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Microsoft’s Windows Phone store has hit a new milestone for apps, but still faces some of the same old challenges.
According to Microsoft’s “By the Numbers” website, the Windows Phone Store now has 300,000 apps, compared to 200,000 apps last December. WPCentral first spotted the updated figures on Microsoft’s site.
Of course, most people don’t need nearly that many apps—the average user relies on about two dozen per month, according to Nielsen—but a big app count increases the odds that you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for. On that front, Microsoft still has a long way to go compared to the more than 1 million apps available in iOS and Android’s respective app stores.
Microsoft also has some bigger problems that aren’t reflected in the numbers at all. The company has occasionally encouraged shovelware with cash incentives for app development and cookie-cutter app creation tools for non-developers. It has also angered some larger companies by repackaging their websites as native apps without permission (though Microsoft seems to have abandoned that practice).
And among bigger-name apps, the Windows Store sometimes struggles with quality, as developers treat the platform like an afterthought. New features that arrive on iOS or Android take much longer to show up on Windows Phone if they arrive at all, which means Windows Phone users can’t snap videos in Yelp, listen to full songs in Shazam or use the free version of Spotify.
Still, Microsoft isn’t throwing in the towel. Windows Phone recently added apps for Uber and Fitbit (though it’s unclear what happened to Flipboard after it was announced last year). And with a renewed focus on low-end handsets, Microsoft is hoping a higher volume of new users will finally get developers interested in the platform.


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A company is recalling broccoli microgreens because of Salmonella according to a notice from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
The recall for Broadwood Farm brand microgreens was triggered by the company and is related to a recall of broccoli sprouting seeds posted in recent days. The seeds were sold nationally in Canada in consumer and producer size packages.
Contaminated seeds can produce contaminated microgreens and sprouts.
The recall notice says the microgreens were produced in Ottawa but does not say what volume is being recalled. The company reported that the broccoli microgreens were sold in the province of Ontario. As of the posting of the recall notice there hadn’t been any confirmed illnesses reported in relation to the microgreens.
“The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is conducting a food safety investigation, which may lead to the recall of other products. If other high-risk products are recalled, the CFIA will notify the public through updated food recall warnings,” according to the recall notice. The agency is overseeing the removal of the recalled microgreens from the retailers.
There is concern that consumers may have the recalled microgreens in their homes because the expiration date is not until Nov. 13.
Any consumers who have the microgreens in their homes should throw them away and clean any containers or surfaces they came into contact with.
Consumers can use the following label information to determine whether they have the implicated microgreens.
|6 27987 64959 8
|November 13, 2021
|Seasonal Mix Microgreens
|6 27987 64958 1
|November 13, 2021
About Salmonella infections
Food that is contaminated with Salmonella bacteria usually does not look, smell or taste spoiled. Anyone can become sick with a Salmonella infection, but infants, children, seniors and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of serious illness because their immune systems are fragile, according to the CDC.
Anyone who has eaten any of the recalled broccoli microgreens and developed symptoms of Salmonella infection should seek medical attention. Sick people should tell their doctors about the possible exposure to Salmonella bacteria because special tests are necessary to diagnose salmonellosis. Salmonella infection symptoms can mimic other illnesses, frequently leading to misdiagnosis.
Symptoms of Salmonella infection can include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food. Otherwise healthy adults are usually sick for four to seven days. In some cases, however, diarrhea may be so severe that patients need to be hospitalized.
Older adults, children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients, are more likely to develop a severe illness and serious, sometimes life-threatening conditions.
It is possible for some people to be infected with the bacteria and to not get sick or show any symptoms, but to still be able to spread the infection to others.
(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here.)

domain: news


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Vv Magazine’s Libby Roach fills us in on Toronto’s best new restaurants, those opening in June 2016 and the buzziest in-the-works hot spots.
The season we’ve all been impatiently waiting for is finally upon us. Summer in the city opens the floodgates to patio season (stay tuned for an in-depth look by yours truly on the best bets), not to mention the revelry that is Pride, which is taking over the city for a full month long party this year. The Gladstone (cheekily renamed the Gaystone,) will be hopping from June 3rd on with a slew of Pride parties, and FNL ROM will also be hosting a very special pride party on June 24th.
Food events are just as hot, with Toronto Taste in benefit of Second Harvest hosting their insanely popular party on June 12th at the Corus Quay Building. The city’s top chefs will be serving up their finest dishes for a good cause – get your tickets early for this one.
Feeding your dad could be considered a good cause too and this Father’s Day you don’t even need to lift a finger. The Beach BBQ and Brews Festival at Woodbine Beach will live up to its name, serving up racks of ribs and ice cold beers for your big poppa. If you can’t make it out to the festival, the first annual Toronto BBQ week presented by Samuel Adams is happening from June 6-12th at select restaurants across the city. For just $15, diners will get a BBQ dish paired with a pint of Samuel Adams Boston Lager.
If you missed Mark McEwan at Toronto Taste, then snag a ticket to Taste of Toronto, setting up shop at Fort York for the June 23-26th weekend.
Urban farmer’s market dwellers are in luck, Front Street Foods, formerly at Union Station is back, this time setting up shop at Adelaide Place. Look for gourmet grab-and-go finds, including healthier options like fresh pressed juices and smoothies.
Yorkville has a new pizza joint and for their grand opening on Monday, June 6, they’ll be giving away free pizza for 3 hours and 14 minutes (get it?), starting at noon. The new restaurant offers made-to-order Neapolitan-style craft pizza, made in 90 seconds or less.
Kaka, one of the best AYCE sushi shops in Markham, has opened a new sandwich ‘lab’ on College. The sandwiches combine Japanese favourites like tonkatsu cutlets with teriyaki sauces on toasted bread, almost like a Japanese style club sandwich.
The new 24-hour eatery packs in Bar Bronson, Recess Diner as well as groceries, a mini bar, and bakery shop. The ambitious concept is being carried out by Chef Brad Moore on Sudbury Street.
The Belsize Public House
This spot is inching closer and closer to opening. Located near Eglinton and Mount Pleasant, expect a slew of local craft beers on tap and well-crafted pub food to go with it.
Everyone’s favourite melt-in-your-mouth doughnut shop is opening a cafe in Kensington Market the first week of the month. They’re promising to bring a one-of-a-kind served hot experience to the ‘hood, plus free doughnuts at all locations on National Doughnut Day (Friday, June 3)
A pinch east on Eglinton is a hugely anticipated restaurant trinity, the holy combo of La Carnita, Sweet Jesus, and a new concept cocktail bar, all fused into one tidy package. Midtown will have bragging rights to this new massive space, the third from Andrew Richmond and his crew at Monarch and Misfits.
This Italian chain is opening a 5th location, just north of Dundas and Spadina on the edge of Kensington Market. The Chinatown outpost is set to soft-launch on June 9th. The area will influence menu offerings, and visitors can expect exclusives like Peking duck pizza.
Black Rock Coffee
Set to fuel Christie Pits with their gourmet grinds, look for this coffee shop concept to open on Bloor near Bathurst later this month.
Steve Gonzalez is moving quickly on his new project, reopening a to-be-named restaurant just down from the recently shuttered Valdez, taking over 485 King West. We expect big things from this super talented chef!
This eatery is inching closer to peeling the vinyl back on their windows, in the newly renovated QRC West Building on Peter. Focused on Mediterranean eats, they’ll also be serving up bakery basics for the morning rush.
Angelo’s Coal Fired Pizza
This new resto uses an entirely different method to cook everyone’s favourite pie. Here, cooking directly over hot coals results in a bubbly and crispy base perfect for holding up to the layers of sauce and toppings that typically weigh the crust down. Located on Front Street, right near George Brown, Angelo’s is making good use of the former Paganelli’s plot, with a prime patio perfect for long sangria-soaked lunches. Look for this spot to open later this month.
The Landing Group franchise is set to open another location, and this one will be located at Shops at Don Mills. Known for their bar-inspired menu and top notch pints, it’ll be a perfect complement to the adjacent eateries.
Other Notable News
Blowfish has reopened and renovated their King St. location after a short closure. Visitors can expect a brand new menu with some old favourites, and an updated sake menu.
The massive American steak house that’s taking over a prime corner in Yorkville is gearing up to open in the coming months, now grilling interviewees for the coveted head chef title.
All gussied up and raring to go, Leña at Saks Fifth Avenue will open at Yonge and Richmond this July. Adorably named after Chef Walsh’s mother in law Elena, this new restaurant will appeal to more than just ladies who lunch, with a menu bridging South American cuisine with unique Spanish and Italian influences.
The Big Slice
Toronto has lost another city staple to condo developments. The Yonge Street late night pizza place shuttered at the end of May.
Chubby’s Jamaican Kitchen
This Jamaican spot has officially listed fall for their grand opening. Brought to you by the good people at Gusto101, expect a big launch for this one.
A New Project from Chef Guy Rawlings and Kim Montgomery
After announcing his departure from Bar Raval, Rawlings revealed that the husband and wife duo have plans on opening their own west-end restaurant later this year.
Liberty Commons at Big Rock Brewery
Yet another beer spot is opening in Liberty Village, this one by Oliver & Bonacini and Big Rock Brewery. The two-level restaurant is slated to open Fall 2016 and will offer Big Rock’s selection of craft brews and food inspired by European beer halls with contemporary British pub influences.
Stay tuned for next month, with Summerlicious previews and more food news!
Did we miss any new Toronto restaurants? Let Vv Magazine know in the comments below, or tweet us @ViewtheVibe.


