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The Covid-19 global pandemic has brought much of the world to a standstill in recent months. JNA looks at the outbreak’s impact on the international gem and jewellery industry and the measures adopted by the trade to sustain business during these challenging times.
Yoram Dvash, acting president of WFDB
Yoshihiro Shimizu, chairman of JPEA
Lawrence Ma, president of DFHK
ICA President Clement Sabbagh
Jewellery retail stores in Hong Kong
The Covid-19 global pandemic may arguably be the international gem and jewellery industry’s biggest challenge to date. Since emerging late last year, the virus has spread like wildfire across the world, paying no heed to boundaries of geography, class and race.
In late April, the global toll stood at over 3 million cases and more than 200,000 deaths, with almost every country in the world making an appearance in the tally of infections. The fight against this global threat has drastically altered people’s lives and thus industries at large. Global consumption, particularly for luxury items such as jewellery, has fallen as people hunker down at home amid virus-containment efforts.
From lockdowns and social distancing regulations to remote work procedures and digital tools, life in the time of Covid-19 is forcing businesses to rethink priorities, operations and strategies. Cost-cutting measures are in full swing, with many jewellery firms adopting temporary store and office closures, work-from-home arrangements, salary cuts, rent restructuring and shorter work weeks to stay afloat – essentially exhausting all possible avenues before considering closures and retrenchment.
Yoram Dvash, acting president of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB), said the impact of the coronavirus pandemic far outweighs that of any other challenge the international gem and jewellery industry has faced in the last few decades, including the various financial crises and the SARS outbreak in 2003.
"The Covid-19 outbreak wiped out business in one fell swoop – the industry went from 100 to almost zero. Over the course of a week or so, everything ground to a halt. Nobody is selling; nobody is buying. Manufacturing has shut down; consumer sentiment is extremely low. Deliveries are hampered by travel restrictions and border closures, while wire transfers to and from certain countries have been suspended," Dvash revealed. "Payments are not coming in because clients have shuttered their business for now or allocating funds to more immediate needs such as rents and payrolls. But the international jewellery industry is being patient and bearing it because we are all in the same boat."
Trade fairs and industry events were among the first casualties, given travel restrictions and social distancing regulations to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Losing these all-important business platforms have dealt a severe blow to many sectors. With physical containment of the virus being the order of the day, the business focus has shifted to the digital space. Online platforms, virtual fairs, educational and market webinars, and sustained digital marketing and communications have emerged to help keep businesses going during the downturn.
Virus-led disruptions have significantly impacted the diamond trade, causing both a substantial drop in business due to supply chain challenges and a momentous shift in business paradigms.
Diamond miners Alrosa and De Beers have adjusted their business schedules in light of travel restrictions and market circumstances. Both allowed their clients to defer 100 per cent of their April purchase allocations to later in the year.
Alrosa saw its March 2020 sales of rough and polished diamonds fall nearly 60 per cent year-on-year to US$152.8 million. Overall sales from January to March 2020 came up to US$904.2 million. Difficulties also emerged at the manufacturing and export levels. WFDB’s Dvash, who is also president of the Israel Diamond Exchange, estimated that Israeli diamond exports fell by 75 per cent from mid-March to late-April. This comes on the heels of a 28 per cent decline in Israel’s polished diamond exports in 2019 to US$4.9 billion due to the US-China trade war and the protests in Hong Kong.
Preliminary figures from the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) showed that Belgium’s diamond business in the first three weeks of April fell to around 4 per cent of its trade levels in the same period last year. Exports of polished diamonds in the first quarter dropped 45 per cent to around US$1.7 billion, compared to US$3.1 billion in the same period last year.
The coronavirus pandemic is indeed exacting a heavy toll on the diamond sector, said Lawrence Ma, president of the Diamond Federation of Hong Kong, China (DFHK). Top Hong Kong retailers are reporting sales declines of 50 to 60 per cent for March 2020, while the wholesale trade is down by 80 to 90 per cent. Production has stopped in India and other manufacturing centres that are on lockdown.
Ma stated, "The impact of the virus is quite significant. We need to assess the situation every two months and see how things unfold. Major concerns include cash flow, the supply of goods, surpluses, liquidity and bank regulations."
With business dwindling from the virus-induced slump, the diamond industry opened the online floodgates to stimulate the market, with various business models and initiatives making their debut over the last few months.
Alrosa held a digital tender for special-sized rough diamonds of over 10.8 carats from March 23 and April 6. For their part, the Israel Diamond Institute and AWDC collaborated on a five-day Online Diamond Trade Show at the end of March, which Dvash described as a good start in exploring new business models as well as channels for growth in the online space.
The Covid-19 global outbreak also set the backdrop for systemic changes, following trade furore over Rapaport’s diamond price list of March 20, 2020, which posted declines of 5 per cent to 8 per cent in the prices of polished diamonds. A significant number of diamond dealers either pulled their stock from Rapnet, continued trading using prices from the March 6, 2020 list or moved to other online trading platforms.
To provide an industry alternative, the WFDB acquired the Get Diamonds platform in early April and is transforming it into a non-profit organisation.
According to Dvash, in just three weeks of operation, the platform amassed US$3.5 billion worth of goods and almost a million stones. "The market is currently quiet but once activity resumes, Get Diamonds should see lots of transactions because it has the goods people need. This platform is an industry-driven initiative for the industry," he said.
Get Diamonds' board will comprise four presidents of WFDB member bourses, four diamantaires from the four biggest centres and four non-jewellery industry executives for a truly independent and transparent perspective, he continued.
Meanwhile, the Fancy Color Research Foundation refrained from publishing the Fancy Color Diamond Index for the first quarter of 2020, as virus-led disruptions made it difficult to establish accurate market pricing for most categories.
Despite current challenges, 2020 may still produce some gains for the diamond industry, according to Dvash. He remains hopeful of an upturn, albeit slight, toward year-end, if not by mid-2020.
"It is too early to write off the entire year. Millions of weddings around the world were postponed or cancelled due to the outbreak. Once the virus is contained, there could be a resurgence of demand. We may salvage some business, especially with activity resuming in some markets," he continued.
Stirrings in the Far East buoy Dvash’s cautious optimism. Around 33 per cent of Israel’s polished diamond exports head to Hong Kong and China. Their reopening could help counter the shortfall from Israel’s other major market, the US, for whom recovery is not yet in sight.
Coronavirus-induced business adjustments are however here to stay, the WFDB and IDE official noted.
"The pandemic amplified new realities and forced us to think out of the box. Online channels were viewed as a supplementary platform; now we see they can actually support and drive trade. Businesses can run on leaner, efficient operations, eliminating the need for big offices, high rents and overheads. Things will be different in the post-pandemic world," Dvash said.
The Diamond Producers Association (DPA) is taking part too in the industry recovery effort. Working with local organisations, it has formed the Jeweler Support Networks in the US and the UK. These offer resources such as government advisories and free access to educational platforms to guide jewellers through the challenges of running their businesses during lockdowns.
"Local jewellery stores and retailers, many of which are family-owned for generations and comprise a large and important aspect of the industry, are particularly vulnerable during this crisis. We want to minimise the disruption caused by Covid-19 and ensure that when the world is ready to reopen, retailers are too," remarked DPA Head of Marketing and Communications UK Lisa Levinson.
The Covid-19 global pandemic did not leave the coloured gemstone sector unscathed either, recording extreme and far-reaching effects across the entire supply chain.
Coloured gemstone miner Gemfields deferred its high-quality emerald and mixed-quality ruby auctions, originally scheduled for May and June respectively, to the last quarter of 2020 due to travel restrictions to contain the spread of the coronavirus virus. In 2019, around 93 per cent of the company’s revenues came from the gemstone auctions.
In comments on the company’s April 6 announcement of its 2019 results, CEO Sean Gilbertson cited the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak as one of the biggest challenges Gemfields has faced to date, saying it would clearly have a significant effect on many of its downstream clients and on end-consumers. "Given this delay in auction revenue, we have suspended all discretionary and uncommitted spending to preserve cash. Gemfields is highly dependent on revenue from gemstone auctions and any further delay in the 2020 auctions would put a severe strain on the Group’s finances," he said.
On the manufacturing and export fronts, the widespread closure of borders, the cancellation of many international flights, and the postponement of major international trade fairs have resulted in reduced capacity to source, market and supply materials, according to Clement Sabbagh, president of the International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA).
Moreover, the detrimental economic repercussions in most markets have curtailed consumer demand for the coloured gemstone sector’s luxury products, he said.
Given the situation, ICA is arming its members and the wider gem and jewellery community with information to endure the current challenging business conditions.
"A rising number of small gemstone businesses are also reinventing, exploring and increasing their digital presence as a means to secure and maintain relationships with clients. We believe this trend will continue long past the pandemic and may redefine the business," Sabbagh shared.
The global spread of the Covid-19 virus will indeed fundamentally change the industry and bring online transactions to the fore, remarked Anthony Brooke, vice president of the Thai Gem & Jewellery Traders Association.
Demand patterns may also undergo massive shifts, shaped by low consumer sentiment stemming from virus-induced lockdowns.
"Will low-cost items sell as people cheer themselves up? Will others want to buy gold jewellery as a hedge against further financial disruption? Will the whole market simply go into hibernation for six months? We don’t know yet," Brooke said. "But once a vaccine is found and consumer confidence is restored, there may be major opportunities for companies to lead the way with new invigorating designs and bright colours to improve everyone’s mood."
As demand is directly related to the purchasing power of consumers, recovery may take a while, according to ICA’s Sabbagh. This particular crisis will however leave its mark on the industry. "There certainly will be shifts in the market, in trends, and in the way business is conducted, all of which will be influenced by the new digital connection that companies are now discovering," he said.
Pearl traders were not spared either from the onslaught of the coronavirus pandemic. According to Yoshihiro Shimizu, chairman of the Japan Pearl Exporters’ Association, sales have so far dropped between 20 per cent and 50 per cent, with major retailers such as Mikimoto and Tasaki closing its stores.
