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- Should you buy Blink Charging Co (NASDAQ: BLNK) now? Here is some information to help you decide.
This month, the stock price of Blink Charging Co (NASDAQ: BLNK) increased by over 44%. There were several company announcements that triggered the stock price increase. Here’s a deep dive into what is going on.
Sustainable Westchester Partnership
A few days ago, Blink Charging Co (NASDAQ: BLNK) announced it partnered with Sustainable Westchester, a leading nonprofit consortium of local municipalities in Westchester County, New York. They will be working together exclusively to promote the build-out of EV charging infrastructure in conjunction with New York’s NYSERDA and Make Ready programs.
Gov. Gavin Newsom Bans Sale Of New Gasoline Cars in 2035
About a week ago, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a decision to ban the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles in the state starting in 2035. On the day of that announcement, the stock price of Blink increased over 10%. While it is unclear how much Blink will benefit from this decision, it further validates Blink’s business model.
Over 23,000 Charging Stations Deployed
On September 22, Blink Charging Co (NASDAQ: BLNK) revealed that it sold or deployed 539 EV charging stations across 24 states and 4 countries. Those numbers represented a nearly 100% increase over the same three-month period in 2019. In a press release from August 2020, Blink also revealed it had deployed over 23,000 charging stations — many of which are networked EV charging stations.
Acquisition Of BlueLA Carsharing
A couple of weeks ago, Blink Charging’s wholly-owned subsidiary Blink Mobility acquired BlueLA Carsharing. BlueLA Carsharing is the City of Los Angeles’ contractor for an electric vehicle carsharing services program with 200 charging stations and 100 electric vehicles. That acquisition doubled the number of Blink stations in Los Angeles.
Other Points You Should Know
Here are some other points you should know:
Some of Blink Charging’s assets are tied to a 2013 acquisition of an EV charging company called ECOtality. And the company’s origin ties to a company called Car Charging Group. In 2017, Car Charging Group changed its name to Blink Charging and the company also implemented a 1 for 50 reverse stock split.
And in August, Blink Charging issued a press release defending itself from a short-seller report. Culper Research had published a report saying that Blink Charging was “vastly” exaggerating the size of its EV charging network.
Blink Charging Stock (BLNK): Should I Buy It Now?
For the total revenue ended June 30, 2020, Blink Charge reported a 120% increase in revenue to $1.6 million compared to $0.7 million in the second quarter of 2019. The net loss for the quarter was $3 million compared to $2.2 million in the second quarter of 2019. For a company operating in the electric vehicle space, this may not seem significant. But in my opinion, I can appreciate the strategy of controlling the burn rate in an industry where many other companies in the space are operating at much larger losses.
Blink founder and CEO Michael D. Farkas noted that the revenue for the first half of 2020 had surpassed the company’s revenue for all of 2019 as the company has been seeing larger opportunities across the business as host locations, strategic partners, EV drivers, and investors have been seeing more value from their charging solutions.
I also checked out some consensus reports to see what they said about Blink Charging stock:
Consensus Report #1: 1 analyst says buy and 1 analyst says neutral
Consensus Report #2: 1 analyst says hold
Blink Charging Stock (BLNK) Performance:
Here is how the Blink Charging stock price performed over certain periods of time (as of 1:28 PM ET today):
When you look at the charts beyond two years, the numbers also reflect the performance of Car Charging Group prior to the reverse stock split and branding change.
Based on all of the recent company milestones, I plan to obtain a very small position in Blink. And I will steadily increase more shares in Blink Charging as it grows over time as I tend to take high-risk positions, including positions in companies that have had volatile stock price histories as part of my current investment strategy.
If you are a more conservative investor, then I would recommend that you invest more in other companies that have had long track records with steady growth.
Disclosure: I wrote this article myself and I do not have any business relationship with any company whose stock I write about. I am not a financial advisor and all articles are my opinion. You should do your own due diligence and consider talking to a financial professional before investing.

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Winnipeg seed company BrettYoung Seeds plans to phase in its new CEO over the next three years.
Calvin Sonntag, currently CEO at the Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Agency and formerly CEO at inoculant manufacturer Philom Bios (later Novozymes Biologicals), was named as “co-chief executive officer” at BrettYoung effective Tuesday.
“Over the next three years, Calvin will gradually assume all of the responsibilities of the CEO position, including management of all positions that presently report directly to the CEO,” BrettYoung’s current CEO Lloyd Dyck said in a statement Thursday.
Sonntag, who will relocate from Saskatoon to Winnipeg this summer, also has previous management positions on his resume with Monsanto Canada and with AgrEvo Canada (now part of Bayer CropScience).
Sonntag’s new position at BrettYoung will also include that of co-chief sales and marketing officer, Dyck said.
BrettYoung now operates five seed distribution facilities across the Prairies, including sites at Winnipeg and Gilbert Plains, Man., Rycroft and Leduc, Alta., and Saskatoon.
The various sites handle processing, coating, packaging and distribution of canola, grass, and legume seed to markets worldwide.


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Granholm: Emerging Business Fund will provide research grants for small businesses
Published 6:31 am Tuesday, February 24, 2004
LANSING -- Governor Jennifer M. Granholm has announced the state is paving the way to grow Michigan's economy and create jobs by providing matching grants for Michigan businesses applying for federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants in sectors supportive of the Michigan Technology Tri-Corridor initiative.
The Emerging Business Fund, a program detailed in the 2004 State of the State address and part of the Governor's 7-point plan to grow Michigan's economy, is prepared to make a total of $1 million available in matching grants of up to $15,000 for Michigan businesses who will use the federal and state dollars for research and development of products they hope to bring to the marketplace.
The Emerging Business Fund is one of three new programs Granholm announced in the State of the State address to help entrepreneurs grow new businesses in Michigan. One million dollars of this year's Technology Tri-Corridor funding has been dedicated to the Emerging Business Fund to help entrepreneurs with proposals in the life sciences, homeland security, and advanced automotive technology sectors.
The SBIR program, managed by the U.S. Small Business Administration, provides competitively reviewed funding for both proof-of-principle research and development (Phase I) and early stage product development (Phase II).
Under the new state program, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) will provide matching funds of up to $15,000 per Phase I SBIR recipient that meets the Tri-Corridor qualifying criteria. The matching funds can be used for all SBIR-allowed purposes and also for the purchase of equipment, legal costs, commercialization costs, and other beneficial expenses not allowed under SBIR guidelines.
According to Jakeway, the matching funds complement other MEDC initiatives to encourage the growth of small businesses in emerging fields. The Great Lakes Entrepreneur's Quest, supported by the MEDC, is an ongoing statewide competition designed to provide the best of Michigan entrepreneurs with financial, educational, and other resources they need to succeed. The Michigan Technology Tri-Corridor, administered by the MEDC, has led to the addition of more than 70 new high-tech businesses in the state, most of them small businesses.
Each year, 10 federal departments and agencies are required to reserve a portion of their research and development funds for SBIR awards to small businesses. The National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Department of Energy, and Department of Defense are among the likely sources of SBIR funding for the three Tri-Corridor sectors Michigan is targeting through its matching program.
For more information about the Michigan Technology Tri-Corridor SBIR Emerging Business Fund or to submit an application electronically, please visit the Technology Tri-Corridor Web site at www.medc.michigan.org/ttc.
The Michigan Economic Development Corporation, a partnership between the state and local communities, promotes smart economic growth by developing strategies and providing services to create and retain good jobs and a high quality of life. For more information on the Michigan Economic Development Corporation's initiatives and programs, visit the Web site at www.michigan.org.


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Doom Eternal pushed back to 2020
Bethesda and id Software have delayed Doom Eternal from its November release date to March 20th, 2020.
“To make sure we’re delivering the best experience – for Doom Eternal to live up to our standards of speed and polish – we’ve made the decision to extend our launch date by a few months to March 20, 2020,” a message from the developer reads. “We know many fans will be disappointed by this delay, but we are confident that Doom Eternal will deliver a gaming experience that is worth the wait.”
The developer also revealed that the game’s multiplayer offering, Invasion Mode, will arrive after the game’s launch via a free update and that the Nintendo Switch version will launch after other platforms.
In addition to the above, it was announced that Doom64 will be included with Doom Eternal as a preorder bonus on all platforms. Doom64 launches on March 20th, 2020.
Doom Eternal is in development for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC.


