text:
- Subscribe NowLimited Time Offer
Update: Cray reports wider loss, still vague on earnings delay
- Todd Bishop
Post updated with Cray CEO's comments about the delay. Seattle-based supercomputer company Cray Inc. today reported a third quarter net loss of $18.8 million, or 55 cents a share, on revenue of $42.8 million -- missing Wall Street's expectations but still not explaining why it mysteriously delayed the earnings report, which was originally slated to take place two weeks ago.
The company reiterated its guidance for the full fiscal year, and its CEO Peter Ungaro saying in a news release that Cray remains "on track to deliver strong results for 2010, including revenue growth and profitability for the year."
Given the nature of Cray's business, with large chunks of revenue riding on big institutional deals, it's not unusual or alarming for the company to miss expectations for a particular quarter, so that wouldn't on its own tend to explain the previous delay, said Sid Parakh, an analyst who covers the company for the McAdams Wright Ragen investment firm.
"From a financial standpoint, everything looks in place," he said.
A quick run through Cray's 10Q filing also doesn't seem to reveal anything. Cray's earnings call begins shortly, and we'll post any relevant details.
Update: During the conference call, Ungaro apologized for the delay, saying that the company was in the latter stages of its quarterly reporting process when it determined that it would "need additional time to be ready to announce earnings." Unfortunately, he said, that realization didn't come until after the company had announced the time and date for its earnings. He didn't detail the reasons the company felt it needed additional time.
- Most popular
- Alaska Airlines doesn't want to pay for Sea-Tac facility, help Delta
- Boeing insists it can sell the so-called 'terrible teen' Dreamliners
- Bill Gates reveals biggest regret, his Microsoft pet project
- Anheuser-Busch will 'use Elysian as a weapon,' Seattle brewers warn
- At Expedia, Seahawks pride is a 10-story work of art
- Alaska, Delta, vie for customer attention as Seahawks supporters
- Microsoft's new strategy: Make money by giving stuff away
- Patti Payne's Cool Pads: $1.9M condo in 'Fifty Shades of Grey' tower
- Microsoft's record hardware sales were just dwarfed by Apple's
- McNerney: SpaceX drives prices down, makes Boeing better competitor
Stay on top of the latest tech news from Seattle and beyond.
Workforce Initiatives Specialist - Sector Strategies WA State Employment Security Department (ESD) | Olympia, WA
Division Controller Zetec, Inc. | Snoqualmie, WA
Finance Business Manager Vulcan Inc. | Seattle, WA
Buyer PCL Construction | Bellevue, WA
Economic Development Coordinator City of Lake Stevens | Lake Stevens, WA


text:
App store was opened on tenth of July ,2008 through an update to iTunes.Till date, this app store has progressed, prospered and made a huge revolution in software development. In 2013, App Store customer spent more than ten billion U. S. dollars,one billion in December only .In the history of App Store, December was the most successful month where the customers of App Store downloaded almost three billion app in December .
Apple Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue thanked all the customer for making 2013 as their best year and he is seeking creation of developers in 2014. Developers of App Store have earned fifteen dollar U.S. Dollars till date.
Some apps were a big hit and international success like Candy Crush Saga,Puzzles & Dragons, Minecraft, QuizUp and Clumsy Ninja.Some apps like Duolingo (US), Simogo (Sweden), Frogmind (UK), Plain Vanilla Corp (Iceland), Atypical Games (Romania), Lemonista (China), BASE (Japan) and Savage Interactive (Australia) emerged as developers to watch in 2014.
There are millions of iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users in 155 countries around the world . The App Store offers more than one million apps to those users with more than Five Hundered Thousand native iPad apps.Android system and phones based on Microsoft software of Google Inc is competing with Apples’s iOS based devices.

domain: news


text:
The absence of darker skin tones in museums inspired the artist.
By Kelli Renae
An art exhibit for Black History Month opened Feb. 6 featuring Kaldric Deshon Dow, a Houston native known for his personable portraits and drawing inspiration from the masters, such as Picasso.
The main focus of his paintings are skin tones, he said. “You go to a museum and don’t see people like me.”
Museums are historically predominantly white, lacking the artistic talent of people of color.
This is what originally inspired Dow to paint people in the moment.
Dow went to UTSA to major in electrical engineering, but soon realized his passion was painting.
He uses fabric, black-on-black canvas and real individuals to capture raw emotion and manipulate light to capture the beauty of skin.
Joan Fabian, San Antonio College’s creative project technician, said, “He shows the beauty in human features with paint.”
Before his black-on-black series, Dow began with collage, assembling different pieces of work on one canvas.
Then he explored the realm of pop art, artistry based on popular culture and the mass media.
Dow gave one piece of advice for exploring art: “Find a mentor, show your work and don’t hide it.”
“Let This Be My Sunshine” art exhibit runs through Feb. 29.


text:
5 Digital Marketing Trends To Watch For In 2021
dateDecember 18th, 2020
Over the past year, online marketing experienced an unprecedented surge in growth due to COVID-19. Businesses that were not already leveraging digital tactics were forced to pivot and finally launch a website or e-commerce site, scramble to build and promote curb-side pickup programs, and venture into the world of digital and influencer marketing. With online and digital marketing tactics now at the forefront of every single industry, what will this mean for 2021? We reviewed the latest industry insights to find out what the experts are saying. Below are the top 5 digital marketing trends to keep an eye out for in 2021:
1. Rise of Social Media E-commerce Channels
In 2020, Facebook launched Facebook Shop and Instagram Shop, finally making it possible for brands and creators to build digital storefronts on the platforms. The update was made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the app announcing in a press release in May 2020, “Right now many small businesses are struggling, and with stores closing, more are looking to bring their business online. Our goal is to make shopping seamless and empower anyone from a small business owner to a global brand to use our apps to connect with customers.” Most recently, on December 10th, Instagram also announced the launch of Shoppable Instagram Reels. It’s expected that both Facebook and Instagram will continue to focus on new e-commerce integrations into 2021, especially as competing app TikTok gains popularity and makes strides in this realm as well.
Social media is no longer a place of discovery, but a landscape where purchases will be able to happen without leaving the respective platforms. Eventually, this ease of shoppability will expand into other digital touch points. Ottawa based company Bonsai on the forefront of this new technology, which allows users to transact natively while browsing content on publisher websites. Keep a look out for an increase in e-commerce capabilities in 2021.
2. Influencer Marketing Growth
According to Business Insider, influencer marketing is expected to become a $15 billion dollar industry by 2022. Due to COVID-19, online and mobile screen time has gone up, resulting in more advertising dollars being shifted to online marketing efforts – including influencer marketing. While influencers exist within every social platform, Instagram remains the top brand partnership preference. Nearly four in five (79%) brands predominantly tap Instagram for influencer campaigns, compared with Facebook (46%), YouTube (36%), Twitter (24%), and LinkedIn (12%), as reported by Business Insider.
Along with increasing investment in influencer marketing on behalf of brands, a surge in new apps and tools is providing creators with more resources than ever before to create engaging content. In 2021, this combination will undoubtedly be a year of growth and financial opportunity for influencers and content creators. If you have been dabbling with the idea of becoming an influencer, it might be time to take this dream a bit more seriously in the new year.
Other related influencer trends to watch for in 2021 are: brands building longer term partnerships with influencers, affiliate programs that create more incentive for influencers to tag brands in their content, more diversity and inclusion being a focus in influencer marketing programs, and more mico and nano influencers being tapped for campaigns due to highly engaged audiences.
3. Virtual Brand Activations & Events Are Here to Stay
For many businesses, the shift to virtual events was due to COVID-19 making it impossible to host in-person activations. However, many businesses soon realized the tremendous value of hosting digital events when considering the relatively low cost to execute, as well as the entirely new audiences that they were able to tap into as a result of hosting events virtually. Accessibility was a major benefit to many businesses, allowing for more attendees and higher participation than with in-person events. Based on the high ROI of virtual events this trend will maintain momentum into 2021, with the need for engaging speakers, quality content, and entertainment value continuing to be a vital part of the event equation.
4. Increased Digital Marketing Regulations
Over the past few years, privacy and regulation around digital marketing have come to the forefront. Questionable practices surrounding user privacy and information (such as the Cambridge Analytica scandal where Facebook users’ personal data was acquired without the individuals’ consent and used for political advertising) highlighted the increased need for regulation in regards to social media platforms and digital marketing practices. In 2021, there will be increased scrutiny over data and privacy, with governments across North America and Europe already outlining stricter regulations around website, social media, and e-commerce practices.
5. Digital Saturation
One of the downsides of COVID-19, is that the digital landscape is experiencing more saturation than ever before. Both brands and influencers have a hard road ahead of them in 2021 in terms of ensuring their content and advertising are able to break through the noise and stand out across all digital touchpoints. Thankfully, partnering with an agency that is aware of the latest trends can help you navigate this landscape. At FAULHABER, we offer a variety of digital marketing services. If you are considering a digital marketing and pr agency to assist with your next digital activation, get in touch.


text:
CareerBuilder has a new president. Irina Novoselsky, former president of Novitex Enterprise Solutions, is joining the company. She’ll also serve as chief operating officer (COO), where she’ll oversee finance, marketing, customer care, information technology and data security.
The company, which operates recruitment classified site Dice, announced a CEO transition plan. It doesn’t sound like it was CEO Michael Durney’s decision.
Steve Amara, head of product of Cameroon-headquartered general classifieds site Kerawa.com, has been promoted to the position of general manager. Until now, Kerawa was managed by the site's founder Nino Njopkou.
Japan’s used-goods marketplace Mercari appointed serial entrepreneur Hiroyuki Tsuruta (photo), who co-founded internet business Labit Inc. and a peer-to-peer books marketplace at its app-development subsidiary Souzoh.com, according to media reports.
The dominant Dutch property vertical Funda has just lost its CEO Marc Duijndam who announced his departure to take a position as the head of Sanoma Media Benelux.
Movoto, an established U.S. property listing site owned by Japan’s Recruit Holdings, appointed real-estate veteran Janet Lopez to its team for Southern California’s Inland Empire market, Movoto announced earlier this week.
Allegro Group, operator of Allegro.pl, Poland’s largest marketplace for new and used goods, appointed Damian Zapłata as chief commercial officer and new board member.
Formerly a senior VP at Monster Worldwide, Eric Winegardner just left the company to become a president of a US-based Recruiting for Recruiters (R4R) site called Search Wizards.
ReBuy Recommerce GmbH, Germany’s second-largest re-commerce platform, appointed its first head of marketing, a result of strong growth, it said. It also announced its intentions to expand into other markets.
To find Erik Segerborg heading up strategy and marketing at the Swedish classified site Hemnet came as a surprise to many who have followed his successes as an Avito manager. He first arrived in Russia in 2013. But, why did he come back to Sweden? We asked him.