The cancellation or postponement of international jewellery fairs as well as pearl auctions also dealt a heavy blow to the pearl trade. Japanese pearl dealers who participate in various trade exhibitions source about 50 per cent of their annual sales from buyers they meet at the shows, revealed Shimizu.
With travel restrictions in place, Japan’s tourism industry likewise took a hit, seriously impacting pearl jewellery retailers who rely on foreign buyers.
Pearl companies also cannot strictly enforce work-from-home policies since they deal in a special merchandise that’s difficult to sell online. A few local customers however travel to these companies’ offices to purchase commercial- to better-quality pearls in smaller quantities at reasonable prices, noted Shimizu.
"The situation remains very challenging not only for the pearl sector but the entire jewellery industry. All we can do right now is wait and see how this all pans out," he remarked. "There’s so much uncertainty that it’s hard to plot our next move."
Jonathan Cheng, director of Hong Kong-based Rio Pearl, echoed this sentiment, noting that there’s virtually no activity in the pearl sector since buyers are hesitant to purchase goods that they may have to hold on to indefinitely.
"Business is completely at a standstill," stated Cheng. "People might not buy anything even with a 40 per cent discount."
Important markets such as the US have also shut down, effectively crippling manufacturing, retail and export industries. According to Cheng, majority of pearl dealers need to move volume so selling online is not a popular option.
There could however be a glimmer of hope once China resumes its economic activities but since the jewellery sector is not exactly China-focused, this opportunity would depend on how well positioned companies are to do business with China.
Hong Kong too is in a peculiar spot. While a post-pandemic scenario could offer a semblance of normalcy and a time to rebuild for some countries, political protests – which gripped the city for months and impaired many businesses – remain a risk that Hong Kong faces.
With customers staying away from shopping malls and shunning luxury spending, jewellery retailers are bearing the brunt of the Covid-19 crisis.
Hong Kong’s jewellery retail giants registered massive losses in the three months ending March 31, owing to store closures and lacklustre sales. Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Ltd’s sales were down 65 per cent in Hong Kong and Macau, and 41 per cent in China during the period in review.
Luk Fook Holdings (International) Ltd’s sales meanwhile plummeted 57 per cent, with Hong Kong and Macau recording an overall drop of 60 per cent. Sales in China saw a decline of 41 per cent.
Business in China however has improved in the first two weeks of April on the back of the gradual recovery of industrial, consumption and investment activities, according to Lukfook.
DFHK’s Lawrence Ma, who is also CEO of Lee Heng Diamond Group, agreed, noting that even Hong Kong seemed to be heading to a path of recovery, with fewer new cases of Covid-19 being recorded.
However, it would take two to three months before businesses can get back to "even 80 per cent" of their normal operations, continued Ma.
The difficulties faced by retailers similarly trickle down to the wholesale and manufacturing sectors since with weak sales, no one is expected to restock goods anytime soon.
"Perhaps the only good thing is that retailers have not been replenishing in the last three or four months, so with financial support and fiscal initiatives that the government is putting into the system, hopefully things will turn for the better by August or September," revealed Ma.
Ken Lo, director of Eternity Mfg Ltd and president of the Hong Kong Jewellery & Jade Manufacturers Association, said producers were still processing some orders at the beginning of the year until the situation in the US and Europe worsened and shipments were put on hold or cancelled. "We initially thought that the situation was likely to improve by May but Covid-19 spreading in the west was highly unpredictable," explained Lo.
The retail sector, on the other hand, was already dealing with losses pre-coronavirus, brought about by the social unrest in Hong Kong since June 2019.
According to Lo, companies are cutting costs and negotiating reduced rental fees with landlords to help cushion the virus’s impact on their operations. Jewellers continue to get in touch with their customers to retain engagement by phone call or email but have yet to receive client enquiries.
Turkey, for its part, recorded a whopping 85 per cent dip in jewellery exports since the beginning of March, according to Sirzat Akbulak of the Turkish Jewellery Exporters’ Association (JTR).
The country’s biggest overseas markets for jewellery are the Middle East, Hong Kong and the US. Turkish jewellery exports reached US$4.1 billion in 2019.
According to Akbulak, Turkish jewellery manufacturers have since stopped operations while trying to keep their businesses afloat and avoid retrenching staff. But with no international demand, Turkey’s jewellery export sector remains far from recovery.
The virus is also laying waste to Thailand’s jewellery manufacturing and export industry, revealed Suttipong Damrongsakul, chairman of the ASEAN Gems and Jewellery Trade Association.
The US and Europe are among its top-performing overseas markets, accounting for 25 per cent to 30 per cent of Thailand’s gemstone and jewellery exports.
Local companies face a cash flow crisis since they are unable to ship finished jewellery goods to other countries. There are no new orders, owing to jewellery store closures and subdued consumer demand.
Despite various cost-cutting measures such as reduced working hours and employee pay cuts, companies may have to tighten their belts further in the next two to three months by downsizing production and considering outsourcing and subcontracting to meet any orders.
Commenting on changes in their customers’ buying habits, Damrongsakul said consumers are cutting back on luxury items and instead buying necessities. They are however likely to gravitate towards jewellery items in trendy designs at more affordable prices.
Amid these unprecedented shifts in the global gemstone and jewellery landscape, more and more people are buying goods and services online, he continued.
Challenges arising from the pandemic shone the light on digital platforms and initiatives as an important business tool, according to Zulu Ghevriya, managing director of Hong Kong-based Prism Group.
With reduced operations, the company relied heavily on digital activities, including online meetings with Prism teams and clients through Zoom and other tools while focusing on its B2C online business.
Prism uses its website to drive sales alongside other social media platforms to keep its consumers informed. These channels offer a new experience and a different method to run businesses, noted Ghevriya.
"The world will move towards digitalisation, with more buyers understanding this platform. The pandemic has forced people to work digitally and I think they will get maximum benefits out of it," he continued.
As such, Prism intends to sustain its online-driven strategies even after the threat of the virus subsides.
Milan Chokshi of India’s Moksh Jewellery likewise underscored the importance of finding new ways to do business.
"Improving the e-commerce segment of our business is a major change for us. We already wanted to do this, but the health and economic crisis only made it more urgent," noted Chokshi.
The company is currently focusing on digital and social media channels. Its Instagram account has seen a heightened level of engagement throughout the outbreak, he continued.
Post-Covid-19, Chokshi said he expects a huge shift from heavy-traffic retail locations to "neighbourhood stores." Buyers would likely support provenance-based brands as well as unique jewellery pieces that resonate with their lifestyle, with minimalism rising as a trend.
Akbulak of JTR meanwhile highlighted the value of continued education amid these very taxing times. The association is planning a series of online education programmes and webinars aimed at advising its members on how to handle the crisis and using international marketing tactics to sustain customer engagement. It will also offer potential strategies that can be employed by companies post-coronavirus. These events will be promoted through JTR’s social media accounts.
Aftershocks and resolutions
DFHK’s Ma said the coronavirus pandemic will result in adjustments in the jewellery business landscape. For instance, retailers may want to shorten their supply chains and replenishment cycles so they can respond faster to challenges. The industry should also consider whether diamond and jewellery manufacturers can support these changes.
Commenting on reports that consumer demand is slowly picking up in China, with customers resuming luxury spending after lockdown measures were relaxed, Ma said such knee-jerk reactions may not be sustainable.
"Sustainability will only come from economic growth. If people feel good, luxury products will see sustained recovery. Nothing can beat liquidity. With central banks putting liquidity into the system and interest rates falling, we will hopefully be a bit more optimistic by August and September," he stated.
Over the next six to nine months, people may also not be too keen on travelling, which means these travel or vacation funds may be rechannelled to the retail sector, stated Armil Sammoon, chairman of Sri Lanka’s Sapphire Capital Group.
An altered consumer mindset is likewise expected. "Those who don’t purchase items online would be more comfortable buying goods on e-commerce sites. We could see the rise of a new group of online shoppers," said Sammoon.
Prism’s Ghevriya meanwhile said there will also be changes in the way consumers view luxury products. Buyers are likely to favour original designs that carry compelling stories. Consumers will also be more connected to the meaning of buying jewellery.
"They need to see the value of the product since they want to save money and spend on experience. Price-point items will be highly sought after, which could affect the design," he explained. "Consumers will probably demand sustainability from brands too."
Thailand’s Damrongsakul meanwhile expects the gemstone and jewellery sector, particularly the high-end jewellery segment, to contract over the next five years. Big-ticket items may still attract consumer interest during special occasions such as weddings, and New Year and Christmas holidays.
In this scenario, consumers may opt for reasonably priced costume jewellery in trendy and attractive designs. Online marketing will also play a more significant role as businesses turn to digital and social media channels to reach their target clients.
To sustain growth, OEM players in Thailand should eventually transition to ODM business, produce their own jewellery designs and develop their branding strategies. This could result in more sustainable operations.
Thai jewellers should also focus on boosting sales in the domestic market, as well as China and Southeast Asia, and reduce their dependence on the US and Europe.
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY EFFORTS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19
- De Beers Group contributed US$5 million across Botswana, Namibia and South Africa to aid response to the Covid-19 crisis.
- Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Ltd began manufacturing surgical masks using its high-standard dust-free cleanroom technology at its T MARK diamond processing factory in Lunjiao, Shunde.
- French luxury conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE repurposed its Perfumes & Cosmetics laboratories to manufacture hand sanitisers.
- Bulgari started manufacturing hand sanitisers. The jeweller also gave monetary aid to Lazzaro Spallanzani Hospital in Rome to acquire a modern, high-definition 3D microscope to help study coronavirus infections.
- Surat-based STPL developed a ventilator, IndoVent, aimed at boosting efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.
- India’s Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council or GJEPC shelled out Rs 50 crores (around US$6.62 million) to assist daily wage workers in the country’s gemstone and jewellery industry.
- Luxury group Kering donated US$1 million to the CDC Foundation.
- In the US, Chanel has committed US$2 million to support urgent medical and healthcare needs.
This article first appeared in the JNA May/June 2020 issue.
Click here for more Covid-19 coverage.