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Meta Platforms Inc’s digital currency venture Diem Association is winding down and selling its technology to California-based Silvergate Capital Corp for about $200 million, the Wall Street Journal has reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.
Meta, formerly Facebook Inc, first unveiled plans for Diem, known as Libra earlier, in June 2019, as part of an effort to expand beyond social networking into e-commerce and global payments.
The project immediately ran into fierce opposition from policymakers globally, who worried it could erode their control over the money system, enable crime, and harm users’ privacy.
In the quest for regulatory approvals, Facebook then renamed its digital coin to ‘Diem’ and scaled down its global ambition to focus on the United States by announcing the launch of a US dollar stablecoin, which are cryptocurrencies pegged to a traditional currency.
A much recent blow came when Facebook’s financial technology executive David Marcus, who was overseeing its efforts to develop Diem, left the company to start working on something new.
Meta and Silvergate did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside business hours.
The team at Platform Executive hope you have enjoyed the ‘[post_title]’ article. Automatic translation from English to a growing list of languages via Google AI Cloud Translation. Initial reporting via our official content partners at Thomson Reuters. Reporting by Rachna Dhanrajani and Shivam Patel in Bengaluru. Editing by Rashmi Aich.
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Has HTC Unlocked a Free Advertising Trick With the HTC One?
There may be a new way for smartphone makers to go about presenting their latest and greatest products. Detailed data for HTC’s (HTCKF.PK) next flagship HTC One device has been leaking for weeks, and that adds up to free advertising in the form of word-of-mouth and hype.
Companies like Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Samsung (SSNLF.PK) have highly planned events where they go about showing their hot new devices. Apple relies on a lot of secrecy, a few large press events, and giant launch events to build the hype for its iPhones. Samsung went as far as putting on a Broadway show for the launch of its Galaxy S4 smartphone last year, reports TechCrunch.
It seems that HTC’s approach to the launch of its next flagship device will be quite different from its competitors. The company does have a launch event planned for March 25, but there may not be much left about the phone that people don’t know. According to TechCrunch, countless details on the next HTC One — everything from pictures of the device to detailed technical specifications and release information.
Now it’s somewhat of a wonder whether HTC will even do much for its premiere event. Since most people who care have probably stumbled upon the easily accessible data on the phone, there may not be much more for HTC to say about the device. But, that may not be a bad thing. TechCrunch reported that HTC has been having financial trouble recently, with its budget nearing the red. All the leaked information that people spread functions in much the same way as advertising, informing the public about a product.
From the data available on GSMArena, the new HTC One will have a 5-inch screen, slightly bigger than its predecessor, but will have the same screen resolution. Fortunately, that amounts to a still impressive 441 pixels per inch. Further upgrading the view will be an updated user interface and a step up to Corning’s (NYSE:GLW) Gorilla Glass 3. The new HTC One will be slightly bigger in all directions than its predecessor, and has a more rounded body.
As far as internals, the device is shaping up to be a good step above the previous HTC One. With an updated Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor clocking in 0.6 GHz above, the new HTC One will see a solid speed boost, though it will be running on the same amount of RAM as the earlier model. Memory space will be less of a concern though, as the device will now include a memory card slot capable of handling a 128 GB card.
One new feature that may stand out is the inclusion of dual 5 megapixel cameras. PhoneArena reports that this set up may be used to allow the phone to keep track of distance data in picture and create a fully in-focus image that can be selectively focused afterward, keeping one subject in focus and blurring out the rest. While this feature might not function on the same level as the ground-breaking Lytro camera, it could still offer smartphone users some of the creative freedom in photography that isn’t often lacking when using a phone camera.
Sales of the device are rumored to begin right after the device premiers. TechCrunch suggests that sales of Android devices don’t function quite the same as Apple’s sudden rush by consumers to get the product at launch, but a few months of having the HTC One on the market should suggest how well leaked information can function as a free marketing tool.


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SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Indonesia’s total trades continued to contract in August on weakness in both external and domestic demand, which will be weighed down further as Jakarta is placed anew under a lockdown.
Total exports of southeast Asia’s biggest economy in August declined by 8.36% year on year to $13.07bn, while imports had a steeper decline of 24.19% to $10.74bn, official data showed on Tuesday.
Its non-oil and gas exports for the month were down 7.16% year on year at $12.46bn, while total exports in the first eight months of 2020 fell 6.51% to $103.16bn.
Jakarta re-imposed a lockdown on 14 September due to spiking numbers of coronavirus infections which were overwhelming hospitals in the capital.
“The coronavirus pandemic continued to take a toll on Indonesia’s trade in August. Annual growth in exports and imports remained strictly in the negative and the declines were broad-based across major goods categories,” said Sung Eun Jung, economist at research firm Oxford Economics, in a note.
Weak manufacturing and mining shipments largely brought about the decline in overall exports.
“By destination, exports to south and southeast Asia region continued to be very weak, declining 17.1% y/y [year on year]. But exports to China remained robust, expanding 8.6% y/ear on year. Meanwhile, all categories of imports fell by double digits, with the largest drag coming from raw materials,” Sung said.
Imports’ underperformance “points to a much slower recovery in domestic demand compared to external demand”, the economist said, citing that Indonesia’s consumer confidence index in August stood at 86.9, well below the neutral level of 100.
In the polyethylene (PE) market, there are concerns that Jakarta's lockdown could worsen an already sluggish downstream demand.
Indonesia is southeast Asia’s second-largest polyethylene (PE) market in terms of consumption, after Vietnam. Its total annual PE consumption for 2020 is estimated at 1.9m tonnes, according to the ICIS Supply and Demand Database.
The country has the second-highest coronavirus cases in the region, next to the Philippines. Its total confirmed cases stood at 218,382 as of 14 September, with deaths at 8,723, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
With the re-imposition of partial lockdown measures in Jakarta, Oxford Economics’ Sung said: “We expect domestic demand to significantly drag on growth for the remainder of the year.”
The Indonesian economy will “suffer a sharp recession” in 2020, with GDP forecast to contract by 2.7%, “with risks tilted to the downside”, Sung said.
Focus article by Pearl Bantillo
Additional reporting by Izham Ahmad
Visit the ICIS Coronavirus topic page for analysis of the impact on chemical markets and links to latest news.


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Aymore, a biscuits firm owned by the Arcor Group, has announced an investment of over BRL$10 million ($1.8 million) in its factory located in Contagem, Grande Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
According to Newtrade, the investment aims to increase the facility’s production capacity by 20%.
Anderson Freire, director of marketing, research and development at Arcor do Brasil, said: “We acquired technologies and new product lines that will make our production plant even more modern, contributing to the extension of our portfolio, which already has about 50 products. In addition, 200 new jobs are planned for the beginning of this year. We believe in the potential of a traditional brand that is well established in the state of Minas Gerais and we are forecasting double-digit growth for 2021.”