text:
Audi says that its new SQ5 SUV due to arrive next year will be engineered to offer certain levels of oversteer as the firm focuses on making the vehicle as involving to drive as possible.
According to a senior company engineer who spoke with Autocar, the new SQ5 will be much livelier than the outgoing model and the second-gen standard versions.
It will therefore follow in the footsteps of the existing RS3 Sportback, which was also intentionally designed to be prone to oversteer when driven to the limit. It is thought that customers will be able to opt for a more tail-happy car by optioning a special sports differential.
Power for the new Audi SQ5 will come courtesy of either a V6 petrol or V6 diesel, depending on the market. In Europe, the 3.0-liter diesel V6 will be the only powertrain on offer and is expected to adopt a single turbocharger and an electric compressor to produce more oomph than the twin-turbo setup of the current model. In fact, horsepower is expected to touch around the 365 hp mark, 30 hp up on the SQ5 Plus.
Elsewhere, it is reported that the next SQ5 will include the 48V electric system of the larger SQ7 allowing for the use of active roll bars.


text:
Interbrand launches first-ever Best Sri Lankan Brands
Colombo, Sri Lanka (December 11, 2017) — Bank of Ceylon, People’s Bank and Dialog Axiata have been named by Interbrand as the three most valuable brands of Best Sri Lankan Brands 2017. The leading brand consultancy, Interbrand, has identified 20 brands are showing significant growth in their respected marketplaces. The team has noted 2017 as an interesting year in the world of brands and businesses.
The Bank of Ceylon, Sri Lanka’s most valuable brand, achieved the distinction of a ‘Triple Trillion’ milestone in deposits, loans and advances, and assets. People’s Bank, with the highest level of penetration and customer reach against any competitor bank, reached a total income of LKR 144.7 bn in 2016, representing a growth of 16.9% over LKR 123.8 bn in 2015 while consolidated post-tax profit amounted to LKR 18 bn in 2016, a 19.2% growth over LKR 15.1 bn in 2015.
Dialog Axiata’s bold approach to staying ahead of competition and remaining relevant to consumer needs has made it the undisputed leader in the mobile telecommunications sector, delivering a strong revenue growth across all segments adding to a consolidated revenue of LKR 86.7 bn for 2016 representing year-on-year growth of 17%. Group net profit after tax was recorded at LKR 9 bn.Following Dialogo is Commercial Bank at #4, and then HNB, National Savings Bank, Lion, Sampath Bank, John Keells and Elephant House round out the Top 10. Majority of the Best Sri Lankan Brands came from two sectors: Financial Services (8), Diversified (4); contributing almost 70% to the total brand value.
“Our team has found branding within Sri Lanka is largely underutilized. Through data, we have benchmarked against Best Global Brands and Best India Brands, and thus, Best Sri Lankan Brands was born,” said Ashish Mishra, Managing Director, Interbrand India. “We see this ranking as an opportunity to drive growth in the region. The caliber of Best Sri Lankan Brands, is driving growth for their businesses and in turn, growing the economy as a whole via both consumption and income generation. Some of the key sectors we should watch out for, beyond BFSI(Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance) and Diversified, are Exports, Tourism, Technology, and also Lifestyle.”
“Financial services and diversified brands dominate our inaugural Best Sri Lankan Brands study and are well placed to succeed in an economy with significant pent-up demand now being released across multiple sectors after three decades of civil war. Encouragingly, we see Sri Lankan businesses looking to evolve from being distributors for global brands to building their own brands and we see this as a huge opportunity to create both business and brand value going forward,” said Mike Rocha, Global Brand Valuation Director at Interbrand.
*The Top 100 global brands have a combined total value of USD $1,871,730 m, an increase of 4.2% from 2016. For the complete Top 100 ranking and the report with comprehensive analysis of growth, sector and industry trends, visit www.bestglobalbrands.com.
**The Top 20 Sri Lankan Brands have a combined total value of USD $1,281m. For the complete Top 20 ranking and the report with comprehensive analysis of growth, sector and industry trends, visit www-interbrand-staging.azurewebsites.net. You can view the PDF here.
Interbrand’s first-ever Best Sri Lankan Brands report analyzes how brands grow in a changing world, showing that using technology at scale to deliver intimate human experiences, will help drive economic growth value. This methodology was the first brand valuation method to become ISO certified.
The ranking is based on three key components that contribute to a brand’s cumulative value:
• The financial performance of the branded products and services
• The role the brand plays in influencing customer choice
• The strength the brand has to command a premium price or secure earnings for the company


text:
- Thailand’s finance minister announced that they will exempt cryptocurrency trading on centralized exchanges from a 7% value-added tax.
- The tax exemption will also include CBDC trading.
- Thailand is looking to support startups in the country so they can raise more capital from investors.
While a group of countries still consider cryptocurrencies to be a risk and keep them prohibited, as is the case with Bolivia or China, others see them as a good option for the future. Thailand made a positive determination for all those users and also for those who want to join the industry.
The announcement was made at a press conference by Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, the nation’s finance minister told a conference that cryptocurrency owners will allow crediting “annual losses against gains from taxes due on investments in cryptocurrencies”.
In turn, they will exempt cryptocurrency trading on centralized exchanges (with use of KYC) from a 7% value added tax. This is aimed at improving the country’s payment infrastructure, in the Thai authority’s own words. Tax exemption will also include CBDC trading (Central Bank Digital Currency), the currency of the Central Bank, which will be marketed from April this year until December next.
“This issue will allow Thai investors to trade digital assets on a trusted Thai exchange because it is under the supervision of the SEC and other related government agencies, allowing Thailand to have a future payment infrastructure ready for the digital economy.”highlighted Termpittayapaisith.
The authority also announced that investments in Thai companies will be eligible for tax breaks. Meanwhile, those investors who bet on a company for at least two years will have the chance to be exempt from taxes for 10, until June 2032.
Why is Thailand doing this?
Thailand is looking to support startups in the country so they can raise more capital from investors. and thus strengthen national investment.
“This will allow the economy to expand sustainably and improve the country’s competitiveness.”, declared the finance minister.
Termpittayapaisith emphasized that this tax benefit will serve cryptocurrency investors, who today do not pay taxes on the profits they obtain, to “feel comfortable in the performance of their legal duties and to pay more taxes in a fairer way”.
They are also invited to trade on registered Thai exchanges such as Bitkub, the largest in the country. This, according to CoinMarketCap, has a daily volume of close to $121 million to rank No. 63 on the global list, which is led by Binance with $18 billion of the US currency.
Growth of the crypto market in Thailand
The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the crypto market and Bitcoin made a huge jump to reach the all-time high of $68,000. The same thing happened with electronic currencies in Thailand, according to brand Bitcoinist with information from the ministry. In January 2021 there were 170,000 digital asset accounts and at the end of last year there were already 2 million registered.
This number is small considering that the local population is 70 million inhabitants: just 2.85% of locals have a virtual wallet. The crypto revolution is just beginning.
Thailand is one of the most advanced countries in terms of cryptography and the Bitcoin ATM registry develops it this way: the country has 37 ATMs, being the main one in Southeast Asia and second on the continent, just behind Hong Kong (138). It is far ahead of Taiwan (25), the Philippines (13), and Vietnam (8), to name just a few.
This determination by Thailand is very different from what they had previously made: the government had launched a 15% tax on profits, a measure that was lifted in January after anger from merchants.
India, meanwhile, is in a similar situation and what the Thai authorities have done could serve as a new starting point. The Indian government determined a 30% tax on cryptocurrency holdings without weighing the losses that users may suffer from the volatility of the crypto market.
Thailand is moving forward with a new regulation for cryptocurrencies and this decision could be a good starting point to continue growing. The Thai people have shown interest in digital assets and the response to these actions will have to be awaited.
You might be interested in:


text:
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Simplicita Targets Network Zombies
Denver, Colorado-based startup Simplicita has introduced a new product targeted at the problem of compromised PCs. The firm has rolled out a new product that detects, quarantines, and fixes PCs that have been infected with what are called "zombie" and botnet software. The new software, targeted at broadband service providers, identifies hijacked PCs and removes them from provider networks. The startup's products do not require client software on subscriber machines, and instead uses Internet domain name services (DNS) to manage infected PCs.


text:
Coca Cola To Sell First-Ever Heated Soda
Canada Dry Hot Ginger Ale will go on sale first in Japan. The Coca Cola company says the drink, flavored with ginger, cinnamon and apple features a can that retains the drink's carbonation when heated.
The drink goes on sale in vending machines next month in Japan. There's no indication of whether the new beverage will make it's way to the U.S.
Hot Can Inc. of San Diego is one of the companies behind the can-heating technology. The heat activation happens in the double-chambered aluminum can, where the outer shell is heated without interfering with the carbonation.
Coca Cola is hoping this new drink will catch on and help slumping sales. The company has seen a drop in sales over the past year.