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At least five times over the past six months, the man in the Yankees hat has entered a Target store on East Jericho Turnpike in Huntington, pocketed items — and walked out, police said.
Now, Suffolk County police are hopeful you recognize the suspect from surveillance footage and help them catch the petit larceny suspect in the baseball cap.
Police said that since November “a man fitting the same description” went to the Target store at least five times, stealing iPhones, watches and even a hover board.
Each time, police said, he wore that Yankees hat, as well as dark color clothing and white sneakers. The suspect was driving a black Chevrolet Tahoe. The SUV has incorrect license plates, police said.
Police are asking anyone with information about the incidents to call Crime Stoppers at 800-220-TIPS.
All calls will remain confidential and police said callers are eligible for a cash reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest.

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Japan's Platinum Games and Microsoft teamed up to develop the action-packed RPG title ScaleBound. The game is scheduled to become available in the first quarter of 2017. According to an Amazon listing, it will hit gaming stores on April 28, 2017.
Now, here's the latest round-up of update about Scalebound release date, gameplay and features.
As of now, Microsoft has not yet confirmed the official release date of Scalebound. Amazon is known for listing an item's release date early, but most of the time it is not always true. However, many gamers are optimistic that Scalebound wound indeed become available on April 2017.
Scalebound is a large-scale action-RPG that casts players as Drew, a young American trapped in a fantasy world that is filled with giant monsters. Drew accompanies Thuban, the last dragon in the world. The two take on an adventure to battle big monsters. Drew and Thuban have a deep connection; Drew's death will cause Thuban to die and vice versa.
Additionally, Drew has dragon arm which gives him the power to scan enemies for information, unleash pulse energy and heal Thuban. The playable character can also transform into a half-dragon hybrid, making him stronger.
In an interview with the Telegraph, Platinum's lead game designer Hideki Kamiya says Scalebound is "actually the biggest game I've ever made in my entire career." He also wants players to have a seamless adventure in the game's very large world.
Platinum Games is one of the most respected game developers in the industry. Founded in 2006, the studio released many critically acclaimed titles like Resident Evil 2, Devil May Cry, Okami and Bayonetta. With Microsoft's partnership with Platinum, gaming experts have huge expectation for Scalebound.
Microsoft revealed Scalebound at E3 2014. At that time the game was part of a strategy to lure gamers to Xbox after a shaky start for the company's new console.
Scalebound will be available as part of Microsoft's Xbox Play Anywhere program. It will also be released on Xbox One and Windows PC first before it lands to PlayStation consoles.
Kamiya assures fans that he will release more information about the game in the next few months. "We're going to be talking a lot about the story as we get closer to launch," he says.
We'll give more updates as soon as we know more. Stick with us for more update.
Watch the game's trailer below.


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Emotions play a significant role in all human endeavors, and that certainly goes for payments and commerce. And even as those two activities become ever more digital and mobile, emotions are still there as a focus. Indeed, the role of emotions in payments and commerce in this digital age looks sure to grow even more.
Fresh evidence supporting that point comes from Amazon. According to a recent report from CNBC, the eCommerce and cloud-computing operator has said that “its facial recognition software can detect a person’s fear.” The technology in question “can be used for facial analysis or sentiment analysis, which identifies different expressions and predicts emotions from images of people’s faces. The service uses artificial intelligence (AI) to ‘learn’ from the reams of data it processes,” according to that report.
There was no direct, immediate indication that the technology — and this new advance — would have retail or payment implications anytime soon. But facial recognition has lately been making major strides in the worlds of payments and commerce, and it seems plausible to think that these emotional-detection capabilities will, indeed, find a way into the daily lives of consumers before too long.
For instance, as PYMNTS research has shown, the ongoing effort to get past the use of passwords for online and mobile security increasingly involves the use of facial recognition and other biometric authentication technology. After all, more than 4.5 billion digital records were compromised in the first half of 2018 alone — a staggering figure that could not have been possible if digital IDs were not drawing so much attention.
Tighter security and authentication methods for digital IDs are necessary to lessen the magnitude of these breaches and hopefully stop them entirely. Just consider this: Approximately 59 percent of consumers use the same password for multiple accounts, allowing cybercriminals to run amok across several private accounts if one password is successfully cracked.
Fingerprint scanners have been on the market for years, but newer biometric authentication methods are currently on the rise, such as facial recognition. This tool has seen significant use since Apple added it to its latest generation of iPhones. Some facial recognition offerings allow users to upload selfies, which are then compared to 3D facial maps that are established when users create their accounts.
Retailers and companies involved in retail-and-payments-related ecosystems are getting into the facial recognition game, too. Think about the emerging landscape for connected vehicles. The use of facial recognition is gaining steam as automakers and other consider ways to make driving safer by better, more accurate monitoring of drivers’ faces — the general idea is to use facial recognition to determine when a driver might be in danger of nodding off, and to provide an alert so that an accident can be avoided.
Voice and Emotions
The use of emotions is not limited to facial recognition biometric authentication technologies, either. Amazon again provides an excellent recent example of this. The company reportedly is developing a wearable device that is activated by voice to recognize human emotions. The effort is a collaboration between the Alexa voice software team and Lab126, which is a group behind the Echo smart speaker as well as Amazon’s Fire phone.
The device, which works with a mobile app, is said to have microphones that can use a wearer’s voice to detect his or her emotional state. The technology could potentially direct users on how to better interact with others. However, the report noted that the project status is not known, and it is uncertain whether it “will ever become a commercial device.” It also pointed out that the company gives wide latitude to teams to experiment with products, some of which never go to market.
That news emerged as different biometrics — not just facial recognition — are on the rise in the retail and payments space. For example, reporting from earlier this year found that hat Alexa now stands as the most-used voice assistant on the market. The technology is reportedly found in more than 60,000 smart home devices, which marks a jump from only 12,000 devices a year earlier. According to reports, Alexa was in 20,000 smart home devices in September, highlighting a fast trajectory for the digital personal assistant.
Facial recognition, like all biometric authentication tools, promises a variety of capabilities. But no matter the use, it seems all but inevitable that human emotion will play a more prominent role in these technologies going forward.


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Toys 'R' Us: New game plan or same toy story?
Toys "R" Us Inc. unveiled its "go-forward" strategy Wednesday, but much of its game plan seemed to come from past playbooks.
Toys "R" Us Chief Executive Officer Antonio Urcelayand U.S. President Hank Mullanytold analysts, investors and the news media that they have a "TRU Transformation" plan in the works that they believe will stabilize sales, reduce costs and position the company for future growth. They said they've already made significant cost-reduction moves. Those include cutting about 100 jobs at the Wayne headquarters out of 1,600 positions and more than 400 jobs worldwide out of more than 67,000 posts over the past month. The execs also said there are no plans — or any need — to close large numbers of stores.
Urcelay and Mullany acknowledged, however, that they face the same challenges that have plagued the Wayne-based retailer for the past decade - flat toy sales industrywide, declining birth rates and the rapid growth of online shopping, as well as strong competition from Walmart, Target and other mass merchants that sell toys.
But, they said, they can fix some of the ways the company has failed in recent years, by, among other things, managing inventory better, making their stores less cluttered and easier to shop, and changing the customer perception that they are high-priced.
The two executives presented the bad news first. Last year's total sales fell 7.4 percent to $12.5 billion, down $1 billion from 2012. The loss for the year was $1 billion, compared with earnings of $38 million the previous year. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization - a statistic Toys "R" Us usually cites as the most important indicator of financial performance - slid more than 40 percent to $588 million from $1.015 billion in 2012.
The company also reported Wednesday that it decreased its debt by $322 million, but that it still carries total long-term debt of $5 billion, a legacy of the company's leveraged buyout in 2005. While Toys "R" Us has no major payments due until 2016, the debt level is an ongoing concern and has investors and toy suppliers worried.
Urcelay, named CEO last year after the departure of Gerald Storch, then highlighted the good news. Toys "R" Us is one of the best-known brands on the planet, with the value of its brand name estimated at $3.2 billion by British brand-ranking firm Brand Finance. The company has 18 million loyalty club members and also has 18 million women registered for gifts with Babies "R" Us.
Urcelay and Mullany also said recent changes to improve inventory and to schedule markdowns to clear out old inventory faster are already showing results.
The analysts, investors and reporters who listened to the presentation Wednesday have heard other turnaround plans from the company over the past decade. Storch, a former top executive from Target, was hired in 2006 with the mission of positioning the company for a return to the public markets within three years, with an initial public offering.
Storch arrived at the company with a high-intensity plan he called "Playing to Win." Part of that plan was to bring the Babies "R" Us business back into the Toys "R" Us stores through combination stores that included both brands. That strategy was designed to help convert Babies customers into continuing Toys "R'' Us customers as the children grew up.
Urcelay and Mullany appear to be backing away from that strategy, which did not drive sales as much as Storch had hoped. Mullany said the company is working on creating a "store of the future" and is considering different store sizes and formats.
Sean McGowan, an analyst at Needham & Co. who attended the analyst presentation Wednesday, praised Urcelay and Mullany for frankly discussing the terrible 2013 performance, and for their apparent enthusiasm in tackling the challenges ahead. But "you can't help but be struck by so much of this you've heard before," said McGowan, a veteran toy industry analyst who has attended many presentations by new Toys "R" Us CEOs over the years. "A lot of the plans for addressing things are on target," he said. "We'll just have to see what the results are."
Howard Davidowitz, chairman of Davidowitz & Associates, a national retail consulting and investment banking company based in New York, said Urcelay and Mullany have "a very tough road" ahead. "There is a 50-50 chance the company can survive," Davidowitz said. "I'm not saying they are finished. I would not say that. But there is a limited time, given the debt level they have, for this business to get fixed," he said.
"Look at the playing field they're in — Amazon is getting much stronger. Walmart is building more stores. Target is building more stores,'' he said. "The people that carry toys are growing; they're not."


