Cry 3. The game runs up to 38% quicker now, the company says. That's interesting... except it's the exact same spiel we got last week with the 310.64 beta update. A look at the accompanying blog post on GeForce.com suggests Nvidia is now recording these improvements over the 306.67 WHQL release, while the 310.64 betas were compared to the 310.54 betas.
I suppose it doesn't really matter, though. Far Cry 3 came out yesterday, and these are the most recent drivers to support it. If you're playing the game on a GeForce, you probably want them.
|Corsair Lighting Node Pro brings light strip control to every PC||4|
|In the lab: Asus' Tinker Board SBC||1|
|In the lab: HyperX's Alloy FPS mechanical gaming keyboard||3|
|Team Group Cardea SSDs are ready to handle the heat||2|
|Gigabyte's Ryzen motherboards are home, home on the range||6|
|Zotac molds GTX 1050s into low-profile tiny terrors||0|
|TR forums spotlight: krazyredboy's crazy simulator PC||8|
|Deals of the week: a high-end Mini-ITX mobo, fast RAM, storage, and more||24|
|Steam Audio SDK promises better surround sound gratis||13|
|Best part of the article? We're flying home with Ryzen review samples as of this writing.||+42|


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EXTON, Pa., Feb. 21, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
Omega Flex, Inc. (Nasdaq:OFLX)
today reported its results of operations for the Twelve and Three Months Ending December 31, 2012:
OMEGA FLEX, INC. (OFLX)
Twelve Months Ended December 31,
Three Months Ended December 31,
Earnings Per Share – Basic and Diluted
Weighted Average Shares – Basic and Diluted
Kevin R. Hoben, President and CEO, announced that the Company had Net Sales of $64,016,000 for the twelve months ending December 31, 2012, compared to $54,193,000 in 2011, increasing $9,823,000, or 18.1%. For the fourth quarter, Net Sales were $18,426,000 and $15,618,000, for 2012 and 2011, respectively, increasing $2,808,000 or 18.0%.
The Company has experienced sales growth from almost all of its product lines during the year. Domestically, the Company's gas piping product, TracPipe® CounterStrike®, has benefited from the uptick in the construction environment, such as the building of single family homes and high-rises. Additionally, the Company's DoubleTrac® and DEF-Trac® double-containment piping systems have seen increases in orders shipped. Internationally, despite the soft economy, the Company's traditional product, TracPipe®, also showed an increase in sales compared to 2011.


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Global mobile marketing, loyalty and technology company MobileWave has acquired mobile solutions company Ariose Software, according to StockMarketwire. The report mentions that MobileWave will be acquiring 100% of the issued share capital of Ariose for the maximum possible consideration payable at $1,200,000 and the purchase price will be payable in four payments with the first payment of $450,000 in cash and MobileWave Convertible Preference Shares equal in value of $450,000, due in 5 days after closing the acquisition. Through this acquisition, MobileWave intends to bring in Ariose's technical expertise and its team of 40 engineers in order to develop and refine MobileWave's own business-to-customer (B2C) mobile relationship management platform, which, according to the company, allows brands to deliver customer-focused campaigns. Further, the company also plans to integrate Ariose's intellectual property into its enterprise mobility platform. Ariose Co-founders, Amit Goenka and Sudhi Agarwal will continue with the company as the Managing Director and Chief Technical Officer of Ariose, respectively. Founded in 2006, Ariose Software provides solutions in the mobile and telecom segment which are used across enterprise (mobile field reporting, field staff automation and utilities), consumer (entertainment, infotainment and healthcare), location based solutions (navigation, deals and store locator) and mobile commerce (mobile payment and retail). Its solutions, apps and products are also used in the banking, marketing, payments, publishing, retail, shopping, security, social networks, token and travel industries. The company claims to have developed 120 apps which have reportedly grossed over one million downloads in total. The company had reportedly generated a revenue of Rs 11,757,326 in the financial…
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