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General Motors recalling nearly 290,000 US cars for air bag defect
The largest US automaker said the front passenger seat frame in the 2009 and 2010 model Impala cars may rub against and damage electrical wires.
Fiat Chrysler recalls 13,000 Maserati cars for rollaway issue
The company said it received an inquiry from NHTSA in February about the use of...
Honda recalls 1 million cars in China for air bag problems
China's product quality agency says Honda Motor Co.'s Chinese joint venture is rec...
Toyota recalls 3.4 million cars over faulty air bags, fuel tanks
The recall covers 482,000 U.S. vehicles and the air bag inflators involved in this recall were not produced by Takata Corp, Toyota spokesman Victor Vanov said.
Volkswagen recall of 3.2 lakh cars to start in July
The company was found to be using a cheating device in the US to mask higher emissions, which gradually erupted into a global scandal.
Honda recalls nearly 150,000 cars in Malaysia to replace air bag inflators
The recall applies to models built from 2003 to 2011, Honda Malaysia said in a statement. Models include the City, Accord and Civic, among others.
General Motors to recall over two million cars due to flawed engine in China
Caixin reported, "the recall was the largest in China so far this year." It affects Buick vehicles made between 2009-2015 and Chevrolet cars made from 2009-2016.
Nissan recalls nearly 4 million cars with air bag problems
Defective sensors might incorrectly think that an adult is a child or classify the seat as empty, thus turning off the air bag.
Nissan recalls 3.8 million cars over faulty airbags
It was not immediately clear if the recall involves auto parts giant Takata, which was hammered by an exploding air bag defect blamed for at least 11 deaths.
Ford recalls 202,000 pickups, SUVs, cars to fix transmissions
The recall covers the 2011 and 2012 F-150 and the 2012 Expedition, Mustang and Lincoln Navigator. Ford says a speed sensor can force vehicles into a downshift.
Volkswagen to recall 44,055 Touareg cars in Russia
German automaker Volkswagen will recall 44,055 Volkswagen Touareg vehicles in Russia due to possible faults in the car's pedal mechanisms.
Volkswagen delays recall of 160,000 cars due to software glitch
Volkswagen will slightly delay the recall of 160,000 Passat and Skoda cars in Europe after software updates aimed at fixing emission violations failed to work.
Cricket South Africa recalls India's role at silver jubilee event
Dr Ali Bacher recalled how the different cricket boards that had been racially divided under apartheid had come together to start developing the sport.
Maserati to recall nearly 21,000 cars in China
Italian luxury car maker Maserati will recall 20,842 vehicles in China over a defect in design, authorities here said.
Anupam Kher fondly recalls his meeting with Garry Marshall
Marshall, who was also a comedian and an actor, died at a hospital in Los Angeles of complications from pneumonia after having a stroke.
German carmakers to recall 630,000 cars to fix emissions: Government official
German car manufacturers will recall 630,000 Porsche, Volkswagen Opel, Audi and Mercedes vehicles to fix diesel emissions management software.
Sweden's Volvo Cars is recalling 59,000 cars
Volvo is recalling 59,000 cars in 40 markets because of faulty software that can briefly shut down the engine and electric system while driving.
General Motors escapes some claims from 2014 recalls
U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman in Manhattan federal court dismissed racketeering and some state-law claims, as well as claims from customers whose vehicles were not allegedly defective when sold.
Carnage in France: Bodies flew like bowling pins, recall witnesses
Many who survived the horrific Thursday night carnage at Promenade des Anglais, the main street in Nice, recalled how the heavy duty white colour truck drove into unsuspecting men, women and children, crushing everyone.
Mourners recall Elie Wiesel's fight for Holocaust victims
His wife was among mourners who attended a private funeral service on Sunday at the Fifth Avenue Synagogue on Manhattan's Upper East Side.
Dr Reddy's recalls 9,330 bottles of Sirolimus tablets in US
The reason for recall is "failed impurities/degradation: out of specification result for impurity secorapamycin," the report said.
IKEA recalls 1.66 mn chest of drawers in China
The products, which include some imported models, were sold between 1999 and 2016, the Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said
Takata recall could hit tens of millions more cars in US
Tens of millions of additional cars in the United States alone could be recalled over Takata's potentially defective airbags, which have been linked to several deaths, the US auto safety regulator said Monday.
GM recalls 200,000 cars for Takata air bag trouble
General Motors is recalling about 200,000 Saab and Saturn cars in the US and Canada to replace the Takata driver's air bag inflators.
BMW to recall 6,109 cars over fuel pump problem in China
The vehicles were produced between June 12 and November 19, state-run news agency Xinhua reported. The BMW China Automotive Trading Co Ltd will fix the problem free of cost for recalled cars, it added.
Recalled cars create a costly problem for US auto dealers
With the recalls affecting Honda vehicles dating back several years, used-car dealers are facing increased pressure.
Continental says Daimler, Fiat Chrysler, Honda cars affected by US recall
Continental's recall of 5 million vehicles in the United States for defective air bags affects models from Daimler, Fiat Chrysler and Honda.
Gone in 80 minutes: How old cars are dismantled
All mechanical parts of the vehicle, including the engine, are loaded and carted away . The CNG tank is taken out.
Yamaha recalls 902 units of YZF-R3 in India
Yamaha today said it is recalling 902 units of YZF-R3 in India to fix a defect relating to clutch pressure plate and oil pump assy.
Honda recalls 1,90,578 vehicles in India due to Takata airbag issue
This initiative is a part of Honda’s precautionary global recall campaign concerning Takata front airbag inflators, the company said in a statement.
Volvo Cars profit triples in first half
Gothenburg-based Volvo saw sales rise to 83.65 billion crowns from 75.22 billion a year ago underpinned by strong demand for its flagship XC90 SUV.
JLR recalling 11,000 vehicles in China over faulty sensors
The recall affects 6,067 imported Land Rover Discovery 4 SUVs manufactured between April 2012 and October 2012.
China's Alibaba puts internet in cars, plans make cars driverless
Among companies, Alibaba is relatively late to offer a platform that can link a smart phone to a car, platforms already launched by Google, Apple and Baidu.
Somalia: Suicide car bomb at UN mine offices kills 10
Al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the blasts, according to the group's Andalus radio station. Al-Shabab is waging an insurgency against Somalia.
Porsche to create more than 1,400 jobs for electric car
More than 1,200 of the new positions will be created at the Volkwagen-owned brand's base in Zuffenhausen where Porsche is building a new paint shop.
2,839 bottles of Sun Pharma Inc being recalled in US
The ongoing nationwide voluntary recall by Nostrum Laboratories Inc for Nitrofurantoin Oral Suspension, USP, 25 mg/5 mL is a class II recall, report said.
No end in sight: Transport strike brings more cars on to roads
Transport minister Ramalinga Reddy reiterated the government's stand that transport unions should first call off the strike before any talks.
Ford invests in startup making maps for robotic cars
The company uses artificial-intelligence software to aggregate raw 3-D data from sensors on self-driving cars to create highly detailed maps.
Coming soon: Vehicle recall policy for auto companies with provisions for penalty
The government is working on introducing the Road Transport and Safety Bill, 2015, in the next session of Parliament.
Muthoot Capital Services to enter car loan segment
Stating that there is a huge demand-gap in the used car financing, Muthoot said, "There is a growing demand for used car loans and we hope to cater to this demand."
Volkswagen recalls 5,900 gas-powered Touran models worldwide
Of about 5,900 affected MPVs with model years 2006 through 2009, some 3,800 are registered in Germany, Volkswagen's (VW) home market, it said.
Ford expands recall of vehicles with defective Takata airbags
Ford Motor Co said it would recall about 1.9 million vehicles fitted with defective airbag inflators made by Japan's Takata Corp, in North America.
GM re-evaluates India investment, new car platform on hold
In 2015, GM had committed to investing $1 bn in India to boost its domestic market share and make the country a global export hub.
Ford recalls 313,000 cars for lighting failures
Ford Motor Co said it will recall 313,000 older cars for headlight failures linked to 11 crashes, as well as 4,700 vans, pick-ups and mid-sized trucks for assorted issues.
Volkswagen recalls 680,000 brand cars in US over airbag problems
Volkswagen said on Wednesday it was recalling 680,000 cars of its namesake brand in the United States because Takata-made airbags in them could be defective.
UK leaders urge unity, recalls Parliament after Jo Cox killing
Reactions to Cox’s death spread beyond UK borders, with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton among those commenting.
David Cameron urges tolerance, parliament recalled after MP killed
"Where we see hatred, where we see division, where we see intolerance, we must drive it out," Cameron said in the northern English village of Birstall.
Six corporate heads recall an experience they splashed out on
Sharad Agarwal, head of Lamborghini India, bought tickets to go & watch the World T20 semi-final between India & the West Indies.
BMW recalls "baby racer" toy car over health hazard
BMW is recalling its "Baby Racer" ride-on children's toy car because a sticker showing the brand's logo could be peeled off.


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MediaMarkt closes all Chinese stores
Updated: 2013-03-13 14:10
Europe's biggest retailer of consumer electronics, MediaMarkt, has closed all its stores in China. The company had tried to replicate its European success in China. But it didn't work primarily because of cost pressures.
MediaMarkt closed all of its seven Shanghai stores on Monday, but some customers still came by hoping for closing-down bargains. They weren't even let in the door.
Customers said, "If there were people there, they seemed to be just looking. Because the tills were always empty, so I don't think it is ever doing very well."
"It is really a pity. MediaMarkt had more types of electric appliances than anybody else."
Like its foreign counterparts such as Best Buy, MediaMarkt allowed hands-on try-outs for its products and plenty of customer service. But one expert says that kind of service doesn't always work well in China.
Prof. Zhang Huiming from Fudan University, said, European consumers are more focused on consumer experience, but in China, consumers care more about the price.
Low prices were another strategy the company brought in from the European market. It allowed consumers to ask for a refund within 15 days if they found that what they bought from Mediamarkt was more expensive than from other retailers. But that was far from the right idea in China, where retailers are in an almost constant state of price warfare.
Prof. Zhang said, "Gome and Suning have grown fast these years, and already had a large sales volume in the market. As a new comer, MediaMarkt had many fewer stores, which meant it could be less competitive on pricing. It could no longer take the cost pressure."
MediaMarkt took in 100 million euros ($130 million) in China sales during the first nine months of last year, but that revenue was less than 5 percent of Suning's, and the European firm lost 40 million euros in China for the year.


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A new SMS attack is going around posing as a threat to mobile phones and SIM cards. Named “Simjacker,” this exploit resides in a particular application embedded on most SIM cards. As the target is set on SIM cards, the exploit can attack any victim, regardless of the handset they may be using.
The way that the exploit works is quite tricky – an SMS is sent to your phone that contains the hidden software called S&T Browser, which is a part of the SIM Toolkit (STK). The toolkit allows mobile carriers to provide primary and value-added services and subscriptions to their customers. What makes this exploit scary is that the SMS does not present any notifications, which makes its victims unaware that they may potentially get hacked. Once the exploit successfully infiltrates the device, it can launch browsers, play sounds, and show unwanted popups without any prompt from the user. According to a research on Simjacker, affected SIM card users will have a potential risk of having their private information and data used by hackers for fraud, scam calls, data leaks, and espionage. Moreover, users are also vulnerable to unwanted location tracking, further compromising their privacy.
Mobile carriers and operators can assist in preventing these threats. Simjacker operates by sending a code instead of a traditional SMS, so blocking the code would eliminate these threats from attacking users. Until these measures have been put in place, its best to be cautious and take preventative steps such as:
- Use legitimate software or apps and ensure it is always up to date
- Back up important files, photos or documents
- Always be suspicious of unsolicited calls, SMS, instant messages, or emails
- Use antivirus software such as Trend Micro Mobile Security to prevent your phones from being compromised
Learn more about Trend Micro Mobile Security and other award-winning products here.


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Mikrodust raises SEK 10 Million in funding
matsThe IDEON company Mikrodust, which develops test equipment for mass production of electronic products, is raising SEK 10 million in an investment round led by the Johnson Tibia Konsult business family. The money will go to marketing the company's new platform and to expanding the team in Lund by 50 percent.
- We have spread the ownership to some strategically well-chosen investors. Tibia Konsult becomes a partner and buys up about 15 percent, says Mats Iderup, CEO of Mikrodust.
One of the owners that has been involved since the start ten years ago is the Israeli company Crow Electronic Engineering Ltd. - and one of Mikrodust's largest customers is the security company Verisure.
The Lund Company delivers advanced production testers for electronics, especially for testing energy-efficient IoT products. The company has gone from working with product development to focusing on in-house developed test fixtures for high-volume products. The money from the investment round will go to broad marketing efforts and the launch of the new platform.
- We can now present the third generation of our platform which will be named AtoMik™. In connection with the launch that will take place this spring, we will go in on a broad front and strengthen, above all around marketing and sales.
The company is currently in an expansive phase and has moved to more appropriate premises in the Ideon area.
- We are eighteen people at the moment and will recruit another eight to ten by the end of 2023. A lot is happening with us on various levels and the time ahead will be exciting to follow, says Mats Iderup.
Julia Eriksson, Rapidus