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Natalie Bravo is an IPilogue Writer and a 2L JD Candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School.
Roblox is an online free-to-play gaming platform where users can develop games and play online together. Its increasing popularity among teenagers and children, especially during the pandemic, has sparked multiple viral trends. Music has become a large component of Roblox, with artists like Lil Nas X hosting virtual concerts. Roblox even lets users upload songs for game-building, a feature that resulted in a copyright lawsuit.
Back in June 2021, The National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) sued Roblox for allowing users to upload copyrighted music without paying a licensing fee. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of various music publishers, including major players like Kobalt Music Publishing America and Universal Music Corporation. The NMPA sought $200 million in copyright damages, among other court orders to enhance control over in-game piracy on Roblox.
The Association alleged that “Roblox actively preys on its impressionable user base and their desire for popular music, teaching children that pirating music is perfectly acceptable.” Roblox actively encourages music uploads, charges users, and even sells virtual items to allow for in-game listening. The lawsuit further alleged that Roblox has established control and a moderation team to address content that is against policy but does not monitor music licensing in uploads.
Shortly after the lawsuit was filed, Roblox signed music partnerships with both BMG and Sony Music Entertainment to license many popular songs. Along with these deals, Roblox expressed a commitment to monitoring DMCA complaints. On September 27, Roblox announced that they have settled their lawsuit with the NMPA, and further expressed that the settlement “sets the foundation for future partnerships with global publishers that will unlock new creative and commercial opportunities on its platform.” The agreement encompasses an expansive licensing agreement between Roblox and the music publishing industry that allows individual publishers to opt-in or enter into individual negotiations.
The settlement is great news for the gaming company and its outlook after going public on the New York Stock Exchange earlier this year. While the deal does not explicitly cover licensing for all songs, it shows that Roblox has a lot more in store on the music front. Hopefully, this means more virtual concerts!


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the ELLIOTT WAVE lives on
REVIEWVolatile week ends mixed to lower in world equity markets. After an 18 day, 20.3%, rally from SPX 1075 to 1293 the market has spent the past eleven trading days between 1215 and 1287. Positive economic reports for the week outnumbered negative reports, for the first time in many weeks, two to one. On the downtick: wholesale inventories, import/export prices and the monetary base. On the uptick: consumer credit, the twin deficits, consumer sentiment, the M1-multiplier, the WLEI and weekly jobless claims improved. For the week the SPX/DOW were +1.15%, but the NDX/NAZ were -0.15%. Asian markets declined 2.2%, European markets gained 0.5%, and the DJ World was -0.2%. Next week we have a slew of important economic reports, and it's Opex week.


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We love charts here at Player Attack, and one of the highlights of our week is receiving the latest details from UKIE, who send us the 10 best-selling titles in Britain, as announced by The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment.
LEGO Jurassic World has made a comeback in this week’s charts, climbing back up to snag its third #1 crown despite losing a bunch of sales. Similarly, Grand Theft Auto V and The Elder Scrolls Online have both moved up, while Batman: Arkham Knight has slumped to #4 – its worst performance since launch, eight weeks ago.
Looks like retro fans rushed out for Rare Replay in its first week on sale, as it’s now slipped to #6 after dropping more than 70% of sales. In fact, the only game in this list that actually gained sales this week is Dying Light, which enjoyed a retailer promotion that brought it back into the top 10.
|2||1||LEGO JURASSIC WORLD||PEGI 7+||WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE|
|5||2||GRAND THEFT AUTO V||PEGI 18+||ROCKSTAR|
|4||3||THE ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE||PEGI 18+||BETHESDA SOFTWORKS|
|3||4||BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT||PEGI 18+||WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE|
|6||5||FIFA 15||PEGI 3+||EA SPORTS|
|1||6||RARE REPLAY||PEGI 16+||MICROSOFT|
|7||7||BATTLEFIELD HARDLINE||PEGI 18+||EA GAMES|
|10||8||MINECRAFT: XBOX EDITION||PEGI 7+||MICROSOFT|
|11||9||MINECRAFT: PLAYSTATION EDITION||PEGI 7+||SONY COMPUTER ENT.|
|13||10||DYING LIGHT||PEGI 18+||WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE|


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USA based Stayxs Inc. today announced it has signed an agreement with New Delhi based TheIndiaTrip.com.
This agreement will give members of TheIndiaTrip.com reservations access to the more than 500 hotels in the Stayxs Online Distribution Database. Stayxs is a leading provider hotel industry electronic commerce services in India.
The link with Stayxs, will allow TheIndiaTrip.com`s users to directly access the central reservations system of Stayxs Hotels, providing access to real-time room availability and rates.
According to Mr.Prem Syal- G.M Marketing for TheIndiaTrip.com, this new agreement demonstrates TheIndiaTrip.com `s commitment to meeting the -changing needs of Internet-savvy customers. “The immense growth and the popularity of internet-travel has demonstrated the need to continuously provide value-added services to our customers from around the world,” Prem Syal said.
As a result of using Stayxs online booking engine and hotel content database, TheIndiaTrip.com`s members will be able to check room availability and can make real-time reservations directly from Stayxs Centeral reservations database. Among the benefits to this connectivity is the ability for consumers to receive a unique confirmation number that the Stayxs generate for each booking. The consumers can then use the confirmation number to make any changes to their reservation either online.


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When the Microsoft Surface Tablet was released there were rumors about a Surface Phone. While Microsoft has no immediate plans for the device, Nokia seems to be showing interest in the phone.
Nokia seems to be worried about the fact that Microsoft is trying to broaden its strategy to sell other mobile devices. With the latest filing before the SEC, Nokia claims that the risk comes from the possibility that Microsoft may reduce their investment in the OS, or shut it down completely.
According to Nokia, the relationship could deteriorate with Microsoft due to the other device manufacturers and Microsoft plans to build its own hardware, leaving Nokia dry. This can be expected in all business relationships but the continuous mention of a Microsoft-made Windows Phone has caused some strains.
Nokia had earlier maintained that a Surface Phone would be good to simulate the Windows Phone ecosystem hence the company would consider the option. The sales of Windows Phones has already caused some troubles with the OS and it’s difficult to estimate how Nokia would be affected.


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This article was originally published in Az Business magazine. It’s 2018 and easier than ever to take your business beyond U.S. borders and into the global marketplace. The global banking system is there to help with any transaction, free trade is allowing goods to fly across borders and the Internet allows us to be anywhere,... Continue Reading →
GPEC positions Valley as leader in Internet of Things
This article was originally published in Az Business magazine. Inside the doors of Intel’s Chandler offices lies the future. Within the walls of Intel’s building CH6, demonstration stations reveal some of the latest technology powered by Intel processors. Each piece of technology will radically change supply chain management, construction, engineering and retail. • High above... Continue Reading →
Phoenix needs over 150,000 apartment units — can we build them in time?
This story was originally published in AZRE magazine. The future of Phoenix is looking packed, as it is expected to need 150,302 new apartment units by 2030 to keep up with demand, according to a study released in late June. Phoenix will need to add 10,736 apartment units per year on average in the coming years... Continue Reading →
Is Arizona becoming a leader and innovator in cybersecurity?
Hacking and data breaches have been in the public mindset for a long time. But as more technology is integrated into our daily lives and the workplace, you and your firm have become even more susceptible to a hack – highlighting the importance of cybersecurity, an industry Arizona is on the frontline of shaping.
John Amory Jr. reflects on record-setting 57-year career with CBRE
There was a time when you could go dove hunting in McCormick Ranch. These were the same times when many popular spots were still patches of desert and steak dinners could be purchased for $4.50.