text:
Prices of medicines, especially those used to treat allergy, sneezing, coughing and respiratory problems, have increased amid the COVID-19 crisis as the authorities are turning a blind eye to the issue.
People suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases or COPD, asthma and allergy, who have to take medicine round the year, are hit hard by the soaring prices of the essentials.
Regulatory authorities and pharmaceutical firm owners claimed that medicine prices had not been increased since the coronavirus emerged in the country, but consumer rights campaigners and patients alleged that people were buying same medicines at higher prices, compared to before the COVID-19 crisis.
Visiting different drug stores in the capital, it was found that the prices of medicines, used for asthma, allergy, sneezing, coughing and respiratory problems, likes of Montelukast, Theophylline, Doxophylline, Fexofenadine, Rupatadine and Desloratadine increased.
Even the price of ivermectin, used for treating many types of parasite infestations and which scientists found prospective for treating COVID-19, also increased two to three times in recent days.
Patients alleged that they were paying higher prices for such medicines after the coronavirus emerged.
Drug sellers said that the medicines had high demand but the supply was low, which heated up the market.
A Khilgaon resident, who said that she used to take Montelukast and Theophylline every day due to her asthma, usually bought a Montelukast at Tk 10-12 before the coronavirus, but she now had to pay Tk 16 per piece.
A Fexofenadine Hydrochloride was usually sold at Tk 5-6, but the price has gone up to Tk 8-10 recently.
‘Fexofenadine Hydrochloride is now a hot cake as it cures allergic rhinitis or sneezing. People stockpiled the medicine after the coronavirus hit the country. It is now in short supply, which has caused the price hike,’ said a drug seller in Khilgaon.
The price of Rupatadine Fumarate, which is indicated for the symptomatic treatment of seasonal and perennial allergic rhinitis and urticaria, has increased in recent days.
A piece of the drug earlier cost about Tk 8-10, but it is now selling for up to Tk 12 in the capital’s drug stores.
Ivermectin, treating parasitic infection, used to cost Tk 4-10 depending on the dosage. One of the leading pharmaceutical companies of the country put off its production in 2014.
The company sold the drug at Tk 4, but when it has recently restarted its production after scientists found a hope in its use for treating COVID-19 it now sells each piece of the drug at Tk 15 for 6mg and Tk 30 for 12mg.
Other companies also increased the drug’s price to Tk 10-15 for 6mg and Tk 20-30 for 12mg.
Drug Administration spokesperson Ayub Hossain said that no company was allowed to increase the prices of medicines after the coronavirus emerged.
‘If any company has increased prices without our permission, they will be punished under the Drug Act,’ he said.
Replying to a question, he said that they would look into the allegations of increasing medicine prices.
Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries secretary general SM Shafiuzzaman also said that they did not increase the price of any medicine after the coronavirus emerged.
‘The production and supply of medicines are also aplenty,’ he said, adding, ‘We have nothing to do if the prices are raised by the retailers.’
Consumers Association of Bangladesh president Ghulam Rahman said that they found sharp rises in prices of medicines in recent days.
‘The unscrupulous businesses are cashing in on the coronavirus crisis when people have been hit hard economically,’ he said.
Ghulam Rahman said that it was the responsibility of the regulators to monitor the market.
‘The Drug Administration and the Directorate of National Consumers’ Right Protection should act proactively to check the rises in prices of drugs,’ he said.
Want stories like this in your inbox?
Sign up to exclusive daily email
More Stories from Country


text:
Muenster (Germany), 20 April 2010. Dr Kerstin Tabatt extends the current team of ten GMP auditors at blue inspection body GmbH (www.blue-inspection.com) effective 1 May 2010. Dr Tabatt has a professional background as a pharmacist and holds a doctorate in pharmaceutical technology. Prior, she worked as a Qualified Person at PenCef Pharma GmbH in Berlin, where supplier audits were part of her responsibilities. Blue inspection body GmbH globally examines the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) compliant manufacturing of APIs and medicinal products on behalf of pharmaceutical companies. It is the first accredited Type-A inspection body for this purpose in the European Union.
The manufacturing of starting materials and active pharmaceutical ingredients for medicinal products is primarily conducted outside Europe: It is estimated by the European Medicines Agency EMA that more than 80 percent of the starting materials and APIs used for manufacturing finished medicinal products in Europe and the USA are sourced from third countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA) or the USA. Major supplier countries are India and China. Third-party audits, conducted globally by blue, are used by the pharmaceutical industry to qualify suppliers appropriately, according to current regulatory and legal requirements.
(approx. 1.160 characters)


text:
Apple's Not-So-Secret VR Product
It's not really a secret that Apple is working on some form of virtual reality (VR) device--mostly likely a pair of glasses or goggles. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman recently reported that a product could arrive towards the end of 2022, or sometime early in 2023.
Exactly what Apple will introduce is hard to say at this point. Some analysts point to a VR headset similar to the Oculus Quest, which is made by Facebook, now known as Meta.
The Quest is by far the most popular VR device you can buy, but it's still a relatively niche product. For Facebook, however, it's an important piece of a strategy laid out by its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, who believes that there will soon be a day when we'll all have a VR headset strapped to our face most of the time.
There's no question that the two companies have very different ideas of why people might want to buy a VR headset. Apple isn't likely to be motivated to make any product that would play into Facebook's strategy. Gurman previously reported that even the word 'metaverse' was verboten at Apple.
In fact, Apple is eventually expected to launch a set of augmented reality (AR) glasses that allow for a full view of the physical world around you, while adding in a sort of digital overlay to provide information. That's probably still a few years away, with the first version focused on things like gaming, fitness, and shared experiences like FaceTime or SharePlay.
I'm not entirely sure the details matter at this point. Far more interesting to me is the idea that once Apple enters the game, it could be the end of Facebook--or at least its metaverse ambitions.
That's because Apple has three things that put it in a unique position to not only compete with Facebook but also to pose an existential threat to its plan to dominate the metaverse:
I've written before that the biggest problem facing Facebook's vision of the metaverse is that it's just not very good at building the things it will need to make it happen. Apple, on the other hand, is very good at building software and hardware.
It's also usually pretty good about not releasing something until it feels like it can do something that isn't already being done--or when it thinks it can do it significantly better. Part of that is Apple's ability to sense the way people will want to use technology and build that into its products.
Any headset from Apple is also likely to be more expensive than the Oculus Quest, by far the most popular VR device you can buy today. I'm not sure that will be a problem. The iPhone is a premium product in a category that has basically become a commodity.
Facebook, the app, has a huge platform. So do Instagram and WhatsApp. Meta, the company that owns those three apps, is banking on the idea that it has a huge audience of users who it can move from devices where it has to play both other company's rules, to a platform it controls.
Do you know who else has a massive audience of users? Apple. There are some 1.5 billion iOS devices (iPhones and iPads) in use today. That may be only half the 3 billion active users on Facebook's platform, but in terms of the scale needed to push adoption, I suspect Apple will be just fine.
The other piece of the platform is the fact that Apple already has software that makes sense for a VR platform. While Facebook has been busy trying to buy up any VR software company with a pulse, Apple already has Apple Arcade and Fitness+. While neither of those is exactly a major hit on its own, they certainly are a decent start.
Finally, and most importantly, there's a huge trust gap between the two companies. The reality is, people just don't trust Facebook. In a recent survey by The Verge, 56 percent of people said they don't trust Facebook with their personal information. Only 36 percent thought the company has an overall positive impact on society. For Apple, that number is 61 percent.
That's a big gap, and it could be the difference in whether people are willing to get on board Facebook's vision of a more immersive internet where you spend most of your time wearing a Facebook headset, using Facebook software, on a platform controlled by, well, Facebook. I've said many times that trust is any brand's most valuable asset and it's an area Facebook is severely lacking.
All of this matters because Apple, it turns out, doesn't need an AR/VR headset to survive. Facebook, on the other hand, has bet everything on the idea that people will wear headsets all day for everything from entertainment, to work, to school, to communicating with the people we love.
Maybe AR headsets will someday replace the iPhone. If that's the case, Apple's plan is to be the one selling it to you. If it's successful, it doesn't seem likely that there will be room for Facebook's version at all.
Speaking of Apple Hardware
Why Apple Should Buy Peloton
Peloton is having a very bad week. On Thursday, CNBC reported that the company is putting the brakes on the production of its products for at least the next two months. It's as clear a sign as there is that the company's high-end fitness gear is piling up in warehouses. That comes after Insider previously reported the company was preparing for a large number of layoffs.
It's quite the change for a company that was riding high as its sales exploded during the early months of the pandemic. The company's stock price went from $19 on March 13, 2020, to a high of more than $160 by the end of December 2020. Its revenue went from $915 million in the fiscal year that ended in June of 2019, to more than $4 billion two years later.
By the end of 2021, however, that growth had slowed. Now, it appears there are fewer people than Peloton expected who are willing to spend $2,000 or more on a bike or treadmill that also requires a pricey monthly subscription. Peloton's shares fell 24 percent on the news.
After the markets closed, Peloton's CEO, John Foley issued a statement saying that rumors the company was completely halting production are false:
We've found ourselves in the middle of a once-in-a-hundred year event with the COVID-19 pandemic, and what we anticipated would happen over the course of three years happened in months during 2020, and into 2021.
We worked quickly and diligently to meet the demand head-on at a time when the world really needed us, in large part thanks to how hard you worked every day. We feel good about right-sizing our production, and, as we evolve to more seasonal demand curves, we are resetting our production levels for sustainable growth.
Foley doesn't say what he means by "right-sizing our production," or "resetting our production levels." He also doesn't deny that the company is stopping production, just that it isn't "halting all production of bikes and Treads." That certainly sounds like there's a lot more supply than demand right now.
If that's the case, it's a sign that the company, which couldn't make enough bikes to keep up with demand a year ago, now can't sell the ones it has already made. That reality comes as it has tried to juice revenue by increasing the cost of its bikes by as much as $350 by charging for delivery and setup.
Peloton said in a statement that it would have more to say when it announces earnings next month. In the meantime, the thing that makes the most sense is for the company's CEO to get on the phone and call Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, and make a deal.
First, Apple could easily afford to buy Peloton, whose market cap was just under $8 billion at the time the market closed on Thursday. Apple, by comparison, is worth around $2.7 trillion.
Let's assume Apple would pay a premium over the current price--say $11 billion. With Apple's pile of cash, which even after a spree of buying its own stock, sits around $60 billion, Tim Cook could pretty much just put it on his AppleCard. Does Peloton take ApplePay?
Second, there isn't a better company on earth when it comes to forecasting customer demand and managing the supply chain than Apple. Cook is famously an operations guy, something Peloton desperately needs right now. Apple could easily trim back expenses, increase production efficiency, and leverage what Peloton does best--recurring subscription revenue.
More importantly, however, Apple has made no secret of the fact that fitness is one of its core growth areas. It has a service of its own, called Fitness+, of course. What it doesn't have is any compelling first-party hardware, other than the AppleWatch. For that matter, there isn't really much in the way of a third-party ecosystem taking advantage of GymKit, Apple's framework that allows manufacturers to integrate with its products.
That's a shame when you consider the Apple Watch might be one of the two most important fitness devices of the past 10 years. I think you could argue Peloton's signature stationary bike is the other. Sure, there are far more reasonably-priced competitors, but it was Peloton that redefined a category by pairing its connected equipment with subscription-based live classes.
As a result, Peloton has cultivated an incredibly loyal following of users and established itself as the standard for in-home fitness equipment. Sure, a lot of that is due to savvy branding. There are a lot of alternatives that work just as well, and cost far less. For Peloton, however, the formula seemed to work. Until now.
There's an irony that the Apple Watch and Peloton's bikes don't play all that nice together. Sure, you can connect your Watch to the more expensive version, but it's definitely not the kind of integrated experience you might expect from Apple.
If Apple were to buy Peloton, however, it's not hard to imagine that everything would "just work." Apple would also inherit a very good product with a loyal user base. Even better, those users are essentially locked into a $30 a month subscription. That's exactly the kind of business Apple loves, and it's why I wouldn't be surprised if Peloton becomes the missing piece in Apple's fitness puzzle.
Both of these stories were originally published at Inc.com
Other articles you might like:
With Just 8 Words, Steve Jobs Explained the Best Decision He Ever Made. It's Something Most Leaders Never Understand | Inc.com — www.inc.com The iPhone might be the most successful product ever, but it all came down to one simple decision.
5 Simple Tips for Organizing the Apps on Your iPhone | Inc.com — www.inc.com These will help you eliminate the digital clutter and be more productive.
Streaming music report sheds light on battle between Spotify, Amazon, Apple, and Google - The Verge — www.theverge.com Spotify was the largest music streaming service with a market share of 31 percent, with Apple Music and Amazon Music in second and joint third with market shares of 15 and 13 percent respectively, according to Midia Research.