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The owner of a South Carolina dairy says an investigation by two states and the federal government into whether raw milk from her cows made eight people sick is a case of jumping to conclusions.
"They didn't wait for all the tests to come in," said Carolyn Adkins, owner and operator of the Tucker Adkins Dairy in York, S.C. "In fact, they have milk that they're still testing right now."
The federal Food and Drug Administration, along with health and agriculture officials in North Carolina, said earlier this week that raw milk from the dairy caused three definite and five likely cases of an ailment called campylobacteriosis in North Carolina, with one of the sufferers being hospitalized. The bacteria Campylobacter is a common cause of diarrhea-like illness.
Since 1987, the FDA has required all milk intended for human consumption to be pasteurized if it's going to be shipped across state lines for sale to people. Pasteurization - a process named after its pioneer, the French scientist Louis Pasteur - involves heating milk to a specific temperature long enough to kill disease-causing bacteria. But unpasteurized milk - generally called raw milk or real milk by advocates - has vocal supporters, including groups that lobby for legislation making it easier to obtain.
"When you look at the actual number of illnesses in comparison to the number of raw milk drinkers out there, it's a good safety record," said Pete Kennedy, president of the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund, which estimates there are roughly 10 million drinkers of raw milk in the U.S.


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Press release | First stores Plaza West Haarlem open in November
A press release has been published in the Haarlems Dagblad (daily newspaper) about Plaza West, the new shopping centre on the Westergracht in Haarlem. The first stores will open their doors on November 6, including an Albert Heijn, Etos, Gall & Gall and Aldi.
The redevelopment of this site will not only consist of a shopping centre, but also between 200 and 300 apartments will be built. In connection with the many developments surrounding Plaza West, Cobraspen Real Estate has organized a meeting for local residents and other interested parties. This meeting will take place next Monday, 28 October 2013. The doors open at 19:00, the meeting will last until 20:30.
Menno Simonszweg 101
2014 SC Haarlem


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The building at Gunness in Scunthorpe was packed with shoppers when a large section of the canopy roof buckled at 4pm on Friday after several days of heavy snowfall.
A Tesco spokeswoman said: “A section of the Scunthorpe store’s canopy roof furthest from the entrance collapsed yesterday afternoon due to the weight of snow.
There was nobody in the immediate area. As a temporary precaution, we evacuated the store. We are working hard to fix the damaged section.’
The £18m Tesco store at Gunness started trading in April 1992, and ranked as one of its biggest at the time.


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Hulu now lets you pay with Venmo, if you're a new subscriber
Well this is interesting. Hulu now lets you pay for service using Venmo. (Think PayPal, but what the cool kids use today.) It's only for new sign-ups at the moment, but Hulu says current customers will be able to use Venmo to pay their monthly penance in due time.
Here's the deal, via Hulu itself:
And that, folks, is that. More ways to pay is always a good thing.
Get more iMore in your inbox!
Our news, reviews, opinions, and easy to follow guides can turn any iPhone owner into an Apple aficionado
Phil is the father of two beautiful girls and is the Dad behind Modern Dad. Before that he spent seven years at the helm of Android Central. Before that he spent a decade in a newsroom of a two-time Pulitzer Prize-finalist newspaper. Before that — well, we don't talk much about those days.


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recently, cloud video conferencing service provider Zoom announced that it has completed $100 million D round of financing, the investor Sequoia capital. After this round of financing, the company reached $1 billion valuation, the success among the listed.
At the same time, the company also announced a product update, allowing users and third parties to create applications on the Zoom platform
previously, the total amount of financing has reached $45 million 500 thousand in the previous quarter also maintained a positive cash flow. Company CEO Eric S. Yuan pointed out that they did not want to seek financing, Sequoia Capital initiative to come, said he would like to invest in a video conferencing company, after the investigation and understanding of the selection of Zoom.
Sequoia Capital spokesman said in an interview: "for many years, we have been watching the video conferencing industry, because this is a huge new market, but did not find a truly popular products. The situation has not changed until Zoom appears on our investment list."
Eric said that at the beginning of Sequoia Capital to contact him, he decided to invest a large amount of cash, and Sequoia Capital to find a partner with a partner. In fact, after the transaction, the partner Carl Eschenbach will join the board of Zoom.
investment, Sequoia Capital is the most fancy Zoom founder. Eric experienced, has served as vice president of WebEx. 2007, WebEx to $3 billion 200 million acquisition by CISCO. Although the price is high, but Eric said he made a mistake.
because at that time, CISCO is just a simple network Hard Suits Inc. He believes that CISCO’s team completely do not understand WebEx or SaaS, eventually turned WebEx into a social networking product. It is worth noting that, since then, CISCO through a strong acquisition strategy, began to enter the field of software.
2011, Eric decided to set up a company to solve the problem of user feedback. Part of the WebEx core code, the code was written in 1998. In addition, he hopes to rely on the cloud, the development of a new video service. Until now, WebEx is a strong opponent of Zoom.
the dream of most cloud service providers, is to extend its services as a platform for users to develop products on this platform. Salesforce launched Force.com in 2008, becoming the first company to adopt this approach.
almost all SaaS companies want to become such a platform, but the key is whether there is sufficient size. As far as Zoom is concerned, it has as many as 450 thousand customers, of which about 5800 are educational institutions, so it is absolutely possible to take advantage of this scale


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Battered butties and curried Easter bunnies on offer at Preston chippies!
The Scots love their deep-fried Mars Bars, in Wales a chef has even perfected the battered Christmas dinner.
But in Preston two sizzling chippies are out to add a little bit of crunch to the humble barm cake.
At one, in Holme Slack, the big seller right now is a deep-fried battered chip and gravy butty. Staff at the Wee Chippy can’t roll them out fast enough.
And less than two miles away in Ribbleton the dish this weekend is the “Easter curry bunny” - also a deep-fried battered bread roll filled with spicy chicken or beef.
“Whatever it sounds like, a battered barm cake can be a thing of delight,” said John Clarkson who has been creating bizarre snacks at his Mister Eaters chip shop in Longridge Road for years. “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.”
Battered barm cakes are not a new-fangled idea - John says he has been serving them in various forms for 20 years. But they have suddenly caught on across the country with variations popping up in Leeds, Hartlepool and Blackrod near Bolton. One chippy in Tenerife has even joined in the craze.
Tina Hughes, owner of the Wee Chippy on Holme Slack Lane, says her battered chip barms can come with a filling of mushy peas, curry sauce or cheese, if gravy doesn’t do it for you.
“We can even do battered deep-fried pies if that’s what customers want,” she said. “The chip barms are going down a treat. Customers love them.”
And up the road John added: “I’m well known for my novelty items on the menu and I’ve taken the battered barm a step further. We hollow out the barm cake and then fill it with homemade curry before battering and frying them. They’re our curry bunnies for Easter.”


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Contrary to popular belief, not all of Japan's R&D goes into robots and Hello Kitty (or so we're told). In fact, it's not even all destined for the consumer market.
NEC, for example, has applied its technological prowess to "the world's first automated border control system that uses facial recognition technology capable of identifying people inside their automobiles," according to Pink Tentacle, and it's already being used at checkpoints between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. The biometrics system was developed to break immigration logjams in China and elsewhere, checking chip-embedded national ID cards without required motorists to leave their cars. Automated cameras scan license plates as vehicles apprach, then apply the face-recognition software to make sure that the registered driver is behind the wheel.
What irony--systems like this might replace Japan's robots even before they have a chance to take over the world.


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Wade Antenna Ltd., parent company of TACO Communications, is very pleased to announce it has purchased the manufacturing rights of all antenna products owned by Lindsay Broadband Inc., formerly Lindsay Electronics.
Lindsay Broadband will continue to market and sell Lindsay antenna product and will now be able to compliment its antenna offering by being able to also include the Wade antenna product line.
Wade Antenna, with its TACO and Delhi Antenna divisions, is moving to a new 50,000 square foot facility in the city of Brantford. "Our new state of the art manufacturing capabilities will benefit both Lindsay Broadband and its customers. We will continue to provide Lindsay and Wade Antenna products that will be sold jointly through both companies," said President and CEO Patric Murphy. "This will also allow us to expand our production and move in to new markets."
With over 50 years in the CATV antenna manufacturing industry both Lindsay and Wade have the ability to offer the World Wide market a great deal of experience in providing antenna solutions for most applications. We thank you for your support and appreciate your business.
Visit our website for more details on our Cable Television antenna products.


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Cannabis company focuses on helping clients meet sustainability and State recycle goals with a SaaS solution for compliance.
WasteTrakr is pleased to announce that in an abbreviated 2019, the WasteTrakr SaaS reporting software recorded nearly three tons of cannabis waste that had been diverted from the landfills and redirected to certified organic waste recycling facilities. In just the first six months of operation, WasteTrakr software calculated the carbon footprint savings to be 2.38 metric tons, which is the equivalent of removing two cars from the road for a year.
Steve Peterson, COO of WasteTrakr Technologies, stated: “We are very excited to have such a profound impact on our environment in such a very short term period in our history as a company. Our objective at WasteTrakr is to help the cannabis industry meet goals for sustainability, as well as reduce the amount of waste filling our landfills. We appreciate the efforts of agencies that have mandated a 75% organic recycling rate. By tracking cannabis waste through transportation to disposal or the recycle site, the WasteTrakr software is an excellent platform to help reduce the amount of cannabis reaching the black markets, which is still significantly impacting the licensed cannabis industry.”
The global marijuana market by the end of 2025 is expected to reach over $60 billion. Businesses that invest in sustainability will enhance their brand value while adopting a greener future. Cannabis businesses have an opportunity to make a difference as the industry evolves.
WasteTrakr Technologies Inc. has partnered with leading waste and recycling companies to provide full transparency in the management of cannabis and hemp waste. The WasteTrakr platform helps client’s manage the waste, arrange for qualified hauling and provide evidence of proper disposal or recycling. The data is available to local government agencies through the WasteTrakr portal to ensure compliance with local and state ordinances.
Media Enquiries: Email to email@example.com
Published at Mon, 17 Feb 2020 08:00:00 +0000