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Twitter had begun rolling out a massive new design overhaul focused on consistency, which calling #letsfly, and is available now in a freshly updated Twitter for iPhone.
The #letsfly update aims to make your Twitter experience faster and simpler. Your main timeline is now called "Home" and your mentions are now "Connect" and they added a quick way to access hash tags and searches which is called "Discover". It certainly does look fresh and clean, and may be more accessible to new users.
On the down side, Direct Messages (DM's) have been buried under the "Me" tab, as has account switching. (Though you can swipe up to get DM's and left to switch accounts, slightly speeding up the process.)
Notably, this is the first major update since Loren Brichter -- the innovative developer behind the original Twitter for iPhone and Mac (called Tweetie before it was bought out) and iPad -- left Twitter a short time ago.
The #letsfly update for Twitter for iPhone is available now in the App Store.
Twitter’s iOS developer Loren Brichter has announced via a tweet on his personal account that he has just served his last day with the company. Loren Brichter was the lead developer for Twitter for iPhone and Twitter for iPad.
The folks over at Red Pepper Land came up with an ingenious way to get Siri to pour you a cold glass of beer, completely hands free, using Twitter, an Arduino controller and an R/C toy car. They call it Beeri, and I want it..
If you're new to iPhone or iPad and have just gotten started with iOS 5, you might be wondering how to set up the new Twitter integration feature. It gives you the ability to tweet directly from Photos, YouTube, Safari, Maps, and any other third party applications that request access to your twitter settings. It's also easy to set up. Here's how.
Apple hasn't (yet?) added posting to Twitter to the tricks in Siri's bag, but if all you want to do is tweet out a quick status, you can add it yourself.
It's simple: Navigate to Twitter from Mobile Safari, jump into the mobile settings panel and make sure you have your mobile phone number setup with the service. Twitter will then spit out a number for you to text message Twitter updates to. For confirmation's sake, send a quick status update to the number to make sure the text is pushed to your Twitter timeline.
The official Twitter app for iPhone and iPad received an update, today, that includes the ability to upload photos to Twitter's picture hosing services (pic.twitter.com) and a new UI for Direct Messages on the iPad.
Enhanced sign up experience
Upload photos to Twitter (pic.twitter.com)
Updated Direct Messages design on iPad
Tap a location on iPad to show Tweets nearby
Bug fixes and minor enhancements
Twitter is available on the iPhone and iPad for free.
Tweet Speaker is a new, unique Twitter app that reads tweets to you. This is a great way to stay current with Twitter during times that you can's look at your iPhone, like when driving, jogging, cleaning the house, or shopping. It's got a fantastic user interface, and integrates cutting edge voice technology that'ss really smart about expanding Twitter slang like RT into "retweet", and @ usernames into the associated real names.
You can hear the developer, David Barnard of App Cubby, talking all about it on the latest episode of our Iterate podcast.
Apple is now using Twitter to promote the United States version of their iBookstore. Apple already uses Twitter to promote content for App store apps, iTunes music, TV shows, and iTunes movies. Even though the iBookstore account was created quite some time ago, Apple appears to have just started utilizing the account.
The first tweet was actually sent out just today -
Welcome to the Apple #iBookstore on Twitter. Follow us to discover new releases, exclusive book offers, and more.


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3M To Cut Workforce by 3%
The global manufacturing conglomerate said a coming reorganization would affect almost 3,000 jobs.
DEC 07, 2020
As part of a shift in its operating structure, 3M announced December 3 it would eliminate 2,900 positions globally. In a release, the conglomerate said it would work to streamline its business by focusing on global trends.
3M’s CEO Mike Roman said in a statement that 3M began using a new operating model at the beginning of the year, but that the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted end markets and forced companies to adapt to changing circumstances faster. In January, before the pandemic hit, the company said it would cut 1,500 jobs as part of an initial restructuring.
“We are taking further actions to streamline our operations, positioning us to deliver greater growth and productivity as global markets emerge from the pandemic,” said Roman. The company anticipates that the latest move will be worth savings of up to $250 million before taxes.
A statement from the company said it would prioritize growth in personal safety, health care, automotive electrification, home improvement, and e-commerce. The conglomerate saw demand for its personal safety and health care products, especially its N-95 filtered masks, explode in the midst of the global outbreak. In October, the company reported that third-quarter sales of health equipment saw 25.5% growth from 2019.
At the same time, though, the company’s other segments have suffered due to pandemic-related loss of demand. 3M, the manufacturer of the Post-It note, made less money in the third quarter on office supplies, general industrial, automotive OEM, traffic safety, consumer electronics, and hospitality sales.


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SEOUL, Sept. 18 (Korea Bizwire) – Devising creative new ways to treat the same ailments is what has separated the wheat from the chaff when it comes to pharmaceutical companies.
According to American data services company IMS Health, Kolon Pharmaceuticals brought in 2.17 billion won in revenue from sales of the drug Apniben Q in the first half of the year, placing it as the market leader for drugs that treat stomatitis (generally denoting inflamed mouth). In comparison to typical stomatitis drugs, Apniben Q’s method of use is identical to dental mouthwash, earning the drug points for convenience from consumers.
The drug’s popularity with consumers was near immediate. Released into the market last October, Apniben Q overcame mainstay products from Dongkook Pharmaceuticals and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company within a year.
A Kolon Pharmaceuticals official explained that consumers were enticed by the revolutionary method of use, and added that the company’s revenues grew significantly as people who avoided taking drugs due to various side effects and pain started to use Apniben Q.
Another company that has found success off the beaten track is Daewon Pharmaceuticals with its Cole Dae Won “squeeze” cold medicine. When it was first released it earned rave reviews for its portable design. Daily doses were put into stick containers and could be taken by ripping off the top and slurping.
Despite being overtaken by Kolon Pharmaceuticals in the stomatitis market, Dongkook Pharmaceuticals has not taken things lying down, releasing an oral administration hemorrhoids medicine with an aggressive marketing campaign.
Market reception has been encouraging, the company says. “Early signs are positive as there have been incidences like consumers placing direct calls to the company asking about the product,” a company representative stated with confidence.
Lina Jang (firstname.lastname@example.org)


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- LG Wing is scheduled to launch in India on October 28th
- LG Wing comes with a swivel screen that rotates to reveal a secondary display
- LG Wing specs include a 6.8-inch main screen, Snapdragon 765G SoC, Android 10 OS
LG Wing India launch has been scheduled for October 28th, the company has confirmed through an invite. While LG has not revealed the name of the phone launching in India, the invite teases the LG Wing with its unique swivel design. The handset was originally introduced back in September and comes with a 3.9-inch secondary screen that sits behind the main 6.8-inch display. The main display rotates 90-degrees by enabling the Swivel Mode and it comes with a hinge mechanism that is said to have been tested for 200,000 swivels. LG Wing specifications include Snapdragon 765G SoC, pOLED display, Android 10 OS, and triple camera setup.
LG Wing specifications
LG Wing ships with a 6.8-inch full HD+ pOLED display with 1,080 x 2,440 pixels resolution and 20:5:9 aspect ratio. It has a 3.9-inch G-OLED second screen with 1,240 X 1,080 pixels resolution. The phone is powered by the Snapdragon 765G SoC paired with Adreno 620 GPU, 8GB RAM, and up to 256GB storage options that are further expandable up to 2TB via microSD card. It runs on Android 10 OS with LG’s custom skin. Connectivity features include 5G, 4G LTE, dual-band Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, and USB Type-C port.
As for the cameras, the LG Wing has a triple camera setup at the back consisting of a 64MP primary sensor, a 13MP ultra-wide-angle lens with a 117-degree field of view and OIS, and a 12MP ultra-wide Gimbal mode camera with a 120-degree view. There is a 32MP sensor on the front for selfies and video chats and an in-display fingerprint sensor for security. The phone houses a 4,000mAh battery and supports 25W fast charging and 10W wireless charging. LG Wing is MIL-STD 810G compliant and has an IP54 rating for water and dust resistance.


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Coronary Stents Set to be Cheaper by About .₹ 1 Lakh
After Tuesday’s price cap order, stents may cost in the range of .₹ 7,623 to .₹ 31,080
New Delhi: Heart patients who require coronary stents stand to get an average benefit of close to ₹ 1 lakh after the country’s drug pricing authority on Tuesday fixed a cap on stent prices, chemicals and fertilisers minister Ananth Kumar has said. The move, which has upset domestic and multinational stent makers alike, would encourage companies to make in India to cut costs, the minister said.
Earlier in the day, National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) slashed prices of coronary stents by over 75%, capping the ceiling prices of drug eluting stents (DES) and bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BVS) at ₹ 29,600, and bare metal stents (BMS) at ₹ 7,260. Including VAT, these stents are expected to cost ₹ 31,080 and ₹ 7,623, respectively.
A coronary stent is a wire mesh tube used to clear blockages in the arteries and prevent heart attacks.
The ceiling prices notified by the body are applicable to manufacturers, distributors and hospitals billing patients for stents effective February 14, according to NPPA’s notification. It has also made it mandatory for hospitals to bill cardiac stents separately from the procedure package billed to patients.
The regulator claimed that “huge” and “unethical” markups were charged on the devices throughout the supply chain.
The minister claimed these stents “were being sold with a 400% profit margin”. Over 90% of stents implanted in India are DES, sold at an average price of ₹ 1.21 lakh, while BMS are sold at an average price of ₹ 45,095, he said.
Kumar claimed that the price caps have been fixed after taking into account manufacturing, R&D and marketing costs as well as “ethical” profit.
The Stent Business
were sold with a
Drug eluting 29,600
Stent manufacturers, however, said the move will kill the industry by discouraging companies to innovate and bring in new technologies into this space.
The number of stent procedures in India has trebled over the last five years and close to five lakh stents were implanted in over 3.5 lakh procedures in 2015, according to National Interventional Council (NIC) registry.Global companies said clubbing all DES and BVS into one category disregards technological differences among these stents and would deter stent makers from launching further innovations in this space.
“The singular focus on controlling ceiling price of stents without attempting to address the larger picture and correct inefficiencies in the healthcare ecosystem will not achieve its stated benefit in the long run,” said a spokesperson from AdvaMed—a lobby group for multinational stent makers like Abbott India, Medtronic and Boston Scientific.
The person also warned that lack of access to the latest generation of stents may force patients to go to other countries for treatment.
There is a clear difference between different types of stents and their benefits and the government should have taken this categorisation into consideration, the AdvaMed spokesperson said.
NPPA said clinical superiority of most new generation stents is not proven.Domestic stent manufacturers said the ceiling prices of stents have been fixed too low for Indian companies to step in and meet the growing demand. “This move may appear populist but will ultimately kill the ecosystem where Indian manufacturers shall keep manufacturing low end technologies,” said Gurmeet Chugh, managing director of Translumina Therapeutics, an Indian stent company.
He added that the pricing regulation has not taken into account.