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The vulnerability exists within IE 5.5 and 6.0, but earlier browser editions "may or may not be affected," according to a security bulletin posted to Microsoft's Web site Thursday. The security flaw allows an outsider to break into cookies--tiny electronic files used by Web sites to file account information or personalize pages--through a specially crafted Web page or e-mail. A person could then steal or alter data from Web accounts, including credit card numbers, usernames and passwords.
"A malicious Web site with a malformed URL could read the contents of a user's cookie, which might contain personal information," according to the Redmond, Wash.-based company. "In addition, it is possible to alter the contents of the cookie. This URL could be hosted on a Web page or contained in an HTML e-mail."
The vulnerability comes only a week after security flaws were found in Microsoft's Passport authentication system, causing the software maker to remove part of the service from the Internet. The privacy breach in the Passport service, which keeps track of data used by e-commerce sites, potentially exposed the financial data of thousands of consumers, undermining the company's recent efforts to convince people that it is serious about security.
The security problem could also undermine Microsoft's recent efforts to promote privacy. The company has touted its recent release of IE 6 as the safest and most data sensitive browser to date. With IE 6, Microsoft adopted a privacy standard called P3P, which allows consumers to set their browser preferences to reject Web sites with inadequate privacy policies.
But because of the IE security flaw, personal data transferred to Web sites with the highest privacy standards may still be vulnerable.
Microsoft said the flaw doesn't affect P3P directly, however.
"Once we have a patch out, then the P3P features will be functioning as they've been designed," said Christopher Budd, security program manager for Microsoft's security response center.
Technically, the flaw exists in the way IE handles cookies across Web sites. To illustrate, the browser should only allow Web site A to access a someone's cookie for Web site A, and so on. But through the vulnerability, an outside Web site or e-mail could tap information contained in a cookie for Web site A.
"I couldn't believe how easy it is," Smith said. "The danger here is that once you get somebody's cookie information for a particular Web site, you can get access to that account, whether it's private financial information or travel records."
Microsoft, which labeled the security problem "high" risk, said it is working on a patch.
"This is clearly a high priority, and we've been working around the clock on this. Unfortunately we have a workaround rather than a patch," said Budd.
Until the patch is ready, Microsoft is urging IE users to disable active scripting in the their browser settings. In addition, consumers using Outlook Express should set their preferences within the mail program to allow only "Restricted Sites" to load, according to the company.
To disable active scripting in IE, open the Tools menu in the browser, followed by Internet Options and then the tab for Security. Next, open the Custom Level option; in the Settings box, scroll down to the Scripting section. Click Disable under "Active scripting" and "Scripting of Java applets." Click OK, and then click OK again.
The flaw was first reported on security mailing list Bugtraq.


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There are rumors currently swirling about "Babble," a codename for Google's new unified chat experience.
According to a Geek.com report that's being passed around, Google is building Babble to integrate communication products like: Google Talk, Google+ Hangouts, Google Voice, etc.
It's not hard to imagine that Babble would compete with Apple's iMessage and Blackberry's BBM service as a part of the Android mobile operating system.
Besides revamping chat, the real take away is that Google is in the process of merging its entire line of products and services so that it can offer a more centralized user experience.
Last week, Google discontinued it's popular RSS reader service, and there was recent talk of a new service called Google Keep, which is similar to note-taking service Evernote.
If Babble is real, we'll probably hear more about it at the Google I/O developers conference in May.


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Currently, most “buy now, pay later” services do not affect a person’s credit score. This will now change in the UK
Jakub Pozhitsky | NurPhoto | Getty Images
Klarna’s valuation is down 85% in a new funding round announced on Monday, reflecting gloomy investor sentiment on fast-growing tech stocks and buy-now-pay-later lenders.
A Swedish fintech company said it has raised $800 million in new funding from investors at a $6.7 billion valuation, sharply below the $45.6 billion it received from a 2021 cash injection led by Japan . SoftBank.
This follows weeks of speculation that Klarna is looking for a so-called round down, in which a private company raises capital at a lower valuation than when it last sold new shares to investors.
Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski tried to play down the company’s depreciation on Monday, insisting the deal was “evidence of the strength of Klarna’s business.”
“At a time of the sharpest decline in global equity markets in more than fifty years, investors recognized our strong position and continued progress in revolutionizing retail banking,” Siemiatkowski said in a statement Monday.
In addition to securing support from existing Sequoia and Silver Lake investors, Klarna has also raised additional investment from Canadian Pension Plan Abu Dhabi-owned investment firm Mubadala.
Klarna said it will use the funding to continue expanding in the United States. The company said it currently has 30 million users in the US.
Goldman Sachs The company added that it acted as an advisor to Klarna on the funds raised.
The fall of Klarna is a sign of how the turmoil in tech stocks is unnerving investors in the private markets.
The valuations of many venture capital-backed technology companies have fallen due to recession fears. They have also taken a number of layoffs and other cost-cutting measures to appease fearful investors.
Klarna itself cut about 10% of its global workforce earlier this year.
The development also points to problems in the buy-now-pay-later or BNPL market.
Services such as Klarna and Confirmthat allow customers to spread the cost of their purchases into equal monthly payments have faced questions about the sustainability of their business models in the face of rising inflation and higher interest rates.
Affirm, which debuted in early 2021, is down more than 77% since the start of the year.
PayPal and parent company Square Block, which recently acquired Australian-based BNPL Afterpay, fell 64% and 61%, respectively, over the same time period.
In a series of tweets on Monday, Siemiatkowski said Klarna is “not immune” to the pressures its peers are facing and that the company plans to “return to profitability” after suffering massive losses from its aggressive international expansion.
The fact that Klarna is valued at only slightly higher than the $5.5 billion it was worth in mid-2019 was “strange, considering all the gains” the company has made since then, Semyatkowski said.
“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” he added.


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After releasing stellar first-quarter results, CBS Corp. execs told Wall Street analysts that the company is leveraging its traditional strength but also growing significantly in the direct-to-consumer arena.
“In an era when others are concerned about losing subscribers due to cord-cutting and other factors, CBS Corp. is growing subscribers,” said chairman and CEO Leslie Moonves. “As people move place to place, they’re not leaving CBS. They’re just moving to different platforms that pay us more than the old ones.”
Even though Topic A — merger talks with Viacom — was taken off the table for the hour-long call, executives shed some interesting light on the state of CBS. Subscriber growth, Moonves said, is coming from traditional MVPDs, skinny-bundles as well as direct-to-consumer plays CBS All Access and Showtime’s stand-alone OTT service.
The two OTT services combined are more than two-thirds of the way toward the company’s stated goal of 8 million total subscribers by 2020, meaning they have about 5.2 million between them. COO Joseph Ianniello also revealed an interesting stat on CBS All Access: the $10-a-month, reduced-ad version of the service launched in 2016 represents one-third of the total. He said that means that between Showtime and the reduced-ad All Access, about two-thirds of total OTT subscribers are paying more to avoid ads. While that once may have been anathema to an ad-dependent company like CBS, execs argued it is motivating their programming and distribution strategies.
“When a consumer pays $10 a month, that speaks volumes,” Ianniello said. The premium subscriber levels “certainly give us a lot of confidence.” The numbers are also informing the company’s rollout of (for now) ad-supported OTT services like CBSN and CBS Sports HQ. Converting subscribers to a premium level is the ultimate goal. “If you like the product, we’re going to upsell you,” Ianniello said. Expanding limited-ad subscribers “should grow, diversify and reduce the volatility of our revenue.” During the first quarter, he added, non-advertising revenue increased 17% and now comprises 54% of the overall pie.
Refining the programming pipeline to suit this evolved profile is a top Moonves priority. Asked how the company views competition from the likes of Netflix, he said there are “certain cases where we will not pay what they will. We’re more disciplined.” Referencing the mega-deals signed recently by Shonda Rhimes and Ryan Murphy at Netflix for hundreds of millions apiece, Moonves said, “Price has gone up, but we have something else to offer: visibility and something called the back end. There’s a guy named Chuck Lorre, who’s made a lot more than a couple hundred million from his shows on the CBS Television Network.”
While All Access has grown steadily, subscriber churn remains a concern. “There is no question that more original programming reduces churn,” Moonves said. All Access has “two and a half” shows on, he said, apparently a reference to the latest Star Trek iteration, which is distributed overseas by Netflix. That level, he said, “will increase to seven or eight and we expect the churn to go way down.”
Unlike Disney, which is pulling its programming and movies from Netflix as it gears up to launch its own direct-to-consumer service in 2019, Ianniello said CBS has “an ongoing relationship with them,” with Criminal Minds and NCIS ranking among the streaming service’s top 10 shows.
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Xiaomi has been growing rapidly in the past two years and its evident from the numerous new launches that we have seen lately. While the company’s major focus in on the smartphone market, it does have numerous other products. One of those is the Xiaomi Mi Band, which is the company’s wearable product.
Like always, Xiaomi used extremely cheap pricing to attract first time wearable customers and looks like the strategy has paid off. According to IDC, Xiaomi was the second biggest wearable manufacturer in the first quarter of 2015.
According to the research firm, the company managed to sell over 2.8 million units in the first quarter alone, capturing about 24.6 percent of the market share. Fitbit was the only other wearable manufacturer who outdid Xiaomi in terms of wearable sales, shipping around 3.9 million units with a market share of 34.2 percent.
Interestingly, apart from these two, all other fendors are way below, both in terms of market share as well as shipments. In fact, Garmin who bags the third place has a market share of just 6.1 percent, followed by Samsung with 5.3 percent. At the fifth place lies Jawbone with 4.4 percent and all other wearable vendors including established names like Pebble come in the “Others” category.
This year, a total of 11.4 million units of wearables were shipped in the first quarter. When you compare the same quarter in 2014, only 3.8 million wearables were shipped in total.
Of course, this data represents only the first quarter of the year, when Apple Watch had yet to debut. But in the coming quarters, we may see a few changes in the table, as Apple Watch start to sell in big numbers.