text:
It goes without saying that while few segments in the Indian auto market are seeing a huge growth in sales, there are some other segments that have been constantly facing falling demand. Compact sedans and SUVs, premium hatchbacks, premium luxury sedans and SUVs and mid-size SUVs are seeing a hike in demand while D-segment sedans are badly affected by falling sales. The main reason for the fall in demand for these vehicles is that they seem to be priced high and a buyer would prefer an entry-level German sedan or an SUV for that kind of price.
The D-segment in India comprises of the Hyundai Elantra, Skoda Octavia, Volkswagen Jetta, Toyota Corolla, etc. Prices for these sedans range anywhere between Rs. 14-24 lakhs while entry-level offerings from Mercedes, BMW and Audi are also available from the Rs. 28 lakh mark. Buyers are also considering SUVs very seriously now. In India, a big vehicle means more snob value and that is the reason for most SUV sales. We are not denying the fact that some people buy SUVs for their true purpose though.
Honda launched the Civic sedan in India in 2006 and continued selling it till 2013. The new Civic has been launched globally but as of now Honda has no plans to introduce the vehicle in the Indian market. The Civic comes with a petrol engine only and this will be a major reason for low sales if launched. With buyers moving towards SUVs and considering the high prices of D-segment sedans, it is a wise decision by Honda to avoid launching the Civic here.
Honda also has plans to launch a new SUV in India. This SUV will be based on the Brio and it will compete with the likes of the Renault Duster and Nissan Terrano. It would make no sense to launch two products in the same price range since it could cause a major clash in positioning and hence the Civic has been axed for India. The Brio-based SUV is expected to be unveiled later this year while there are no plans to bring in the Civic in the distant future.


text:
Rumors reveal fresh details on Apple's mobile payment service
See the new iPads and whatever else Apple announces, from the comfort of your couch or favorite computer chair.
Apple's design chief opened up in an interview at the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit.
Maybe the iTunes freebie wasn't a disaster after all! Apple says 'Songs of Innocence' was fully-downloaded 26 million times.
iOS 8 greatly expanded what Touch ID can do. But also expanded is the damage that can be done if someone forces you to unlock your phone against your will.
Icahn's open letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook is full of advice, but he thinks Cook is doing a good job.
IDC says Apple surpassed Asus to crack into the top 5 global PC makers--though numbers from rival firm Gartner disagree.
Foxconn's CEO had mocked curved screen phones earlier this year
One of the most popular health tracking platforms has no plans to integrate with iOS 8.
We also expect to see new iMacs and the launch of OS X Yosemite.


text:
As a result of thousands of COVID-related scams reported during the pandemic, a Toronto lawyer is advising Canadians to do their research before buying something online, making an investment, or giving out personal information.
Tanya Walker, a lawyer and managing partner at Walker Law in Toronto, says in her 15 years of practice she has seen a “huge increase in the amount of fraud-type cases where people are getting scammed, and it’s very difficult to collect their money.”
Some of the most common scams include Ponzi schemes; phishing where scammers send an email or text pretending to be from an institution such as a bank, Netflix or Amazon in order to trick people into providing personal or financial information; romance and Catfish scams; and fake online stores that are designed to steal credit card information.
Walker told CTV’s “If it’s a store, you might want to try and call the store.”
“You could check with the Better Business Bureau, there’s just different ways you can go about verifying if that store is actually authentic. Also check the URL. Some URLs are just not really legitimate. So it’s important to do a little bit of research just to make sure the store is actually the store you’re buying from.”
There has been increasing reports of fraud in the United States last year, with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission fielding more than 4.7 million reports through its Consumer Sentinel Network, including in excess of 2.1 million involving fraud. Consumers in the U.S. reported losing more than $3.3 billion to fraud in 2020.
In 2019, the FTC received 3.2 million reports through Sentinel, including nearly 1.7 million fraud reports, as well as identity theft and other incidents. Consumers reported more than $1.9 billion lost to fraud.
Meanwhile in Canada, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre reports that from March 6, 2020, to Sept. 30, 2021, there were more than 28,000 reports of COVID-19 fraud, with more than 26,000 Canadians victimized. In total, $7.75 million has been lost to COVID-19 fraud, the centre reports.
The latest figures from the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre display that between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, 2021, a total of 33,707 reports of fraud were made in Canada, involving 16,719 victims and more than $163 million in losses.
The largest reported loss in Canada has come from investment fraud, out of 1,273 reports, 1,145 victims and nearly $61.7 million in dollars lost.
SPAM COMPLAINTS RISE THROUGH 2021
Walker gave four reasons that may explain why reports about scams appear to be up during the pandemic, including 1.) people spending more time on social media,
2.) scams that appear legitimate,
3.) the ease of moving money in and out of the country, and
4.) relatively low investment rates, with more people interested in investing privately as opposed to a financial institution
Walker added that “if a return on investment seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
“Sometimes, if a corporation calls me, I might say, ‘I’m not really comfortable giving you my information on the telephone. Can I hang up and call you back? Just give me your extension,’ and then I’ll do a little bit of research online to make sure the number they provided to me is the number of the actual company.”
Walker suggested that Canadians should register their number with the National Do Not Call List to reduce the chance of receiving telemarketing calls, with penalties ranging from up to $1,500 for individuals to $15,000 for corporations.
CTV news reported that “the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission tracks complaints made to the Spam Reporting Centre. More than 163,500 complaints were made between Oct. 1, 2019, and March 31, 2020. Over the following six months, that fell to more than 140,945 before rising to 144,560 between Oct. 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021, and again to more than 154,406 from April 1, 2021, to Sept. 30, 2021.”
This article was originally sourced by www.ctvnews.ca.


text:
Freetown, Sierra Leone, March 31, 2022— An investment from IFC and GAFSP announced today in Kings Beverages, a Sierra Leonean producer of soft drinks and fruit juices, will help the company boost production, create jobs, and strengthen local agriculture value chains through increased sourcing from local farmers.
The $5 million loan, which includes $2.5 million from IFC and $2.5 million from GAFSP, the Global Agriculture Food and Security Program, will enable Kings to complete construction of its factory in Freetown, introduce new fruit juice products, and double its number of employees to 250 over the next three years.
The company, which runs Sierra Leone’s largest automated beverage plant, will also increase its sourcing from 40 to 150 local fruit farmers by 2025. The expansion is also projected to create 2,600 induced and indirect jobs throughout the agriculture value chain in Sierra Leone.
IFC will complement its investment—its first in Sierra Leone’s agribusiness sector—with advisory services to strengthen Kings’ occupational health and safety practices, financial and social management, corporate governance, and resource-use efficiency. Additionally, IFC will help build the capacity of smallholder farmers in food safety, environmental and social standards, and productivity.
“IFC’s investment gives us the long-term financing we need to build our capacity to serve the fast-growing domestic market and develop a robust supply chain for a sustainable business,” said Kishore Kumar Parwani, CEO of Kings Beverages.
“IFC’s partnership with Kings Beverages will strengthen the manufacturing and agriculture sectors in Sierra Leone, creating jobs and supporting farmers. The investment reflects IFC’s commitment to helping Sierra Leone strengthen its economy after the global shock of COVID-19,” said Kyle Kelhofer, IFC’s Senior Country Manager for Sierra Leone.
The agribusiness sector is especially important in Sierra Leone, employing nearly 60 percent of the country’s labor force and making a significant contribution to GDP.
IFC‘s strategy in Sierra Leone includes a focus on agribusiness, energy, the financial sector, and mining and also highlights the increasing role of the digital economy in improving efficiencies and productivity.
About Kings Beverages
Kings Beverages is a Freetown, Sierra Leone based non-alcoholic beverages manufacturer with a mission to provide clean mineral drinking water, fruit juices and carbonated soft drinks to the local population. The company was launched in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and has gained significant market share becoming a well-known local brand in the market. Kings Beverages strives to foster sustainable growth and promote enduring business ties among the community with well-built supply chain ties. The company seeks to be the market leader in the soft drink space in Sierra Leone by 2025.
IFC—a member of the World Bank Group—is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. We work in more than 100 countries, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries. In fiscal year 2021, IFC committed a record $31.5 billion to private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity as economies grapple with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, visit www.ifc.org.