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This collaboration took almost a year before it got done. But it's finally here.U-Kru(Urdaneta Kru) skateshop owner JEP CALIBOSO is one of those guys who just wants to keep their local skate scene going, and thought of starting a skateshop. Since 5thply started he was one of those shops who believed for the cause. Having a local good quality brand that they can represent.
We are proud of doing business with him and as a result, It's just right to share that spotlight with this DECK.
It will be mainly be available at U-KRU skateshop Viper Telecom, Grnd. Flr. New Urdaneta Public Market (0917) 788.6667.
And a limited number of decks will be available at weLegendary RONAC and KAMUNING.
5thply and U-Kru will be hosting a "LAND it or NOTHING" skate event at BINALONAN AUDITORIUM this saturday DEC.10, 2011.
5thply skaters WONG Lorenzana and AKUMA will be there to join you guys from the north for some skate sesh.
CASH and PRIZES and probably a case of BEER will be given away.


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According to USDA livestock analyst Joel Greene, there is hope that consumers will see cheaper beef in the grocery store in 2008.
"We're heading into a situation this year where we have pretty good supplies of competing meats out there; pork and poultry as well as beef so that is going to have some depressing effect on prices," Greene says. "And there is probably more uncertainty on the economic front this year."
The average price for choice cuts of beef in 2007 was well above $4 at around $4.16 per pound. Greene says that the supplies of meat available will likely bring the average price for choice beef down a little bit, probably around three to five cents. So choice beef will still be more than $4 a pound, but it will be slightly lower than last year.


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By Peter MacArthur 11:00am, May 22, 2013 - Updated 12:40pm, May 22, 2013
Del. Attorney General Beau Biden (WDEL File)A major book publisher is agreeing to settle up with the Attorneys General of 33 states, Delaware included.
Penguin Group is accused of manipulating the market place through artificial price increases.
An investigation revealed that Penguin, along with MacMillan and Apple collaborated to hike the price charged on various e-books...an arrangement the attorneys general say resulted in consumers being overcharged by $100-million nationwide.
Penguin has agreed to pay $164-million, with just over half a million of that money headed to Delaware.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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Jack Warner, Fifa's vice-president and one of Sepp Blatter's closest allies, is facing an investigation after it was alleged he was involved in the sale of thousands of World Cup tickets on the black market, including 900 to England fans. It has been claimed that a report produced by the auditor Ernst & Young reveals that the Trinidad & Tobago official made at least £500,000 by trading in the tickets at five times their face value.
It is not the first time that Warner has been under scrutiny for the offence. In February he was cited by Fifa for an ethics violation over World Cup ticket sales. The only company selling them at that time in Trinidad & Tobago, Simpaul, was a travel agency owned by Warner's family, but he was exonerated after he claimed that he and his family had sold their shares in the business.
Fifa has said that it will discuss the matter at its executive board meeting in Zurich on Friday, where among other items on the agenda will be the ratification of a new code of ethics which will regulate the set-up, purpose and duties of the newly formed ethics committee.
That will add to the pressure for Fifa to take action after another of its senior officials - an executive committee member Ismail Bhamjee of Botswana - was sent home from the World Cup in Germany after he sold 12 tickets for England's match against Trinidad & Tobago for three times face value. He has since resigned from all his administrative posts, including as head of the Southern African federation.
According to the Ernst & Young report, the auditor was called in on June 20 when a Swiss travel firm complained to Fifa it had not received a number of €100 tickets it had agreed to pay a Florida-based agency €400 apiece for. Ernst & Young was able to trace the tickets to Warner and establish that he had bought 180 of them on his credit card for €100 apiece - they were picked up from Fifa's ticket office by his son Daryan and sold on to the Swiss for €54,000 (£36,500) more than face.
Warner has refused to comment but in yesterday's Trinidad Express he had his say about modern-day match officials. "Some of our referees have been mercenaries," he is quoted as saying. "Most times all they are concerned with is how much the can earn for officiating the game; they care very little about their performance on the field."
In the 80s and 90s Warner obtained Fifa's TV rights for the Caribbean for a pittance and sold them on to broadcasters.


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KPMG pre-tax profits fall as UK chairman Simon Collins is paid £2.5million
The chairman of accountancy giant KPMG has had an inflation-busting pay rise to £2.5million despite a fall in pre-tax profits.
Simon Collins, UK chairman, saw his rewards rise by 4 per cent to £2.5million, well above inflation, which fell to 1 per cent this week.
His fellow partners fared less well, with the average partner pay edging up just 0.3 per cent, albeit to a still-lucrative £715,000.
Profit before tax fell 9 per cent to £414million, a fall the firm says is due to investment in people, new business lines and new offices in London and Manchester.
The firm also saw profits drop 8 per cent in its tax practice. Collins said the business was ‘disproportionately affected by changes in the indirect tax market and forthcoming EU reforms on supplying non-audit services’.
Controls are being placed on the amount of non-audit work firms can carry out for audit clients, in the hope of ensuring independence. The EU is also overhauling indirect taxes from next year.
KPMG’s employee bonus pool increased to £80million and it has put in place a package including birthdays off and contributions to student loan repayments in order to attract the best young staff.
Collins has led efforts to make audits more useful and relevant to investors after the profession came in for swingeing criticism for failing to warn about the financial crisis.
KPMG acted as auditor for HBOS and the Co-op Bank before their respective downfalls and is still auditor of controversial insurance technology firm Quindell.
It has formed a partnership with Formula 1 group McLaren to use sophisticated analytic techniques to predict what may happen to clients’ finances. McLaren will model how changes in a client’s cash flow, or interest rates, could affect sales and profits.
KPMG has a string of new clients including Compass and Royal Mail and kept the audit for Standard Chartered and Old Mutual.
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138 Interactions, 4 today
The new regulation permits firms that have passed stringent regulatory obstacles to post advertisements.
Google, the internet advertising powerhouse, reversed a nearly three-year-old restriction that barred cryptocurrency exchanges from utilising its ad services in an unexpected move on Wednesday.
“Beginning August 3, advertisers offering Cryptocurrency Exchanges and Wallets targeting the United States may advertise those products and services when they meet the following requirements and are certified by Google,” reads a policy update on the company’s support page.
Exchanges must meet requirements such as being registered with “FinCEN as a Money Services Business and with at least one state as a money transmitter” or “a federal or state chartered bank entity,” possibly opening the door to advertisements from services such as Anchorage and Paxos.
The vast majority of crypto institutions will not be able to take advantage of the new regulation, since “ads for initial coin offerings, DeFi trading protocols, or otherwise promoting the purchase, sale, or trade of cryptocurrencies or related products” remain illegal. News and chart aggregators, as well as “signals” and analysis services, continue to be blacklisted.
Google’s regulations for crypto advertisements have frequently been contradictory, and experts have called them “unfair” at times. Throughout 2018, the search giant flipped-flopped on an exchange ad prohibition, had “Ethereum” as a banned phrase in advertisements at one point, and despite stringent regulations, occasionally enabled scam ventures to sneak through the cracks.
Because of the new advertising regulation, crypto enthusiasts in the United States may soon be swamped with advertisements. Binance is a cryptocurrency exchange. The US and FTX are now competing for market share in the US, with FTX in particular ready to spend on nontraditional advertising venues. Earlier this year, it was announced that FTX bought the naming rights to the home of the National Basketball Association’s Miami Heat until 2040, which will soon be the FTX Arena.


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Amazon.com Inc. is on a mission to achieve entry to the entrance lobbies of condominium buildings throughout the U.S., and is trying to sell landlords on the strategy of enabling the installation of a electronic “essential” making it possible for their deal delivery drivers a way to enter.
The on the web retail and tech giant’s goal is to present secure and practical creating entry for Amazon supply drivers at condominium buildings and streamline the delivery system for creating entrepreneurs and professionals, so their personnel or people never want to manually give obtain each and every time deliveries are produced, a spokesperson informed FOX Organization.
The initiative, known as Important for Enterprise, involves Amazon delivery drivers requesting obtain to a participating developing by using an app, and the condominium setting up door or gate to a neighborhood is unlocked only soon after Amazon confirms the driver’s ID, route, GPS spot and time of ask for.
Some landlords who have the important system mounted instructed the Related Push that the procedure has reduced the frequent buzzing from shipping individuals and supplies a extra protected solution than disclosing the building entry code to scores of delivery people today. Just one even claimed he is so delighted with the technique he would have compensated for Amazon to set up it. Amazon would not give the precise amount of properties it has entry to, but disclosed that the amount is in the thousands.
AMAZON Searching TO Employ the service of CRYPTOCURRENCY Guru
The Essential for Company method is a equivalent concept to Amazon’s Key by Amazon In-Garage Shipping and delivery, an option it launched 4 many years ago that is now available in 4,000 cities and makes it possible for Amazon motorists a single-time accessibility to people’s garages in purchase to depart packages inside of to hold them from acquiring snatched or broken.
Both equally techniques need numerous sorts of authentication from shipping workers, and all the company’s motorists bear qualifications checks, Amazon explained. Even now, skeptics are involved about protection dangers from the units.
GET FOX Small business ON THE GO BY CLICKING Here
Ashkan Soltani, a privateness researcher who was a senior tech advisor to previous President Barack Obama, explained to the AP that any product linked to the net could be hacked – such as the Amazon one particular – and poor actors could check out to unlock the doorways.
“You’re fundamentally introducing a international world-wide-web-connected product into an in any other case inner community,” he said.