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Tesla’s electric cars are currently the most advanced products in the industry, but sometimes they also have some minor problems. Recent reports show that Tesla electric car users around the world were shut out of their cars last Friday due to a server error. Tesla Motors supports the use of a bound iPhone to unlock the door. This can be particularly important in accident situations. However, when this function fails, the door is automatically locked, making it impossible to enter the car.
The main method of locking and unlocking Tesla doors is to use a key card (key fob). Nevertheless, the owner can also choose to perform this function through the Tesla app and Bluetooth connection. Last Friday, about 500 Tesla owners were in trouble. The Tesla app on their phone suddenly crashed, making the unlocking function unavailable.
A car owner wrote on Twitter: “I’m experiencing 500 server error to connect my @tesla Model 3 on my iOS app in Seoul, S.Korea. Seems like this is a worldwide issue”.
Elon Musk in his reply said, “Should be coming back online now. Looks like we may have accidentally increased verbosity of network traffic. Apologies, we will take measures to ensure this doesn’t happen again”.
Gizchina News of the week
Ford takes a jab at Tesla
It is worth mentioning that Ford has sniffed the opportunity of “falling into trouble” from Tesla’s “error”. Mike Levine, Ford’s North American product communications manager, ridiculed Tesla on Twitter. He wrote on Twitter: “With Ford’s SecuriCode function, you can never be locked out of your car . You know!”
In this tweet, Mike Levine reposted a photo of a previous test drive of the Ford F-150 Lighting by the President of the United States. In the photo, the position of the door frame of the car is also marked with a white arrow, and that is where the Ford SecuriCode is displayed.
Elon Musk is known to be a savage with his response but as of now, he has not responded to Ford’s jab. Probably, he will leave his response for the future when Ford comes under fire.
The issue did not completely resolve until about five hours later. Users of the app kept experiencing intermittent errors of the Tesla app. Mr. Jaehwan Cho, the original poster, wrote on Twitter “Many of you might have curiosity we cannot enter @tesla cars if the server outage happens. But don’t worry, if you carry your phone, you can easily get into the car like me. Server outage on app might cause little discomfort doing remote battery pre-conditioning etc”.


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- EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Jim Cramer's Protégé, Dave Peltier, only buys Stocks Under $10 that he thinks could potentially double. See what he's trading today with a 14-day FREE pass.
- DLLR's revenue growth has slightly outpaced the industry average of 3.9%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues slightly increased by 5.0%. This growth in revenue does not appear to have trickled down to the company's bottom line, displayed by a decline in earnings per share.
- DFC GLOBAL CORP has exprienced a steep decline in earnings per share in the most recent quarter in comparison to its performance from the same quarter a year ago. The company has reported a trend of declining earnings per share over the past year. However, the consensus estimate suggests that this trend should reverse in the coming year. During the past fiscal year, DFC GLOBAL CORP reported lower earnings of $1.16 versus $1.67 in the prior year. This year, the market expects an improvement in earnings ($1.74 versus $1.16).
- In its most recent trading session, DLLR has closed at a price level that was not very different from its closing price of one year earlier. This is probably due to its weak earnings growth as well as other mixed factors. The fact that the stock is now selling for less than others in its industry in relation to its current earnings is not reason enough to justify a buy rating at this time.
- Net operating cash flow has decreased to $89.80 million or 48.62% when compared to the same quarter last year. In addition, when comparing to the industry average, the firm's growth rate is much lower.
- The company, on the basis of change in net income from the same quarter one year ago, has significantly underperformed when compared to that of the S&P 500 and the Consumer Finance industry. The net income has significantly decreased by 214.5% when compared to the same quarter one year ago, falling from $31.80 million to -$36.40 million.
-- Written by a member of TheStreet Ratings Staff
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HME Home Medical now distributing National Presto's incontinence products
Green Bay medical supply company was looking for way to expand
Supplying protective underwear and other incontinence products to nursing homes was a clear opportunity for a company whose products already were making steady inroads in assisted living centers.
Yet finding a profitable way to do it in a sector dominated by low-cost, private-label merchandise was a challenge for Eric Hagen, director of business development at HME Home Medical in Green Bay.
Hired by HME about two years ago, Hagen explored selling incontinence products under HME's own private label but soon realized it would never have the volume to be competitive on price. Then National Presto Industries Inc. in Eau Claire suggested that HME become a distributor for its line of products sold under the Presto brand name.
HME, part of Hospital Sisters Health System, now has the rights to distribute the Presto products in Wisconsin and Illinois — and the hopes of building a new business.
"It is a very large market," Hagen said.
Roughly half the residents in nursing homes may need incontinence supplies, ranging from light pads to heavy briefs.
The National Presto distributorship was the key.
"That gave me a price point that could compete with the major companies and have a better product," Hagen said.
Those major competitors include Medline Industries Inc., McKesson Corp. and First Quality.
Hagen, who has developed a working knowledge of the technology behind diapers and similar products — such as their "rate of acquisition" — has done his share of demonstrations comparing Presto products with those of competitors.
"The reaction by some people is they are just shocked," he said.
Lois Novak, assistant administrator of Angel's Touch Assisted Living in De Pere, backs that up. "It's just a better product," she said.
National Presto has competition: SCA Group, a Swedish company with operations in the Fox Valley, also makes a high-quality product sold under its Tena brand, Hagen said.
But HME will help National Presto build its relatively new line of branded products, he said.
With revenue of $420.2 million last year, National Presto sells housewares and small appliances, ammunition and absorbent products such as private label diapers.
HME, which began selling Presto products in March, will sell to retailers who sell medical equipment, as well as assisted living centers and nursing homes.
HME, which also sells durable medical equipment, is a for-profit affiliate of St. Mary's Hospital Medical Center and St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay as well as St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan.
Hospitals in Chippewa Falls and Eau Claire and in Illinois also are part of Hospital Sisters Health System.
HME opened a distribution center in Sheboygan in October that gives it access to the southeast Wisconsin market, Hagen said. Eventually it could open a distribution center in Springfield, Ill., the headquarters of the Hospital Sisters Health System.
"We want to grow smart," Hagen said.
The business holds promise, but he also is realistic.
"We are not looking or going to take down the giants," he said.
Recent national business updates from the Associated Press


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Mötley Crüe Partners with Global Merchandising Services and Epic Rights for Worldwide Merchandise Program
The world's most notorious, multi-platinum rock band, Mötley Crüe has partnered with Global Merchandising Servicesand Epic Rights to develop and launch retail, licensing, and ecommerce programs for the iconic rock band that can be found HERE. The announcement was jointly made today by Barry Drinkwater, Group ExecutiveChairman of Global Merchandising and Dell Furano, CEO of Epic Rights.
Global Merchandising and Epic Rights have created a new licensing brand guide offering iconic album art, photographs, logos, and graphics. The companies plan to develop a top-quality global licensing program across categories, including Apparel, Accessories, Footwear, Electronics, Figures, Collectibles, Drinkware, Fan Merch, Stationery, Gaming, Spirits, and more.
Barry Drinkwater and Dell Furano jointly stated, "Mötley Crüe was undeniably one of the most notoriously popular rock bands of the 80s. We're excited to partner with such a legendary, iconic, gritty and influential part of LA's music history to develop a global licensing program that truly captures the essence of Mötley Crüe."
"The Dirt is a movie about the World's Most Notorious Rock Band. I knew the only way we were going to fulfill the demand for iconic Mötley Crüe merchandise created by the movie was to assemble a team of individuals more notorious than the band themselves. So, I called Barry Drinkwater and Dell Furano. We are so excited to work with Global Merchandise and Epic Rights and are confident that they, together, can get the Motley brand into the hands of global consumers everywhere." - Chris Nilsson, President of 10thStreet Entertainment
Additionally, Mötley Crüe eagerly awaits the upcoming release of the Netflix Film The Dirt, based on their best-selling autobiography. The film is an unflinching tale of success and excess as four misfits rise from the streets of Hollywood to the heights of international fame launching globally on Netflix on March 22 with a soundtrack. The film is directed by Jeff Tremaine (Bad Grandpa, Jackass) and includes a stellar cast with Douglas Booth (Loving Vincent), Iwan Rheon (Game of Thrones), Colson Baker a.k.a. Machine Gun Kelly, Daniel Weber (The Punisher) with Pete Davidson (SNL) and David Costabile (Breaking Bad, Billions).The iconic band has accumulated over 100 million records sold worldwide; seven platinum and multi-platinum certifications; a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; and countless sold-out tours across the globe.
About Mötley Crüe:
Hailing from Los Angeles, CA, the quartet-Vince Neil (vocals), Mick Mars (guitars), Nikki Sixx (bass) and Tommy Lee (drums)- has commandeered the rock pantheon for 38 years. In that time, they have accumulated worldwide album sales exceeding 100 million, seven platinum/multi-platinum albums, 22 Top 40 mainstream rock hits, six Top 20 pop singles, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, three Grammy nominations, four New York Times bestsellers (including the band's biography, THE DIRT) and countless sold out tours across the globe, playing to millions of fans. Mötley Crüe was the first rock band to complete an epic sold-out Las Vegas residency at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The band continues to remain on the forefront of entertainment and frequently reinvented themselves via not only their music but also their mind-blowing live shows featuring never seen before elements, such as Tommy Lee's Crüecifly drum roller coaster and Nikki Sixx's flame throwing bass. Mötley Crüe was featured in KIA MOTORS' award winning 2012 Super Bowl commercial and their music has been featured in ads for many household name brands such as Dodge, Carl's Jr. and Coldwell Banker to name a few. The iconic band concluded their live career with a two-year FINAL TOUR cycle, which kicked off in 2014 and saw them perform more than 165 shows across five continents. The tour grossed over $100 million and ended with three spectacular sold out shows at Los Angeles' Staples Center on New Year's evening 2015.