text:
Though email from retailers is still the best way for consumers to learn about discounts and deals online, nearly 30% of shoppers now say they look to links forwarded from friends, peer comments and social sites for the best bargains, according to a survey from Guidance, in association with Synovate.
When asked what they thought was the best way to find out about bargains and deals on the internet, the majority of the 1,000 respondents surveyed still cited traditional “top-down,” retailer-to-consumer channels. Nearly half (45%) said email is the best way to learn about deals, while 16% looked to messages from retailer websites and 10% cited banner ads.
But “Social actions” are increasingly gaining ground as a source of shopper influence. The second-most-popular way to find out about bargains is from “friends forwarding a link to the product,” cited by 16.5% of survey respondents. Nine percent saythey learn about deals from other shoppers’ comments on retail sites through product reviews or other feedback mechanisms. And three percent say they learn about deals “from friends via Twitter, Facebook or other social networking site.”
Specific demographic findings:
- The youngest group (age 18-24) of respondents are most likely to find information about bargains from peers, vs. from retailers: 39% chose one of the three “peer”-centric answers (links from friends, another shopper’s comments, or friends via social site), compared with 29% of the overall population.
- Respondents in the Northeast (33%) are nearly 10% more likely than those in the Midwest (24%) to get their info from peers.
- The two groups most likely to say they got bargain information from “friends forwarding a link” are the youngest and the oldest: 22% of those ages 18-24, and 18% of those 65+.
- Finding bargains via social sites increases as age decreases. Seven percent of the youngest group say it’s the best way to find bargains, while no one above 65 agrees.
- The youngest respondents rely on email the least. One-third say it’s the best way to find deals, compared with 45% of respondents overall.
- 49% of married respondents choose email as the best source for bargains vs. 40% percent of non-married respondents.
- People with children (6%) are six times more likely to find out about bargains via a social site than those with no child in the household (1.3%).
- Women (12.5%) are more likely than men (7%) to choose banner ads as the best bargain source.
“Two years ago, social media wasn’t even considered a source of traffic by merchants,” said Jon Provisor, Guidance CTO and owner. “The top-down approach – which would include messages from retailers via email, ads or their websites – has been the status quo, and it’s what people are used to. But there’s a huge opportunity here for retailers to employ a social commerce strategy that gets peers talking to each other about the deals they’re finding.”


text:
Today, the Internet Innovation Alliance (IIA) filed comments in the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Fifteenth Broadband Deployment Report proceeding under Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act. The annual report measures progress of deployment of advanced telecommunications services in a reasonable and timely fashion.
In its comments, IIA states that “the underlying trends in broadband deployment are overwhelmingly positive” while noting the gaps that remain and the urgency of addressing them. In particular, the majority of new broadband connections were in rural areas, “contributing significantly to narrow a persistent gap in broadband access.”
IIA also commented on two important issues on which the FCC sought outside views in its Notice of Inquiry. First, IIA is disappointed that the FCC maintained the current evaluative framework for fixed and mobile broadband, rather than regarding the two services as functional equivalents. Instead, “the fact is that, over the past two years, the broadband market has evolved rapidly and sufficiently to permit – if not demand – the conclusion that mobile and fixed broadband are full substitutes,” reads IIA’s filing. Looking at the question from the perspective of consumers – as IIA did in a 2018 report, “Evolving Preferences” – shows that consumers increasingly use fixed and mobile connections in similar ways, including for data-intensive applications such as watching sports or movies, applying for a job, or doing homework. In addition, as IIA writes, “Data traffic on mobile broadband connections appears to have already surpassed that on fixed broadband connections – a result that would have been impossible if consumers did not view fixed and mobile broadband as functional equivalents. The market has evolved radically from Congress’ expectations in enacting Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act. . .The Commission should now recognize this fact.”
Second, IIA endorsed the position of the Notice of Inquiry to maintain the speed metrics used in 2019 for “advanced telecommunications services” to be measured in the 2020 Broadband Deployment Report. “Quite simply, there is a distinction between a standard for a government report and what is actually happening in the marketplace.” Broadband providers compete aggressively to offer higher broadband speeds, but “what Congress sought to measure – the deployment of advanced telecommunications services in a reasonable and timely fashion – is captured by the current measure . . . In 2019, as they have for years, broadband providers are constantly increasing speeds in response to competitive pressures and as a result of new deployments thanks to policies that promote investment.”
IIA joins all commenters, and the FCC itself, who agree that the work of closing the digital divide is not complete. Policies that encourage investment and innovation in broadband networks are the best way to reach that goal.
To read IIA’s comments, click here.


text: Here are five things worth knowing today: 1. According to a survey by Boston Consulting Group and the Grocery Manufacturers Association, transportation issues are a top concern for consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies, Food Production Daily reports. Driver shortages, congestion, and delays threaten delivery times, inventory management and service levels for many CPG companies, the report said. Food Production Daily has more. 2. BMW Group and Scherm Group have put a 40-ton electric truck into operation, according to VR World. VR World said that BMW and SCHERM will employ 100% electric trucks in their service, making BMW the “first automobile manufacturer in Europe to use a 40-ton electric truck for material transport on public roads.” The truck was launched at the BMW Group Plant in Munich, and has a 100% clean emission rate, according to the report. “When compared to a diesel-powered truck, the electric vehicle will save 11.8 tons of CO2 annually,” the report stated.3. Today, a Senate Commerce Committee subpanel is set to review the state of transportation technology along the nation’s supply chains, The Hill reports. According to the report, subcommittee chairman Deb Fischer noted the importance of the integration of technology with the country’s railroads, trucks, pipelines and ports when it comes to safety, efficiency and reliability. “This hearing is an important opportunity to highlight America’s leadership and review how the federal government can better keep up with technological developments,” she said, according to The Hill. 4. A Web commercial released by GM makes direct jabs at Ford’s aluminum F-150, according to USA Today. The commercial claims that after a low-speed accident, it costs an average of nearly $1,800 more and an additional 24 days to fix the F-150 over the Chevrolet Silverado, according to the report. USA Today has more about the rivalry between the two automakers.5. A new camp for Nebraska high school students hopes to inspire more women to work in the transportation industry, according to NTV ABC. Camp participants will learn about designing roads, handling water quality issues and flooding, building bridges, and syncing traffic lights, according to the report. Nebraska TV has more.


text:
Google has already announced that it will be launching the next Pixel phones on October 4, which happens to be tomorrow. We have already seen a lot of info and renders of the phone and now, an image leak gives us a clear idea of two variant colors of Pixel smartphones that are B&W and Black only. The website also informed that the Pixel 2 XL will be priced at US$849 for the 64GB variant and US$949 for the 128GB. As Google earlier hinted at a solution for phone storage, there may be a microSD card slot.
Google is offering to finance both the phones. The 64GB Pixel 2 XL will cost US$35.38 per month over 24 months and the 128GB version will cost US$39.54 per month over 24 months.
Pixel 2 XL is to have a 5.99-inch QHD display with 18:9 aspect ratio and minimal bezels.
The smaller variant, the Pixel 2 will have a 4.99 inch 1920 x 1080 resolution display with the same thick bezels around the display like last year’s Pixel and Pixel XL. Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset and 4GB RAM are expected and we can also hope the phone to come with Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box. In fact, the Pixel phones are the first devices in line to receive Android P update next year. 3.5mm headphone jack is missing against USB-C port. Also, both the phones will have a single-camera setup. If last year’s Pixel cameras are anything to go by, the new phones will have a great camera performance.
In 2016, India was among the first 6 countries to receive the Google Pixel and Pixel XL, and same is expected this year. It will be interesting to see how Google’s next phone compares to the Apple’s new and expensive iPhone X.


text:
Rowan Lofts Ready to Show Off New Tech for February Auction
Caltech professor Dr. Charles Plott demonstrates the Intellimarket auction system to media on Friday.
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — When the Rowan Lofts holds its 79-unit auction on February 8th, it'll be a far-cry from the fast-talking affair typically associated with the bidding process. Instead of fast-paced raises, a new simultaneous auction format will offer buyers a chance to survey offers across the board and weigh price points on multiple units.
The 206-unit Rowan is a high-profile conversion located in the Historic Core. The auction, scheduled for February 8, is a attempt to satisfy lenders by getting half the units into contract.
On Friday, the project invited media in to get a preview of the auction technology provided by Intelligent Market Systems. Company co-founder Bill Stevenson (who is also a partner in developer Downtown Properties) explained that the idea for a simultaneous auction system came out of the frustration that he saw buyers experience in real-estate auctions. A bidder might like two or three different units, but because each were auctioned in order, would be unable to choose between them. "No matter what sequence we put the homes in, bidders had a big problem," Stevenson said.
Stevenson partnered with Caltech professor Dr. Charles Plott to form the auction company, building off Plott's studies in the area. In 1995, an early version of the Intellimarket system was used to auction off $7.7 billion in airwaves for the FCC.
The big difference in the Intellimarket system is that all items for auction operate on a single clock. Any bid adds time to the entire auction, allowing buyers time to consider further bids. As the price on one unit rises, a buyer might switch his attention to another with a better value proposition.
Stevenson expects that buyers will make full use of this ability on the Rowan sale, coming into auction day with several units they are interested in. "I think there will be virtually no bidders who don't have multiple options," he said.
The Rowan auction will be the most units the Intellimarket system has been used to sell off. The firm expects the Sunday auction to take approximately two and a half hours.
The project comes to auction after experiencing a steep decline in presales, something Stevenson attributed to both market conditions and delays in getting the building ready for sale. Where the Rowan once had 120 presales, that number has now dropped to approximately 30. To successfully auction most of the 79 units up for bid, the developer hopes to get at least 150 bidders pre-qualified.
The auction will take place on Sunday, February 8, at the Rowan Lofts. Minimum bids start at $195,000. Those interested in bidding can visit the project's sales center at 460 S. Spring or visit the auction website.