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New York State insurance regulators are currently considering whether to issue a new suitability regulation for sales of annuities and life insurance. It’s about time New York finally got around to doing something more than 80% of U.S. states have already acted upon.
Forty-one states have already adopted a suitability regulation specific to annuities, proposed by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) in 2006. New York is in the process of holding public hearings this summer and fall on the matter. Hearings have already been held in Buffalo and Albany, and others are scheduled for Sept. 9 on Long Island and Sept. 16 in New York City. Written testimony will be accepted through Oct. 7, and state regulators will then analyze results, decide on a direction, and draft an initial version. That will be followed by informal discussions with consumer groups.
According to an Aug. 23 article in The Buffalo News, the recent hearing in Buffalo was “sparsely attended.” Apparently, with so much public and media scrutiny surrounding the health care debate, the issue of suitability in annuity sales – particularly involving seniors – has been far relegated to the proverbial back burner after becoming a hot topic following the infamous Dateline NBC report last year on sales tactics of allegedly unscrupulous advisors.
Fred Fadel, who runs Willink Asset Management LLC in East Aurora, N.Y., testified at the hearing in Buffalo. He was quoted in The Buffalo News article, saying, “The protections for consumers lag far behind. The products are too often sold, but not sought.”
That observation stems primarily from promotions with extremely high first-year commissions on many annuity products, sometimes prompting unprofessional agents to push a product rather than acting in the client’s best interest. Many carriers have already acted to address the issue of product suitability, but there is no single standard in place.
Perhaps what will turn out to be most interesting about what New York does is not that the state will finally adopt a regulation about annuity suitability, but that the Empire State is considering adopting tougher rules that may include all life insurance products.
We’ll keep an eye out to see what develops.


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COLUMBUS, Ohio, Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Forget the smell of roses and sweet chocolate, this Valentine's Day will bring the savory smell of steam-grilled onions. On Monday, Feb. 14, doting couples can enjoy a romantic candlelit dinner complete with special menus, tableside service and themed decorations at most White Castle restaurants. Hours vary by location, and reservations are filling up quickly.
Visit the White Castle website (link to www.whitecastle.com/promotions/valentine) for reservation details and telephone numbers.
"For 20 years, White Castle has hosted this special Valentine's Day dinner for our most loyal and romantic Cravers," said Jamie Richardson, vice president of government and corporate relations. "Love is always in the air at White Castle. A good number of our customers have met, shared a first date or even got married at a White Castle restaurant."
From Jan. 25 - Feb. 14, the company is offering its "Sweetheart Meal Deal," an online Facebook coupon that makes the evening even sweeter.
Each reservation party will receive a collapsible commemorative White Castle Valentine's Day vase, as well as a complimentary digital photo available on the White Castle website after the event.
Valentine's Day is just one of many special programs through which White Castle engages and rewards its Craver customers and family of team members. This Valentine's Day is most notable as White Castle is celebrating its 90th birthday this year.
About White Castle
White Castle is a family-owned business based in Columbus, Ohio that owns and operates more than 400 White Castle restaurants in 11 states. The company was founded in Wichita, Kansas in 1921 and is America's first fast-food hamburger chain. For more information on White Castle, visit www.whitecastle.com.
SOURCE White Castle


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HBO’s streaming app HBO GO has launched in Indonesia as a standalone service, with a seven-day free trial. In Indonesia, the app first rolled out in 2019 and was only available via Telkomselâ€™s video app Maxstream, First Media and IndiHome. But now, to reach a wider audience it is available to the public.
Within the app itself, the live TV function can stream six of WarnerMedia Entertainment Networksâ€™ channels: HBO, HBO SIGNATURE, HBO HITS, HBO FAMILY, CINEMAX and RED BY HBO.
Clement Schwebig, managing director of WarnerMedia Entertainment Networks, Southeast Asia, Pacific and China said thatÂ the HBO GO app has already got off to a flying start in Indonesia, and thanked localÂ distribution partners for that.Â “Now, consumers have another method of accessing our great content with a free trial and no obligation. Through HBO GO, viewers can watch the latest Hollywood blockbuster movies and series â€“ as well as Asian content â€“ anytime, anywhere,” he added.
In Asia, HBO GO is also available in Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Hong Kong. According to the company, it aims to launch in more territories and with new partners soon.Â HBO GO allows subscribers access to stream entertainment from Hollywood blockbusters and exclusive original content from HBO, HBO Asia and CINEMAX, and more.
This comes at a time competitor NetflixÂ has been blocked by service providers Telkomsel, IndiHome and Wifi.id since 2016.Â According toÂ The Jakarta Post,Â Telkom Indonesia, parent company of these brands, said thatÂ the streaming platformÂ has â€śyet to fully complyâ€ť with the media content regulations in Indonesia.


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That's all from us today.
Workers for Corby have been in London today marching on Parliament. They are now back in Corby, while Tata are still considering bids for its UK business.
We also had a fire in Desborough which closed a few roads, but they are all now open and the cordon has been removed.
And let's not forget the fox cub with a jam jar on its head.
Find out what tomorrow has in store tomorrow from 08:00.


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Hong Kong based Extra Print is hoping to bring its portfolio of both new and re-manufactured inkjet cartridges, toner cartridges, printer ribbons, inkjet photo paper and clips and caps to the Middle East.
The printing vendor is looking to establish a distribution chain that extends across the region, and the company is particularly keen to break into the booming markets of the UAE, Iran and Saudi Arabia.
To begin with Extra Print wants to set up an operation that will be entirely driven through the distribution channel in one base country, and as a pan-regional distribution model develops, the company then plans to introduce its products to the retail market.
Interested distributors can look forward to a number of benefits by tying up with Extra Print including bonuses for hitting sales targets, access to market development funds, and participation in its longstanding commission and incentive scheme.
For further information:
Contact Lawrence on Tel +852 3188 2570


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A shoplifter was banned from entering every Boots store in West Yorkshire after being caught in a branch with a knife in his bag.
Hosat Fatahi was handed the strict bail condition by police when the four-inch blade was found in his possession as he stole perfume from the company on November 17.
But he ignored this and was caught committing an identical theft from the Huddersfield store just days later.
Kirklees magistrates today jailed Fatahi after he pleaded guilty to two thefts and possession of a bladed article in public.
The first theft took place at Boots in Leeds city centre.
Fatahi, of Elm Court in Marsh, selected two bottles of Joop perfume, ripped the security wrapping off them and placed them in a foil lined carrier bag in order to avoid detection by the store’s alarms.
He was detained outside by staff and returned to the store when the knife was discovered in the bag with the stolen fragrances.
The 31-year-old said this was for his kitchen and he’d forgotten that he had it on him.
Prosecutor Andy Wills said: “He was given one bail condition to stay out of every Boots store in West Yorkshire.
“However, yesterday (Nov 29) the defendant broke that condition and entered the store in Huddersfield and committed an identical offence.”
Fatahi again picked up perfume, removed the outer layer of packaging and hid it in his bag.
He was stopped by a security officer as he left the King Street Store.
Magistrates heard that Fatahi had 20 previous convictions, mostly for shoplifting.
In June he was jailed for 20 weeks following a conviction for theft.
This time magistrates told him that he will spend 12 weeks in custody.
He has to pay £115 victim surcharge upon his release from prison.


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The luxury resale economy is booming. Growth is reported to be 11 times faster than traditional retail, according to experts at the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) Big Show, with many retailers angling for a piece of the pie.
Emily Erkel, cofounder of pre-owned luxury marketplace LePrix, moderated a panel discussion featuring Sarah Davis, president and founder of high-end consignment boutique Fashionphile, and Molly Taylor, chief merchant of retailer Saks Off 5th, going behind the curtain of luxury resale, covering the ins and outs of building a successful marketplace.
Several factors are behind resale’s outsize growth.
“I would say it’s really about the value proposition,” Taylor said. “Customers are really looking for coveted brands, one-of-a-kind items, but all at a value. That’s really contributed to the growth. We asked customers at Saks Off 5th [on] their thoughts about resale, and we learned that 80 percent of our customers want the opportunity to purchase resale at Saks Off 5th as a trusted destination.”
Accessibility combined with that intersection of luxury and value, Taylor continued, has contributed to resale’s growth, a factor in why Saks Off 5th is selling pre-owned Rent the Runway clothes on its website. And what’s different about resale today than what it was, say, 10 years ago, is that the younger consumer is conscientious of sustainability, Davis added.
“Seventy percent of consumers think about sustainability when they shop,” Erkel said. “Resale in itself is expected to growth 11 times faster than tradition retail; it was a $36 billion industry in 2021 and by 2023, $77 billion. It’s not just a trend, it’s a lifestyle.”
But how does resale impact the luxury sector? Well, 90 percent of North American consumers view secondhand luxury as either a positive or a neutral impact on the brand, according to Taylor, who points to an evolution in how brands now see resale as additive to their brands, rather than reductive.
“In the ultra-luxury category, brands were concerned about supply and demand, really thinking about cannibalization before getting into resale,” Davis said. “That’s just not true today anymore. I would say in five years, most of the [luxury] brands will be participating in [resale].”
As brands evolve, many are thinking about how the future dynamic between retailers and resellers will change. Both Saks Off 5th and Fashionphile believe that this relationship is complimentary.
“Our customer trusts us to be in this space and we really wanted to make the decision [on] how we could deliver on that trust and, for Saks Off 5th, we really thought about partnering with partners like [LePrix] that are experts in authentication and sourcing and can really deliver on that trust that the customer already has with us,” Taylor said. “In addition to that, we’re able to create this speed to market and this footprint that will allow us to grow and scale as well.”
But in the face of economic uncertainty and fears of an impending recession, where does luxury—resale or not—fit in?
“Well, we were actually in resale in the last recessionary period, which is interesting, and what we saw is that people actually will need to sell things, that’s something that people turn to during a recessionary period, [so] we were able to get more inventory coming in steadily,” Davis said. “And the thing about secondary marketplaces is that we don’t have MSRPs. So what the market prices that we’re going to give you today might be different than it was a year or two ago. But our margins stay the same.”
Plus, the value of these potentially liquidated luxury goods amplifies during a recession, Taylor said.
“The off-price sector really does well during good times and challenging times as well, and that value really becomes amplified,” she continued. “But I would also say it’s that emotional purchase when times are tough. You want to feel good. And I think that resale and luxury off-price really kind of lean into that.”
All signs point to go for the luxury resale market, panelists agreed. What does a new-to-the-game retailer need to know as it approaches resale for the first time? Don’t go it alone.
“[Saks Off 5th] had a lot of debate internally as to how we should approach [resale] and thinking about the idea of building it yourself versus using partnerships. At the end of the day, it really made a lot of sense to leverage [LePrix’s] years of experience and authentication and sourcing, that just made a lot of sense to enter this space more quickly. And then we have the opportunity, by utilizing more than just one partner, to curate and really be customer-driven and listen to the customer as their preferences evolve.”