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Waitrose is offering yoga classes in an attempt to encourage customers to calm down before or after their weekly shop. The store is holding evening yoga classes in three of its supermarkets, with plans to roll out the programme across other branches in its network of 353 shops if successful. The upmarket supermarket will charge customers £7 per session or £35 for six sessions. The classes will take place in
its in-store cafés.
Nick Huismans, Associate Director from consultancy firm Newton, believes the store
has taken a step in the right direction by using vacant space in an innovative way, and tapping into demand for convenience, while the key to success is ensuring it bases its innovation on insight into what customers really want as opposed to “gut feel”.
“It will be interesting to see if this proves a success for Waitrose, especially considering a previous attempt by Tesco proved unsuccessful, but this does certainly offer something unique above the other grocery retailers,” he said.


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Android's lead over iOS is diminishing in the U.S.
No matter where you pull your data from, it all points to Google's Android platform being the most popular mobile operating system on the planet, and usually by a wide margin. However, things get a little more interesting when you zone in on specific territories, including the United States where iOS appears to be quickly gaining ground on Android. The gap between the two is now less than 8 percent on smartphone devices, according to data derived from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech USA.
Consumers may finally be warming to the idea of Windows 8 and its new interface. Though there's been a bunch of bellyaching up to this point, Windows 8 has slowly been gaining market share and jumped up 2 percentage points last month. That's the largest month-to-month gain in share since the operating system debuted in October of last year, and it was enough to propel it ahead of Mac OS X for the first time.
We're still waiting for Windows 8.1 to roll out to the masses, which will introduce a host of new features to arguably Microsoft's most controversial version of Windows to date. Is it too early to start looking ahead to what comes next? Not according to a Russian message board where a user called WZOR claims to have the inside scoop. This isn't the first time WZOR has leaked information about Microsoft's plans.
We are not too far away from finding out the fate of Microsoft's Windows 8.1 update, which is being seen as a great opportunity for the company to redeem itself — especially by those who don’t have greater expectations from Ballmer's departure. The word on the street is that Redmond has already released Windows 8.1 to manufacturing and the update is on track for a general release in October.
Windows ME and Windows Vista are arguably the two most forgettable versions of Windows ever to be released. That's not just public opinion, at least as it pertains to the latter, which happens to be Steve Ballmer's biggest regret during his time served as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Microsoft. Now that he's announced his impending retirement, he can talk a bit more candidly about his track record.
Microsoft has certainly had better Patch Tuesdays than the one that occurred last week. Throughout the week, the Redmond software giant has been pulling faulty security updates and re-issuing patches, and assuming it's all sorted out now, the total number of bad updates comes to six. They include KB 2876063, KB 2859537, KB 2843872, KB 2843638, KB 2843639, and KB 286846.
Larry Ellison, head of Oracle, doesn't see eye to eye with Larry Page, head of Google
There remains some bad blood between two very wealthy Larrys, one of which is the CEO and co-founder of Oracle (Larry Ellison) and the other Google's chief and co-founder (Larry Page). The two companies are gearing up for trial in a U.S. appeals court over a lawsuit surrounding Google's Android operating system and Oracle's Java platform, and from Ellison's vantage point, what Google did with Android was downright "evil."
A preview version of Windows 8.1 has been available since June, and if all goes to plan, word on the web is that the final release will roll into town in October. That's when the general public will be able to nab the download via Windows Update. Prior to that, OEM system builders will receive the update as early as this month, and it's possible some Windows 8.1 machines will show up in retail in September.
Build 9471 leak comes just a few days before RTM (release to manufacturing)
One of the many criticisms of Windows 8 is that it has a steep learning curve, which is ironic as Microsoft has also been accused of unnecessarily dumbing down its operating system by saddling it with a touch-friendly layer of tiles and apps. The upcoming Windows 8.1 update will thankfully address both issues. While we have already witnessed the ability to skip the Start Screen and boot straight to desktop in earlier builds, a new leaked build contains something that is meant to help first-time users acclimatize themselves to the Windows 8 interface a lot faster.
Apple's iPad used to own the tablet market, and perhaps by some counts, it still does. The number crunchers at Strategy Analytics, however, have Android sitting on top, and by a pretty wide margin to boot. According to Strategy Analytics, Android secured a 67 percent global share of the tablet market in the first quarter of 2013, a quarter which overall tablet shipments reached 57.1 million units.


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The Internet of Things (IoT) is impacting the lives of millions around the world – but none more so than those in Africa. It is for this reason SolarNow, a social business which is passionate about transforming lives by providing high quality solar energy, appliances and financing solutions in East Africa, has turned to IoT.
Solar as an energy source is becoming increasingly vital and viable to off-grid populations in the East African region; in part to reduce the widespread use of polluting and dangerous kerosene lamps, but also to harness the significant economic, social and health benefits reliable power sources provide.
SolarNow addresses the unmet need for sustainable, quality solar energy in the region through the provision of solar powered equipment, appliances and services to remote or off-grid home, farm, school, health centre and business locations. To make a deployment achievable, the company offers affordable and flexible credit with every solution, a key feature in widening access to solar energy in the African market.
The organisation’s decision to now integrate M2M cellular connectivity and AWS Cloud within its solutions has developed out of a desire to innovate and to provide more and better services to customers. SolarNow’s requirement was to enhance access to and use of device data. They wanted better oversight of remote equipment and to be able to communicate with clients, for example when payments are due or if there is an issue with their device.
Peter Huisman, CTO at SolarNow, says “By turning to cellular connectivity, SolarNow can further credit provision, mostly through better insights into client behaviour; making solar more accessible through affordable finance. Using cellular connectivity also means the performance of the solar system can be remotely monitored, ensuring a much better service for customers.”
However, the time, costs and risks involved in setting up IoT deployments can appear to be a daunting, even impossible task.
For the solution, SolarNow turned to IoT M2M connectivity specialist Eseye to deliver highly secure and reliable global cellular network data through the AnyNet Secure™ SIM, with seamless integration onto the AWS Cloud. The SIM’s enhanced features also enable SolarNow to remotely and securely activate, provision, authenticate and certify deployed devices over-the-air, in up to 190 countries. Integration with AWS Cloud Services, further simplifies project set up and deployment by reducing the need for investment in specialist inhouse infrastructure and development resources. By adding AWS’ software tools and cloud SolarNow establishes the means to simply and quickly analyse data and to scale instantly and securely, on demand.
The integration of the AnyNet Secure SIM means when SolarNow creates a new customer and a new device on its customer management system, the AWS IoT service is automatically informed that a new connected ‘thing’ exists. AWS then creates a certificate with all the required security material and device information, and through its integration with Eseye, delivers it directly and securely into the device using GS signalling channels.
Working with developers at SolarNow, Eseye also created software and supplied a reference design which the company could simply copy onto the circuit board of the microprocessor, which sits on a solar controller and manages SolarNow’s solutions.
Paul Marshall, Chief Customer Officer at Eseye, says, “Previously, the microprocessor only had the ability to communicate locally on the circuit board. However, by wiring the new Hera 100 reference design to the existing microprocessor, messages can be instantly sent and the data delivered directly onto the AWS IoT Cloud.”
The AWS IoT platform can then control communication with the remote device, using the AWS’ Rules Engine and Lambda function. Every time information is received from a remote device, the Lambda function is automatically activated to receive and package the data, and transfer it into SolarNow’s AWS system running on the AWS Cloud.
The capabilities provided to SolarNow have empowered the company to become completely self-reliant and secure in connecting and managing its growing product portfolio.
Taking a proven design and effectively copying it into its devices, has enabled SolarNow to move from a non-connected to a connected product offering, and to take full advantage of the capabilities of IoT. This not only provides the company with huge growth potential, but also adds a new level to its customer service offering.
For example, providing connectivity to SolarNow’s previously standalone devices has for the first time enabled the company to use remote monitoring to understand the full picture of its customer’s system. With this new capability, problems can be pre-empted and remote support provided to ensure a faster and more efficient service.
SolarNow has also been able to improve further key elements of its offering, for example, by analysing enhanced system data to communicate with the clients if there is an issue with their device, when payments are due, or to issue a warning. By building a wider picture of the customer and understanding how they use the system to develop product value and customer service the company has gained a new way of interacting with customers through its solar solutions.
Rose Atkinson, R&D Manager, at SolarNow, says, “Previously if a customer had an issue with their system they would have to phone and report the problem. The remote monitoring of devices reduces this by predicting and detecting problems much earlier; enabling a proactive resolution prior to a major fault or failure.”
Willem Nolens, CEO at SolarNow, says, “This new level of capability is another key step in our continued mission to build the best relationships with our customers. Meanwhile, global roaming capabilities alleviate any concerns over connectivity, so we can continue to drive the growth of solar as a central energy source across East Africa.”
Paul Marshall, Chief Customer Officer at Eseye, says, “Solar Now has fully exploited the tools to make IoT easy – a move which is not only pivotal for the company’s future growth, but also for the future of the customers it serves. The power of connected technology to solve issues and truly change lives across Africa, by enabling service provision for even the most remote or disempowered members of its communities, cannot be underestimated.”