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Just days after General Motors put out the call to settle on a plug standard for electric vehicles
, it appears that an agreement has been reached - in Europe at least. The plug design will be unveiled at a German technology fair on Monday by energy company RWE. The plug design uses three prongs and will support charging at up to 400V. For starters, Volkswagen
, General Motors
have all agreed to the new standard.
It's not clear at this time if the same plug standard will be adopted by the task force working on the SAE J1772
standard. That group will be meeting this week in Detroit during the Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress
. We'll be meeting with some of the representatives this week and we'll have more news on the standards situation.


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It sounds like such a good idea. The "Interest Minimizer" program that's heavily promoted by Nationwide Biweekly Administration, Inc., claims that homeowners are "guaranteed to save money" by using the program.
It's pretty simple, really. Instead of sending in your mortgage payment once a month, you pay Nationwide Biweekly every other week. This supposedly reduces your interest expense because you wind up making one extra payment per year.
But the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) says the claims are false, and today it sued the company, an affiliated firm and their owner, Daniel Lipsky.
“These companies and their owner, Daniel Lipsky, took advantage of consumers with false promises of savings on their mortgage,” said CFPB Director Richard Cordray. “Homeowners deserve accurate information in the financial marketplace. Today we are taking action to end these illegal and deceptive practices, and to hold these companies accountable for their actions.”
Fees add up
The CFPB noted that most consumers who enroll in the Interest Minimizer pay a setup fee of up to $995 and go on to pay from $84 to $101 in payment processing fees each year they remain enrolled.
The company's ads promise consumers that "soon you will be . . . saving thousands of dollars in unnecessary payments.” But the CFPB's suit alleges that consumers wind up paying more in fees than they save in interest and that most consumers will leave the program without saving any money at all.
In a video on Nationwide’s website, Lipsky states: “you’re not increasing your payment. You’re just switching to a smaller biweekly or weekly amount.” In fact, says the CFPB, consumers in the program pay processing fees for each biweekly payment and the initial setup fee to Nationwide, plus the equivalent of one additional monthly payment each year.
Some consumers, like Tammy of St. Louis, have also complained that glitches in the program resulted in their being hit with late fees.
"I am requesting for my January late fee to be waived. I am in the Nationwide Biweekly program and because of their fault my payment was not processed on time," she said in a ConsumerAffairs review.
The suit charges that Nationwide collected about $49 million in setup fees between 2011 and 2014. It seeks compensation for consumers, a civil penalty and an injunction to stop the allegedly misleading claims.


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Zimbabwe traded goods worth US$729.6 million in the month of August 2019, a 11.1 percent increase from US$656.6 million recorded in the previous month.
According to the RBZ’s monthly report for August released this week, the increase in trade was underpinned by increases in both merchandise exports and imports. Monthly merchandise exports grew by 15.3 percent, from US$299.5 million in July 2019 to US$345.4 million in August 2019.
The RBZ said the increase in exports was on account of higher export earnings from gold (34.6 percent); nickel ores and concentrates (21.5 percent); and flue cured tobacco (90.8 percent). Overall merchandise trade developments resulted in a 32.7 percent improvement in the country’s trade balance from a deficit of US$57.6 million in July 2019 to a deficit of US$38.8 million in August 2019.


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Smartphone maker Blu has introduced a new smartphone in India called the Life Mark for a price of Rs 8,999. The device would be available via e-commerce website Amazon India. It will be available in Slate Gary, White and Gold colour variants.
In terms of specifications, the smartphone features a 5-inch HD IPS display with 720 x 1280 pixel resolution. It is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6735 processor paired with 2GB RAM. The dual SIM smartphone runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop and includes an internal storage of 16GB which can be further expanded up to 64GB via microSD card.
On the camera front, the device features a 13MP rear camera with LED flash and includes a 5MP front facing camera. Connectivity features include 4G LTE, WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G, microUSB with OTG, and A-GPS. The Blu Life Mark by a 2300mAh battery. The company claims to offer talk-time of 20 hours on 2G, 16 hours on 3G, 7 hours on 4G networks and standby time of 400 hours respectively. In other features, the device sports a CNC machines-metal build and includes a fingerprint scanner at the back panel.


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Oppo to invest $60 million in India to strengthen smartphone ecosystem
In the next five years, Oppo said it will also focus on the development of next-generation technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence (AI), etc., to accelerate the product development process from India, empowering and mentoring technology start-ups end-to-end, and exploring collaborations with educational institutions to drive innovation.
New Delhi: Chinese smartphone maker Oppo said on Friday it would invest $60 million (about Rs475 crore) in India over the next five years under its ‘Vihaan’ project to strengthen the manufacturing ecosystem by empowering micro, small and medium companies here.
In a statement on Friday, Oppo said the move would help the company in expanding its export capacity to $5 billion annually over the next five years.
Over that time, Oppo said it would also focus on the development of next-generation technologies such as 5G and artificial intelligence to accelerate the product development process from India, empowering and mentoring technology startups and exploring collaborations with educational institutions to drive innovation.
Its investment plans in India come even as the fourth largest smartphone brand in the country faces charges of customs duty evasion of Rs 4,389 crore. The company has denied any wrongdoing.
“With a robust local supply chain getting established, the time is right for promoting exports of our quality ‘Make in India’ smartphones to identified markets. This would facilitate Oppo India in expanding the export capacity to $5 billion over the next five years,” said Vivek Vasishtha, Oppo India’s vice-president for public affairs.
Xiaomi maintained its lead in the India smartphone market in the second quarter, despite declining 26% year-on-year to account for a 19% share (by volume) while Samsung held the second spot with a 14% year-on-year growth to capture an 18% share.
The smartphone company said it aimed to partner with more local suppliers to strengthen the local supply chain for a robust smartphone ecosystem in India. “Oppo India has collaborated with the government and the industry in encouraging around 30 Tier-1 suppliers to set up operations in India,” the statement said.
These suppliers, it added, employed “tens of thousands of Indian” locals contributing to the development of the electronics industry and enhancing India's stature in the global value chains.
Oppo India, since its inception, has developed a network of more than 1,000 distributors.
With an investment of Rs 2,400 crore, Oppo India has set up a ‘super factory’ in Greater Noida. Its R&D centre in Hyderabad, setup in 2018, is driving innovation and patent filing in 5G, camera, and power and performance through technology labs. The manufacturing and R&D facilities in India are its largest outside mainland China.
ATC, which recently took a $411.6 million (about Rs 3,374 crore) impairment charge due to cash-strapped Vi’s partial payments, has further warned that it would be forced to take more similar charges amidst the India telco’s financial woes.
"Right now is the investment phase. Monetization will come from our side...To me, right now, we have to create a base and right now we are only focused on the rollout of the 5G network. And do keep in mind that there's already offload happening from the 4G network to 5G, which will also improve the 4G quality," said Mittal.


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There was never any doubt that it wouldn't but still: San Francisco's Board of Supervisors today officially passed the so-called Happy Meal ban, reports our sister news blog, The Snitch. From Snitch editor Joe Eskenazi:
The measure in question was an ordinance that will ban restaurants from handing out toys with their meals unless said meals meet strict nutritional requirements. While the ordinance's sponsor, Supervisor Eric Mar, described it as a “small step” toward combating the nation's childhood obesity problems, it could also be a large step toward triggering a lawsuit from McDonald's or other fast food behemoths.
Is McDonald's planning to sue the city? A company spokeswoman wouldn't rule that out. Read the full story at The Snitch.


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Is 'Google that knows you' acceptable to you?
By manish on Oct 15, 2004
Google has created a desktop search application that lets people retrieve E-mail, Microsoft Office documents, chat logs and a history of Web pages previously viewed on their PC, all via a Web browser. Google has also launched Google SMS that lets users send queries from mobile phone. Earlier with gmail launch, Google upset the critics because it is designed to collect a person's entire E-mail history. Is this intrusion of privacy or what? Is this a privacy disaster? Imagine all your information Google will have access to if you have a gmail account, you use Google SMS and also use Google desktop search application?


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Lifestyle brand, Arttd’inox has announced the appointment of Publicis India as its creative agency. Publicis India was appointed after a multi-agency pitch which saw more than 3 agencies vying for the pivotal account.
As its creative & communication strategy partner, Publicis India would play a key role in fronting the communications mandate of Arttd’inox and making it a sought-after lifestyle brand in India.
Arttd’inox is more than a decade-old lifestyle brand from the house of one of the biggest stainless steel manufacturer in India, Jindal Stainless Limited (JSL). It is actively engaged in bringing out innovative design concepts in tableware, gifting, home décor and bespoke kitchens.
Sharing her views on appointing Publicis as its creative partner, Deepikka Jindal, MD, JSL Lifestyle Ltd. said: “Stainless steel is normally associated with something very basic and industrial though it has been rooted in the cultural fabric of India. Therefore, as a high-lifestyle brand, we found an opportunity to change the perception of people by marrying form & functionality in creating luxurious products. We have been in existence for more than a decade and have been striving to create a unique space for the brand Arttd’inox. With our new strategic GTM approach, we felt the need for a partner, who could truly understand our strengths and help us become a one-of-its-kind high-lifestyle brand of desire. We found the partner in Publicis India.”
On winning the business, Ravpreet Ganesh, Executive Director, Publicis India said: “Arttd’inox is more than just a retail brand. It symbolizes artistry, luxury and creativity. Being a part of the JSL Group, Arttd’inox is on a journey to change the perception people have about stainless steel and we are proud to associate with them in fulfilling this dream.”
The plan ahead is to scale up its offerings, especially in the overseas markets and expand to newer markets as well.
About Publicis India:
Publicis Worldwide is part of Publicis Communications in India. The agency also includes the recently-launched Marcel India, Publicis Groupe’s international creative hotshop. Publicis India is one of the top-ranked agencies in India, with offices in Mumbai, Delhi (NCR) and Bangalore. The agency is no stranger to awards, having proved its chops across Indian and international award shows – Cannes Lions, Clio, One Show, D&AD, Spikes Asia, Effies, Abbys, being some of the coveted awards under its belt. In India the agency works with an impressive array of clients that include Nestle, Citibank, Makemytrip, Garnier, Heineken, Nerolac, Skoda, Malaysia Tourism, HDFC Mutual Funds, etc.