text:
Chrysler Mulls Return to Sports Car Racing With Next-Gen Viper
The competition history of the Dodge Viper is likely one that any automaker would be proud of, boasting three consecutive wins in the GT class at Le Mans in 1998, 1999 and 2000. Now, in an apparent move to revive the Viper name in sports car racing, Autosport reports that Chrysler is evaluating a return to international GT competition with the next-gen Viper, due in 2013.
According to Autosport, Chrysler has picked Riley Technologies, which currently builds the most successful chassis in the Daytona Prototype class of the Grand-Am Rolex Series, to assess the racing value of the new Viper production car.
"We are investigating some things and seeing what is out there, although no decision has been made yet," Gary Johnson, Chrysler's motorsports manager, told Autosport in a recent interview. "We have to be very careful about what we do," Johnson continued, likely referring to the rather large shoes a next-gen Viper race car would have to fill - those of the Viper GTS-R.
Making its competition debut in 1996, the Viper GTS-R was a race-bred coupe chiseled out of the then-roadster-only body of the Dodge Viper RT/10 by Chrysler's own engineers with the help of French racing team Oreca. Campaigned under the Chrysler brand in Europe, the Viper GTS-R quickly earned the American brand respect on the track. The Viper GTS-R took home its first GT class win at Le Mans in 1998, but one of its biggest claims to fame was its triumph over then-new works team Corvette Racing and its Corvette C5.R race cars at the 2000 24 Hours of Le Mans.
After the GTS-R was retired, the Viper continued its participation in sports car racing both professionally and on the amateur level with the Viper Competition Coupe and later ACR-X, but didn't achieve the same international recognition the model enjoyed in previous years.
If a new Viper race car were to enter the sports car racing fray in a few years, it would have to contend with some serious competition from the likes of Chevy, Ferrari, Porsche and BMW in the newly revised GTE class. The game has changed significantly since Chrysler last tasted victory at Le Mans, and if the company wants to see that kind of success again, it will likely want to take its time with the development of its next racer.


text:
Clouds gather around Western Europe ad market
By Daniel Farey-Jones, mediaweek.co.uk, Tuesday, 19 June 2012 11:28AM
Two media agency forecasts have warned of a slowdown in adspend in Western Europe this year as drops in Spain and Italy offset growth in the UK.
Interpublic's MagnaGlobal intelligence unit is the more pessimistic of the two, predicting a 0.2% decline for the region in 2012, after revising its December forecast of 1.1% growth.
Publicis Groupe's ZenithOptimedia has cut its March outlook of 1.5% growth to 0.4% growth.
The Spanish market is in dire straits, with MagnaGlobal expecting a drop of 8.4% and "the fourth year of downturn in the last five years", and Zenith forecasting a drop of 12%.
MagnaGlobal has now predicted Italy will also go into reverse, which is backed up by ZenithOptimedia's forecast of a 5% drop.
However, the UK is tipped by both agencies to escape the gloom on the continent.
ZenithOptimedia pegs the country's growth this year at 3.5%, down slightly from its 3.7% prediction in December.
MagnaGlobal has gone for 2.4%, commenting that the two big events of 2012, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympic Games, have proven even stronger than anticipated.
Optimism remains the prevailing mood at the global prediction level, although ZenithOptimedia has downgraded its forecast from 4.8% in March, to 4.3%.
Follow Daniel Farey-Jones on Twitter @danfareyjones
This article was first published on mediaweek.co.uk
- Nielsen Data & Sales Analyst Tarsh Lazare Marketing Recruitment c.£28K + Bonus + Excellent Benefits, Berkshire
- Senior Designer- super cool agency Dahling Ltd £45-55k, London (Central), London (Greater)
- Global Senior Brand Managers - OTC Healthcare Tarsh Lazare Marketing Recruitment £48K-£55K + Car Allowance + Bonus, Berkshire
- Marketing Manager FMCG Tarsh Lazare Marketing Recruitment c.£65K-£70K + Generous Car Allowance + Benefits, London (Greater)
- Packaging Designer Premier Media £120 - £200 per day, City of London
- Land Rover to move global ad account into Spark44
- Viacom to bring Breaking Bad to Freeview with Spike launch
- WPP's Martin Sorrell reconsiders strength of newspapers
- Group M retains £80m Lloyds media
- Gogglebox stars encourage viewers to vote
- Twitter hunts for UK marketer as it targets £180m ad revenues


text:
November 29, 2022
Technical Trade Set Ups For Gold, USDJPY & USDCHF
Added 29/11/2022 By Patrick Munnelly
Technical Trade Set Ups For Gold, USDJPY & USDCHF...
November 28, 2022
Market Spotlight: CADJPY Breaks Lower
Added 28/11/2022 By James Harte
JPY Rallying on Safe-Haven Demand The reversal in risk sentiment we’re seeing this week is playing out very clearly in FX markets. Risk currencies are...
November 22, 2022
Market Spotlight: NZDJPY Upside Risks Into RBNZ
Added 22/11/2022 By James Harte
Japanese CPI Jumps AgainThe BOJ’s commitment to maintaining an easing presence in the market is being tested further this week. The latest econ data s...
November 11, 2022
Market Spotlight: USDJPY Breaks Back Below 140
Added 11/11/2022 By James Harte
USDJPY Reversal DeepensUSDJPY has fallen back under 140 for the first time since September as the correction lower in USD threatens to spill over into...
October 04, 2022
Daily Market Outlook, October 4, 2022
Added 04/10/2022 By Patrick Munnelly
Daily Market Outlook, October 4, 2022 Overnight HeadlinesUN Calls On Fed, Other Central Banks To Halt Interest-Rate IncreasesFed's Barkin: Permanent S...
October 03, 2022
Daily Market Outlook, October 3, 2022
Added 03/10/2022 By Patrick Munnelly
Daily Market Outlook, October 3, 2022 Overnight HeadlinesTory Revolt Forces Liz Truss To Delay 45p Tax Rate Vote - TelegraphUK PM Truss Admits Mistake...
September 30, 2022
Market Spotlight: EURJPY Longs Triggered
Added 30/09/2022 By James Harte
EURJPY Breaking OutThe recent EURJPY long idea has triggered on a break of the 140.82 level, following the reversal off the 137.74 level and bullish t...
September 28, 2022
Market Spotlight: AUDJPY Trend Line Break
Added 28/09/2022 By James Harte
AUDJPY Reversing Heavily AUDJPY has undergone a sharp shift in sentiment over recent weeks. Following the breakout to fresh 2022 highs in mid-Septembe...
September 28, 2022
Daily Market Outlook, September 28, 2022
Added 28/09/2022 By Patrick Munnelly
Daily Market Outlook, September 28, 2022 Overnight HeadlinesMoody's Warns UK Unfunded Tax Cuts Are 'Credit Negative'IMF Tells UK To Re-Evaluate Tax Cu...