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The younger generation are particularly quick to challenge conventional gender stereotypes. Research suggests 50% of young people believe gender exists on a spectrum, not just in two buckets. The majority of brands and agencies in the communications industry are still stuck firmly in binary gender definitions when it comes to audiences and creative messaging.
There is an untapped opportunity to forge better connections with young people today, by redefining how we approach gender from a communications perspective.
2015 saw an explosion of transgender visibility in the mainstream media, with Caitlyn Jenner as the first high profile transgender person to vocalise their story. Following Jenner’s interview on The 20/20 show, there was an unprecedented positive reaction to the issue of redefining gender.
Since 2015, the term genderfluid has also become a popular term, used to describe those who maintain the sex assigned at birth, but sit somewhere along the gender spectrum. Gender fluidity is gaining significant traction with young people, who want to break free from the restrictive definitions of male and female.
Research suggests 50% of young people believe gender exists on a spectrum, not just in two buckets.
Key figures in the music industry such as Miley Cyrus, Angel Haze, St Vincent and Ezra Furman often speak of their gender fluidity and their refusal to stick to a designated sexuality. These artists can now connect directly with their fans through social media, and their influential statements can reach the ears of millions of people instantly.
It is this freedom of self-expression that has given other young people the confidence to start demanding acceptance for their own gender identities.
Broadcast media has also played a significant role in embracing gender fluidity; Orange Is the New Black being the most prominent example with its transgender characters, Ruby Rose and Laverne Cox. In the UK, EastEnders cast its first transgender actor last year, and BBC drama Boy Meets Girl is another example of a mainstream TV show tackling the issue head on.
Consumer products that sit on the gender spectrum have always had a place in the fashion and beauty industries. However, this year has seen more niche trends truly break into the mainstream.
High street retailer Boots has changed the packaging on its hairspray products to make them more gender neutral and Zara has recently announced the launch of a gender neutral range ‘Ungendered’, with a campaign fronted by Ruby Rose.
Similarly, over the past few years we have started to see transgender models featured in high profile advertising campaigns for brands such as H&M, MAC and Barney’s in New York. Louis Vuitton has even gone one step further in casting Jaden Smith as the face of its womenswear range (main image, above).
High street retailer Boots has changed the packaging on its hairspray products to make them more gender neutral.
The past 18 months have seen a dramatic shift in the way popular culture is celebrating gender diversity, and this has permeated to public perceptions at lightning speed. Most importantly this shift in values is no longer limited to people on the fringes of youth culture, but has found a prominent place in mainstream culture and media.
In the face of such change, you would expect brands to start adapting their strategy to be in line with the changing attitudes of their audiences. So far very few brands have fully addressed these new perceptions around gender yet.
Although the reaction to gender fluidity and transgender acceptance has been overwhelmingly positive, there are still people who believe it’s all about PR and attention seeking individuals. Critics of Miley Cyrus would definitely agree – they see her gender revelation as the latest in a line of publicity stunts.
The same goes for the BBC after the transgender contestant on The Voice, Jordan, was dismissed at the blind auditions having not been chosen for her voice but later brought back to the show after a contestant dropped out. Sunday People claimed "viewers would be right to be outraged by the latest example of the BBC’s blatant box ticking".
The idea that the BBC was "box ticking" is the reason why brands are hesitant to address new perceptions around gender with their target consumers.
When it comes to embracing these new perceptions on gender, another challenge for brands is relevance. Only 0.5% of people in the US openly identify as transgender, which means it’s easy to think of those outside of the traditional gender segments as a niche audience.
However, the fact remains that for half of 18 to 34s, their personal perception of gender is shifting away from male and female stereotypes. They may not identify as transgender, but the majority will see themselves on a spectrum of gender fluidity, and these type of brand messages will resonate with them in a similar way.
A prime example of a brand that really understands the value of taking a more gender fluid approach is Clean & Clear in the US. The skin care brand partnered with Jazz Jennings for its #SeeTheRealMe campaign.
Jennings, who was assigned as male at birth but identifies as female in gender, went on to launch a popular YouTube channel celebrating and supporting transgender adolescents. The partnership works so well because it’s based on a true human need – the confidence and courage to be the real you – and this creates a real emotional connection with audiences. Advertisers who try to activate the same brand strategy but just paste a gender message over the top will ultimately fail.
For a long time, the industry has stated that demographics are no longer the best way to define an audience, but more often than not people limit that to age, race and social class. Very rarely has the concept of gender within an audience been challenged.
Our gender is no longer a single category that we belong to, but a spectrum of need states and emotions that we can shift between. Brands must move away from thinking of gender as a filter that is applied before considering human needs, and start understanding that all human needs are relevant to both men and women in different moments.
Kate Bornstein, an author and gender theorist, said in a recent speech, "If there’s a leading edge that is the future of gender, it’s going to be one that understands that gender is relevant to context."
For brands that are embracing the idea of gender fluidity, context needs to be the most important factor, and they must be agile enough to react to this. Data signals will be a huge part of understanding audience behaviour, but advertisers need to do more research into why people choose their products rather than using the blunt tool of gender to segment their audiences.
As more young people take inspiration from public figures, the speed at which gender definitions are broken down will rapidly increase.
Brands must start to future proof themselves for this changing youth mentality, because at some point in the future, thinking just about male and female alone will make them irrelevant and outdated.
By Hannah Gillett, strategy director, Starcom


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By Kirk Hiner | for Apple Tell
Almost immediately after Apple unveiled the iPhone 5 at last week’s press event, iPhone case manufacturers were bombarding us with new designs and updates to previous models. Seems they trust the rumor sites more than we do. Since then, even more cases have been announced, and we want to make sure you know about those, too.
Ballistic Case Company just debuted its latest collection of protective cases, all of which are compatible with the iPhone 5. The collection consists of five individual series, two of which (the Ballistic Shell Gel and the Ballistic Smooth Series) are currently available. You’ll find the remaining three series here.
The ever-popular Case-Mate has a new line of more than 40 iPhone 5 cases, and the majority are ready to ship now. Others will be ready to ship on September 21—the same day the iPhone 5 goes on sale.
Cygnett’s iPhone 5 cases aren’t ready to ship just yet, although a recent press release seems to suggest they’ll be available in Australia, the UK and the United States on September 12.
For the fashion conscious: UrbanShield, Lavish and FlipWallet. For the art enthusiast: The ICON Art Series. For the rough-and-tumble: WorkMate and the Bulldozer. And the classics: AeroGrip Feel, AeroGrip Form, Vector, Polygon and SecondSkin.
iLuv has announced its new line of protective and kid-friendly cases for the long-awaited iPhone 5. All of the newly-designed cases allow for complete access to all controls, including the new adapter.
Kensington announced 14 new accessories that are ready for use with the new devices. The company says the products will be available soon for pre-order.
Marware, a designer of accessories for mobile devices, just announced its new lineup of cases, shells and accessories for the iPhone 5.
OtterBox.com is now open for iPhone 5 case pre-orders; the company expects to begin shipping the Defender Series and Commuter Series on September 21.
For more information about the iPhone 5 case selection from OtterBox, visit www.otterbox.com.
Seidio, a manufacturer of mobile technology accessories, announced its line of signature cases—and a screen guard—for the Apple iPhone 5.
Seidio’s Surface and Active cases are available with or without a kickstand. The metal kickstand is designed to prop up the iPhone 5 in an easy, comfortable multimedia viewing position. Leaving your hands free, the user can multi-task while watching videos or slideshows.
Universal Electronic Accessories announced a complete line of cases for Apple’s newly released iPhone 5.


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Lenovo will not be in attendance at CES 2022, but it will reveal several new laptops online, as demonstrated in a new video teaser.
Lenovo has teased a slew of new laptops unveiled at CES 2022. The annual technology show in Las Vegas is set to start on January 5th and run until January 8th. While the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is expected to bring a slew of new products, laptops are among the most anticipated. Smartphones should also be present. However, most brands reserve phone launches for the Mobile World Congress (MWC) or specific events.
Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, numerous guests and participating firms have already withdrawn from the tech event, making it questionable whether CES 2022 will occur. Despite these pronouncements, the event’s organizer, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), has yet to cancel it. Lenovo is one of the companies that will not be attending the event in person, instead of announcing its products via an online launch.
Lenovo is one of the largest PC manufacturers in the world, with machines aimed at a wide range of consumers, including business professionals, gamers, students, and casual users. Depending on the target category, it sells its items in various series. The ThinkPad and ThinkBook models, aimed at commercial and business users, are among them. There’s also the 2-in-1 YOGA series and the gamer-focused LEGION range. Lenovo teased new models arriving under the product above categories in a teaser film produced before the announcements. At the movie’s start, a new ThinkPad X1 Carbon appears, and a fleeting appearance of an RGB keyboard suggests a new gaming laptop.
See. What’s. Next.
Stay tuned, new tech incoming! #LenovoCES #CES2022 pic.twitter.com/3EGTjyn5Y6
— Lenovo (@Lenovo) December 29, 2021
Chromebooks aren’t available?
A ThinkBook appears in the video, and it is most likely the same one that was leaked in November 2021. The ThinkBook Plus is a computer with a distinctive feature: a secondary display on the right-hand side of the keyboard that appears to double as a drawing tablet. Someone is seen using a stylus in the video, supporting the theory. While the teaser doesn’t reveal much because Lenovo doesn’t want to give too much away until the official announcement next week, it does show enough to keep fans interested.
Chromebooks appear to be the only thing missing from the teaser. Lenovo is one of the most well-known Chromebook manufacturers, but it doesn’t appear to have one in the works for CES 2022, or perhaps it didn’t make it into the film. While it would be upsetting if it didn’t show one next week, given the new and intriguing processors in the category, it is more than likely planning some models for 2022.


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Facial animation tech company Image Metrics has acquired Big Stage, creator of the avatar creation platform Portable You. Big Stage's tech lets users translate photos of themselves into 3D animated characters for use in virtual worlds, video clips and online communities.
Image Metrics says it'll merge that avatar creation platform into its existing animation tech to create a new product suite to launch in the second half of this year. The company says the merger will help its licensees integrate more realistic avatars into consumer-facing projects.
"Their advanced yet easy-to-use avatar creation technology is the perfect platform to package with our facial animation technology for a complete life-like digital solution for both consumers and developers alike," commented Image Metrics CEO Robert Gehorsam.
Image Metrics will also sell Portable You separately on a direct-to-consumer basis, it says.
Image Metrics specializes in 3D facial animation for film, television and games. It counts Rockstar, 2K Sports, Microsoft, EA, Ubisoft and many more among its clients. It's headquartered in Santa Monica and has a research and development office in Manchester, UK.