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BELMAR, NJ — It was as if it happened overnight. Gone was Belmar Café, a breakfast destination for more than 30 years at 707 Main Street. And in came Comfi Breakfast & Lunch, with a colorful storefront sign that now welcomes the hungry and the curious to its doors.
Although the new eatery had a soft opening on Memorial Day, its new sign and new menu both didn't go live until six weeks later. And that’s when the community began to take notice of the “cozy and comfy café.”
Since then, Comfi is quickly becoming another early-day “go-to” spot in Belmar, featuring a menu that offers traditional breakfast and lunch fare — like eggs, pancakes and omelets to burgers, wraps and salads — and a host of house specialties, including five eggs benedict options, two styles of blintzes and what are called “delicious favorites.” Among those, there is the “And Then I Met You,” described as a “redonkulous giant sandwich on seven-grain toast stuffed with grilled turkey, guacamole, egg whites, tomatoes, pepper jack cheese and bacon for an up charge. Served with sweet potatoes fries and a belt extension. Ask for Sriracha sauce and make your day spicy!”
The Belmar location is the second for Comfi. Its first eatery at 2638 Route 516 in Old Bridge has been a success since opening in February 2014. While plans are in the works to expand that restaurant, when Belmar Café was placed up for sale because its previous owners were retiring, it could not pass up the opportunity to open a second location — in a prime spot where it could grow its brand, according to Cody Thompson, general manager for both locations,
Comfi’s recipe for success is “giving people great-sized portions without sacrificing quality and without breaking our customer's wallets," Thompson said. “We play great music and craft a homey and comfortable atmosphere and environment that makes people feel like they are eating at a friend's brunch party.” he said.
The smiling faces of its customers "show us that we are doing something right," he added.
TAPinto Belmar/Lake Como is Belmar and Lake Como’s only free daily newspaper. Sign up to get all the news as it happens at www.TAPinto.net/enews and follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TAPintoBelmarLakeComo and on Twitter at @TAPintoBelmar.


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According to the latest rumours, the possibility of an iPhone 14 periscope telephoto camera is fading away. However, if you’re willing to wait a year for the iPhone 15, you may finally be able to get the zoom power you’ve been looking for.
According to The Elec, Apple is believed to have reached an agreement with a new component supplier to provide periscope camera components for the iPhone 15 and beyond. The optical image stabilisation (OIS) actuator, the part of the camera that keeps the lens steady to limit image and video shaking, has been announced by the Korean company Jahwa Electronics as a $155 million investment in opening new facilities.
It’s a strong possibility, according to The Elec, that this investment is being made for iPhone components, based on the fact that Apple visited the company last year, the size of the investment, and Apple’s usual insistence on exclusive facilities for its components.
Jahwa’s OIS components can be found on smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S22 series. However, Apple already uses OIS on its main cameras, so if it is placing a large order for more actuators, then something big must be changing, which leads us to the persistent rumour of Apple working on a periscope telephoto camera for the iPhone.
For the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max, the telephoto cameras feature 3x optical zoom, which is already standard on both devices. As an example, the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s 10x periscope telephoto camera allows for increased magnification.
A year-long process is expected to complete this, according to the rumour mill (March 2023, according to The Elec). There is no chance that the iPhone 14 will benefit from these new components, but the iPhone 15 is definitely in the running for that honour. Based on the other supply chain partners Apple appears to be acquiring, we’ve heard from multiple analysts that Apple’s first periscope telephoto camera will be on the 2023 iPhone. In contrast to the S22 Ultra, the zoom magnification may reach a maximum of 5x only in this case.
In the meantime, we can look forward to the iPhone 14 series, which will be released later this year. The introduction of a 48MP main camera sensor for the Pro models is expected to be the most significant change this time around, with other updates including a pill and punch-hole notch for the two Pro models, as well as the possibility of emergency satellite connectivity.
In the fall, we’ll learn more about the new iPhone’s features, as well as what’s been left out thus far. You can keep up to date on all the latest rumours and leaks by visiting our iPhone 14 hub and the phone’s Pro hub.


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A big drop in government advertising helped pull down radio advertising by 13.9% in the third quarter, according to Canadian Broadcast Sales, which represents more than 60% of all private radio revenues.
Spending from all government sources dropped 54%, while federal government spending was down 61% in the quarter—Ottawa’s cuts alone accounted for more than one-quarter of the total decline, according to CBS.
Yikes! This is my bread-and-butter we're talking about here! You can't even blame the bandwagon move to social media on this one, because government regulations severely inhibit its presence on Web 2.0 (although my loyal readers will already know how to deal with that!)
In 2006-2007 (the last reporting period published) the Government of Canada spent $71,224,000 on advertising campaigns. If this seems like a lot, consider that most advertising money (the rule of thumb is 80% in the private sector) goes into media buys. The GoC, which is required by its own regulations to reach people equally in two languages, all over Canada, requires even more elaborate media buys.
I'm sure there are lots of people out there who think this money is wasted. But as someone in the trenches, post-Gomery, I can tell you that this is not a sector that will make you rich. Rather, government advertising has become as driven by ROI (even if the "R" is awareness or attitudes) as any other type. Intensifying competition is driving down professional fees. And the accountability for agencies is iron clad.
Also, most government advertising is in the public service: programs and information that can improve your quality of life, or someone else's. In the past year, I've worked on campaigns to help people be prepared for civic emergencies, to ensure the safety out their food supply, to protect themselves against swine flu, and to be aware and speak out against elder abuse, to name just a few. As we say at Acart, it's "Work that matters"...
So here's my modest proposal: If we're going to spend government money on industries in trouble, don't reduce advertising spending. Canada's communication and advertising industry worth $15 billion annually, according to ICA, and it's an industry of creative innovation that feeds intellectual property into our knowledge economy daily. Plus, of course, the media spending on all those obscure regional publication will keep up the diversity of regional voices that make our country so interesting. Not to mention all the spin-off work that keeps Montreal's, Toronto's, and Vancouver's film industry and actors' unions alive.
We're still doing fine here at our shop, but I worry about what it will mean to our industry as a whole if government social marketing spending gets slashed further in a recession that has seen a huge decline in many of the major industrial clients.


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In an email sent out to users early this morning, Picturelife cofounder and CEO Nate Westheimer announced that the company had been acquired by StreamNation, the Cloud storage platform that allows people to securely store, stream, and share their media content online. According to StreamNation, Picturelife will remain intact, and Picturelife's employees will join the StreamNation team.
“We're tremendously proud of the experience we've built with Picturelife, and we couldn't be happier to join forces with StreamNation, a company we've long admired,” said Westheimer in the official release. “Our mission was always to build a smart home for all your photos and videos, and to deliver a world-class user experience. Bringing our users onto the StreamNation platform lets Picturelife continue that mission, and together we can deliver an even better experience to our customers. StreamNation and Picturelife have a shared philosophy, and we're excited to continue our journey together.”
We reached out to Westheimer – who will be leaving his post as CEO – regarding the value of the acquisition; the financial terms of the deal are not being disclosed, according to a representative from StreamNation. With the acquisition, StreamNation users will get access to all the features currently available on Picturelife.
Founded in 2011, Picturelife was created as a simple Cloud service allowing users to store their photos simply and safely. Last summer, though, Picturelife developed into something much bigger. Relaunching its mobile app (and revamping its web app), Picturelife gave users a seamless way to sync their photos from their smartphones directly to Picturelife's Cloud storage, and essentially gave them an alternative to their native photos app/folder. The upgraded app also gave users access to a slew of different features (which StreamNation can now offer all their users), including contextual smart search, Aviary photo editing, face and duplicates identification system, enhanced image sorting, and a feature that let users share and create conversations around pictures.
For Picturelife users, nothing will change – according to a blog post written by StreamNation founder and CEO Jonathan Benassaya. From login, to users' media content, everything will remain the same. Personally, this is a huge relief, considering that I've been a fan (and user) of Picturelife since they relaunched last July. He does hint, however, that changes may come in the future; Benassaya writes:
“In the short term, PictureLife will stay the same. In the long term we will make sure to keep PictureLife’s DNA and continue the impressive work achieved by the team until today.”
For now, though, Picturelife users should have nothing to worry about. Read our previous Picture coverage here.