text:
|By PR Newswire||
|December 6, 2012 08:35 AM EST||
EDINBURGH, Scotland, December 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --
With online shopping expected to top £5bn this Christmas, UK-based cloud hosting provider Xtraordinary is reminding British small businesses to review how they are processing, storing or transferring customer card data.
1st December 2012 was the deadline set by Streamline, the UK and Europe's largest card processor, for small and micro businesses to ensure they are Payment Card Industry Standard (PCI DSS) compliant.
PCI DSS is a set of mandatory card security protocols, created by a coalition of the major credit card companies, including Visa, MasterCard and Amex. Whilst compliance is not a legal obligation, online traders wishing to handle credit or debit card details are required to achieve PCI DSS compliance as part of their merchant agreement with card vendors and processors.
Andrew Ogilvie, Managing Director of Xtraordinary Hosting, says: "Non-compliance may be met with fines, losses arising from fraud or negligence and ultimately a termination of the merchant agreement and the loss of customer confidence. There is also an increased risk from cybercrime attacks, which fundamentally PCI DSS compliance is designed to prevent. According to Verizon's 2012 Data Breach Investigations Report, 95% of breaches happen to retailers with less than 100 employees."
Retailers may have got used to handling and storing card data for a variety of purposes. Providing a simple "one-click" transaction process for returning customers means faster, easier sales and encourages repeat business. Card details may be held in case of refunds or chargebacks or at a simple level, many companies use card details as a means of identifying and verifying their customers (according to Ponemon Institute's 2011 PCI DSS Compliance Trends Study). Merchants may also be tempted to keep card details for marketing purposes, in order to track previous purchases and prepare targeted promotions.
PCI Compliance prohibits companies from recording and storing the Card Verification Value (CVV2), three-digit number, on the reverse of cards. If there is a security breach and retailers are found to be holding this data they leave themselves open to claims from card companies.
Andrew Ogilvie explains, "By doing any or all of these things many merchants, particularly small, medium and micro businesses, may not realise they are in breach of PCI Compliance."
Companies must sign up to regular vulnerability checks of their online security by an approved third-party vendor. However, there are another 200 additional sub-requirements to meet in order to pass compliance.
All of these conditions may require considerable investment in time and money by merchants.
Andrew Ogilvie says: "Retailers should ask themselves what sort of data they need to process and what, if any, they need to retain. If there is no legitimate reason to store card data then avoid it. It is worth ring-fencing systems that process transactions, which means not every part of a retailer's IT setup has to be compliant as it won't come into contact with card data. Retailers should also review which personnel come into contact with card and transaction data within their organisations. It should always be on an 'only if essential' basis, and all access to the data recorded.
"Perhaps the best advice of all for small retailers is not to have anything to do with processing card transactions at all. A third party payment gateway like Sagepay, Datacash, Worldpay or Barclay's ePDQ can deal with transactions. This may add to the expense of doing business online, but it also gives greater peace of mind. Retailers can concentrate on selling products on their website, and spend less time worrying about managing data."
While PCI Compliance may create a headache for many small firms, it is all about keeping customer data secure and minimising criminal threats to their business. However, PCI DSS compliance is not a cure-all and companies must remain vigilant against ever-changing cyber threats to their business.
Andrew Ogilvie adds: "It is very important when choosing a hosting provider that they fully understand PCI compliance, and can provide advice on security, system design, encryption, firewalling, patching, scanning and logging which are all required to stay compliant."
Notes to Editors
Xtraordinary Hosting http://www.xtrahost.co.uk
Successful dotcom entrepreneur Andrew Ogilvie founded Xtraordinary Hosting in 2001. It is a cloud hosting company, operating out of data centres in London and Edinburgh, which employs highly qualified, on-site technical teams, providing 24/7 support on critical issues.
The company offers a wide-ranging of IT services including secure Private and Public Cloud Hosting, Dedicated Servers, Managed Servers, Complex Managed Hosting and Application Hosting, which includes Magento eCommerce and Atlassian.
Xtraordinary operates in the City of London from the Interxion data centre, which it shares with over 200 financial services institutions, more than 15 liquidity venues and the major market data vendors.
For further information please contact Fin Robertson at Xtraordinary Hosting on +44(0)870-743-7408 or email [email protected]
SOURCE Xtraordinary Hosting
"We are an all-flash array storage provider but our focus has been on VM-aware storage specifically for virtualized applications," stated Dhiraj Sehgal of Tintri in this SYS-CON.tv interview at 19th Cloud Expo, held November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Dec. 11, 2016 05:00 AM EST Reads: 1,168
"We are a leader in the market space called network visibility solutions - it enables monitoring tools and Big Data analysis to access the data and be able to see the performance," explained Shay Morag, VP of Sales and Marketing at Niagara Networks, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at 19th Cloud Expo, held November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Dec. 11, 2016 04:45 AM EST Reads: 647
Whether your IoT service is connecting cars, homes, appliances, wearable, cameras or other devices, one question hangs in the balance – how do you actually make money from this service? The ability to turn your IoT service into profit requires the ability to create a monetization strategy that is flexible, scalable and working for you in real-time. It must be a transparent, smoothly implemented strategy that all stakeholders – from customers to the board – will be able to understand and comprehe...
Dec. 11, 2016 04:30 AM EST Reads: 874
More and more brands have jumped on the IoT bandwagon. We have an excess of wearables – activity trackers, smartwatches, smart glasses and sneakers, and more that track seemingly endless datapoints. However, most consumers have no idea what “IoT” means. Creating more wearables that track data shouldn't be the aim of brands; delivering meaningful, tangible relevance to their users should be. We're in a period in which the IoT pendulum is still swinging. Initially, it swung toward "smart for smart...
Dec. 11, 2016 03:30 AM EST Reads: 1,145
Complete Internet of Things (IoT) embedded device security is not just about the device but involves the entire product’s identity, data and control integrity, and services traversing the cloud. A device can no longer be looked at as an island; it is a part of a system. In fact, given the cross-domain interactions enabled by IoT it could be a part of many systems. Also, depending on where the device is deployed, for example, in the office building versus a factory floor or oil field, security ha...
Dec. 11, 2016 03:00 AM EST Reads: 799
An IoT product’s log files speak volumes about what’s happening with your products in the field, pinpointing current and potential issues, and enabling you to predict failures and save millions of dollars in inventory. But until recently, no one knew how to listen. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Dan Gettens, Chief Research Officer at OnProcess, discussed recent research by Massachusetts Institute of Technology and OnProcess Technology, where MIT created a new, breakthrough analytics model for s...
Dec. 11, 2016 02:45 AM EST Reads: 914
In IT, we sometimes coin terms for things before we know exactly what they are and how they’ll be used. The resulting terms may capture a common set of aspirations and goals – as “cloud” did broadly for on-demand, self-service, and flexible computing. But such a term can also lump together diverse and even competing practices, technologies, and priorities to the point where important distinctions are glossed over and lost.
Dec. 11, 2016 02:45 AM EST Reads: 1,804
"We are the public cloud providers. We are currently providing 50% of the resources they need for doing e-commerce business in China and we are hosting about 60% of mobile gaming in China," explained Yi Zheng, CPO and VP of Engineering at CDS Global Cloud, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at 19th Cloud Expo, held November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Dec. 11, 2016 02:30 AM EST Reads: 1,300
SYS-CON Events has announced today that Roger Strukhoff has been named conference chair of Cloud Expo and @ThingsExpo 2017 New York. The 20th Cloud Expo and 7th @ThingsExpo will take place on June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. "The Internet of Things brings trillions of dollars of opportunity to developers and enterprise IT, no matter how you measure it," stated Roger Strukhoff. "More importantly, it leverages the power of devices and the Internet to enable us all to im...
Dec. 11, 2016 02:30 AM EST Reads: 1,060
"We are a custom software development, engineering firm. We specialize in cloud applications from helping customers that have on-premise applications migrating to the cloud, to helping customers design brand new apps in the cloud. And we specialize in mobile apps," explained Peter Di Stefano, Vice President of Marketing at Impiger Technologies, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at 19th Cloud Expo, held November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Dec. 11, 2016 01:45 AM EST Reads: 755
When it comes to cloud computing, the ability to turn massive amounts of compute cores on and off on demand sounds attractive to IT staff, who need to manage peaks and valleys in user activity. With cloud bursting, the majority of the data can stay on premises while tapping into compute from public cloud providers, reducing risk and minimizing need to move large files. In his session at 18th Cloud Expo, Scott Jeschonek, Director of Product Management at Avere Systems, discussed the IT and busin...
Dec. 11, 2016 01:45 AM EST Reads: 4,055
Data is the fuel that drives the machine learning algorithmic engines and ultimately provides the business value. In his session at 20th Cloud Expo, Ed Featherston, director/senior enterprise architect at Collaborative Consulting, will discuss the key considerations around quality, volume, timeliness, and pedigree that must be dealt with in order to properly fuel that engine.
Dec. 11, 2016 01:30 AM EST Reads: 1,754
In his general session at 19th Cloud Expo, Manish Dixit, VP of Product and Engineering at Dice, discussed how Dice leverages data insights and tools to help both tech professionals and recruiters better understand how skills relate to each other and which skills are in high demand using interactive visualizations and salary indicator tools to maximize earning potential. Manish Dixit is VP of Product and Engineering at Dice. As the leader of the Product, Engineering and Data Sciences team at D...
Dec. 11, 2016 01:15 AM EST Reads: 1,348
What happens when the different parts of a vehicle become smarter than the vehicle itself? As we move toward the era of smart everything, hundreds of entities in a vehicle that communicate with each other, the vehicle and external systems create a need for identity orchestration so that all entities work as a conglomerate. Much like an orchestra without a conductor, without the ability to secure, control, and connect the link between a vehicle’s head unit, devices, and systems and to manage the ...
Dec. 11, 2016 12:00 AM EST Reads: 1,133
Financial Technology has become a topic of intense interest throughout the cloud developer and enterprise IT communities. Accordingly, attendees at the upcoming 20th Cloud Expo at the Javits Center in New York, June 6-8, 2017, will find fresh new content in a new track called FinTech.
Dec. 11, 2016 12:00 AM EST Reads: 2,403


text:
My colleagues at Institute for the Future and Rockefeller Foundation are launching a fascinating and ambitious online game to crowdsource ideas on how to fight global poverty! It's a 48-hour game to cultivate back-of-the-envelope ideas for new technologies, social enterprises, skillsets, educational approaches, and other strategies or methods to help and empower poor and vulnerable populations around the globe. Sound like a huge endeavor? Yep. The game, called Catalysts For Change, kicks off on April 3 and you can sign up right now to play. Boing Boing is proud to be a media partner in this epic endeavor. From the project announcement:
Catalysts for Change will be played over a 48-hour span. It will draw players from around the world, with the goal to identify thousands of new paths out of poverty with hundreds of players from all walks of life. The game itself will leverage simple 140-character messages to play cards. Each card will capture an idea, and participants will build on one another's ideas. By building on the cards, players will start chain reactions of innovations and solutions that are more than the sum of their parts.
On April 3, (Rockefeller Foundation president Dr. Judith) Rodin will kick off the game and initiate a conversation with leaders in international philanthropy, development, technology, design, and social innovation. Building from the real-time experiment of the Catalysts for Change game, the Bay Area forum will focus on imagining innovative ways to catalyze positive change in the lives of poor or vulnerable people throughout the world.
Ideas generated during the game and forum will be featured in an online game blog that will build on an interactive online map already offering more than six-hundred examples of innovative approaches to the issues that poor communities around the world face.


text:
With its Nov. 15 IPO less than a month away, Twitter recently explained its latest revenue model additions. They include lead generation, traffic conversion and TV targeting. Having been in business since 2006 but yet to show a profit in any year since, Twitter is under pressure from the investing community to show why its IPO is worth $1 billion.
Building on the current revenue backbone, promoted trends and tweets, Twitter intends to expand on its “Lead Gen Card” tool for brands. Lead Gen Card uses the Twitter API to let users click promoted trend and tweet links and sign up for a product or service in a single click. “What it does is massively shorten the distance between an impression and a conversion,” Director of Products for Revenue Kevin Weill said at an industry conference in San Francisco.
An unnamed traffic conversion measurement tool is also in development at Twitter, which the company will sell to advertisers as a way to measure performance. In addition, the social network is working with Datalogix on a product that links promoted tweets to loyalty card purchases. The connection will be optimized for data privacy. “Twitter never sees Datalogix, Datalogix never sees Twitter privacy data,” Weill said, “and we’re able to compare for a user who was exposed to the campaign versus a user who was not exposed to the campaign.”
Finally, Twitter will ramp up its partnerships with networks and cable companies to cross-promote TV shows with brands on Twitter. When a TV show is on and the Twitter community is talking about it, promoted tweets can be run that show an ad-supported preview or snippet from the show. This can drive traffic from Twitter to TV in real time.