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Regulatory News | 17 October 2017 | By Zachary Brennan
The Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) committee on Tuesday discussed with representatives of the pharmaceutical supply chain how the drug delivery system affects what patients pay.
Although none of the comments and arguments for reducing the price of pharmaceuticals were new, panelists and senators even seemed to disagree on what exactly is causing prices in the US to be so much higher than the rest of the world.
Mark Merritt, president of the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA), pointed his finger at pharmaceutical manufacturers, while industry group PhRMA’s EVP Lori Reilly pointed to hospitals, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and insurance plans.
The hearing, the second in a series (the first was held in June), also included testimony from Association for Accessible Medicines (AAM and formerly the Generic Pharmaceutical Association), the Healthcare Distribution Alliance and the American Pharmacists Association, though most of the questions were directed at PhRMA.
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) questioned the panel on why rebates are necessary and whether they can be removed to simplify the system.
Merritt told Alexander, “We would be OK with that,” and even PhRMA’s Reilly said that would be one option, though she noted that PBMs and health plans would be opposed to such a move.
Alexander also floated the idea of allowing drugs to be imported from other countries with cheaper prices, to increase US competition, though all the witnesses said they oppose the use of imports to lower prices.
Other senators took issue with the complicated drug payment system and supply chain, though suggested changes brought up by both Democrats and Republicans were not well received by the panelists.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) suggested more transparency on pharmaceutical companies and research and development spending, which Reilly said is necessary for the entire supply chain.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) singled out price increases for certain medicines, such as insulins, that occur near the end of a company’s monopoly, though Reilly countered that the increases are meant to help boost companies’ bottom lines so they can invest in developing the next generation of medicines.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) brought up the fact that pharmaceutical companies’ monopolies on certain drugs can decrease access because the prices are so high and she questioned Reilly on whether the US government should be allowed to further negotiate drug prices (as President Donald Trump has suggested).
But Reilly said that any further government negotiation would be considered “price controls,” and although every other country in the world uses price controls, Reilly said other countries lack the access to innovative medicines that Americans enjoy.
Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) questioned the panelists on why Americans pay more than nearly any other country for medicines and Reilly said that making other countries pay more might lower costs in the US, though it’s unclear how that would work.
The Cost of Prescription Drugs: How the Drug Delivery System Affects What Patients Pay
Tags: pharmaceutical pricing, Senate HELP committee, PhRMA


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Students Plead for Action
Secondary students in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand will challenge a global audience, during the February 8 online pilgrimage, to make better choices when buying food, clothes and electrical goods, particularly phones. Exploited or enslaved labour is used in much of the goods we buy and students are pleading with consumers to ‘Fight 4 Fair’.
Students from five schools in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand will make their online ‘pitch’ during the online pilgrimage on February 8 marking the 2023 International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking. They have produced short video clips that will be shown at the early part of the pilgrimage, which begins at 7.30pm AEDT.
Click here to join the pilgrimage at 7.30pm AEDT on February 8.
While the pilgrimage is an opportunity to speak to a huge audience, the students are already raising awareness in their own schools and communities. The video, made for the pilgrimage, will build on this campaign work in their schools.
Ruth Bakogianis, Senior Mathematics Teacher/Social Justice Leader at St Mary of the Angels Secondary College in Nathalia, said students at St Mary’s in country Victoria know that most of their peers, when purchasing an item of clothing, give little thought to the conditions of the workers who made that item.
“This prompted the students to do a survey which found that most of their peers would be prepared to pay more to ensure a living wage is paid to workers in the fashion industry. They have campaigned for our school community to download an App which is used to find out the ethical fashion rating of the clothes and then to write to their favourite brands if they have a poor rating,” she said.
Killester College’s Year 9 students in Springvale, Victoria, used their video to shine a spotlight on mobile phones and the companies that produce them using cobalt. There is growing evidence that children, in countries including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, are involved in the extraction of the cobalt, with no opportunity for education or to live like other children. There are also major safety issues for the children.
“We hope to raise awareness and to put pressure on big technology companies. Explaining this information to other students is quite a shock to them. They jumped at the opportunity to make the video. The plight of these children is so obviously wrong and needed addressing,” said Killester teacher Peter O’Neill.
Bridget Taylor from Geelong’s Clonard College had no trouble getting some Year 10 students to make the video after studying human trafficking for seven weeks in term 3.
“They (students) were very keen to know how they could make a difference as they were horrified, and responded with deep compassion and the desire to understand how this could be the case,” Bridget said.
Ana and Eden, Catholic Character Social Action Leaders at St Mary’s College, Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand, said it was difficult to imagine the hardships faced by children who were exploited and enslaved. “It makes us feel as if there is nothing we can do to make a difference. However, we remind others that we have the freedom to act and create change, unlike all those children who have had their freedom taken from them. By many individuals choosing to make a difference with the freedom they have, we can help restore these children’s rights,” they said.
Students at Red Bend College in Forbes, NSW, know about the exploitation of children in the production of chocolate thanks to college chaplain, Sr Elizabeth Young rsm.
“At Easter time we worked a lot on awareness-raising around slavery-free chocolate. We made sure that all our chocolate for the major Vinnies Easter raffle was ethically sourced,” Elizabeth said. Exposure to the issues of human trafficking was broadened when Elizabeth recruited students to help with the research and production of the video.
“This project was a great opportunity to involve students in research and activism with a major justice issue of our time that needs much more exposure. We will be showing the video they made to the whole school, to increase awareness and demonstrate the importance of our action,” she said.
Click here for more information about the February 8 events.


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Berger Cookies returned to stores Monday
A delivery truck stocked with Berger cookies rolled out of the Cherry Hill bakery Monday morning for the first time in more than a month. The well-known sweets are finally back in stores after Berger’s closure by the Baltimore City Health Department Jan. 31; the bakery was closed for operating without a city-issued food-service license.
By Richard Gorelick
March 4, 2013


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Apple Inc. has invited Chinese journalists to an event in Beijing on Sept. 11, just hours after it is widely expected to unveil its newest iPhone models in the United States, Chinese media reported on Wednesday.
The event would mark the first time that the company has held near-simultaneous briefings in the United States and in China, the world’s biggest mobile phone market where Apple has been losing its star power to rivals like Samsung Electronics Co Ltd.More Related to this Story
The event has fuelled speculation that Apple may announce a long-awaited deal with China Mobile Ltd, which is the world’s biggest mobile phone company by customers and the only one of China’s big carriers that does not have an agreement with the U.S. tech giant.
Apple and China Mobile did not immediately respond to e-mails and phone calls seeking comment. Top executives from the two companies met in China in late July, bolstering expectations that an agreement was near.
Some analysts, however, said Apple was likely to unveil a new product at the event and cut the months-long waiting time Chinese consumers have had for the latest iPhone.
“I think the primary purpose of the event will be for a new product launch, ” said Sandy Shen, a research director with consultancy Gartner in Shanghai. “Though an announcement with China Mobile is possible... I won’t hold my breath.”
Apple slipped to seventh place in second-quarter smartphone sales in China, according to research firm Canalys. Its China revenue for its fiscal quarter ended June 29 plummeted 43 per cent from the previous period and 14 per cent from the same period last year.
Apple is expected to unveil a less-costly iPhone at an event at its Cupertino, California, headquarters on Sept. 10. Analysts have said Apple needs a lower-priced device to drive growth in emerging markets such as China, where most consumers cannot afford its full-priced models.
Seeking Advice - Buying a Prepaid SIM card2006-02-06 23:30:29 by EternalRecycler
Got a Samsung phone from a FOAFOAF that was apparently used in Asia - the numerical dial tones can be spoken in Mandarin Chinese and there's what looks like a Mandarin Chinese text editor built inside.
However, the SIM card's a T-Mobile, so I'm thinking this phone *was* used in North America.
I'd like to buy a prepaid SIM card for my own use, but I'm not sure about the things I should look for when I'm shopping around. I just know there are quite a few CL ads for PP SIM cards.
I'm not sure if my internaional phone would pose a problem in terms of compatibility with the North American wireless network
Apple: ecco i due nuovi iPhone. Uno è low-cost per sbancare in Cina — Key4biz
Sei in: Home / Telecoms / Rete Mobile / Apple: ecco i due nuovi iPhone. Uno è low-cost per sbancare in Cina. Tags: iPhone, LTE, Smartphone, Android, Flash, UPS, iPhone 5, Apple, Ovum, Samsung, China Mobile, TIM, Apple Store, Steve Jobs, Tim Cook.
Samsung Galaxy Note II, White (Sprint)


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Frederiksberg Council has vetoed electric car charging stands by the company Better Place for being the wrong colour.
Customers of electric cars that use the Better Place charging system also purchase a personal charging stand for their car. But the mass-produced grey and blue charging stands violate Frederiksberg Council’s aesthetic policy that dictates outdoor equipment must be the colour green in order to be installed on the street.
Jan E. Jørgensen, chairman of Frederiksberg’s technical and environment committee, told Urban newspaper it was up to Better Place to adhere to the aesthetic regulations.
“We set these demands on city infrastructure, regardless of whether they are bicycle stands and charging stands, in order to avoid that the city becomes one big mess of colours,” he said. “Better Place won’t offer customers green charging stands because, according to them, it is not economical. They want us to look like silly bureaucrats. But we are very excited about electric cars. They just have to follow the same guidelines as everyone else.”
According to Better Place, Frederiksberg is the only council to object to the charging stands. And despite a special dispensation of three stands placed outside Forum during fashion week, the council refuses to back down on private stands for residents placed in public.
“Putting the colour of a charging station over a clean city environment, with less noise and particle pollution, is beyond me,” Claus Melvej from Better Place told The Copenhagen Post, adding it was a question of economy.
“It is not possible for us to accommodate their demand. Our charging stands are produced for an international roll-out,” Melvej said. “Delivering charging stands in 98 different colors would not make the solution an affordable one and could impede the transition toward sustainable methods of transportation. That's hardly in anyone’s interest.”
Better Place is a company that provides the charging system for electric cars, such as the Renault Fluence ZE which is currently the only car available in Denmark compatible with the system.
While customers can charge the car overnight by plugging into their personal charging stand, journeys that exceed the 160km range of the car are routed via battery swap stations that can install a fresh battery in the car in under five minutes.
Customers subscribe to a monthly payment scheme for the system, with customers supplied with electricity sourced, as much as possible, from renewable resources.
Denmark was chosen by the company to be a proving ground for the system, with Europe’s first battery swap station opening in Gladsaxe this June and another 19 stations planned to open across the country over the next year.