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New Policy Will Affect Every U.S. Dealership
Google’s phenomenal reach is the driving force behind a trillion-dollar company, and they have the ability to advertise to your customers exactly when and where they are searching for dealership services. But in October, Google will force a huge change in your ability to target exactly where your customers are.
We all know that dealerships are hyper-local companies. One customer might not cross a bridge to reach your dealership, but another might drive 25 miles if your dealership is on their commute. We take this into account when running your digital advertising. It’s critically important not only to target a person searching for a “car dealer near me,” but also to be relatively near the person searching. If you run an ad to a person searching for a nearby car dealer and you’re 50 miles away, you are wasting money.
Strong Automotive Merchandising’s digital team has traditionally targeted our digital ads using a base layer of ZIP codes. We know through historical sales, PMAs, and other research exactly which ZIP codes your customers are likely to come from.
However, starting on October 19, 2020, Google will remove the ability to target ZIP codes on any ad on its platform related to housing, employment, or credit. The credit aspect of this new policy will affect every car dealership in the United States.
Specifically, Google announced a new policy earlier this year that “will prohibit impacted employment, housing, and credit advertisers from targeting or excluding ads based on gender, age, parental status, marital status, or ZIP code.” Because the majority of car dealership advertising includes some type of credit offer, they will fall under this prohibition.
Google would prefer that you target a large radius around your dealership. Imagine a 50-mile circle around your business – would this capture every potential client of yours? Are you in a highly-populated area that would have way too many customers eating up your budget? A simplified radius may work for some areas, but we prefer to find the solution that works best for each individual dealership.
We have created a plan at Strong Automotive Merchandising to adjust our advertising targets to satisfy Google’s new standards.
Our approach takes advantage of every targeting tool Google still allows. We will use a combination of smaller radii along with city, county, and other layering targets. This allows us to closely replicate ZIP code targeting within Google’s new restrictions.
For audience targeting, we will continue to lean heavily on the information we already have. With your existing customer lists, we can use Google to create an audience of people with similar behavior to your current customers. Because these audiences will closely mimic existing target information, we will be able to target the same kind of drivers that Google allowed us to reach before the October update. These “similar to” lists can be used across Google’s existing search, display, and video advertising networks.
Our data shows that Google owns around 90 percent of the U.S.-based searches for car dealerships. As long as they maintain that market share, we will have to adapt to their policies for advertising. Google’s change to our targeting options is one of the most impactful changes they have made to dealership advertising in my time in digital marketing. But as long as your team is ready to adjust to these changes, you will be able to continue to use Google’s tools to capture the attention of your customers.
John Paul Strong
John Paul Strong combines his two decades of automotive marketing experience with a team of more than 140 professionals as owner and CEO of Strong Automotive.


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Publishers rush to get their bots on Facebook Messenger
Publishers are getting chatty with Facebook Messenger. At its developer conference today, Facebook opened its anticipated Messenger platform that lets publishers, retailers, brands and anyone build chatbots to interact with the 900 million users on the app.
Publishers including CNN and Business Insider were ready with bot launches right after Facebook made its announcement at the F8 developers conference. Other publishers such as The Washington Post are still building their bots, but it’s clear that the media world does not want to let the next platform evolution occur without them on board.
Chatbots are somewhat artificially intelligent programs that interact with people through messaging apps like Messenger or Kik. People text with the bots, which in turn perform some sort of function, like helping people find content.
“We’re seeing the next phase of communication today; it blasts away anything we’ve ever seen before away,” said Jarrod Dicker, ad product and engineering head at The Washington Post. “The opt-in from all companies to be a part of it and have a one-stop shop through Messenger will change how everyone uses the internet from commerce to publishing.”
CNN was among the launch partners on the publishing side of the Messenger announcement. It launched a bot it built using Outbrain’s new chat software service for publishers. Outbrain hopes it can expand its business of serving sponsored content on desktop to serving it on messaging apps.
“Subscribers to CNN on Messenger will receive a daily digest of top stories right within the Messenger app. The bot will also recommend personalized content based on a user’s preferences and learned interests. The experience gets more personalized with each interaction on Messenger,” according to a CNN statement on the bot release.
Facebook is clearly worried about spam bots, however, and implemented strict rules against sharing sponsored content through bots at the outset, according to Jeffrey Hammond, principal analyst at Forrester Research.
“In Messenger, they want to focus on creating an organic experience. I think they are really worried about companies creating spam bots; one reason they are giving consumers to ability to block bots or report abuse right at the top of the new Messenger beta,” Hammond said.
CNN wasn’t the only publisher rushing to get a bot out the door today. Business Insider and Mic also had chat products ready to go. “The direct-to-consumer aspect has big potential for us to connect directly with our readers. We’re really excited about the possibilities from a publishing perspective but also from a technology perspective, which has big innovation potential,” Mic said in an e-mail to Digiday.
Mic, the youth-focused publisher, developed a bot called Mic Check Yourself, which will offer a deep dive into one top story a day through Messenger. The bot will e-mail stories to people as part of a “read later” feature. It will have “choose your own adventure” tools for readers to explore stories from different angles, and let people see photo-only versions of stories.
Mic, like many of its publishing peers, is thinking about ways to turn millions of Facebook readers into Messenger subscribers. Mic will have a button, similar to a Like, that will enable readers on its site to subscribe to its Messenger bot with a click, according to Cory Haik, Mic’s chief strategy officer.
“You can’t blast everyone from your Facebook page and get them to subscribe to you on Messenger. You don’t want to spam users. You want them to opt in, which is a lot more meaningful for us,” Haik said. “We’re trying to figure out how convert them to interact with our bot on Messenger.”
Business Insider has built a bot with the help of German-based Spectrm. The bot is called Business Insider Update, and it will send alerts about top stories to Messenger users. Business Insider’s interest in messaging stems from the fact that there are now more users on the top four messaging apps than the top four social media apps — 3 billion to 2.5 billion, according to Business Insider Intelligence reports.
“We’re engaging our readership in a platform that they’re already seeming to migrate to and congregate,” said John Ore, svp of product at Business Insider. “The initial implementation is to provide readers with more conversational updates throughout the day rather than be a duplication of the News Feed.”
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Trent Lloyd, co-founder and head of brand solutions, Eyeota Google’s updated timeline for its Privacy Sandbox rollout, including its two-year delay of third-party cookie deprecation on Chrome, didn’t come as a surprise to many industry observers, given the limited utility of Google’s FLoC and the slow momentum of the Privacy Sandbox in the World Wide […]
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xHE-AAC now enables uninterrupted streaming of audio content in two prestigious Microsoft products. With the support of Fraunhofer IIS, the tech giant has integrated the codec into Windows 11 and distributed it to all users worldwide as part of
a service update. Microsoft’s Xbox console also received an
xHE-AAC decoder via an update.
At the 2022 World Cup, soccer fans in Brazil and South Korea experienced the benefits of MPEG-H Audio. Brazil’s largest media corporation Grupo Globo broadcast the event in MPEG-H Audio on three of its five commercial channels. In addition, comprehensive tests were carried out before the launch of the TV 3.0 standard with MPEG-H Audio as the mandatory audio codec. SBS, one of South Korea’s leading broadcasters, streamed the mega sporting event via an app in which viewers could choose between different audio presets.
In the domain of communication codecs, LC3 became the mandatory Bluetooth Low Energy profile earlier this year. Since then, it has been enhancing the listening experience of users of wireless devices. Meanwhile, LC3plus has been certified by the Japanese Audio Society for the prestigious Hi-Res Audio Wireless Logo program.


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Port operator Asian Terminals Inc. said Tuesday it will invest P3.8 billion in 2016 primarily to improve port operations in Manila and Batangas.
The company said the amount was a part of the P8-billion, three-year capital expenditure program that started in 2015.
ATI said in a regulatory filing it would continuously optimize its ports in Manila and Batangas for containerized cargo, non-containerized cargo and passenger handling to keep the vital gateway port facilities competitive and responsive to market demands.
The company said it would focus on upgrading the capacity of Batangas, which was being positioned as the future growth for both the domestic passenger and roll-on/roll-off segments and the international container cargo business.
“As a forward-looking company, ATI keeps its eyes open for more business growth drivers, including exploring new port operations locally or overseas, given the right opportunity,” ATI said.
The port operator saw net income in 2015 fall 7 percent to P1.76 billion from P1.9 billion in 2014, as revenues slowed 1.1 percent to P8.14 billion from P8.24 billion a year ago.
Port authorities’ share in revenues in 2015 declined 14.9 percent year-on-year.
ATI said revenues from South Harbor’s international containerized cargo went down by 1.3 percent, on lower container volume. However, revenues of South Habor’s non-containerized cargo increased 14.7 percent.
Revenues from Batangas Container Terminal and Port of Batangas climbed 57.5 percent and 15.9 percent, respectively.
Cost and expenses in 2015 increased 3.3 percent to P3.73 billion billion from P3.59 billion billion in 2014.
ATI said last month the online terminal appointment booking system or the government’s innovative solution to boost Philippine supply-chain lifted the company’s port operations.
The port operator said it was handling more truck transactions with quicker truck turnaround time since implementing the system in October last year, thereby facilitating faster flow of commodities to the market.
From processing around 800 trucks in a 12-hour shift prior to TABS, ATI said Manila South Harbor was now servicing over 1,000 trucks on the average, for over 20-percent increase in production.
The online booking system works like an airline booking system, which allows customs brokers to conveniently schedule the pickup and delivery of containers at Manila ports. Booking is done by selecting time slots across the 24-hour, seven-day week period.
ATI said the process enabled brokers to rationally plan deliveries once port fees and Customs duties were settled.