text:
It’s been almost two decades since “The Wheel of Time” adaptation was put into development. It’s been almost three decades since the first novel in the 14-book series was written. During the development time, the rights have switched hands multiple times, from NBC, Universal to Red Eagle Entertainment. The past two years have seen the most improvement now that Sony Entertainment has partnered with Red Eagle to bring “The Wheel of Time” to television sets.
It’s an interesting time for marijuana related businesses. At the state level, several states have given them a green light. On the federal level, however, the light is still very much red. In states where marijuana laws have been eased, entrepreneurs have been actively developing businesses around pot culture. But these entrepreneurs run into problems with federal trademark registration because the US Patent & Trademark Office is federally regulated. Trademark examiners have typically rejected marijuana related marks. However, one Colorado based web producer has passed the federal hurdle for his trademark application on Ganjagonia – a marijuana themed web cartoon, but now faces a more traditional trademark challenge from an actual company, as the outdoor retailer Patagonia is challenging his trademark application. Continue reading “Patagonia Challenges Trademark Application for Ganjagonia”
Few smells can transport someone back to childhood like the distinctive scent of opening a can of Play-Doh. The unique fragrance, in use since 1955, is a clear signal that you are about to play with the official Hasbro modeling clay. After more than 60 years of production, Hasbro is now taking steps to make sure that the scent remains a clear indication that you have official Play-Doh and not some other imitator. That’s why Hasbro’s Trademark Attorneys recently filed for federal trademark protection on the Play-Doh smell.
Continue reading “Hasbro Seeking Trademark Protection on Distinctive Play-Doh Scent”
Adidas and Puma share a long and entangled history. In the late 1940s, the two companies were started by German brothers Adolf (Adi) Dassler and Rudolph Dassler after a family feud led the brothers to part ways. Adidas was registered on August 18, 1949 by Adi, following a family feud at the Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik company between him and his older brother Rudolf. Rudolf established Puma before Adi established Adidas. The companies quickly became business rivals. To this day, the companies are still headquartered in the same German city of Herzogenaurach and continue as rivals. This familiar history is behind Adidas assertion in a recently filed a trademark infringement suit against Puma that the alleged trademark infringement shouldn’t be seen as innocent. Continue reading “Adidas and Puma Tangle over Use of Stripes on Soccer Cleats”
Kobe Bryant was an outstanding defender on the basketball court. Now, in his post-basketball business career, he’s looking to do some defending of his “Black Mamba” brand after someone else recently filed a trademark application on the name. With only a pending trademark application of his own at the US Patent & Trademark Office, Kobe is relying on common law trademark rights to oppose the new filing. Continue reading “Kobe Bryant Asserts Rights Against Black Mamba Trademark Application”
As additional states choose to ease laws on marijuana use for medicinal and recreational purposes, more and more Marijuana related business owners are cropping up. Marijuana dispensaries, along with brands peddling various marijuana strains, some backed by celebrities including Snoop Dogg and Willie Nelson, are going into business in states like California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington. But going into the Marijuana business comes with all the challenges faced by traditional businesses, as well as some unique trademark related challenges.
In the past, China has had somewhat of a reputation for weak protection of intellectual property rights and a large market for counterfeit products. Prominent companies, including Donald Trump’s, have long dealt with Chinese imitators creating knock-offs and using deceptive trade practices. But now it seems that Trump’s election win may be helping his trademark case in China.
While President-Elect Donald Trump’s brand is already well established with many ventures, including real estate holdings, beauty competitions, and reality TV shows, his name and brand are now becoming known to nearly everyone on the planet as he ascends to the most powerful position in American government. This wide-spread recognition may be supporting Trump’s fight over parties who have looked to capitalize on his name in China. Continue reading “Trump Trademark Rights Get Trump Bump in China”
While Las Vegas has always been an alluring destination to base a pro sports franchise, owners have been reluctant to come to Sin City due to concerns over the ease with which gambling might influence outcomes. But that’s soon to change with the announcement that NHL hockey will be coming to Las Vegas. The team will begin play in 2017 and owners announced the team name as the Golden Knights, but whether that name will survive remains to be seen since the team recently received rejections to their trademark applications by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Continue reading “Las Vegas Golden Knights NHL Team Checked by USPTO”
Every so often a right’s dispute will leave the realm of the courtroom and spill out into our pop-culture. This is the current case with Marvel Movies and Fox Studios. Marvel, who originally created the X-men Story Line, sold the rights to Fox and now they want them back.
In 1996 Marvel was facing financial troubles. They sold the rights to several of their comic characters to different studios. Most notably was the sale of X-Men’s rights to Fox. The sale of the rights made Marvel financially stable, and launched Marvel into the movie- making business. Over the past years, Marvel has capitalized on their movies by creating some of the highest grossing comic book movies. Only DC’s reboot of the Batman franchise is comparable.
In spite of a few recent hiccups, Chipotle has done pretty well in the Mexican food market. Now, the Denver based company wants to expand its business to include a burger chain. The name and logo the group chose may be problematic though, as a Boston based burger chain says that the branding infringes on its trademark.


text:
MICHELE NORRIS, host:
From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Michele Norris.
ANDREA SEABROOK, host:
And I'm Andrea Seabrook.
Nearly a decade after Daimler Benz's historic, quote, "merger of equals" with Chrysler, the German-American marriage is essentially over. DaimlerChrysler announced today that it is selling most of its U.S. division to Cerberus capital, a New York-based private equity group. The deal for 80 percent of Chrysler is valued at $7.4 billion, though most of that money won't be going to Germany.
Our coverage of the story begins with NPR's Jack Speer.
JACK SPEER: Back in the late 1990s, Daimler had big plans to go global, and it was willing to pay. The company laid out $36 billion to acquire Chrysler. When the merger was announced, there was a lot of talk about synergies and complimentary product lines.
Juergen Schrempp was Daimler's chairman at the time.
Mr. JUERGEN SCHREMPP (Former Chairman, Daimler): We will have the size, the profitability and the reach to take on everyone.
SPEER: And here's then Chrysler Chairman Robert Eaton.
Mr. ROBERT EATON (Former Chairman, Chrysler): Each company was a strong competitor, very profitable, and could have grown independently. Together, we believe, the potential is literally unlimited.
SPEER: But fast-forward to today, and you have the story of a marriage that went awry. At a news conference in Stuttgart this morning, DaimlerChrysler chairman Dieter Zetsche acknowledged the expected synergies of putting the two companies together never materialized. And there was another painful admission - Zetsche had to acknowledge that Daimler will actually be paying Cerberus to take Chrysler off its hands.
Mr. DIETER ZETSCHE (Chairman, DaimlerChrysler): The transaction will result in a net cash outflow for DaimlerChrysler of (0.5 billion.
SPEER: So even though Cerberus is paying $7.4 billion, the transaction will cost Daimler more than half a billion dollars U.S. That's because most of the money is being invested in the new Chrysler, and what remains isn't enough to cover certain expenses that Daimler will have.
Mr. KEVIN TYNAN (Auto Industry Analyst, Argus Research): I guess it's the case not unlike, you know, the dilapidated car in your front yard that you actually pay the guy to take it away.
SPEER: Kevin Tynan is an auto industry analyst at Argus research. He says Chrysler's mounting losses and its huge overhang of pension and health care liabilities made it impossible for Daimler to get much money for its American division.
But Cerberus, a private equity firm known for aggressively cutting cost and turning around troubled companies, obviously thanks that it can succeed where Daimler failed. John Snow, the former U.S. treasury secretary and now Cerberus' chairman, joined Daimler officials in Stuttgart today.
Mr. JOHN SNOW (Chairman, Cerberus Capital Management): We're delighted and pleased to have come through this as the successful bidder. We're well positioned to put Chrysler back on top.
SPEER: It's not clear what Cerberus plans to do to rein in Chrysler's cost structure, though David Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan, says with the merger, it will almost certainly be a much smaller company.
Mr. DAVID COLE (Chairman, Center for Automotive Research): Their objective, very clearly, in private equity is making money. It's not benevolence for dealers or workers; it's making money, and they're going to try to do what is necessary to assure that kind of financial return.
SPEER: Cerberus may plan to get those returns by eliminating jobs and reducing retiree pensions, but it didn't announce those things today. If that is the plan, it's likely to be more pain for Detroit. But many analysts say such cuts are necessary if the U.S. automobile industry is to fend off growing competition.
Jack Speer, NPR News, Washington.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.


text:
- Subscribe NowLimited Time Offer
How Nike just invaded your iPhone a little more
At a developer conference in San Francisco, Apple announced iOS 8, which will be available this fall. The mobile operating system will contain Health, a new app that gives users an "easy-to-read dashboard of health and fitness data."
The data will include information that Nike gathers through NikeFuel, its activity-monitoring technology.
"Heart rate, calories burned, blood sugar, cholesterol — your health and fitness apps are great at collecting all that data," Apple says in a description of Health on its Website. "The new Health app puts that data in one place, accessible with a tap, giving you a clear and current overview of your health."
The Health app will work with HealthKit, a cloud-based repository for information.
The closer partnership between Apple and Nike comes fewer than two months after news leaked that Nike would stop making the FuelBand, a wrist-worn activity monitor that Nike introduced in 2012.
Nike subsequently hinted that its partnership with Apple would deepen in the wake of the FuelBand discontinuation.
"Nike is committed to Nike+, to NikeFuel and to driving innovations that bring richer experiences for all athletes," Nike said in a statement. "We're excited Apple's HealthKit will be offering NikeFuel as a universal measure for motivating and improving activity and athletes. Additionally, digital products and services in our own Nike+ ecosystem will connect to, and leverage, the key HealthKit metrics."
Apple CEO Tim Cook has been a member of Nike's board of directors since 2005 and the two companies have worked together on various projects since 2006.
Matthew Kish covers footwear, apparel, banking, finance and general assignment news.
- Most popular
- Heathman Hotel sold, long-time executive team out
- Heathman Hotel fallout: GM firing 'disappoints' Portland travel pros
- Portland's fastest-growing company plans to hire hundreds of local
- Mariota's Heisman will deliver him (and UO) huge biz world dividends
- The cost breakdown of a $100 pair of sneakers
- Airbnb’s Portland office is bigger than we thought (Photos)
- Nordstrom fires Portland employee for making Facebook threats
- Report: 8 Oregon companies in the IPO pipeline
- Portland’s fastest-growing company goes international
- Bye-bye, Cover Oregon. Legislators draft a bill to dissolve the agency
Sign up to receive Portland Business Journal's Morning Edition and Afternoon Edition newsletters and breaking news alerts.
Executive Development Center Director Willamette University - Atkinson Graduate School of Management | Portland/Salem, OR
Paid Search Coordinator Sq1 | Portland, OR
Finance & Operations Manager Oregon BEST | Portland, OR
Sr. Contracts Manager Flir Systems | Wilsonville, OR
Chief Operationg Officer Confidential | Sandy, OR