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RTI International Metals sales up in 2Q, profit down 79%
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- Malia Spencer
RTI International Metals Inc. (NYSE: RTI) reported a 16 percent increase in second quarter sales year-over-year but the titanium and specialty metals company saw its profit for the quarter tumble 79 percent from last year.
The company had profit of $2.1 million, or 7 cents per share, compared to profit of $10.2 million, or 34 cents per share, a year ago. The company noted that the year-ago results included a tax benefit of $8.1 million.
Sales for the second quarter ended June 30 were $123.2 million compared to $106.7 million a year ago.
The company’s titanium business segment saw a 39 percent increase in sales in the quarter to $74.6 million over a year ago and operating income was up year-over-year to $9.2 million from $1.8 million, the result of higher mill volume and higher-margin product mix.
In the quarter, the distribution business segment also saw an increase in sales and operating income. Sales were up 41 percent year-over-year to $54.6 million from $38.8 million. Operating profit was up 91 percent year-over-year to $2.1 million from $1.1 million. These results were driven by higher sales to Airbus and higher aerospace spot sales and increased specialty alloys, the company said.
However, the company’s third business segment, the fabrication group, saw its operating losses widen in the quarter and sales slip. The segment had an operating loss of $5.2 million compared to an operating loss of $800,000 in the year-ago quarter. Sales in the segment were down 14 percent year-over-year to $32.2 million from $37.3 million. This group was affected by lower shipments to The Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) and delays in energy market projects. The 2010 quarter also included sales of high-margin products to help in the clean up of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
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Aimed at boosting India’s start-up community and supporting the government’s ‘Start-up India initiative’, Amazon has rolled out its global program called Launchpad, a platform for Indian start-ups to launch, market and distribute their products to the e-commerce major’s 300 million users.
India happens to be the seventh country to be introduced to this initiative which is available to the start-ups for Rs 5,000 per month. It is already available in the US, UK, China, Germany, France and Mexico.
Amit Agarwal, VP and Country Head, Amazon India said, “By bringing Amazon Launchpad to India, we are excited to support the government’s ‘Start-up India’ initiative and encourage innovation from the Indian start-up community. We hope that Amazon Launchpad has a positive impact on the economy by further promoting ‘Make in India, adding further impetus to the current interest in Indian start-ups and also creating additional employment opportunities.”
Jason Feldman, Director Global Innovations, Amazon added, “Amazon Launchpad is an exceptional opportunity for Indian start-ups to get access to big consumer markets nationally and internationally. Through this program small entrepreneurs and innovators can leverage the Amazon platform to increase the scale of their businesses and even get easy access to global markets. With Launchpad, we hope to augment the innovation culture in the Indian youth.”
Amazon Launchpad will offer start-ups and entrepreneurs access to custom pages where sellers can showcase their products through photos and videos, marketing support to help product discovery. It’s hoping to help new start-ups overcome challenges associated with launching new products.
The e-commerce giant has partnered with various players operating in this space for this program including DIPP’s (Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion) Start Up India initiative, Nasscom 10K and Indian Angel Network to identify the start ups. Other strategic partners roped in are NITI Aayog, Government of Maharashtra, Government of Telangana and TiE. Around 25 Indian start-ups like Witworks, Leaf Wearables, Ducere Technologies, Seventh Sense Technologies have already joined the platform to leverage Amazon’s infrastructure to create awareness and drive sale.
Dr R Chandrashekhar, President, Nasscom said, “NASSCOM is very excited to support and partner with the Amazon Launchpad program in India – the timing couldn’t have been better- the nascent but promising Indian hardware/IoT product ecosystem can now fully leverage the firepower of Amazon’s distribution and marketing capabilities.”
In fact, it has a separate dedicated store for this initiative featuring over 400 innovative products ranging from wearable technology, smart homes, food and beverage, health monitoring and educational toys, among others.
The announcement of Amazon Launchpad comes at a time when Amazon’s India business has experienced triple digit growth rates this year. The ecommerce giant is investing $5 million dollar to build a logistic network to bring in shoppers. Recently, in October, the firm launched its Global Store for Indian customers enabling them to buy products sold on its US website while paying in Indian currency. The move gives customers in India access to over four million products from international brands and help Amazon compete more aggressively against domestic rival Flipkart in the booming Indian e-commerce market.


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Bethesda already has Skyrim running on Xbox One. It's done! Ready to go! Tell us the pre-order bonuses! There's just one teensy issue: the studio only ported Skyrim as a new-gen exercise in the lead-up to Fallout 4, and it doesn't seem to have any plans to actually release it.
Share. No plans for a current-gen Skyrim release, however. By Seth G. Macy. One of the earliest steps in the development of Fallout 4 started with Bethesda porting Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim to Xbox One. According to a report by Game Informer...


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Greek manufacturing output increased for the first time in more than four years in November, according to Markit’s PMI data published on Monday, which showed that the firm’s composite index had reached a 51-month high.
“November saw output at Greek manufacturers rise for the first time since September 2009, which in turn helped lift the headline Markit Greece Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) from 47.3 in October to 49.2, its highest level in 51 months,” according to Markit.
“New orders meanwhile stabilised after having fallen in the prior month and employment decreased at a slower rate, both developments also contributing to the PMI’s rise,” the report added.
“Production levels at Greek manufacturers rose slightly during November, thereby ending a run of contraction that started in late-2009. Growth was confined to just the consumer goods sector, however, with intermediate and capital goods manufacturers recording lower output levels.”
Markit, however, added that job losses continued in November although at the slowest rate for almost four years.
“November’s survey brought better news on numerous fronts, most notably by showing factory output levels rising for the first time since late-2009, albeit only marginally,” said the report’s author, Markit economist Phil Smith. “A flat trend in new orders after a renewed decline in the previous two months was another positive development, although insufficient for sustained growth in output.”


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Smaller iPhone 5, Sprint No Comments, Samsung Galaxy Makes M
iPhone 5 Smaller Screen
With the departure of Steve Jobs yesterday's news, Apple fanatics can go back to obsessing over the iPhone 5 and its impending arrival.
The latest rumor on Apple's next generation iPhone is that it will feature a 3.5- to 3.7-inch screen. The rumor, which comes from Taiwanese news site Digitimes, directly contradicts numerous reports from various analysts and news sites that said the iPhone 5 would have a bigger screen than its predecessor. Many were predicting a screen size of more than four inches, which would put it up there with several larger Android phones.
Acccording to Digitimes, the iPhone 5 will have a thinner bezel, which will make the screen look bigger. In addition, the unnamed source told Digitimes that Apple was planning on dropping the rear glass design in exchange for a metal back.
As always, these rumors are unconfirmed. Apple hasn't even confirmed the existence of a new iPhone 5, however, it's widely believed it will come out in the fall.
Sprint No Comments
Speaking of the iPhone; the rumor that said Sprint is adding the next generation of the popular phone for its lineup has picked up some steam. The original rumor came from The Wall Street Journal this past week. It said when the iPhone 5 finally gets released in October, Sprint will be carrying it.
According to the blog Sprintfeed, Sprint has told its employees to keep hush on the news. Its specifically told its employees to not speculate about Sprint getting the iPhone.
This could be an indicator that Sprint is in fact getting the iPhone and the next generation is coming out sometime in October, as widely speculated. However, it doesn't confirm anything as Macobserver points out and could simply be a case of the company trying to curb customer expectations.
Still, if they wanted to do that, they'd probably just say they aren't getting it.
4G Samsung Galaxy
While the Samsung vs. Apple battle heats up in court, the fight on the playing field has gotten more intense than ever. Samsung officially announced the 4G, LTE versions of the Samsung Galaxy S II and Galaxy Tab 8.9.
While this phone will be available in Europe soon, it likely won't hit the U.S. in stores in the near future. The phone was announced at the Internationale Funkaustellung (IFA) Show in Berlin this past week. Phones introduced at the IFA first come to Europe and don't go to the U.S. until much later.
The Galaxy S II LTE has better specs than the original as well. It comes with a 1.5-Ghz dual-core processor, 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, 1080p HD video recording, an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, and Android 2.3 (Gingerbread).
In other Samsung Galaxy news, the company is delaying the launch of its Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia because of the ongoing court battles with Apple.