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The spray trial announced on May 25 to address the concentrations of blackheaded budworm in the Cape Breton Highlands may begin on Saturday, June 25. The trial will proceed if weather and wind conditions permit, and if the insect is at the optimum stage of development. Twenty areas located in the Cape Breton Highlands — to a maximum of 5,000 hectares — have been identified for a proposed spray trial to determine the effectiveness of a biological control product on the blackheaded budworm. A map of the proposed spray areas is available for review at Natural Resources offices in Cape Breton, Antigonish and Guysborough. Additional information, including the map, is available on the department’s website at www.gov.ns.ca/natr/protection/ipm/sheets/ipmbhbworm.htm
BlackBerry defines its ‘prosumer’ target market: communications and productivity TORONTO – Long battered by complaints that it lacks the latest and greatest apps to attract consumers and keep them entertained, BlackBerry hopes the customers it’s now focusing on just don’t care about the dreaded “app gap.”When BlackBerry provided a dire update on its business last month, the floundering company signalled it was turning away from mainstream consumers to refocus its efforts on two markets: enterprise customers and so-called “prosumers.”The company didn’t elaborate then on what exactly it considers a prosumer to be but during a recent demo of its new Z30 smartphone, which was released in Canada this week, two spokesmen defined the customer type and why they might choose a BlackBerry.“Their sole purpose is that this is primarily a communications device and a productivity machine,” said Michael Clewley, director of handheld software product management, while holding up his BlackBerry.“While applications are good to have in some respects they’re not primary or sometimes even secondary for that type of user. And if they do use applications they’re using very targeted specific applications, they’re not spending a lot of time in the storefront browsing for the latest or greatest or trying to find out what’s hot and stuff like that. They’re going to look for apps that help get the job done for them.”Todd Wood, senior vice president of design, said some think the “pro” in prosumer stands for professional, but it can also be short for producer.“They create more content than they consume, in most cases, and arguably that was the original definition of prosumer,” said Wood.“There’s a set of BlackBerry users that really think of themselves as enterprises in and of themselves so they want to choose a more professional or semi-professional device.”Clewley did emphasize that the company hasn’t given up on trying to land some of the biggest apps, including Netflix and Instagram. He said the new build of BlackBerry’s operating system, 10.2, incorporates the latest version of Google’s Android platform, which should lead to more Android apps getting repurposed for BlackBerry users.“What we find is developers who bring their apps to BlackBerry 10 actually see a good uptake of those applications but you’ve got to sort of win them over,” Clewley said.“So I think we’re doing things to help users get the more fun applications or the media-type applications and we’re continuing to drive and go after important productivity focused applications.” by Michael Oliveira, The Canadian Press Posted Oct 18, 2013 10:02 am MDT AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to TwitterTwitterShare to FacebookFacebookShare to RedditRedditShare to 電子郵件Email
There are some great things happening in French club handball these days, and latest news about TV rights surely acclaim that. The league which stands for second strongest in the world right up to this point, with the most expensive team in the world (Paris Saint Germaint) have sold out their broadcasting rights and will be watched next five seasons for the incredible amount of 20 million euros!Media Centre beIN SPORTS (subsidairy of famous AL Jazeera company), which is owned by the same people as PSG Handball, is to blame for this arrangement. They have already bought the rights for World championchip in 2015 for men and 2017 both for men and women. Their great conditions have put to and end contract of French Canal+ which broadcasted French league for 1,2 euros per season. French league will be available in countries on the north of Africa, Middle East and Australia… meanwhile, clubs can expect to benefit for at least 50 thousand euros per season.There is no doubt that in years to come LNH1 will be serious candidate to dethrone Bundesliga from European handball top. They have already stepped out financially. German SPORT1 currently does Bundesliga broadcasts for amount of 1,8 million euros per season. Considering that French have no worries about their national team, popularity of this sport isn’t endagered as it is in Germany.MAID BEGIC & SRETEN RASKOVIC bein sports handballbein sports handball rtvFrench handballhandballhandball tv ← Previous Story Danish Play Off preview: KIF Kolding and Skjern the biggest favorites Next Story → Kielce “4 of 4” against Wisla!


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Footlume is a new idea that looks to revolutionize floor fashion from a team at London's South Bank University. I didn't think floor fashion needed to be changed, but this isn't a bad idea. Footlume is electroluminescent flooring that lights up with every step. The purpose is to make it easier to guide your way to the bathroom late at night, or to stumble inside after a night of drunken debauchery.
The Footlume uses weight sensors to recognize when someone is walking on the rug and lights up the designated contact areas. The idea is still a prototype, but the development team will be showing off the Footlume at the Daily Mail Ideal Home Show in London where it will likely, "Attract attention from all the right people," according to its inventors.
Interior design experts are saying that responsive surfaces like Footlume will be the next big trend in interior design for homes.


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The Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced that it has entered into an agreement with Lucid to purchase a minimum of 50,000 electric vehicles and up to 100,000 electric vehicles over a ten-year period in an effort to diversify its fleet to be more environmentally friendly.
This agreement is a significant move that supports the key objectives of Vision 2030 including diversifying and transforming the economy, society and lives of the people of Saudi Arabia, building new sectors fit for the future and creating skilled jobs for future generations. It also comes in alignment with the Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative, which were previously announced by His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman.
The agreement with Lucid reflects the government's efforts to diversify its fleet of vehicles aiming at reducing carbon emission and inspiring sustainable transportation.
Lucid has been selected as they are building a factory to assemble these vehicles within the Kingdom, which will transition over time to full production. This will support the government's local content drive, diversify the economy, provide thousands of highly skilled job opportunities and provide economic benefit to the Kingdom in line with Vision 2030. It will also help Saudi Arabia realise its ambition to be a major regional and global manufacturing base for the next generation of electric vehicles as Lucid aims for the factory to ultimately produce up to 150,000 cars per year.
By entering into the agreement, the Kingdom also aims to diversify the technologies used in the private transport sector as part of its continued efforts to develop technologies for managing vehicles emissions, which includes, but is not limited to:
- the manufacturing of electric vehicles in the Kingdom by using innovative technologies;
- advanced low emission fuel development programmes; and
- experimenting and developing technologies for hydrogen-cell vehicles.
Saudi Arabia is placing this order now, as demand for electric vehicles is high, many other governments are considering taking orders. This also provides Saudi Arabia with the opportunity to work with Lucid on the development of new models and vehicles to suit the government's vehicular needs.


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Lonely This Winter
Lonely This Winter
How salon owners are planning to help combat loneliness this winter
Times have been pretty tough recently and, while the summer months allowed us a renewed sense of freedom and enabled us to socialise in the open air, the nights are now beginning to draw in – signalling darker days for some in more ways than one. Cold weather can prevent the elderly from getting out and about as much as they would like and, Christmas can be an incredibly lonely time for people of all ages. This Christmas, barbers and salon owners are working to stamp out loneliness in a number of innovative ways:
An epidemic of loneliness
In 2017, the #ShaveTheDay campaign was launched in a bid to reach out to elderly gentlemen suffering from loneliness. Based at Luke’s Barbershop in Ruislip, the campaign encouraged barbershops to offer free cuts and services to senior citizens during December to help promote inclusivity and highlight the dangers of loneliness. Owner, Luke Dolan, says, “Barbershops have community spirit at their heart and, that’s why I wanted to play my little part in bringing back some of these community values, and get people talking to each other – young and old”. Salons have always been seen as a refuge where people can enjoy a chat and a cuppa along with their cut and, the #ShaveTheDay movement could just be a lifesaver for those spending the festive season alone. Additionally, a lot of barbers and salon owners are, in a post-pandemic world, training their employees to identify signs of mental distress in their clients in order to gently recommend help or, just somebody to talk to.
As barbers and stylists take on these new, multiple roles within the community, many are turning to Booksy to help them to manage their time and space more effectively. For the uninitiated, Booksy is a scheduling app with a difference. As well as allowing customers to book, manage and cancel their own appointments, the platform has tons of great features to help salon owners make the most of their business. These features include the ability to take payment and pre-payments through the app, thereby cutting down on out of pocket expenses due to no shows – a valuable feature in 2021 when salons can ill afford to lose revenue. Owners and managers can also upsell products directly through the app – cutting down on the number of hands touching the in-store products for a more contact free environment. The app is also able to send notifications and reminders to customers to ensure that busy lives don’t lead to missed appointments – and missed cash for the salon.
Booksy has been designed specifically with salons in mind and, even includes some clever marketing tools, including email outreach and posters, to help owners keep in touch with existing clients and reach out to brand new ones.
As barbershops and salons battle to recoup their 2020 losses at the same time as providing a safe space for their communities, Booksy is delighted to be able to help through its forward thinking, AI powered platform. Like an extra pair of hands, Booksy can take the stress out of everyday tasks – including book-keeping, leaving owners and staff free to chew the fat with their customers while making them look a million dollars.


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The technology will enable users to start their vehicles as well as make adjustments to control the vehicles through facial expressions and hand gestures.
LG Electronics has developed a new technology that will enable car owners to start their vehicles without using a key by identifying their facial expressions and finger movements using multiple in-car cameras, report says.
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The biometric authentication system uses one of the cameras to identify the user’s specific body parts.
A second camera automatically adjusts its viewing angles based on the data of the first camera to capture the user’s iris and other biometric characteristics.
The technology will enable users to start their vehicles as well as make adjustments to control the vehicles through facial expressions and hand gestures, according to a report by Digitimes.
Also Read | The panoptic nature of biometric technology
It can also detect whether a driver is drowsy or has a sudden illness by monitoring their eyelids and facial movements.
Besides regular and autonomous driving, the biometric recognition technology can also be applied to virtual reality, augmented reality and 5G communications, according to the report.
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