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Porsche is investing billions in its future electric models, but it does not says it is willing now to abandon gasoline and diesel engines. In fact, according to the Chairman of the company, Oliver Blum, the company said that it plans to retain internal combustion engines, as they will be an integral part of the automotive industry into the next decade. Moreover, Porsche believe that diesel engine even has the right to life.
Blum gave an interview to the press service of Porsche, which explained the philosophy of the plan of the Porsche Strategy 2025. On the question of whether the decision to abandon in the near future from the diesel engine, he replied: “the Porsche develops and manufactures its own diesel engines and has no plans in the future to change this policy in the future. However, there is no reason to suddenly take and give up diesel fuel.”
This is a very simple explanation is that diesel engines typically produce less CO2 emissions than gasoline and they make an important contribution to the achievement of the objectives of the company in respect of CO2. Despite the fact that the share of diesel versions of the new Porsche cars is worldwide, about 14%, there are regions where customers are literally addicted to the diesel engines.
“There are many markets, for example, in southern Europe, where people do not really understand the discussions in Germany about the future of diesel fuel. There is 80% of buyers are choosing diesel cars,” explains Blum.
But, in the end, Porsche and all other manufacturers completely switched to electricity. Of course, it will not happen overnight and Blum predicted that the last internal combustion engine of the Porsche will be released sometime in 2030. Technical, production and purely economic reasons do not allow to switch to electric vehicles faster.


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TORONTO, Ontario – September 1, 2021 – Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI)’s Lexus division reported its sixth consecutive month of record sales, up 27.8% from August 2020, with 2,508 units sold, led by the sales of the Lexus IS, UX, NX and RX.
TCI’s electrified vehicle sales also achieved an August sales record, increasing by 20.7.% from August 2020, with 5,532 units sold.
Overall, TCI sales were down 1.4% with 21,309 units sold in August. The Toyota division sold 18,801 units in August, down 4.4%.
About Toyota Canada Inc.
Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) is the exclusive Canadian distributor of Toyota and Lexus vehicles. Toyota has sold over six million vehicles in Canada through a national network of 286 Toyota and Lexus dealerships. Toyota is dedicated to bringing safety, quality, dependability and reliability to the vehicles Canadians drive and the service they receive. TCI’s head office is in Toronto, with regional offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Halifax, and parts distribution centres in Clarington and Vancouver. Toyota also operates two manufacturing facilities in Canada. Having produced more than nine million vehicles, popular Canadian models built at these facilities include Toyota RAV4, Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus RX 350 and RX 450h hybrid. Recent investments at its facilities in Ontario will allow for increased production of the top-selling Toyota RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid models for the North American market.
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Many brands are starting to see a recovery despite the challenges initially brought on by the pandemic. Some businesses, especially ones that focused efforts on expanding e-commerce ventures, have even seen profits rise even higher than before.
HYPEBEAST has rounded up the top business and crypto stories of the week so you can stay in the know about trends across industries.
1. Netflix’s hit K-drama ’Squid Game’ has pushed the streaming service’s stock price to an all-time high
Netflix’s popular survival K-drama Squid Game has catapulted the streaming platform’s stock to new highs, Forbes reported. The stock closed at $610.34 USD as of yesterday.
2. Warby Parker made its public debut via a direct listing on the NYSE.
Eyewear maker Warby Parker began trading on the New York Stock Exchange via a direct listing on Wednesday, debuting at $54.04 USD a share. It now trades under the ticker symbol WRBY.
3. Current and former Blue Origin workers called out the company’s ‘toxic’ work environment
A collective of former and current employees at Jeff Bezos‘ Blue Origin have published an open letter accusing the company of cultivating a “toxic” workplace. “In our experience, Blue Origin’s culture sits on a foundation that ignores the plight of our planet, turns a blind eye to sexism, is not sufficiently attuned to safety concerns, and silences those who seek to correct wrongs,” the letter concluded.
4. Leaked Facebook study reveals a link between celebrity Instagram posts and negative feelings among viewers
A leaked Facebook study indicates that followers of celebrity Instagram accounts often experience negative feelings after viewing their content on the platform. The internal research from the social media giant was leaked and published earlier this week by The Wall Street Journal.
5. New data suggests that Gucci has been subtly raising the prices of its bags
New data released by Morgan Stanley suggests that Gucci has been subtly raising the prices of its popular bags in recent months. Morgan Stanley cited a report from the Chinese trade newsletter Fashion Business Daily, which noted that last Friday, Gucci raised its prices in China for several key products.
1. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney says the gaming company is ‘not touching’ NFTs
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney announced on Twitter that the company will not be creating any NFTs. He cited an “intractable mix of scams” involved in the burgeoning industry.
2. Coinbase will soon allow customers to directly deposit their paychecks as cryptocurrency
Crypto exchange platform Coinbase will soon allow customers to directly deposit their paychecks as cryptocurrency in their accounts. Customers using the service will be able to select what percentage of their paychecks they wish to deposit into their digital wallets, and deposits can be made in both USD or a cryptocurrency of their choosing.
3. Netflix is releasing a documentary series on the suspicious death of crypto tycoon Gerry Cotten
Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King follows a group of investors turned amateur detectives. Gerry Cotton founded Quadriga Fintech Solutions which operated QuadrigaCX, the largest crypto exchange in Canada at the time.
4. Tommy Cash and Rick Owens unite for “Mona Lisa” NFT auction
Estonian rap artist Tommy Cash joined forces with fashion designer Rick Owens to present a full collection of six GIFs from his latest video for “Mona Lisa,” off his 2018 album, ¥ € $. The duo on Wednesday launched an NFT auction for the first of the six digital assets via Foundation, titled “MONA LISA: 2 IS BETTER THAN 3.”
5. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell says the US won’t ban cryptocurrencies
Testifying before the House Committee on Financial Services, Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell was asked if the central bank is considering following in the footsteps of China, which has recently implemented a ban on all crypto transactions. In response, Powell emphasized that there is currently “no intention to ban them.”
Source: Read Full Article


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When people think about industries that use reviews, their minds tend to two places first:
But tons of growing industries have started using reviews in innovative, industry-specific ways to attract customers, gain traction, and boost sales. Online businesses in these fast growing markets need to attract customers quickly or risk being left behind. This isn't just for enterprise marketing. We are see small local businesses as well capitalize on this opportunity.
Here’s a spotlight on how savvy brands in 5 emerging industries use reviews to attract new customers to power growth.
1. Drone Brands Use Reviews to Stay Ahead of the Competition
Drones are all the rage in 2016, and they’re not showing signs of slowing down: according to a report by Grand View Research Inc., the drone industry is expected to rise to $2.07 billion by 2022. The majority of the growth in this industry will be happening in the commercial – not military – sector.
And commercially, drones are expected to impact nearly every major vertical.
A Business Insider report says, “The global commercial drone market will take shape around applications in a handful of industries: agriculture, energy, utilities, mining, construction, real estate, news media, and film production. “
In such a highly competitive space with tons of new players entering, customer feedback is vital for helping companies stand out to get new customers. Reviews give drone companies the social proof they need to attract traffic and convince shoppers to choose their products over the competition.
Jonathan Baird, founder of Drones Etc., explains how customer reviews have helped him get an edge on the competition:
“Each happy customer is an extremely valuable ambassador that helps grow the brand. Since adding reviews, we’ve seen around a 10% increase in traffic and revenue across the board.” Jonathan Baird | Founder of Drones Etc.
With more expensive items like drones, product reviews are especially important.
And for expensive items, it’s crucial to have tons of reviews to instill trust in new shoppers nervous about making a big purchase.
“Drones are a popular, high-growth retail category, with broad choices for quality, features, price, as well as hobbyist and professional applications. Authentic customer reviews are a critical tool for helping consumers narrow their choices and drive to a purchasing decision, and a great review can push a sale over the line,” Rick McInnes from Drone Nerds explains.
Additionally, because drones are such a new and quickly evolving technology, drone brands need to be on their top game in understanding customer complaints and working to improve the product as quickly as possible.
“Customer reviews have been vital for receiving feedback on our sales and delivery process in real time. If we get a bad or not stellar review we can immediately huddle as a team and figure out what we did wrong and how to fix it so it doesn’t happen again,” Baird says.
2. Financial Services Stay Relevant with Customer Reviews
Financial services is another growing industry that struggles to get customers because of a lack of trust and engagement.
People approach financial services with stress and uncertainty, and these companies need to transmit reassurance and show they are trustworthy and honest in order to attract customers.
They need reviews to establish credibility in an industry where most people are skeptical.
Many companies in the financial industry offer similar suites of services. Therefore, customer satisfaction is a huge differentiator for them.
Probably the biggest challenge financial services face today is attracting millennial customers.
Millennials are characterized by their lack of trust in institutions, specifically financial ones which they do not trust (they have lived through enough crashes and crises to not trust banks).
However, millennial customers have just now reached the age where they must begin to interact with the financial industry – they are getting married, buying homes, having children, consolidating student loans. Therefore, financial services need to change the way they offer services.
Millennials do not trust them, but they do trust each other. This is why personal experience and word of mouth is crucial for attracting quality traffic and customers who already come in the door with a trusting mind.
Also, when it comes to financial interactions, the tendency of customers is to pick one company and stick with them for life, so it is crucial for the company to be there at the decision making time.
People do write reviews about financial services on third-party websites, and these reviews are usually negative.
A lot of the time the people writing these negative reviews did not actually complete a transaction with the company because they were, for example, refused a loan and they are upset.
So they go on third-party websites like Yelp to rant. Financial service companies are having trouble getting reviews from customers that actually completed a transaction.
But financial service companies that are taking control of their reviews are seeing huge positive benefits.
LendKey allows consumers to refinance their student loans online, through credit unions and community banks. Here is what David Barak, Director of Acquisition Marketing & Analytics at LendKey had to say:
“People are extremely sensitive about sharing financial information online – and due to some bad practices in the early days of the industry, people are also very skeptical of online lending. I knew that social proof was going to be important, but we needed to do it in a way that was genuine and transparent.
Reviews allow financial institutions to increase engagement and trust among visitors.
“Since LendKey started publishing reviews on its product pages, we’ve had an uptick in the time visitors spend on our site, the number of pages they see, and the degree to which they convert,” Barak says.
Sam Casey is the Chief Creative Officer and Managing Partner at Banyan Creative.


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Fluctuations seen in third quarter, with Sendo recording remarkable growth, iPrice Group study reveals.
The latest update from Map of E-commerce Vietnam conducted by the iPrice Group reveals that the number of visitors to Sendo’s website in the third quarter stood at 30.9 million each month and this was the second consecutive quarter the website has seen a 10 per cent increase in traffic over the previous quarter.
Its mobile app still holds second place nationwide in terms of number of downloads.
These two positive results highlight a successful 2019 for Sendo. In June, at the Vietnam Startup Investment Fund Forum 2019, CEO Mr. Tran Hai Linh revealed that operation-wise, the e-commerce company was already profitable.
Unlike its competitors, Sendo has to date been focusing on customers in all regions, not just major cities. Its solutions towards this goal are proving to be fruitful, especially in attracting new users on both the web platform and app.
Conversely, Sendo’s major competitors Shopee Vietnam, Tiki, and Lazada Vietnam all saw a decline in website traffic.
After holding second place nationwide for a long time, Tiki has now ceded this position to Sendo. Its mobile app, however, went in the opposite direction: up from fourth in downloads to third, surpassing Lazada.
The iPrice Group predicted that the decline in Tiki’s website traffic (from 33.7 million per month to 27.1 million) could be a temporary fluctuation in the context of the company focusing on improving its infrastructure.
At Tiki’s annual partner meeting in September, Chairman Mr. Tran Ngoc Thai Son said that in the next three quarters the company will increase its number of warehouses to optimize both its ability to store goods and ship goods much faster.
Lazada Vietnam’s website for the first time ranked fifth nationwide, after being in the top 2 just last year. A major consolation for the company, however, is that its mobile app still ranks second in monthly active users, behind only Shopee Vietnam. These contradictory results once again show that Lazada’s total focus on mobile strategy is paying off.
The title of number one Vietnamese e-commerce platform still belongs firmly to Shopee. The company’s website saw a fifth consecutive quarter in top position, with 34.5 million visits per month. Its shopping app also topped the table in terms of both monthly downloads and monthly active users.
The rankings on web and mobile platforms show that in the race to attract users to Vietnamese e-commerce marketplaces, no one is the absolute winner or loser. Anything is still possible, especially when competitors are seeking to attract new sources of investment capital.
Tiki is in the process of raising capital for its D round. Speaking with the media in May, Mr. Ngo Hoang Gia Khanh, Tiki’s Director of Finance and Development, said the company’s goal is to raise $50-100 million from strategic investment funds or financial investor groups.
As for Sendo, Mr. Nguyen The Phuong, Deputy General Director of its owner, the FPT Corporation, said in June that the company has been and will be inviting outside investors to join and invest in supporting their long-term strategy and that Sendo is currently receiving a lot of attention from all parties.
Research Methodology: Data were recorded using technology and algorithms provided by SimilarWeb and App Annie. Market information and ratings were collected and analyzed by iPrice Group in October 2019.
Source: VN Economic Times


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Samsung on Monday announced a "premiere" event set for next month in London, along with a set of cryptic images suggesting new devices for its Galaxy and Windows-based lines.
Copyright Getty Images
PETER SVENSSON, AP TECHNOLOGY WRITER
NEW YORK -- U.S. wireless carriers have started revealing prices for Samsung's new flagship phone, the Galaxy S 4, which goes on sale starting next week.
AT&T Inc. has started taking advance orders and says phones will ship starting April 30. It's charging $200 for the base model, with 16 gigabytes of memory, under a two-year contract. Staples says it will start selling the AT&T model on April 26.
Sprint Nextel Corp. starts taking advance orders Thursday and says in-store sales start April 27. It charges $250 for the base model, or $150 if the buyer is coming over from another carrier.
T-Mobile USA starts taking advance orders next Wednesday, and in-store sales start May 1. It's charging $150 up front and $20 per month for two years under its new installment plans. Those plans replace two-year service contracts that most carriers require. T-Mobile has abandoned them in favor of cheaper month-to-month plans.
Verizon Wireless has said it will sell the phone, but hasn't announced a release date or price. Smaller carriers U.S. Cellular, Leap Wireless' Cricket and C Spire will also sell the phone.
Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy S 4 is the successor to the Galaxy S III, which has been the biggest competitor to Apple Inc.'s iPhone.
The Galaxy S 4 has a slightly bigger screen, a larger battery and a faster processor than its predecessor.
Copyright Associated Press
One person will win a three-year lease on a 2013 Honda Civic Lx Sedan automatic.
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ImmenStar Joins EPON Race
ImmenStar Inc. is readying a May 31 press conference to introduce itself, playing up the fact that the company has spent two years in stealth mode. The element of surprise is kind of blown, though, as ImmenStar had a previous launch -- on May 18, at the NetEvents Asia Press Summit in Singapore -- and has posted product descriptions to the Web.
The EPON market already seems to have its fill of chips, with competitors including Centillium Communications Inc. ; Passave Inc. , recently acquired by PMC-Sierra Inc. (Nasdaq: PMCS); and Teknovus Inc. And they aren't standing still; Teknovus, in particular, is preparing for the next generation of EPON. (See PMC Preps PON Plans and EPON Evangelists Talk 10-Gig.)
"We're a little bit late, as you can tell," says John Wuu, ImmenStar's CEO. "We watched the Japanese market, and PON started picking up very well. We believed we could do something different."
ImmenStar so far has been on the fast track to catch up. The company got chips produced in one year and claims to have landed a multimillion-dollar order from Japan, with delivery due next month.
ImmenStar isn't saying who the customer is, but one source pegs it as UTStarcom Inc. (Nasdaq: UTSI) -- which, not coincidentally, invested $2 million in ImmenStar, according to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings. (ImmenStar has raised one round of funding, led by Pac-Link Management Corp. , for an undisclosed amount. Wuu notes that UTStarcom owns a "minor" percentage of ImmenStar.)
UTStarcom sells equipment to Softbank BB Corp. for the Yahoo Broadband service in Japan. UTStarcom had been using EPON chips from Passave Inc. , but that relationship allegedly soured when the Passave chips didn't work properly, according to a lawsuit UTStarcom filed last year. (See UTStarcom Sues Passave.)
Passave even considered buying ImmenStar at one point, Wuu acknowledges. "That was a long time ago. They never talked to us directly. They hinted through a different party," he says, noting that he wasn't involved in that conversation himself. Passave officials declined to comment on the whole situation.
Naturally, other competitors are wise to ImmenStar, too. "They're serious, and they're smart guys -- but about two years behind us," says Lowell Lamb, vice president of marketing for Teknovus. "They're a competitor. It's a sign that the market's growing up."
Trying to stand out, ImmenStar packs its chips with features such as quality of service (QOS) with video in mind, and the company claims its chips let carriers guarantee the bandwidth dictated in service-level agreements.
But the most obvious difference in its parts is that the optical line terminal (OLT) chips have four ports, apparently the first of their kind to do so. It's a step that was probably inevitable in PON chips, and it could lead to more densely packed OLTs for central offices. Having four ports also creates a built-in redundancy, as traffic can be shifted to a different port if something goes wrong.
ImmenStar's founders include Eugene Lee, an ASIC designer who was chief architect and employee no. 1 at Force10, the high-end Ethernet switch vendor -- and he's brought three other Force10 employees in his wake. "A lot of people in PON chips have broadband knowledge. They don't have the router/switch domain knowledge," Lee says.
Other key execs come from systems companies as well. CTO Charles Chen hails from Mahi Networks, which got absorbed into Meriton Networks Inc. (See Meriton Buys Mahi Networks.) Wuu is a Bell Labs veteran who was also Telcordia Technologies Inc. managing director for Asia/Pacific and a sales VP at IP Unity Corp. , arriving there when the company acquired EmpowerTel.
Lee developed Force10's first two generations of chips, but because the company sells to such high-end networks, he found himself a bit stranded. "I found out that probably for the next five years, I don't need to do anything," he says. That, plus a discovery that "the edge of the network is more fun, with more challenges," led him to leave Force10 to start ImmenStar.
Lee notes he's held onto his Force10 stock -- and no, he doesn't know when that company will go public either. (See Force10 Revs Revenues.)
Most of ImmenStar's 30 employees work from Santa Clara, Calif., with a handful in Shanghai and one staffer starting up a customer-service office in Taiwan.
— Craig Matsumoto, Senior Editor, Light Reading


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Miss El Salvador Alejandra Guajardo, who is representing the country in the 2023 Miss Universe pageant, turned heads with her unique look — a custom-made suit inspired by Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC).
What Happened: The suit worn by Guajardo was crafted by Salvadoran designer Francisco Guerrero, reported El Salvadoran news website El Salvadorgram.
See More: Best Crypto Day Trading Strategies
The report added that it's a custom piece reflecting the evolution of El Salvador's currency, from its humble beginnings to the currency of today. El Salvador became the first country in June 2021 to accept Bitcoin as a legal tender.
Miss El Salvador with Bitcoin Costume at Miss Universe 2023 pic.twitter.com/P63X1HEmrh
— Pushpendra Singh Digital (@PushpendraTech) January 12, 2023
Guerrero crafted the outfit using materials such as cardboard, leatherette, leather, rhinestones, cloth and iron. All these elements interweave to create the journey of El Salvador — from cocoa to Bitcoin and the socio-economic progress associated with advancing technology.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the El Salvador Legislative Assembly unanimously approved a law regulating the issuance of digital assets, opening up the possibility of issuing government-backed Bitcoin bonds.
Price Action: Bitcoin was trading at $18,223, up 4.64%, in the last 24 hours, according to Benzinga Pro data.